THE TRIBE OF SHIVA

 

THE TRIBE OF SHIVA

If discoverers of the cosmos and Time travellers could find the tribe, surely the mountain Chieftain and His Queen would be spotted in the midst of it all.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

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.

The right use of money

 

"I need to ask a few questions about things that are in focus today, said the snake, what about money?" Said the snake

"What about money? "asked the yogi," it has always been in focus."

"Well what of it then?"

"Enjoy money, only, don’t let it deprive you of whatever comes for free, don’t let it deprive you of friendship with the transpersonal doers."

"Can a moneyed man be spiritual? "asked the snake.

"Why not?" answered the yogi, " Man has only made the currency. But money is evaluated in terms of what it can buy. Whatever it can buy, from where has all this come? Break everything down to the elements and you are back to Nature again. It can buy food, livestock, tents, a home, gems, metals, contraptions? All these belong to God in any case.
Is money unspiritual? No you cannot blame the piece of paper. What goes wrong then? a moneyed man, a man of means, gets so involved with those means, he forgets the end. He gets so externalized, he seldom finds the time, or has the need to introspect, to meditate; therefore the chances of his making contact with the source, become minimal. He remains joyous with these toys, to which he has easy access. We say he is distracted. Not attracted to the source of joy, within. We say he is deluded.

Such a man, is rarely compassionate, indifferent to the welfare of fellow beings, and prone to oppressiveness and unrightful authority. Where there is unrightful authority, there is hell.

But, if such a man, who inspite of his money, doesn’t lose kindness, love and other things that money can’t buy, can he not be spiritual? If a moneyed man doesn't lose track of the end goal of life,will Heaven not welcome him then?
So, enjoy money, with a through understanding about its limitation. Understand the mystic character of money, it deprives you of what it can’t buy. Do not let it deprive you of harmony." replied the Yogi

~ From the book The Yogi and the snake ( conversations with lord Shiva)

THE MAGICIAN

 

THE MAGICIAN

“My Lord! My Lord! There is a man who calls himself a dancer and street magician. He has barged into the palace. He states he wants to have an audience with Queen Mena and yourself,” announced the royal guard to King Himavat.

“Ah! Let him enter, and usher in Queen Mena. Call all the courtiers and the children too; I am sure everyone can use a little bit of entertainment!” replied Himavat.

The court hall filled in quickly with all the citizens as King Himavat directed. There was a palpable excitement in the air. Who was this curious man who had entered the royal court? What was he going to do? Was he going to manifest castles? Gold? Jewellery? Or was he going to create spirits and hobgoblins? What was he going to do?

“Your attire is a rather curious one,” remarked Queen Mena to the Magician.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

SHIVA PARVATI FIRST MEETING

 

SHIVA PARVATI FIRST MEETING

“My Lord, King Himavat has come to visit you,” Nandi announced Himavat’s arrival.

“Yes, King Himavat, please go ahead,” said Shiva

“My Lord, my daughter…Parvati.”

“Yes?”

“She wants to meet you, my Lord.”

“Whatever would She want to see me for? You know I don’t meet anyone. And a girl on top of that… how…” Shiva was reticent.

“My Lord, for my sake,” said Himavat, folding his hands into a namaskar.

~ SHIVA The Ultimate Time Traveller. Part 2

Shiva said the most enigmatic thing. “Love, there is no such thing as the end of life, but, without you, there is no life.”

 

Sati loved everything about Her Lord. Especially, His prowess in poetry.

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 .

SHIVA

 

SHIVA

Seated eternally upon a Throne of stone, He binds the cosmic law with a thunderous gaze, The just and mighty King's humility never fails to amaze. Shiva! One darshan from you and the bhakt's soul is spiritually ablaze!

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA MAHADEVA

 

SHIVA MAHADEVA

From the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the mystical gardens of Japan, all the way up to Mahācīna ,the Great Chieftain transcends every border. Whether invoked as Mahadeva Shiva or Mahesvara Dàzìzàitiān or Mahakaala Daikokuten, whether teaching Dhyan chan or zen , His presence remains Eternal and almighty.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

Shiva, the Supreme Vaishnava

 When devotees of Lord Krishna venerate Shiva as the greatest devotee of the Lord, they are offering him the highest praise.

By Gaura Sharana Dasa

Devotees of Lord Krishna honor Lord Shiva for his celebrated qualities and his exalted status in the hierarchy of beings.

Srimad-Bhagavatam is an amazing collection of the glories and activities of Sri Krishna and His devotees, the Vaishnavas. The Bhagavatam (12.13.16) declares Lord Shiva to be the greatest of all Vaishnavas: vaishnavanam yatha shambhuh. Lord Shiva’s special position, his post, his personality, and his activities are fascinating to know. The following is a short collection from the Bhagavatam of various attributes and activities of Lord Shiva.

Shiva’s Position

Srila Prabhupada writes:

“Lord Shiva is not actually like a living entity [jiva], but he is not the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His position is somewhere between Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Brahma, the living entity. Lord Shiva is therefore explained in Brahma-samhita (5.45) in this way:

kshiram yatha dadhi vikara-vishesha-yogat

sanjayate na hi tatah prithag asti hetoh

yah shambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad

govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

Lord Shiva is considered to be like yogurt (dadhi). Yogurt is nothing but transformed milk; nonetheless, yogurt cannot be accepted as milk. Similarly, Lord Shiva holds almost all the powers of Lord Vishnu, and he is also above the qualities of the living entity, but he is not exactly like Vishnu, just as yogurt, although transformed milk, is not exactly like milk. (4.30.24, Purport)

And: ”Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have carefully analyzed the summum bonum Krishna to have sixty-four principal attributes. All the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of these attributes. But Sri Krishna is the possessor of the attributes cent percent. And His personal expansions . . . possess up to ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes. Lord Shiva . . . possesses almost eighty-four percent of the attributes.” (1.3.28, Purport)

Lord Shiva is considered the father of this universe, and material nature, or goddess Durga, is considered the mother. Shiva is neither the Supreme Lord nor a jiva (an infinitesimal spirit soul, the category to which we belong). Shiva is the form through which the Supreme Lord works to inject the living entities (jivas) into this material world.

Shiva’s Post – A Gunavatara

Lord Shiva is in charge of the tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance, and is thus in the category of incarnations known as gunavataras. Suta Goswami says, “The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness, and ignorance, and just for the material world’s creation, maintenance, and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.” (1.2.23) As the god of annihilation, Shiva is responsible for destroying the universes during the partial and complete devastations, which occur respectively at the end of each day of Brahma and at the end of his life.

Srila Prabhupada writes, “The dissolution of the three worlds is effected by the incarnation of darkness, Rudra [Shiva], represented by the fire of eternal time which blazes over the three worlds.” (3.11.28, Purport) Shukadeva Goswami says, “Thereafter, at the end of the millennium, the Lord Himself in the form of Rudra, the destroyer, will annihilate the complete creation as the wind displaces the clouds.” (2.10.43)

Shiva’s Personality – Ashutosha

From being simple-hearted to being tricky, from being easily pleased to blazing with anger, Lord Shiva displays many facets of personality, all in the service of his dear Lord Sri Krishna. He exhibits dependence on Krishna and His devotees as well as surrender and service to them.

One of the prominent attributes of Lord Shiva is being quickly pleased with anyone. Amongst all the demigods, Lord Shiva can be pacified even by the lowest class of men, who need only offer him obeisances and leaves of a bael tree. Thus his name is Ashutosha, which means that he is pleased very quickly. Being Ashutosha, Shiva is approached by various types of beings – demigods, demons, pious and impious human beings, devotees of Krishna, and so on. However, as Lord Shiva knows the intentions of everyone, he tricks the demons, satisfies the materialists, blesses the simple-hearted with devotional service to the Supreme Lord, offers heartfelt benedictions to devotees, and associates with advanced devotees. In this way Lord Shiva blesses different people according to their position and at the same time exhibits his devotion unto the Lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

Shiva’s Mercy on the Vaishnavas

Although Lord Shiva bestows benedictions upon devotees and demons alike, there is a gulf of difference in the way he blesses them. He is always pleased with the pure devotees of Lord Krishna, as he himself says:

yah param ramhasah sakshat

tri-gunaj jiva-samjnitat

bhagavantam vasudevam

prapannah sa priyo hi me

“Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the controller of everything – material nature as well as the living entity – is actually very dear to me.” (4.24.28)

How much he is pleased with Krishna’s devotees can be seen in how he sometimes appears before them even uninvited. For example, the Pracetas were the ten sons of Pracinabarhi, a king in the dynasty of Dhruva Maharaja. Before taking charge of the kingdom, they went to perform devotional austerities to please Lord Krishna. Knowing this, Lord Shiva came before them to bestow his mercy upon them by guiding them in devotional service. Thus He taught them the Rudra-gita. (Canto 4, Chapter 24)

Similarly, Lord Shiva came to Markandeya Rishi, a great devotee of the Supreme Lord, glorified his devotional attributes, and gave him benedictions of knowledge, renunciation, realization of Krishna, and the post of spiritual master of the Puranas. (Canto 12, Chapter 10)

Shiva’s Mercy on the Demons

Although Lord Shiva is easily pleased and his mercy is easily available to Krishna’s devotees, demons and others have to undergo at least some endeavor to please him. He uses these demons to show his dependence upon his worshipable Lord Krishna. He also tricks them by offering them benedictions that seem to favor them but ultimately lead to their destruction. Shalva, Ravana, Bana, Jayadratha, and Kashiraja were among the various materialistic and demoniac people eventually destroyed even though they had summoned Lord Shiva by their austerities and received benedictions from him. Shiva appears before demons in an official capacity, as required by his post.

One example is the demon Vrikasura, who worshiped Lord Shiva by offering pieces of his own flesh as oblations into fire. When Shiva did not appear before him, Vrika prepared to cut off his own head. Then the supremely merciful Lord Shiva rose up out of the sacrificial fire and stopped him, offering him whatever boon he chose.

Vrika said, “May death come to whomever I touch upon the head with my hand.”

Upon hearing this, Lord Shiva seemed somewhat disturbed. Nonetheless, he was obliged to reciprocate and vibrated om to signify his assent, granting Vrika the benediction with an ironic smile, as if giving milk to a poisonous snake.

Wicked Vrika tried to test the benediction by putting his hand on Shiva’s head. Terrified, Shiva fled and finally reached Lord Vishnu in Shvetadvipa. Vishnu disguised Himself as a young student, went before Vrikasura, and bewildered him to put his hand on his own head, thus causing his destruction. (Canto Ten, Chapter Eighty-eight)

Thus the benedictions Lord Shiva gives to the demons generally end up glorifying Vishnu as the ultimate protector. Shiva thus takes pleasure in praising his beloved Lord.

Shiva’s Anger

Another aspect of Lord Shiva’s personality is his anger. He exhibits anger as part of his position as the destroyer of the universe. His anger, however, is born out of his compassion as well as his intolerance in seeing conditioned souls wasting time by not taking to devotional service.

In an episode related in the Fourth Canto, Lord Shiva once exhibited anger toward Daksha, a leading progenitor in the universe. Although Daksha insulted Shiva at a great sacrifice, Shiva’s anger was aroused not because Daksha insulted him but because Daksha later caused the death of Sati, his own daughter and Shiva’s dear devoted wife. When Shiva heard from Narada Muni that Sati was now dead because of Daksha’s insulting her, Shiva became greatly angry and created Virabhadra from his hair and ordered him to kill Daksha. (Canto Four, Chapter Five)

As a dutiful father and spiritual master of all beings, Lord Shiva uses anger to rectify people. In the context of the Daksha episode, he told Lord Brahma that he doesn’t take the offenses of the demigods seriously, but punishes them only to reform them as a teacher. (4.7.2) In this way Lord Shiva uses his anger in the service of the Lord to rectify the living beings and never for his own ends.

Shiva’s Benevolence

When the demigods and the demons churned the ocean of milk (Canto Eight), deadly poison came out in the beginning. Being helpless, they all took shelter of Lord Shiva, offering him fervent prayers. Always benevolent toward all living entities, Lord Shiva said to his consort, Sati:

It is my duty to give protection and safety to all living entities struggling for existence. Certainly it is the duty of the master to protect his suffering dependents.

People in general, being bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always engaged in animosity toward one another. But devotees, even at the risk of their own temporary lives, try to save them. My dear gentle wife Bhavani, when one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is very pleased. And when the Lord is pleased, I am also pleased, along with all other living creatures. Therefore, let me drink this poison, for all the living entities may thus become happy because of me. (8.7.38–40)

Shukadeva Goswami relates, “Bhavani, who knew perfectly well Lord Shiva’s mood and capabilities, gave him her permission.” (8.7.41) Auspicious Shiva drank the poison for the benefit of everyone. The poison created a blue line on his neck that it is now accepted as an ornament of Lord Shiva.

Shukadeva Goswami comments:

tapyante loka-tapena

sadhavah prayasho jana

paramaradhanam tad dhi

purushasyakhilatmanah

“Great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Lord, who is present in everyone’s heart.” (8.7.44)

Thus Lord Shiva’s attributes of mercy, anger, and benevolence and his various activities display his great character and devotion to the Supreme Lord Vishnu. In his great devotional ecstasy, he even holds on his head the water that emanates from the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord (the Ganges). He is the epitome of devotion to Vishnu, and thus is the topmost Vaishnava.

YOUR WAVES OF BLISS

 

YOUR WAVES OF BLISS

Who can know your waves of bliss

those endless trips,

for no pot can hold the ocean,

yet She insists;

and sets things in motion.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHAKTI AND SHAKTIMAAN

 

SHAKTI AND SHAKTIMAAN

In a whole universe that had been projected by Him, She was the one being He loved immensely.

Parvati, His inseparable better-half.

Parvati, without whom, Shiva felt like ‘not Shiva’.

Parvati, without whom, Shiva didn’t feel anything at all.

Parvati, without whom, the Seers summarized, “He was Shava, a corpse.”

And without whom, as He Himself told Her once, ‘Nothing’, was actually possible.

And just as great an enigma as He was, so too was Parvati. It was She who was Sati, in a previous life. She it was, who was Shakti, the Goddess of power, in eternal wedlock with Shiva, making Him Shaktiman, the wielder of all the power there was in the Universe. She was always present in His presence. Even if that meant being reincarnated from one lifetime to another.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

MYSTIC PRECISION OF SHIVA

 

One day Sati asked Shiva, "Tell me how and why this Universe came into being?"
“Sati, God is formless. How does one express, or paint, or represent the formless?” How does the formless God even get to know Himself?

"How indeed?"
“It is said of me that I do not incarnate. And yet I can vouchsafe of your love that you are one who can make even Shiva manifest. That makes you an enchanting sorceress! The original Yogini , indeed!”

“Me, a sorceress! And what are you?” She asked “You, who have hypnotized the whole universe, especially me.”


“I am Shiva, the yogi, ever immersed in Shiva, the tattva. And yet… and yet, so much in love with tattva as Sati!” He sighed.


“Why do they call you a brahmchari then?” She asked teasingly.


Shiva understood that this was not actually a casual question. He had come to realise Sati’s innate wisdoms, which were often expressed in Her innocent questions; the answers to which could benefit all spiritual-seekers. “I told you, asana is only a seat for yoga, not yoga itself, so too the physical restraint of brahmcharya, is only a seat for Brahm acharya, being established in Godhead.” He replied.


“Aha, I see, but then why do I feel so
deeply in love with you, even deeper than my admiration of your spiritual Nature?” Sati persisted.

“In the beginning was the One.
And he thought, may I be two, may I be many.
To love and to be loved.
And so the universe came into being."
replied Shiva"

“Ah, lovely,” said Sati.

“Yes. And an electrifying attraction happens in love. A spiritual preceptor can also bedazzle you with one look.”

“Yes, for sure,” said Sati.

“Only later, you realise that love and spirituality run on the same current,” Shiva replied with mystic precision.

( From the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. )

Shiva Moon

 

At last it happened
you
who elicit a thousand sighs
...across timeless sands, resounding seas
silent mountains and whispering trees
thousands pouring out a longing heart
just knowing a beloved echoes the same
this enigma of a pleasure mingled in pain
just
looking at you
is reminiscent of being ONE,
so the question is:
who were you mooning over,moon
is the beloved so near
it must be true
you bend
to give a forehead kiss.

( Written on the day of the supermoon 2 days ago.
Shiva, the mountain God ,wears a moon as adornment on his forehead or matty locks.The waxing and waning of the moon, which in itself is always full, is just a veil. just as our Self is always luminous and prisitine, and full. While the moon enchantingly locks itself in shiva's matty hair ,so too the Self projects crescents of ascent and descent involution and evolution.Shiva wearing the moon as adornment is an esoteric symbol of one who knows the self timelessly.)

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