SHIVA, YOGESHWAR

 

A rare depiction of Shiva seated on a lotus instead of his meditation rock or on his eternal ride, Nandi.
Lord Shiva, Is Yogeshwar, the yogi par excellence.He is indeed one who is always conjoined or yoked to his own Godhood, and this is the knowledge he always tries to share with other seekers and bhakts. Significant in this pic, is the sahasrara chakra, (the profusion of energy shown above shiva's head).
Sahasrara means the thousand petalled (lotus) therefore denoting infinity. Yogis begin to understand life and phenomenon from chakra to chakra, starting at the base chakras called mul adhara and svadhistan, which denote food, clothing, progeny and other basic security needs, ascending to poetry, literature, and intuition at the higher chakras and finally to the peak at the top which denotes of infinity, or divine consciousness.
Shivji's true nature is the timeless infinite, and through dhyana and meditation yogis can also enter into the gateway and have a glimpse of their beloved Lord's Nature.
At the crown of the head, sahasrara, the thousand petaled lotus is shown. It signifies that consciousness is anant ananda, unending bliss. Shivji started many systems of Yoga and Tantra, and of course the revelations of the fabulous Siva Sutras to the Kashmir shaivites. While a great lineage of rishis like vasugupta and abhinava transmitted these as the kashmir shaiv darsana,devotees like gorakh nath and patanjali transmitted them for the benefit of their followers as hatha yoga, and ashtanga respectively.
Aum Namah Shivaye!

~ Shail Gulhati , Author of :
SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.
Shiva Poetry
The Yogi and the snake
And Life Said.
NAAM ROOP- A Tribute to the Divine

SAKAHA RASA : A SACRED BOND

 

SAKAHA RASA : A SACRED BOND

"Ancient Hindu Seers realized that although the summit is One, many paths lead to it.

You can know the Divine as a distant creator, or as a loving Father. You can even know Him as your own child.

And finally, to love God not out of fear or awe, but as an equal, a confidant, and a true friend, is acknowledged as Sakha Rasa—a mysticism of the highest grade."

In the pic, Shiva is a central father, Krishna is playing as a son. Ma Parvati has intense sakha rasa with Her Swami Shiva, and Radha is clinging to Krishna as his eternal gopi.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism

Shaivism Today Soul Speak ( 4) Tat Tvam Asi- Know Thy Self.

 

I usually feel good on Sunday mornings!
Do you feel like that too?
Most of us do. Why do you think so? What’s so special about a holiday?
It’s because there's no agenda imposed on you: You get to be your own Self!  No school, no office, no getting up early, no taking a bath in record time  without enjoying the shower,
no gulping down the breakfast so that you don’t miss the bus…you get the general vibe: There’s no rush. And you can ‘Do your own thing’
And  hey, there you are: You feel happy, when you can do your own thing.You feel happy when you are not in a rush, and when you are not rushed by a compelling outward situation.
And this is what the ancient rishis, i think, were always trying to tell us: Be your Self.
Hmmm.

But for that they added : You have got to know your Self first!
“Of course I know myself!” , you say. But wait, the rishis were talking of a deeper Self, a deeper you.
This has been a common exhortation of the earliest darshatas (seers ) the world over. Whether  we talk of  the call of the ancient Hindu rishis in the Chanddogya Upanishad “Tat Tvam Asi “तत्त्वमसि, the great Sanskrit phrase, translated as " You are  That," . This phrase is respected as a Mahavakya ( Divine Statement ) in the  Vedantic Sanatana Dharma.

Whether it was the ancient Greek aphorism ‘: γνῶθι σεαυτόν’  "Know thyself" inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

Whether Jesus exhorted “ They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I have said, “You are gods; you are all sons of the most high’
Or whether we come to the modern Saint Sri Ramana Maharishi’s simple enquiry method “ Who am I ?”


The deeper meaning is not to just know ourselves as Shail Gulhati or Sachin Verma or Masoom Hamza or Raakesh Agarwal!
But the inner self, that voice which gets strong, often when you feel weak! That voice which tells you to move on because a higher power is with you...And actually a great Divinity  resides within you, as your own higher Self. And this Self is not only your best friend, but also your permanent guide. And therefore we see that when we do things in our own relaxed way, we become more in sync with our ‘Chi’  or ‘Kundalini’, or inner energy; and then, paradoxically, life becomes  joyfully peppy!

So, today enjoy knowing yourself inwardly, as you sip your morning tea, or go with your families for a picnic, or with your friends to view a football or cricket match, or then even if you use it up for cleaning out your wardrobe to get out your winter clothes. Feel and then give the positive vibe, to make your own surrounding world a more harmonious place.
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.

SHIVA's GENEROSITY

 

SHIVA's GENEROSITY

Shiva had this generous habit: He gifted His attendants, the powers to be almost Shiva themselves. Gorakh Nath, Balak Nath and Shamshan Nath were just a few of the people, who, if they wanted, could conjure all three worlds from their magic bags.

These chosen ones were the ganas. And that was the difference, which never allowed them to become like Asuras: The training from Shiva about one’s own divinity.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

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.

AT SATI'S DEATH

 

AT SATI'S DEATH

“Sati…”

Shiva’s voice echoed like eternity itself.

A love so deep, it transcends even time.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

THE DESTROYER

 

THE DESTROYER

The most popular belief had Him listed as The Destroyer.

This was the great mystery—when did the endearing mountain dweller become a cosmic hard stepper, the Avatar of destruction? And, why?

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.