Our epics are filled with tales of patience & tapasya. Every great deed, every great boon in Sanatan itihaas was a result of centuries of single-minded tapasya. And who better to test the faith & fortitude of a Bhakt than The Adi Yogi Himself.
In Patanjali 's yog sutra when the sage talks about the gateway to divinity he describes the third eye or ajna chakra. the ajna chakra has a palpating golden outer hue which opens into another deeper level of conciousness of indigo vibration, The Krishna conciousness leads to the final white star gateway to samadhi or Fifth dimension or Shiv
Om tat sat are the shiv, krishna and the golden gateway of Fourth dimension
Krishna is outer manifestation of shiv
Shiv is inner truth of Krishna ЁЯЩПЁЯФ▒ЁЯХЙЁЯФ▒ЁЯЩП
The time to wake up, rise and shine has come. On this MahaShivaratri lets wake up the Shiva within and strive for a more equal society for the Hindus. We also wish a very Happy 'Herath Poshte' to all Kashmiri Hindus.
The Adiyogi, The Natraj, The First Guru, The Ascetic, The Origin, The End, The Energy of Light, The Ocean of Kindness.
What Lord of Lords shiva symbolises
Om Namah Shivaya !
He is Adi Yogi, the first yogi.
He is Dakshinamurthy, the greatest teacher .
He is Rudra, the destroyer of evil
He is Nataraja, the Lord of Dance.
He is everything, he is nothing. Jai Bholenath.
Lord of lords shiva at Somnath temple, Gujrat
This beautiful Swaroop of Kailash parvat - Its like viewing Shivalinga through the horns of Nandi.
The sacred Kailash parvat shresht region must be brought back into bharat territory.
MahaShivaratri is a festival held in the month of Kumbham (February-March) in honour of Lord Shiva. According to legends, it is believed that Shiva performed the ‘Tandava Nritya’, or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction on this day.
Ravan shaking Kailas, Ellora/Verul caves. When Ravan realised he was no match for Shri Shiv Shankar, he composed the Shiv Tandan Stotram.
In the panel on the right, Tripurantak Shiv -Shiv destroying the three cities built by Tarakasura's sons. In the left panel, Bhikshatan Shiv.
The Raudra form of Shiv. Killing Andhaka, Ellora/Verul caves, Maharashtra.
Kalyan sundar Shiv. The gentle form of Shiv during the marriage of Shiv-Parvati. Brahma is the priest.
Anandtandav Shiv. Kailasnathar Kovil, Kanchipuram
Dakshinamurthy Shiv - Shiv as the Adi Guru. Kailasnathar Kovil, Kanchipuram
Parvati closing Shiva's eyes playfully, plunging the world into darkness. Ekamreshwar temple, Kanchipuram
Bhikshatana Shiva, note the sandals. Kailasnathar Kovil, Kanchipuram.
Kiratarjun War - Shiv disguised as Kirata, a tribal, fighting Arjun. It is after this fight that Shri Shiv bestows upon Arjun the Pashupatastra.
Shiv Mukhalingam, Udaygiri Caves, Madhya Pradesh, one of the earliest examples of Gupta era sculpture.
Anandtandav Shiv, Shiv immersed in the cosmic dance. Ellora/Verul caves, Maharashtra.
Massive shiva lingam at the Bhojeshwar temple, Bhojpur, MP
Fire is his head, the sun & moon his eyes, space his ears, the Vedas his speech, the wind his breath, the universe his heart. From his feet the Earth has originated. Verily, he is the inner self of all beings (Description of Bhagwan Shiva in the Upanishads)
Mahadev the destroyer of all illusions n imperfections in the universe,
The one who transforms the universe for the better,
The supreme being who can't be contaminated by imperfections of the universe,
The very utterance of his name purifies everyone.
Aum namah shivaya
Lord Shiva as the supreme guru is the bet role model for hindus everywhere. He didn't apologize, compromise, doubt, become afraid, or was unwilling to take a stand. Never catered to public opinion or tried to please everyone. Was always happy to go his own way to the highest!
In a haze of uncertainty, only Shiva is certain.
Jai Mahakal! Har Har Mahadev!
Food for thought,
Lord of lords SHIVA is also called kaalon ke kaal - mahaakaal (time beyond tjme, a state where SPACE TIME CONTINUUM breaks down)
Black holes represents the same in physical world. A cosmic state where space, time & all laws of physics break down +
Now do you know, it's believed that right behind a black hole (mahakaal) exist a white hole ( shakti or creative energy ) from which new matter & light emits out to form new suns & universes,
The full diagram is in attached pic....
Does it make you think of something?
Yes Black Hole- White Hole constitution is re presented by Mahadev's Damru
When he Plays it destruction & creation takes place
Now think who art though he may be for whom space, time, causation, creation destruction are a mere play?
& ; where do we stand in this play!
He is the Lord of the Lord. Lord Shiva, Mahadeva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deity. He is the Auspicious one (Shiva), The terrific one (Rudra), Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), Lord of the universe (Vishwanatha), He is the Destroyer and the Transformer.
He is limitless, transcendent, unchanging, formless and also the one without beginning or without end.
“SHIVA” means the auspicious one. It is humanly impossible to explain Shiva, just as it is impossible to explain the universe yet let’s make an attempt.
From simple human intellect, he is the one from whom the Brahman emerges, in whom it stays and within whom it goes back.
Here Brahmman is not mere the Universe but is the one who is the base and cause of the universe. Brahmman holds the universe. Shiva is reasons of all causes. He must not be seen as a Human-God. That’s a wrong notion. Scriptures call him the Nirgun Brahman and the Sagun Brahmman
Shiva exists in 3 states
Nirgun: In this state he is formless, and the whole universe and creation lie in the pervasiveness of Shiva.
Saguna: In the Saguna state Shiva is the entire universe and his “ansh” is present in the tree, the insect, the animal, male, female and the whole creation. In this state though all forms arise out of him yet, no form can describe him.
Nirgun-Sagun: In the Nirgun-Sagun state Shiva is worshiped as the Shivalingam. The word Shivalingam has been derived from Sanskrit roots Shiva (Lord) + Lingam (Mark/Chinha/Symbol). Hence, Shivalingam is the mark of lord within its creation.
Everything in the world arises out of a dome/a ball/ a pindi. Be it a tree which comes from a seed which is round, a child which comes from a cell which is round, all heavenly bodies are round, the minutes of cells are round and our very earth is round.
Everything being round is a mark of the Lord/Shiva. Since Shiva can’t be comprehended, we worship his mark or we worship the whole Brahmman in a Shivalingam.
“NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI”
-The Yujur Veda
“THERE IS NO IMAGE OF HIM”
Thus, it is important to understand that he is “Formless”. Though all forms belong to him and he is happy in whatever way you look at him yet there is no single form in the world that describes him.
The three forms in which the world appears i.e., “HE-SHE-IT” referred arises out of him. We refer to Shiva as “HE” to keep up with the conventions.
Philosophy behind the image and symbol of Lord Shiva
The image of Lord Shiva that you see in posters, tv, etc. has a philosophy behind it.
1. Blue Body of Lord Shiva
Contrary to the belief that he drank the poison/halahal of the ocean and so his body turned blue, the philosophical reason is that blue is the last colour that our eye can see.
Since the sky is nothing but space and space is limitless, birthless, deathless, boundless, directionless. Hence, Shiva is depicted as blue as he is the last that our aatma knows. He is just like the Sky/space which is limitless, birthless, deathless, boundless, directionless.
2. Bhasma
Smearing of Bhasma is seen as sacred by all shiva devotees called Shaivites. Bhasma is a philosophical reminder to a devotee that.....
“Do not be attached to this material body, to its maya, its kaya and its swaroop because your ultimate reality is the “bhasma”.
"As bhasma a human, animal, tree, guru, shishya, raja, rank none will be discriminated as u can’t discriminate that which bhasma is of a raja and which is that of a cow. hence, Bhasma is a reminder that this body and world are not the true realities”
3. Trishool
Trishool or the trident of Shiva explains the philosophy of time. The 3 Shools are a philosophical symbol of “Past-Present-Future“.
It is a reminder to the devotee that:
“The existence of past, present and future lies within the hand of MAHAKAAL as he alone is the base on which time stands and he alone is the slayer of time”
4. Tripunda – Three Stripes on Forehead
The 3 stripes on forehead called the Tripunda are a symbol of the 3 Gunas
1.Sattva Guna – is harmonious, pure, welfare and construction base, kindness, goodness, creative, balanced
2.Rajas Guna – is confusion, overactive or eager, passionate, self-centered, egoist
3.Tamas Guna – is lazy, heavy, destructive, impure, destructive
5.Damru
It represents the cosmic sound and is called Pranavamand and represents the “Shabda Brahma” or OM. It is from which came out grammar and music.When a damaru is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound.
The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation.
In the scriptures, it is said that when Shiva mode of creation, his damru vibrates 14 times.
These 14 basic formulae contain all the alphabets in sanskrit arranged in ways to facilitate various grammatical processes. Therefore, the Damaru represents the alphabets, grammar, and language itself.
6. The 3rd Eye of Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva is often depicted with a 3rd eye and called Triyambhkam, Trinetra etc. The third eye is a symbol for Shiva devotees to develop the sight of knowledge. Our 2 eyes are not always sufficient to judge things and know realities.
Shiva’s third eye represents the rejection of desire.Even a normal man must have Samta(balance), Sadhuta(purity of character) and doordarshita(broader vision).
He must not fall pray to desires arising out of women(other than wife), money(other than that which is earned by sweat and purity), fame(other than that which arises out of sattvic actions.
From Yogic point of view, it is said that when the pineal gland or ‘third eye’ is awakened, one is able to see beyond space time into time space. It raises the frequency on which one operates and moves one into a higher consciousness..
With more research it is being realized that it is essentially a spiritual antenna the mystical third eye of ‘lord Shiva’. For many eons, the third eye has been seen as a way to reach higher levels of consciousness while still being present in a physical body.
The purpose of this third eye is the key here, which opens the door to the metaphysical interpretations that ancient wisdom talks about. The pineal gland is also responsible for secreting two extremely vital brain fluids related to our mental health.
Those are, melatonin, which is the hormone that induces sleep, and serotonin, which is the chemical that helps to maintain a happy, healthy balanced mental state of mind, among other functions.
7.Rudraksha
It has been derived from the Sanskrit roots Rudra(Shiva) Aksha (Teardrop). Hence, rudraksha means the teardrop of Lord Shiva. Since Shiva is Trinetra. Rudraksha is referred to Shiva’s 3RD eye. The eye of knowledge.
Rudraksha is a symbolism to the Shiva devotees, yogis and sadhaks to balance their chakras and energies by wearing it as Rudraksha can lead a person to high spiritual know-how.
8. The Moon Crescent – Ardha-Chandrama
From a scientific and philosophical point of view, the moon on Shiva’s forehead depicts control on time in terms of nature. The waxing and waning of the moon was used to calculate the days and months in earlier times.
Thus, the Moon symbolizes time and Lord Shiva wearing the moon on his head denotes that Shiva has complete control over time and is beyond the measure of time and is eternal.
Control on time and the moon is important to control nature.
An example that i can quote here is the high tides and the low tides that arise due to the gravity of the moon. Hence, it is Chandrashekhara alone who can control time.
9. Snake ( Vasuki )
Shiva’s snake is known as “Vasuki”. Shiva never discriminates among his devotees. Even the most venomous creatures are accepted by Lord Shiva as an ornament.
However, it must be understood philosophically that all good and bad arises from Shiva and finds Mukti in him. Hence, all Rishi, munis, avatars, and rakshas merged back into Shiva.
10. Baghambar Chaal And Yogic Posture
Shiva is depicted sitting on a baghambar chaal in a yogic posture.
This suggests to a devotee that with the practice of Yoga and meditation one can know himself and him who understands his real roopa as “ahm brahmaasmi” or “Shivoham” sits victorious on all his fears. Tiger is an animal that produces fear.
11.Ganga
The Ganga is considered the life source. It’s descend from the matted locks of Lord Shiva is a symbol of a continued flow of mental energies and knowledge which is the source of parmananda.
It is believed that King Bhageeratha performed Tapasya to MAHADEV to bring Ganga on to the earth so that he could help his 60,000 ancestors to be liberated. These ancestors were reduced to ashes by an angry saint (Kapil).
Lord Shiva granted him the boon and to break the flow of the Ganga (so that the great flow don’t lead to destruction on earth), Shiva consumed it in his matted locks.
It’s the Sadhus that make Pashupatinath that extra bit special during Shivaratri.
Sadhu sleeping in Maha Shiva Ratri festival at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal. Image Credit – khomson srisawasdi.
Although smoking pot is illegal in Nepal, only the “sadhus” are legally permitted to smoke it for religious rituals inside the Pashupatinath temple area.
Maha Shivaratri is a festival that honors Lord Shiva, it is the Hindu festival that is dedicated to the worship of the great Lord. The fourteenth day of every lunar month or the day before the new moon is known as Shivratri.
Among all the twelve Shivratri that occur in a calendar year, the one that occurs in the month of Feb/ March is of the most spiritual significance, hence it is called Maha Shivaratri. Thus, it is believed that worshiping Lord Shiva on this day helps one get rid of all the sins.
Also, it popularly believed that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati got married on this day.
Two common beliefs include:
1. Parvati (Shiva’s wife) prayed and meditated on the 13th night of the new moon to ward off any evil that might befall her husband
2. With the world facing destruction, Parvati asked her husband Shiva to save it by dedicating a night where living souls would become active again and upon worshiping Shiva would have his blessings. Hence, it became known as the night of Shiva.
Also
Maha Shivaratri celebrates the night when Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava‘, the cosmic dance.
A slice of Shiva Tandava Stotram for Pradosham. Choreo. by Kelu Babu with music by Pt Panigrahi. Performed by Ratikant.
рдЬрдЯा рдЯрд╡ी рдЧрд▓рдЬ्рдЬрд▓рдк्рд░рд╡ाрд╣ рдкाрд╡िрддрд╕्рдерд▓े рдЧрд▓ेрд╜рд╡ рд▓рдо्рдм्рдпрд▓рдо्рдмिрддां рднुрдЬंрдЧрддुंрдЧ рдоाрд▓िрдХाрдо्।рдбрдордб्рдбрдордб्рдбрдордб्рдбрдорди्рдиिрдиाрдж рд╡рдб्рдбрдорд░्рд╡рдпं
рдЪрдХाрд░рдЪрдг्рдбрддाрдг्рдбрд╡ं рддрдиोрддु рдиः рд╢िрд╡: рд╢िрд╡рдо् ॥рез॥
ONE MISCONCEPTION
Does Shiva drink bhang n somras?
NO. It is NOWHERE written in Vedas than Lord Shiva smokes weed. Challenge for anyone to produce reference from Vedas.
1. Neither somarasa nor bhang is alcohol.
2. The bhang story is a oral folk tradition not found in shAstra.
3. shiva drank poison too: Even if certain forms of shiva drank alcohol, it is not for you to imitate.
The social phenomenon that you gentlemen describe finds mention in R─Бm─Бyaс╣Зa 2:12:78
The thing is; what you ought to do comes not from blindly imitating what the devas did but by following what you are told to do in shAstra. And shAstra prohibits all types of alcohol for a brAhmaNa.
A realised yogi can enter trance state whenever he pleases , he does not need outside substances.
