Kundalini, the Chakras, and Raja Yoga of Lord Shiva.

 

Kundalini is the Universal energy force present in each of us in its microcosmic aspect, symbolised in the form of a sleeping serpent.Yogis teach that since this force is latent, it needs to be raised from its lowest residence, passing through various stations, called Chakras, to the highest peak, where lord Shiva Himself resides. When she does reach the summit and merge into her lord, the person is supposed to become 'enlightened', having really found himself ( That's why you may have noticed the portayal  of a serpent head over the head of many of our saints )

The whole inner journey of arousing the energy and raising it to its highest potential, is supposed to be the summary purpose of human evolution to a higher being, carefully systemized under Raja Yoga marg by Lord Shiva. And this divine power, itself permeates both the inner and the outer world. And speaking of  the outer, or macrocosmic dimension of the force, while Tibet ,Egypt, and many other civilizations learnt of the force,even the gnostics of western tradition knew of it, but  the ancient Indian science of spirituality ,is now becoming truly becoming international. Or should we say kundalini has risen above geographical boundaries ,in her macrocosmic arousal! And we find a whole lot of literature, research and teaching going on, the world over.
In India, of course our peers have always known of the chakkers! but extensive work has been done on this esoteric science right  in Jammu and kashmir, from Lal ded, Abhinava Gupta,down to Swami Lakshman jee and Pandit Gopi krishna in our own age, all of who have been doyens in teaching of this sacred science. The very basics of the science state that a human has seven major levels of existence, each corresponding to a station within his own body, like a vortice or dominative energy field of that particular realm of existence.
So , we have :

1) Muladhar, The base Chakra below the spinal cord, where Kundalini sleeps, happy with her shelter, and if this Chakra is not transcended,one would lead an existence of food/shelter needs.
This can go on for years, as in the human evolution itself,and we know that our forefather, the first man, lived as a cave dweller for years before he wandered out to explore.
Even today, though the human race as a whole has evolved past just looking for shelter,
the first Chakra dwellers would be  those individuals who never rise above material realms.So it can be a moneyed man or even a nation that does not think beyond materialism.

2) Svadhisthan,the second Chakra at the root of the progenitive organ, which,appropriately, stands for the procreative need of the individual or race.

3) Manipura, the third Chakra,at the navel, symbolising the 'power' need, a sort of umblical cord of the individual to his higher potential.

4) Hrdya, the fourth, at the heart,denoting the emotive need. Behaviours may be better understood at this level.

5) Visudhha, the fifth at the throat, denoting eloquence .An appreciation of arts and crafts leads to 'culture'.

6) Ajna, the sixth, at the forehead, also the third eye, or Gyan chakshu,denoting intuition, again, appropriately, the sixth sense.

7) Sahasrara, the seventh, over the roof of the head,meaning literally,the thousand petalled, or, symbolically, where the individual becomes, anant- endless,or the Universal itself.

Interestingly, in the outer macrocosm, this is true of sacred geography,and so you may understand even Yatras, to be gradual ascents,
for example, at Vaishno deviji Yatra, say from Kol kondoli ,to Charan paduka, Ardh kawari, Haathi matha and finally Mata darbar at Vaishno devi; or at our Amarnath yatra , beginning from Pahal gam, Chandanwari, Sheshnag,Panchtarni, the Mahagunas, and finally the linga at the top, called Amarnath!
Of course, this is true for even the geographical abode of Shiva ,Kailash! where one traverses through various stations,before the  culmination of Kailash darsana itself.
You may even realise that the older day maharajas had gardens,palaces, even cities designed in the chakra weave, Jaipur , with its pols(gates) may be a fine example of sacred geometry. Such was the importance given and pointers erected in honour of Kundalini.
 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.

The Truth Seeker ( A story of determined Bhakti )

 

There was once a time, when people were not as busy with their worldly life as they are now. One did not have to bother too much about which car to buy, there were only horses and bullock carts. There was no such thing as a posh locality, everyone lived in the same village, or the next. Food and festivity also meant more or less the same thing to most people.
Now, because people then did not have to worry too much about these things, they did however, strongly believe in knowing God for themselves, first hand.
And though some intellectuals always scornfully remind us that we have grown out of 'The bullock cart age', yet everything God has made ,  has its virtues, and the story I am about to tell, is exactly from that time, when knowing God first hand was considered a good aim in life.

In that time, in a mountainous region, there lived a master, who was fabled to be very knowledgeable about God and godly matters. The master was in charge of a simple monastery, where he would teach and impart wisdom to only a few select students.
People said that in his youth, he had visited a very Divine cave. In that cave, there was said to be a "Great red jewel" Laal Ratan , at which he had gazed and gained direct access to almighty God.

Now, the master kept with him a map to the secret cave, and every year, he would disclose the map only to the best spiritual student in the monastery, so that he too could see the great red jewel. It was the greatest privilege to be selected for the mission. Year after year, the top student would be given the map in front of the whole congregation, and asked to undertake the great spiritual expedition for themselves.

When they would return after a few days,the master would ask in a set manner, about the journey,
" Did you use the map i gave you?"
" Yes master"
" Were the directions accurate?"
" Yes master"
" Did you see the red jewel?"
" Yes, thank you great master," would be the reply.
The master would then accord a great seat of honour to the student, saying,
" Be seated, and guard your secret well!"
and there, seated with the others in the hall of fame before them, the successful students would guard the secret and hold their heads high.

Year after year, people came to him from far and wide, and the process continued.
One day a young man walked into the monastery hall, and on the first glance itself, the master knew that he was a very sincere seeker of God. From that first day, the master would delight in the young man's company, calling him always " My little truth seeker" . But many of the others did not like this, and were jealous. Whenever they could get a chance, they would try to turn the master against the boy, but masters, of course, do not turn, that is why they are masters!

Within a few years only, the master declared that the young man was to be given the secret map. This disappointed many students who could not understand why they had not been chosen, but the master had conveyed his decision, and so the truth seeker went his way.

Days passed, then weeks, and even a month, but the boy did not return. The detractors started passing unpleasant comments about the mission ,but the master said simply " He will return".
And one day, when the full hall was in attendance, true to the master’s confidence, the truth seeker walked in.

His clothes were torn, he had lost weight, grown a beard, he even walked with a limp, altogether, he had a beggarly appearance, but there was a certain light in his eyes- a light of certainty.
"Did you use the map i gave you?" the master asked his usual question
"Yes ,master" came the reply
"Were the directions accurate?'"
"Yes master,but.." the boy hesitated
"But what?" asked the master, as the congregation got restless
"But, the map took me only to a grove, and there it ended, and i was lost" came the reply
"And then? " The master beckoned, "Then what happened?"
"Then i continued, and used so many of your teachings with my own understanding, and i found the cave"
"And did you finally see the red jewel?"
"Yes, i saw the jewel, master, but..."
"But what? "
" But was Blue" said the boy

" He is an unworthy pupil" cried the congregation, feeling sure that now he would be reprimanded,and they looked to the master as refree.
But the master was up from his chair, he danced and beamed as he held the boy, and looking at the pupils, declared authoritatively , " He speaks the truth".
"All these years you guarded your secret, which is that you were never able to reach the cave" The master continued, "But this boy went beyond the map, and he did go to the cave for himself, and yes it is true that the jewel was always blue. The search for God is not about secrets and maps, but about sincerity and courage. It is not about someone else’s truth, which he will hand down to you, but about our own truth which we all must find for ourselves, And which is thereafter realised as the ONE truth for all ”

The search for God, therefore, is also not about this story and a red or a blue jewel, this is just a little parable I made up for you from my own journeybook.
Your search for God is about you embarking on your own journey, of course with help from the masters that have already been. It is your good fortune if you can take their guidance and reach quite near the divine heights, but there comes a time when even the Buddha tells you, to discard all that comes in your way of the truth, and the Buddha went as far as to compare any support to a raft used to cross a river. He advised that the crossing was more important than the raft and that the raft could be discarded on the other side. People often say that death is a last journey, a journey that one has to undertake alone. But dear friends, i like to remind that finding God is also a tremendous journey that one has to undertake alone, that too, when alive! And this can only be done with an unmatched passion, to the exclusion of all other things. So don’t wait for a secret map, don’t worry about the colours of God’s jewel, just begin your own adventure, and be, as the Buddha said,” a lamp unto yourself”.



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.

PRALAYA - THE END OF TIME

 

AFTER SATI

The extreme sorrow gave way to extreme rage, and Narada noticed that Shiva was going into a different mood.
He had darkened. His face resembled the darkest cloud in the sky, His eyes became bloodshot, His hair rising in extreme excitement, like the mixed thrill of a warrior, when He is about to embark into an immediate and deadly battle.
He started stomping His feet on the ground, causing the earth below Him to quake, and the mountains in even the farthest horizons began to shake. “Daksha, you will not be spared! Sati, I am coming! Sateee!!”

The ganas repeated the call, “Daksha, you will not be spared! Ma, we are coming!!”
Shiva started a war dance, tugging violently at His own hair and whirling in the air, with His torso doing the most unusual twists, like a man in severe pain. His right hand pulled out His Trishula from the ground where it had been restfully parked for years, as if to jerk it out of its dormancy. “BABHAM!!” He yelled a war cry and lunged forwards. He moved like a one-man army getting ready to wreak havoc on all those who came in its way, and Narada was reminded of a cloud of locusts on rampage.

The world shivered. Devas shivered, Brahma shivered, Vishnu shivered.
Shivering in Shiva’s wrath had become the new extension of the presence of Shiva.
This was something they had never seen before, but a vague and very uncomfortable feeling told them that the end of the Universe was near.
“Pralaya,” spoke Indra. “Pralaya,” chorused the Devas. They feared their own death which seemed inevitable.
“O Mahadeva, save us from Pralaya, save us from your own wrath!”


~  From the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. by Shail Gulhati

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.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

SHIVA'S THIRD EYE CREATES THIS UNIVERSE

 

THE THIRD EYE

Question : Ma, why does Shivji have three eyes?


Answer : Shivji has two eyes just like us with which he sees the sky, the mountains, trees, birds , dogs, cats, and people, the same way we do.He also sees things like buildings, cars, chairs, tables , books and toys with these two eyes.We can see so many things with our two eyes!
But tell me can you see yourself with your two eyes? No you cannot, unless you are in front of a mirror. So, Shivji keeps a third eye in his forehead, with which He can see Himself.
How wonderful to be able to see yourself, isn’t it?
Now, the good thing is that even we all have this third eye, in the middle of our forehead. But we cannot see it, so we do not know how to open it. And Shivji teaches us how to open this wonderful third eye by teaching us to do Dhyana, which is to close the two eyes and start to silently feel the third eye in our Self.
Would you like to open your third eye one day, just like Shivji ?
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.

WHAT WORK DO YOU DO ?

 

WHAT WORK DO YOU DO ?

“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.

“For most people, a livelihood and a way of life are two different things. For me, it is all one,” He said.

“And you and I are one,” She said, drawing close to Him.

“Yes,” He smiled.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

Maha Mritunjaya Mantra

 

The ancient Rishi sang a prayer for Enlightenment.
The modern man has made even that prayer a chant for longevity.
In the age of "Re-mixes" we need to know some songs are better in their Original forms! The next time you chant the Maha Mritunjaya Mantra, know that it is in essence, a petition to Shiva for enlightenment.

Aum Tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam
urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे
सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ।
उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्
मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥ Hail the three eyed One! O fragrant (pleasant),
healthy (pleasing to look at) Lord,
sever us from false worldly realm, gently like a cucumber,
whose umbilical cord gets severed without any painful process,
just lying on the ground;
But O lord, do not divest us from your Amrita, your nectar of Advait Gyan, (gnosis) which ( by giving us the third eye vision of Oneness with you ) liberates from death itself.
Thus we see that although the Mantra is being used for prolonging life, it is essentially a prayer for enlightenment: A prayer to Shiva, who has the third eye of Viveka,the Gyan chakshu that can destroy all false perception, to raise our level of Consciousness.
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.