Just when we felt our exploration had formed a complete circle, a new path revealed itself. Our journey now takes us from the symbolism of Shiva’s own form to the potent energies he commands, embodied by his steadfast companion, Nandi the Bull, and the ferocious Tiger Skin upon which he sits.
Here, we discover a profound duality: the power that arises from absolute love, and the power that arises from absolute fearlessness.
Nandi: The Power of Devotion
Outside every Shiva temple, we find Nandi. He is not a mere guard; he is the archetypal devotee, his entire being perpetually absorbed in the gaze of his Lord. Saint Tirumular, in his sacred Tamil text, the Tirumantiram, says, Nandi is the individual soul (Pasu) striving for union with the Lord (Pati), who is Shiva.
Nandi is the symbol of raw, potent power, but a power that is completely surrendered and channeled. He is the strength of Dharma—righteous, steadfast, and unwavering. He is benign and gentle, yet immovable in his focus. By making Nandi his vahana (vehicle), Shiva teaches us a profound lesson: the most perfect vehicle through which the divine expresses itself in the world is a soul perfected by devotion. The greatest power we can cultivate is the power of focused, loving surrender. It is this sattvic strength that carries the divine will.
Nandi is, the very embodiment of the “power of devotion.”
The Tiger Skin: The Power of Fearlessness
In stark contrast to the benign strength of Nandi, we see the Tiger Skin. The tiger is arguably the most ferocious, powerful, and feared animal of the jungle. It represents the pinnacle of predatory instinct, raw aggression, and untamed nature.
By mastering this creature and wearing its skin as his seat, Shiva makes a powerful statement. He is the ultimate fearless Lord, Abhaya. He has confronted the most terrifying force in the natural world, subjugated it, and now rests upon it in perfect calm. This is not the glorification of ferocity, but the symbol of its absolute conquest. It teaches that the spiritual path requires us to fearlessly confront our own inner tigers—our primal rage, our deepest fears, our untamed desires.
The Tiger Skin is the trophy of our inner battle, a symbol that the most ferocious energies, once mastered, can become the very seat of our power. It is, therefore the “symbol of fearlessness.”
A Complete Mastery: The Vehicle and the Victory
Here, we see the genius of Shiva’s complete symbolism. He does not choose one power over the other. He embodies a total mastery of both cultivated virtue and conquered ferocity.
He rides the power of righteous devotion (Nandi). He sits upon the power of conquered fear (the Tiger).
Nandi represents the path of the bhakta (devotee), who cultivates sattvic qualities and focuses their love on God. The Tiger Skin represents the path of the yogi (ascetic), who fearlessly turns inward to confront and master the rajasic and tamasic forces of their own mind.
Shiva, the Mahayogi, the Adiyogi, challenges us to understand that the true journey demands both forces. We need a relentless vehicle of devotion to propel us forward, yet we also must embrace an unyielding fearlessness to tame the wild jungle within. One is the fierce power we forge through love; the other is the indomitable power we seize through relentless victory, through sheer audacity.
Om Namah Shivay!
Reinvent The Self! 