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Lord Brahma prays, "Just as milk changes into yogurt when mixed with a yogurt culture but is actually constitutionally nothing but milk, so Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, assumes the form of Lord Shiva for the work of destroying the material world."
The Vedic literature declares that Lord Shiva is the personality of the principle of destruction in the form of time, and that Goddess Durga is his energy for that purpose.
The name Siva means "auspicious." Therefore, although he is followed by ghosts, ghouls, and hobgoblins and is covered with ashes and sleeps in crematoriums, Shiva is always pure. In fact, he is never affected by his low surroundings. He consorts with the low, materially motivated, and spiritually corrupt to give them a chance to elevate themselves. Granting them various benedictions, he is called Asutosa, one who is easily pleased.
The Vaisnavas hail Lord Shiva as the greatest of Vaisnavas and also declare him to be above all living entities including the demigods--in a category by himself. He is ultimately identical with the Supreme Lord, Krishna, yet as milk is transformed into yogurt, he has transformed his identity to Shiva in order to deal with the mode of ignorance in this world.
