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third eye also represents fire. Because fire is the source of knowledge and enlightenment, the third eye also symbolizes the ultimate truth of the inner self and reaffirms Shiva's position as the Lord of Yoga.
Shiva is frequently depicted with a blue throat. Once, he willingly swallowed poison during a battle with demons over the gift of the nectar of immortality. He holds the poison in his neck, which turned it blue. Shiva's matted hair carries the sacred River Ganga. The ornament of the crescent moon in his hair carries the precious nectar. The poison and the nectar symbolize the dualities in our existence and remind us that we must accept them all and not let them affect us. The crescent moon is also a symbol of time. The moon with its cycle of waxing and waning is the governing principle of the universe.
The rest of Shiva's body is fair-colored, symbolic of peace. It is also strewn with ashes. The ashes remind us that everything eventually decomposes to ashes or dust. This is yet another reminder to follow Shiva's example so that we will find salvation. Shiva normally has a cobra comfortably draped around his body. Cobras are poisonous and represent negative attributes, such as anger and jealousy. The cobra's presence accentuates Shiva's power.
Shiva, who can go beyond the material world of objects, renders the cobra harmless. Other aspects of the cobra relate to Shiva. Cobras rarely create their own home; they usually borrow homes made by other creatures. They also live a long time without nourishment, and they inhabit remote places. Shiva lives on the remote crest of Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, where he spends long periods of time in uninterrupted meditation. In sum, the cobra's behavior stands as a symbol of the perfect yogi, who shows restraint and renunciation:
Everything about Shiva is connected to the path to salvation. It is even common to see one of his hands forming the chinmudra, in which the index finger is bent down to the thumb to create a zero. This mudra reminds each of us to bend our egoreduce it to a zeroand destroy its false importance. Shiva's vehicle is Nandi, the devoted bull and symbol of spiritual strength and the power of wisdom in action. Shiva's consort is the goddess Parvati who assumes many forms, including Durga.

 
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