Thursday, 15 October 2026

KALI AND SHIVA

 

 KALI AND SHIVA

This fabulous picture of Ma Kali atop Shiva has many meanings at many levels.
The famous story is that Kali was very angry about the injustice and wrong doings on earth. She wanted to finish the world, and began her Tandava.
All creatures went helter skelter, looking for shelter, as the world began to crack up with earthquakes and demolitions .No one could stop her, she was unstoppable in her rampage.
It was true that evil had exceeded and needed to be stopped, but also true that not all people were evil, not all needed to be taken to task. Shakti can be glorious as Durga, and she can be fear invoking, as Kali, it depends on the Bhava we set for Her. If we trouble Mother Nature too much, she is bound to get into a Kali Mood. So, then Shiva, her husband lay down on her path, knowing that this will stop her, that she wont "over step" him. But she stepped even on Him.
A minute later she realised that this was her dearest beloved, and She calmed down...the wife in her emerged, and she lolled her tongue in a gesture of "sorry"
The Maha Pralaya was thus averted.
This is the katha( story) for which we pray to Ma Kali.

But God and Shakti are multidimensional, so there can be many understandings of the symbolism. The esoteric meaning can also be:
The power of Maya (bhadrakali) is so great that it can make even God Himself forget his own self and slip into an unconscious state.
It is only when the force of His own Maya is lifted that he may slowly rise. This is somewhat on the lines of the Kashmir Shaiv Darsana : Kashmir Shaivism Which states that this forgetfulness and remembrance of His own Nature is the eternal play of God and His own Maya. Because, she, as Shakti, is the equal Half of the Supreme! It is said Shiva without shakti is inert like a shava, till he doesnt recognize that the shakti is His own, that in the highest reality, they are never separate! So also, Shiva is called Shaktimaan, the wielder of His own Maya.
Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism. #shiva #kali

काली और शिव

मा काली की इस शानदार तस्वीर के कई स्तरों पर शिव के कई अर्थ हैं।
प्रसिद्ध कहानी यह है कि मा काली धरती पर अन्याय और गलत कामों को लेकर बहुत क्रोधित थीं। वह दुनिया खत्म करना चाहती थी, और अपना तांडव शुरू किया।
सभी प्राणी हेल्टर स्केटर (हफडा दफ्डी )में चले गए, आश्रय की तलाश में, क्योंकि दुनिया भूकंप और विध्वंस के साथ टूटना शुरू हो गई थी। कोई भी उसे रोक नहीं सकता था, वह अपने क्रोध में अजेय थी ।
यह सच था कि बुराई बहुत अधिक हो गई थी और उसे रोकने की जरूरत थी, लेकिन यह भी सच है कि सभी लोग बुरे नहीं थे, सभी को काम में लेने की जरूरत नहीं थी। शक्ति दुर्गा के रूप में गौरवशाली हो सकती हैं, और उन्हें भय का सामना करना पड़ सकता है, मा काली के रूप में, यह उनके लिए निर्धारित भव पर निर्भर करता है। यदि हम माँ प्रकृति को बहुत अधिक परेशान करते हैं, तो वह कलि मूड में आ जाती है। तो, शिव, उनके पति मा काली के रास्ते पर लेट गए, यह जानते हुए कि यह उन्हें रोक देगा, कि वह उसे "कदम से अधिक" नहीं करेगा। लेकिन उन्होंने भगवान शिव पर भी कदम रखा।
एक मिनट बाद उन्होंने महसूस किया कि यह उनकी सबसे प्यारी प्रेमिका थी, और वह शांत हो गई ... पत्नी उनकी उभरी हुई थी, और उन्होंने "सॉरी" के इशारे में अपनी जीभ को बाहिर लटका दिया ।
इस प्रकार महाप्रलय टल गया।
यह वह कथा (कहानी) है जिसके लिए हम माँ काली से प्रार्थना करते हैं।

लेकिन भगवान और शक्ति बहुआयामी हैं, इसलिए प्रतीकवाद की कई समझ हो सकती है। गूढ़ अर्थ भी हो सकता है:
माया (भद्रकाली) की शक्ति इतनी महान है कि स्वयं शिव अपनेआप को भी भूल सकतेहैं और स्वयं को भूलकर एक अचेत अवस्था में गिर सकतेहैं ।
यह तभी होता है जब उनकी अपनी माया का बल उठा लिया जाता है कि वह धीरे-धीरे उठ सकते है। यह कुछ हद तक कश्मीर शैव दर्शन: कश्मीर शैववाद की तर्ज पर है जिसमें कहा गया है कि यह अपनी ही प्रकृति का विस्मरण और स्मरण ईश्वर और उनकी अपनी माया का शाश्वत नाटक है। क्योंकि, वह, शक्ति के रूप में, सुप्रीम के बराबर आधे है! यह कहा जाता है कि शक्ति के बिना शिव एक शव की तरह निष्क्रिय हैं, जब तक वह यह नहीं पहचानते कि शक्ति उनकी अपनी है, उच्चतम वास्तविकता में, वे कभी अलग नहीं होते हैं! तो, शिव को शक्तिमान भी कहा जाता है, जो अपनी माया के क्षेत्रक हैं।
hindi translation by Yash N R

Jai Mata Di!

 


Jai Mata Di!
Mother of the most fierce warrior -commander in chief of the Devatas army, and yet She is the one who taught Him to be firm but kind.

Wednesday, 14 October 2026

The meaning of Shiva's right hand raised in Blessing - क्या है शिव का अभय मुद्रा

 


Dear friends and Shiva bhakts,

We have often seen this picture of Shiva sitting serenely in Dhyana and posturing His right hand
 towards us in blessing. But what blessing is this?
This mudra is called ‘Abhay” it means fear not.
Actually the path of God is never easy and comfortable, it is in fact full of difficult tests and situations as some of us would know through our personal experience, but  the bhakta needs to be fearless in the path of God. One must be ready to face anything, to give up anything if one has to know God. Therefore Shiva in His kIndness gives us this boon in advance, to help us in our journey towards Him Himself!
Aum Namah Shivaye!

प्रिये शिव भक्तों एवं मित्रों , हम सब ने भगवन शिव के ऐसी तस्वीर कई बार देखि है , जिसमे उनका दायां हाथ भक्त की तरफ वरदान में  खड़ा है  परन्तु ऐसी तस्वीर का अर्थ क्या है?  इस से मुद्रा को 'अभय ' कहा जाता है . जो साधक परमात्मा के दर्शन पाने के लिए अपनी यात्रा आरम्भ करता  है , उसका रास्ता कभी आसान नहीं  होता ,बल्कि दुर्लभ होता  है , कठिनायों  से भरपूर होता है , जैसा की आप सब को अपने ही एक्सपीरियंस से पता होगा . परन्तु भक्त को फिर भी  निडर  रहना है और अपनी मिशन पे चलते रहना है .यदि परमात्मा के दर्शन करने हैं तो अपना लक्ष दरृरता से  निश्चय करना है और बढ़ते ही जाना है . इस लिए भगवन शिव जो आशुतोष हैं , अपनी उदारता में  भक्त तो पहले से ही निर्भयता का वरदान दे देते हैं ताकि भक्त यह सफर सफलते से पूर्ण करे और स्वयं भगवन के दर्शन पा ले
ॐ नमः शिवाये !

THE DANCE ETERNAL

 


THE DANCE ETERNAL
Sri Adi sankaracarya, who wrote Saundarya lahiri and ananda lahiri, waves of beauty and waves of bliss, probably got such a beautiful vision as Siva and sakti in the dance eternal.Shiva dances the robust Tandav, while parvati matches with the gentle and eloquent Lasya.

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

WHEN KING HIMAVAT ASKS SHIVA TO STAY BACK WITH PARVATI

 


WHEN KING HIMAVAT ASKS SHIVA TO STAY BACK WITH PARVATI
As He came near King Himavat, Shiva spoke, “It has been a great day your Majesty, the greatest day in my life. I shall remain grateful for this, forever. But for now, may I take your leave, and may I take Parvati to Her new home at Kailash?”
“I was thinking, my dear Lord,” said Himavat softly. “Why do you not stay here for a while, with us? Give us the pleasure of being our guest for a few days, and in the bargain, give Parvati more time to spend in Her own mountains…”

“AUM”.ॐ.

 

A mixing of the time worlds, in the stillness of now.
This would enable them not only to rejoice in the essential Oneness, but also enable the group to bring forth and introduce characters into the play that were hitherto unknown to the other.
Everything would just become a divine moment, a climax of the life lived. Samadhi.
The magical moment of transcendence was loved by the wise seers. They understood a divine sound, a divine vibration for it, and whispered it almost inaudibly…“AUM”.

The art of the littlest point.
A whole infinity reduced to a dot. And the dot crowned the Aum, represented by crowning the syllable
ॐ.

Aum, was always in the now. Samadhi was a moment of the future mingled with the past. The seers understood that Samadhi was the grace of Shiva, it was the ultimate revelation about the Self.
He knew a perfect stillness.
When He sat alone, He was in deepest oneness, always. When He closed His eyes in self-repose, a most enigmatic dance presented itself to Him; a dance of Time; where the p
ast and the future got animated as players and themselves entertained Him , like performers in a carnival. It had dawned on Him that He was an eternal witness, and thus too, the realisation that the story of all life, was His story.


~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. by Shail Gulhati

SHIVA'S AGHORA DIKSHA : THE HIGHEST TRAINING

 


SHIVA'S AGHORA DIKSHA : THE HIGHEST TRAINING
Shamshan Nath was no ordinary Gana. He belonged to the Aghora sect; The most elite, but also the most terrifying guard of Shiva. It comprised of some Ganas from Himachala,Tibet and Mahachina, and others from the unknown reaches of the mountains called Shambala.
“Arise Shamshan Nath” , Shiva had said ever so gently."It is you, who shall prepare for my arrival into the current life cycle". When Shiva clasped his shoulders to shake his disbelief, Shamshan Nath felt as though a thousand bolts of lightning from a sky of knowledge and power had entered him. It indeed had. It was called pervesa, the pervasion of gnosis.

Monday, 12 October 2026

THE BALANCER

 


THE BALANCER
Shiva's Yoga is of a magnum level: To maintain cosmic balance, the Great ascetic sits as the silent origin of all existence, where every breath acts as a bridge between opposing worlds. Through one nostril, He inhales the shadows of the void- the dark demons of ignorance . Simultaneously, from the other, he breathes forth celestial radiance, with golden deities and the light of pure consciousness.
Shiva remains the unmoved center, proving that both the demon and the divine are but fleeting ripples in his eternal meditation.

MAHADEVA

 


MAHADEVA
It is said, that once all the Gods and demons, realised that there was ambrosia in the Ocean. But they had to churn the Ocean for this ambrosia. Casting their differences aside, they made teams, and using a mountain for the churner, and Vasuki, the largest snake available, as a rope, they churned the Ocean. All was well, till they realised, that as a result of production of ambrosia, venom would also be produced, in sizeable quantity, by the vomiting of Vasuki, after such an ardous task. This too, had to be disposed by consuming, in accordance with the laws of Nature. No one dared to consume their little portions of the venom. Everyone was interested only in the ambrosia. You stepped forwards and consumed the whole of the venom, because it was of prime importance to you, that all must get ambrosia, even if it meant your death. Thereafter they realised, that you were ‘Mahadeva’ Lord amongst lords.”

Sunday, 11 October 2026

SHIVA THE CREATOR

 


SHIVA THE CREATOR

After every Mahapralaya, Shiva freezes time in Himself.
This period can be longer than the whole age of the past Universe.
Then, His Shakti urges Him to create all over again.
This is the 'Pratham spanda' first vibration of the present creation. Shiva goes deep into the cave of His own mind ,
and thaws back to life the aspects of life itself.
Aum Namah Shivaye .

WHEN IT IS SHIVA YOU LOOK FOR, TALK FROM YOUR HEART.

 


WHEN IT IS SHIVA YOU LOOK FOR, TALK FROM YOUR HEART.
Lord Shiva looks straight to the heart.
What somebody looks like, what clothes and colours a person wears, this does not mean much to Him.
How one talks, cannot hold Shiva for very long;
He does not go for tone , nor even for content :
it hardly matters if you are loud or soft; words can always be crafted into pleasing, but still be an act of deceit...
or then, your prayer can be unelaborate, but heartfelt; your speech can be raw, but truthful!
And Shiva can see through all this.
So then, if He does not see colours and tones and other such ‘make-up’ , what is it that ‘holds’ Shiva?
He ‘sees’ the basic Svabhav ( propensity) of a person.
Not so much about your content, but rather it is Intent that matters to Him. He is straight Himself, verily He is Bhole Nath- the innocent, and thus too He loves innocence above all skill , all knowledge, all craft: therefore, the simplest rule is : शिव के साथ , सीधी बात !
Those that are loving and kind, Shiva, in turn loves,
but the unkind too, He helps to find their Divinity, one way or the other. Ultimately, all is His. Ultimately we are all returned to Him..
Aum Namah Shivaye

Saturday, 10 October 2026

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!

“Swamiji Shri Shri Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj gives you a guarantee that you will never reach God through buying or selling tickets. Never.”

 


“Swamiji has come here to serve the people, not to charge money. Swamiji cannot charge money.”
“There is no charge for people to come to Swamiji or to be in his presence or to speak to him. One cannot reach God through money. That is business. It is not yoga. There is no need to pay money to reach God. The guru can get his food anyway. There is no need to charge money for that.”
“Swamiji gives you a guarantee that you will never reach God through buying or selling tickets. Never.”
“We have these two people here who are editors of a magazine. What would Swamiji do if he had the intention to contact these people to start a business? He would ask them to do his advertisement, to do his publicity for him. In turn, out of what Swamiji gets from the people, he would pay them some amount. So the three of them would be partners. So Swamiji gains publicity. A lot of people come to him. A lot of money comes to him that gets distributed between the three. That is the way it is done.”
“Even the feeding that we do in the ashram creates a lot of trouble for other spiritual leaders because they sell their food. All the ashrams in Bangalore sell their food. Nobody gives it away free. Because we give it free, they are unhappy with us.”
“First we have to hit these spiritual leaders who are collecting money for their programs, then we will start the rest of the activities. Until we hit these people, it will be difficult.”
“You will not get God buying tickets. You should never sell spirituality. In the United States, he will have to control that. Once he starts bhava samadhi here, they will they will beat them all up. If we have a lot of bhava samadhi, everybody will come under control. All the spiritual leaders are actually afraid of bhava samadhi.”
“We are to teach people peace, to reduce the tension in their lives. These spiritual leaders are increasing the tension rather than reducing it.”
- Shri Shri Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj

Friday, 9 October 2026

ARRANGING SHIVA'S MARRIAGE TO PARVATI

 


ARRANGING SHIVA'S MARRIAGE TO PARVATI
“To what do I owe this great fortune?” said Himavat in his characteristic humility. “That the Lord of creation, Brahma ji Himself, has put His sacred feet in my home, and that too accompanied by Indra deva, Varuna deva, Agni deva and so many more.”
“To all your past actions, your karma, noble King,” said Brahma, and then added somewhat mysteriously, “And undoubtedly to the actions you are now destined to perform.”
“The actions I am now to perform, my Lord?”
“Do you know what is the greatest honour for me as the creator, Himavat?”
“Everything you have done is honourable, Lord,” said Himavat with folded hands.
“Hmm…” said Brahma, visibly pleased. “It is to be father to God Himself: Shiva, when He incarnated as Rudra, and accepted me as His father, that was the greatest honour!”
“Yes, my Lord, how can one ever forget your immense fortune, this great occasion that visited upon you.”
“And that occasion, Himavat, my dear man, is about to visit you too!”
“Me? My Lord, I don’t quite understand…” Himavat stuttered.

THE GREAT JOURNEY

 

(pic taken about 20 years back with pilgrims of Vaishno Devi at Katra Base)

THE GREAT JOURNEY
Think of Life as a journey on a ship called planet Earth. Your Cabin is where you live,use it to the most to enjoy your own solitude.
And then also,move out of your cabin once in a while to meet others in the open air deck, these are fascinating
Co - wayfarers, who, like you, have embarked on the same journey, from different ports. Where we started doesnt really matter,colours do not make a difference: we all head for the same destination!

Thursday, 8 October 2026

LOVE IS GOD

 



He had been the greatest Lover in the world.
Love was the essence of what they were; love was existence.
Love, it was, that was in the beginning, love, that sustained the present, and love it would be, in the end.


Shiva hummed something to Himself, as they met in the forest the very next morning.
“What? Are you singing to yourself?” teased Sati.
“No, I am not!”
“You are, too!” laughed Sati.“Else, tell me.”
“Everything was decidedly different this morn,” said Shiva.
“The sun shone bright, much brighter than yesterday.
The stars, see my love… were still up, they refused to go away!
sparrows whispered to each other excitedly,
the bees were already stumbling in drunken ecstasy,
and, did anyone note the trees as they swayed?
Some strange delight in the air.
All this, for you, my Love…”

“Ah! A poet!”said Sati.

“My gifts are not silver or gold for thee,
 my words are my gifts, my poems, me,” continued Shiva with a soft smile.
“That, is lovely,” said Sati as She slid into the familiar embrace.
“Sometimes I feel we have always been like this,” She said.“It feels so right!”
Shiva looked down at Her head and softly kissed it from atop. “Yes, this is how it has always been,” He said.

One day, She implored, “ Say something really nice.”
It was then that Shiva said the most enigmatic thing. “Love, there is no such thing as the end of life, but, without you, there is no life.”
“That is lovely,” said Sati and hugged Him. And then, a few moments later asked,“What exactly does it mean, though?”
“It means…” said Shiva turning completely towards Her, and locking His eyes in Hers. “That there is a part of us which is eternal, but that part is of no use, if there is not another to share the eternity with.”
Sati hugged Him, in a ‘never to let go’ embrace.


~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. by Shail Gulhati

Shiva does not treat any part of the day as a waiting room . He is always present in the moment!

 


Shiva does not treat any part of the day as a waiting room .
He is always present in the moment!
And this is the way to enjoy life, from a cup of tea,
to a mind bending conversation, or simply hanging out with those you love.

Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Shiva is not a ' Why me ?' person.

 


Shiva is not a ' Why me ?' person. He does what He has to, precisely because He knows, He is the one who can. Shiva nature is not unnecessary bravado- it is doing what you know you can, to save time and move on ahead.

- Shail Gulhati'

ITS MAGNIFICENT FLAVOUR!

 


ITS MAGNIFICENT FLAVOUR!
Reading about Universality, the interconnectedness of things,
is a good beginning, but when you suddenly feel this is a text about you yourself; that is when the beauty of spiritual journey will fill you with its magnificent flavour.This is described by the ancient Kashmiri Rishis as the shift from baudh gyan to paurasa gyan .

SUDDENLY SATI KNEW THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF HER LIFE

 


SUDDENLY SATI KNEW THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF HER LIFE
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. When Sati opened Her eyes, a golden sun was at Her window. She was in the palace.
She remembered everything that Rishi Vashishta had taught Her.
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.

Tuesday, 6 October 2026

RAJA HIMAVAT WELCOMES SHIVA

 


RAJA HIMAVAT WELCOMES SHIVA
“My Lord, there is a strange and reclusive yogi, riding a hefty bull, who wants an audience with you,” said the royal guard.
“A yogi? On a hefty bull? It must be Shiva! Ah, have Him brought here with respect,” said Himavat.
“Greetings, your Highness,” said Shiva in a soft voice.
“Greetings, O Yogi of yogis, Shiva! I am blessed to have you in my Kingdom. Any service for me?”