When is it possible to actually get God to accept your gifts?

 

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYE.

Dear friends and Shiva bhakts,
this is an amazing pic from the net. A bhaktin does Abhishek of a Shivalinga somewhere near the banks of a holy river town- probably Haridwar or Rishikesh, and we note that Lord Shiva virtually pops up to give blessings. Her efforts have born fruit. But we also see something startling: Shiva is drenched with the potions of the Abhishek!

Is this possible? Can an offering on a stone image thousands of miles away actually reach a chosen personage? Practically speaking, this is an impossibility, a type of wishful thinking.

But we in India, have long had the tradition of sharing even our food with our God first in a similar manner, and we call this 'Bhog lagana'- 'To make God partake in our feast, knowing that all comes from Him anyway', and because according to the ancient rishis, anything was possible for God,we would do well to understand that this painted scene means to convey a higher message:

When you do something with your body and mind and also pour your soul into it, when Namah Shivaye becomes Mano Shivaye, Tano Shivaye, Dhano Shivaye, metaphorically speaking, ' Shiva is drenched with your love' . He can no longer resist giving you His Darsana.When you offer Him everything you have, your body ( karma)  your mind ( gyana) , and your very soul ( raja yoga) , knowing that all these come from Him, then your worship with the combination of all these  blossoms into a great Bhakti bhava, and Shiva ,who is Aashotosh, ( easily  pleased ), will come to your very doorstep. His Idol in your heart and mandir both, will begin to shine with a divine luminescence for ever after.

Aum Namah Shivaye!

Shail Gulhati author of SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.series.

SHIVA & PARVATI

 

“Here you go, my Lord,” said Parvati demurely as She poured water onto Shiva’s hands.

She looked at Shiva, only to see a full gaze from Him in return, which caused Her to quickly look away shyly. The water started dripping out from Shiva’s hands onto the floor of the cave.

“Oh, my Lord! You have dropped the water!” said Parvati, with half a giggle.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. Part 2

THE QUEEN JEWEL- रानी गहना

 

 He was a Time traveller; He had been to many lands in many times and had known many different people. But, no matter where it was that He sat, at the thought of Heaven, images of snow-clad mountains and a certain indescribable joy of togetherness would inevitably come rushing to His mind. Another image almost always linked itself to the landscape:

A gypsy tribe of fierce men and gorgeous women dancing around a bonfire of pure warmth, in a happiness that was incomparable in the entire Universe.The quest for that unlimited happiness led intergalactic travellers to search for this tribe like the Holy Grail.

If discoverers of the cosmos and Time travellers could find the tribe, surely the mountain Chieftain and His Queen would be spotted in the midst of it all.
Parvati.

The very thought of Her made Shiva smile. She was the Queen Jewel seated in His heart as centerpiece, around whom, all the rest rallied in adornment.

~ From the book Shiva, the ultimate time traveller

रानी गहना
 वह एक समय यात्री थे; वह कई बार कई स्थानों  में गए थे और कई अलग-अलग लोगों को जानते थे। लेकिन, कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता कि वह कहाँ थे, स्वर्ग के विचारों में, बर्फ से ढके पहाड़ों की छवियां और एकजुटता का एक निश्चित अवर्णनीय आनंद अनिवार्य रूप से उनके दिमाग में आ जाता । एक और छवि लगभग हमेशा खुद को परिदृश्य से जोड़ती है: शक्तिशाली  पुरुषों और भव्य महिलाओं की एक बंजारी मर्यादा सी एकता ओर नृत्य , एक खुशी में जो पूरे ब्रह्मांड में अतुलनीय थी। उस असीमित खुशी की खोज ने अंतरिक्ष यात्रियों को पवित्र कंघी बनानेवाले की रेती की तरह इस जनजाति की खोज करने के लिए प्रेरित किया। यदि ब्रह्मांड के खोजकर्ता और समय यात्रियों को जनजाति मिल सकती है, तो निश्चित रूप से पर्वत सरदार और उनकी रानी को इस सब के बीच में देखा जाएगा। माता पार्वती। उनके विचार से ही शिव मुस्कुरा उठे। वह उनके हृदय में केंद्रबिंदु के रूप में विराजमान रानी गहना थीं, जिनके चारों ओर, बाकी सभी अलंकरण में जुटे हुए थे।

Hindi translation by Yash NR

LOVE AND LEARNING

 

LOVE AND LEARNING

“So, what work do you actually do?” Sati asked coyly like any newly married wife.

“I meditate,” Shiva answered.

“No, I meant what work do you do as in work?”

“I meditate,” He answered again with a strange smile.

“I don’t understand,” She said.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

A greater happiness, a beautiful waking.

 

 

They started meeting everyday. Each meeting was a greater happiness, a beautiful waking, which was surrealy dreamy. But Sati had stopped wondering if the dream had indeed come true.
She liked this dreamality. And so, another year passed in love and 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.

( From the new book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. )

वे रोज मिलने लगे। हर मुलाकात एक बड़ी खुशी थी, एक सुंदर जागरण, जो वास्तव में स्वप्निल था। लेकिन माता सती ने यह सोचना बंद कर दिया था कि क्या वाकई सपना सच हो गया था। उन्हें यह सपना पसंद आया। और इस तरह, एक और साल प्यार और खुशी में बीत गया। वह अक्सर उनसे आध्यात्मिकता के बारे में बातें पूछती थीं, और बड़े ध्यान से उनके उत्तर सुनती थीं। “बताओ शिव, सारा संसार क्या खेल रहा है? ईश्वर क्या है, चेतना क्या है और उसकी लीला क्या है?” "शुरुआत में केवल एक ही था। और उन्होंने सोचा कि क्या मैं दो हो सकता हूं, क्या मैं कई हो सकता हूं। प्यार करो और प्यार पाओ। और इसलिए ब्रह्मांड अस्तित्व में आया।
Hindi translation by Yash NR 

NANDI'S GAME

 

NANDI'S GAME

“Lord, take off your wedding ring and hand it to me,” said Nandi.

“What are you saying, Nandi! I will never take off my wedding band!” said Shiva, a little annoyed.

“Oh, come on Shiva, be a sport,” said Parvati. “I’m sure Nandi has something nice on his mind; like he said, it’s just a game.”

“Oh okay, alright,” Shiva smiled. He took off His wedding band and handed it to Nandi.

“lets play an ancient game, my Lord. One, that I have no doubt you will enjoy playing. It is called, simply, ‘Find Me’.”

This ring will show which one of you found the other through love,” said Nandi, putting the ring into the milk plate. and then added loudly, “Aum Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye! Aum Triyambakam yajamahe!

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

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.