Bimba Pratibimba! The world is created by Shiva Lila.

 

A lot of people, especially spiritual seekers often ask , "Why did God create the world?”
Shaivites say, Shiva creates the whole world out of a play, a lila, just to know Himself and expand Himself, by enabling what all can be done in life . He does this through His Shakti, His Divine power,  His " Ability to do". This Shakti is not only the core power and energy at the deep center of all things in the  entire Universe, She is also the devoted Bhaktini and Maha Yogini Parvati, Shiva’s beloved wife.

The important understanding of the Kashmir Shaiv Darsana , commonly called  Kashmir Shaivism,  is that Lord Shiva creates the Universe to be able to see His own Self in a myriad of lilas. The world, is His mirror! Now, the rishis of Kashmir had a term, ‘Bimba’. Bimba is the real Self , or Shiva Himself, in His supreme transcendent formlessnes .
And the whole manfest world is Pratibimba.
Pratibimba is the reflection of Bimba. This Non- dual school of Shaiva philosophy further states, that the eternal subject ( Bimba) sees Himself in the reflection ( Pratibimba).
So, Shiva ‘sees’ Himself in the world that He Himself creates.
Parvati is the swaroopa (embodiment) of His Shakti , and we sometimes see a very beautiful portrayal of her as holding a small mirror  to Shiva as He dresses up; So this holding of a mirror to Him means, she is the one who shows Him what all He really is.
This entire Universe is a mirror that shows God what all He is, and it is God's Shakti which 'holds' the mirror up!
And this is the summary of the world play, from the perspective of Divinity ,enlightenment, an awakened mind, an aware Atma (soul), and of the ancient hindu rishis.
And of course, Shiva is the highly awakened Atma; He is Para Atma ( Master of souls-GOD ).
It may interest you to know that not only is Shiva the greatest Yogi ( One who is in conjunction with His own Godliness), but He is also the greatest bhokta (experient ) of worldly flavour.
The Kashmir Shaiv Darsana : Kashmir Shaivism speaks of this , and says Shiva is the Para pramatra- the highest experient .
Such is the Maya of Shivji that He can actually enhance His Yoga even through bhoga ( bhoktan) of the Universe that He Himself creates. But His bhoktan is always steeped in God consciousness. Even in this material world, in any activity, Shiva is always centered on Godliness! And this teaching is shared in some of His yoga dharanas to Devi in the Vijnanbhairava texts.
So, Kashmir Shaivism has a unique way of explaining the Creator and creation, God and the world. When  all of the world, is actually a reflection of God and  Lord Shiva is not only the Best Yogi, he is also the Highest experient, the greatest Bhogi of all. It is Shivji who experiences the most in all things, and that is the play of His own Shakti, that is indeed Lila. Through these worldly, experiences, He "Re-cognizes" His own Divinity in many many ways, and then further improves the Universe.

The Siva Sutra in verse 11 states “ त्रितयभोक्ता वीरेशः”
Tritayabhoktā vīreśaḥ,  Shiva is experiencing Himself in all three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. Through all His experiences, Shiva is always centered in His Divinity, and the worldliness never draws Him away from the reality that He has always been, The Supreme.
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.

Behold the seated Yogi

 

Shiva seated in meditation is a very popular depiction,
that is a yantra in itself.
Yantras are diagramatic representations of states of consciousness.
Therefore, they help lift our consciousness to that state, by visual resonance, just like Mantras lift us using the power of sound.
Though they are geometric, and intricately worked out by adepts,
i prefer to 'see' Dhyanasta shiva, the meditative one,
as a great visual tool to uplift a seeker to the sought,
so, behold the seated yogi!

Even of the dhyanasta yogi, there are two versions,
in one, he has both palms on his lap, and eyes are closed,
in the deepest meditation.
In the other, the eyes are open, and the right hand is
raised, gesturing blessing.Obviously this second one is on 'awakening'
The gesture is prominent, it is called 'abhaya ',fear not.
Would it betoken that fearlessness is the foremost requisite in the path of meditation? is it like shiva is saying, been there done that, all's well,
may all be well with thee too!

His hair is definitely matty,
he's been around for a long time,do mats suggest eternity?
we spot the face of a lady , mat locked there ,
in the eternal hair.
It is Ganga,the river goddess.
Ganga, who once sat at the feet of God in heaven,
now descended to earth,
must surely know Godly esoterics,
has shiva embraced revelation ?!!
do yogis balance the torrent of divinity,
and then fountain it out for us?

He is seated on a tiger skin,
but didnt we say earlier he is seated in meditation?
is meditation then
just the skin
of the tiger
within?

there is a snake around his neck
looks like a cobra,
hail the king!
has the energy arisen
from its slumber
when the yogi went outside in?

He must surely like beads,
what a collection!
we think rudra aksh grow on trees,
some say they were tears of shiva,
does one feel so nostalgic
to actually cry in seeing old albums?
in samadhi, eternity is a moment,
a moment, and we're in eternity,
sometimes, one's own souvenirs
are a good thing to hang on by.

from science, we know
the moon is always full
but the crescent in the mat
does look cool
does shiva 'wear' such abstract adornment
to help clearly show
its only the way we 'see' that makes
One truth
grow

he's got a third eye
does it open dimension four?
on the forehead where
we have bindi ,tilak or another dot
he's got third eye
is this the symbol of centred?
the rider of the bull would know,
the timeless rodeo.

and then, there's a trident
the trisula,
shiva's rocket science is serial set in triads,
waking dream sleep
knowledge action will
future present past
above here below
and so on,you know!
shiva rocks,
but by holding ground,
the trisula is parked,
not flung around.

Originally, piercing
was
to make ears ring,
say the jogees
to,
unfurl a meditative wing.
and the Nath
IS the origin.

The damaru
his little drum
is many things
in one.
It is of course his beat to boot
to match with krishna's lilting flute
but tantrists say
its the triangles two
that signify
Him and Her,
(In Chinese ,yin and yang…
wei and wu.)
In repose, before creation,
Me and you.
Its an hourglass!
From top we slip down through
to
Land.
And time
Is to wait for the hand
To downside up again.

~ Shail Gulhati  From the book  Shiva Poetry

Shiva-the fountainhead where paradoxes reconcile.

 

• What is truly amazing about Shiva is his consistency in reconciling paradoxes.He's called the destroyer, yet His symbol ,the shivlinga denotes creation. He is a yogi par excellence, yet the doting householder, He is King of dance, yet His meditations are perfect stillness, He is lord of power, bestowing boons, yet owns hardly any personal possessions,
  He is the auspicious one, yet attended on by the most terrible elementals (Bhutas ), He is Adi the timeless one, yet Sadavasantam, the evergreen.....

• is Shiva yet another name for consciousness? or is there a yogi who goes by that name?
  

  or .....
  both?
• 
  
  

  What personally attracts me to Shiva's manner is the inclusiveness, nothing is apart from Him...music,dance,
  buddies, mysticism,
  family, ascetisism,
  frolic, intoxication,
  serenity, rejuvenation,
  and so on, Shiva seems to me to be the perfect pointer to the oneness that we all really are..! Shiva is  comparable to  Yoga, and Kundalini, which are inherent in all and not limited to the domain of this or that dogma, actually transcending even religion..
• 
  
  

  And then,there's His beautiful wife, Parvati
  who is also
  Sati
  who is also Durga
  who is also Shakti
  and many other vidyas rolled in one,
  is she , again, actually a woman,
  or the power of Consciousness ?
  or both?
• 
  
  

  He is also Shaktiman
  the beholder of Shakti,
  Shakti's man!
  She is also Shivpriye
  beloved of Shiva.
• 
  
  

  do Shakti and Shaktiman
  also go by the names
  yin and yang
  tao and tei
  being, and becoming?
• 
  
  

  These
  and many other querries
  the Devi herself puts across to Shiva
  in a reflective state of musing,'NIGAMA'
  it is prayer.
  Shiva 's reply,AGAMA, is the beginning of Sastra,
  it is revelatory,it is meditation,
  it is shiva's rocket science,
  the Vijnanbhairava.
• 
  
  

  All becoming is from being, and will find all its answers there,
  Shiva expounds 112 different ways to the same centre,
  the centre of SELF, where nothing is apart,
  and Oneness reigns.
  Shiva knows there is nothing to renounce
  except the notion, that you are other than him.
• 
  
  

  Why, if all is Shiva to begin with,dont we know this?
  For this we will have to rewind to the time, when,
  Shiva is all,
  When "God alone is".
  At this time, even time does not exist, because , as said before, only God is, in His absolute purity.
• 
  
  

  Now He wants to play out with what is possible to do..He is God, so He wants to know what all can be done with His Godhood.
  The Upanishads say,"In the beginning was the ONE, he thought, may i be two, may i be many"
  In Shaivism, this is called the "Pratham spanda", first stirring..
  God knowing Himself, and then wanting to pour out...
  this outpour is not like a logician, more like an artist....
• 
  
  

  Here comes the interesting part, When God is all, all is God,and God wants to create out of Himself, well, then everything will be known to everything..
  so, He FIRST creates forgetfullness, he ensures that he forgets who he is..
  Now, you see, he is ready to play out hide and seek with himself..
  this is akin to a king surveying his kingdom in the garb of an ordinary person..
  except here, the King actually forget's who's The King, and looks for the King with intensity..
  
  he becomes the seeker,being actually, the sought.
  that He is the worshipper, is but a thought.

  
  

SHIVA’S BARAAT

 

SHIVA’S BARAAT

The trek through the mountains was as expected: festive, robust, loud and merry. Every now and then a quaint animal would peer outside of his own cave to witness the band as it played along. “What is going on? Is a God getting married?” asked some, to which the prompt answer came, “Absolutely, our Lord is getting married!”

“Shiva is getting married? To whom?” Suddenly the excitement would double.

“To the noble Dakshayani, Sati! Princess of untold beauty, lady of incomparable virtue.”

“Oh! Can we join in?” they would ask.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

I AM A SHIVA GANA

 

I AM A SHIVA GANA

Shiva, who loved His fellow men and the elementals, would never ever allow them to cast servile titles on themselves. He insisted they were ‘ganas’, the friends. Despite their devout feelings for Him, He always regarded His followers as that—Friends.

So many times, when any of them went overboard with their emotion and actually asked for an eternal enslavement at His feet, as was in vogue with other Gods and their worship, He asked them to see Him as a friend instead.“You are my ganas,” He would always insist. He repeated this to them till the time they began to love the word gana for themselves, till the time they completely imbibed it, and each one declared proudly, “I am a Shiv Gana.” which was very much what Shiva wanted.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

Shiva, The endearingly human Mountain God.

 

He loved mountains. He loved to dance. He loved to wear His hair long. He was a simple hillbilly: good at heart, and He loved his fellow mountain men. But He was not considered in turn, a fellow man. It was said of Him that He was God Himself—The Primal One. He was said to be the Timeless Lord of the mountains and also the men He so loved.

But still, the most popular belief had Him listed as The Destroyer.
The ancient Indians, who propitiated many Gods, had three principal deities at the helm of affairs. Brahma, the creator of the universe; Vishnu, who handled its running; and then, there was another amazing aspect that no one really understood:
The ancients had emphasised that there existed a God who destroys the universe at the end, and that God was Shiva.

So it was, that He shared Godhead with the other two.
No one really understood why God would need to destroy the universe, yet horror stories abounded about how Shiva would always signal the end of time for each creation.
Though this was a little strange, because surely no one would have seen the end of a universe and lived to tell about it!
Yet, graphic details about the divine holocaust were chanted in fervent whispers, as though etched in a collective memory.
Details of how Shiva literally snuffed out all life. It was whispered that He stomped His feet upon the earth in so furious a manner that it sent massive tremors through the cosmos, and that all this was a dance! The last dance called Tandav, that beginning always from Prithviloka, ended all things that had ever come into existence. Ending, as it were, existence itself; Tandav was dubbed as the dance of death.
This was the great mystery—when did the endearing mountain dweller become a cosmic hard stepper, the Avatar of destruction? And, why?
Ancient Seers sensed an enthralling story here.

It was the young seeker, Shaunaka’s curiosity which finally got bits and pieces of Shiva’s known episodes out from the wise sage Suta.
“Tell us about Shiva, the mountain God, respected Sutji,” Shaunaka would implore the master.

"He loved mountains. He loved to dance. He loved to wear His hair long. He was said to be the Timeless Lord of the mountains and also the men He so loved.
He was Shiva, the Auspicious. Shiva, whose very presence was able to transform humans into demigods." smiled rishi Suta.

" Ah, beautiful Gurudeva. Tell us more"

“There was a time when Shiva Himself told His story to the forest dwellers, and Vyasa, the bard, used his prolific skill to record the self-revelations of the Divine One. And then, true to His trademark humility, Shiva receded into the background. But perhaps, wishing secretly that we would all remember Him, we would all know His legend, always.”

“Why, if Shiva wishes to be known, does He Himself recede into the backstage?” asked a surprised Shaunaka.
“Because, simply…” replied Suta with utmost wisdom. “He respects all His creation. He wants them to have their own say in the play of the world. Remember one thing about Shiva: Being the center of all things, He seldom is center stage, and this is the rahasya; the secret of how His wheel of time turns.”

“And we learn to forget and then remember Him again?” asked Shaunaka.

“Precisely,” answered Suta.

“So, what is Shiva like?” asked Shaunaka. “Does He have arms that are more muscular than anyone? Is it true that He is built like a tree? And that He can lift a mountain ox without any effort?”

Suta laughed at the innocence of a child’s curiosity. “Shiva is stronger than any man. He is spectacularly built. Not as enormous as some of His own mountain men, but spectacular in symmetry, and yes, He can lift an ox without any effort,” he replied.

“Oh!” said Shaunaka in wonder.

“Sometimes it is like a game of love,” Suta continued. “The Oxen wouldn’t let anyone else even touch them, but with Shiva, it is different; they too love Him, like all else in the forest, and allow themselves to be lifted in sport! In fact, the denizens of the forests wait to be met by Shiva; they wait to be in His company.”

“Oh, then is it possible to meet Shiva?” asked the excited young one.

“Of course it is! But you never know when. Shiva chooses His own time to surprise. But if you want to meet Him, you must always be ready, anyone who wants to see Him must always be alert.”

“Why is that, Gurudeva?”

“Hahaha! Because Shiva, amongst other things, likes disguises. And His best guise is humility. With all that He is, His utter humility can make you not recognise Him, even if He came face to face.” 

“So is it true that He wears a snake around His neck? He is called Bhujgendrahaaram, isn’t He?”

“Yes,” said the old Sage. “He is known to wear a snake around His neck, but like I told you, He is the master of guises. And to discard one of your own attributes, is an excellent way to go unnoticed. Think about it.” Suta looked at a passerby in the distance.
A mountain man with wavy, long hair, who had been looking at them, started to walk away.
“With Shiva, who knows?” Suta sighed again.

~ From the book Shiva, The Ultimate Time Traveller

SHIVA , NATARAJA

 

SHIVA , NATARAJA

Those to whom Shiva gave his Darsana, came to be called rishis. These seers prayed differently from everyone else. His mentions had been varied. Shiva the auspicious, Shiva the Warlord, Shiva the mountain God, Shiva the dweller of the cremation grounds, Shiva the creator of the universe, Shiva the destroyer, Shiva the ascetic, Shiva the loyal husband, Shiva the meditator, Shiva the recluse, Shiva the Supreme spiritual master! Which One was He?

The transformed seers spoke of Shiva in endearing terms, adding yet another epithet to His mentions. ‘Verily, He is all. He is Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the cosmic dance! ’

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