Most Powerful Weapons of Lord Shiva - Part 1

Lord Shiva is called Mahadev for a reason. It is because there is no one who is as great as him nor there is anyone who is as powerful as him. On one hand he is Shambhu and on the other hand, Maharudra. Lord Shiva is the first yogi due to which he is also known as Adiyogi.

     Lord Shiva is also known for his powerful and deadly weapons. Lord Shiva possesses many deadly “Daivi Astras”.
 He possesses some of the most powerful weapons and some of them are as follows:

1.     TRISHUL:

Trishul, his primary weapon.

Trishul is the primary weapon of Lord Shiva. Goddess  Durga also holds a Trishul, as one of her many weapons. The three points of the Trishul have various meanings and significance, and, common to the Hindu religion, have many stories behind them. The three pointed  heads of the Trishul signify the three gunas – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. This shows that Lord Shiva is above the gunas yet upholds them.The story behind the making of the Trishul is intresting.

  The sun god was married to Sanjna the daughter of the cosmic architect Lord Vishwakarma. But she soon became unhappy with her married life as the temperature of the sun god was very high which made it impossible for her to even sit beside him. When Lord Vishwakarma, the cosmic architect came to know about this he devised a method the remove the excess heat from the sun so that the sun god can accommodate Sanjana. The excess sun matter fell on the earth and the sun god’s heat was reduced by 1/8.

After this the cosmic architect made 3 articles from the sun matter. They were the Trishul, Sudarshana Chakra, and the Pushpak Vimana. The Trishul and the Sudarshana Chakra was  taken by Lord Shiva and the Pushpak Vimana was given to Lord Kuber which was later stolen by Ravana, his half-brother.

The Trishul has the capacity to destroy all creation or the 16 realms mentioned in the hindu mythology. Once released, the Trishul can only be stopped by Lord Shiva himself and no one else. It is the personal weapon of Lord Shiva.

1.     SUDARSHANA CHAKRA:

Sudarshan Chakra, Lord Vishnu's primary weapon.

The Sudarshan Chakra (सुदर्शन चक्र) is a spinning, disk-like weapon, literally meaning "disk of auspicious vision," having 108 serrated edges used by the Hindu god Vishnu. The Sudarshan Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu. Sudarshan chakra was taken by Lord Shiva when it was made by the cosmic architect Vishwakarma. It was gifted to Lord Vishnu by Lord Shiva.

Once Vishnu decided to worship Lord Shiva by offering 1000 Lotuses. But he could find only 999. Even after searching the whole cosmos he couldn’t find the 1000^th lotus. Suddenly it dawned upon him that Lord Shiva himself said that Narayana’s Eyes are like the auspicious and pure lotus. Remembering this he immidately gouged out his one eye and placed it on the shivling. Lord Shiva was so please with his devotion that he gifted him the Sudarshan chakra.

Sudarshan Chakra is the most powerful weapon in the cosmos rivalled only by the Trishul of Lord Shiva. It has 108 serrated cuts which can travel several Yojans in the blink of an eye(1yojan=8kms).It was the first of its kind weapon which could be powered and driven by the willpower and the mind. Another feature of the chakra was that it would spin at unbelievable speed and would chase the enemy and the only way to stop it is to completely surrender to Lord Vishnu.
TO BE CONTINUED.....

UPDATE: Part 2 of this series is out now! Click on the link: Most Powerful Weapons of Lord Shiva- Part 2

UPDATE: Part 3 of this series is out now! Click on the link: Most Powerful Weapons of Lord Shiva- Part 3

Like and Follow us on Facebook "The Legends of Shiva".

Now get my articles delivered straight to your E-Mail Inbox! Subscribe for E-mail subscription by clicking on the subscribe button below the header. Also don't forget to verify your E-mail by clicking on the link that will be sent to you after you enter your Email and verify the captcha.