One of the imposing gods of the Hindu triad is Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, also known as Bholenath, Shankar, Mahadev, and other names, has taken several forms, Calm as well as Rudra avatars of Lord Shiva, to accomplish various goals.
Shiva had to take on numerous avatars mentioned in the below list of Lord Shiva avatars or incarnations to make the world right. He protected some of his followers from the devil by taking on various avatars. Learn more about Lord Shiva avatar names in the below list of Shiva avatars. Here are the following 19 avatars of Lord Shiva and their meanings:
List Of Lord Shiva Avatars
Below is the list of Lord Shiva avatar names:
- Piplaad Avatar
- Bhairava Avatar
- Ashwatthama Avatar
- Lord Sharabha Avatar
- Bhikshuvarya Avatar
- Nandi Avatar
- Sureshwar Avatar
- Keerat Avatar
- Yatinath Avatar
- Krisha Darshan Avatar
- Brahmachari Avatar
- Yaksheshwar Avatar
- Avadhut Avatar
- Sunatnartak Avatar
- Hanuman Avatar
- Rishabha Avatar
- Grihapati Avatar
- Durvasa Avatar
- Veerabhadra Avatar
The 19 Avatars Of Lord Shiva
1. Piplaad Avatar
The first in the list of Lord Shiva avatars is the Piplaad avatar. Lord Shiva took on the form of Piplaad, the son of the sage Dadhichi and his spouse Suvarcha. Before he was even born, his father abandoned him. As a child, Piplaad cursed his father when he learned that he had to leave the house because of Shani’s unfavourable effects.
Later, he pardoned Shani on the understanding that she wouldn’t cause trouble again until she was 16 years old. To protect themselves from the Shani dosha, people revere Piplaad to remove it.
2. Bhairava Avatar
One of the most ferocious forms in the list of Lord Shiva avatars is the Bhairava. This Avtar was created during Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma’s fight. This Bhairava form of Lord Shiva took off Brahma’s 5th head and kept it for the next 12 years.
The Bhairava avatar, also known as Dandapani, chastises individuals who are avaricious, lusty, and scornful. This is why the Bhairava avatar was created because these unfavourable attributes frequently result in one’s fall from grace.
3. Ashwatthama Avatar
The ‘Vish Purusha’ that sprang from Shiva after he ate Halahal during Samudra Manthan is known as Ashwatthama. He is Lord Shiva’s Ansha avatar and he was blessed with the ability to destroy the oppressive Kshatriyas.
He would be born as the grandson of a Bharadwaja and nurtured as a Brahmin but he would be drawn to Kshatriyahood. This Vish Purusha was born to Drona and Kripi as Ashwathama.
4. Lord Sharabha Avatar
Another distinctive avatar in the list of Lord Shiva avatars is Lord Sharabha. After Lord Narasimha slew the demon Hiranyakashipu, this manifestation of Lord Shiva made an appearance to soothe him.
Among the 19 avatars of Lord Shiva, the Sharabha avatar is a unique specimen. The lord manifested as a creature that resembled both a lion and a bird. The Sharabha avatar is described as having eight legs in various scriptures.
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5. Bhikshuvarya Avatar
As the name implies, Lord Shiva took the form of a beggar in order to rescue the child of King Sathyaratha. The boy was raised by a poor woman having Lord Shiva’s blessings because he had lost both his parents.
Among the 19 avatars of Lord Shiva, this particular avatar looks out for people in general and protects them from any perilous situations and threats in their daily life. We are thought to be able to overcome the obstacles and perils in our existence by worshipping this form.
6. Nandi Avatar
Sage Shilada gave birth to this manifestation of Lord Shiva. The sage requested an immortal kid and underwent severe penance to obtain Lord Shiva’s blessings. As a result of the sage’s devotion, he took the form of Nandi (among the famous Lord Shiva avatar names), who afterward served as the guardian of Kailash (Lord Shiva’s heavenly residence) and the lord’s mount.
7. Sureshwar Avatar
Sureshwar avatar, one of the famous 19 avatars of Lord Shiva, showed himself as Indra Dev to assess the faithfulness of a young child named Upamanyu. The young lad succeeded in making Lord Shiva unveil himself.
8. Keerat Avatar
Among all of Lord Shiva avatar names, ‘Keerat’ means hunter. Lord Shiva took on the shape of a hunter from Keerat in order to put Arjuna to the test and slay the demon Mooka. Lord Shiva was delighted with Arjuna during the test and gave him his Pashupata.
9. Yatinath Avatar
In the list of Shiva avatar, another manifestation was Yatinath, who paid a visit to the tribal couple Ahuk and Ahuka. A wild animal attacked and killed Ahuk while he was visiting the couple. Ahuka planned to commit suicide after discovering her spouse had died.
When Lord Shiva finally manifested in his true form, he gave her a boon that promised to reunite her with her husband when they were reborn as Nala and Damayanti.
10. Krisha Darshan Avatar
After being expelled from the realm by his brother, prince Nabhag was brought to saint Angiras to learn Yajna. Upon completion of his studies, the saint was quite pleased with Nabhag and desired to bestow upon him some money.
Nabhag was instructed by Lord Shiva to put aside worldly concerns and spend time achieving true spirituality. Following this, Nabhag received Lord Shiva’s blessings. This is a singular avatar among the list of Shiva avatar, in which the Lord served as a spiritual mentor.
11. Brahmachari Avatar
Lord Shiva manifested as a Brahmachari in front of Sati when she took the shape of Parvati and carried out severe penance to appease him. He insulted Shiva to see how devoted Parvati was. And Parvati, who adored Lord Shiva more than anybody else, responded to the Brahmachari in a suitable manner. Lord Shiva eventually made himself known and blessed Parvati.
12. Yaksheshwar Avatar
After conquering the Asuras at Samudra Manthan, the Devas were ecstatic. As a result, Lord Shiva wished to impart to them the lesson that pride was not a virtue fit for God. They were given a piece of grass by Lord Shiva and were instructed to chop it.
Through the use of this miraculous grass, their false pride was destroyed. They eventually lost their pride since no one could cut the grass. The name of this manifestation of Lord Shiva is the Yaksheshwar avatar.
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13. Avadhut Avatar
When Lord Indra grew scornful and callous, Lord Shiva appeared as an Avadhut, one of the renowned 19 avatars of Lord Shiva. He adopted this avatar to convince Indra that hubris is a bad quality that needs to be eliminated.
14. Sunatnartak Avatar
This avatar served a specific function. Lord Shiva had to visit Parvati’s father, the Himalaya mountain, to ask her to be his partner because Parvati had already consented to marry him. Lord Shiva had to appear as a human person because he was unable to see his father in his normal form while wearing all those precious treasures on his crown.
15. Hanuman Avatar
According to the legend, Lord Vishnu disguised himself as the attractive Mohini during the Samudra Manthan, distracting the demons from the Samudra Manthan site so that the semi-Gods could work without interference.
Even after being aware of the truth, Lord Shiva was seduced by Mohini’s stunning beauty. Hanuman is claimed to have been born from Anjani’s womb as a result of the energy released during this infatuation. In the list of Lord Shiva avatars, lord hanuman is known as one of the mortal forms of lord Shiva.
16. Rishabha Avatar
Sons of Lord Vishnu were torturing both humans and Gods in the Patal Lok. Lord Shiva slaughtered all the evil sons of Lord Vishnu in order to teach them a lesson. He took the form of an ox or Vrishabha. When Lord Vishnu realized it was actually Lord Shiva and not Rishabh, he went back to his home.
17. Grihapati Avatar
A sage named Vishwanar and his spouse, who resided on the banks of the Narmada, gave birth to the Grihapati incarnation of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was to be born as the sage’s consort’s son. The sage thereupon engaged in arduous penance at Kashi. A few days later, the sage and his wife welcomed Lord Shiva as Grihapati into the world, gratified by Vishwanar’s devotion.
18. Durvasa Avatar
Another in the list of Shiva avatars is the Durvasa avatar. Since Maharishi Durvasa was a manifestation of Lord Shiva or Rudra, the cause of his short temper is clear. The procedure by which Demigods and Demons stir the ocean to produce Ambrosia is credited to Sage Durvasa.
19. Veerabhadra Avatar
One of the most ferocious avatars in the list of Shiva avatars is Veerabhadra. After the passing of his wife Sati, Lord Shiva took the form of Veerabhadra. King Daksha’s Yagya was demolished by Lord Shiva in his Veerabhadra form, who also decapitated him as retribution for killing Sati.
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