THE SUPREME REALITY OF SHIVA

 

Inside Shiva's cave, the animals never  disturbed Him as He meditated. Sometimes, He opened His eyes after hours of inward concentration, to see a deer looking at Him curiously! A snake or two cuddled peacefully in a cozy corner was not uncommon either. It was unbelievable, that sometimes, bumble bees hovered around His Kamandalu, desperately looking for the source of a sweet and enigmatic aroma that would emanate almost every time He went into meditation.
Even thesnakes knew that He was the One who existed even before the world began.
He was 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 was loved by millions.
~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. A modern story telling of Great God Shiva.

THE END OF QUESTIONING

 

THE END OF QUESTIONING

“A lovely story about the time of Shiva's wedding with Parvati, goes somewhat like this,” said Suta.

“Yes! Yes, Gurudeva, please tell!”

“At the point of the solemnising of the marriage by a holy Havan, the pundit asked Shiva, "Who is your father?" Shiva looked at Brahma and said, "He."

"And who is Brahma's father?" asked the pundit. Shiva looked at Vishnu and said, "He is."

But the pundit persisted. "And who, may I ask, is Vishnu's father?"

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

THE REINCARNATION LOUNGE

 

THE REINCARNATION LOUNGE

In one vision, Shiva saw Himself in the future , sipping His coffee, and smiling - Airport lounges were, in a way, the modern analogy of reincarnation. We come and go, only to receive and see off others.

Ultimately all of life seemed to be a preparation for a much greater flight, and somewhere between the shopping, disappearing, re-appearing, somewhere between missing heartbeats for a loved one, and embarking the great flight onward to an eternal sky, we had a lounge, called Heaven.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

MEETING SHIVA

 

MEETING SHIVA

You may have heard of 'Neti neti' , The spiritual training of rejecting every material thing as ' not this, not that' . This is a way taught by saints to ignore the world of Maya, so that we may carry on a spiritual journey till we have Self realisation, or meet God.

But once you have that meeting, something really beautiful happens :

Suddenly everything changes to 'Tat ashu, Tat asthu ' with Shiva's benificent smile, ' So be it so be it,'

Let all be true, let all be happy.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA COMES RUNNING FOR HIS BHAKTAS

 

Lord Shiva loves His Bhaktas and His relationships with them. He is always eager to know, how his favourite people have surfaced to their present form in this ocean of manifestation, how are they doing in life. He always wants a recap from the other’s story.
This is because it is Lord Shiva's lila;  In each lifetime, in each story, He enjoyed sitting with His friends, sharing quality time in long conversations. They would exchange anecdotes and talk of the experiences gathered in each other’s absence. It was like filling in the blanks, putting in the pieces that fitted into a mystic Jigsaw. Unfailingly, each time, there would ultimately be that one glorious moment when, while sitting and exchanging their own private worlds and sojourns, the final piece would fit, completing the big picture.
And a silent but supremely powerful Oneness would dawn.
It was called Samadhi.
Samadhi means, to be one with the Adi- the first ( Shiva)
Don't you think it is time for you to have your samadhi?
Call out to Shiva in your own life, call from your heart and the Lord will come running.
Aum Namah Shivaye.
Shail Gulhati is the 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.

YASHODA AND SHIVA

 

YASHODA AND SHIVA

“I am but a simple mendicant, come from far, very far indeed, to have a darsana of your child…” implored Shiva.

But Yashoda backed off even more, further alarmed at the yogi’s words. “Take what you want!” she exhorted. “Here… pearls, gold, jewelry… but see my baby, you cannot!”

“Of what use are these to a mendicant?” replied Shiva wistfully. “These are of no use at all in the forests. Please let me have one glimpse of Krishna.”

“Not at all! Go away, please, I say!” Yashoda’s voice had assumed a slightly aggressive tone.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

RUDRA- BRAHMA'S MIND BORN SON

 

Suswagatam prithviloka mam putra! Welcome to earth, my son!”

Shiva remembered that  Brahma had spoken those words, at the time of His appearance as a little baby on earth.
He had a tremendous ability to remember most things from the past

His mind raced back to the time when Brahma first lovingly called Him, “Rudra, my son.”
No one knew of Shiva's origin, but out of all the Origin stories, Shiva Himself  felt  more comforted in the ones that listed Brahma as His father.
In one story , Brahma gave Shiva His first name.
That was His prerogative as Father: to name the son.
Brahma had stood up on one leg and prayed to Shiva for a thousand years. When Shiva appeared and asked him to choose a boon, Brahma asked that Shiva should become his son. And the moment He asked Shiva for a boon that He should be born as Brahma’s son; He had named the Son!

Once Shiva had been the formless, nameless, unseen one, but Brahma saw to it that all that changed.
And when it happened, this birth was indeed the miracle of a cosmic timeline.
Now, holding a rueful baby in His paternal clasp, listening to His cries and wails, trying His best to calm Him down, Brahma let out a proud laughter, saying aloud “Rudra.”

“You are Rudra, the wailer, my tiny son. Welcome to the world of manifest beings.”

One of the first sounds He heard, was of admiration.There were thousands who had come to receive Shiva as a little baby.  “Oh! What a nice body He has!” Someone was saying to Brahma. From the corner of His eye, He saw Brahma beam with pride. “ Mam putra! Mam putra! He is my son! MY son!”

The receivers could well have been revellers. They were shouting and kissing Him, cuddling Him, tossing Him amongst themselves, from one to another. The patting and shouting and excitement increased, only to be supplemented by some smothering kisses on His cheeks by ladies who in turn said, “I am His Aunty.”

This was His first ritual. And it was frenzied, this welcome ritual by earthly fathers and mothers and what they were collectively called - Kutumba. One of the mothers started draping Him in some very fine and warm robes. “Our little raja,” she said fondly.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. by Shail Gulhati