Lord Shiva - A fierce God ?

There has been a misconception with some people that Lord Shiva is a fierce One. This
misconception stems from the portrayals that He is the god of destruction, He is adorned
with the skulls and snakes, the ways of worship are quite strict and yogic in nature. A
more closer look into the Shaivism would clarify these.

First of all the word shiva itself means auspicious and perfection(1). Can there be a more
auspicious thing than the Auspicious ?! This great God who is adorned with skulls and
snakes, is the one the great devas worship. Because those great divines realise this
Supreme's potence and glorious qualities.(2) Saluting this Lord, who goes on alms as if
He has nothing but in reality made the kubhEra the king of wealth, all the divines get
their greatness and prosperity. This Supreme, who could not be explored by even the
great devas, get very easily pleased and showers on the devotee with boons. It is said
when one wants even hard to get boons, worship of Lord shiva would be the way. Very
naturally our Lord is called ashutosha (fast pleased) and bholenath(innocent Lord) !!

When one evolves in the worship of Lord shiva to be a devotee, the worship is more out
of love than a fear for a supernatural power. When the devotee experiances the Glorious
qualities of the Lord the love blooms and this love, knowledge and experiance paves way
for the spiritual success and not the fear. (This is in fact the speciality of Hinduism not
compelling the follower to fear for a super natural power but to know, experiance and be
in It). The disciplined paths of worshiping the Lord may appear difficult but sure to bring
lots of marvel in return. Also not all the worship paths are so strict. If this God would get
pleased only for highly strict rituals what would one have to say about kaNNappa ?(3)

Lord Shiva is not the the god of destruction, but is the Supreme who plays the five
activites of Creation, Protection, Destruction, Concealing and Blessing. The God shiva
who is known as parashiva (the Supreme Shiva) plays these actions that run the Universe
through Its forms and powers but is above all these specific deeds.(4) But like an owner
of a firm who also works with the people he employed, the Supreme Shiva in spite of
being the Master of all these great deeds also enacts as the doer of some deeds like the
destruction, Concealing and Blessing.

Various forms of the Lord Shiva show Him Ash smeared with skulls and snakes dancing
in the cemetries. But it should be understood that these are the glories of the Supreme that
It is adorned with nature since It is beyond the human ornations.(5) It is this Lord the
wise worship when they want the most auspicious boons.

O, Giver of the Boons, the bull, the parts of a cot, chisel, the elephant-skin, Ashes, the serpent, the skull :
these are the articles of your house-hold. And yet gods get all their riches merely by the movement of your
eye-brows. Really, false desires for worldly things do not deceive ( mislead ) one who is always is absorbed
in his soul
shiva mahimna
Love and shivam, there exist two things, say the fools.
Love is shivam, that nobody understands.
When everybody realise that Love is shivam,
they sit in love as shivam.
thirumuular

Lord shiva, the Supreme Potent and Yogeshwara is also the absolute Auspicious One the
devoted mind loves in extremity.