LORD SHIVA THE GREATEST Va...

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LORD SHIVA THE GREATEST VAISHNAVA

 

In this article we pose certain commonly asked question about lord Shiva,

with answers from the teachings of Srila A. C. Bhaktivednata swmi Prabhupada

 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KRISHNA AND SHIVA?

 

Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have carefully analyzed the

summum bonum Kåñëa to have sixty-four principal attributes. All the

expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of these

attributes. But Çré Kåñëa is the possessor of the attributes cent percent.

And His personal expansions such as svayam-prakäça, tad-ekätmä up to the

categories of the avatäras who are all viñëu-tattva, possess up to

ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes. Lord Çiva, who is

neither avatära nor äveça nor in between them, possesses almost eighty-four

percent of the attributes.(sb 1.3.28)

 

 

kñéraà yathä dadhi vikära-viçeña-yogät

saïjäyate na tu tataù påthag asti hetoù

yaù çambhutäm api tathä samupaiti käryäd

govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi

"'Milk changes into yogurt when mixed with a yogurt culture, but actually it

is constitutionally nothing but milk. Similarly, Govinda, the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, assumes the form of Lord Çiva [Çambhu] for the

special purpose of material transactions. I offer my obeisances at His lotus

feet.'

(The real nature of Çambhu, the presiding deity of Maheça-dhäma, is

described.) Çambhu is not a second Godhead other than Kåñëa. Those, who

entertain such discriminating sentiment, commit a great offense against the

Supreme Lord. The supremacy of Çambhu is subservient to that of Govinda;

hence they are not really different from each other. The nondistinction is

established by the fact that just as milk treated with acid turns into curd

so Godhead becomes a subservient when He Himself attains a distinct

personality by the addition of a particular element of adulteration. This

personality has no independent initiative. The said adulterating principle

is constituted of a combination of the stupefying quality of the deluding

energy, the quality of nonplenitude of the marginal potency and a slight

degree of the ecstatic-cum-cognitive principle of the plenary spiritual

potency. This specifically adulterated reflection of the principle of the

subjective portion of the Divinity is Sadäçiva, in the form of the effulgent

masculine-symbol-god Çambhu from whom Rudradeva is manifested. In the work

of mundane creation as the material cause, in the work of preservation by

the destruction of sundry asuras and in the work of destruction to conduct

the whole operation, Govinda manifests Himself as guëa-avatära in the form

of Çambhu who is the separated portion of Govinda imbued with the principle

of His subjective plenary portion. The personality of the destructive

principle in the form of time has been identified with that of Çambhu by

scriptural evidences that have been adduced in the commentary. The purport

of the Bhägavata çlokas, viz., vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù, etc., is that

Çambhu, in pursuance of the will of Govinda, works in union with his consort

Durgädevé by his own time energy. He teaches pious duties (dharma) as

stepping-stones to the attainment of spiritual service in the various

tantra-çästras, etc., suitable for jévas in different grades of the

conditional existence. In obedience to the will of Govinda, Çambhu maintains

and fosters the religion of pure devotion by preaching the cult of

illusionism (Mäyäväda) and the speculative ägama-çästras. The fifty

attributes of individual souls are manifest in a far vaster measure in

Çambhu and five additional attributes not attainable by jévas are also

partly found in him. So Çambhu cannot be called a jéva. He is the lord of

jéva but yet partakes of the nature of a separated portion of Govinda.

(brahma samhita 5.45)

 

CAN ONE GET THE SAME RESULT BY WORSHIPPING SHIVA AOR KRISHNA?

 

There is a Mission that regularly propounds that worship of any demigod will

lead one to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the supreme goal. But

worship of demigods is thoroughly discouraged herein because even the

greatest demigods like Brahmä and Çiva represent only part of the opulence

of the Supreme Lord. He is the origin of everyone born, and no one is

greater than Him. He is asamaurdhva, which means that no one is superior to

Him and that no one is equal to Him. In the Padma Puräëa it is said that one

who considers the Supreme Lord Kåñëa in the same category with demigods-be

they even Brahmä or Çiva-becomes at once an atheist.(BG 10.42)

There are many foolish persons who say that one can chant Hare Kåñëa or

chant the name of Kälé or Durgä or Çiva because they are all the same. If

one thinks that the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the

names and activities of the demigods are on the same level, or if one

accepts the holy name of Viñëu to be a material sound vibration, that is

also an offense. (SB 3.15.25)

 

IN WHAT WAY DO DEVOTEES OF LORD KRISHNA OFFER RESPECTR TO LORD SHIVA?

 

It is said, vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù: Lord Çiva is the best of all

devotees. Therefore all devotees of Lord Kåñëa are also devotees of Lord

Çiva. In Våndävana there is Lord Çiva's temple called Gopéçvara. The gopés

used to worship not only Lord Çiva but Kätyäyané, or Durgä, as well, but

their aim was to attain the favor of Lord Kåñëa. A devotee of Lord Kåñëa

does not disrespect Lord Çiva, but worships Lord Çiva as the most exalted

devotee of Lord Kåñëa. Consequently whenever a devotee worships Lord Çiva,

he prays to Lord Çiva to achieve the favor of Kåñëa, and he does not request

material profit. In Bhagavad-gétä (7.20) it is said that generally people

worship demigods for some material profit. Kämais tais tair håta jïänäù.

Driven by material lust, they worship demigods, but a devotee never does so,

for he is never driven by material lust. That is the difference between a

devotee's respect for Lord Çiva and an asura's respect for him. The asura

worships Lord Çiva, takes some benediction from him, misuses the benediction

and ultimately is killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who awards

him liberation.

Because Lord Çiva is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

he loves all the devotees of the Supreme Lord. Lord Çiva told the Pracetäs

that because they were devotees of the Lord, he loved them very much. Lord

Çiva was not kind and merciful only to the Pracetäs; anyone who is a devotee

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very dear to Lord Çiva. Not only

are the devotees dear to Lord Çiva, but he respects them as much as he

respects the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, devotees of the

Supreme Lord also worship Lord Çiva as the most dear devotee of Lord Kåñëa.

They do not worship him as a separate Personality of Godhead. It is stated

in the list of näma-aparädhas that it is an offense to think that the

chanting of the name of Hari and the chanting of Hara, or Çiva, are the

same. The devotees must always know that Lord Viñëu is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and that Lord Çiva is His devotee. A devotee should

be offered respect on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and

sometimes even more respect. Indeed, Lord Räma, the Personality of Godhead

Himself, sometimes worshiped Lord Çiva. If a devotee is worshiped by the

Lord, why should a devotee not be worshiped by other devotees on the same

level with the Lord? This is the conclusion. From this verse it appears that

Lord Çiva blesses the asuras simply for the sake of formality. Actually he

loves one who is devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (purport SB

4.24.30)

 

SHOULD DEVOTEES OF KRISNA DISCOURAGE OTHERS FROM WORSHIPPING LORD SHIVA?

 

Devotee: Çréla Prabhupäda, in Winnipeg there is one very pious east Indian

man who for many years has been worshiping somewhat, worshiping Lord Çiva.

And his wife is also a very quite chaste woman and sincere follower-and so

were her parents-of Lord Çiva. And he is reading your Bhagavad-gétä. He

visits our temple. And I have given him the first volume of Canto Four which

discusses Lord Çiva a great deal. And he has read in one of your purports

that Kåñëa is more pleased when you worship His devotee than when you

worship Him directly. And Lord Çiva is a very great devotee of Kåñëa. So he

has now interpreted that to mean that if he worships Lord Çiva so nicely,

then actually he is pleasing Kåñëa more. So he is experiencing some

difficulty because of this and I'm not quite sure how to instruct him that

actually...

Prabhupäda: Difficulty?

Brahmänanda: That... Our Godbrother has difficulty in replying to this

interpretation that Kåñëa says, "You can please Me by worshiping My

devotee," and Lord Çiva is the devotee of Kåñëa. So therefore this man says,

"Then I shall worship Lord Çiva. In that way I shall please Kåñëa."

Prabhupäda: But if he accepts Lord Çiva is devotee of Kåñëa, then by

worshiping Lord Çiva he will be benefited. If he thinks Lord Çiva is

independent, then he will not be benefited.

Devotee (3): I've got him to accept that Lord Çiva is devotee of Kåñëa, but

there's no practical instruction in his worldly activities coming.

Prabhupäda: No, vaiñëavänäm yathä çambhuù: "Amongst the Vaiñëavas, Çaàbhu,

Lord Çiva, is the greatest Vaiñëava." So we worship Lord Çiva as Vaiñëava.

We gives respect to Vaiñëavas. So why not Lord Çiva? Lord Çiva is a big

Vaiñëava. But generally, the devotees of Lord Çiva, they take Lord Çiva is

independent God. That is offensive. If you know that Lord Çiva is also a

devotee, you can give more respect to Lord Çiva. Kåñëa will be pleased.

Devotee (3): Çréla Prabhupäda, he does not chant Hare Kåñëa, he chants oà

çiväya namaù.

Prabhupäda: That's all right.

Devotee (3): It's all right?

Prabhupäda: He will gradually become devotee. When God, Lord Çiva, will be

pleased upon him, he will advise to worship.

Devotee (3): He is already trying to tell him to follow in your footsteps

surely, so just before I left he said he will try once again to chant

sixteen rounds of japa, Hare Kåñëa. He has tried already. He has a taste

for...

Prabhupäda: If he simply understands that Lord Çiva is a Vaiñëava and if he

worships Lord Çiva, then he will get the benefit. (ROOM CONVERSTATION,

CHICAGO, 9TH JULY 1975)

 

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BEWTEEN LORD SHIVA AND GHOSTS?

 

Lord Çiva, the king of the ghosts, sitting on the back of his bull carrier,

travels at this time, accompanied by ghosts who follow him for their

welfare.

PURPORT

Lord Çiva, or Rudra, is the king of the ghosts. Ghostly characters worship

Lord Çiva to be gradually guided toward a path of self-realization. Mäyävädé

philosophers are mostly worshipers of Lord Çiva, and Çrépäda Çaìkaräcärya is

considered to be the incarnation of Lord Çiva for preaching godlessness to

the Mäyävädé philosophers. Ghosts are bereft of a physical body because of

their grievously sinful acts, such as suicide. The last resort of the

ghostly characters in human society is to take shelter of suicide, either

material or spiritual. Material suicide causes loss of the physical body,

and spiritual suicide causes loss of the individual identity. Mäyävädé

philosophers desire to lose their individuality and merge into the

impersonal spiritual brahmajyoti existence. Lord Çiva, being very kind to

the ghosts, sees that although they are condemned, they get physical bodies.

He places them into the wombs of women who indulge in sexual intercourse

regardless of the restrictions on time and circumstance

(SB 3.14.24)

 

WHY DO SO MANY LADIES WORSHIP LORD SHIVA?

 

Lord Çiva is the husband of Saté, one of the sisters of Diti. Diti invoked

the pleasure of her sister Saté so that Saté would request her husband to

excuse her. Besides that, Lord Çiva is the worshipable lord of all women. He

is naturally very kind towards women, on whom even the uncivilized hunters

also show their mercy. Since Lord Çiva is himself associated with women, he

knows very well their defective nature, and he might not take very seriously

Diti's unavoidable offense, which occurred due to her faulty nature. Every

virgin girl is supposed to be a devotee of Lord Çiva. Diti remembered her

childhood worship of Lord Çiva and begged his mercy.

(SB 3.14.36)

Today in Hindu society, unmarried girls are still taught to worship Lord

Çiva with the idea that they may get husbands like him. Lord Çiva is the

ideal husband, not in the sense of riches or sense gratification, but

because he is the greatest of all devotees. Vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù:

Çambhu, or Lord Çiva, is the ideal Vaiñëava. He constantly meditates upon

Lord Räma and chants Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Lord Çiva

has a Vaiñëava sampradäya, which is called the Viñëu Svämé-sampradäya.

Unmarried girls worship Lord Çiva so that they can expect a husband who is

as good a Vaiñëava as he. The girls are not taught to select a husband who

is very rich or very opulent for material sense gratification; rather, if a

girl is fortunate enough to get a husband as good as Lord Çiva in devotional

service, then her life becomes perfect. The wife is dependent on the

husband, and if the husband is a Vaiñëava, then naturally she shares the

devotional service of the husband because she renders him service. (S.B.

3.23.1)

 

WHY DOES SHIVA HAVE SNAKES ALL OVER HIS BODY?

 

In order to get release from the false ego, one has to worship Saìkarñaëa.

Saìkarñaëa is also worshiped through Lord Çiva; the snakes which cover the

body of Lord Çiva are representations of Saìkarñaëa, and Lord Çiva is always

absorbed in meditation upon Saìkarñaëa. (S.B. 3.26.21)

 

DO VAISNAVAS TAKE THE PRASADAM OF LORD SHIVA?

 

It is said that among all the devotees of the Personality of Godhead, Lord

Çiva is the greatest. Thus the remnants of foodstuff left by him are

accepted by other devotees as mahä-prasäda, or great spiritual foodstuff.

The remnants of foodstuff offered to Lord Kåñëa are called prasäda, but when

the same prasäda is eaten by a great devotee like Lord Çiva, it is called

mahä-prasäda. Lord Çiva is so great that he does not care for the material

prosperity for which every one of us is so eager. Pärvaté, who is the

powerful material nature personified, is under his full control as his wife,

yet he does not use her even to build a residential house. He prefers to

remain without shelter, and his great wife also agrees to live with him

humbly. People in general worship goddess Durgä, the wife of Lord Çiva, for

material prosperity, but Lord Çiva engages her in his service without

material desire. He simply advises his great wife that of all kinds of

worship, the worship of Viñëu is the highest, and greater than that is the

worship of a great devotee or anything in relation with Viñëu. (S.B.

3.14.26)

 

WHAT IS THE POSITION OF LORD SHIVA?

 

In the Vämana Puräëa it is said that the same Viñëu expands Himself as

Brahmä and Çiva to direct the different qualities. ( cc ADI 5.104)

Maheçvara, or Lord Çiva, is not an ordinary living being, nor is he equal to

Lord Viñëu. Effectively comparing Lord Viñëu and Lord Çiva, the

Brahma-saàhitä says that Viñëu is like milk, whereas Çiva is like yogurt.

Yogurt is nothing like milk, but nevertheless it is milk also. (CC ADI

1.105)

 

IT IS SAID THAT LORD SHIVA IS NON-DIFFERENT FROM KRISHNA. WHAT DOES THAT

MEAN?

Çréla Jéva Gosvämé, in his Bhakti-sandarbha (213), has clearly explained

that a pure devotee's observation of the spiritual master and Lord Çiva as

being one with the Personality of Godhead exists in terms of their being

very dear to the Lord, not identical with Him in all respects. (CC ADI 1.46)

 

WHO ARE THE EXPANSIONS OF LORD SHIVA?

 

Rudra, who is an expansion of Sadäçiva and who appears in unlimited

universes, is also a guëävatära [qualitative incarnation] and is the

ornament of all the demigods in the endless universes.

PURPORT

There are eleven expansions of Rudra, or Lord Çiva. They are as follows:

Ajaikapät, Ahibradhna, Virüpäkña, Raivata, Hara, Bahurüpa, Devaçreñöha

Tryambaka, Sävitra, Jayanta, Pinäki and Aparäjita. Besides these expansions

there are eight forms of Rudra called earth, water, fire, air, sky, the sun,

the moon and soma-yäjé. Generally all these Rudras have five faces, three

eyes and ten arms. Sometimes it is found that Rudra is compared to Brahmä

and considered a living entity. But when Rudra is explained to be a partial

expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is compared to Çeña.

Lord Çiva is therefore simultaneously an expansion of Lord Viñëu and, in his

capacity for annihilating the creation, one of the living entities. As an

expansion of Lord Viñëu he is called Hara, and he is transcendental to the

material qualities, but when he is in touch with tamo-guëa he appears

contaminated by the material modes of nature. This is explained in

Çrémad-Bhägavatam and the Brahma-saàhitä. In Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Tenth Canto,

it is stated that Lord Rudra is always associated with the material nature

when she is in the neutral, unmanifested stage, but when the modes of

material nature are agitated he associates with material nature from a

distance. In the Brahma-saàhitä the relationship between Viñëu and Lord Çiva

is compared to that between milk and yogurt. Milk is converted into yogurt

by certain additives, but although milk and yogurt have the same

ingredients, they have different functions. Similarly, Lord Çiva is an

expansion of Lord Viñëu, yet because of his taking part in the annihilation

of the cosmic manifestation, he is considered to be changed, like milk

converted into yogurt. In the Puräëas it is found that Çiva appears

sometimes from the heads of Brahmä and sometimes from the head of Viñëu. The

annihilator, Rudra, is born from Saìkarñaëa and the ultimate fire to burn

the whole creation. In the Väyu Puräëa there is a description of Sadäçiva in

one of the Vaikuëöha planets. That Sadäçiva is a direct expansion of Lord

Kåñëa's form for pastimes. It is said that Sadäçiva (Lord Çambhu) is an

expansion from the Sadäçiva in the Vaikuëöha planets (Lord Viñëu) and that

his consort, Mahämäyä, is an expansion of Ramä-devé, or Lakñmé. Mahämäyä is

the origin or birthplace of material nature. (CC ADI 6.79)

 

IS LORD SHIVA WORSHIPPED THROUGH THE TAKING OF INTOXICANTS?

 

We should always consider the position of the éçvaras, or those who can

actually control the movements of the sun and moon, as superior. Without

such power, one cannot imitate the éçvaras, who are superpowerful. Lord Çiva

drank poison to the extent of swallowing an ocean, but if any common man

tries to drink even a fragment of such poison, he will be killed. There are

many pseudo devotees of Lord Çiva who want to indulge in smoking gaïjä

(marijuana) and similar intoxicating drugs, forgetting that by so imitating

the acts of Lord Çiva they are calling death very near. Similarly, there are

some pseudo devotees of Lord Kåñëa who prefer to imitate the Lord in His

räsa-lélä, or dance of love, forgetting their inability to lift Govardhana

Hill. It is best, therefore, that one not try to imitate the powerful, but

simply follow their instructions; nor should one try to occupy their posts

without qualification. There are so many "incarnations" of God without the

power of the Supreme Godhead.

 

WHAT IS THE NAURE OF THE WORSHIPPERS OF DIFFERENT GODS?

 

When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of passion, one worships

the sun-god, Vivasvän. When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of

ignorance, one worships Gaëapati, or Gaëeça. When the mode of passion is

mixed with the mode of ignorance, one worships Durgä, or Kälé, the external

potency. When one is simply in the mode of ignorance, one becomes a devotee

of Lord Çiva because Lord Çiva is the predominating deity of the mode of

ignorance within this material world. However, when one is completely free

from the influence of all the modes of material nature, one becomes a pure

Vaiñëava on the devotional platform. (CC MADHYA 24.330)

 

WHY DID LORD RAMACHANDRA WORSHIP SHIVA?

He (LORD KRISHNA AND LORD RAMA) likes to worship His devotee. Sometimes the

father takes the child on his shoulder. Does it mean the child is more

important than the father? They say the Välméki Rämäyaëa, there is no such

incidence as Rämacandra worships Çiva. It is later on, interpretation. But

even if He does so, what is the wrong here? (conversation 23 dec 1975

mumbai)