THE PORTAL TO ALL OF LIFE

 

THE PORTAL TO ALL OF LIFE

Shiva sits in his cave in the Himalayas in deep meditation for the welfare of all. Shiva is the portal to all life. He is the doorway to supreme consciousness.From the cave of his own heart he can reach out to anyone of us, in our cave of heart. This is important to note: Shiva answers our calls from His lofty peaks, whether mountain peaks or spiritual attainments, softly, in the cave of our own prayer.When we close our eyes in deep repose, yes, it is possible to 'see' his own watchful eye looking at us. That is the total internal reflection of Shiva, on his own creation. That, is meditation, Dhyana.

This beautiful painting by our member Gopal Goud, to me amplifies, how, in His own third eye, Shiva contains everytning, including his own Yogi form meditating on the world!!
AUM NAMAH SHIVAYE

~

Shail Gulhati

Author of

SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

शिव सभी के कल्याण के लिए गहरे ध्यान में हिमालय में अपनी गुफा में बैठते हैं। शिव समस्त जीवन का पोर्टल है। वह सर्वोच्च चेतना का द्वार है। अपने स्वयं के हृदय की गुफा से वह हममें से किसी के पास, हमारी हृदय की गुफा में पहुंच सकते है। यह ध्यान देना महत्वपूर्ण है: शिव अपनी बुलंद चोटियों से हमारी पुकार का उत्तर देते हैं, चाहे पर्वत चोटियों या आध्यात्मिक शांति, अपनी प्रार्थना की गुफा में, जब हम अपनी आँखें गहरी ध्यान में बंद करते हैं, हाँ, यह 'देखना' संभव है उनकी अपनी चौकस निगाह हमारी ओर देख रही थी। वह शिव का कुल आंतरिक प्रतिबिंब है, उनकी अपनी रचना पर। वह है ध्यान।

मेरे लिए, हमारे सदस्य गोपाल गौड़ द्वारा यह सुंदर पेंटिंग, कैसे शिव अपनी तीसरी आँख में, सारी सृष्टि समेटे हुए हैं ,जिसमें उनका अपना योगी रूप संसार का ध्यान करना शामिल है, इस अद्भुत चमत्कार का प्रतीक है !!
ओम् नमः शिवाय
Hindi translation by

Yash N R

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED

 

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED

They started meeting everyday. Each meeting was a greater happiness. She would often ask Him things about spirituality, and hear His answers out with rapt attention.

“Tell me Shiva, what is the whole world play about? What is God, what is consciousness and what is its play?”

“In the beginning was only The One.

And He thought may I be two, may I be many.

To love, and to be loved.

And so the universe came into being.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

PARVATI LEAVES THE PALACE

 

PARVATI LEAVES THE PALACE

“Mother, I need to go to the forest of the Shivalinga and meditate,” said Parvati. It was an announcement rather than a seeking of permission.

“Oh well my darling, you can meditate here, in the family temple,” Mena tried to deviate the stoic programme.

“No, Mother, I must go to the forest and do this in ekanta – seclusion.”

“Ah, but the forest has animals, they are dangerous!” cried Mena.

“The forest animals are a part of Shiva - they have His spirit; if He is ever to accept me, then it is a preliminary that they should also accept me as their own,” replied Parvati with authority.

~SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. Part 2

SHIVA

 

SHIVA

He is the perfection of opposites:

Supreme spiritual Guru, but warrior Chieftain,

Ascetic, but perfect husband,

Mendicant, but householder,

Master of yogic stillness, but King of dance;

Shiva is the fountainhead where paradox reconciles.

In the Hindu pantheon of Gods, He is called the destroyer,

And yet, known by the beautiful symbol of creation, the Shivlinga.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

EVERYONE WEARS A PEARL GLADLY

 

EVERYONE WEARS A PEARL GLADLY

Everyone wears a pearl gladly.

but Shiva,

He wraps the snake around his neck as call.

Everyone takes measure of their kingdoms ,

large or homely small

but Shiva,

He looks skyward

embracing all.

~ From the book 'Shiva poetry' by ShShail Gulhatin

SHIVA WORSHIPS THE SHIVALINGA

 

This depiction of Shiva worshipping the Shivalinga , is a favourite Shaivic imagery. It full of spiritual meaning.
Why does Shivji sit behind His own Shivalinga in prayer?
Because, in the simplest words: He is committed to His own creation. He, is His own first votary.

If you compare this to a modern day analogy, where during an election, the contender for  'Head of state'  also goes to caste his vote, we note that he is up early, one of the first to caste his own ballot selection! But this comparison, i give only to make you understand that a good leader believes in what he stands for, he signs up for the teachings and vision he himself gives us.

The difference is that in Divinity, there is no election, no selection,and no contest. But a seeker must respect the Divine ideal he seeks, and this can only happen if the Divine itself upholds its foundations! So too, Shivji respects what His own Shaivism stands for, He is the first adherent, the first to vouch for the Shiva way,
and we understand that He is His own first votary. He believes in His own manifesto, and stands by His principles.He leads by example and from the front.

But of course, the analogy ends here, you cannot be " Voted" God !
And although i truly loved reading them, I do not personally subscribe to some stories theorising that Shiva was a man , raised to the level of God by his feats and followers. Rather, my work is based on the understanding that Shiva was always God, but endearingly Human, lovable like a good man in our midst!
And this understanding is based on the notings of the ancient Rishis; They said a surprising thing in the Vedanta and Upanishads:
You cannot Become God, You are always that!

What did they mean by this?
Their teaching was expanded for us by the Rishis of Kashmir in their Shaiv Darshan.They explained that sometimes, God makes Himself forget that He is God, just before he descends to earth. This paves the way for play- Lila.
So once God ( Shiva) comes to earth as another jiva, he undergoes the same world and stages as everyone else, the same joys and sorrows, and finally he begins to question if there is a creator to all this. God looks for God! The Nath Sampradaya states:
Shiva seems to play the lila of losing Himself, then looking for Himself , and finally finding Himself out. According to them, God finds His own true nature when He is in deep Dhyana, Samadhi ; and it is that great realisation which the great Adi shankara termed as Chidanand roopam shivoham. It is also called Satchitananda or Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

We note also, that ultimately we are all seekers of the same truth and helped by Gurus and saints who have journeyed before us.
When He comes on the same journey, In this lovely Lila, God is also helped by His own Rishis as Gurus.
The teacher becomes the taught! This is not difficult to understand, rather, this is the real beauty of God's Lila and love. That is why you have examples of Ramji being taught by Rishi Vashisht, Krishnji being taught by Guru Sandeepan: So that they may remain centered in their Godhood.

Incidentally, the term Yoga, means " To conjoin with the Divine" and Shivji is also called Yogeshwar, the God of the Yogis, which title further simplifies the point that Shivji is always centered in His Supreme God consciousness.Always meditating for the welfare of the Universe. And we note how beautifully the Shivalinga is meant to represent the whole manifest world.

Aum Shiv Shakti Namah.
~ Shail gulhati author of the books :

SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. The Yogi and the snake Shiva Poetry
NAAM ROOP- A Tribute to the Divine
And Life Said.

TIME

 

TIME

What time was it? In His case, the answer to that could be anything possible from any history book ever written, and so it was with real gratitude that He looked at His watch, which Nandi gifted to Him on one of their travels to the future. They did that often, Shiva and Nandi: travel to the future.

It was a Longines, and Shiva liked the insignia on top - an enigmatically winged hourglass. It reminded Him of His Damaru. “The Damaru…” He had once told Nandi,”is also an hourglass, if you look at it properly. It contains all the time that has been, and all that will be, and can flip the position of both, if you know how, Nandi,”

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.