The Short R.24/31 (or Short S.18 and nicknamed the Knuckleduster) was a British twin-engined, high-wing cantilever gull winged monoplane flying-boat designed and built by Short to Air Ministry specification R.24/31 for a "General Purpose Open Sea Patrol Flying Boat". The contract also specified the use of the experimental Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. The Saunders-Roe London and the Supermarine Stranraer competed successfully for this contract.

Although it never saw military service, the Knuckleduster provided useful information on the steam-cooling of engines and the handling of monoplane flying-boats; much experimental data gathered contributed to the design of the successful Empire and Short Sunderland aircraft.

Design and development
The British Air Ministry issued its Specification R.24/31 for a "General Purpose Open Sea Patrol Flying Boat" in 1931 and ordered one prototype from each of Saunders-Roe, Supermarine and Shorts. Whereas the other two companies opted for traditional biplane designs, Shorts decided to produce a more modern, all-metal monoplane aircraft with the experimental steam-cooled, cast block Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine, itself a development of the smaller Kestrel engine.

The Knuckleduster's straight-sided hull was of all-metal (Alclad) box-section construction, from the bow as far as the pointed main step at the rear of the planing bottom; aft of the main step the fuselage was of monocoque construction. The central section of the hull was boxed and braced by diagonal frames to bear the loads from the wing-root attachments.

The wing sections inboard of the engines were attached at a 30° dihedral angle, thus providing sufficient clearance for the airscrews from water-spray during takeoff. The wings were designed for high torsional stiffness, each comprising a box-spar with four tapered stainless steel tubular booms. Fuel tanks were mounted within the wings; sprung and braced wingtip floats were fitted. The wing surfaces were of fabric.

The experimental 720 hp Rolls-Royce Goshawk steam-cooled engine was specified for the "Knuckleduster," which led to many problems due to the engine's unreliability. The engines, with conspicuous condensers protruding vertically from the nacelles, were mounted at the "knuckle" between the dihedral inner and the horizontal outer wing sections.

The tail unit comprised a horizontal plane braced by struts with two vertical fins and rudders, also supported by diagonal bracing to the fuselage. As a result of early test results, fin area was increased; a major redesign of the tail unit was requested by John Parker and implemented at considerable cost.

In addition to the enclosed cockpit in which the pilot and the navigator sat side by side, there was a gunner's cockpit in the bow, stations for the engineer and radio operator and a navigator station with a chart-table, sighting ports and two folding bunks. A third folding bunk and two fixed bunks were mounted in the crew's living quarters, which also included a galley and, further aft, stowage space for drogues and a lavatory.

Further armament was provided by a midships gun mounting and a rear gunner's cockpit in the tail; bombs could be mounted in underwing bomb racks and there was also provision for a torpedo to be transported (but not launched). All guns mountings carried a single Lewis Gun.

Operational history
First launched the previous day, the first flight of the prosaically named R.24/31 (serial K3574) took place on 30 November 1933, piloted by Shorts' Chief Test Pilot John Lankester Parker and crewed by George Cotton and W. Howard Bell. Parker noted that the fins were flexing so he landed immediately. After the fins had stiffening added, the aircraft flew again successfully on 15 December. Other problems found during testing were that the boat could not be trimmed straight and level: the fin area was increased by 18% and the tail was re-designed, including fitting a cupola over the tail gun position.

On 12 June 1934, at the conclusion of test flying, the Knuckleduster was flown to Felixstowe for official trials with the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE). The aircraft was judged not to meet the specification, particularly regarding top speed and range, even though these were not a priority in the specification. In October 1934 the boat was returned to Rochester for repair following an accident - a collision with another flying-boat. It was repaired and several modifications incorporated before it returned to Felixstowe in March 1935.

In April the Knuckleduster joined 209 Squadron at RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth for service trials alongside the Stranraer and London. This included an appearance at the Royal Air Force display at Hendon. It was returned to the MAEE in October 1935. Despite suffering engine problems, it continued to carry out trial flights until September 1938, when it was retired from flying duties and assigned to No. 2 School of Technical Training at RAF Cosford for instructional purposes.

Although it was not ordered into production - mainly hindered by the unreliable engines - a new Air Ministry Specification R.2/33 was released before it flew, which would lead to the Short Sunderland. The Sunderland was another large monoplane flying-boat that had benefited from the work on the R.24/31.

Operators

Royal Air Force
No. 209 Squadron RAF
Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment

Specifications

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

 ap Rees, Elfan. "Prototypes And Experimentals No 1: Short R.24/31". Air Pictorial, May 1971, p. 176.
 Barnes, Christopher H. and Derek N. James. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989. .
"The Short "Knuckleduster"" Flight 17 July 1935, Vol. XXVIII, No. 1385,  pp. 56–58. Retrieved 28 March 2019.

External links

"British Test Angular Ugly Duckling Plane" Popular Mechanics,September 1935
"Testing the Short Monoplane R.24/31" a 1934 Flight article

1930s British patrol aircraft
Flying boats
Knuckleduster
Gull-wing aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1933
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft

Short Knuckleduster


Bubble tea, also called pearl tea or Boba, is a drink which comes from Taichung, Taiwan. It is made by mixing black tea with non-dairy creamer or milk and adding round "pearl" tapioca. There are many flavors other than the original one. Green tea can be used instead of black tea. Extra items such as honey, coffee or cocoa can be added. Pudding or coconut cubes can be used instead of pearl tapioca.

When it was first invented, not many people were interested in it. But after a bubble tea maker was interviewed on a Japanese TV program, it became popular among people of all ages. The popularity of bubble tea can be seen not only in Taiwan but also in other countries such as South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Canada and the USA.

Bubble tea has now arrived in England and the rest of Europe.

On January 29, 2023, Google celebrated the drink as a doodle.

Things that are in bubble tea
Most bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed with fruit or milk, to which chewy tapioca balls or fruit jellies are added. Ice-mixed versions are usually mixed with fruit or syrup, resulting in a slushy softness. There are many varieties of the drink with a huge range of ingredients like coconut or mango. The two most popular types are bubble milk tea with tapioca and bubble milk green tea with tapioca.

The reason for choosing tapioca
At first, people made bubble tea without tapioca pearls. But Taiwanese people started to find substances to make the sweetened flavor. Tapioca came from the cassava plant, which is a root of the trees from South America. This plant is now farmed and enjoyed around the world.

Effects on the body from bubble tea
Four positive nutrients that tapioca provide are carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds. These include a very low level of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. It is also known as the source of fiber, "good" cholesterol, and protein. But bubble tea has Cyanogen that are transformed in humans and animals after the plant tissue has been weakened. The blood remains oxygenated after it passes through your body and back to the lungs.

Process to make bubble tea
Bubble tea is found in Taiwanese restaurants and commonly prepared by shaking ice, milk, tea, and sugar in a cocktail shaker which resulted in a lot of tapioca bubbles. People use the same preparation to make bubble tea, just now with the added Pearls.

Additional Resources
Martin, Laura, C, Tea: The drink that changed the world. Rutland: Tuttle Publishing. p. 219. .
Tarantino, Olivia. "Bubble Tea: 25 Things You Didn't Know | Eat This Not That." Eat This Not That. 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 23 May 2016.
Jeger, Fargette D., M. Analysis of Temporal Disease Progress of African Cassava Mosaic Virus. Phytopathology. 54; 1 91–

References

Tea
Asian foods

Bubble tea


Toy Story is a computer animated comedy-fantasy film series and Disney media franchise that started in 1995 with the animated film of the same name. The movies are produced from Pixar Animation Studios and the distributor is Walt Disney Pictures. The franchise is based on the anthropomorphic concept that all toys, unknown to humans, are secretly alive, and the films focus on a diverse group of toys, most notably a cowboy doll named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear, principally voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen (Chris Evans in Lightyear), respectively. The group unexpectedly embark on adventures that challenge and change them.

The first two films of the franchise were directed by John Lasseter. The third movie was directed by Lee Unkrich. Unkrich co-directed the second film, together with Lasseter and Ash Brannon. The fourth movie was directed by Josh Cooley. The first three films, produced on a total budget of $320 million, have grossed more than $1.9 billion worldwide. Each film set box office records, with the third included in the top 50 of all-time worldwide films. All four films have received generally positive reviews.

The franchise consists of five animated films: Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019), and the spin-off Lightyear  (2022).  Toy Story was one of the first films to be made entirely using computer-generated imagery. The films were produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

In Rotten Tomatoes, all 4 movies have received very positive reviews. The first and second films score 100%, while the third and fourth score 98%. The third film in the series is the fourth highest-grossing animated film and the 28th highest-grossing film of all time. It also became the third animated film in history to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, after Beauty and the Beast and Up. as a trilogy of fan-film remake series in Live Action Toy Story trilogy, Live Action Toy Story (2013), Live Action Toy Story 2 (2015, 2024), Live Action Toy Story 3 (2020). also as a television series include, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Toy Story Toons, Forky Asks a Question.

On 8 February 2023, a new movie Toy Story 5 was confirmed to be in production.

Movies
 Toy Story (1995)
 Toy Story 2 (1999)
 Toy Story 3 (2010)
 Toy Story 4 (2019)

Spin-off
 Lightyear (2022)

Fan Films
 Live Action Toy Story (2013)
 Live Action Toy Story 2 (2024)
 Live Action Toy Story 3 (2020)
 Live Action Toy Story 4 (2027)

References

Toy Story (franchise)


Shiva or Mahadeva is the supreme god in Shaivism tradition in Hinduism and one of the chief deities as a member of the Trimurti. Shiva is causeless auspiciousness. Shiva is known as the Maha Rudra (the master of all Rudras). Shiva is an embodiment of ultimate space of enlightenment. He assumed human form to guide humans in the past and thus is known as Adhiguru (first guru).

His space of enlightenment is what all spiritual seekers aspire for. All enlightened masters live in this space of Shiva. Shiva is known as the destroyer god because he removes all evil from the world. His wife is the goddess Parvati or Devi Durga.

According to Hindu legend, he has a blue neck because he swallowed a poison in order to save the universe. He has three eyes, the third eye is on his forehead. Shiva is one-third of the Hindu trimurti including Brahma and Vishnu. Lord Shiva lives in the Mount Kailash with his two sons Kartikeya and Ganesha who is known as the Remover of Obstacles. There is a statue of Shiva in Bangalore which is a great tourist attraction.

Etymology and other names

In later vedic texts, Shiva becomes a deity. Shiva is also called as Brahman, the supreme universal consciousness. The word shivo'ham translates as I am Shiva, conveying that one's consciousness is where the lord resides, uniting it with the supreme transcendence. In Tamil, he was called by different names other than Sivan. Nataraja (Dancing form of Shiva), Rudra (Enraged form of Shiva), and Dhakshinamoorthy (Yoga form of Shiva). Nataraja is the only form of Shiva worshipped in a human figure format. Elsewhere he is worshipped in Lingam figure. Pancha Bootha temples are located in south India. Pancha Bhoota Stalam refers to five temples dedicated to Shiva. Tamil literature is enriched by Shiva devotees called 63 Nayanmars (Nayanars).
A sculpture of Shiva with Moustache at Archaeological Museum, Goa
The Sanskrit word "śiva" (Devanagari: शिव, also transliterated as shiva) means, states Monier Monier-Williams, "auspicious, propitious, gracious, benign, kind, benevolent, friendly". The roots of śiva in folk etymology are śī which means "in whom all things lie, pervasiveness" and va which means "embodiment of grace".

The word Shiva is used as an adjective in the Rig Veda (approximately 1700–1100 BC), as an epithet for several Rigvedic deities, including Rudra. The term Shiva also connotes "liberation, final emancipation" and "the auspicious one", this adjective sense of usage is addressed to many deities in Vedic layers of literature. The term evolved from the Vedic Rudra-Shiva to the noun Shiva in the Epics and the Puranas, as an auspicious deity who is the "creator, reproducer and dissolver".

Sharva, sharabha presents another etymology with the Sanskrit root śarv-, which means "to injure" or "to kill", interprets the name to connote "one who can kill the forces of darkness".

The Sanskrit word śaiva means "relating to the god Shiva", and this term is the Sanskrit name both for one of the principal sects of Hinduism and for a member of that sect. It is used as an adjective to characterize certain beliefs and practices, such as Shaivism.

The Vishnu sahasranama interprets Shiva to have multiple meanings: "The Pure One", and "the One who is not affected by three Guṇas of Prakṛti (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas)".

Shiva is known by many names such as Viswanatha (lord of the universe), Mahadeva, Mahandeo, Mahasu, Mahesha, Maheshvara, Shankara, Shambhu, Rudra, Hara, Trilochana, Devendra (chief of the gods), Neelakanta, Subhankara, Trilokinatha (lord of the three realms), and Ghrneshwar (lord of compassion). The highest reverence for Shiva in Shaivism is reflected in his epithets 'Mahādeva' ("Great god"; 'mahā' "Great" and deva "god"), 'Maheśvara' ("Great Lord"; 'mahā' "great" and 'īśvara' "lord"), and 'Parameśvara' ("Supreme Lord").

Sahasranama are medieval Indian texts that list a thousand names derived from aspects and epithets of a deity. There are at least eight different versions of the Shiva Sahasranama, devotional hymns (stotras) listing many names of Shiva. The version appearing in Book 13 (Anuśāsanaparvan) of the Mahabharata provides one such list. Shiva also has Dasha-Sahasranamas (10,000 names) that are found in the Mahanyasa. The Shri Rudram Chamakam, also known as the Śatarudriya, is a devotional hymn to Shiva hailing him by many names.

Historical development and literature
See also: History of Shaivism

The Shiva-related tradition is a major part of Hinduism, found all over the Indian subcontinent, such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, such as Bali, Indonesia. Scholars have interpreted early prehistoric paintings at the Bhimbetka rock shelters, carbon dated to be from pre-10,000 BCE period, as Shiva dancing, Shiva's trident, and his mount Nandi. Rock paintings from Bhimbetka, depicting a figure with a trishul, have been described as Nataraja by Erwin Neumayer, who dates them to the mesolithic.

Indus Valley origins
Main article: Pashupati seal
Seal discovered during excavation of the Indus Valley archaeological site in the Indus Valley has drawn attention as a possible representation of a "yogi" or "proto-Shiva" figure.
Of several Indus valley seals that show animals, one seal that has attracted attention shows a large central figure, either horned or wearing a horned headdress and possibly ithyphallic, seated in a posture reminiscent of the Lotus position, surrounded by animals. This figure was named by early excavators of Mohenjo-daro as Pashupati (Lord of Animals, Sanskrit 'paśupatim'), an epithet of the later Hindu deities Shiva and Rudra.

Sir John Marshall and others suggested that this figure is a prototype of Shiva, with three faces, seated in a "yoga posture" with the knees out and feet joined. Semi-circular shapes on the head were interpreted as two horns. Scholars such as Gavin Flood, John Keay and Doris Meth Srinivasan have expressed doubts about this suggestion.

Gavin Flood states that it is not clear from the seal that the figure has three faces, is seated in a yoga posture, or even that the shape is intended to represent a human figure. He characterizes these views as "speculative", but adds that it is nevertheless possible that there are echoes of Shaiva iconographic themes, such as half-moon shapes resembling the horns of a bull. John Keay writes that "he may indeed be an early manifestation of Lord Shiva as Pashu-pati", but a couple of his specialties of this figure does not match with Rudra. Writing in 1997, Srinivasan interprets what John Marshall interpreted as facial as not human but more bovine, possibly a divine buffalo-man.

The interpretation of the seal continues to be disputed. McEvilley, for example, states that it is not possible to "account for this posture outside the yogic account". Asko Parpola states that other archaeological finds such as the early Elamite seals dated to 3000-2750 BCE show similar figures and these have been interpreted as "seated bull" and not a yogi, and the bovine interpretation is likely more accurate. Gregory L. Possehl in 2002, associated it with the water buffalo, and concluded that while it would be appropriate to recognize the figure as a deity, and its posture as one of ritual discipline, regarding it as a proto-Shiva would "go too far".

Vedic origins
The Vedic literature refers to a minor atmospheric deity, with fearsome powers called Rudra. The Rigveda, for example, has 3 out of 1,028 hymns dedicated to Rudra, and he finds occasional mention in other hymns of the same text. The term Shiva also appears in the Rigveda, but simply as an epithet, that means "kind, auspicious", one of the adjectives used to describe many different Vedic deities. While fierce ruthless natural phenomenon and storm-related Rudra is feared in the hymns of the Rigveda, the beneficial rains he brings are welcomed as Shiva aspect of him. This healing, nurturing, life-enabling aspect emerges in the Vedas as Rudra-Shiva, and in post-Vedic literature ultimately as Shiva who combines the destructive and constructive powers, the terrific and the gentle, as the ultimate recycler and rejuvenator of all existence.

The similarities between the iconography and theologies of Shiva with Greek and European deities have led to proposals for an Indo-European link for Shiva, or lateral exchanges with ancient central Asian cultures. His contrasting aspects such as being terrifying or blissful depending on the situation, are similar to those of the Greek god Dionysus, as are their iconic associations with bull, snakes, anger, bravery, dancing and carefree life. The ancient Greek texts of the time of Alexander the Great call Shiva as "Indian Dionysus", or alternatively call Dionysus as "god of the Orient". Similarly, the use of phallic symbol as an icon for Shiva is also found for Irish, Nordic, Greek (Dionysus) and Roman deities, as was the idea of this aniconic column linking heaven and earth among early Indo-Aryans, states Roger Woodward. Others contest such proposals, and suggest Shiva to have emerged from indigenous pre-Aryan tribal origins.

Rudra
Three-headed Shiva, Gandhara, 2nd century AD
Shiva as we know him today shares many features with the Vedic god Rudra, and both Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality in Hindu scriptures. The two names are used synonymously. Rudra, the god of the roaring storm, is usually portrayed in accordance with the element he represents as a fierce, destructive deity.

The oldest surviving text of Hinduism is the Rig Veda, which is dated to between 1700 and 1100 BC based on linguistic and philological evidence. A god named Rudra is mentioned in the Rig Veda. The name Rudra is still used as a name for Shiva. In RV 2.33, he is described as the "Father of the Rudras", a group of storm gods.

The hymn 10.92 of the Rigveda states that deity Rudra has two natures, one wild and cruel (Rudra), another that is kind and tranquil (Shiva). The Vedic texts do not mention bull or any animal as the transport vehicle (vahana) of Rudra or other deities. However, post-Vedic texts such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas state the Nandi bull, the Indian zebu, in particular, as the vehicle of Rudra and of Shiva, thereby unmistakably linking them as same.

Agni
Rudra and Agni have a close relationship. The identification between Agni and Rudra in the Vedic literature was an important factor in the process of Rudra's gradual development into the later character as Rudra-Shiva. The identification of Agni with Rudra is explicitly noted in the Nirukta, an important early text on etymology, which says, "Agni is also called Rudra." The interconnections between the two deities are complex, and according to Stella Kramrisch:The fire myth of Rudra-Śiva plays on the whole gamut of fire, valuing all its potentialities and phases, from conflagration to illumination.In the Śatarudrīya, some epithets of Rudra, such as Sasipañjara ("Of golden red hue as of flame") and Tivaṣīmati ("Flaming bright"), suggest a fusing of the two deities. Agni is said to be a bull, and Lord Shiva possesses a bull as his vehicle, Nandi. The horns of Agni, who is sometimes characterized as a bull, are mentioned. In medieval sculpture, both Agni and the form of Shiva known as Bhairava have flaming hair as a special feature.

Indra
Vima Kadphises with ithyphallic Shiva.
Coin of the Kushan Empire (1st-century BCE to 2nd-century CE). The right image has been interpreted as Shiva with trident and bull.

According to Wendy Doniger, the Puranic Shiva is a continuation of the Vedic Indra. Doniger gives several reasons for her hypothesis. Both are associated with mountains, rivers, male fertility, fierceness, fearlessness, warfare, the transgression of established mores, the Aum sound, the Supreme Self. In the Rig Veda the term 'śiva' is used to refer to Indra. (2.20.3, 6.45.17, and 8.93.3.) Indra, like Shiva, is likened to a bull. In the Rig Veda, Rudra is the father of the Maruts, but he is never associated with their warlike exploits as is Indra.

The Vedic beliefs and practices of the pre-classical era were closely related to the hypothesised Proto-Indo-European religion, and the pre-Islamic Indo-Iranian religion. The earliest iconic artworks of Shiva may be from Gandhara and northwest parts of ancient India. There is some uncertainty as the artwork that has survived is damaged and they show some overlap with meditative Buddha-related artwork, but the presence of Shiva's trident and phallic symbolism in this art suggests it was likely Shiva. Numismatics research suggests that numerous coins of the ancient Kushan Empire that have survived, were images of a god who is probably Shiva. The Shiva in Kushan coins is referred to as Oesho of unclear etymology and origins, but the simultaneous presence of Indra and Shiva in the Kushan era artwork suggest that they were revered deities by the start of the Kushan Empire.

The texts and artwork of Jainism show Indra as a dancer, although not identical generally resembling the dancing Shiva artwork found in Hinduism, particularly in their respective mudras. For example, in the Jain caves at Ellora, extensive carvings show dancing Indra next to the images of Tirthankaras in a manner similar to Shiva Nataraja. The similarities in the dance iconography suggests that there may be a link between ancient Indra and Shiva.

Later literature
Rudra's evolution from a minor Vedic deity to a supreme being is first evidenced in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (400–200 BC), according to Gavin Flood. Prior to it, the Upanishadic literature is monistic, and the Shvetashvatara text presents the earliest seeds of theistic devotion to Rudra-Shiva. Here Rudra-Shiva is identified as the creator of the cosmos and liberator of souls from the birth-rebirth cycle. The period of 200 BC to 100 AD also marks the beginning of the Shaiva tradition focused on the worship of Shiva as evidenced in other literature of this period. Shaiva devotees and ascetics are mentioned in Patanjali's Mahābhāṣya (2nd-century BC) and in the Mahabharata. Other scholars such as Robert Hume and Doris Srinivasan state that the Shvetashvatara Upanishad presents pluralism, pantheism, or henotheism, rather than being a text just on Shiva theism.

Self-realization and Shaiva Upanishads

He who sees himself in all beings,

And all beings in him,

attains the highest Brahman,

not by any other means.

The Shaiva Upanishads are a group of 14 minor Upanishads of Hinduism variously dated from the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE through the 17th century. These extol Shiva as the metaphysical unchanging reality Brahman and the Atman (soul, self), and include sections about rites and symbolisms related to Shiva.

A few texts such as Atharvashiras Upanishad mention Rudra, and assert all gods are Rudra, everyone and everything is Rudra, and Rudra is the principle found in all things, their highest goal, the innermost essence of all reality that is visible or invisible. The Kaivalya Upanishad similarly, states Paul Deussen – a German Indologist and professor of philosophy, describes the self-realized man as who "feels himself only as the one divine essence that lives in all", who feels identity of his and everyone's consciousness with Shiva (highest Atman), who has found this highest Atman within, in the depths of his heart.

The Shaiva Puranas, particularly the Shiva Purana and the Linga Purana, present the various aspects of Shiva, mythologies, cosmology and pilgrimage (Tirtha) associated with him. The Shiva-related Tantra literature, composed between the 8th and 11th centuries, are regarded in devotional dualistic Shaivism as Sruti. Dualistic Shaiva Agamas which consider soul within each living being and Shiva as two separate realities (dualism, dvaita), are the foundational texts for Shaiva Siddhanta. Other Shaiva Agamas teach that these are one reality (monism, advaita), and that Shiva is the soul, the perfection and truth within each living being. In Shiva related sub-traditions, there are ten dualistic Agama texts, eighteen qualified monism-cum-dualism Agama texts and sixty-four monism Agama texts.

Shiva-related literature developed extensively across India in the 1st millennium CE and through the 13th century, particularly in Kashmir and Tamil Shaiva traditions. The monist Shiva literature posit absolute oneness, that is Shiva is within every man and woman, Shiva is within every living being, Shiva is present everywhere in the world including all non-living being, and there is no spiritual difference between life, matter, man and Shiva. The various dualistic and monist Shiva-related ideas were welcomed in medieval southeast Asia, inspiring numerous Shiva-related temples, artwork and texts in Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, with syncretic integration of local pre-existing theologies.

Assimilation of traditions
See also: Roots of Hinduism

The figure of Shiva as we know him today may be an amalgamation of various older deities into a single figure. How the persona of Shiva converged as a composite deity is not understood, a challenge to trace and has attracted much speculation. According to Vijay Nath, for example:Vishnu and Siva [...] began to absorb countless local cults and deities within their folds. The latter were either taken to represent the multiple facets of the same god or else were supposed to denote different forms and appellations by which the god came to be known and worshipped. [...] Siva became identified with countless local cults by the sheer suffixing of Isa or Isvara to the name of the local deity, e.g., Bhutesvara, Hatakesvara, Chandesvara."An example of assimilation took place in Maharashtra, where a regional deity named Khandoba is a patron deity of farming and herding castes. The foremost center of worship of Khandoba in Maharashtra is in Jejuri. Khandoba has been assimilated as a form of Shiva himself, in which case he is worshipped in the form of a lingam. Khandoba's varied associations also include an identification with Surya and Karttikeya.

Position within Hinduism
Lingodbhava is a Shaiva sectarian icon where Shiva is depicted rising from the Lingam (an infinite fiery pillar) that narrates how Shiva is the foremost of the Trimurti; Brahma and Vishnu are depicted bowing to Lingodbhava Shiva in the centre.

Shaivism
Main articles: Shaivism and History of Shaivism

Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and the Smarta Tradition. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas", revere 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. He is not only the creator in Shaivism, but he is also the creation that results from him, he is everything and everywhere. Shiva is the primal soul, the pure consciousness and Absolute Reality in the Shaiva traditions.

The Shaivism theology is broadly grouped into two: the popular theology influenced by Shiva-Rudra in the Vedas, Epics and the Puranas; and the esoteric theology influenced by the Shiva and Shakti-related Tantra texts. The Vedic-Brahmanic Shiva theology includes both monist (Advaita) and devotional traditions (Dvaita) such as Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta and Lingayatism with temples featuring items such as linga, Shiva-Parvati iconography, bull Nandi within the premises, relief artwork showing mythologies and aspects of Shiva.

The Tantric Shiva tradition ignored the mythologies and Puranas related to Shiva, and depending on the sub-school developed a variety of practices. For example, historical records suggest the tantric Kapalikas (literally, the 'skull-men') co-existed with and shared many Vajrayana Buddhist rituals, engaged in esoteric practices that revered Shiva and Shakti wearing skulls, begged with empty skulls, used meat, alcohol, and sexuality as a part of ritual. In contrast, the esoteric tradition within Kashmir Shaivism has featured the Krama and Trika sub-traditions. The Krama sub-tradition focussed on esoteric rituals around Shiva-Kali pair. The Trika sub-tradition developed a theology of triads involving Shiva, combined it with an ascetic lifestyle focusing on personal Shiva in the pursuit of monistic self liberation.

Vaishnavism
The Vaishnava (Vishnu-oriented) literature acknowledges and discusses Shiva. Like Shaiva literature that presents Shiva as supreme, the Vaishnava literature presents Vishnu as supreme. However, both traditions are pluralistic and revere both Shiva and Vishnu (along with Devi), their texts do not show exclusivism, and Vaishnava texts such as the Bhagavata Purana while praising Krishna as the Ultimate Reality, also present Shiva and Shakti as a personalized form an equivalent to the same Ultimate Reality. The texts of Shaivism tradition similarly praise Vishnu. The Skanda Purana, for example, states:Vishnu is no one but Shiva, and he who is called Shiva is but identical with Vishnu.

— Mythologies of both traditions include legends about who is superior, about Shiva paying homage to Vishnu, and Vishnu paying homage to Shiva. However, in texts and artwork of either tradition, the mutual salutes are symbolism for complementarity. The Mahabharata declares the unchanging Ultimate Reality (Brahman) to be identical to Shiva and to Vishnu, that Vishnu is the highest manifestation of Shiva, and Shiva is the highest manifestation of Vishnu.

Shaktism
Ardhanarishvara sculpture, Khajuraho, depicting Shiva with goddess Parvati as his equal half. In the Ardhanarisvara concept, the icon is presented as half-man and half woman.
The goddess-oriented Shakti tradition of Hinduism is based on the premise that the Supreme Principle and the Ultimate Reality called Brahman is female (Devi), but it treats the male as her equal and complementary partner. This partner is Shiva.

The earliest evidence of the tradition of reverence for the feminine with Rudra-Shiva context, is found in the Hindu scripture Rigveda, in a hymn called the Devi Sukta:3. I am ruler, assembler of goods, observer foremost among those deserving the sacrifice.

Me have the gods distributed in many places—so that I have many stations and cause many things to enter (me).

4. Through me he eats food—whoever sees, whoever breathes, whoever hears what is spoken.

Without thinking about it, they live on me. Listen, o you who are listened to: it's a trustworthy thing I tell you.

5. Just I myself say this, savored by gods and men:

"Whom I love, just him I make formidable, him a formulator, him a seer,

him of good wisdom".

6. I stretch the bow for Rudra, for his arrow to smash the hater of the

sacred formulation.

I make combat for the people. I have entered Heaven and Earth.

7. I give birth to Father (Heaven) on his (own) head [Agni]; my womb is in the waters, in the sea.

Thence I spread forth across all worlds, and yonder heaven with its height I touch.

8. I, just like the wind, blow forth, grasping at all worlds,

beyond heaven, beyond this earth here—of such size in my greatness

have I come into being.

— The Devi Upanishad in its explanation of the theology of Shaktism, mentions and praises Shiva such as in its verse 19. Shiva, along with Vishnu, is a revered god in the Devi Mahatmya, a text of Shaktism considered by the tradition to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita. The Ardhanarisvara concept co-mingles god Shiva and goddess Shakti by presenting an icon that is half-man and half woman, a representation and theme of union found in many Hindu texts and temples.

Smarta Tradition
Main article: Panchayatana puja
Oleograph by Raja Ravi Varma depicting a Shiva-centric Panchayatana. A bearded Shiva sits in the centre with his wife Parvati and their infant son Ganesha; surrounded by (clockwise from left upper corner) Ganesha, Devi, Vishnu, and Surya. Shiva's mount is the bull Nandi below Shiva.
In the Smarta tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is a part of its Panchayatana puja. This practice consists of the use of icons or anicons of five deities considered equivalent, set in a quincunx pattern. Shiva is one of the five deities, others being Vishnu, Devi (such as Parvati), Surya and Ganesha or Skanda or any personal god of devotee's preference (Ishta Devata).

Philosophically, the Smarta tradition emphasizes that all idols (murti) are icons to help focus on and visualize aspects of Brahman, rather than distinct beings. The ultimate goal in this practice is to transition past the use of icons, recognize the Absolute symbolized by the icons, on the path to realizing the nondual identity of one's Atman (soul, self) and the Brahman. Popularized by Adi Shankara, many Panchayatana mandalas and temples have been uncovered that are from the Gupta Empire period, and one Panchayatana set from the village of Nand (about 24 kilometers from Ajmer) has been dated to belong to the Kushan Empire era (pre-300 CE). The Kushan period set includes Shiva, Vishnu, Surya, Brahma and one deity whose identity is unclear.

Yoga
Adiyogi Shiva statue, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "Largest Bust Sculpture" in the world; the statue is for inspiring and promoting yoga, and is named Adiyogi, which means "the first yogi", because Shiva is known as the originator of yoga.

Shiva is considered the Great Yogi who is totally absorbed in himself – the transcendental reality. He is the Lord of Yogis, and the teacher of Yoga to sages. As Shiva Dakshinamurthi, states Stella Kramrisch, he is the supreme guru who "teaches in silence the oneness of one's innermost self (atman) with the ultimate reality (brahman)."

The theory and practice of Yoga, in different styles, has been a part of all major traditions of Hinduism, and Shiva has been the patron or spokesperson in numerous Hindu Yoga texts. These contain the philosophy and techniques for Yoga. These ideas are estimated to be from or after the late centuries of the 1st millennium CE, and have survived as Yoga texts such as the Isvara Gita (literally, 'Shiva's song'), which Andrew Nicholson – a professor of Hinduism and Indian Intellectual History – states have had "a profound and lasting influence on the development of Hinduism".

Other famed Shiva-related texts influenced Hatha Yoga, integrated monistic (Advaita Vedanta) ideas with Yoga philosophy and inspired the theoretical development of Indian classical dance. These include the Shiva Sutras, the Shiva Samhita, and those by the scholars of Kashmir Shaivism such as the 10th-century scholar Abhinavagupta. Abhinavagupta writes in his notes on the relevance of ideas related to Shiva and Yoga, by stating that "people, occupied as they are with their own affairs, normally do nothing for others", and Shiva and Yoga spirituality helps one look beyond, understand interconnectedness, and thus benefit both the individual and the world towards a more blissful state of existence.

Trimurti
Main article: Trimurti
An art depiction of the Trimurti, with Shiva depicted on the right, at the Hoysaleswara temple in Halebidu.
The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity". However, the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism feature many triads of gods and goddesses, some of which do not include Shiva.

Attributes
Shiva with Parvati. Shiva is depicted three-eyed, the Ganges flowing through his matted hair, wearing ornaments of serpents and a skull garland, covered in ashes, and seated on a tiger skin
A seated Shiva holds an axe and deer in his hands.

 Third eye: Shiva is often depicted with a third eye, with which he burned Desire (Kāma) to ashes, called "Tryambakam" (Sanskrit: त्र्यम्बकम् ), which occurs in many scriptural sources. In classical Sanskrit, the word ambaka denotes "an eye", and in the Mahabharata, Shiva is depicted as three-eyed, so this name is sometimes translated as "having three eyes". However, in Vedic Sanskrit, the word 'ambā' or 'ambikā' means "mother", and this early meaning of the word is the basis for the translation "three mothers". These three mother-goddesses who are collectively called the Ambikās. Other related translations have been based on the idea that the name actually refers to the oblations given to Rudra, which according to some traditions were shared with the goddess Ambikā.
 Crescent moon: Shiva bears on his head the crescent moon. The epithet Candraśekhara (Sanskrit: चन्द्रशेखर "Having the moon as his crest" – 'candra' = "moon"; 'śekhara' = "crest, crown") refers to this feature. The placement of the moon on his head as a standard iconographic feature dates to the period when Rudra rose to prominence and became the major deity Rudra-Shiva. The origin of this linkage may be due to the identification of the moon with Soma, and there is a hymn in the Rig Veda where Soma and Rudra are jointly implored, and in later literature, Soma and Rudra came to be identified with one another, as were Soma and the moon.
 Ashes: Shiva iconography shows his body covered with ashes (bhasma, vibhuti). The ashes represent a reminder that all of material existence is impermanent, comes to an end becoming ash, and the pursuit of eternal soul and spiritual liberation is important.
 Matted hair: Shiva's distinctive hair style is noted in the epithets Jaṭin, "the one with matted hair", and Kapardin, "endowed with matted hair" or "wearing his hair wound in a braid in a shell-like (kaparda) fashion". A kaparda is a cowrie shell, or a braid of hair in the form of a shell, or, more generally, hair that is shaggy or curly.
 Blue throat: The epithet Nīlakaṇtha (Sanskrit नीलकण्ठ; nīla = "blue", 'kaṇtha' = "throat"). Since Shiva drank the Halahala poison churned up from the Samudra Manthan to eliminate its destructive capacity. Shocked by his act, Parvati squeezed his neck and stopped it in his neck to prevent it from spreading all over the universe, supposed to be in Shiva's stomach. However the poison was so potent that it changed the color of his neck to blue.
 Meditating yogi: his iconography often shows him in a Yoga pose, meditating, sometimes on a symbolic Himalayan Mount Kailasha as the Lord of Yoga.
 Sacred Ganga: The epithet Gangadhara, "Bearer of the river Ganga" (Ganges). The Ganga flows from the matted hair of Shiva. The 'Gaṅgā' (Ganga), one of the major rivers of the country, is said to have made her abode in Shiva's hair.
 Tiger skin: Shiva is often shown seated upon a tiger skin.
 Serpents: Shiva is often shown garlanded with a snake.
 Trident: Shiva typically carries a trident called Trishula. The trident is a weapon or a symbol in different Hindu texts. As a symbol, the Trishul represents Shiva's three aspects of "creator, preserver and destroyer", or alternatively it represents the equilibrium of three Gunas of "sattva, rajas and tamas".
 Drum: A small drum shaped like an hourglass is known as a damaru. This is one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous dancing representation known as Nataraja. A specific hand gesture (mudra) called 'ḍamaru-hasta' (Sanskrit for "ḍamaru-hand") is used to hold the drum. This drum is particularly used as an emblem by members of the Kāpālika sect.
 Axe (Parashu) and Deer are held in Shiva's hands in Odisha & south Indian icons.
 Rosary beads: he is garlanded with or carries a string of rosary beads in his right hand, typically made of Rudraksha. This symbolises grace, mendicant life and meditation.
 Nandī: Nandī, also known as "Nandin", is the name of the bull that serves as Shiva's mount (Sanskrit: 'vāhana'). Shiva's association with cattle is reflected in his name Paśupati, or Pashupati (Sanskrit: पशुपति), translated by Sharma as "lord of cattle" and by Kramrisch as "lord of animals", who notes that it is particularly used as an epithet of Rudra.
 Mount Kailāsa: Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is his traditional abode. In Hindu mythology, Mount Kailāsa is conceived as resembling a Linga, representing the center of the universe.
 Gaṇa: The Gaṇas are attendants of Shiva and live in Kailash. They are often referred to as the bhutaganas, or ghostly hosts, on account of their nature. Generally benign, except when their lord is transgressed against, they are often invoked to intercede with the lord on behalf of the devotee. His son Ganesha was chosen as their leader by Shiva, hence Ganesha's title 'gaṇa-īśa' or 'gaṇa-pati', "lord of the gaṇas".
 Varanasi: Varanasi (Benares) is considered to be the city specially loved by Shiva, and is one of the holiest places of pilgrimage in India. It is referred to, in religious contexts, as Kashi.

Forms and depictions
According to Gavin Flood, "Shiva is a god of ambiguity and paradox," whose attributes include opposing themes. The ambivalent nature of this deity is apparent in some of his names and the stories told about him.

Destroyer and Benefactor
Shiva is represented in his many aspects. Left: Bhairava icon of the fierce form of Shiva, from 17th/18th century Nepal; Right: Shiva as a meditating yogi in Rishikesh.

In Yajurveda, two contrary sets of attributes for both malignant or terrifying (Sanskrit: 'rudra') and benign or auspicious (Sanskrit: 'śiva') forms can be found, leading Chakravarti to conclude that "all the basic elements which created the complex Rudra-Śiva sect of later ages are to be found here". In the Mahabharata, Shiva is depicted as "the standard of invincibility, might, and terror", as well as a figure of honor, delight, and brilliance.

The duality of Shiva's fearful and auspicious attributes appears in contrasted names. The name Rudra reflects Shiva's fearsome aspects. According to traditional etymologies, the Sanskrit name Rudra is derived from the root rud-, which means "to cry, howl". Stella Kramrisch notes a different etymology connected with the adjectival form raudra, which means "wild, of rudra nature", and translates the name Rudra as "the wild one" or "the fierce god". R. K. Sharma follows this alternate etymology and translates the name as "terrible". Hara is an important name that occurs three times in the Anushasanaparvan version of the Shiva sahasranama, where it is translated in different ways each time it occurs, following a commentorial tradition of not repeating an interpretation. Sharma translates the three as "one who captivates", "one who consolidates", and "one who destroys". Kramrisch translates it as "the ravisher". Another of Shiva's fearsome forms is as Kāla "time" and Mahākāla "great time", which ultimately destroys all things. The name Kāla appears in the Shiva Sahasranama, where it is translated by Ram Karan Sharma as "(the Supreme Lord of) Time". Bhairava "terrible" or "frightful" is a fierce form associated with annihilation. In contrast, the name Śaṇkara, "beneficent" or "conferring happiness" reflects his benign form. This name was adopted by the great Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara (c. 788–820), who is also known as Shankaracharya. The name Śambhu (Sanskrit: शम्भु swam-on its own; bhu-burn/shine) "self-shining/ shining on its own", also reflects this benign aspect.

Ascetic and householder
Shiva is depicted both as an ascetic yogi, and as a householder with goddess Parvati.
Shiva is depicted as both an ascetic yogi and as a householder (grihasta), roles which have been traditionally mutually exclusive in Hindu society. When depicted as a yogi, he may be shown sitting and meditating. His epithet Mahāyogi ("the great Yogi: 'Mahā' = "great", Yogi = "one who practices Yoga") refers to his association with yoga. While Vedic religion was conceived mainly in terms of sacrifice, it was during the Epic period that the concepts of tapas, yoga, and asceticism became more important, and the depiction of Shiva as an ascetic sitting in philosophical isolation reflects these later concepts.

As a family man and householder, he has a wife, Parvati and two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. His epithet Umāpati ("The husband of Umā") refers to this idea, and Sharma notes that two other variants of this name that mean the same thing, Umākānta and Umādhava, also appear in the sahasranama. Umā in epic literature is known by many names, including the benign Pārvatī. She is identified with Devi, the Divine Mother; Shakti (divine energy) as well as goddesses like Tripura Sundari, Durga, Kali, Kamakshi and Minakshi. The consorts of Shiva are the source of his creative energy. They represent the dynamic extension of Shiva onto this universe. His son Ganesha is worshipped throughout India and Nepal as the Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles. Kartikeya is worshipped in South India (especially in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) by the names Subrahmanya, Subrahmanyan, Shanmughan, Swaminathan and Murugan, and in Northern India by the names Skanda, Kumara, or Karttikeya.

Some regional deities are also identified as Shiva's children. As one story goes, Shiva is enticed by the beauty and charm of Mohini, Vishnu's female avatar, and procreates with her. As a result of this union, Shasta – identified with regional deities Ayyappan and Aiyanar – is born. In outskirts of Ernakulam in Kerala, a deity named Vishnumaya is stated to be offspring of Shiva and invoked in local exorcism rites, but this deity is not traceable in Hindu pantheon and is possibly a local tradition with "vaguely Chinese" style rituals, states Saletore. In some traditions, Shiva has daughters like the serpent-goddess Manasa and Ashokasundari. According to Doniger, two regional stories depict demons Andhaka and Jalandhara as the children of Shiva who war with him, and are later destroyed by Shiva.

Iconographic forms
Chola dynasty statue depicting Shiva dancing as Nataraja (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).
The depiction of Shiva as Nataraja (Sanskrit: 'naṭarāja', "Lord of Dance") is popular. The names Nartaka ("dancer") and Nityanarta ("eternal dancer") appear in the Shiva Sahasranama. His association with dance and also with music is prominent in the Puranic period. In addition to the specific iconographic form known as Nataraja, various other types of dancing forms (Sanskrit: 'nṛtyamūrti') are found in all parts of India, with many well-defined varieties in Tamil Nadu in particular. The two most common forms of the dance are the Tandava, which later came to denote the powerful and masculine dance as Kala-Mahakala associated with the destruction of the world. When it requires the world or universe to be destroyed, Shiva does it by the Tandava, and Lasya, which is graceful and delicate and expresses emotions on a gentle level and is considered the feminine dance attributed to the goddess Parvati. Lasya is regarded as the female counterpart of Tandava. The Tandava-Lasya dances are associated with the destruction-creation of the world.

Dakshinamurthy (Dakṣiṇāmūrti) literally describes a form ('mūrti') of Shiva facing south ('dakṣiṇa'). This form represents Shiva in his aspect as a teacher of yoga, music, and wisdom and giving exposition on the shastras. This iconographic form for depicting Shiva in Indian art is mostly from Tamil Nadu. Elements of this motif can include Shiva seated upon a deer-throne and surrounded by sages who are receiving his instruction.

An iconographic representation of Shiva called Ardhanarishvara ('Ardhanārīśvara') shows him with one half of the body as male and the other half as female. According to Ellen Goldberg, the traditional Sanskrit name for this form is best translated as "the lord who is half woman", not as "half-man, half-woman".

Shiva is often depicted as an archer in the act of destroying the triple fortresses, Tripura, of the Asuras. Shiva's name Tripurantaka ('Tripurāntaka'), "ender of Tripura", refers to this important story.
Shiva Lingam with tripundra.

Lingam
Main article: Lingam

Apart from anthropomorphic images of Shiva, he is also represented in aniconic form of a lingam. These are depicted in various designs. One common form is the shape of a vertical rounded column in the centre of a lipped, disk-shaped object, the yoni, symbolism for the goddess Shakti. In Shiva temples, the linga is typically present in its sanctum sanctorum and is the focus of votary offerings such as milk, water, flower petals, fruit, fresh leaves, and rice. According to Monier Williams and Yudit Greenberg, linga literally means 'mark, sign or emblem', and also refers to a "mark or sign from which the existence of something else can be reliably inferred". It implies the regenerative divine energy innate in nature, symbolized by Shiva. Some scholars, such as Wendy Doniger, view linga merely as an erotic phallic symbol, although this interpretation is criticized by others, including Swami Vivekananda, Sivananda Saraswati, and S. N. Balagangadhara. According to Moriz Winternitz, the linga in the Shiva tradition is "only a symbol of the productive and creative principle of nature as embodied in Shiva", and it has no historical trace in any obscene phallic cult.

The worship of the lingam originated from the famous hymn in the Atharva-Veda Samhitâ sung in praise of the Yupa-Stambha, the sacrificial post. In that hymn, a description is found of the beginningless and endless Stambha or Skambha, and it is shown that the said Skambha is put in place of the eternal Brahman. Just as the Yajna (sacrificial) fire, its smoke, ashes, and flames, the Soma plant, and the ox that used to carry on its back the wood for the Vedic sacrifice gave place to the conceptions of the brightness of Shiva's body, his tawny matted hair, his blue throat, and the riding on the bull of the Shiva, the Yupa-Skambha gave place in time to the Shiva-Linga. In the text Linga Purana, the same hymn is expanded in the shape of stories, meant to establish the glory of the great Stambha and the superiority of Shiva as Mahadeva.

The oldest known archaeological linga as an icon of Shiva is the Gudimallam lingam from 3rd-century BCE. In Shaivism pilgrimage tradition, twelve major temples of Shiva are called Jyotirlinga, which means "linga of light", and these are located across India.

Five mantras
The 10th century five headed Shiva, Sadashiva, Cambodia.
Five is a sacred number for Shiva. One of his most important mantras has five syllables (namaḥ śivāya).

Shiva's body is said to consist of five mantras, called the pañcabrahmans. As forms of God, each of these have their own names and distinct iconography:

These are represented as the five faces of 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. Doctrinal differences and, possibly, errors in transmission, have resulted in some differences between texts in details of how these five forms are linked with various attributes. The overall meaning of these associations is summarized by Stella Kramrisch:Through these transcendent categories, Śiva, the ultimate reality, becomes the efficient and material cause of all that exists.According to the Pañcabrahma Upanishad:One should know all things of the phenomenal world as of a fivefold character, for the reason that the eternal verity of Śiva is of the character of the fivefold Brahman. (Pañcabrahma Upanishad 31)

Avatars
Puranic scriptures contain occasional references to "ansh" – literally 'portion, or avatars of Shiva', but the idea of Shiva avatars is not universally accepted in Saivism. The Linga Purana mentions twenty-eight forms of Shiva which are sometimes seen as avatars, however such mention is unusual and the avatars of Shiva is relatively rare in Shaivism compared to the well emphasized concept of Vishnu avatars in Vaishnavism. Some Vaishnava literature reverentially link Shiva to characters in its mythologies. For example, in the Hanuman Chalisa, Hanuman is identified as the eleventh avatar of Shiva. The Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana claim sage Durvasa to be a portion of Shiva. Some medieval era writers have called the Advaita Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara an incarnation of Shiva.

Festivals
Main article: Maha Shivaratri

Maha Sivaratri festival is observed in the night, usually in lighted temples or special prabha (above).

There is a Shivaratri in every lunar month on its 13th night/14th day, but once a year in late winter (February/March) and before the arrival of spring, marks Maha Shivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva".

Maha Shivaratri is a major Hindu festival, but one that is solemn and theologically marks a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world, and meditation about the polarities of existence, of Shiva and a devotion to humankind. It is observed by reciting Shiva-related poems, chanting prayers, remembering Shiva, fasting, doing Yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, noninjury to others, forgiveness, introspection, self-repentance and the discovery of Shiva. The ardent devotees keep awake all night. Others visit one of the Shiva temples or go on pilgrimage to Jyotirlingam shrines. Those who visit temples, offer milk, fruits, flowers, fresh leaves and sweets to the lingam. Some communities organize special dance events, to mark Shiva as the lord of dance, with individual and group performances. According to Jones and Ryan, Maha Sivaratri is an ancient Hindu festival which probably originated around the 5th-century.

Another major festival involving Shiva worship is Kartik Purnima, commemorating Shiva's victory on the demons Tripurasura. Across India, various Shiva temples are illuminated throughout the night. Shiva icons are carried in procession in some places.

Thiruvathira is a festival observed in Kerala dedicated to Shiva. It is believed that on this day, Parvathi met Lord Shiva after her long penance and Lord Shiva took her as his wife. On this day Hindu women performs the Thiruvathirakali accompanied by Thiruvathira paattu (folk songs about Parvati and her longing and penance for Lord Shiva's affection).

Regional festivals dedicated to Shiva include the Chittirai festival in Madurai around April/May, one of the largest festivals in South India, celebrating the wedding of Minakshi (Parvati) and Shiva. The festival is one where both the Vaishnava and Shaiva communities join the celebrations, because Vishnu gives away his sister Minakshi in marriage to Shiva.

Some Shaktism-related festivals revere Shiva along with the goddess considered primary and Supreme. These include festivals dedicated to Annapurna such as Annakuta and those related to Durga. In Himalayan regions such as Nepal, as well as in northern, central and western India, the festival of Teej is celebrated by girls and women in the monsoon season, in honor of goddess Parvati, with group singing, dancing and by offering prayers in Parvati-Shiva temples.

The ascetic, Vedic and Tantric sub-traditions related to Shiva, such as those that became ascetic warriors during the Islamic rule period of India, celebrate the Kumbha Mela festival. This festival cycles every 12 years, in four pilgrimage sites within India, with the event moving to the next site after a gap of three years. The biggest is in Prayaga (renamed Allahabad during the Mughal rule era), where millions of Hindus of different traditions gather at the confluence of rivers Ganges and Yamuna. In the Hindu tradition, the Shiva-linked ascetic warriors (Nagas) get the honor of starting the event by entering the Sangam first for bathing and prayers.

Beyond the Indian subcontinent and Hinduism
Shiva has been adopted and merged with Buddhist deities. Left: Daikokuten is a Shiva-Ōkuninushi fusion deity in Japan; Right: Acala is a fierce Shiva adaptation.
The statue of Shiva engaging in the Nataraja dance at the campus of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.
In Shaivism of Indonesia, the popular name for Shiva has been Batara Guru, which is derived from Sanskrit Bhattaraka which means "noble lord". He is conceptualized as a kind spiritual teacher, the first of all Gurus in Indonesian Hindu texts, mirroring the Dakshinamurti aspect of Shiva in the Indian subcontinent. However, the Batara Guru has more aspects than the Indian Shiva, as the Indonesian Hindus blended their spirits and heroes with him. Batara Guru's wife in southeast Asia is the same Hindu deity Durga, who has been popular since ancient times, and she too has a complex character with benevolent and fierce manifestations, each visualized with different names such as Uma, Sri, Kali and others. Shiva has been called Sadasiva, Paramasiva, Mahadeva in benevolent forms, and Kala, Bhairava, Mahakala in his fierce forms. The Indonesian Hindu texts present the same philosophical diversity of Shaivism traditions found on the subcontinent. However, among the texts that have survived into the contemporary era, the more common are of those of Shaiva Siddhanta (locally also called Siwa Siddhanta, Sridanta).

In the pre-Islamic period on the island of Java, Shaivism and Buddhism were considered very close and allied religions, though not identical religions. The medieval era Indonesian literature equates Buddha with Siwa (Shiva) and Janardana (Vishnu). This tradition continues in predominantly Hindu Bali Indonesia in the modern era, where Buddha is considered the younger brother of Shiva.

The worship of Shiva became popular in Central Asia through the Hephthalite Empire, and Kushan Empire. Shaivism was also popular in Sogdia and the Kingdom of Yutian as found from the wall painting from Penjikent on the river Zervashan. In this depiction, Shiva is portrayed with a sacred halo and a sacred thread ("Yajnopavita"). He is clad in tiger skin while his attendants are wearing Sogdian dress. A panel from Dandan Oilik shows Shiva in His Trimurti form with Shakti kneeling on her right thigh. Another site in the Taklamakan Desert depicts him with four legs, seated cross-legged on a cushioned seat supported by two bulls. It is also noted that Zoroastrian wind god Vayu-Vata took on the iconographic appearance of Shiva.

Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods in Japan, is considered to be evolved from Shiva. The god enjoys an exalted position as a household deity in Japan and is worshipped as the god of wealth and fortune. The name is the Japanese equivalent of Mahākāla, the Buddhist name for Shiva. Shiva is also mentioned in Buddhist Tantra. Shiva as Upaya and Shakti as Prajna. In cosmologies of Buddhist tantra, Shiva is depicted as passive, with Shakti being his active counterpart. In Mahayana Buddhist cosmology, Shiva resides in Akaniṣṭha, highest of Śuddhāvāsa (Pure Abodes) where Anāgāmi ("Non-returners") who are already on the path to Arhat-hood and who will attain enlightenment are born in.

The Japuji Sahib of the Guru Granth Sahib says, "The Guru is Shiva, the Guru is Vishnu and Brahma; the Guru is Paarvati and Lakhshmi." In the same chapter, it also says, "Shiva speaks, and the Siddhas listen." In Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind Singh has mentioned two avtars of Rudra: Dattatreya Avtar and Parasnath Avtar.

In contemporary culture
Sagar Shiv Mandir in Mauritius
In contemporary culture, Shiva is depicted in films, books, tattoos and art. He has been referred to as "the god of cool things" and a "bonafide rock hero".

Popular films include the Gujarati language movie Har Har Mahadev, the Kannada movie Gange Gowri and well-known books include Amish Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy, which has sold over a million copies. On television, Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev, a television serial about Lord Shiva on the Life OK channel was among the most watched shows at its peak popularity. A 90's television series of DD National titled Om Namah Shivay was also based on legends of Lord Shiva.

In the Final Fantasy videogame series, Shiva is often depicted as a benevolent ancient being of Ice Element who frequently aids the heroes against mighty foes (via summoning). Shiva is also a character in the video game Dark Souls, with the name Shiva of the East.

In Shuumatsu no Valkyrie (Record of Ragnarok), Shiva is the representative of the gods in the 5th round of Ragnarok.

References

Other websites
Aarti of Shiva  BhaktiSansar.in Viewed on 2020-08-01.

Hindu gods and goddesses
Time and fate gods

Shiva


In Wikipedia, a Point of view, or POV, is one way of looking at an issue. Wikipedia seeks a neutral point of view by including all relevant POVs, not just what one person thinks.

A point of view, viewpoint or POV, is the following:
On a topic, a point of view is a perspective
In stories a point of view is the experience of the narrator.  See point of view (literature).
Viewpoint is a scrolling shooter video game released for Neo Geo and SEGA Genesis.
A video game developer. See Point of View (developer).

Point of view


Guillaume du Vair (7 March 1556 – 3 August 1621) was a French author and lawyer.

Life
Du Vair was born in Paris. After taking holy orders, he exercised only legal functions for most of his career.  However, from 1617 until his death he was Bishop of Lisieux. His reputation is that of a lawyer, a statesman and a man of letters. In 1584, he became counsellor of the parlement of Paris, and as deputy for Paris to the Estates of the League he pronounced his most famous politico-legal discourse, an argument nominally for the Salic law, but in reality directed against the alienation of the crown of France to the Spanish infanta, which was advocated by the extreme Leaguers. King Henry IV of France acknowledged his services by entrusting him with a special commission as magistrate at Marseille, and made him Master of Requests.

In 1595, Vair published his treatise De l'éloquence française et des raisons pour quoi elle est demeurée si basse, in which he criticizes the orators of his day, adding examples from the speeches of ancient orators, in translations which reproduce the spirit of the originals. He was sent to England in 1596 with the marshal de Bouillon to negotiate a league against Spain; in 1599 he became first president of the parlement of Provence (Aix-en-Provence); and in 1603 was appointed to the see of Marseille, which he soon resigned in order to resume the presidency. In 1616 he received the highest promotion open to a French lawyer and became keeper of the seals. He died at Tonneins (Lot-et-Garonne).

Both as speaker and writer he was highly regarded. Like other political lawyers of the time, Du Vair studied philosophy. The most famous of his treatises are La Philosophie morale des Stoiques, translated into English (1664) by Charles Cotton; De la constance et consolation ès calamités publiques, which was composed during the siege of Paris in 1589, and applied the Stoic doctrine to present misfortunes; and La Sainte Philosophie, in which religion and philosophy are intimately connected.

Pierre Charron drew freely on these and other works of Du Vair. Ferdinand Brunetière points out the analogy of Du Vair's position with that afterwards developed by Blaise Pascal, and sees in him the ancestor of Jansenism. Du Vair had a great indirect influence on the development of style in French, for in the south of France he made the acquaintance of François de Malherbe, who conceived a great admiration for Du Vair's writings. The reformer of French poetry learned much from the treatise De l'éloquence française, to which the counsels of his friend were no doubt added.

Du Vair died at Tonneins, and his works were published in folio at Paris in 1641.

Notes

References

External links

1556 births
1621 deaths
Lawyers from Paris
Roman Catholic writers
17th-century French writers
17th-century male writers
17th-century French Roman Catholic bishops
Bishops of Lisieux
Clergy from Paris
French philosophers
French religious writers
Neo-Stoics
French male writers

Guillaume du Vair


{{DISPLAYTITLE:Le Mondes 100 Books of the Century}}Le Mondes 100 Books of the Century is a list of books thought to be the 100 best of the 20th century. The list was made in 1999 by the French retail store Fnac and the Paris newspaper Le Monde.

Starting with a list of 200 titles made by bookshops and journalists, 17,000 French people answered the question, "Which books have stayed in your memory?" The list includes novels, poetry, theatre, and comic strips. Some received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The 100 Books of the Century

Note: Language and Country refer to the author's career generally, not to the book specifically.

Related pages
 Nobel Prize in Literature - Camus, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Beckett, Sartre, Solzhenitsyn, Gide, García Márquez, Faulkner, Mauriac, Mann, Pirandello, Böll, Lagerlöf, Le Clézio, Perse
Booker Prize - Kadare, Rushdie
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner, Mitchell, Styron

References

20th-century books
Lists of books

Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century


MRSA is a strain of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This is a bacterium which causes infections in different parts of the body. It is tougher to treat than other strains of Staphylococcus aureus – or 'staph' – because it is resistant to some commonly used antibiotics. In fact, it is now resistant to all forms of penicillin and cephalosporin.

The symptoms of MRSA depend on where the infected is. Most often, it causes mild infections on the skin, causing pimples, boils or pus. However, it can also cause more serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract.

Though most MRSA infections are not serious, some can be life-threatening. Many public health experts are alarmed by the spread of tough strains of MRSA. Because it is hard to treat, MRSA is sometimes called a "super bug".

Causes
Garden-variety staph are common bacteria which may live on our bodies. Plenty of healthy people carry staph without being infected by it. In fact, 25-30% of us have staph bacteria in our noses.

But staph can be a problem if it manages to get into the body, often through a cut. Once there, it can cause an infection. Staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections. Usually, these are minor and don't need special treatment. Less often, staph can cause serious problems like infected wounds or pneumonia.

Staph can usually be treated with antibiotics. But over the decades, some strains of staph -- like MRSA -- have become resistant to antibiotics that once destroyed it. MRSA was first discovered in 1961. It's now resistant to methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, oxacillin, and many other antibiotics.

While some antibiotics still work, MRSA is constantly adapting. Researchers developing new antibiotics are having a tough time keeping up.

References

Gram-positive bacteria

MRSA


Hungarian Vizsla is a dog breed. Vizslas are known for being affectionate and not aggressive. They originated in Hungary and are an excellent hunting dogs.

History
The breed was developed from dogs used by Hungarian tribes. Vizslas were owned by sporting nobility of Hungary who use to hunt with them. They were used to hunt deer, wild boar and wolf. The breed  almost disappeared during the First World War and Second. Dogs were smuggled out of Hungary during the Second World War. These dogs were used later to breed in other countries.

Appearance and personality
Hungarian Vizsla's have a dark gold coat. Some dogs may also have small white marks on their feet and/or chest.
They are active, enthusiastic, friendly. Vizslas need human company to stay happy. They do not make good kennel dogs.

Exercise needs
Daily exercise and mental tasks are necessary. Outside they are very active. Indoors, Vizslas can be quite inactive. The dogs prefer to rest beside their owners. Some are quite demanding of attention. If Vizslas do not receive enough  exercise, they will become bored. If bored, they may choose to do to amuse themselves with digging or chewing on things.

Dog breeds originating in Hungary

Hungarian Vizsla


A boot device is used to start a computer.  It is named after a boot which fits on the foot.  The word bootstrap is also closely related, and means, to use something simpler to get something more complex to make itself work better. It comes from the English phrase "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps."

Before a computer can operate normally, it must have operating system instructions that tell it how to perform basic functions.  A boot device loads the operating system into the memory of the computer.

Devices that can boot a computer are usually boot disks or boot drives (normally a hard drive or Solid State Drive, but can be a floppy disk, flash drive or a CD). Some network computers use boot chips that get the operating system over a network. Web phones also use such chips to identify the user to the mobile phone network.  Boot card standards may let many users boot kiosk computers with full privacy and access to all application software they own. There are also boot boards or boot add-in cards that are more permanent than boot cards.

Some people refer to the boot device as just a boot and non-boot devices as data devices, although it is not the computer but the operating system that cares about the difference between these.

Origin
The boot in boot device is the same as booting (or starting up). This is short for bootstrapping, or to start with simple stuff and make complex stuff out of it.

Related pages
Booting

software
Computer hardware

Boot device


Brigadier general is a rank in the army. He is normally in command of a brigade, about 3,000 men. It is between the rank of major general and colonel.  In the United States, brigadier general is also a rank in the Air Force and Marines and is also called O-7. Brigadier in the British Army is OF-6, and also in NATO. The difference is that NATO classes both first and second lieutenants as OF-1.

Military ranks
 4

Brigadier general


is a short story by Japanese author and critic Edogawa Ranpo. It was published in the October 1925 edition of the literature magazine .

Plot
After seeing her husband off to work, the young author identified only as Yoshiko sets off to read the large collection of letters she received from other young authors. These are often letters containing samples of their work for critique. One large envelope contains a letter.

The letter-writer does not provide his name. The letter is a confession of crimes. The letter-writer has no family or friends, and claims to be "ugly beyond description".  He is a chair maker and loves his work and all the chairs he creates, even going so far as to claim some sort of intangible connection to his work.

One day, after completing a luxurious sofa commissioned for the lobby of a new hotel, he realized that it was his masterpiece.  Reluctant to part with it, he reshaped the inner structure of the sofa to allow one human being to sit inside of it. Inside the sofa, he packed enough food and water for a few days. After instructing his assistant to organize the pickup of the sofa, he climbs inside. The sofa is then transported to the lobby of the hotel.

Over the next few days, he stayed in the sofa during the mornings and afternoons. It is during these times that he had his only interactions with the people who chose to sit on the sofa. They are often affluent visitors. He becomes very familiar with those people who stay there regularly. He even claims to be able to recognize people simply from the weight and shape of their bodies, as well as their smell. He confesses that often he has found himself falling in love with some of the women who sit on him. He repositions his body beneath them to make them comfortable, reveling in the comments people make on the extraordinary comfort and luxury of the sofa.

At night, however, he exits the sofa and engages in truly criminal activity. At night when the lobby is closed and the guests are sleeping, he crawls out of the sofa and burglarizes the rooms of the guests of the hotel. He claims to have amassed a large fortune due to these extra activities and has extended his stay from a few days into several months.

After several months of living in the sofa, he learned that the hotel was put under new management. The new administrators demanded a more frugal and Japanese aesthetic for the hotel, to make it more affordable. The sofa was auctioned off and relocated into the home of a Japanese political official. In this part of his letter, he admits that he has fallen in love with the wife of this official. This new woman is a fan of literature and often reads on his sofa. He has become familiar with this woman like no other before her. As a privately owned sofa, he now has intimate knowledge of his owner.

He begins to describe in detail the woman, the house she lives in, and her husband. Horrified, Yoshiko realizes that the woman he describes in the letter must be her. At the end of the letter, the writer requests that Yoshiko allow him to meet her. She can signal her acceptance by leaving a lit candle out at night.  In terror, Yoshiko jumps off the sofa and runs to the other side of the house. As she contemplates the situation, her maid delivers the daily mail to her. She finds a letter addressed from the same chair maker. In the letter, he tells her that the previous letter was nothing but a manuscript of a sample of his work, based on pure imagination and the knowledge that she had recently purchased that particular sofa. He then requests a response. In the final line of his letter, he states that he intends to title the story "The Human Chair".

Characters

 Yoshiko is a young and already well-respected author in Japanese literature. She daily receives letters from other aspiring young authors asking for her criticisms and opinions of their work. One day, she receives a strange letter from the couch maker.

 Author of the letter sent to Yoshiko. A self-proclaimed master chair and couch maker, he claims to be ugly if not physically deformed in some way. He uses the letter to Yoshiko to confess his crimes. In the end, however, he turns out to be an aspiring author, and his letter is nothing but the manuscript of a short story of his own writing.

Adaptations
Toshiyuki Mizutani adapted the story as a movie in 1997.

It was also adapted into a manga by Junji Ito. This short story is a sequel in which Ito re-imagines the ending of Ranpo's tale.

References

1925 in Japan
 Japanese short stories
1925 short stories
 Short stories adapted into films

The Human Chair


The term psychological warfare is used to describe methods that military use in war-time. We may understand it as an attempt to influence the behavior/beliefs of enemy armed forces and/or foreign civilian populations. Psychological warfare has many similarities with propaganda messages.

Term

The term "pychological warfare" has always been considered problematic and offensive. The use of military power is increasingly not any more on the level of an local armored conflict, but on the global basis using mass media. The NATO uses the term "psychological operation" (PSYOP).

People are trying not to use the term "psychological warfare". They would rather use terms like "stabilisation" or "satisfaction".

History
Psychological warfare has mostly been introduced in the second world war. Both Axis Powers and Allied used it.

 The United States and United Kingdom used the famous German expatriate to appeal to the German population through broadcast.

Related pages
Ad hominem
Divide and conquer
Hate speech
Identity politics
Military
Pork barrel
Propaganda
Psychology
Red herring
Smear campaign
War

References
 Paul Linebarger: Psychological Warfare. Ayer, 1972.
 Günther Wirth: Krieg vor dem Kriege. Streiflichter auf Inhalt und Methoden der psychologischen Kriegführung des Imperialismus, Berlin, Union Verlag 1978 (German)

War
Psychology

Psychological warfare


Phosphide is an ion. Its chemical formula is sometimes P3-, but it does not always have that formula. It is a reducing agent. Phosphides (chemical compounds having the phosphide ion in them) react with acids to make phosphine gas.  Sodium phosphide is an example. Some phosphides are semiconductors and are not ionic with P3- ions. They are less reactive. Some metals form alloys with phosphorus to make phosphides. If it is ionic, then the phosphorus is in the -3 oxidation state.

Phosphorus compounds
Ions

Phosphide


Asylum may refer:

 Psychiatric hospital, once known as an insane asylum or mental asylum, is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness
 Destitute Asylum, an institution built in the 1850s in Adelaide, Australia for isolating cases of extreme poverty
 Orphan asylum, an institution dedicated to caring for orphans
 Political asylum, also known as Right of asylum
 Asylum seeker, also known as Refugee

In music:
 Asylum 45, a concept album by the Dutch band Non-Divine
 Asylum Records, an American record label geared primarily in hip-hop music
 Asylum (album), by the American hard rock band Kiss
 Asylum (Legendary Pink Dots album)
 Soul Asylum, a band formed in 1983, best known for their single "Runaway Train"
 Asylum, a band from Croatia formed in 2007. www.myspace.com/asylumcro
 Asylum (song), a single by The Orb from their 1997 album Oblivion

In entertainment:
 The Asylum, a movie studio
 Asylum Entertainment  an American entertainment company founded in 1992

In fiction:
 Asylum (movie) of the Patrick McGrath novel, made in 2005
 Asylum (television), 1996 UK comedy series
 Asylum (comic), a comic series
 Asylum (1972 movie), a 1972 horror movie with Peter Cushing
 Asylum (2007 movie), a 2007 horror movie from director David R. Ellis
 Asylum (Doctor Who), a Doctor Who novel
 Asylum (Supernatural), an Episode of TV series starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles

In non-fiction:
 Asylums, a nonfiction book by Erving Goffman.

In gaming
 Asylum (1991 video game), an overhead shoot 'em up arcade game released by Leland in 1991
 Asylum (1986 video game), released for the Commodore 64 in 1986
 The last of the Shackled City Dungeons & Dragons adventures
 ShadowMan (1999 video game) - Asylum, a big black tower what Legion have built.
 The predecessor to the 1986 Commodore 64 game was a version which utilized ASCII graphics for the original IBM PC in 1982

In radio
 The Asylum (radio show), aired in the 1980s on WMBR

Asylum


A sandwich panel is a kind of composite material, which is usually made of two components: A small outside layer (which is the same on both sides), and an inside layer, which is used to get certain properties, for example insulation or fire resistance. Aluminium is often used for the outside part - the respective panels are also known as Aluminium Composite Panels. Sandwich panels are used in situations where high structural rigidity and low weight are required. They are also used for cladding, eg. to add insulation, fire resistance, or simply to make a surface look more beautiful.
Building materials

Sandwich panel


Municipalities, in Peru, are the government organizations that govern the provinces and districts of that country.

Classification
According to the Base law of Municipalities, these entities are classified in to Provincial Municipalities and District Municipalities. The provincial municipalities also have functions pertaining to the provincial seat which is the capital district. Rural municipalities (those whose seat has an urban population less than 50% the total) receive different classification.

Structure
They are composed of two entities, the council and the mayor. The council, made up of the mayor and elected officials, is normative and. The mayor's office however, is the executive power.

Election of authorities
The election of the mayor and council is held by universal suffrage for a period of three years. The number of council members is defined by the National Jury of Elections according to Laws of Municipal Elections.

References

Government of Peru
Subdivisions of Peru

es:Municipalidades del Perú

Municipalities of Peru


In metaphysics, balance is a point between two opposite forces that is desirable over purely one state or the other, such as a balance between the metaphysical law and chaos — law by itself being overly controlling, chaos being overly unmanageable, balance being the point that minimizes the negatives of both.

More recently, the term "balance" has come to refer to a balance of power between multiple opposing forces. Lack of balance (of power) is generally considered to cause aggression by stronger forces towards weaker forces less capable of defending themselves. In the real world, unbalanced stronger forces tend to portray themselves as balanced, and use media controls to downplay this, as well as prevent weaker forces from coming together to achieve a new balance of power. In constructed worlds, such as in video gaming, where nearly all-powerful corporate interests strive to maintain a balance of power among players, players tend to be extremely vocal about what they see as unbalanced mechanics, providing the unbalance negatively affects them. Though the strong and unbalanced (or "overpowered") players commonly are vigorous in denial of any lack of balance, the comparative media equality among all player brings change quickly, to further a sense of balance.

Artistic balance
The twentieth century saw the development of both law and chaos in art and art music to the point that the end product became unintelligible at an instinctive/emotional level. Many composers saw one or other of these controlling trends as superior to the other. The truth may lie in a fundamental acceptance of balance as the controlling force in art. In time, we may even come to accept balance between structural and emotional as the essence of beauty.

Moral balance
In philosophy, the concept of moral balance exists in various forms, one of them is the golden mean, which has virtue being between the extreme and the lacking. Greek philosophers—such as Plato, Aristotle, and the Pythagoreans (who related moral excellence with mathematical perfection)—applied the principle to ethics as well as politics. "Nothing in excess" was one of the three phrases carved into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

In Buddhism, this concept is known as the middle way, or samatā, which stated that the way to nirvana led between bodily sexual indulgence and self-mortification and asceticism.

Confucian teachings contain the similar doctrine of Zhōngyōng; the middle.

See also
 Kybalion
 Yin and yang

References

External links
Guide to Buddhism A-Z
Analects of Confucius

Metaphysical properties
Philosophical analogies

Balance (metaphysics)