THE YOGA OF SHIVA

 

THE YOGA OF SHIVA

This unusual perspective of Shiva on the net, where He is seated almost completely submerged in water but still doing His yoga calmly, brings to our mind what a great Yogi He is.

And this is a sort of vision of the iceberg. Now, we all know that an iceberg is a formation whose mass is never visible to us more than 30% of it's actual dimension. 70% of it is under the Ocean, or it is in an area which we cannot see with our human eyes.

Shiva is very much like this: We cannot ever know Him fully.

Pushpadanta in his prayer 'Shiva mahimna stotram' said, even if God Brahma and Saraswati themselves sat down to write the story of Shiva, using all the water available in all the seas as their ink , the sea would dry up but they would not be able to write even a small portion of His story ; So vast is the Lila of Mahadeva, So large His infinite Self. To be infinite, to be not fully knowable, is His very nature!

Still, in His kindness, Shiva Himself always reaches out to us, and lets us know as much about His vision, creation and life as He possibly can. And just like man needs some kind of underwater telescope to see the larger aspect of the iceberg, he needs to see Shiva with special eyes. And that is what Shiva does for us, He opens our spiritual eyes for us to Spiritualise.

Thus too, the ancient rishis of Kashmir, when they compiled the sacred texts of Shaivism as revealed to them by Shiva Himself, took care to say that Shiva's spirituality can never be known in it's entirety. For example the Siva sutras are in four grades:

Anupaya

Shambhavopaya

Saktoapaya

Anavopaya

But the actual teachings begin with the Shambhavopaya.

Anupaya, which is the highest grade, is not taught to anyone because it is not a teaching, it is a happening, a spontaneous entering of the state of Shiva Himself, and therefore perhaps known only to Him.

Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

KAAL BHAIRAV

 

KAAL BHAIRAV

Lord Shiva is called Bhola Nath, and normally, He is that - the innocent God;

Asutosa, the easily pleased.

But there are times, rare and indeed avoidable, when He gets into an angry vibration and slips into Raudra Roop. He can then be more ferocious than any entity in the Universe. We must never forget He is Bhooth Nath also.

Knowing both aspects well, accordingly, the ancient Rishis in their wisdom sang to Him ‘ Bhakt jana binati karat hain Bhola Nath sada’ This is an old prayer , which asks Him to remain Bhola Nath always.

As Kaal Bhairava, He is virtually the keeper of time, and not only can He create and protect, but also destroy if He so chooses. For Tandav, Shiva’s cosmic dance , the galaxy is a floor, the planets just little props;

The ultimate truth is that since everything emanates from Him, He will always have the last word or the last dance in every number that we play, with His prowess to rattle the Universe out of its track or then to dance it back on rails.

So the real prayer would be in our conduct to keep peace and also offer it to Him to partake.

Aum Namah Shivaye!

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA- THE UNBLEMISHED SOUL

 

SHIVA- THE UNBLEMISHED SOUL

“ Who is this uncouth man? What is he doing in Shiva’s baraat, why has he been allowed here?And why don’t Shiva’s men throw him out? ” asked Mena with extreme consternation.

“ He, verily is Shiva, dear Mena” replied Brahma with a twinkle in his eye.

“ He is who ?” cried Mena

“ Your son in law to be, behold Shiva, the Great God of the Universe” replied Brahma with a chuckle,enjoying the Shiva lila.

But Mena fainted.

Parvati, who had been witnessing the whole scene along with her chamber maids, as most brides try to see their grooms before the actual jaimala, now frantically messaged Shiva from her window. She waved furiously and as if by magic telepathy, Shiva looked towards her window, even when he said to his ganas “ I am okay I am not drunk give me another pitcher of bhang! “

Parvati made a sign to Shiva, “ please be yourself, and show my poor mother your sunder roopam, the divine self..”

Shiva alighted from Nandi and stood astutely upon the ground, jettisoning His hitherto mannerism instantly.

Suddenly, he seemed to tower over the whole landscape, and His charming smile exuded a resplendence that penetrated the very depth of everyone’s soul.

“It is not about power and money, not about riches and good looks, Mena Rani” said Brahma, “It is not about the distortions of the body or drunkenness of the mind, It is about the unblemished soul”

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. Part 2 (Humesha)

SARVA, THE ARCHER

 

SARVA, THE ARCHER

"Shiva is the gentlest soul. However, He can also be the most dreadful of all. He is the mightiest warrior these mountains… nay, this world has ever known. No onslaught is powerful enough to even budge Him for more than a moment. On the other hand, none can stand His onslaught. You do know the power that propels His mighty Trisula, but He is also the best archer as Sarva" said Nandi to Bhringhi.

Not only is Shiva a keenly focused meditator,

He has also been known to Master the art of delivering His arrow on a focused target.

Shiva teaches not just aim, but focus

not just steadfastness, but concentration

not just goal, but intent

not just science, but art

not just eternity, but the moment.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA'S WAY

 

SHIVA'S WAY

Meditate, receive the Gyan Ganga upon your head.

Stabilize the impact. Then, trickle it down gently for the others, so that they too may quench their thirst. If you have it, give it freely.

This is simply said, but not so simple to implement.

Ganga resides in the Heavens, seated at the feet of Vishnu. Therefore when She comes 'down to earth', she is torrentially full with Divine knowledge, Gyan.

There is a very thin line between intelligence and Insanity.

Divine Consciousness means a very high intelligence, hitherto, unknown, to the new seeker. So it cannot be given so freely that it leads to insanity, thus we say trickle it.

Thus we sometimes see that even the sages fortress their knowledge, thus we sometimes hear that the wise do not speak of the way.

But still, we have to give it freely, another paradox!

This is a great energy system, akin to a tightrope. If you go too fast, you fall; go too slow, you will fall again.

The Guru is called the dispeller of darkness, like the Sun. The Sun enables us to see, but if we look to it directly, we lose our sight, we go blind, darkness again.

Therefore Shiva,The primal Guru, in His kindness, chooses a pace, known only to Him. He meditates, and receives the Ganga upon His head. He first makes Himself a landing pad, stabilises the impact, and then , He trickles it down gently for all of us.

Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ From the book " The Yogi and the snake-conversations with God Shiva" by Shail Gulhati

A GIFT

 

A GIFT

Mahadev Shiva teaching His young Sons Kartikji and Ganeshji to dance the Ananda Tandava. Life, is a gift wrapped in many layers. Enjoy your birth. Everyday.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVOPAYA

 

SHIVOPAYA

Knowing your relationship with Shiva.

Siva sutras, which are the direct revelation from Lord Shiva to His rishi Vasugupta of Kashmir, are also called Shiva upaya- the method of knowing our relationship with the highest Divinity.

Learning Shivopaya from Shiva Himself, the ancient Kashmiri Rishis,were great adepts at both the spiritual and material life.

They understood that by creative contemplation and some methods of affirmative visualization, one could re-direct the current way of living only the material life, into a great synergy with spiritual life.

Shivopaya is the spiritual inheritance of mankind and it is so relevant in the present time spanning our own life.

Life takes a very different dimension once we understand that the objective of creation is basically our happiness, Ananda, and the code to unlock that happiness lies within.

Imagine if you could imbibe this wisdom for yourself.

If you could learn that spirituality and materialism are not opposed to each other, but are, in fact, designed to be complementary.

Imagine if you could explode into your spiritual consciousness, and came to understand that all of life is a like a play created by God. But it is not a game to amuse Him at your expense, rather a play to entertain you, as the princess or prince of a great King.

Isn’t it time you unlocked that for yourself?

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SALOKA

 

SALOKA

Dear friends and Shiva bhakts,

i found this interesting picture depicting Lord Shiva as creator of the Universe. He seems to be holding freshly created planets in both His hands. It seems as though He is ready to dispatch the one in His left hand into outer space.

This is is how life works, our parents who create us, keep us safe with themselves in their protective custody as children; but there comes a time when they feel we are now old enough to venture out into the big world 'out there'.

And this made me think, in a huge Universe of billions of galaxies and planets, made by Him, there was one planet where Shiva chose to dispatch Himself to make His own abode atop a mountain .. doesn't that make earth a special place, and us the luckiest inheritors of the Adi Yogi?

The ancient rishis noted this and called the phenomenon 'SA LOKA' those who share the same planet as God. Meditate upon this!

Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

NAMAH SHIVAYE!

 

NAMAH SHIVAYE!

Such is the beauty of Lord Shiva that you do not have to be a great scholar and expert in the scriptures, If you love Him, It is said even the taking of God's name is enough!!

Aum Namah Shivaye, is the greatest mantra.

In this worldly Sea the ancient Rishis found this as the best "Boat" that could take them across in the safest shortest way! and then passed it on for for us!

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

GOD LOVES INNOCENCE MORE THAN KNOWLEDGE

 

GOD LOVES INNOCENCE MORE THAN KNOWLEDGE

God loves innocence more than knowledge!

This is the hallmark of Bholenath - the innocent Lord:

He loves innocence. This beautiful pic of baby Shiva sleeping from the temple in Malaysia has a notable feature, bhakts have placed baby milk bottles as offerings! We can offer to Shiva what we want, it is best to offer Him a child like spirit because it does not have any manipulation, it is natural, like creation itself.

Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

Pic courtesy member Shrishrishri Tripurasundari Iyengar

SHIVA, MAHADEVA-THE HUMANLY LOVING GOD

 

SHIVA, MAHADEVA-THE HUMANLY LOVING GOD

He is the One who existed even before the world began.

He is the One who has been prayed to, even when He was unseen. And ever since the very first time He chose to make His presence known, Shiva has been loved by millions.

He loved mountains. He loved to dance. He loved to wear His hair long. He was a simple hillbilly: good at heart, and He loved his fellow mountain men. But He was not considered in turn, a fellow man.

It was said of Him that He was God Himself—The Primal One.

He was said to be the Timeless Lord of the mountains and also the men He so loved.

He was Shiva, the Auspicious. Shiva, whose very presence was able to transform humans into demigods.

So many times on His mountain sojourns, He had chanced upon a singing shepherd, or a wandering minstrel, singing of Shiva!

Sometimes, as a bonus, even lovelorn women sang His praises, when they actually pined for another suitor; and He was amused by the stories He heard about Himself.

He, Shiva, was supposed to be the ultimate spiritual alchemist.But whatever He could see of Himself, was plainly human.He felt like a human; fond of the forest life, and like all the other creatures that roamed in the forest, always looking forward to more of it. Gods were said to be without desire, but He loved life!

He was,and is the most humanly endearing God of all, He, is SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA THE MOUNTAIN DANCER

 

SHIVA THE MOUNTAIN DANCER

There was Gold everywhere. Gold in the mountains, gold in the valley, gold in the sky. It was a golden luminosity basking in its own unending lustre.

But the moment She opened Her eyes from that vivid dreamality, She thought of Shiva.

Suddenly, Sati knew the whole purpose of Her life.

The thought of Shiva penetrated Sati like an arrow ,and She actually felt Her heart flutter, like a well-gotten target. She had never seen an image of Him, but suddenly, there He was, right in front of Her,dancing on mountain skylines, long-haired and well muscled; a mesmerising figure that seemed to rivet the earth with the sky.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

TO LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

 

TO LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

The lessons with Shiva were endless. They had to be. His talk was profound, but so was His silence.

“You seem to be talking to me even when you are silent. Is it true or is it because i love you more than my own life?”She asked.

“Silence is a language only a few understand,” said Shiva. “Those special moments when silence speaks, when stillness gives wings,” He whispered.

Even His smile was profound. Everything about Him was the embodiment of wisdom. Sati noticed that there were traces of this wisdom even when He joked.

“Do you believe in Reincarnation?” He asked one day.

“Only if I get to be with you,” She replied.

And that was the essence of Sati's life: To live with Shiva in every life. And that is also the goal of the Bhakt: To live in the presence of his Lord in every birth.

Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.