People who are into religion and especially Hinduism are well aware of a Trishul, weapon that looks menacing with its 3 pointy tangents. While almost all the gods, at least the famous ones are shown carrying a Trishul, it is most commonly associated with Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva with his matted hair, tiger skin clothes and Nandi at his feet is never seen without his Trishul or the Damru attached to it. While even the damru has its own significance, we will focus on the Trishul here first. Symbolic meaning If we focus on the symbolism, then Lord Shiva’s Trishul is a destroyer, an extension of his personality and reverence as a destroyer. The destruction here implies detachment to the physical world, not annihilation. The Trishul is about getting rid of attachment to the materialistic world and removing the barrier between Him and our souls. It is believed that the Trishul would lead a devotee towards oneness in the spiritual world. A weapon When viewed as a weapon, the Trishul is an object, a weapon for the destruction of the evil around us. This evil is materialistic as well as spiritual. The three points of the Trishul represent creation, preservation and destruction. Apart from this, the three points also represent the three qualities of human beings in the material world- rajas (dynamic energy), tamas (negative, inactive, stagnant) and sattva (balanced, perceiving). Upon closer inspection of various images one would realize that Lord Shiva is usually holding the handle of the Trishul, meaning he has surpassed and is beyond all these gunas. The Trishul is believed to make the devotees of Shiva rich, at least in the spiritual world. Yogic symbolism Lord Shiva is a recurring figure in Yoga as well. In Yogic symbolism, the Trishul represents the nadis or the current energies within one’s body. An attempt is made by the practitioners of yoga to balance out the energies and they believe that these energies ultimately converge in a Trishul like shape in our body. The Trishul of Shiva is ultimately a symbol and a means of auspiciousness. It helps garner and brew positive thoughts and creates a fulfilling vibe all around. Unfortunately one cannot carry a Trishul around for positivity. Hence a far more feasible option is the Narmadeshwar Shiva Linga which is brimming with the blessings and energy of Lord Shiva, making it an extremely potent holy stone. Just being in its presence helps get rid of the negativity.