Shivaratri day talk -3

Glory of Lord Shiva

Shivaratri is an auspicious day on which day we worship Lord Shiva who is an embodiment of auspiciousness. It is an important day for all people especially for spiritual seekers. Those people who predominantly have materialistic pursuits are reminded on Shivaratri day to change their course of life. No doubt we need artha and kama, security and entertainment but our scriptures point out that our lives cannot be totally dedicated to materialistic pursuits alone. A time must come when artha and kama become subsidiary to Dharma and Moksha. I must look at my age – I am growing older by the day and it is very important not to waste this opportunity. For being a human being is a great privilege and I do not know whether I will get such an opportunity again.

Human life is only meaningful when you discover fulfillment. But our problem is that we are so busy with materialistic pursuits that we have forgotten the original purpose in life. That is, to gain ultimate liberation from all kinds of bondage. Therefore, some kind of shaking or jolt is required. So on Shivaratri day, we are asked to turn our attention to spirituality. And those who are already in spiritual pursuit must ask for more and more spiritual qualifications and more and more clearer knowledge. Let me pray for Viveka and Viragya. In certain traditions sanyasa ashrama is taken on Shivaratri Day. Our Swamiji also gave us sanyasa on this day only and even today some brahmacharis are taking sanyasa in Rishikesh on the banks of the Ganges. Sanyasa meaning committed pursuit of spirituality. And on this auspicious day, we invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva, as the Lord of the whole creation and the Lord of self-knowledge. We invoke as Dakshinamurthy. On this day there will be a lot of special pujas in temples and Rudram will be chanted.

(space for sloka)

It is a beautiful sloka in which I surrender to Lord Shiva. In this mantra, every word talks about the glory of Eshwara and to that Parameshwara, I offer my prostrations. The first word is:
Namaste Astu Bhagwan – O! Lord Parameshwara, let there be my obeisance to YOU. What type of YOU? Often we have a doubt while doing namaskara? Does the person deserve it or not? If we have to prostrate to that Lord, what kind of Lord is HE?
HE is:

Vishwereswaraya – Viswa means the entire universe and Eshwara means the ruler. One who rules the universe or one who is the governor of the universe. A ruler is one who maintains the universal laws. Any law requires a maintainer as we can see in the example of traffic signal. Red and Green signals is invented to regulate traffic in an orderly way but only in India we require many traffic inspectors to oversee and supervise that the signals are followed. From this it is very clear that every law requires an intelligent law upholding maintaining principle. If the local traffic signal require policing, what to talk of universal laws. Countless physical and mechanical laws are there, because of which the sun is rising and setting. Because of which alone day and night come. Because of which alone seasons come. Because of which alone we get food and water. Scientists can only discover the laws but they cannot create the laws nor even maintain their in-laws! What to talk of universal laws. Impossible. Therefore, you require a supra intelligent principle to govern and take care of the world. And more than the universal laws is the moral law of Karma and Karmaphallam. The scientists talk only about the physical and mechanical laws but our scriptures talk about the moral laws governing our actions.

When a person violates a moral law the local government may not punish because they can always be managed by something. One can escape the local police but the moral law of Karmaphallam has to be upheld by some superior power. The moral law in the form of punyam and pappam and one who upholds the moral law is Eshwara. So this Vishweswaraya means the one who takes care of the universal laws. Once we learn to look upon Lord Shiva as Vishweshwaraya then whatever happens to me in life, I take it as my Karmaphallam. I take responsibility to my life’s experiences and I don’t blame anyone in the world. I don’t even blame God for it. What I am experiencing is purely my Karmaphallam. And I learn to appreciate that the Lord is never unjust. I begin to develop an attitude of acceptance. So surrender to the Lord means surrender to just principles. And surrender to the Lord means surrender to my Karmaphallam. I learn to accept my fate whether it is happy or not. Surrender is not a physical activity but a mental attitude of accepting karmaphallm without grumbling. Therefore, Vishweshwaraya Namah.

Then the next glory of the Lord is Mahadevah. The word Devah in Sanskrit has many meanings and one of them is one who is in the form of effulgence. And Lord Shiva is called Mahadevah because there are so many lights in the world and the Lord is the light of all lights. And because of which other lights become known. It is only because of Athma Chytanyam which is the consciousness principle of the world. If that consciousness principle is not there then the local lights cannot function. Therefore the other lights get validated only because of consciousness. The eyes get validated because of the mind. And the mind gets validated because of consciousness principle. This sentiency is called Parameshwara. Hence Mahadevah means the light of all lights.

Triyamvakkam: The Lord has got three eyes. The normal two eyes represent the fleshy eyes with which we recognize the material world. The third eye represents the eye of wisdom with the help of which one recognizes the truth behind creations or Athma Chythanyam behind the creation. Because the truth is not available for the regular eyes. In Chandokya Upanishad the teacher asks the student to dissolve some salt in water.

The teacher asks, “ What do you see?”
The student says,” Water”
Teacher: What type of water?
Student: Water, which is pervaded by salt.
Teacher: Where is the salt? Is it above water or below or on the right side or left?
Student: It is everywhere. Salt is pervading in all directions. North, South, East, and West
Teacher: Do you see the salt?
Student: No, I don’t see the salt.
Teacher: How can you recognize that salt?

You put a drop of water in your mouth and you will know that water is pervaded by salt. That means that one which one cannot see by one instrument of knowledge, can be recognized by another instrument of knowledge. Water can be recognized by the eyes but the salt in the water needs the tongue. Similarly, the Sastras says,” all the five sense organs can recognize the world but they cannot recognize the reality which pervades creation”. If this reality has to be recognized, one requires an instrument which is different from all the sense organs and that instrument is called Jnanam. The third eye is not a physical hole in the forehead but is the physical representation of Jnanam. The first two eyes represent Apara Vidya while the third eye represent Para Vidya or spiritual knowledge. Parameshwara is one who has both Para Vidya and Apara Vidya.

Both material and spiritual knowledge and by worshipping that Parameswara we also get the third eye. That wisdom will come to us through the grace of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord is called Triyambakam.

The next glory of Lord Shiva is Thripuranthakam. In the Puranas, we have three asuras known as Thripura asuras. These Thripura asuras had three specially built cities. One is a gold city, another a silver city and the third was iron city. Since they were the rulers of these cities, they were called thripuras. These cities were flying cities. All because of Brahmaji’s boons. They had a special boon as all the flying cities must come together and somebody must shoot an arrow which must pass through all of them. Like Rama’s sapta salla. Nobody could do that and the asuras started all kinds of akramams. First get a boon and then violation of values. Lord Shiva takes the help of so many devas and HE destroys the Thripuras and also the three asuras. Therefore, the Lord gets the name Thripura Anthakah – the destroyer of three cities. This is a Puranic story while the Vedanta point out that the three cities represent Sthula, Sukshma, and Karana Sharirams. The three unreal bodies – physical, the subtle body, and the potential form of all our Karmas which is represented in the story as three flying cities. The Lord destroys the unreal world and reveals the reality.

In the grihastha ashrama everyone has to maintain three kinds of fire. One is called garga patya which is supposed to kindle at the time of wedding. And he has to maintain that fire throughout his life. Out of garga patya fire he has to take a portion called ahavalya fire for daily rituals. For another set of rituals he has to take another portion of garga patya called dakshina fire. Every householder is supposed to maintain these fires and is thrika Agnih. This represents the Karmakanda portion of the Veda. It means that everyone has to go through a ritualistic life initially. Without going through the rituals there is no question of purity of mind. At the same time the Vedas point out that these rituals are not an end in themselves. One must enter the rituals, grow spiritually and thereafter grow out of them by gaining spiritual knowledge. Hence the sanyasis are called Niragnihi- one who has destroyed the fire. Who will do that? The Lord will destroy all the Karmas and lead a sadhaka to knowledge. Hence HE is Karma Nashah.

At the time of pralayam, the entire world is supposed to dissolve to water. The Panchabootam will fold in to themselves. The earth will dissolve in water. The water will be evaporated or destroyed by Pralaya Kala Agni. This agni is called Kala agni and agni tattvam is Lord Shiva. Pralay Kala Agni Rudrah. Why is the Lord called Rudrah? Any destruction will cause sorrow. Since HE is the destroyer, HE is called Rudrah.

The next glory of the Lord is Neelakantayya – the blue necked Lord. During samudra madanam, so many wonderful things came and also poison. All the people rushed when wonderful things came out but took to their heels when poison came. Then Lord Shiva came forward and drank the poison thus saving the world. Shiva is not only a destroyer but also the protector of the world. Therefore, HE is Neelakantayya. The spiritual significance is that the samudra madanam represents the spiritual pursuit in which we do a lot of churning of our mananam (our intellect) asking the question, “who am I?” What is the world? This spiritual inquiry by itself is a churning process. When we churn our minds in the spiritual field, then at least for some people a lot of impurity comes out like homeopathic medicine. Similarly for many people when they start spiritual inquiry, they get in to a variety of psychological problems which they were blissfully unaware before they came to Vedanta. These problems are called Kashayam – deep rooted sub conscious problems like childhood abuse which were all hiding inside. They slowly begin to appear in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, and inferiority complex. Such mental problems for which we do not know the reason is called halala visham for which there is no cure. There is only one solution called Neelakantayya Namah. Whenever there is a depression without any cause, chant Neelakantayya Namah. Lord, may YOU drink that poison. For me it is a poison but for Bhagwan it becomes an ornament.

Mrutunjaya – the one who is the destroyer/vanquisher of Mrutyu. For this we have the story of Markandeya. When Yamadharmaraja came to kill Markandeya, he embraced Lord Shiva linga and was protected by the Lord. That place is Thirukaddayur. That is why people celebrate Sashtithaporthi there so that they survive for a long time. We think that the Lord Mrutunjaya will give us protection from physical mortality. But the prayer is not from physical mortality. O! Lord. Let me dis-identify from my physical body. Let me discover my immortal self. Markendaya embracing Shiva Linga represents a spiritual seeker owning up his eternal Athma. O! Lord give me that Athma Jnanam.

Sadda Shivayya means ever auspicious. The word Shiva is derived from two different roots. One is Sho, which is to destroy. Another is Shi, to support. One who destroys inauspiciousness and one in whom all mangalams are resting is Shiva. Lord Shiva is the abode of all mangalams and destroyer of all amangalams. HE gives auspiciousness not for one day but Sadda. Always.

Sarveswarayya – the Lord of everything. Previously it was Vishweswarayya – the Lord of creation. So the Lord of everything (Sarveshwarayya). Not only the Lord of creation but also the maya which is behind the creation.

HE is Sarveshwarayya, Sadda Shivayya, Shankarayya (one who is a mangala kartha). HE is also Mahadevayya. And He is Chittanyya Swarupah. To such a wonderful Parameswara, I surrender everyday especially on Shivaratri day. Let us invoke the grace of such a Lord so that we have all the mangalams. Local mangalams ( like wedding) but also ultimate mangalam which is Athma Jnanam.