Since Lord Shiva is the greatest soul

Since Lord Shiva is the greatest soul among the living entities within this material world, his name, Shiva, is very auspicious for persons who identify the body with the soul. If such persons take shelter of Lord shiva, gradually they will understand that they are not the material body but are spirit soul. sjiva means mangala, or auspicious. Within the body the soul is auspicious. Aham brahmäsmi: "I am Brahman." This realization is auspicious. As long as one does not realize his identity as the soul, whatever he does is inauspicious. Shiva means "auspicious," and devotees of Lord Shiva gradually come to the platform of spiritual identification, but that is not all. Auspicious life begins from the point of spiritual identification. But there are still more duties—one has to understand one's relationship with the Supreme Soul. If one is actually a devotee of Lord Shiva, he comes to the platform of spiritual realization, but if he is not intelligent enough, then he stops at that point, only realizing that he is spirit soul (aham brahmäsmi). If he is intelligent enough, however, he should continue to act in the way of Lord Shiva, for Lord Shiva is always absorbed in the thought of Väsudeva. As previously explained, Lord Shiva always in meditation on the lotus feet of Väsudeva, Sri Krishna. Thus the auspicious position of Lord Shiva is realized if one takes to the worship of Vishnu, because Lord Shiva says in the Shiva Puräna that the topmost worship is worship of Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva is worshiped because he is the greatest devotee of Lord Vishnu. One should not, however, make the mistake of considering Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu to be on the same level. That is also an atheistic idea. It is also enjoined in the Vaishnava Puräna that Vishnu, or Näräyana, is the exalted Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one should be compared to Him as equal, even Lord Shiva or Lord Brahmä, not to speak of other demigods.