Lord Shiva protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace, and awakens wisdom in His devotees. Lord Shiva’s consort is Devi Parvati.
The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between the opposing forces of good and evil.
When this balance is disturbed and sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva continuously dissolves the universe in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution, and recreation. This continuous cycle presents another opportunity for unliberated souls to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world.
Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering caused by a dysfunctional universe. Five is a sacred number for Lord Shiva. His most important mantra has five syllables (namah shivaya). Lord Shiva’s body consists of five mantras, called the pancha brahmans, each with a distinct name and iconography: Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Isana.
These are represented as the five faces of Lord Shiva and are associated in various texts with the five elements, the five senses, the five organs of perception, and the five organs of action. Lord Shiva is usually worshiped as the Shiva Linga. In images, He is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon the demon of ignorance in His manifestation of Nataraja, the lord of the dance.