Lord Shiva is known as Mahadev, the God of Gods. His devotees who follow Hindu religion also call him Lord Shankar. Lord Shiva is also known by names like Gangadhar, Bholenath, Mahesh, Rudra, Girish. Lord Shankar is worshiped in both gentle and violent forms. Lord Shiva is also considered the god of destruction among the Trinity. Lord Shiva has as many forms as he has names. There is a story behind every look.
For some people, Lord Shiva and Shankar are the same, they are symbols of the same power and both are worshiped in the same way. But Lord Shiva and Shankar are different and their form is also different. It is believed in Hindu religion that the solution to every problem is hidden in the name of Lord Shiva. According to astrology, every name of Shiva has a different effect. Every name of Mahadev has a different power which can solve any problem of the world.
Are Lord Shiva and Shankar different?
People who follow the Sanatan tradition consider Shiva and Shankar to be the same. According to Shiva Puranas, the first light beam was created. Brahma and Vishnu were born from this beam of light. It is said that when Brahmaji asked this beam of light, who are you, then a voice came from that beam saying that I am Shiva. Hearing the voice, Lord Brahma told the beam of light that you can take physical form, only after which Lord Shankar was born from that beam of light. For this reason it is said that Lord Shiva and Shankar are parts of the same power but both are different. The only difference between Lord Shiva and Shankar is that Shiva is the beam of light whom we worship in the form of Shivalinga and Lord Shankar is the physical form of God.
Lord Shankar worships formless Shiva in the form of Shivalinga. You must have seen Shankar ji doing penance on high mountains or as a yogi at many places. Lord Shankar is seen sitting in meditation posture with his eyes closed. This makes it clear that Lord Shankar is a physical form, whereas Lord Shiva is a form of light and hence Shiva's form is formless.
Difference between Lord Shiva and Shankar
In Hindu religion, it is believed that Lord Shiva himself has appeared but his origin has been described in the Puranas. It is written in Vishnu Purana that Lord Vishnu was born from the navel of Lord Brahma. Similarly, Lord Shiva was born from the radiance of Lord Vishnu's forehead. Another belief related to Lord Shiva is that Rudradevata is a member of Shankar's Panchayat, while Nandi and Mahakal are the gatekeepers of Lord Shankar.
It is believed in Hindu scriptures that Shiva is the form of God and the supreme power. According to Lord Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar create, operate and destroy the universe. The easiest difference between Lord Shiva and Shankar can be made by the iconography of both. While the idol of Lord Shankar is in perfect shape, the idol of Lord Shiva is in the form of a linga or oval.
Shivratri is celebrated only in the memory of God and not Shankarratri. Lord Shiva is considered to have two bodies. Lord Shiva is mostly worshiped in the Linga form. There is a lot of confusion among people regarding the word 'linga' but in Sanskrit 'linga' means 'sign'. Hence, Shivalinga means the symbol symbolizing Shiva.
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