The Esoteric Significance of SIVA RAHASYA 1

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Om Namah Sivaya

 

 

 

The Puranas and the Itihasas were written by great sages to bring home and to popularise the hidden truths of the Vedas and the Upanishads. They illustrate through stories and narratives the deep significances of the teachings of the Vedas. The Skanda Purana deals with that aspect of the Lord as the Supreme General of the Devas, with six faces and twelve hands and having a Spear for His weapon. His consorts are Valli and Deivayanai. His Vahana is the peacock. Lord Krishna says in the Gita, “Of the Generals, I am Skanda.†The declaration of the Lord, again, “Whenever there is decline of righteousness and growth of unrighteousness, I come to the world to protect the good and to punish the wicked†is applicable in this instance also. It was to put an end to the atrocities of the Asura king Surapadma, that the Lord took His Avatara in the form of Karttik or Subrahmanya. The personalities in the Puranas together with the narratives are

nothing but the highest expression of human aspirations to understand the Divine Play.

 

The Hero of the Skanda Purana is Lord Skanda Himself, known otherwise as Lord Subrahmanya. He is depicted with six faces and twelve hands. His Svarupa is Jyotirmaya. On the earth plane, every human being is an outcome of the five elements and the spirit within him. When the Lord took the human form, He was accordingly depicted in the same manner. Hence the spirit, signified by the sparks from Siva, took the appearance of a human personality, whose body comprised the five elements and who is the Lord of them. But to distinguish Him from ordinary human beings, the author thought it better to bestow six faces and twelve hands for the Divine-man. These six faces represent the following:

 

 

 

 

(i) Five, one element each: Ether, air, fire, water and earth. The sixth face represents the Spirit that bestows LIFE to the beings formed by the five elements.

 

(ii) The Sanskrit word Bhagavan means one who is possessed of the six godly attributes. And each face of Lord Skanda personifies one of such functions or attributes of the Almighty.

 

(iii) In the Tamil scriptures a clear account of the functions of the six faces of the Lord is given. One face is shining to remove ignorance and bestow Knowledge; another fulfils the desires of devotees and attends to their needs; a third face bestows strength and inspiration for the performance of rituals and sacrifices; a fourth brings out the inner secrets and helps the seekers of knowledge by revealing those secrets to them; a fifth face has the purpose of protecting the virtuous and punishing the wicked; and the sixth face stands for that function of the Lord that ignites Love and bestows happiness amongst the Jivas.

 

And, in concurrence with the six faces, the twelve hands work in harmony.

 

The Vel, peacock and cock are the emblems which assist the Lord in the fulfilment of

His functions.

 

 

 

 

Vel, the holy lance, is Lord Murugan's protective power, our safeguard in adversity. Its tip is wide, long and sharp, signifying incisive discrimination and spiritual knowledge, which must be broad, deep and penetrating.

 

The Vel is the Jnana Sakti of the Lord. It destroys ignorance and restores the Jiva to its original abode of pristine glory.

 

 

 

"Peacock," is Lord Skanda's mount, swift and beautiful like Karttikeya Himself. The proud display of the dancing peacock symbolizes religion in full, unfolded glory.

 

 

 

Cock is the noble red rooster who heralds each dawn, calling all to awake and arise. He is a symbol of the imminence of spiritual unfoldment and wisdom. As a fighting cock, he crows from Lord Skanda's battle flag.

 

 

The peacock and cock tear asunder the veil of Maya over the devotees and help them onwards on the path of God-realisation.

 

As it is very difficult for the human mind to grasp the abstract truths in the Vedas, the Skanda Purana, as is the case with all other Puranas, was couched in the form of a story illustrating in a simple way the supreme truths for the benefit of the average intelligence.

 

The Jiva who is none but the Paramatman does not realise its glorious state, due to the force of Avidya or ignorance. Hence, it undergoes sufferings and hardships, which merely drag the soul down from its supreme state of Sat-Chit-Ananda. In the same way, the Devas suffered much because of their ignorance and indifference. Further, Surapadma, in spite of his glorious Tapas, could not remain very long in his enjoyment of the life of pleasure for which he had done such severe penance.

 

The compassionate Lord, desirous of freeing the Jiva from this bondage, showers His grace on it and restores it to its supreme abode. And it is only by the grace of the Lord that this could ever be done. Surapadma, though by the grace of Lord Siva enjoyed all the wealth and prosperity of the world, yet, due to the force of his Avidya, had to take a wrong turn and lose everything in the end. And it is only through the Grace of Lord Siva in the form of Lord Shanmukha that his ignorance was dispelled and he attained the supreme goal of human existence, i.e., Self-realisation.

 

In its travel back towards the Lord, from whom it has become separated temporarily, the Jiva undergoes many a hardship. The lower mind, in the form of Sukracharya, drags the Jiva down from its goal and intensifies its bondage still further. The teachings of Sukracharya to Surapadma are nothing more than the various arguments advanced by the lower mind to justify its own mean desires, thus preventing the onward progress of the Jiva towards God-consciousness. Though Surapadma had performed severe Tapas and acquired several boons through the grace of Lord Siva, he could not live longer, simply because of his following the teachings of the Asura Guru, the lower mind.

 

 

 

Thus, the Skanda Purana illustrates the play of Maya upon the Jivas, the suffering undergone in consequence and the final release from the clutches of Maya through the grace of Lord Shanmukha in the shape of Velayudha—the Jnana Sakti of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

The consorts of Lord Shanmukha are Valli and Deivayanai. Valli stands for the Iccha Sakti—the Power of Will. And the other, Deivayanai, stands for Kriya Sakti—the Power of Action. Thus should a Jiva aspiring to Godliness, having brought the will-power under control, strive ceaselessly till it reaches the goal.

 

 

 

 

Hence the three Saktis, in the form of Vel (Spear)—Jnana Sakti, Valli—Iccha Sakti, and Deivayanai—Kriya Sakti, form part and parcel of Lord Shanmukha, who is also named as Saktidhara.

 

 

 

 

Glory to the Lord of the Saktis! Glory to the Lord who dispels ignorance amongst the devotees by His Velayudha.

 

 

----Sri Swami Sivananda

 

 

 

 

Sivaya Namah