“O Parvati! Dainty princess… till when will you be doing this to get Shiva? We all know you have the signs of a great yogini, despite being born the
most royal princess. Till when will you subject yourself to such arduous
tapasya? And why exactly are you imploring to Shiva?” The voice startled
Parvati into opening Her eyes which were closed in meditation.
Parvati saw an enigmatic sadhu, dressed in ochre robes, replete with a kamandalu, dhyana danda, and rudraksha beads clinging all over his body. He had a white beard which was flowing freely in the wind, but despite this he looked mysteriously young and had an imposingly virile aura.
Parvati saw an enigmatic sadhu, dressed in ochre robes, replete with a kamandalu, dhyana danda, and rudraksha beads clinging all over his body. He had a white beard which was flowing freely in the wind, but despite this he looked mysteriously young and had an imposingly virile aura.
“Why? Why, because He is my love; why, because He
is my life. Why, you ask… because He is my very soul!” said Parvati, and then
added a little sharply, “And who, may I ask, are you to enquire this from me,
venerable Sadhu ji?”
“Ah, Shiva, that vagabond! He has no work,He has no real followers, no Kingdom, no land, no riches at all. Why would a dainty princess like you want to even call Him a soulmate? Why would you make the same mistake as Sati?”
“I do not like this talk at all, Sadhuji,” said Parvati. “Please refrain from making unfounded comments about my Ishta.”
“Your Ishta! Oh my God, really? This is the whole problem; the man is an idle fellow and yet some have erroneously come to believe that He is an idol! I tell you, the irony of it all…”
“Sadhuji, SADHUJI!” Parvati raised Her voice to cut the sadhu short. “Sadhuji, I will have no more of this talk. You cannot stand here and insult my love, my soulmate, my God!!”
“Alright, if you insist. But He cannot be anybody’s soulmate. Verily He has no soul Himself. All those who know something of morals and spirituality do declare that Shiva has none of these to His merit. Now, look at me instead, I am a meditator par excellence, through thousands of years of tapasya, I have acquired riddhis and siddhis which would make even Gorakh Nath salute me in honour! Verily I can create not just three worlds, but thirty three…” laughed the sadhu, in an almost sinister way.
“Ha!” laughed Parvati. “ Conceit can never be the hallmark of spirituality. Ego cannot accompany attainment, and so you are nothing more than a sham who thinks he can act as a moral police and lecture others about their devotion to their Ishta; but you forget, that that’s the very exhortation and goal of the Shaivite creed; ‘ To worship Shiva, be Shiva’.”
“Who would like to be Shiva, that vagabond, ever intoxicated mendicant?”
“Ah, Shiva, that vagabond! He has no work,He has no real followers, no Kingdom, no land, no riches at all. Why would a dainty princess like you want to even call Him a soulmate? Why would you make the same mistake as Sati?”
“I do not like this talk at all, Sadhuji,” said Parvati. “Please refrain from making unfounded comments about my Ishta.”
“Your Ishta! Oh my God, really? This is the whole problem; the man is an idle fellow and yet some have erroneously come to believe that He is an idol! I tell you, the irony of it all…”
“Sadhuji, SADHUJI!” Parvati raised Her voice to cut the sadhu short. “Sadhuji, I will have no more of this talk. You cannot stand here and insult my love, my soulmate, my God!!”
“Alright, if you insist. But He cannot be anybody’s soulmate. Verily He has no soul Himself. All those who know something of morals and spirituality do declare that Shiva has none of these to His merit. Now, look at me instead, I am a meditator par excellence, through thousands of years of tapasya, I have acquired riddhis and siddhis which would make even Gorakh Nath salute me in honour! Verily I can create not just three worlds, but thirty three…” laughed the sadhu, in an almost sinister way.
“Ha!” laughed Parvati. “ Conceit can never be the hallmark of spirituality. Ego cannot accompany attainment, and so you are nothing more than a sham who thinks he can act as a moral police and lecture others about their devotion to their Ishta; but you forget, that that’s the very exhortation and goal of the Shaivite creed; ‘ To worship Shiva, be Shiva’.”
“Who would like to be Shiva, that vagabond, ever intoxicated mendicant?”
“There you go again. I am warning you…” said
Parvati. “And what do you mean He has no soul? He verily, is the soul of all!”
“Ah, Sati… Sati…” whispered the sadhu. “The eternal loyalty of Sati.”
“What did you say, Sadhuji? I did not quite hear you. Are you reprimanding Shiva once again?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Have I not warned you…” shouted Parvati, but the sadhu cut Her short crisply and decisively.
‘I am reprimanding Shiva again, Parvati, because of how He lost Sati to Her fate and could not even save Her.”
“You are reprimanding Shiva for what happened to Sati? Who are you to do that… what do you even know of the circumstances that led to Sati’s death?”
“I know,” said the sadhu quietly.
“Oh! you know, do you? Then why do you reprimand Shiva?” said Parvati sharply.
“Because…” mumbled the Sadhu.
“Because?” Parvati raised Her eyebrows, thinking She had finally nailed the conversation, and that now the belligerent Sadhu would concede defeat.
“Because, I am Shiva,” said the sadhu quietly.
“Ah, Sati… Sati…” whispered the sadhu. “The eternal loyalty of Sati.”
“What did you say, Sadhuji? I did not quite hear you. Are you reprimanding Shiva once again?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Have I not warned you…” shouted Parvati, but the sadhu cut Her short crisply and decisively.
‘I am reprimanding Shiva again, Parvati, because of how He lost Sati to Her fate and could not even save Her.”
“You are reprimanding Shiva for what happened to Sati? Who are you to do that… what do you even know of the circumstances that led to Sati’s death?”
“I know,” said the sadhu quietly.
“Oh! you know, do you? Then why do you reprimand Shiva?” said Parvati sharply.
“Because…” mumbled the Sadhu.
“Because?” Parvati raised Her eyebrows, thinking She had finally nailed the conversation, and that now the belligerent Sadhu would concede defeat.
“Because, I am Shiva,” said the sadhu quietly.
“Oh, my God!” cried Parvati, as She fell at the Sadhu’s feet, but He swiftly reached out and tenderly raised Her up, so that they faced each other. Locking His eyes deeply into Hers, enveloping Her with one arm, He ripped off His fake beard and ochre robes with His other hand, to reveal the magnificent Shiva in His timeless tiger skin attire.
SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. Part 2 ( Humesha)
Launched 1st October, on Amazon books.
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07HVY1PPS ( India) and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HVY1PPS ( USA )
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