Auspicious Maha Shiva Ratri to All Sadhaks!

[Guest guest]

Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste and happy auspicious celebrations of 'Maha

Shiva Ratri' to all devotees!!

 

When Lord Krishna and Radharani played the magnificent Divine dance

of 'Maharasa Lila', Shankar Bhagavan entered the Lila as a Gopi.

 

Thus He became popular with the Name Gopi-Isvara.

 

There is a temple in Vrindavan for Gopisvara, Whom all Vrajavasis

worship with love.

Lord Siva Himself is the Master of Music. Worshippers of Nada Brahma,

the Sound Incarnate of Lord, accept Him as their Guru.

Some Rasik Saints say Lord Siva is Lord Krishna's 'Flute'.

They are also right in the sense, that because the 'Flute' is

Krishna's 'Priya Sakhi' and Sivaji too has transformed Himself to

become His Gopi, any way.

 

This verse from 'Brahma-Samhita-56', which is very dear to Gauranga

Mahaprabhu confirms - "..vaMzI priya sakhI..."

 

The verse 45 of 'Sri Brahma Samahitam' gives another kind of

transformation -

 

"kSIraM yathA dadhi vikAra vizeSa yogAt

saJjAyate na hi pRthag asti hetoH

yaH zambhu tAm api tathA samupaiti kAryAd

govindam AdipuruSaM tam ahaM bhajAmi"

 

Meaning: Just as milk itself is transformed into curd (yogurt), but

yet they both are neither SAME nor DIFFERENT from each other, so also

I adore my Beloved primeveal Lord Govinda, Who has transformed

Himself into Lord Shiva for the performance of divine lilas.

 

Here are some more excerpts, taken from Brahma Vaivarta Purana in

relation to Lord Siva.

 

"Lord Siva is said to be a portion of Lord Krishna and arise out of

the left side of Krshna's body.

 

"vAmarddhAGgo mahAdevo

dakSiNo gopikApatiH"

 

The left half became Siva and the right became the Husband of Gopis.

He is dearly loved by Krishna.

The BVP says it is sin to slander Siva, Who is dearer to Krishna than

His own life.

Krishna Himself declares:

 

"Among my favorites Brahma is dear to Me.

Lakshmi, ever residing on my chest, is dearer than Brahma.

Radha is yet dearer, and my devotees are dearer still.

Dearest of all is Shankara (Siva); no one is dearer than He.

 

My heart resides with my devotees, My life with Radha.

My Self with Sankara, who is dearer than My life."

 

(Bkh,Pkh, KJkh of BVP)

 

Those who are the Excellant Portions of Krishna are intensely devoted

to Him.

It is not surprising then that Siva, a Portion of Krishna, is His

Devotee.

We find frequent references to Siva as the BEST OF VAISNAVAS.

 

Accordingly, Siva seeks to become the Servant of Krishna and

confesses His own dependence upon the latter.

 

Siva is often portrayed as in constant MEDITATION ON KRISHNA,

WEEPING, DANCING with ECSTASY of devotion.

 

Of all those who know Krishna, it is Siva, the BEST OF VAISNAVAS, who

knows Him best.

 

Thus, by Siva's Grace a votary may attain faith in Krishna.

Siva in fact states that those who oppress Vaisnavas will be punished

by Krishna and that the hearts of non-vaisnavas are impure He further

exclaims that Vaisnavas are DEARER to HIM than HIS OWN followers.

 

Krishna, Who is filled with Love for His devotees, has made Siva

equal to Himself on account of Siva's DEEP Devotion.

Krishna asserts that Siva is fully His EQUAL in splendour, knoweledge

and virtue.

Further, the Divine Forms or Bodies (Sat-Chit-Ananda vigrahas) of

Siva and Krishna alone are Eternal, not those of other beings.

 

It is through Siva's Devotion to Krishna, finally, not MERE EQUALITY,

but actual IDENTITY is apparently attained:

 

'svapne jAgaraNe zazvath kRSNa dhyAna rataH

zivaH

yathA kRSNA stathA zambhur na bhedo mAdhavezayoH"

 

(Brahma Vaivarta Purana-Prakriti khanda II.56.61)

 

"Sleeping or awake, Siva is constantly absorbed in MEDITATION of

KRISHNA.

AS IS KRISHNA, SO IS SAMBHU; THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE between MADHAVA

and ISA"

 

'yo hariH sa zivaH sAkSAd yaH zivaH sa svayaM hariH

ye tayor bhedamAti sthan narakAya bhave nnaraH"

 

(Visnu purana.5.33.46)

 

"Whoever is Lord Hari, He Himself is Lord Shiva indeed.

Whoever is manifesting as Lord Shiva, He Himself is Lord Hari.

Any humanbeing mistakes both the Lords to be different, he/she surely

goes to hell.

 

In Vishnu Purana also, VISHNU declares HIS NON DIFFERENCE from SIVA.

(V.P.5.33.46-48)

 

Here we find, full justification for the statement in the Narada

PancaRatra concerning the BVP as teaching the NON DIFFERENCE between

HARI AND HARA.

 

Often we are told that whoever does not worship the Linga of Siva

commits a great sin and goes to hell.

 

Krishna says to Siva:

"Who, having constructed Your linga of clay, joined with Prakriti, at

a place of piligrimage, worships it a thousand times with devotion...

He shall rejoice with Me in GOLOKA for crore of Kalpas.

And who worships at that place a lakh of lingas, with proper

offerings, Shall not fall from GOLOKA; He shall be equal to US.

 

Saivaite devotional practices lead, then, to the ultimate goal of the

Vaisnavas.

 

In Brahma-Samhita the relationship of Lord Siva and Lord Govinda are

compared to that of milk and yogurt. Milk itself becomes TRANSFORMED

into yogurt.

Similarly, though They both are possessing the same transcendental

attributes, They PERFORM different divine pastimes.

 

"yathA ziva mayo viSNuH

zivasya hRdayaM viSNur viSNoz

ca hRdayaM zivaH"

 

(Skanda Purana)

 

Just as Lord Vishnu is pervaded by Lord Shiva,

similarly, in Siva's heart Vishnu resides and Vishnu's heart is the

abode of Shiva.

 

In Caitanya Caritamrita, Mahaprabhu's eternal Associate Sri

Advaitacarya is said to be Lord Sadasiva, who always says,

 

"I am the servant of Lord Krishna."

 

Intoxicated by ecstatic Love for Krishna, He becomes overwhelmed and

incessantly dances without clothing and sings about Lord Krishna's

qualities and pastimes.

 

" nimnagAnAM yathA gaMgA devAnAm acyuto yathA

vaiSNavAnAM yathA zambhuH purANAnAm idaM tathA

kSetrANAM caiva sarveSAM yathA kAzI hyonuttamA

tathA purANa vratAnAM zrI mad bhAgavataM dvijAH "

 

(Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.17)

 

Just as the celestial Ganges is the most Holy among all the flowing

rivers,

just as Lord Krishna is the Supreme among all Divine Personalties,

just as Lord Siva is the most Exalted Lover of Vishnu,

just as the City of Kasi is the most Sacred among all Holy places,

Srimad Bhagavatam is also the most fulfilling vow as well as the most

elevated Scripture among all other auspicious Puranas.

 

Prayers to Lord Shiva-

 

"jagadguro namastubhyaM

zivAya zivadAya ca

yogIndrANAm ca yogIndra

gurUNAM gurave namaH"

 

"Salutations unto Thee, O Teacher of the universe.

Thou art the Lord auspicious and the giver of bliss,

the foremost of the perfect Yogis, the Teacher of teachers.

Salutations unto Thee."

 

(BVP 4.30.43)

 

Another prayer for Shivaji says-

 

"haste 'kSa mAlA hRdi kRSNa tattvaM

jihvAgra bhAge vara rAma mantraM

yan mastake kezava pAda tirthaM

zivaM 'mahA bhAgavatAM' namAmi"

 

Meaning-

I salute to the Supreme Devotee, (Maha Bhagavata)

in Whose hand is the a-ksha (A to Z) japamaala,

in Whose heart is the reservoir of Divine Essence of Lord Krishna,

on Whose tongue is ever residing the Name of His Beloved Rama,

on Whose head is ever flowing Sacred water that washes the Lotus feet

of Lord Keshava.

 

Jai Hari-Hara, Mahaadeva Shambho!

 

Jaya Sri Radhey !

[Guest guest]

Wish you All Wonderful, Auspicious Maha Shivaratri Celebrations!!!

 

Thought provoking excerpts about Lord Siva:-

 

In Hindu tradition, there are two kinds of sacredness,

the "auspicious ness", which sums up everything that is good and

valuable, and the "holy", which challenges and transcends the

conventional distinctions of GOOD and BAD, Valuable and Valueless.

 

Particularly, this latter type of sanctity is Siva's.

He may wear the crescent moon as an ornament on His hair and yet

carries a skull in His hand.

He may appear one moment wearing the slayed skin of elephant and the

next wearing the garments of a bride groom.

 

Appropriately, Siva's city is in "Anananda VanaM" as well as "maha

smashanam", the grave yard.

 

An encounter with such a God wrenches away the worldly conventions

which tend to create "God", in the image of human society.

 

Although Siva's name means "auspicious" and "gracious", it is used

euphemistically, for Siva often displays Himself in precisely those

things that are neither auspicious nor gracious in the EYES of the

WORLD.

Siva thus challenges any facile distinctions between 'Sacred'

and 'profane', 'rich' and 'poor', 'high' and 'low'.

 

Siva's crittics among the heavenly gods and the sages often cast Him

as an 'outsider' and a 'misfit' for this reason.

 

In the famous story, Siva is the one god of the entire host of

heaven, who is not invited to the great sacrifice held by the

pretentious demi-god, Daksha.

All the gods, all the denizens of heaven and sages have come. And

Daksha addresses the crowd to explain why Siva is not there:

 

"What is his lineage and what is his clan?

What place does he belong to and what is his nature? What does he do

for a living and how does he behave, this fellow who drinks POISON

and rides a BULL?

He is not an ascetic, for how can one who carries a weapon be an

ascetic?

He is not a householder for he lives in the cremation ground.

He is not a celibate student (brahmacari), for he has a wife.

He cannot be a forest dweller (vanaprastha), for he is drunk with the

conceit of his lordship.

He is not a brahmin, for the Vedas do not know him as one.

Since he carries a spear and trident, he might be a 'Kshatriya', but

he is not.

Since he delights in the destruction of the world, he cannot be a

kshatriya who protects the world from harm.

And how can he be a 'vaisya', for he never has any wealth?

He is not even a 'sudra', for he wears the snake as a sacred thread.

So is beyond 'varnAsrama'.

 

Everything is known by its original source and prakriti, but Siva,

the unknowable, has no original source.

He is not a man, because half of his body is female (Gopi-Ishvara

also, Who became Gopi in Maharasa).

And yet he is not a woman, because he has a beard.

He is not even a 'eunuch', because his 'linga' (phallus) is

worshipped."

 

He is a bafflement to conventions, including religious conventions.

This is not surprising therefore, that his followers were sometimes

called, 'VedabAhyah', those who are 'out side the Vedas'.

 

One way of seeing Siva's enigmatic many-sidedness is in His many

faces. Usually there are five faces, 'Pancavaktra', depicting

multiple gestures.

The faces are not entirely separate, but cohere in a single image of

the Lord and are moments of His activity.

There is the face of creation-Srishti, and that of preservation-

Stithi.

There is more horific face of destruction- Samhaara, and the playful

face of concealment- Tirobhaava.

Finally there is the Fifth, the indescribable face of Revealation and

Salvation- Anugraha.

 

Jai Hari-Hara Mahadeva Shambho!

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

[Guest guest]

thanks Hari Pyari, for this beautiful post on Mahashiva Ratri. Let

me join you in sending good wishes to all our members on Shivaratri.

 

Brahma Murari Surar chit Lingam

Janmaj Dukh Vinashak Lingam

Ravan Darap Vinashak Lingam

Tad Pranmami Maha Shiva Lingam !!

 

Om Namah Shivaye

 

 

 

 

 

, pyari_h <no_reply> wrote:

> Wish you All Wonderful, Auspicious Maha Shivaratri Celebrations!!!

>

> Thought provoking excerpts about Lord Siva:-

>

> In Hindu tradition, there are two kinds of sacredness,

> the "auspicious ness", which sums up everything that is good and

> valuable, and the "holy", which challenges and transcends the

> conventional distinctions of GOOD and BAD, Valuable and Valueless.

>

> Particularly, this latter type of sanctity is Siva's.

> He may wear the crescent moon as an ornament on His hair and yet

> carries a skull in His hand.

> He may appear one moment wearing the slayed skin of elephant and

the

> next wearing the garments of a bride groom.

>

> Appropriately, Siva's city is in "Anananda VanaM" as well as "maha

> smashanam", the grave yard.

>

> An encounter with such a God wrenches away the worldly conventions

> which tend to create "God", in the image of human society.

>

> Although Siva's name means "auspicious" and "gracious", it is used

> euphemistically, for Siva often displays Himself in precisely those

> things that are neither auspicious nor gracious in the EYES of the

> WORLD.

> Siva thus challenges any facile distinctions between 'Sacred'

> and 'profane', 'rich' and 'poor', 'high' and 'low'.

>

> Siva's crittics among the heavenly gods and the sages often cast

Him

> as an 'outsider' and a 'misfit' for this reason.

>

> In the famous story, Siva is the one god of the entire host of

> heaven, who is not invited to the great sacrifice held by the

> pretentious demi-god, Daksha.

> All the gods, all the denizens of heaven and sages have come. And

> Daksha addresses the crowd to explain why Siva is not there:

>

> "What is his lineage and what is his clan?

> What place does he belong to and what is his nature? What does he

do

> for a living and how does he behave, this fellow who drinks POISON

> and rides a BULL?

> He is not an ascetic, for how can one who carries a weapon be an

> ascetic?

> He is not a householder for he lives in the cremation ground.

> He is not a celibate student (brahmacari), for he has a wife.

> He cannot be a forest dweller (vanaprastha), for he is drunk with

the

> conceit of his lordship.

> He is not a brahmin, for the Vedas do not know him as one.

> Since he carries a spear and trident, he might be a 'Kshatriya',

but

> he is not.

> Since he delights in the destruction of the world, he cannot be a

> kshatriya who protects the world from harm.

> And how can he be a 'vaisya', for he never has any wealth?

> He is not even a 'sudra', for he wears the snake as a sacred

thread.

> So is beyond 'varnAsrama'.

>

> Everything is known by its original source and prakriti, but Siva,

> the unknowable, has no original source.

> He is not a man, because half of his body is female (Gopi-Ishvara

> also, Who became Gopi in Maharasa).

> And yet he is not a woman, because he has a beard.

> He is not even a 'eunuch', because his 'linga' (phallus) is

> worshipped."

>

> He is a bafflement to conventions, including religious conventions.

> This is not surprising therefore, that his followers were sometimes

> called, 'VedabAhyah', those who are 'out side the Vedas'.

>

> One way of seeing Siva's enigmatic many-sidedness is in His many

> faces. Usually there are five faces, 'Pancavaktra', depicting

> multiple gestures.

> The faces are not entirely separate, but cohere in a single image

of

> the Lord and are moments of His activity.

> There is the face of creation-Srishti, and that of preservation-

> Stithi.

> There is more horific face of destruction- Samhaara, and the

playful

> face of concealment- Tirobhaava.

> Finally there is the Fifth, the indescribable face of Revealation

and

> Salvation- Anugraha.

>

> Jai Hari-Hara Mahadeva Shambho!

>

> Jaya Sri Radhey!

[Guest guest]

Jaya Sri Radhey!

Om Namah Shivaaya!

 

Offer this INNER worship composed by Jagadguru Sri Shankaracarya to

Lord Shiva on this Auspicious day of Maha Shiva Ratri-

 

"I worship the PRECIOUS JEWEL (Lord) of MYSELF,

the Shiva residing in the LOTUS of my HEART.

 

I BATHE Him with the waters of my PURE MIND

brought from the RIVER of Faith and DEVOTION.

 

I worship Him with the fragrant Flowers of

Contemplation and Samadhi-

 

ALL this humble offering may release my soul

from the bondage to the material world and

I may not be born again in this world."

 

 

Another sincere Prayer worship to Lord Shiva -

 

"O Lord Shiva!

 

My Supreme Soul, You are My Own SELF!

 

My MIND is Your BELOVED Devi Parvati!

 

My PRANAS (Life BREATH) are Your SERVANTS!

 

My BODY is Your RESIDENCE!

 

My ACTIONS in this world are Your Sacred Worship!

 

My SLEEP is Your CONTEMPLATIVE SAMADHI (Trance) !

 

My wakeful WALK on this earth is CIRCUMAMBULTION to YOU!

 

My SPEECH is YOUR PRAYER!

 

Thus do I OFFER and SACRIFICE ALL that I AM TO YOU ALONE!!!"

 

 

Jaya, Jaya Sri Radhey!

 

, "silentsoul_55" <silentsoul_55> wrote:

> thanks Hari Pyari, for this beautiful post on Mahashiva Ratri.

Let

> me join you in sending good wishes to all our members on Shivaratri.

>

> Brahma Murari Surar chit Lingam

> Janmaj Dukh Vinashak Lingam

> Ravan Darap Vinashak Lingam

> Tad Pranmami Maha Shiva Lingam !!

>

> Om Namah Shivaye

>

>

>

>

>

> , pyari_h <no_reply> wrote:

> > Wish you All Wonderful, Auspicious Maha Shivaratri Celebrations!!!

> >

> > Thought provoking excerpts about Lord Siva:-

> >

> > In Hindu tradition, there are two kinds of sacredness,

> > the "auspicious ness", which sums up everything that is good and

> > valuable, and the "holy", which challenges and transcends the

> > conventional distinctions of GOOD and BAD, Valuable and

Valueless.

> >

> > Particularly, this latter type of sanctity is Siva's.

> > He may wear the crescent moon as an ornament on His hair and yet

> > carries a skull in His hand.

> > He may appear one moment wearing the slayed skin of elephant and

> the

> > next wearing the garments of a bride groom.

> >

> > Appropriately, Siva's city is in "Anananda VanaM" as well

as "maha

> > smashanam", the grave yard.

> >

> > An encounter with such a God wrenches away the worldly

conventions

> > which tend to create "God", in the image of human society.

> >

> > Although Siva's name means "auspicious" and "gracious", it is

used

> > euphemistically, for Siva often displays Himself in precisely

those

> > things that are neither auspicious nor gracious in the EYES of

the

> > WORLD.

> > Siva thus challenges any facile distinctions between 'Sacred'

> > and 'profane', 'rich' and 'poor', 'high' and 'low'.

> >

> > Siva's crittics among the heavenly gods and the sages often cast

> Him

> > as an 'outsider' and a 'misfit' for this reason.

> >

> > In the famous story, Siva is the one god of the entire host of

> > heaven, who is not invited to the great sacrifice held by the

> > pretentious demi-god, Daksha.

> > All the gods, all the denizens of heaven and sages have come. And

> > Daksha addresses the crowd to explain why Siva is not there:

> >

> > "What is his lineage and what is his clan?

> > What place does he belong to and what is his nature? What does he

> do

> > for a living and how does he behave, this fellow who drinks

POISON

> > and rides a BULL?

> > He is not an ascetic, for how can one who carries a weapon be an

> > ascetic?

> > He is not a householder for he lives in the cremation ground.

> > He is not a celibate student (brahmacari), for he has a wife.

> > He cannot be a forest dweller (vanaprastha), for he is drunk with

> the

> > conceit of his lordship.

> > He is not a brahmin, for the Vedas do not know him as one.

> > Since he carries a spear and trident, he might be a 'Kshatriya',

> but

> > he is not.

> > Since he delights in the destruction of the world, he cannot be a

> > kshatriya who protects the world from harm.

> > And how can he be a 'vaisya', for he never has any wealth?

> > He is not even a 'sudra', for he wears the snake as a sacred

> thread.

> > So is beyond 'varnAsrama'.

> >

> > Everything is known by its original source and prakriti, but

Siva,

> > the unknowable, has no original source.

> > He is not a man, because half of his body is female (Gopi-Ishvara

> > also, Who became Gopi in Maharasa).

> > And yet he is not a woman, because he has a beard.

> > He is not even a 'eunuch', because his 'linga' (phallus) is

> > worshipped."

> >

> > He is a bafflement to conventions, including religious

conventions.

> > This is not surprising therefore, that his followers were

sometimes

> > called, 'VedabAhyah', those who are 'out side the Vedas'.

> >

> > One way of seeing Siva's enigmatic many-sidedness is in His many

> > faces. Usually there are five faces, 'Pancavaktra', depicting

> > multiple gestures.

> > The faces are not entirely separate, but cohere in a single image

> of

> > the Lord and are moments of His activity.

> > There is the face of creation-Srishti, and that of preservation-

> > Stithi.

> > There is more horific face of destruction- Samhaara, and the

> playful

> > face of concealment- Tirobhaava.

> > Finally there is the Fifth, the indescribable face of Revealation

> and

> > Salvation- Anugraha.

> >

> > Jai Hari-Hara Mahadeva Shambho!

> >

> > Jaya Sri Radhey!