Shiva (English spelling) Śiva

Japanese: シバ（英語表記）Śiva

One of the most important deities in Hinduism. In Sanskrit, it means "auspicious one." It is believed that the god Rudra, who appears in the Rig Veda in the singular and sometimes in the plural, was mixed with folk beliefs and developed into the supreme god of Hinduism, and the seeds of this development can be seen in the Brahmanic texts. In mythology, Shiva lives in the Himalayas and practices asceticism. He has a third eye on his forehead, a snake around his neck, his neck is blue-black because he has drunk poison, and a crescent moon and the Ganges River descending from the sky on his head. He also uses a spear, a bow, a trident, and an axe as weapons, and rides a white bull. He has many names that show both his gentle and ferocious sides, such as Shiva, which shows his gentle side, and Hara (meaning "the destroyer"), which shows his fearsome side. Shiva's consort is called Uma, Parvati, Durga, etc., and is thought to have originally been a goddess worshipped by the indigenous people of the mountainous regions. Shiva was adopted into Buddhism and became the deity Mahajarastra.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ヒンドゥー教で最も重要な神格の一つ。サンスクリット語で「縁起のよい者」の意。『リグ・ベーダ』に単数，ときに複数で現れるルドラ神が民間信仰と混合し，ヒンドゥー教の最高神に発展したものとみられ，その発展の萌芽はブラーフマナ文献中にすでに現れている。神話においてシバはヒマラヤ山中に住んで苦行している。その姿は額に第三の眼をもち，首にヘビを巻きつけ，また毒を飲んだため首が青黒く，頭上に三日月と天から降下したガンジス川を戴く。また槍，弓，三叉の鉾，斧を武器とし，白い雄牛に乗る。温和な面と狂暴な面とを示す多くの呼称をもち，たとえばシバはその温和な面を示し，ハラ（「壊滅者」の意）はその恐ろしい面を示す。シバの神妃はウマーまたはパールバティー，ドゥルガーなどと呼ばれ，本来は山岳地帯の先住民の間に信仰された女神であったと考えられている。シバは仏教に取り入れられ大自在天となる。

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