Symbolism of Siva As the Breathing Body and Prana

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Siva means the auspicious. That auspicious quality comes from his being present in the  macrocosm as well as in the microcosm as the purifier, liberator and sustainer. By His mere presence, the world comes to life and so also the body. The body is pure as long as He is present in the body and when He departs it becomes impure. He is also the lord of the breath. As the lord of the breath (prana nath or pranesvar) and its source, He symbolizes the breathing body and all that breathes in creation. All is Siva. That is the motto of a devotee who sees Him everywhere and in everything and everything in himself. A breathing body is Siva. It is pure and auspicious. A body without breath is sava, a dead body. It is impure and inauspicious. Hence, people invariably take a bath if they touch a dead body or when they carry it to the cremation grounds. Lord Siva is also Omkaresvar. Aum is known as pranava, because it is deeply connected with breath and represents the sound of breath.

As long as a person is alive and keeps breathing, he chants Aum continuously, without even knowing it. When you become aware of the sound of Aum in your breathing and concentrate upon it continuously without any distraction, with that sound you will eventually overcome your delusion, egoism and bondage and achieve liberation.

By: +Prof: Koti Madhav Balu Chowdary