The Ever Enchanting Shiva from the Eyes of His Devotees

Hey lovely people! How have you been? My sincere apologies for being absent this entire month of Feb. It was Feb, afterall, the month of Love and our supreme Beloved, Shri Hari, was about to manifest in His rudraavtaar (Fierce Aspect), Shiva. Fierce! Shiva sach mein faaltu mein badnaam hai. How can the One who is called Aashutosh (easily pleased) be fierce, right? Or, is He both? 😉 Lemme know your views about Shiva in the comment section. 😊😊

So, it was Feb; it was Valentine Month and it was Mahashivratri, one of the 5 most important nights for a Upasaka (worshipper). I was at my Guru’s abode and amidst all the festivities and merriment, I happened to read something beautiful about Shiva that triggered a tsunami of thoughts inside this tiny head. Feeling this urge to share it with our  os.me family, I knew that’s going in the Samurai roundup for sure:

There is this famous dictum in Aghor Maarg and Tantra, Shivo Bhootva, Shivam Yajet. One cannot truly worship Shiva unless he or she becomes Shiva. So how do we become Shiva, you ask? Tulsidas Ji says in Shri Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhya-Kaand, Verse 2,

सोइ जानइ जेहि देहु जनाई। जानत तुम्हहि तुम्हइ होइ जाई॥

Only he can understand You in all essence, on whom You bestow that grace to comprehend You. Once such a person realises who You truly are, he becomes “You” himself.”

So, vice-versa, in order to be Bum Bum Baba, we got to understand Him, the Aadipurush (Eternal Masculine Principle). Halua-Poori hai kya!  

Here I am unable to remember multiplication tables after 12 and there He is: The wisdom of the 4 Vedas relies on His intellect for their content.

At the age of 30, I squeak like a rat every time my finger gets touched by a burning incense and there He is: Commanding the 5 mahabhootas on His one finger.

Here I am sitting clueless about my topic for my PhD and there He is: The essence of all knowledge Himself; everything from Physics to Philosophy.

He is the eternal point from which constellations and galaxies emerged: The Shoonya Bindu. Me? I am Shoonya, too. Shoonya batey sannaata. I am that zero that the crown of Sanatan Dharma, Aryabhatta Chacha, discovered.  

Usually, civilization portrays the One, who is placed at the altar of Divinity, in a ‘socially’ positive light. We like to think of our God(s) and Goddess(es) as supremely pure, supremely adoring, supremely goody-goody stuff, isn’t it? But Shiva! Ah! That Entity is an exception (rather a slap) on every such conditioning that governs the so-called civilised society. Unki apne sasurji se bhi anti thi, bhaai. His father-in-law was the CEO of the ‘civilised’ society during his time. Shiva never really believed in division, discrimination, pomp and show, pendantism, you see. Simple man He is. Baba was the 1st ever revolutionary in the history of humankind; a rebel with a cause.

If in His real form and essence, Shiva is the most handsome man in the entire universe, then, He is even the fiercest of all in His Aghora swaroop (form/aspect).

If He is the foremost yogi and a highest ascetic to ever walk this planet, then, He is the most perfect householder and most loving husband as well.

He is the one who dissolves the entire creation into Him and perform the Dance of Death, the Mahatandav and He is the one who is ever seated in Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

He is one who rules dizziness of all intoxication and every discipline, too, emerged from Him.

If there is no lover greater than Shiva, then, He is also the supremely detached, ash-smeared Maha-Aghori of Shamsham beyond the shackles of the worldly affairs.

Shiva is a complex amalgamation of everything that exists and everything that doesn’t.

How do we ever understand such an entity, such a power, such a wonderful being unless He Himself decent on the earth and bestows His grace upon our teeny tiny hearts as Sadgurudev, the perfect master who is ever in union with Shiva; His very embodiment.

That was my experience with Bhagwan. Let’s see how He plays with His other lovely kids: “The Ever Enchanting Shiva from the Eyes of His Devotees”.

1) When Lord Shiva Decides to Visit the House – It is a shared belief in Sanatan Dharma that seeing the mounts or any other signs related to your Deity is a blessed omen. This Shivratri, Sandeep Sibs’ Mahadev paid him a surprise visit! 

“The night of Mahashivratri is one that is filled with wonder and awe for me. The air is thick with the sound of chanting and the fragrance of flowers as devotees across the country come together to celebrate Lord Shiva. But this year, something extraordinary happened. As I was getting ready to perform my puja, I noticed a strange movement in the corner of my eye. As I turned to look, I saw a….”

Read about this heartwarming incident in this article. 🙂

2) The Beauty of Shiva Tandava Stotram – One of the myriad things I admire about our writer, Rashmi Om, is her ability to write a well-informed article in the most succinct way possible. Did you know, Ravana created a veena using his tendons as strings to play the Shiva Tandav Stotra after he composed the same? Ever heard of Ravanahatha? I had absolutely no idea about these mindboggling details behind one of the most sacred and musically rich stotras of Sanatan Dharma. Read this creative critical analysis of Shiva Tandav Stotra to know more. 

“Consider the line, “डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं ’(Verse 1) where the repetition of the word ‘damad’ suggests the wild resonance of Shiva’s damru as he sways in ‘Tandava’(the divine dance). Similarly, in the line “धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके” the words (dhagadh, dhagadh) imitate the sound of a raging flame— a reference to Shiva’s third eye that burns on the surface of his forehead.”

Simply amazing!

3) Shiva….. – It is said that all talents flow from Shiva and it’s His grace that manifests as Creativity in individuals. Vedant Randive, an artist and a poet, definitely has His hand on his head. Read about his perception of ‘his Shiva’ in this wonderfully rhythmic poem. 

“Not drinking a drop from eternal nectar’s coat
He drank and stored the poison in his throat,
Through this he showed how to be selfless remaining bold,
Gulping too much of admiration will only make one bloat,
And not letting hate enter or exit through our mouths will help us shine brighter than gold!”

Shivoham!

4) The Marriage of Lord Shiva and Ma Uma – One of the most brilliant things about our Santana Dharma is that it teaches through stories. Rarely, will you find it to be morbid and serious. And in the guise of those stories, our scriptures impart the eternal wisdom of Vedas and Upanishads. Akshay Om brings alive the legend of Shiv-Parvati Vivaah (The wedding of Shiva and Parvati) through the eyes of a cute Shiv-Gana. 

“I was an orphan before he found me—an odd-looking kid chased away from every village and outpost. They did not even let me eat scraps because even my shadow was considered inauspicious. So I hid in cemeteries, where the villagers burnt their dead and left delicious food as offerings…Suddenly father appeared with his Damru and Trishul. He was digambara, but it seemed like the very sky bent around him to cover him up. The moonlight came from his matted locks, and it highlighted his silver locks which were dripping. His booming laugh filled the sky as he picked up hot ash from a pyre and rubbed it over his body. The entire universe seemed to converge on a single sound. AAAUUUMMMMM… it vibrated till he started dancing and playing his damru. I could not resist anymore….”

He couldn’t resist. Can you? Go, read the story and have a treat! 🙂

MahaShivratri Goodies:

“The scriptures state that the greatest tantric master, the yogin of the yogis, Siva is the expounder of all tantric texts. [The Tantric system of worship] is the rapid path to attainment; predominantly because the tantric methods require you to rise above the gross and the grotesque, the tendencies and the taboos, the right and the wrong, and other dualities to attain the transcendental state. It is a journey from the outward to the inward, from form to the formless and beyond.” – (His Holiness) Om Swamiji in Shivaratri 

Goodie#1: Immerse yourself in the sublime chants of Shiva Vedasara Stotra and let Shiva’s grace light up every pore of your being.

Goodie#2: Also, the blog, Shivaratri, mentions a movie, Dharm. This weekend, if you are not already booked, try this movie. I watched it in 2016-17 and can vouch for its powerful message. A must watch for every Sanatani. Don’t believe me? It stars Pankaj Kapoor and Supriya Pathak in lead roles. Need I say more? 🙂 

Goodie#3: It’s always a delight to hear more about the Divine, isn’t it? Let your ears be hooked to, eyes be glued to (not literally! 😛) and hearts be overwhelmed in joy listening about Shiva by someone who has witness Him firsthand. Here.  (Timestamp– 3.19 to 8.06)

Goodie#4: Sharing two of my most favorite songs of/for Shiva with you all. Do let me know in the comments if you, too, like them. 🙂 Song 1, Song 2.

Goodie#5: This question was raised by Yash and in reply, came an entire treasure box of songs that reminded devotees of their Shiva. Access the amazing playlists here. 

Have a weekend drenched in melody and devotion ahead, fam! May Shiva and Mahadevi keep us all under their shade and guide us towards our own divinities. 

तव तत्त्वं न जानामि कीदृशोऽसि महेश्वर ।

यादृशोऽसि महादेव तादृशाय नमो नमः ॥

Our dearest and most beloved Shiva, how do we, puny little humans, can ever fathom what Your real essence and form is! We understand and accept that You are beyond the grasp of our limited intellect. With the grace of Guru, may we be worthy of Your knowledge, Brahm Vidya. Our repeated salutations to the Limitless One who is beyond the comprehension of our limited minds.

Image Courtesy: Invoking Lotus