FRIDAY MORNING ALANGARAM AT THE SRI RAJA RAJESWARY TEMPLE, AMPANG, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA ON 23RD AUGUST, 2024.

The photos from this morning's prayers:-

- Photos courtesy of Mr. Subhas Kannan

THERE HAD BEEN A TIME

 

THERE HAD BEEN A TIME

There had been a time

when even He did not feel Divine.

A time, when She had gone

taking with Her, His foothold on the ground.

The mighty creator of the world did feel

helpless

like a child who was lost eternally, never found.

The sky which He had Himself created

as an endless merry coat of happy blue

darkened to a sad grey blanket ,

sticking wherever He went , in unending glue

Sorrow is not just the cup of the few:

there was a time

when He did not feel Divine.

But then,

He arose to dive

deepest into the Self

where His own reserve of strength resides

and everyone saw

from the highest mountains came a smile

A Himalayan birth of strength

the eternal bride, Shakti

to be once more by His side.

~ Shiva poetry by Shail Gulhati

TELL ME YOUR STORY

 

TELL ME YOUR STORY

That ‘Shiva was an aloof mendicant’, was the greatest misnomer.

He defied the very concept that the more mystic one is, the more detached he becomes. Contrary to what people had come to believe of Him, as the most mystic of all, He was desperately attached and fallibly infatuated, which made Him endearingly human.

He loved relationships, in fact, craved for them, surfing with equal intensity the crests of one and all in a tumultuous ocean of relationships and feelings; sometimes knowing, at other times eager to know, how his favourite people had surfaced to their present form in this ocean of manifestation: He always wanted a recap from the other’s story.

In each lifetime, in each story, He enjoyed sitting with His friends, sharing quality time in long conversations. They would exchange anecdotes and talk of the experiences gathered in each other’s absence. It was like filling in the blanks, putting in the pieces that fitted into a mystic Jigsaw. Unfailingly, each time, there would ultimately be that one glorious moment when, while sitting and exchanging their own private worlds and sojourns, the final piece would fit, completing the big picture.

And a silent but supremely powerful Oneness would dawn.

It was called Samadhi.

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

IF YOU KNOW....

 

IF YOU KNOW....

If you know your bond with God

there is nothing in this world to be afraid of.

This is the ultimate knowing of the Bhakta: He does not go into heavy Gyana, he just knows that when God is with him, who can be against him?

Jai Ma Durge. Aum Namah Shivaye.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

THERE ARE TIMES

 

THERE ARE TIMES

There are times when the dream, is like waking

times when the waking, is like a dream.

Have you ever, O Parvati felt beyond both, a space?

there, the Yogi is always awake.

~ Shiva poetry inspired by The Vijnanbhairava, Shiva's talks to Parvati.

When Parvati tells stories to Lions about their father.

 

When Parvati tells stories to Lions about their father.

~ Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism.

OM AND VYOM

 

OM AND VYOM

At first, there had been a fluid cosmic ocean, for what seemed like eternity. It was calm and self-contained, and so self-satisfied that there just couldn’t be a sense of time, or anything else for that matter.

Whichever way the ocean turned to look, it could only see itself, and which, was a truly expansive state of being. Somehow there was a word that hung above the ocean, like a sky. OM…OM…OM…

For many thousands of earth years, He remained in the bliss of the ocean, listening to the word. By and by, He became aware that He was the cosmic ocean itself. And also, that in its echo, the drone was sounding VYOM.

Vyom? It wasn’t a thing.

In fact, that’s what it was: NO thing.

And yet He was there in Vyom, and it felt good.

This was an unending present, and the paradox was the understanding of Timelessness in every moment. He rested, floating in that peaceful placidity. Even gravity hadn’t taken birth. Om was the ocean and Vyom was the sky, and together, they were One.

Such was the profound state of Vyom, as Shiva could remember.

~ From the book SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. by Shail Gulhati: Shiva and Mysticism. .