Shaivism is a major current within the Hindu tradition in which Shiva is revered as the supreme reality, the ultimate Brahman, and the Lord who creates, preserves, and dissolves the universe. Shiva is understood both as the absolute, formless consciousness and as a personal deity, appearing in iconic forms such as the ascetic yogi, the cosmic dancer, and the sacred liṅga. The universe is viewed as a manifestation of Shiva and his inseparable power, Śakti, so that consciousness and energy, or Shiva and Śakti, are never truly apart. At the deepest level, the individual self is held to be identical with Shiva, though this identity is obscured by ignorance and bondage. This vision is articulated in several philosophical schools, ranging from nondual systems such as Kashmir Shaivism to more dualistic or qualified-nondual systems such as Shaiva Siddhānta and other regional lineages.

The lived expression of Shaivism is marked by a characteristic blend of devotion, ritual, and inner practice. Temple worship and pūjā, especially to the Shiva-liṅga, stand alongside mantra recitation such as “Om Namah Śivāya,” various forms of yoga and meditation, and in many lineages a strong honoring of asceticism and renunciation. Guru–disciple transmission and formal initiation play a central role in many Shaiva communities, and scriptural authority is often located not only in the Vedas and Purāṇas but also in the Śaiva Āgamas and related tantric literature. Distinctive symbols such as the liṅga, the trident, the third eye, sacred ash, and cremation-ground imagery express a theology that engages directly with impermanence, death, and the transcendence of ego.

In relation to other Hindu traditions, Shaivism is distinguished above all by its affirmation of Shiva’s supremacy. In contrast to Vaiṣṇavism, which centers on Viṣṇu or his avatāras as the highest Lord and often emphasizes preservation and loving devotion, Shaivism places at its heart Shiva as both the ascetic and the householder, the terrifying and the compassionate, and frequently associates itself with more austere and ascetic modes of practice. Compared with Śāktism, which exalts the Goddess as the ultimate reality and sometimes portrays Shiva as inert without her, Shaivism typically regards Śakti as the inseparable power of a Shiva who remains the supreme principle. In distinction from Smārtism, which treats multiple deities as equally valid manifestations of an impersonal Brahman, Shaivism maintains a more sectarian focus, seeing other deities as subordinate to or expressions of Shiva, while still acknowledging a shared metaphysical ground with the wider Hindu world.