50 Lord Shiva Quotes To Get Close To That Which Is Not

Get closer to your enlightenment with our Lord Shiva quotes. 

Lord Shiva has played a central role in shaping India’s cultural, spiritual, and philosophical traditions.

Lord Shiva is one of the most powerful forces in Hinduism. 

Check out our Lord Shiva quotes below to learn more. 

Who is Lord Shiva?

Shiva is one of the central figures in Hinduism. 

We acknowledge Shiva as the supreme God in Indian spiritual traditions. 

Check out some names Shiva is known by below:

• Shamblu (Benign)
• Shankara (Beneficent)
• Mahesha (Great Lord)
• Mahdeva (Great God) 

The term sublime refers to something so great in magnitude that it cannot be expressed. 

Lord Shiva is sublime. 

Shiva refers to that which is not while encompassing all that is.

Shiva’s existence is so grand and profound that some human minds struggle even to ponder such a being. 

Shiva is all, light and dark, good and evil, or destruction and creation. 

Shiva is one of the most complex beings to embody qualities that may seem contradictory to humans. 

How could a being be the destroyer and restorer?

How could something be the herdsmen of human souls and harbinger of wrathful vengeance?

Such is the nature of Lord Shiva. 

Why is Shiva called Adiyogi?

Shiva is recognized as the first yogi, hence the name Adiyogi. 

Shiva is the being from which all the yogic knowledge and wisdom emerges. 

Many feel that yoga is the inner science and technology of knowing the essential nature of life and how to push for ultimate possibilities. 

Before the emergence of modern religions, Lord Shiva was the being to explore the yogic sciences on the banks of the Himalayas. 

Why does Shiva always have a snake?

Shiva is the Hindu deity of destruction and often wears a snake around his arms or neck to symbolize his power over the most deadly creatures. 

In Hinduism, snakes represent the dogma of reincarnation.

Their natural process of shedding their skin is akin to the human process of souls taking new bodies from one life to another. 

Who is Shiva’s family?

We link Shiva to many beings; traditionally, his wife is Parvati. 

We consider Parvati to be an archetypal figure of the divine feminine. 

Parvati and Shiva have two children, the six-headed Skanda, and the elephant-headed Ganesh. 

Skanda is the god of war and Shiva’s firstborn. 

Ganesha is the god of beginnings and the patron of ordinary people. 

To learn more, check out our Lord Shiva quotes below. 

Short Lord Shiva quotes about the nature of existence

Shiva needs few words to describe the paradoxical duality of existence. 

1. “I am the universe.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

2. “I am Shakti, as well as Shiva.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita  

3. “Shiva & Shakti are inseparable.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

4. “Shiva unites with Shakti to create.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

5. “Creation and Destruction are attached.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

6. “I am here and now in all this Omnipresent.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

7. “Understand Shiva; his silence has a lot of meaning!” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

8. “Without the feminine dimension, he cannot be a Yogi.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

9. “Shiva means, that which is not; that which is dissolved.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

10. “Shiva is Ardhanari; that means he is half a woman, half a man.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

The best Lord Shiva quotes about everything and nothing

Shiva is everything at once: male and female, destroyer and creator. 

11. “Nothing is everything, and everything is nothing.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

12. “Shiva is not a god up There but a living presence Here.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

13. “Perfectly balanced in one single moment lasting an eternity.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

14. “I am everything male and female, light and dark, flesh and spirit.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

15. “One thing that you can learn from Mahadev is to help the ones in need.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

16. “In the yogic culture, Shiva is seen as the Adi (first) Yogi—the source of knowing and liberation.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

17. “Nothing is more important than life. It’s the greatest gift that you should always remember.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

18. “If something dies, another thing takes birth, and everything between the creation and destruction is your journey of life.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

19. “You would have no problem with anything if only you could accept Lord Shiva, who is a terrible combination of everything put together.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

20. “You are free to make any decision you desire, but you aren’t free from the consequences of those decisions.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

The top Shiva quotes honoring Adiyogi

Adiyogi refers to Lord Shiva and the yogic wisdom revealed fifteen thousand years ago. 

21. “When Shiva opened his third eye, fire came out of it.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita  

22. “Mahadev teaches you to do deeds that are good for people.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

23. “This fire indicates that within himself, he burnt everything.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

24. “It doesn’t matter what comes in your life but never tolerates evil.” ―  Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

25. “Learn to control the negative thoughts in your mind, and you will win.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

26. “You make your own luck. I never control you, and it’s you who has to realize this.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

27. “Shiva is uncouth, but people couldn’t help worshipping him because he’s intense.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

28. “Adiyogi is a symbol, a possibility, and a source of tools to transform yourself and create your own life.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

29. “Holding on to my breath only to bring the grace, knowledge, energy, and enlightenment of Adiyogi to all.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

30. “Adiyogi is not one more monument but a galvanizing force to transform the world from a mass of believers to seekers of truth.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

Shiva, the Lord of Lords, quotes about the Absolute 

Lord Shiva’s nature is absolute and encompasses all reality. 

31. “There is no Shiva without linga.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

32. “He is the seed of boundlessness.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

33. “Shiva represents the non-dualistic Absolute.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

34. “All dualities merge within him.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

35. “In the yogic tradition, Shiva is the unfathomable emptiness from which creation springs and into which it collapses.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

36. “The basis of creation is Shiva, but the first act of creation is from Shakti.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

37. “If you want to step into the next moment as a completely new being, Shiva is the way.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

38. “The linga is the passage to the boundless nothingness that we refer to as Shiva.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

39. “Shiva is the non-physical dimension of existence, which is the largest dimension in the cosmos.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

40. “Shiva likes people who are not inclined towards anything but simply a burning.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

Lord Shiva that which is not quotes about boundless possibilities

Shiva represents all that can be and all that is not; these quotes honor that idea. 

41. “AUM Namah Sivayah is the seed of all the living.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

42. “The Lord of lords is the one who is not only one but of many forms.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

43. “Adiyogi is a Yogi, but we call him Shiva because he is a boundless possibility.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

44. “The limitless nothingness that is the very basis of existence is what we refer to as Shiva.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

45. “He is the ultimate immortal within whom all the dualities submerge and form a greater whole.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

46. “You must know to destroy negativity in your life.” ―  Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

47. “We did not say Shiva is divine. We did not say Shiva is god. We said Shiva is ‘that which is not.’” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

48. “Shiva is Truth, Shiva is Infinite, Shiva is eternal, Shiva is God, Shiva is Omkar, Shiva is Brahman, Shiva is Shakti, Shiva is Bhakti.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita 

49. “It is by the wonder of the five-syllabled mantra that the worlds, the Vedas, the rishis, the dharma, the universe, and the devas exist.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

50. “I am the past; I am the future; I am the present; I am the moon, the sun, and the sky. I am death, pity, and anger. I am the wise, wise and innocent I am shiva.” — Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

51. “Mahadev is the master of the master, but he is called Bholenath.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

52. “You will never be alone if you have faith in him.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

53. “Lord Shiva will always protect you from all the negativity.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

54. “Mahadev is a Yogi who is free from desires and has no obsession with anything.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

55. “Lord Shiva shows how to use your power for the right cause. He shows that you should never hurt anyone.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

56. “The desire leads to obsession, and this obsession leads you to destruction.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

57. “When you understand lord Shiva’s true nature, you will never complain.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

58. “Shiva is the ultimate source of consciousness.” ― Lord Shiva, Bhagavad Gita

Why is Lord Shiva the lord of the dance?

Not only is Shiva the redeemer and destroyer, not only does he represent the archetype of the best husband and father, but Shiva is also king of the dance floor. 

Many other deities or gods from other spiritual practices are powerful, strong, and eternal, but how many can say they are the god of dance?

Shiva takes many forms, frequently appearing as Nataraja, the dancing form of Shiva. 

Indian classical dancers worship Nataraja before every dance performance or practice. 

According to legend, at the great dance contest of Thiruvalangadu, Shiva battles Kali in a mighty dance contest. 

Shiva dances with vigor and subdues Kali by throwing his leg in the dance’s rhythm. 

Kali could not repeat the dance move and stood dismayed in defeat. 

What is your favorite aspect of Lord Shiva?

Do you have a favorite Lord Shiva quote?

Please, be sure to let us know in the comment section below.