DEVI

 

DEVI

Somewhere in the mountains,

a golden tiger brought

his rider

to the Lord.

And the Lord saluted Devi, saying

you,

are mine own God…

The relationship of Mahadev Shiva and Ma Durga always elicits a prayer to Her in my heart. Devi is Supreme in the hearts of all, even God Shiva Himself.

So too, one can imagine when Shiva gets into His massive Udhyamo,( Bhairava realisation ) , He has nothing but praise for His eternal beloved, Devi...

Ah Durge~

we

do not know all

thy visions and thy graces

less still thy names.

Life’s each new turn

unfolds yet,

You

Once again!

and we,

bewildered thus

Vismayo ….so remain.

Somewhere from the mountains,

a golden tiger came.

And the Lord saluted Devi, saying

you,

are mine own God…

Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

FRIDAY MORNING ALANGARAM AT THE SRI RAJA RAJESWARY TEMPLE, AMPANG, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA ON 6TH SEPTEMBER, 2024.

The photos from this morning's prayers:-

- photos courtesy of Mr. Subhas Kannan

RUDRA

 

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 3:02

He was now called Shiva the Auspicious, but He could remember 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 societies learnt only a prayer of fear.

Rudra reached out to the denizens of the jungle, those who needed love and understanding, warmth and a Tribe instead of a society.

Slowly, slowly a lion here, a tiger there, and some brave men and women started not just befriending but also following Him in their way of life.Those first ones became His best friends- the Ganas. And they were blessed to see Him as He actually was- Satyam Shivam Sundaram- The truly beautiful Shiva.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

THE TREMENDOUS TEACHINGS OF SHIVA - A DIVINE PROMISE TO PARVATI.

 

THE TREMENDOUS TEACHINGS OF SHIVA - A DIVINE PROMISE TO PARVATI.

We all know that Mahadev is Ganga dhaari:

One who lands the mighty river of the heavens on His matlocks and then trickles her down slowly to the plains, so that all creation may quench their thirst.

Spiritually this means, that He is the Right receiver for all the Gyana ( Gnosis) of all the celestial realms, only He is powerful enough to land tradition as well technology , past as well as future of all the Gods on His own head, and then release it slowly for all bhakts and seekers.

We also know that it was the great rishi Bhagirath who did penance for this celestial event to happen so that he could atone for all the sins of his forefathers.

But the even bigger, much bigger story within a story is that Mahadev did this for Devi Parvati:

It was a divine promise He made to her in Amarnath, that He would teach all the deserving children of the highest spiritual teachings, secrets and practices.

It is Durga and only Durga who can get Shiva in such mode of Gangetic outpour.

Aum Namah Shivaye! Har Har Gange! Jai Ho Jagad Ambe Ma!

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

THE GREENING OF DIVINITY

 

THE GREENING OF DIVINITY

We are all born from the one source, God.

But the world play is such that we forget our link with that source. We forget our Divinity. Over time, we feel that our soul has become like a dry, leafless tree...

this is called vilaya, the 'not knowing'

interestingly matching with the western term "veiling" our Divine nature is veiled. It may go on for lifetimes.

Then there is Anugraha, Shiva's look of love, called 'Grace' in the western terminology.

That one look greens us all over again, it waters our parched and thirsty soul, simply because we have been connected to our roots, once again.

The clouds of ignorance begin to flit away, and we begin to see the Unveiling of Godness.

The great sage Abhinavgupta of Kashmir , said this is the play of God with His bhakts, and indeed, the joy of the Bhakts with their God.

In the end, all, is Shiva,God, or whatever you wish to call Supreme consciousnesses, As it was in the beginning.

Aum Namah Shivaye!

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

ARDHANARESHWAR

 

ARDHANARESHWAR

You know me as Ekam

said God, "The One"

but, see this...

Advaita! exclaimed the ancient seer

and so it was that God and His play was understood,

as

not two,

Advaita.

Ardhanarishwar, the androgynous representation, of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is an extremely beautiful Shaivic symbollism. It denotes the perfect repose of Prakasa (illumination) and Vimarasa (reflection of that illumination on itself, therefore its power, to do).

Devi Parvati and Her Lord, Shiva , are a perfect two in one,

one in two. This is the greatest Truth symbolised in the Shaivite scripture and learning. God is both Transcendence and manifestation, being and becoming, Yin and Yang, potential and kinetic, Shakti and Shaktiman, Shiv, and Parvati, father and mother, God is the worshipped and also, in the worshiper. God is both the dancer and the dance, the meditator and the meditation, the stillness and the flight, the sky and the earthy ground, God is the ground of all things, the height of all asked for. He is both the drummer and the drum the heart and the beat, the music and the note, the poem and the word.

Shiva is Shakti. Shakti, is Shiva. To know this is is to honour Shiva in fullness.

Shiva is everything as the ultimate consciousness. But when

He manifests in form, it is male. Here too, He is inseparable from His consort, Parvati, who is female, together they are called Ardhanareshwar, the God that is indistinguishable in gender.

Aum Namah Shivaya! Jai jagdambe!

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

PLAY ALONGSIDE

 

PLAY ALONGSIDE

He can catch even your thought,

make you come alive from a stone

He can write and rewrite

your script,

so that you know the worldly delight

and yet embark on a spiritual flight.

You are not just a number, a game,

as the simulation scientists claim

not a toy in the hand of a child,

you are the loved child yourself , to play alongside.

Shiva poetry by Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.