GANAS WELCOME PARVATI

 

GANAS WELCOME PARVATI

The welcome to Parvati in Kailash was stupendous.

Ganas and ganikas had lined up on both sides of the mountain path leading up to Shiva’s cave.

Their hands were full of forest flowers and some wild berries which they showered upon the divine couple as Nandi brought them through. They cheered loudly, “Welcome Parvati, welcome Mistress of the jungle, Ruler of the world, Goddess of our hearts! Welcome to Kailash, Mother Annapurna, nourisher of our bodies! Welcome Bhagwati, nourisher of our souls! Welcome, welcome, welcome home!”

~ From the Amazon bestseller SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

THE PLAY OF MAYA...

 

THE PLAY OF MAYA...

One evening, while playing their game of dice, Sati asked Shiva,“Tell me honestly, do you ever cheat when we are gambling, do you use your maya to win?”

“No, of course not! Why do you ask?” He said.

“No, nothing. I just had a fleeting thought and wanted to check.”

“How can I cheat the one who has cheated me into thinking I have any control over my destiny! And tell me Sati, how can there be free will, when whatever I do…whatever, it must always lead back to you,” said Shiva, trying to charm Her.

“Place your bets,” said Sati, visibly happy with the answer,as She shook the twin dice vigorously.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

BHASMASURA

 

BHASMASURA

“Bhasmasura was a devotee of Shiva. He too, like the asuras, performed great tapasya to win Shiva’s favour. As usual, Shiva became pleased and asked him to request any boon.”

“Hmm, Gurudeva, the normal pattern.”

“Bhasmasura then asked that he be granted the power that anyone whose head he touched with his hand should burn up and immediately turn into ashes- bhasma.”

“And Shiva said ‘ Tatha astu’ Gurudeva?”

“Yes.”

“Oh!”

“Bhasmasura then wreaked havoc across the world with his newly bestowed immunity.”

“Then?”

~ From the Amazon bestseller SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. Part 2 ( Humesha) Now as an audio book. Click the link to hear free sample pages :

THEORY HAS A MAP. EXPERINCE HAS KEYS.

 

THEORY HAS A MAP. EXPERINCE HAS KEYS.

“Imagine a person who owns a magnificent Ferrari but has never read a single page of its engineering manual.

And imagine another person who owns no car at all, but has a beautifully printed technical manual and a glossy poster pinned to their wall.

Who possesses the reality?”asked Shiva.

“The one with the car.” smiled the seeker

~ From the book ' The Shiva Scientist " by Shail Gulhati

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.

THE SHIVA SCIENTIST

 

THE SHIVA SCIENTIST

Imagine you are fifteen years old.

One evening, you step outside and look up at the night sky. Above you are billions of stars, some larger than our Sun, some with planets circling them, and some perhaps hosting life—home to beings gazing into the dark, wondering about the universe just like you.

And something strange is already happening. You think you are seeing the universe as it is right now, yet you are actually looking into the past.

When you look at the Sun—the very star that makes life on Earth possible—you are seeing it as it existed more than eight minutes ago, because sunlight takes that long to travel across the vastness of space to reach your eyes. The same is true for every star in the sky. Some are so distant that their light has been travelling for years, centuries, or even millions of years, meaning a few of the stars shining above you tonight may no longer exist. The night sky is not merely a collection of stars; it is a collection of memories, a museum of the past rushing towards you in the present.

~ From the NEW book by Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

SHIVA, MAHADEVA-HE WHO CONSUMES EVEN POISON FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL

 

One story from Shiva's life never fails to amaze me. It was at the time of the Samudra manthan- An attempt to churn the Ocean and literally milk its waters for great celestial gifts, to be topped by attaining Amrita, a nectar of the gods which guaranteed immortality.This was one time in cosmic history when the timeless rivals devatas and danavas teamed up to undertake the task jointly; the desire of every being to live on endlessly, got them together.

But just before the Amrita was to surface, there was a tremendous oozing out of Halahal Visha, a deadly poison. Quite like the modern oil spills that we get to see today caused by big commercial ships, endangering the lives of the Ocean creatures. And therefore, in accordance with the laws of the sea, this deadly spill had to be cleared first.

Now this was a huge problem, the devatas and danavas shuddered at the thought of death when they had actually come for immortality! No one wanted to consume their portion.
Shiva stepped forward and drank up the Visha.
All of it.

This is how much He cared for all beings. It is a different story that the devatas decamped with all the Amrita, cheating the danavas out of their share- leading to a cosmic conflict that persists till today. Perhaps Shakti (Mother Nature ) is nearer now to resolve this in Her own way, but regardless of what happens, the pure intent of Shiva should remain etched in the soul of both teams, don't you think ?
Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati is a Shaivite author based in Jammu, India.
He has written the following books:
SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.
The Yogi and the snake
Shiva Poetry
NAAM ROOP- A Tribute to the Divine
And Life Said.

RUDRA

 

Eko hi rudro na dvitīyāya tasthe ya imāṃl lokān īśata īśanībhiḥ /
pratyaṅ janās tiṣṭhati saṃcukocāntakāle saṃsṛjya viśvā bhuvanāni gopāḥ
There is only one,
RUDRA!
No second one,
Ruling all ,with powers great
He sustains too each from within,
And in the end He stands alone,
taking them all back in.

~ Svetasvattara Upanishad

His mind raced back to the time when Brahma first lovingly called Him, “Rudra, my son.”

He had a tremendous ability to remember most things from the past; an ability, which could not be termed simplistically as a gift. Sometimes it brought up wreckage from a timeless sea, which was unrelatable, if not downright unpleasant. True, He was now called Shiva the Auspicious, but He could remember things that were not Shubha, auspicious, as the name suggested. Long ago He was called Rudra the terrible. Rudra, who destroys the world.
People were so scared of Him that the elders and Medicine men of all tribes learnt only a prayer of fear.
Rudra had a unique propitiation: One of absence. While all other Gods were invoked for a visit, He was actually prayed to stay away. It was only with the passage of time that He evolved into His present persona of a well-loved and hugely admired Shiva. But then, talking about the Timeless Sea, Shiva remembered Himself even before He was Rudra. It was aeons ago, but He remembered it vividly; it remained freshly etched in His memory, as if the birth of Rudra had happened only a little while back.

~ From
SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

GOD PROPOSES, MAN DISPOSES

 

GOD PROPOSES, MAN DISPOSES

( Shiva and Daksha- The first meeting )

“My Lord,” said the chief guard as he entered the chamber of the minister for protocol. “There is a rider in the waiting hall, who says He wants to meet King Daksha right away. He does not have any prior appointment.”

Shiva sat comfortably, and said , “Greetings, Raja Daksha, it is indeed a pleasure to visit Kankhal and Your Majesty’s splendid court.”

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

THE REINCARNATION LOUNGE

 

THE REINCARNATION LOUNGE

In one vision, Shiva saw Himself in the future , sipping His coffee, and smiling - Airport lounges were, in a way, the modern analogy of reincarnation. We come and go, only to receive and see off others.

Ultimately all of life seemed to be a preparation for a much greater flight, and somewhere between the shopping, disappearing, re-appearing, somewhere between missing heartbeats for a loved one, and embarking the great flight onward to an eternal sky, we had a lounge, called Heaven.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.

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.

  
  

WHEN PARVATI ASKED SHIVA THE FIRST QUESTION AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE

 

WHEN PARVATI ASKED SHIVA THE FIRST QUESTION AFTER THEIR MARRIAGE

“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.

~ Mahadeva Shiva