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

WHEN HE WALKS BACK

 

WHEN HE WALKS BACK

When He walks back into the scene

What will life look like?

When He walks back into our life

What will the scene look like?

We are among those who understood long ago

Even eternity is without meaning

If not with the eternal one

Bhom Shivo bhom Shivo bhom.

~ Shail Gulhati

MAHAKAAL MAHADEVA, SHIVA!

 

Why is Shiva called Mahakaal?
Because, He is timeless.
Time did not exist when He did.
He is the creator of time itself, along with space.
Time and space and causation are the trinity,
that bring forth our known universe.
And Shaivites believe He creates this universe,
lovingly with His Shakti.
But look at the wonderful nature of Shiva;
Even though He is the creator,
He also meditates along with all the sadhus and rishis and shiv ganas for the welfare of this Universe.
This is because He Cares for His bhaktas.
As the prayer goes:Karpur Gauram Karunavataram |
Sansara Saram Bhujagendra Haaram ||
Sada Vasantam Hridayaravinde |
Bhavam Bhavani Sahitam Namami ||
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारम् |
संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ||
सदा वसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे |
भवं भवानि सहितं नमामि ||
Shiva is Mahakaal, the Ultimate Time Traveller. As The Timeless One vouchsafed to us by the ancient tellings of the rishis, down to our grandmothers’ tales, He is sansara saram, the very seed of the world itself, from the beginning of time: He is the Pauranic Shiva: The Shiva from Kailash. Shiva, the mountain Chieftain who lives happily with His beautiful Queen, Parvati, and the merry mountain men called ganas.
But He is also Sadavasantam, the ever green! The Adhunik Shiva; the Omnipresent, who is always here, Always seated in our own hearts, in the present, and thus the most modern at any time.
Aum Shiv Bhakti Namah!
~ Shail Gulhati
Is the author of the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller

VAHAN

 

VAHAN

It was dusk, darkening into a starry night, when Shiva awoke. He looked out of His window to see Nandi, His bull seated on the porch.

Again the thought, “What time was it?” He was sure He had seen a morning when He was awake last. And also, the year seemed to have been way in the future then, gauging by the vahans.

The vahans were an interesting thing. They were the transporters of Gods. Something more personalized than just a chariot, they were a sort of companion to the God they served. Asides from their ability to transport, they were a good parameter to gauge the time of the day—starting from animals, they morphed themselves into other beasts, humans, denizens and sometimes even metal or other elements. The more sophisticated ones could evaporate into ether form and travel into the future. So, one could gauge the era by observing the kind of technology that the vahan had.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

WHEN PARAM BHAKTA RAVANA ROCKED KAILASH!

 

One evening Sati and Shiva were playing their favourite game of dice. Sati was already losing the game, when their cave started shaking.
“You are shaking the bed to cheat, Shiva,” She said.
“No, of course not. Look, my hands are on my thandai" He said, raising His arms into the air,
and drinking the bhang from his goblet.
“But the bed is rocking,” She said. “Is it an earthquake?”
“Let me see,” He said, scrambling to the window.
Suddenly, He broke out into a laughter.
“What’s so funny?” She asked.
“It’s no earthquake, it’s only Ravana rocking Kailash to please me.”
“Ravana? How many times have I told you, I just don’t like that man! He’s too overbearing, too ambitious…too intrusive. Just what does he mean by rocking our home? And look at you! How can you laugh when He dares to be so impertinent?”
“It’s ok, Sati. I will ask him to stop. He’s a great and overzealous bhakt whose passion knows no boundaries when he is invoking me.”
“He is a perfect demon, I tell you. Just ask him to stop, will you?”
“He is not a demon, Sati. He’s just like a child.”
“A child? Shiva, this is what I don’t like. You lose discretion when it comes to your bhakts. He is no child. Someone who is vain enough to rock your Abode, will actually rock the kingdom of Gods.He will shake the foundations of tradition, mark my words! You, wait and watch!” Sati said.
“Ravana! Ravana! Stop this nonsense will you? Do you have any idea what time it is? And what are you trying to do anyway, you silly man?”said Shiva angrily from his window.
The rocking came to an abrupt end. An incomprehensible whimper came from below the window. It was a mumble of an apology. They both heard Ravana scamper away.

~ From the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.
A modern rendition of Great God Shiva's story   by Shail Gulhati

OM AND VYOM

 

OM AND VYOM

At first, there had been a fluid cosmic ocean, for what seemed like eternity. It was calm and self-contained, and so self-satisfied that there just couldn’t be a sense of time, or anything else for that matter.

Whichever way the ocean turned to look, it could only see itself, and which, was a truly expansive state of being. Somehow there was a word that hung above the ocean, like a sky. OM…OM…OM…

For many thousands of earth years, He remained in the bliss of the ocean, listening to the word. By and by, He became aware that He was the cosmic ocean itself. And also, that in its echo, the drone was sounding VYOM.

Vyom? It wasn’t a thing.

In fact, that’s what it was: NO thing.

And yet He was there in Vyom, and it felt good.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

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