DMPQ: What do you mean by Shaivism? mention the sub sects under Shaivism.

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Shaivism

  • Shaivism reveres the god Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer and concealer of all that is.
  • Devotees of Shiva wear Sacred ash as a sectarian mark on their foreheads and other parts of their bodies with reverence.
  • The Sanskrit words bhasma and vibhuti can both be translated as “sacred ash”.
  • Shaivism has a vast literature that includes texts representing multiple philosophical schools, including non-dualist (abheda), dualist (bheda), and non-dual-with-dualism (bhedābheda) perspectives.
  • Shaiva tradition is probably the oldest among Hindu sects. In Shaiva sect Lord Shiva is the main deity, he is considered as the form of the supreme being.
  • Ishwara which is another name for Shiva is used in the ancient scriptures to mean the absolute god.
  • The sub-sects within the Shaiva tradition worship different forms of Shiva and attribute different qualities to Shiva.

Sub-sects in Shaiva tradition

  1. Pashupata Shaivism
  2. Shaiva Siddhanta
  3. Kashmir Shaivism
  4. Siddha Siddhanta
  5. Lingayata
  6. Shiva Advaita
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