PATH OF THE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

Once Daksha, the father-in-law of Shiva  organised a ‘Men only’ meet in which they would together propitiate the devatas and other Gods. Kings were invited from all neighbouring territories. Shiva too was invited. Although He was not a crowned king, He was a Chieftain of the mountain people, and of course, He was Daksha’s son-in-law. Shiva reached the venue of the yagya a little later than the appointed hour since He was coming all the way from the mountains. By that time, most of the devatas and kings were already seated in their allotted places.
Seeing Shiva and Nandi enter the grounds, they all arose to greet Him, without exception. In what seemed like a singular note reverberating with respect, they saluted Him with a chorus of ‘Aum Namah Shivaya!’
Shiva bowed in acknowledgment and took His own place, which was one of fair prominence. At this point, Daksha was also to make his own entry: it was deemed as a strategy that he should enter last, so that all collected would salute him. But Daksha had witnessed the way that the entire congregation saluted Shiva.

The yagya began and the flames arose high and fierce, literally snapping at the air around them in a powerful and savage manner, almost characteristically like the beast that Daksha had so sarcastically defined.
The chanting of the Royal Priests invocations rented the sky.
Their orange robes matched well with the colour of the leaping flames and their prayers like a duet with its crackling.
Some of the devatas started to sense an ominous vibration instead of a peaceful invocation.
Shiva was unusually quiet as He watched the fire.
When the Head Priest announced that it was time for the Purna Ahuti—the Final Sacrifice—Daksha got up with pomp to pour ghee into the fire. All the devatas and rishis also arose along with Daksha and readied themselves to pour in the Ahutis—offerings.
All that is, except Shiva.

“Purna Ahuti!” Upon hearing these words of the Priest, Shiva had become quieter. His attention had wavered and, in fact, completely abdicated from the venue, somewhere into another time, another place. It was as if the rising flames had transported him to a future event.
“It seems that some people here have no respect for the Gods, for the traditions, and indeed for the yagya itself!” remarked Daksha wryly. “It seems, some people show their true colors when it comes to matters of spiritual perseverance. They have none at all; they haven’t grown from their schoolboy days of being vacant in the class; that is, if they had any education at all,” he added, taking a dig at Shiva.
It was Nandi’s loud bellow that brought Shiva back to the current scene.
“You do not know a thing about divinity, you ignorant, arrogant king! How dare you insult our Master, the Master of all!!”

"You are all a bunch of uncouth vandals, dacoits, treacherous thugs! You, who claim to know about divinity, but practice abhorrent practices in the secret caves of your fringe mountains! You practitioners of the tantras, you vile creatures who cheat all.
And your chief..Shiva... this chief vandal cheated me off my pretty, innocent daughter, Sati” Said Daksha venomously .

Daksha finally spilled the venom that was so obviously pent up. Venom that had indeed been building up in his heart ever since His daughter’s marriage, which he had never really accepted. He could not forgive that Sati had rejected his indignation for Shiva, and thus this was Daksha’s own supreme rejection of the past. He forgot that they had all already travelled into the present, and that his venom would affect the future.

A furious Nandi, true to his bullish nature, started to head for Daksha in a bid to engage him in combat. The devatas and the congregation became visibly scared.
But Shiva stopped Nandi , raising His hand in a firm gesture of estoppel.
He then said in a slightly raised but resolute voice, “Nandi! You shall hold your peace. If someone knows not of your way, or that of your Master, if someone knows not of the divinity that resides in all things, if someone rebukes your way of invocation, of adoration, that does not mean he is right. Or, that you will set him right. That you know your own divinity, that you are resolute and loyal about your own devotion—that is the entire path a spiritual warrior requires, and indeed creates situations for. Situations, which I, as your Lord, have always prepared you for. We shall not stay here any longer. May the holy flame grant peace to all.”
Shiva walked calmly out of the Yagna venue, bowing His head just a little to mark respect for Daksha despite his show of being a poor host.
Nandi, Bhringhi and the ganas marched after Him. Nandi however, was not as chivalrous as Shiva and gave Daksha one of his dirtiest looks as he exited.

 
~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller. by  Shail Gulhati
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Shiva art by Rishabh Dev Sharma

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.

Available on Amazon as E books, downloadable on your laptops, ipads, iphones, androids or any other device. To order a copy click the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017ECI6CU
and for INDIA exclusively:
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WHEN GOD TURNED HIS BACK

“Bhole Nath…” Shiva heard Her sweet voice.
He looked at Sati’s limp body in His own arms.
“Bhole Nath…” He heard Her again, and hugged Her tightly, tears falling freely from His eyes.
He looked desperately at Her eyes, waiting for them to open, from their slumber.
They did not.
Sati was dead, and gone.
The voices Shiva heard, were just in His head, arising straight from His hurting heart.

Slowly, He alighted from the ground, and lifting Sati gently, almost as if She were an extension of His own being, He began walking away from Daksha’s plains towards His own mountains. There was a strange look on His face. The Ganas didn’t know quite what to make of this look,
but quietly began to follow their Master.

Shiva turned around, and in an emotionally choked, albeit authoritative tone, commanded, “No one shall follow me from here on. I wish to be alone with Sati!”
“But Lord…” the Ganas cried.
“I said, I wish to be alone with Sati. You may all return to your own homes… and families,” repeated Shiva poignantly. The Ganas all recognised the finality in their Master’s voice, and stopped where they were.
All, that is, except Nandi. He walked towards Shiva and folding his hands, appealed, “Lord, you are the only family I have.” And as Shiva looked at him, added, “And I am the only family you have now.”
Tears rolled resonantly down Nandi’s robust cheeks, as Shiva nodded with a rather blank expression, in consent that Nandi could walk alongside Him on His path.

It was the first time that Nandi played the role of a co-wayfarer, rather than a vehicle or a guard. As he trudged silently behind Shiva, Nandi  let out a sigh filled with sad resignation.  
       
With equal sadness, the Ganas watched this scene of exit as if it were a metaphor:
The walk from the mundane plains of the city to the lofty mountain ranges of Shiva. 
They watched without blinking, till their eyes watered. They watched till their ‘larger than life’ Master became a little dot merging into the distant mountains, and then finally, fade away completely from their sight. And they wondered if this metaphor would last forever.

Through years of hearing lessons from their seniors, through endless tapasya and dhyana, they had learnt of Baindavi kala - Shiva’s art of becoming unknown to Himself.
They had forever marvelled at this huge magic of Shiva reducing His infinite nature into a dot.
But today, the feeling was different. Today, they wondered if their lives would be lost in the knot of Baindavi. They wondered, if Godliness would disappear forever from their lives.

~ SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.Part 2.
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Shiva art by Rames Harikrishnasamy

SHIVA WORSHIPS THE SHIVALINGA

This depiction of Shiva worshipping the Shivalinga , is a favourite Shaivic imagery. It full of spiritual meaning.
Why does Shivji sit behind His own Shivalinga in prayer?
Because, in the simplest words: He is committed to His own creation. He, is His own first votary.

If you compare this to a modern day analogy, where during an election, the contender for  'Head of state'  also goes to caste his vote, we note that he is up early, one of the first to caste his own ballot selection! But this comparison, i give only to make you understand that a good leader believes in what he stands for, he signs up for the teachings and vision he himself gives us.

The difference is that in Divinity, there is no election, no selection,and no contest. But a seeker must respect the Divine ideal he seeks, and this can only happen if the Divine itself upholds its foundations! So too, Shivji respects what His own Shaivism stands for, He is the first adherent, the first to vouch for the Shiva way,
and we understand that He is His own first votary. He believes in His own manifesto, and stands by His principles.He leads by example and from the front.
But of course, the analogy ends here, you cannot be " Voted" God !
And although i truly loved reading them, I do not personally subscribe to some stories theorising that Shiva was a man , raised to the level of God by his feats and followers. Rather, my work is based on the understanding that Shiva was always God, but endearingly Human, lovable like a good man in our midst!
And this understanding is based on the notings of the ancient Rishis; They said a surprising thing in the Vedanta and Upanishads:
You cannot Become God, You are always that!

What did they mean by this?
Their teaching was expanded for us by the Rishis of Kashmir in their Shaiv Darshan.They explained that sometimes, God makes Himself forget that He is God, just before he descends to earth. This paves the way for play- Lila.
So once God ( Shiva) comes to earth as another jiva, he undergoes the same world and stages as everyone else, the same joys and sorrows, and finally he begins to question if there is a creator to all this. God looks for God! The Nath Sampradaya states:
Shiva seems to play the lila of losing Himself, then looking for Himself , and finally finding Himself out. According to them, God finds His own true nature when He is in deep Dhyana, Samadhi ; and it is that great realisation which the great Adi shankara termed as Chidanand roopam shivoham. It is also called Satchitananda or Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
We note also, that ultimately we are all seekers of the same truth and helped by Gurus and saints who have journeyed before us.
When He comes on the same journey, In this lovely Lila, God is also helped by His own Rishis as Gurus.
The teacher becomes the taught! This is not difficult to understand, rather, this is the real beauty of God's Lila and love. That is why you have examples of Ramji being taught by Rishi Vashisht, Krishnji being taught by Guru Sandeepan: So that they may remain centered in their Godhood.

Incidentally, the term Yoga, means " To conjoin with the Divine" and Shivji is also called Yogeshwar, the God of the Yogis, which title further simplifies the point that Shivji is always centered in His Supreme God consciousness.Always meditating for the welfare of the Universe. And we note how beautifully the Shivalinga is meant to represent the whole manifest world.


Aum Shiv Shakti Namah.
~ Shail gulhati 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, AGHORNATH.

This extraordinary statue shows Shiva in a completely different poise from the one's His bhaktas are used to. Shiva is absolutely distraught and broken, He is shedding tears unabashedly.How could this ever happen?
And the only logical answer is that it was probably a time between Sati and Parvati.
That Lord Shiva became a recluse when Sati died, is well recorded in His legend. It is said that He held onto Sati’s body for the longest time, in the greatest Moha, till Vishnu cut it up with his Sudershan Chakra into 51 pieces that fell on different parts of the earth, resulting in the great Shaktipeeths ( Places of Shakti worship).
When Sati died, Shiva is said to have abandoned Kailash and virtually disappear into hiding and oblivion. This appearance of not caring for his own self made Him unrecognizable.He is even legended to have wept in Shiva temples at the images of Shiva and Sati's love; Unrecognized,He kept on visiting their own places of worship in remembrance.

Shiva lost all interest in the world- His own world without Sati was finished. It is at times like this, when everything you loved is suddenly gone, that you come to your deepest questionings about life. Shiva, who was the mightiest God, the creator of the entire Universe, was stunned at the loss of Sati, His beloved, and this must have been the greatest introspection for Him. It is very possible that Aghora practices were done by Him during this time, and thus the appearance.

A complete withdrawal from the Universe of the outside, and the deep dive into the Inner Being, propelled by a great sadness. Surprisingly it is the word Ghor which means ‘terrible’ and the word Aghor, means a negation of terrible. So Aghora means that, which can finish the terrible (situation or state of being) . Shiva possibly learnt the maximum about His own spiritual power and Self during the Aghora meditations and practices. He probably came to all the answers as to why He could not avoid Sati's death even though He was Himself the greatest God. He probably excelled in His own dhyana, learnt much more than was ever deemed possible for even the God's to contemplate..and then, He continued his journey, and passing through the enchanted forest of Cedar Trees, called Daruvana, He settled in an unknown part of the Himalayas and meditated for ages before Sati manifested herself again as Parvati.

Once He was back to His Ganas and followers in his own habitat, again, it is very likely that Shiva, who was a great Guru, taught his greatest and latest techniques, learned at this time, to a select few which made the Aghora sect. The most spiritually powerful, but also most terrifying Ganas of Kailash. Therefore, Aghoras were the foremost shamans to whom absolutely nothing mattered other than proximity to their chief, Shiva, at all times.

Over time, perhaps due to their appearance, the word Aghor got identified only with terrible things, people who could not fathom the deep inner practice that led to an unkempt outward presence, actually started thinking of the Aghors as Ogres. And this perhaps suited the original, and indeed spiritually superb Ganas of Shiva, who actually wanted to be left alone in their privacy of meditating and diving deep into their own Self.

It is only because with the passage of time, we tend to copy outward ritual and forget the inner meaning, perhaps the newer Aghoris , as also their critics may have begun to think that unconventional habits are the right practice of Aghoris. And this has lead to all the fear and suspicion about Aghorism. But this surely cannot be the original abandoning spirit that Shiva Himself underwent, it is only the outer shell. The real fruit of meditation , is always on the inside, which is the original intent of Shiva, The Adi Guru.
Aum Namah Shivaye.
From Shail Gulhati, 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.