When Shiva Wore the Skins of Elephants and Tigers
Nidhi | Sep 19, 2025, 15:49 IST
lORD SHIVA
( Image credit : Freepik )
Highlight of the story: Shiva’s choice to wear the skins of tigers and elephants is more than mythology; it is a lesson in conquering desire, pride, and ego. From the Darukavana sages’ tale to Shiva’s battle with Gajasura, this article explores the Puranic stories, deep symbolism, and yogic meaning behind one of Shiva’s most powerful and mysterious forms.
नमः शिवाय शान्ताय कारणाय कृतात्मने।
निर्गुणाय निष्कलाय चिद्घनाय नमो नमः॥
We often imagine gods dressed in golden crowns, silk robes, and glittering jewels. But Shiva, the great ascetic, walks a different path. Instead of silk, he chooses animal skins. Instead of ornaments, he wears serpents and ashes. And instead of palaces, he sits on the cold stone of Kailasa.
One of the most striking images of Shiva is when he wears the tiger’s skin and drapes himself with the hide of a slain elephant. At first glance, it may look fierce, even terrifying. But behind this unusual choice lies a story - and more importantly, a message. Shiva is not showing dominance over animals. He is showing humanity how to rise above ego, pride, and desire.
The message is simple: desire is a tiger that hunts every human being. It cannot be destroyed by rituals, pride, or force. It can only be mastered by awareness and detachment. When Shiva sits on the tiger skin, he is reminding us that true power is not in feeding desires but in conquering them.
Why an elephant? Because in Indian tradition, the elephant is a symbol of arrogance and heavy pride. The very word for intoxicated pride, mada, is often connected to elephants in heat. By wearing the elephant’s skin, Shiva shows us that even the strongest ego, no matter how colossal, collapses before truth.
This form of Shiva is called Gajacharmambara-dhara — the one who wears the elephant hide.
Ashes remind us of death - that everything ends. Skins remind us of nature - that power, wealth, and beauty are temporary. Shiva refuses luxury, not because he hates it, but because he wants us to see that the essence of life is beyond it.
His choice tells us: if the Lord of the Universe can sit with nothing but ashes and skins, why do we cling so tightly to things that will one day fade?
The yogi sits on tiger skin to show he has tamed the tiger within - the restless mind, the urges, the wild force of passion. Shiva, as Adiyogi, the first teacher of yoga, sits upon it to guide seekers on the same path.
Instead of discarding the skin, Shiva turns it into clothing. That act itself is a lesson: even the darkest experiences of life can be worn as wisdom if we rise above them. Nothing is wasted in the journey to truth.
This contrast is deliberate. It shows two sides of divinity. Vishnu preserves the order of the world. Shiva dissolves the illusions of the world. Where one teaches harmony, the other teaches renunciation. Together, they form balance.
There is also a personal message hidden in these images. Just as a snake sheds its skin, humans too must shed layers of ego and attachment. The tiger’s hunger, the elephant’s pride - they live inside us. Shiva shows us what it looks like when these instincts are conquered.
Wearing what others discard, he transforms them into symbols of liberation. He does not destroy the skins - he wears them. In that act lies the wisdom of turning weakness into strength, and fear into freedom.
Shiva’s image reminds us that power is not in having more, but in needing less. It is not in controlling others, but in controlling ourselves. That is why ascetics and yogis still wear simple cloth or even skins, walking in the shadow of their Lord’s example.
निर्गुणाय निष्कलाय चिद्घनाय नमो नमः॥
We often imagine gods dressed in golden crowns, silk robes, and glittering jewels. But Shiva, the great ascetic, walks a different path. Instead of silk, he chooses animal skins. Instead of ornaments, he wears serpents and ashes. And instead of palaces, he sits on the cold stone of Kailasa.
One of the most striking images of Shiva is when he wears the tiger’s skin and drapes himself with the hide of a slain elephant. At first glance, it may look fierce, even terrifying. But behind this unusual choice lies a story - and more importantly, a message. Shiva is not showing dominance over animals. He is showing humanity how to rise above ego, pride, and desire.
1. The Tiger Skin: Desire Conquered
Two Tigers
( Image credit : Freepik )
The message is simple: desire is a tiger that hunts every human being. It cannot be destroyed by rituals, pride, or force. It can only be mastered by awareness and detachment. When Shiva sits on the tiger skin, he is reminding us that true power is not in feeding desires but in conquering them.
2. The Elephant Hide: Pride Defeated
Elephant pregnancy
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Why an elephant? Because in Indian tradition, the elephant is a symbol of arrogance and heavy pride. The very word for intoxicated pride, mada, is often connected to elephants in heat. By wearing the elephant’s skin, Shiva shows us that even the strongest ego, no matter how colossal, collapses before truth.
This form of Shiva is called Gajacharmambara-dhara — the one who wears the elephant hide.
3. Ashes and Skins: Lessons in Simplicity
lord shiva
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Ashes remind us of death - that everything ends. Skins remind us of nature - that power, wealth, and beauty are temporary. Shiva refuses luxury, not because he hates it, but because he wants us to see that the essence of life is beyond it.
His choice tells us: if the Lord of the Universe can sit with nothing but ashes and skins, why do we cling so tightly to things that will one day fade?
4. Why Yogis Sit on Tiger Skins
lord shiva and nandi
( Image credit : Pixabay )
The yogi sits on tiger skin to show he has tamed the tiger within - the restless mind, the urges, the wild force of passion. Shiva, as Adiyogi, the first teacher of yoga, sits upon it to guide seekers on the same path.
5. The Elephant Hide as a Cosmic Metaphor
Shiva
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Instead of discarding the skin, Shiva turns it into clothing. That act itself is a lesson: even the darkest experiences of life can be worn as wisdom if we rise above them. Nothing is wasted in the journey to truth.
6. The Contrast with Other Gods
Vishnu
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
This contrast is deliberate. It shows two sides of divinity. Vishnu preserves the order of the world. Shiva dissolves the illusions of the world. Where one teaches harmony, the other teaches renunciation. Together, they form balance.
7. Skins as Symbols of Ego-Shedding
Wearing what others discard, he transforms them into symbols of liberation. He does not destroy the skins - he wears them. In that act lies the wisdom of turning weakness into strength, and fear into freedom.
8. Why These Images Still Matter
lord shiva
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Shiva’s image reminds us that power is not in having more, but in needing less. It is not in controlling others, but in controlling ourselves. That is why ascetics and yogis still wear simple cloth or even skins, walking in the shadow of their Lord’s example.