GLORY OF LORD SIVA-1 : SWAMI SIVANANDA

07/01/2019

Om. I bow with folded hands to Lord Siva, who is the Lord of the universe (Jagat-Pati), world’s Teacher (Jagad-Guru), who is the destroyer of Tripuras (three cities—egoism, lust and anger), who is the Lord of Uma (Uma Sankar), Gauri (Gauri Sankar), Ganga (Ganga Sankar), who is full of light (Jyotirmaya), knowledge and bliss (Chidanandamaya), who is the Lord of Yogins (Yogesvara), who is the storehouse of knowledge and who is known by various names as Mahadeva, Sankara, Hara, Sambhu, Sadasiva, Rudra, Sulapani, Bhairava, Uma Mahesvara, Nilakantha, Trilochana (the three-eyed), Tryambaka (the three-eyed), Visvanatha, Chandrasekhara, Ardhanarisvara, Mahesvara, Nila-lohita, Parama Siva, Digambara, Dakshinamurti, etc.

How merciful He is! How loving and kind He is! He even wears the skulls of His devotees as a garland around His neck. He is an embodiment of renunciation, mercy, love and wisdom. It is a mistake to say that He is the destroyer. Lord Siva in reality is the regenerator. Whenever one’s physical body becomes unfit for further evolution in this birth either by disease, old age or other causes, He at once removes this rotten physical sheath and gives a new, healthy, vigorous body for further quick evolution. He wants to take all His children to His lotus-feet quickly. He desires to give them His glorious ‘Siva-Pada’. It is easier to please Siva than Hari.

A little Prem and devotion, a little chanting of His Panchakshara is quite sufficient to infuse delight in Siva. He gives boons to His devotees quite readily. How large is His heart! He gave Pasupatastra to Arjuna without difficulty for his little penance. He gave a precious boon to Bhasmasura. In Kalahasti near Tirupati, He gave Darsan to Kannappanayanar, the devoted hunter who plucked his two eyes to replace the weeping eyes in the Murti. In Chidambaram even the untouchable Pariah saint, Nandan had Darsan of Lord Siva. He ran with tremendous speed to make the boy Markandeya immortal, when he was in the clutches of the God of Death—Yama. Ravana of Lanka pleased Siva with his Sama chantings. He initiated the four virgin youths Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanatkumara into the mysteries of Jnana in the form of Guru Dakshinamurti.

In Madurai, in Southern India, Sundaresvara (Lord Siva) assumed the form of a boy and carried earth on His head for a devoted lady for the sake of Puttu (a kind of sweetmeat) as wages, when an anicut was erected in the Vaigai river. Look at the unbounded mercy for His devotees! When Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu went to find out the head and feet of Lord Siva, He assumed an infinite, expansive blaze of light (Jyotirmaya-Svarupa). They were baffled in their attempts. How magnanimous and self-effulgent He is! He lived in the house of Pattinattu Swami in Southern India for several years, as his adopted son and disappeared after giving him the small note: “Even a broken needle will not follow you after your death”. The reading of this note was the starting point for attainment of Jnana for Pattinattu Swami. Why not you attempt this very second with sincerity to realise God (Lord Siva)?

Hatha Yogins awaken the Kundalini Sakti that is lying dormant in the Muladhara Chakra by Asana, Pranayama, Kumbhaka, Mudra and Bandha, take it above through different Chakras (centres of spiritual energy)—Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Visuddha and Ajna—and join it with Lord Siva at the Sahasrara, the thousand-petalled lotus at the crown of the head. They drink the nectar of Immortality (Siva-Jnana-Amritam). This is termed Amritasrava. When the Sakti is united with Siva, full illumination comes for the Yogi.

To be continued ..