WHAT ARE THE 64 FORMS & QUALITIES OF LORD SHIVA IN HINDUISM ?

Lord Shiva is considered to be one of the most powerful yet benevolent Lords in Hinduism. He is the one who has the power to devastate all that we see. God Shiva can be pleased easily and He fulfills all the wishes of his devotees. In this article we will discuss the 64 forms of Lord Shiva. This list is called the Maheshwara Murtham.These are the various forms that were given to the Lord Shiva by the Gods and the devotees as per the form that He took for the benefit of the mankind. THE 64 FORMS & QUALITIES OF LORD SHIVA;-- 1. Linga Murthy – In this form the God Shiva in formless form 2. LinGodbhava Murthy- This is the Form of God Shiva emerging from formless 3. Mukhalingam- In this form the Shiv Linga form with five faces of God Shiva is worshipped. 4. SadaShiva Murthy- In this form again the Lord Shiva with five faces 5. Maha sadaShiva Murthy- In this form the God Shiva with twenty five faces 6. Umamaheshvara Murthy- This is the sixth form and in this the God Shiva with Goddess uma or Parvati. 7. Sukasana Murthy – In this particular form you will find Lord Shiva with his wife and is in a pleasant mood. If worshipped in this form he grants peace and happiness. 8. Umesha Murthy – in this form the Lord Shiva is seen with his wife and one of his hand is in a vardana pose. 9. Somaskandha Murthi- This is a popular form of Lord Shiva. The God Shiva is seen with Goddess uma and Lord skandha in this form. 10. Vrishabhantika Murthy- In this pose the Lord Shiva is seen along with bull. Many devotees prefer to worship the Lord in this form. 11. Chandrashekara Murthy- God Shiva with crescent is seen in this form. This was when the moon told him to keep him on his head after the moon was saved from the curse of his father in law by Lord Shiva. 12. Bhujanga Lalita Murthy – Lord Shiva liked to keep a snake on his body all the time. In this form he is seen with a snake. 13. Sada nritta Murthy – In this form the Lord Shiva is seen in the form of Natraj. He is seen with his wife and standing on the body of a demon. 14. Gangavisarjana Murthy – God Shiva releasing ganga in this form. This is the form in which the Lord Shiva held the Ganga on his head. 15. Ardanarishvara Murthy- God Shiva Goddess shakti together in one form is worshipped by many. In this form the Lord Shiva and his wife are seen together. The form is of half Lord Shiva and half of Goddess Parvati. 16. Vrishabharudar – in this form the Lord Shiva is seen sitting on a bull. 17. Bhujanga Trasa Murthy – In this particular form the Lord Shiva is seen with a sanke in one hand and fire in the other. As usual there is damroo in one hand and with the fourth hand he is seen blessing the devotees. 18. Chandathandava Murthy – In this form the Lord Shiva is seen standing on a demon. It is considered to be one of the fierce forms of the Lord Shiva. 19. Tripurantaka Murthy – In this form the Lord Shiva is seen riding a chariot that is driven by four horses. He also has his wife with him in this form. 20. Gajasura Samhara Murthy – In this form the God Shiva is seen peeling an elephant. 21. Sandhya Nritta Murthy – This is an interesting form of the Lord Shiva. In this form he is seen with his wife and with a damroo in his hand. He is again seen killing an asura in this form. 22. Gangadhara Murthy – God Shiva with the river Ganga falling into matted locks is seen in this particular form. 23. Kalyanasundhara Murthy – Lord Shiva in this form is seen getting married to Goddess Partvati the daughter of Himalaya. 24. JvarabhagnaMurthy – This form of the Lord Shiva is also called the jvarahara Murthy. In this form the Lord is seen with three faces and three legs. The Lord is dancing in this pose. 25. Shardhula Hara Murthy – This is a form in which the God Shiva is seen with a tiger skin. This is a popular form of the Lord Shiva. 26. Keshavartha Murthy – This form of the Lord Shiva is also called the Shankaranarayana. You will see that in this form the Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are seen together in one body. You can see damroo in one hand and Chakra in the other. This is a very popular form of the Lord Shiva and is worshipped in many parts of the country even today. 27. Chandisha Anugraha Murthy- In this form the Lord Shiva is seen gifting the Kamdhenu cow to a Sage. Kamdhenu was a mystical cow and it would fulfil all the wishes of its master. 28. Vinadhara DakshinaMurthy – In this form the Lord Shiva is seen holding a musical instrument that is called the Vina. He is seen standing on a demon and is surrounded by Gods. 29. LakulishvaraMurthy – The Lord Shiva is seen sitting in a composed form as LakulishvaraMurthy. He as usual holds his damroo and trishool. 30. Vaduka Murthy – This form of the Lord Shiva is called the Bhairava. In this particular form the Lord is seen holding a snake and a bowl. In this form the Lord is seen as a simple hermit that he was. 31. Agorastra Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen as an agori in this form. 32. GuruMurthy – In this form the Lord Shiva is seen as a sage who is teaching others. This was the form in which the Lord used to share his knowledge with the sages in the Gyan sabha. 33. Jalandharavata Murthy – In this particular form you can see the Lord Shiva killing Jalandhara. Jalandhara was a part of Lord Shiva but as he was creating havoc in heaven and earth the Lord Shiva was forced to kill him. 34. Ekapadha Murthy – This is a form of Lord Shiva where he is seen standing on one leg. 35. Gaurilila Samanvita Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen sitting with his wife in this pose. He was the only God who had a family and in this he is shown as a family man. 36. Brahma Shirachetha Murthy – Once Lord Vishu and Brahma had a fight and they wanted to know who was greater. The Lord Shiva in this form is seen cursing Lord Brahma saying that he will never be worshipped in spite of being the creator of the world. 37. Varaha Samhara Murthy – As the name clearly says the Lord Shiva is seen killing a Varaha in this form. 38. Shishyabhava Murthy- The Lord Shiva is seen in this form with his devotees and his wife Goddess parvati. 39. Pasupatha Murthy – This is a form of Lord Shiva he is seen with some Gods and he is in a larger than life form. 40. Bhikshatana Murthy – This is a form of the God Shiva on alms. 41. Vyakyana DakshinaMurthy – In this form again the Lord is seen killing a demon who would not allow the sages to do their duties. 42. Kalanthakar- In this form the Lord Shiva is also called the KalasamharaMurthy. In this the Lord came out of a fire to kill a demon. 43. Bhairav Murthy – In this form the Lord Shiva is seen with a dog. 44. Kshetrapaala Murthy – In this form the Lord is also called the Bhairavar. He is again seen with a dog in this form. 45. Dakshayagyahara Murthy – We all know about the Daksha yagna where Lord Shiva was insulted and his wife Sati killed herself. In this form the Lord is seen killing the king Daksha. 46. Ashvaruda Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen sitting on a horse in this pose. 47. Ekapada triMurthy – This is a very strong form of Lord Shiva. In this form he is seen taking the forms of vishnu and brahma 48. Gaurivaraprada Murthy – In this form the Lord is seen with gauri. 49. Vishapaharana Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen resting in this pose with his wife sitting beside him. 50. Kurma samhara Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen with Lord Vishnu in this form. 51. Prarthana Murthy – This is a form in which the Lord Shiva is seen with his wife in a very happy mood. 52. Kankala Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen in a standing pose all alone in this form. 53. Simhaghna Murthy – In this form the Lord is seen with three heads of lion and he is seen killing a demon. 54. Yoga dakshinaMurthy – This is a pose in which the Lord Shiva is seen in yogic posture. The Lord in this form is also called dakshinaMurthy. 55. Kama dahana Murthy – We have already explained that Lord Shiva once burnt down Lord Kama. In this form he is seen burning cupid. 56. ApatuttaranaMurthy – The Lord is seen as a simple hermit in this form with a stick and a bowl. 57. Virabhadra Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen as a warrior in this form loaded with weapons. 58. Kiratha Murthy- The Lord Shiva is seen with bow and arrow in this form. He looks like a hunter in this form. 59. Gajantika Murthy – The Lord in this form is seen with an elephant. 60. Tripada trimurthi – In this form again the Lord Shiva is seen standing on one leg with log Vishnu and Brahma on both his sides. 61. Chakradanasvarupa Murthy- In this particular form the God Shiva is seen giving sudarshana chakra to Lord Vishnu. 62. Garudanthika Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen in this form with his wife and he is being worshipped by a number of Gods including Garur. 63. Matsya samhara Murthy – In this form Lord Shiva is seen with a fish. It was a form he took when Lord Vishnu took the form of fish. 64. Rakthabhiksha pradana Murthy – The Lord Shiva is seen with Lord Vishnu in this form. The Lord Shiva is seen using his Trishool to get some blood from the body of Lord Vishnu. All the 64 forms of Lord Shiva or synonyms of God Shiva are associated with the different events that happened in the life of the Lord. We hope that this list will help you understand the power and the importance that is associated with Lord Shiva. He had some interesting events that are associated with his life. Many a times he killed demons and took various forms for the benefit of the mankind. This is why he is still worshipped in all these 64 forms by the devotees.Sixty-Four Qualities of the Lord (Based on an excerpt from the Nectar of Devotion, chapter twenty-one "Qualities of Sri Krishna".) THE TRANSCENDENTAL QUALITIES OF THE LORD;-- The transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows:------ (1) Beautiful features of the entire body; (2) Marked with all auspicious characteristics; (3) Extremely pleasing; (4) Effulgent; (5) Strong; (6) Ever youthful; (7) Wonderful linguist; (8) Truthful; (9) Talks pleasingly; (10) Fluent; (11) Highly learned; (12) Highly intelligent; (13) A genius; (14) Artistic; (15) Extremely clever; (16) Expert; (17) Grateful; (18) Firmly determined; (19) An expert judge of time and circumstances; (20) Sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas, or scriptures; (21) Pure; (22) Self-controlled; (23) Steadfast; (24) Forbearing; (25) Forgiving; (26) Grave;(serious) (27) Self-satisfied; (28) Possessing equilibrium; (29) Magnanimous; (forgiving) (30) Religious; (31) Heroic; (32) Compassionate; (33) Respectful; (34) Gentle; (35) Liberal; (36) Shy; (37) The protector of surrendered souls; (38) Happy; (39) The well-wisher of devotees; (40) Controlled by love; (41) All-auspicious; (42) Most powerful; (43) All-famous; (44) Popular; (45) Partial to devotees; (46) Very attractive to all women; (47) All-worshipable; (48) All-opulent; (49) All-honorable; (50) The supreme controller. 1-The Supreme Personality of Godhead has all these fifty transcendental qualities in fullness as deep as the ocean. In other words, the extent of His qualities is inconceivable. 2-As parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, the individual living entities can also possess all of these qualities in minute quantities, provided they become pure devotees of the Lord. In other words, all of the above transcendental qualities can be present in the devotees in minute quantity, whereas the qualities in fullness are always present in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 3-Besides these, there are other transcendental qualities which are described by Lord Shiva to Parvati in the Padma Purana, and in the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam in connection with a conversation between the deity of the earth and the King of religion, Yamaraja. It is said therein, "Persons who who are desirous of becoming great personalities must be decorated with the following qualities:--- truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, perseverance, renunciation, peacefulness, simplicity, control of the senses, equilibrium of the mind, austerity, equality, forbearance, placidity, learning, knowledge, detachment, opulence, chivalry, influence, strength, memory, independence, tactfulness, luster, patience, kind-heartedness, ingenuity, gentility, mannerliness, determination, perfection in all knowledge, proper execution, possession of all objects of enjoyment, gravity, steadiness, faithfulness, fame, respectfulness and lack of false egotism." 4-Persons who are desiring to become great souls cannot be without any of the above qualities, so we can know for certain that these qualities are found in Lord Krishna, the supreme soul. Besides all of the above-mentioned fifty qualities, Lord Krishna possesses five more, which are sometimes partially manifested in the persons of Lord Brahma or Lord Shiva. 5-These transcendental qualities are as follows:-- (51) Changeless; (52) All-cognizant; (53) Ever fresh; (54) Sat-Chid -Ananda (possessing an eternal blissful body); (55) Possessing all mystic perfections. (56) He has inconceivable potency. (57) Uncountable universes generate from His body. (58) He is the original source of all incarnations. (59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies whom He kills. (60) He is the attractor of liberated souls. All these transcendental qualities are manifest wonderfully in the personal feature of Lord Krishna. Besides these sixty transcendental qualities, SHIVA /KRISHNA have four more, which are not manifest even in the Narayana form of Godhead, what to speak of the demigods or living entities:--- (61) The performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes. (62) Surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love . (63) Can attract all living entities all over the universes by playing on His damru /flute. (64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty which cannot be rivaled anywhere in the creation. Adding to the list these four exceptional qualities of SHIVA / KRISHNA , it is to be understood that the aggregate number of qualities of SHIVA / KRISHNA is sixty-four. All these sixty-four qualities are also present in the person of the Supreme Lord.........SHIVOHAM.....