OM NAMO BHAGAVADE SIVANANDAYA

Salutations and prostrations at the lotus feet of all who are none other than embodiments of that great Master of the Yogis, Lord Shiva. The writings of the Divine Master are unique and unparalleled in literary history, for in them, the deepest spiritual wisdom lies couched in the simplest and most lucid language. This evening, we shall explore these great spiritual truths through a few delightfully captivating stories illustrating the fundamental tenets of spirituality, as only the Divine Master characteristically can. CONCEALING DIVINITY There was once a time when all human beings were gods, but they so abused their divinity that Lord Shiva, decided to take it away from them and hide it where it could never be found. Where to hide their divinity was the question. So, Lord Shiva called a council of the gods to help him decide. "Let us bury it deep in the earth," said the gods. But Lord Shiva answered, "No, that will not do because humans will dig into the earth and find it." Then the gods suggested, "Let us sink it in the deepest ocean." But Lord Shiva said, "No, not there, for they will learn to dive into the ocean and will find it." Then the gods proposed, "Let us take it to the top of the highest mountain and hide it there." But once again Lord Shiva replied, "No, that will not do either, because they will eventually climb every mountain and once again take up their divinity." Eventually, the gods gave up and submitted, "We do not know where to hide it, because it seems that there is no place on earth or in the sea that human beings will not eventually reach." Lord Shiva thought for a long time and then said, "Here is what we will do. We will hide their divinity deep in the centre of their own being, for humans will never think to look for it there." All the gods agreed that this was the perfect hiding place, and the deed was done. And since that time humans have been going up and down the earth, digging, diving, climbing, and exploring searching for something already within themselves. A PROFESSIONAL PICKPOCKET One day goddess Parvathi asked Shiva: "Lord! I have heard that there is a sacred shrine for your worship by name Kasi and that those who visit Kasi and offer worship to you after a holy bath in the Ganges will earn the merit of coming to Kailas and stay there for ever. Is it true?" Lord Shiva replied: "All the people cannot earn that merit. Merely visiting Kasi and offering worship to my image are not enough. Presently, I shall make the point clear to you. Let us go to Kasi as an aged couple. I shall make you enact a drama!" Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi appeared before the entrance of the temple of Shiva, Parvathi as an old hag of eighty years and Lord Shiva a rickety old man of ninety. Shiva laid his head on the lap of Parvathi and started groaning in severe pains. The old woman was crying helplessly. She begged every pilgrim saying: "Oh ye devotees! Look here, this is my husband. He is terribly thirsty and may die any moment. Will you please fetch some water for him to drink? I cannot leave him alone and go to fetch water".

The pilgrims were coming from the ghats after their ceremonial bath in the Ganges. Their clothes were wet and they were carrying water in small bright vessels. They saw and heard the woman's lament. Some said: "Wait, we shall attend to your husband after offering the sacred Ganges water to Lord Viswanath." Some said: "Oh what a nuisance! Why can't these beggars allow us at least to offer worship in peace." Some others said: "These beggars should not be allowed to sit here". There was a big crowd near the temple entrance. A professional pickpocket walked along with some of these pilgrims. He also heard the old woman's lament. He could not bear the sight of the suffering old man and the bewailing old woman. He walked up to them and said: "Mother, what do you want? Who are you? Why are you here?". The old woman replied, "Son, we have come here to obtain the darshan of Lord Visweshwara. My husband suddenly took ill and fainted from exhaustion. He might survive if someone were to pour some water into his parched mouth. His condition is too critical for me to leave him and go to bring water. I requested many people to help me, but nobody would spare any water though they have been carrying pitchers full of it." The thief was moved to compassion. Spending the money he had stolen, he bought a dried gourd-pot, which he used to fetch water from the nearby Ganga. The woman stopped him and said: "Son, my husband may die any moment, he will not accept water unless the person who gives the water speaks the truth." The pickpocket could not catch the meaning. He said: "Mother, please tell me what I should do"? The woman asked about his background. With a cynical laughter, he said: "Mother, I have not done any good deed so far. I am a professional pickpocket. The only good deed is that which I am going to do now, to offer water to this dying old man. This is true." He poured gently some water into the mouth of the old man. No sooner had the pickpocket done this deed, than the old couple disappeared and in their place stood Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, in all their full splendour. Shiva said: "Son, you are indeed blessed. There is no greater morality than speaking the truth, and no true worship more faithful than service to fellow human beings. You have been atoned for all the sins you have committed so far because of this one good deed." REMEMBER, HE IS OMNIPRESENT Thiruppandar was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Once he happened to visit a famous pilgrimage center dedicated to his favorite Lord. After the darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple itself. Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a potful of water to perform abhishekam of the Lingam. To his utter consternation, he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with legs stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight and, in indignation, he sprinkled some water on the face of the old man. But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and tried to lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened his eyes and said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you pulling my legs?"

The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful on your part to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your legs towards God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a cramp in my legs and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in any direction you like, where God is not? I shall certainly get up after a while." The priest did not want to waste time in arguing with the man. So, he held the two feet of the man, lifted them up and placed them in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a Lingam from underneath the feet! The priest tried to place the old man's feet in another position, but there again sprang up another Lingam! In a minute, the place was full of Lingams! The priest fell at the feet of the old man and said "Oh revered one! You must be a realised soul. Pardon me for my insulting words and actions." The old man got up and said "My dear son, have you not read in the scriptures that God is omnipresent? Can you limit God to a place or to an image or a picture or in a frame? Of course we have temples with idols and pictures of worship; but they only help devotees to direct their faith and devotion to God as embodiments of the various Divine shaktis in this vast boundless universe. The Supreme Creator, the Almighty God is only one, and remember, He is Omnipresent." LIVING PRESENCE OF GOD Despaired of getting the coveted fruit of Sadhana, Puran Chand approached his Guru. Useless! Six months of worship of the idol of Narayana has produced no effect at all. Kindly suggest a more powerful mantra and more powerful deity. The guru had initiated Puran Chand into the Narayana Mantra and given him a small, beautiful idol of Lord Narayana for worship. Puran was regular in the worship, ceaseless in his Japa. God knows why, but there was no sign of the idol blessing him. The guru smiled at Puran. Well son, take this idol of Lord Siva. I will presently initiate you into the Siva mantra - the holy Panchakshara. Worship Lord Siva with faith and devotion. He is considered Bholenath. He is easily propitiated. He will bless you soon. Puran Chand was overjoyed. The next 6 months saw Puran Chand immersed in Japa and worship of Lord Siva. The idol of Narayana went on the dusty shelf above the altar in his worship room. No use in this either. Not a trace of effect. My Lord, please do not test me. Kindly give me initiation into the mantra and the idol of that deity who will soon bless me, Puran Chand pleaded with his guru. The guru smiled again. The time for enlightenment had arrived, yet he felt that the disciple will learn for himself by experience. Good, my son. In this age, Mother Kali is most gracious. Worship this image of Hers. Repeat the Navarna mantra. You will attain Her Grace very soon indeed. This time, Puran Chand had no misgiving whatsoever; he had full faith. Kali worship commenced. Siva joined company with Lord Narayana on the shelf. With great devotion and feeling, Puran was waving incense before the image of Mother Kali. The fumes rose up. He watched. They reached the shelf too. He was enraged. He laid the incense down and got up.

Well, what business has this Lord Siva, who refused to be propitiated and who refused to bless me, to inhale this incense? I am worshipping Mother Kali now. I will not allow this fragrant incense to enter Sivas nostrils. I will plug them with cotton. Puran set about the task. He took the rusting idol of Siva in his hands and began inserting cotton into its nostrils! Lo! The idol disappeared. In front of him stood the great Lord Shiva, smiling in all His mercy and compassion. Puran was on his knees. Ask for any boon, Puran. I am greatly pleased by your devotion. My Lord, first tell me. I am perplexed. You did not deign to bless me when I devoutly worshipped you, when I repeated the Panchakshara mantra for 6 months. But, you suddenly chose to reveal yourself to me when I had discarded your image and given up your worship. What is this mystery? My child, there is nothing mysterious in this. How could I reveal Myself when you treated Me as a mere image, as a mere piece of metal, to be worshipped and discarded at your sweet will or whim? But when you treated the idol as a living Presence, when you began to plug the nostrils with cotton so that the incense may not enter those nostrils, and thus revealed that you recognised my living Presence in that idol, I could no longer withhold Myself from you. Speechless and enlightened, Puran bowed to Lord Siva and was immersed in His love. He could ask for no boon. In His love, he found everything.

TRUE DEVOTION WILL SURELY WIN Srisailam is a great pilgrimage centre in Andhra Pradesh, and is famous for its temple of Lord Siva and Mother Parvathi atop a hill. There, Lord Siva is adored as Mallikarjuna and Goddess Parvathi as Bhramaramba. There is a legend relating to this sacred shrine and the Divinity that abides there as Siva and Shakti. In a hamlet very near Srisailam, there lived a mother and her only child, a lad, six years old. He was called Balaramanna. He was studying in the local elementary school. Once, on the eve of Mahashivarathri, all the school boys were returning home eagerly discussing the festival. One boy said: "My sister and brother-in-law are coming tonight for Shivarathri. Tomorrow we will all go to the temple on the hill. "Oh! What fun it is to be with my sister and brother-in-law". Another boy said: "My sister and brother-in-law have already come. They have brought me new clothes to wear. We are all going to the temple tonight itself." Balaramanna heard this talk. He wondered whether he too had a sister and brother-in-law. He ran home and asked his mother: "Mother, do I have a sister?" Where is she? What is my brother-in-law doing? Why don't they visit us? My friends are all enjoying themselves in the company of their sisters. I too would like to be with my sister and brother-in-law." The mother knew the child's heart.

In order to comfort him and sow the seeds of faith in him, she said: "My dear child, you too have a sister and brother-in-law. They are, "Brahmaramba and Mallikarjuna". "Is that so? Where are they? I shall go and bring them home for the festival. Tell me where they are", said the lad. The mother sent her son along with her neighbours to the temple on the hill. She told them to take care of their son and gave them some money to buy odd little things for him. Balaramanna said: "Mother, should I not take something for my sister?" The mother replied: "No, my son, since you are a child, they will themselves give you a lot of gifts." Balaramanna was taken into the shrine. The neighbours showed him the two idols, beautifully decorated with flowers and apparel and said, "Look that is Goddess Brahmaramba, your sister and that is Lord Mallikarjuna." Balaramanna at once ran to the idol of Brahmaramba, caught hold of her hand and said: "Sister, please come home with me. Mother has sent me to invite you." There was no response. He ran into the other shrine and loudly cried: "Brother-in-law, please come with me along with my sister. I won't leave the place without you." The temple priests took him for a mad cap and pushed him out. Balaramanna's agony knew no bounds. He was determined to return home with his sister and brother-in-law. He decided to end his life if his sister and brother-in-law did not appear before him. He ran and stood on the top of a peak and pleaded: "Listen, if you won't come with me, you my sister and you my brother-inlaw, I will jump off the peak and end my life." At once, he heard someone calling: "Brother, wait! wait! We are coming, we are coming." Both Lord Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba ran towards him and gathered him into their arms. Balaramanna said: "You must come with me, mother is expecting you." The all compassionate Lord and his consort did accompany the lad. They granted to mother and child the vision to see them as Siva and Shakti.

MAHASHIVARATRI This falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of Phalgun (February-March). The name means the great night of Shiva. The ceremonies take place chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honour of Lord Shiva. Shiva was married to Parvati on this day. People observe a strict fast on this day. Some devotees do not even take a drop of water. They keep vigil all night. The Shiva Lingam is worshipped throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey, rose water, etc., whilst the chanting of the Mantra Om Namah Shivaya continues. Offerings of bael leaves are made to the Lingam. Bael leaves are very sacred as, it is said, Mother Lakshmi resides in them. Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva, such as the Shiva Mahima Stotra of Pushpadanta or Ravanas Shiva Tandava Stotra are sung with great fervour and devotion. People repeat the Panchakshara Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. He who utters the Names of Shiva during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed from all sins. He reaches the abode of Shiva and lives there happily. He is liberated from the wheel of births and deaths. Many pilgrims flock to the places where there are Shiva temples. LORD SHIVAS ASSURANCE When creation had been completed, Shiva and Parvati went out to live on the top of Mount Kailas. Parvati asked, O venerable Lord! which of the many rituals observed in Thy honour doth please Thee most? The Lord replied, The 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is my most favourite day. It is known as Shivaratri. My devotees give me greater happiness by mere fasting than by ceremonial baths and offerings of flowers, sweets and incense. The devotee observes strict spiritual discipline in the day and worships Me in four different forms during each of the four successive three-hour periods of the night. The offering of a few bael leaves is more precious to Me than the precious jewels and flowers. My devotee should bathe Me in milk at the first period, in curd at the second, in clarified butter at the third, and in honey at the fourth and last. Next morning, he should feed the Brahmins first and, after performing the prescribed ceremonies, he can break his fast. O Parvati! there is no ritual which can compare with this simple routine in sanctity. Her friends who in their turn passed it on to the ruling princes on earth. Thus was the sanctity of Shivaratri broadcast all over the world. The two great natural forces that afflict man are Rajas (the quality of passionate activity) and Tamas (that of inertia). The Shivaratri Vrata aims at the perfect control of these two. The entire day is spent at the Feet of the Lord. Continuous worship of the Lord necessitates the devotees constant presence in the place of worship. Motion is controlled. Evils like lust, anger, and jealousy, born of Rajas are ignored and subdued. The devotee observes vigil throughout the night and thus conquers Tamas also. Constant vigilance is imposed on the mind. Every three hours a round of worship of the Shiva Lingam is conducted. Shivaratri is a perfect Vrata. The formal worship consists of bathing the Lord. Lord Shiva is considered to be the Form of Light (which the Shiva Lingam represents). He is burning with the fire of austerity. He is

therefore best propitiated with cool bathing. While bathing the Lingam the devotee prays: O Lord! I will bathe Thee with water, milk, etc. Do Thou kindly bathe me with the milk of wisdom. Do Thou kindly wash me of all my sins, so that the fire of worldliness which is scorching me may be put out once for all, so that I may be one with Theethe One alone without a second. Offer this inner worship to Lord Shiva daily: I worship the jewel of my Self, the Shiva residing in the Lotus of my heart. I bathe Him with the water of my pure mind brought from the river of faith and devotion. I worship Him with the fragrant flowers of Samadhiall this so that I may not be born again in this world. Here is another formula for the supreme worship of the Lord: O Shiva! you are my Self. My mind is Parvati. My Pranas are your servants. My body is your house. My actions in this world are your worship. My sleep is Samadhi. My walk is circumambulation of you. My speech is your prayer. Thus do I offer all that I am to you. THE STORY OF KING CHITRABHANU In the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, Bhishma, whilst resting on the bed of arrows and discoursing on Dharma, refers to the observance of Maha Shivaratri by King Chitrabhanu. The story goes as follows: Once upon a time King Chitrabhanu of the Ikshvaku dynasty, who ruled over the whole of Jambudvipa, was observing a fast with his wife, it being the day of Maha Shivaratri. The sage Ashtavakra came on a visit to the court of the king. The sage asked, O king! why are you observing a fast today? King Chitrabhanu explained why. He had the gift of remembering the incidents of his previous birth. The king said to the sage: In my past birth I was a hunter in Varanasi. My name was Suswara. My livelihood was to kill and sell birds and animals. One day I was roaming the forests in search of animals. I was overtaken by the darkness of night. Unable to return home, I climbed a tree for shelter. It happened to be a bael tree. I had shot a deer that day but I had no time to take it home. I bundled it up and tied it to a branch on the tree. As I was tormented by hunger and thirst, I kept awake throughout the night. I shed profuse tears when I thought of my poor wife and children who were starving and anxiously awaiting my return. To pass away the time that night I engaged myself in plucking the bael leaves and dropping them down onto the ground. The day dawned. I returned home and sold the deer. I bought some food for myself and for my family. I was about to break my fast when a stranger came to me, begging for food. I served him first and then took my food. At the time of death, I saw two messengers of Lord Shiva. They were sent down to conduct my soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. I learnt then for the first time of the great merit I had earned by the unconscious worship of Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri. They told me that there was a Lingam at the bottom of the tree. The leaves I dropped fell on the Lingam. My tears which I had shed out of pure sorrow for my family fell onto the Lingam and washed it. And I had fasted all day and all night. Thus did I unconsciously worship the Lord. I lived in the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for long ages. I am now reborn as Chitrabhanu.

WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RITUAL? It is an allegory. The wild animals that the hunter fought with are lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the fourfold mind, consisting of the subconscious mind, the intellect, the ego and the conscious mind. It is in the mind that these wild animals roam about freely. They must be killed. Our hunter was pursuing them because he was a Yogi. If you want to be a real Yogi you have to conquer these evil tendencies. The hunter was called Suswara. It means melodious. The hunter had a pleasant melodious voice. If a person practices Yama and Niyama and is ever conquering his evil tendencies, he will develop certain external marks of a Yogi. The first marks are lightness of the body, health, steadiness, clearness of countenance and a pleasant voice. This stage has been spoken of in detail in the Swetaswatara Upanishad. The hunter or the Yogi had for many years practised Yoga and had reached the first stage. So he is given the name Suswara. He was born inVaranasi. Now, the Yogis call the Ajna Chakra by the name Varanasi. This is the point midway between the eyebrows. It is regarded as the meeting place of the three nerve currents (Nadis), namely, the Ida, Pingala and the Sushumna. An aspirant is instructed to concentrate on that point. That helps him to conquer his desires and evil qualities like anger and so on. It is there that he gets a vision of the Divine Light within. The bael tree has fronds with three leaves on one stalk. The tree represents the spinal column. The leaves are threefold. They represent the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis, which are the regions for the activity of the moon, the sun and fire respectively, or which may be thought of as the three eyes of Shiva. The climbing of the tree is meant to represent the ascension of the Kundalini Shakti, the serpentine power, from the lowest nerve centre called the Muladhara to the Ajna Chakra. That is the work of the Yogi. The Yogi was in the waking state when he began his meditation. He bundled up the birds and the animals he had slain and, tying them on a branch of the tree, he rested there. That means he had fully conquered his thoughts and rendered them inactive. He had gone through the steps of Yama, Niyama, Pratyahara, etc. On the tree he was practising concentration and meditation. When he felt sleepy, it means that he was about to lose consciousness and go into deep sleep. So he determined to keep awake. His wife and children are none other than the world. One who seeks the Grace of God must become an embodiment of love. He must have an all-embracing sympathy. His shedding of tears is symbolical of his universal love. In Yoga also, one cannot have illumination without Divine Grace. Without practising universal love, one cannot win that Grace. One must perceive ones own Self everywhere. The preliminary stage is to identify ones own mind with the minds of all created beings. That is fellow-feeling or sympathy. Then one must rise above the limitations of the mind and merge it in the Self. That happens only in the stage of Samadhi, not earlier.

His plucking and dropping the bael leaves is mentioned in the story only to show that he had no extraneous thoughts. He was not even conscious of what he was doing. All his activity was confined to the three Nadis. The leaves, I have said before, represent the three Nadis. He was in fact in the second state, namely, the dream state, before he passed into the deep sleep state. His keeping vigil the whole night means that he passed through the deep sleep state successfully. The dawning of day symbolises the entrance into the Fourth state called Turiya or superconsciousness His descent and beholding the Lingam means that in the Turiya state he saw the Shiva Lingam or the mark of Shiva in the form of the inner lights. In other words, he had the vision of the Lord. That was an indication to him that he would realise the supreme, eternal abode of Lord Shiva in course of time. The sight of the lights is not the final stage. That is only one step, albeit a difficult one. Now think of how the story continues. He goes home and feeds a stranger. A stranger is one whom you have not seen before. The stranger is none other than the hunter himself, transformed into a new person. The food was the likes and dislikes which he had killed the previous night. But he did not consume the whole of it. A little still remained. That was why he had to be reborn as King Chitrabhanu. Going to the world of Shiva (Salokya) is not enough to prevent this. There are other stages besides Salokya. These are Samipya, Sarupya and finally Sayujya.