SHIVA, THE RECTIFIER!

SHIVA, THE RECTIFIER! 



“I know now, that I have embarked upon the great Lord Shiva”, said the snake, “for who else can speak with such clarity and authority? I have always been awed by your character; but this brings me to some difficult points about you.”

“Go ahead” , said the yogi.

“Tell me, why are you known as the destroyer in the pantheon of Gods?” The snake shivered.

“There is no need to be scared” , said the yogi. “Mythologically three of us constitute the trinity. Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and I, the destroyer of the Universe. If we use reductivity, and think of this as a business firm, where, one provides capital, thus becomes the chairman, the other runs the affairs and thus becomes the managing director, the third only gets to liquidate the firm if its running turns sour. A trifle unfair. But since the Universe already stands created and is so far being preserved, although it is stalling, so, I hold the key to its destruction, or final chapter. If I refuse to destroy, there is no need for fear, is there? I could force the other two to reconsider a few things about the firm. I am contemplating rectification instead of destruction. How will that sound”, asked the yogi, “Shiva the rectifier?”
“I can get used to it” , laughed the snake.
“Philosophically, God, is the power of creation, preservation, and destruction. These processes go hand in hand. Brahma, Vishnu and I, are the same energy, manifesting differently. Perhaps we need that fourth process, the process of rectification.”
“There again” , thought the snake,” creation and preservation already undertaken, the key to the fourth must lie with the third, so, the destruction aspect of God, commonly known as Shiva is the one to watch. It is He who will give way to rectification.”



“Now, tell me”, said the yogi, “how am I supposed to destroy the world?”
“By opening your third eye, wherever you shift your gaze then, turns to ashes.”
“Mythologically” , said the yogi.” Now, listen to the philosophy. At the personal level, the destruction of illusions, makes the meditator enlightened. This is the opening of Gyan Chakshu, this is the whole path of the yogis. The gaze of the discriminating mind destroys wrong previous concepts and illusions. Whatever scriptures such a man reads, he interprets rightly, whatever situation he encounters, he understands. The mind of spiritual discrimination destroys falsehood and delusion.

At the transpersonal or cosmic level, I am a paradox however. My capability is to destroy the whole cosmic play. But, if I use only half my power, to destroy the destructive processes themselves, verily, I become the course for expansion. So using half your power doubles your strength. It also takes double your strength to use half your power. Meditate upon this! “, said the Yogi.
{Excerpted from The Yogi and the snake, by Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.}