Akashamurti — 108 Names of Shiva

Akashamurti defines Shiva as the deity whose very body is the Akasha (ether or space). In the Pancha Bhuta (five elements) theory, Shiva is worshipped in five specific temples in South India; the Chidambaram temple represents the Akasha element. Space is the subtlest of all elements, providing the room for all other elements to exist and interact. As Akashamurti, Shiva is the all-pervasive, non-obstructive reality. He is everywhere and yet nowhere to be grasped by the senses. This name points to the 'Chidakasha'—the space of consciousness—where all thoughts and universes arise and subside. To contemplate Akashamurti is to meditate on the quality of pervasiveness. Just as space cannot be burned, wet, or cut, the core of our being is untouched by the dramas of life. This epithet encourages the seeker to cultivate a 'spacious' mind, one that is vast enough to hold all experiences without being overwhelmed by them. It is the ultimate form of Shiva because it is formless (Nirakara). In this contemplation, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to dissolve into the infinite expanse of the Divine. He is the silence between words and the emptiness within the atom that holds the power of existence. By identifying with Akashamurti, we transcend the limitations of the physical body and realize our nature as the infinite field of awareness.