trident (Trishula)

The trident, known as Trishula, is a three-pronged spear commonly associated with Hindu deity Lord Shiva. Symbolically, it represents three fundamental aspects of existence: creation, preservation, and destruction. In spiritual terms, the three points also signify overcoming the past, present, and future, or the three gunas (qualities): goodness, passion, and ignorance. Physically, it is a powerful emblem of divine authority and energy, often depicted in mythological stories and iconography as a symbol of Shiva's control over the universe's cycles of life and death.