Many people misinterpret the meaning of Shiva due to lack of knowledge of Sanskrit language as well as lack of abilities to read & interpret the Vedas & the Puranas.
Hence many believe that “Shiva is just a principal deity in Hinduism, often known as “The Destroyer” within the Trimurti, the trio of gods that includes Brahma and Vishnu. While he represents destruction, his role is more about transformation and regeneration, as destruction is seen as a necessary part of creation and renewal. Shiva is also known as a yogi, embodying both asceticism and benevolence. He is often depicted with a third eye, a crescent moon on his head, and holding a trident, symbolizing his power and cosmic role.”
But in fact who Shiva actually is according to Vedas & Puranas as described by ancient sages from ancient Indian subcontinent can be summarized as follows:
The word Shiva (शिव) actually means “That which is not Shava (शव)”. Shava literally means a corpse and can be interpreted as that which once was alive and is presently not alive. Therefore “That which is not Shava (शव)” needs to be interpreted as “That which is alive”.
The Sanskrit word for the Universe is “Vishva” विश्व which originated from Vi (वि) + Shiva (शिव). Vi (वि) means Motion. Shiva (शिव) means “Everything that is alive”. So, the simplest lexical definition of the Universe or Vishva in Sanskrit is “Shiva in Motion”.
The Energy-Matter Duality is considered a cornerstone in Modern Physics owing to the contributions of Albert Einstein & his famous Theory of Relativity immortalized by his famous Equation E=Mc2.
The Energy-Matter Duality we now know was described as the duality of Shakti-Shiva in ancient India almost 50000 years ago.
In Sanskrit, Shakti (शक्ति) means Energy. Therefore, we can deduct that Shiva means Matter. Not just any Matter but the sum total of all the Matter including Visible Matter, Dark Matter, Plasma & Neutrino Matter of the entire Universe. which is currently estimated to be more than 100 billion light years wide.
Hence the Vedic definition of the Universe is defined as Vishva (विश्व) meaning Matter in Motion i.e.., Shiva in Motion.
If you want to learn more about Who is Shiva then please refer to the following article: https://14cosmicsecrets.com/blogs/spirituality/who-is-shiva
