God of Geeta / Geeta ka bhagwaan

September 16, 2005

Omshanti.

I have read in a shloka in my childhood days that "Vidya dadaati vinayam...." Knowledge or education makes one humble. But many of the lines written by my learned friends and scholars in response to the original article on "God of Geeta" sadly do not indicate so. The responses seem to be more out of anger for the Brahmakumaris (and their founder Dada Lekhraj) and the Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya rather than to engage in any fruitful discussion in an atmosphere of friendship. We are here to discuss spiritual knowledge and God, so I feel that personal accusations against any personality should be avoided.

As regards my questions, I ask them only to know the views of my learned friends and I am thankful for the same. I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings. If I have, I am sorry for the same. I don't think that the questions asked by me have been asked for the first time in history. Many people have raised such questions. But just reading scriptures will not solve the problems of the world. God is practically needed to guide the humanity out of the present degraded situation.

As it has been quoted from Geeta that when God comes, he comes in the form of an ordinary perosn, who cannot be recognized easily by everyone. Just as Shri Krishna gave divya drishti to Arjuna in order to enable him to see His vishwa roop, in the same way, when God comes on this earth at the end of Kalpa (i.e. at the confluence of Kaliyuga and Satyuga) and not at the end of every yuga, then he teaches Godly knowledge to his children who recognize him through the third eye of knowledge and not on the basis of any miracles. That time is going on now. God is practically presnent in this huge Kurukshetra of Kaliyugi world, where every human being has become a Sudra (as pointed out by a learned friend above)to make them real mouth-born Brahmins. He is giving the essence of all the scriptures and teaching Rajyoga to his children, the souls, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, language, country, or life styles.

He is teaching them to become pure in their thoughts, words and deeds. He is teaching them to gain victory over Kaam Vikaar (Sex-lust) through Rajyoga, which will transform them from human beings to deities. He is teaching us the story of our 84 births, which we souls take in this cycle of 5000 years, consisting of four yugas and not 84 lakh species, as mentioned in the scriptures. He has come to re-establish the Aadi-sanatan devi-devata dharma, which He had established 5000 years ago by giving the knowledge of soul, supreme soul and the world drama cycle. Although he purifies all the souls irrespective of their sex, he places the pot of knoweledge on the kanyas and matas, who have been neglected and degraded by all the so-called custodians of religions. He causes the opening of the gates of heaven on this earth through these Prajapita Brahmakumar-kumaris.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Prajapita Brahmakumar

sumedh · September 16, 2005

Dear roohani sevadhari

you said:

The responses seem to be more out of anger for the Brahmakumaris (and their founder Dada Lekhraj) and the Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya rather than to engage in any fruitful discussion in an atmosphere of friendship. We are here to discuss spiritual knowledge and God, so I feel that personal accusations against any personality should be avoided.

This is not true, because you do not understand the nature of devotion. No one here is angry as you imagine but calling spade a spade is the duty of every person who deems oneself on the path of Truth. Humility does not mean meekness and non-opposition. I presented the objections in details with pramanas, and ilkewise if you want to put forward your point of view you should give logical and/or scriptural evidences. The main point here is from where does Dada Lekhraj derive his authority? I can also imagine all kinds of things and write them down; so will you agree them to be coming from God ... The fact is that Dada Lekhraj and followers do not understand the basics of Vedic knowledge, what is prasthana-traya etc. Since you think that the scriptures are either junk or have been manipulated there is no common ground to discuss. Obviously personal accusations should be avoided, but when a personality claims to be god then he/she would come under the scanner as to whether his/her siddhanta is consistent, and does it match to the Vedic siddhanta etc. Now here we have someone who does not know the basics of Vedic knowledge posing as god and then you say that we should not reject him. Many a times repremand is the best option for correction.

Second important point is that when you come to discuss on a certain forum, you should at least read some basic things of their philosophy because you start accusing about things they do not believe in the first place and the discussion becomes meaningless.

The next point is that since you have hardly read Vaishnava theologies so you have no idea of the real nature and status of the scriptures. So i suggest that you first read some introductory material such as Ishopanishad, Perfect Questions Perfect answers, Bhagavad-Gita as it is, in the books section of this site. Then the discussion shall be much more meaningful.

you said:

As regards my questions, I ask them only to know the views of my learned friends and I am thankful for the same. I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings. If I have, I am sorry for the same. I don't think that the questions asked by me have been asked for the first time in history. Many people have raised such questions. But just reading scriptures will not solve the problems of the world. God is practically needed to guide the humanity out of the present degraded situation.

God is also present in the God-realized Acharya who is empowered by the swayam-prakash of the Lord. So we should understand the scriptures through the acharyas. As regards, the differences in opinions of acharyas it is a different matter for which you can create new thread. But the basic reason is that just like there is so much material varigatedness it is the nature of spiritual varigatedness.

you said:

God is practically presnent in this huge Kurukshetra of Kaliyugi world, where every human being has become a Sudra (as pointed out by a learned friend above)to make them real mouth-born Brahmins. He is giving the essence of all the scriptures and teaching Rajyoga to his children, the souls, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, language, country, or life styles.

And how about the animals? What does your organization propose to do about them who outnumber humans by a really huge margin? Actually only the sublime path of bhakti is available to all the jivas without any distinction including species, which has been distributed by Sri Chaitanya to one and all.

But let us stick to basics. Since you believe Dada Lekhraj is god, then naturally his siddhanta should be able to answer all the questions completely. So i would like to pose the following questions for a start:

1. What is the nature of a jiva soul?

2. If the jiva soul is completely pure, then why and how does she come to this material world in the first place.

3. Why do you think the Lord does not give liberation to all the jivas at this very moment since He is so loving and caring of the jivas?

4. Why do you think we need to follow any procedure to achieve the highest objective, and why does it take much time and energy? i.e. why does Lord not take all those who show an inclination into His family.

5. What is the nature of the relationship of Lord and jivas?

6. Where do jivas come from?

Please give a good amount of thought before answering. These are some important questions that every spiritual seeker should ask and find answers to his/her own satisfaction.

September 16, 2005

Dear Sumedh ji,

Omshanti. Thanks for posing serious questions related to knowledge. I shall definitely reply to all of them in detail as soon as possible.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 16, 2005

The responses seem to be more out of anger for the Brahmakumaris (and their founder Dada Lekhraj) and the Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya rather than to engage in any fruitful discussion in an atmosphere of friendship. We are here to discuss spiritual knowledge and God, so I feel that personal accusations against any personality should be avoided.

Your dada lekhraj is a fake. Calling a thief a thief is not disrespect, it is just fact.

As it has been quoted from Geeta that when God comes, he comes in the form of an ordinary perosn, who cannot be recognized easily by everyone. Just as Shri Krishna gave divya drishti to Arjuna in order to enable him to see His vishwa roop, in the same way, when God comes on this earth at the end of Kalpa (i.e. at the confluence of Kaliyuga and Satyuga) and not at the end of every yuga, then he teaches Godly knowledge to his children who recognize him through the third eye of knowledge and not on the basis of any miracles. That time is going on now.

This is why I call this guy dada fakeraj a fake. Where did he and/or bramma-kumaris get this hallucination about 5000 year. Bhagavata is clear that Lord Visnu(alias Krishna alias Narayana) will take Avatara as Kalki in the end of Kali Yuga.

I quoted so many verses from Gita, where Arjuna, Sanjaya both of whom received Divya Drsti from Vyasa and Krishna respectively call the preacher of GITA as Krishna, Yadava etc. This clearly shows it is Lord Krishna WHO is GOD. Do you have any good reason to believe otherwise. I would rather believe Gita than some fake guy called lekhraj.

As for respect, I do not have any for people who steal Krishna's words and interpret it as something else. This is intelletual dishonesty, the mark of a thief and useless felllow.

September 17, 2005

Dear Guest,

Omshanti. You are free to shower insults upon Dada Lekhraj or Brahmakumaris organization or Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya. If we do not accept your insults and do not get disturbed by it, the insults remain with you. One's behaviour or responses to a given situation only reflects the training given by parents, teachers, gurus and the immediate society. We have no interest in collecting garbage in our mind.

Truth need not be proved. However, we will try to give you answers based on logic. It is upto you to accept them or not.

As per the beliefs of Hindus, the Vedas and scriptures like Gita have been handed over to mankind since time immemorial, but history and historians say otherwise. As per history, Gita was written only around 200 B.C.E to 200 C.E. Ramayana was written around 400 B.C.E. I quote these dates from a book named "A history of the World's Religions" written by David S.Noss. IN the words of the author, “Although the poem is often printed and esteemed as a separate work, it is a segment fitted into the enormous epic, the Mahabharata, which was composed over a period of eight hundred years, 400 B.C.E. to 400 C.E. (Estimates of the time of interpolation range from the third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E.).”

It is also pertinent to note that in excavations conducted in respect of Sindhu Valley civilization (Harrappa and Mohenjodaro) it was the idols of Shiv-Shankar and Goddess Shakti that were found and not that of Vishnu, which proves that the idea of Lord Vishnu (or Shri Krishna) was introduced in later part of the Indian history.

In a special report on history of Mahabharata and the character of Shri Krishna, which appeared in the magazine “The Week” dated 11th September, 2005, the author R.Prasannan writes, “The Kuru-Panchala rivalry, the kernel of the Mahabharata, figures in many texts but none has a Krishna in it. Only the Mahabharata, revised many times (the earliest known manuscript is dated 1261 AD), has featured him prominently in the Kuru-Panchala tale. Evidence from the world of art suggests that later story tellers borrowed the Upanishad’s Krishna and inserted him into the Kuru-Panchala story.”

All these facts go on to prove that the Mahabharata and Sanskrit Gita were epics and scriptures written by human beings and not directly narrated by God in Sanskrit. The story of Mahabharata and its characters may not have actually enacted or existed in history (as we know them to be) but the story evolved over a long period of time by the amalgamation of various sub-stories or characters of history.

Notwithstanding the historical veracity of the Mahabharata or Gita, they give us invaluable spiritual knowledge and have guided the humanity (especially India) for a long period of time.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 17, 2005

Dear Guest,

Omshanti. You are free to shower insults upon Dada Lekhraj or Brahmakumaris organization or Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya. If we do not accept your insults and do not get disturbed by it, the insults remain with you. One's behaviour or responses to a given situation only reflects the training given by parents, teachers, gurus and the immediate society. We have no interest in collecting garbage in our mind.

Talking about garbage, you bramma(hallucinating)kumaris have already replaced knowledge of Gita with garbage taught by this fake cheater lekhraj. Whether you acept it or not the fact remains the same, that you people are full of garbage.

Truth need not be proved. However, we will try to give you answers based on logic. It is upto you to accept them or not.

If you cannot prove it, how do you know even if it is TRUTH ? This simply shows your utter ignorance in a pack of lis taught by your cheater fakeraj.

As per the beliefs of Hindus, the Vedas and scriptures like Gita have been handed over to mankind since time immemorial, but history and historians say otherwise. As per history, Gita was written only around 200 B.C.E to 200 C.E. Ramayana was written around 400 B.C.E. I quote these dates from a book named "A history of the World's Religions" written by David S.Noss. IN the words of the author, “Although the poem is often printed and esteemed as a separate work, it is a segment fitted into the enormous epic, the Mahabharata, which was composed over a period of eight hundred years, 400 B.C.E. to 400 C.E. (Estimates of the time of interpolation range from the third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E.).”

Typical cut and paste work of one ignoramus who thinks he knows better. This is no evidence for your claims. Anybody can cut and paste any article. Based on what evidence these claims are made.

Who is this guy called by name David S.Noss ? Christians have ulterior motives to establish their demonic religion in India. So they mmake up false stories like Aryan invasion theory, false dates about Itihaasas etc.

I would rather consider the words of Acharyas like Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva etc. rather than those of a religious christian bigot. All of them confirm that Lord Krishna is Bhagavan ie GOD.

It is also pertinent to note that in excavations conducted in respect of Sindhu Valley civilization (Harrappa and Mohenjodaro) it was the idols of Shiv-Shankar and Goddess Shakti that were found and not that of Vishnu, which proves that the idea of Lord Vishnu (or Shri Krishna) was introduced in later part of the Indian history.

Total ignorance. Shows total ignorance of Vedas. From Veda samhitas to Upanishads, Lord Visnu is mentioned everywhere as the supreme Lord. Please read Vedas.

Rudra or Shiva on the other hand is a minor deity or demi-god of north-west direction in Vedas.

In a special report on history of Mahabharata and the character of Shri Krishna, which appeared in the magazine “The Week” dated 11th September, 2005, the author R.Prasannan writes, “The Kuru-Panchala rivalry, the kernel of the Mahabharata, figures in many texts but none has a Krishna in it. Only the Mahabharata, revised many times (the earliest known manuscript is dated 1261 AD), has featured him prominently in the Kuru-Panchala tale. Evidence from the world of art suggests that later story tellers borrowed the Upanishad’s Krishna and inserted him into the Kuru-Panchala story.”

Empty speculation of the author. I know this is totally wrong. Where and how does this author Prasanna get this idea. Did he hallucinate this idea out of bramma kumaris teachings.

Note that your cit and paste article has no evidence, only empty speculations.

All these facts go on to prove that the Mahabharata and Sanskrit Gita were epics and scriptures written by human beings and not directly narrated by God in Sanskrit. The story of Mahabharata and its characters may not have actually enacted or existed in history (as we know them to be) but the story evolved over a long period of time by the amalgamation of various sub-stories or characters of history.

For your information, ASI can unearthed Dwarka.

http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Dwaraka.htm

Rest is all your speculation. As I stated earlier, all Acharyas have clearly stated that Mahabharatha is an actual event. I would rather believe them than some idiot and cheat called fakeraj or you.

You can believe in all nonsense what you want. We have no problem. But do not come and preach your nonsense taught by cheat fakeraj and hallucinating bramma kumaris and not expect opposition.

September 17, 2005

Dear Guest,

Omshanti. You are free to shower insults upon Dada Lekhraj or Brahmakumaris organization or Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya.

As per the beliefs of Hindus, the Vedas and scriptures like Gita have been handed over to mankind since time immemorial, but history and historians say otherwise.

It is clear that bramma kumaris do not believe in Vedas.

There is no point in arguing with such people.

September 17, 2005

I have never visited this site before but am saddened that one of the "Guests" has chosen to be so offensive to the other. Clearly, although you (rude guest) appear to have a great knowledge of "your" scripture, you demonstrate that for you it has little power to transform. So why do you so strongly to your scripture if it doesn't work for you? Maybe the other Guest is pointing to something that we all should consider; after all, as he says, religions have been around for about 2000+ yrs and there's not much evidence of enlightenment.

Regards

September 17, 2005

I have never visited this site before but am saddened that one of the "Guests" has chosen to be so offensive to the other. Clearly, although you (rude guest) appear to have a great knowledge of "your" scripture, you demonstrate that for you it has little power to transform. So why do you so strongly to your scripture if it doesn't work for you? Maybe the other Guest is pointing to something that we all should consider; after all, as he says, religions have been around for about 2000+ yrs and there's not much evidence of enlightenment.

Regards

If calling a spade as spade is wrong then may be you should not read.

If you do not have the strength to take the truth, then you are not capable of understanding truth as it is.

You got to think, why people from bramma kumaris and its founder would like to mis-interpret teachings of Ghagavad Gita. If they do not believe in Gita, then they should not quote Gita and mis-interpret Gita wantedly.

Still these people choose to do such things. Why ?

Because they are number one cheaters, frauds and liars. Calling such a cheat as cheat does not mean I am acting out of ignorance. It is just plain fact.

It has nothing to do with my transformation. Peole like you do not have one logical argument for their claims.

Let us go back to the subject of the topic. Whether Lord Krishna is God or not ?

I did not see one argument in favor of their argument. Instead I find ridiculous statements about me and our belief.

You are all bunch of loosers.

September 17, 2005

eligions have been around for about 2000+ yrs and there's not much evidence of enlightenment.

Does enlightenment mean praising a cheat as enlightened and not exposing a fraud as a fraud ?

We do not want such enlightenment.

September 17, 2005

Although one of the above posts was very obnoxious and insultive, a rather pertinent point was made, the christian indologists over time have sought to destroy the indian culture, whether out of malice or out of what they perceived as upliftment is a different matter. They did do it:

"During the past few centuries the most belligerent, the most aggressive, the most rapacious, the most power-drunk section of humanity has been precisely, the Christian Western world. During these centuries western Christendom had invaded all other continents; its armies followed by priests and merchants have subjugated, robbed or pillaged most of the non-Christians. Native Americans, African, Australian, Asiatic populations have been subjugated to this peculiar brand of Christian "love" which has generally manifested itself in pitiless destruction, enslavement, coercion, destruction of the cultural values, institutions, the way of life of the victims and the spread of alcoholism, venereal disease, commercial cynicism and the like."

(source: History of Hindu-Christian Encounters - By Sita Ram Goel ISBN 9990049173 p. 370).

St. Francis Xavier whom the Catholic Church hails as the Patron Saint of the East, participated in this meritorious work, wrote back home:

"As soon as I arrived in any heathen village, when all are baptized, I order all the temples of their false gods to be destroyed and all the idols to be broken to pieces. I can give you no idea of the joy I feel in seeing this done."

Sir W. M. Williams, a Sanskritist with great missionary sympathies, prophesied,

"When the walls of the mighty fortress of Brahminism are encircled, undermined and finally stormed by the soldiers of the Cross, the victory of Christianity must be signal and complete."

Those historians tend to believe that the indians were primitive and barbaric, that their history was nothing more than tales. Now that we see that the indian genius and thought amazes the greatest thinkers of all time, who shall we believe, Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhava whose philosophies whose recollections were without personal motivation and who were literally geniuses or invaders who were by their own admission coming to destroy the culture so that the people could be exploited?

September 18, 2005

Dear Sumedh ji,

1. You said: “The main point here is from where does Dada Lekhraj derive his authority? I can also imagine all kinds of things and write them down; so will you agree them to be coming from God” ------- First of all the knowledge being propagated by the Brahmakumaris (BKs) and the followers of Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalay (i.e. PBKs) is not imaginary but based on the knowledge given to them by the incorporeal God Shiva, who enters into an ordinary human being to purify all the souls. The incorporeal God Shiva entered into Dada Lekhraj for many years until his demise in 1969 and after that the incorporeal God Shiva has been entering into another human medium to complete the task of world transformation that remained unfinished through Dada Lekhraj.

As regards the knowledge being given by God to the PBKs being imaginary is concerned I would like to say that it is more compatible with science and history than the knowledge given by any other religion. I would not take examples from other religions, but will quote only from Hindu scriptures. There is mention of various deities with thousand arms, 8 arms, four arms, three eyes etc. Then there was Ravana with 10 heads. All kinds of imaginary demons, which nobody has ever seen. Scriptures say that deities live in a heaven that exists above the sky. And that there is a land of demons in the paataal lok. Scientists have traveled far and wide in the universe but could not find life anywhere. Neither does life exist beneath the earth beyond a certain level. So where do all these deities exist? Had they existed in the past then there should have been their progeny with similar physical features. But we have not heard of any surviving human beings with such physical features, leave alone performing any miracles for the benefit of the humanity. Actually, all these pictures of deities and the stories of wars between deities and demons have spiritual meanings and did not take place actually in the history of mankind. These spiritual meanings of the mythological figures and stories are being explained now by God Himself.

2. You wrote, “The fact is that Dada Lekhraj and followers do not understand the basics of Vedic knowledge, what is prasthana-traya etc. Since you think that the scriptures are either junk or have been manipulated there is no common ground to discuss. Obviously personal accusations should be avoided, but when a personality claims to be god then he/she would come under the scanner as to whether his/her siddhanta is consistent, and does it match to the Vedic siddhanta etc. Now here we have someone who does not know the basics of Vedic knowledge posing as god and then you say that we should not reject him. Many a times repremand is the best option for correction.” ----this connection I would like to submit that human beings have been reading scriptures (many of them dealing with complex matters) but where has all this brought us to today? Take any field of life, are we progressing or becoming more and more vicious? The mother earth is totally polluted, there is irreligiousness, unrighteousness, corruption everywhere. Attempts by incompletely pure human beings to guide or purify fellow impure human beings will only lead to more degradation. That is why we say that it is time for God’s incarnation. And He has even taken incarnation, but in an ordinary human being. He can be recognized only through the third eye of knowledge. When God comes Himself, he does not quote the scriptures written by human beings, but His knowledge can nevertheless be tallied with the scriptures.

Neither Dada Lekhraj, nor the present human chariot of God has claimed that God enters into him. It is we children, who on the basis of the unique Godly knowledge and easy Rajyoga believe that the incorporeal God Shiva is giving knowledge through his body. We are neither asking you to accept nor reject the knowledge being given by God. It is only being given here for the sake of churning, because manushya means “manan chintan manthan karney vaala”.

Neither Dada Lekhraj nor the present medium of God claim to be medium of God, but I would like to know, which authority or scripture has given you the authority to reprimand anyone? Nobody except God Father has the power to reprimand anyone, especially on spiritual matters. I wish to humbly know if you claim to be God or the representative of God authorized to reprimand fellow human beings?

3. You wrote, “God is also present in the God-realized Acharya who is empowered by the swayam-prakash of the Lord. So we should understand the scriptures through the acharyas. As regards, the differences in opinions of acharyas it is a different matter for which you can create new thread.” --this connection I would like to say that there are hundreds of Acharyas and gurus who claim to have realized God. So is God omnipresent? And if God is in fact giving knowledge through so many God-realized Acharyas, then why is the world witnessing downfall? If the same God is present in all the Acharyas then why is there the difference of opinion?

4. You wrote, “And how about the animals? What does your organization propose to do about them who outnumber humans by a really huge margin? Actually only the sublime path of bhakti is available to all the jivas without any distinction including species, which has been distributed by Sri Chaitanya to one and all.” -------In this connection I would like to say that first of all Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwavidyalay is not an organization but a Godly family consisting of spiritual mother and father and spiritual chidren. As per the knowledge being given by God Shiva to us presently, human souls take rebirth only as human beings and not as other species. Similarly, souls of individual species take rebirth as the respective species and not in other species. As regards the sublime path of spirituality, God says that the power to think and churn is available only to the human beings (manushya-manan chintan manthan karney vaala) and not to other species. When the human beings get reformed or purified, then the animal species also get purified automatically. You must have seen that earlier the Sanyasis used to live more in the jungles amidst ferocious animals without any fear, but since a few centuries, the sanyasis have also lost their power of spirituality and hence have come into the cities and live luxurious lives. The feuds and murders that take place in the various ashrams of Hindu pilgrimage centres are world famous.

5. You wrote, “Since you believe Dada Lekhraj is god, then naturally his siddhanta should be able to answer all the questions completely.”--------As intimated above, we do not believe Dada Lekhraj to be God. Incorporeal God Shiva only entered into him (parkaaya pravesh) for some years to give knowledge and to play the role of a mother. Now he is entering into some other human chariot to complete the unfinished task of world transformation and to play the role of a father.

6. You posed the following questions:

1. What is the nature of a jiva soul? ------- A soul is like a trident, consisting of three parts- mind, intellect and resolves. Mind and resolves are the spikes on the right and left hand, whereas the intellect is the spike in the middle, slightly longer and more important than the other two spikes.

Mind is the thinking power of the soul, which creates various kinds of thoughts - good, bad, wasteful, ordinary etc. Some are voluntary, and some are involuntary, which may be prompted due to the karmic debts of the past births. Some thoughts are converted into words and actions, whereas some remain just thoughts. Thoughts are like the seeds - more powerful than the tree of words and actions. When the souls are in the soul world without the body, they remain thoughtless. In the first two ages of the 5000 years world cycle, i.e. in the Golden Age and the Silver Age deities used only the thought power in a positive manner. As a result, more energy was conserved leading to better mental and physical health. But, when we became body conscious, we started using words and actions more than our thoughts, that too in a negative manner. This leads to degradation of mental and physical health and this downfall reaches a climax in the Iron Age. It is only when the incorporeal God Shiva, who does not pass through the cycle of birth and death, takes a divine incarnation on this earth that we learn how to control our thoughts, words and actions and get transformed from sinful human beings to virtuous deities. Mind is like a lake or sea producing different kinds of waves – sometimes high, sometimes low, and sometimes no waves, only calmness. Mind can be compared to Brahma (the Generator).

Intellect is the judgement power of the soul. A soul may create various kinds of thoughts during the entire day and night. But only when the intellect decides, then the soul brings those thoughts into words or actions. Creation of positive, negative or wasteful thoughts or simply remaining in a thoughtless state is also decided by the intellect. It is the intellect which decides the course of a soul’s journey throughout the 5000 years old world cycle consisting of 84 births. Intellect is like a Jeweller, who tests gems and diamonds for their purity and value. Intellect can be compared to Shankar (the Destoyer), who destroys the old resolves, vices and old world and paves the way for the establishment of a new world.

The influences of good and bad deeds on the soul i.e. mind and intellect is called as resolves. For e.g. if intellect decides to repeatedly use its body for performing hard work, then it acquires the resolves of a hard worker. If the intellect repeatedly decides to give more sleep and rest to the body and avoids hard work or exercise, then it acquires the resolves of laziness. So it depends on the soul whether it acquires good or bad resolves. Whatever resolves that a soul acquires on the basis of its thinking and deciding power (i.e. mind and intellect) get stored in the soul just like various files and folders get stored in the CPU of a computer. These resolves remain with the soul in its next birth also and affect the thoughts, words and actions in the next birth to some extent. A soul, although possessing bad resolves or habits acquired in the previous birth, can change it in good company, guidance, food, environment etc. When the resolves of all the souls become almost sinful in the last birth of the 5000 years world drama, the Supreme Soul Shiva descends from the soul world into an ordinary human being and gives us the knowledge and power to change our resolves through Easy Rajyoga. The resolves of a soul can be compared to Vishnu (the Sustainer).

2. If the jiva soul is completely pure, then why and how does she come to this material world in the first place? --------- All the souls and the supreme Soul Shiva live in the soul world situated beyond the sun, moon and the universe. Just as actors come on to the stage wearing different kinds of clothes and make-up, similarly souls enter into this world drama stage (earth) and assume human bodies or animal bodies as per their roles. This world drama which is of 5000 years as per God is divided into four ages – Satyug, Tretayug, Dwaparyug and Kaliyug. The first two ages constitute heaven, where all human beings are deities, i.e. virtuous. The latter two ages constitute hell, where all human beings are like demons, i.e. vicious. God says that when the souls are in the soul world, they are completely pure, but when they enter into this world drama stage at various points of time, they lose their purity slowly and steadily under the influence of the fellow human beings. When at the end of the Kaliyug (going on presently) all the human souls become completely impure, irreligious and corrupt, then incorporeal God Shiva Himself descends from the soul world to purify all the souls and to narrate the story of 84 births of human souls and the history and geography of the world religions (not just Hinduism) and to re-establish the Aadi Sanatan Devi Devata Dharma, which got the name of Hinduism from foreigners. The time of God’s incarnation is called Purushottam sangamyug. Some souls burn their sins on the basis of spiritual efforts (remembrance of God and inculcation of divine virtues), whereas some others, who ignore God and Godly knowledge burn their sins through punishments, like natural calamities, civil wars, conventional wars etc. which are on an increase in the present world. At the end of the confluence age (Sangamyug), the old world gets destroyed but some (4, 50,000) human beings (who get transformed to deities) remain back in India (to be called heaven) to give birth to the souls coming from the soul world as deities. Thus the human world cycle continues. The same is the case with souls of other species. They also pass through the cycle of birth and death.

3. Why do you think the Lord does not give liberation to all the jivas at this very moment since He is so loving and caring of the jivas? --------- God says that I give mukti (temporary liberation from the cycle of life and death when the souls remain in the soul world) and jeevanmukti (i.e. a completely pure, virtuous, liberated life of deities while living in the body, without any attachment) to all the souls when I come to this world in the Purushottam sangamyug at the end of the world drama cycle (kalpa). When He himself is bound to enter this cycle to purify others (although he doesn’t take birth through a mother’s womb) then how can others get completely liberated from this cycle? Moreover, what is the use in getting completely liberated from the cycle of life and death? Your existence itself will end by that. Whereas God says that it is better to remain in this body and this world and enjoy 100 % peace, purity and prosperity. Only those who enter into this world drama stage after the end of heaven (i.e. Dwapar yug onwards) will pray for complete liberation from the cycle of birth and death, because they have not seen the heaven, which was free from sorrows. They come only after the sorrows begin in the world after 2500 years. So, they get fed up of seing sorrows and desire for liberation (mukti).

4. Why do you think we need to follow any procedure to achieve the highest objective, and why does it take much time and energy? i.e. why does Lord not take all those who show an inclination into His family? -------this connection I would like to humbly say that God comes and establishes a home-cum-school-cum-spiritual hospital. He gives us knowledge step by step during the 100 years period of Purushottam Sangamyug beginning from 1936-37. Since this is a school (sachhi Geeta pathshala) where we live and study with our spiritual parents, we have to make efforts ourselves to become a deity. By imbibing this knowledge every Nar can become like a Narayan and every Naari can become like a Lakshmi. God says that unlike the bhaktimarg, He does not give any aashirwad (blessings) or vardaan (boons) but only shows the path to perfection and also gives the power to become perfect through easy Rajyoga. Whoever makes sincere efforts gives a boon to himself. Actually, all the human souls (belonging to any caste, creed, nation or religion) is a member of the Godly family, but the time taken by each soul to recognize that God Father varies depending on the role of each soul in this world drama. The more number of births one has taken in this world drama cycle, the earlier will one realize God.

5. What is the nature of the relationship of Lord and jivas? -------- According to God, the primary relationship between God (Supreme Soul) and the souls is that of a father and a child. But when God is physically present with the souls, they can establish and experience any relationship with him.

6. Where do jivas come from? ------- As mentioned earlier in detail all the jeevatmas (souls) come from the soul world to play their roles in this world drama stage.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

PrajapitaBrahmakumar

September 18, 2005

don't take me wrong am not tying to criticize or insult u and ur faith but why r u here roohani ji?

Hari Bol.

September 18, 2005

Respected Guest,

Omshanti. You wrote, “I quoted so many verses from Gita, where Arjuna, Sanjaya both of whom received Divya Drsti from Vyasa and Krishna respectively call the preacher of GITA as Krishna, Yadava etc. This clearly shows it is Lord Krishna WHO is GOD. Do you have any good reason to believe otherwise. I would rather believe Gita than some fake guy called lekhraj.”

I would like to respectfully like to know from your kindself that when you and all other learned followers of Hare Krishna Movement believe Lord Krishna to be God and preacher of Gita, then why is it that there is not even a single picture of Shri Krishna on the main page of this website? Instead of the picture of beloved Shri Krishna there appears a picture of a human being. I wish to humbly submit that I am totally at loss to understand the logic behind replacing the picture of Shri Krishna (whom you believe to be immortal, imperishable, beyond the cycle of birth and death) with the picture of a mortal being who has entered the cycle of birth and death. By asking this question I do not in anyway desire to offend the feelings of the followers of that human being. This is only out of curiosity, especially after seing so much devotion for Lord Krishna by many of the members of this forum.

Kindly enlighten me in this regard.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari.

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 18, 2005

Dear brother (absolute truth),

Omshanti. Thanks for your response. As our original article shows, we believe that Gita is sarva shastramayi shiromani. So, it is only to discuss about various aspects of Gita with our learned friends that we are here. I hope we would hear more kind words from you.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 18, 2005

Dear Guest,

Omshanti. You wrote.....Although one of the above posts was very obnoxious and insultive, a rather pertinent point was made, the christian indologists over time have sought to destroy the indian culture, whether out of malice or out of what they perceived as upliftment is a different matter.

I agree that many of the stories published as part of history may not be correct, just like the theory of Aryan invasion, but I am surprised at your sudden outburst of anger towards Christians especially because it has been observed from the posts made by many of the learned members that they prefer to prefix the Christian title of Lord before Krishna instead of God or Shri. It is well known to everyone that since ages Shri is the only prefix that is added to the name of deities in India, whether the deities are male or female. I am not sure, but I guess that only after the British rule in India spanning two centuries, the title of Lord which is conferred by the Kings and Queens of England upon their loyal subjects, has also sadly been conferred upon Shri Krishna and our beloved Shri Krishna was sadly transformed into Lord Krishna. I do not know how and why this title became popular with the devotees of Shri Krishna, but as far as I am concerned, I would always like to refer to the deity Krishna as Shri Krishna and not as Lord Krishna. This is more due to my love for Indian traditions rather than anything else.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

Prajapita Brahmakumar.

September 18, 2005

[qoute]I would like to respectfully like to know from your kindself that when you and all other learned followers of Hare Krishna Movement believe Lord Krishna to be God and preacher of Gita, then why is it that there is not even a single picture of Shri Krishna on the main page of this website? Instead of the picture of beloved Shri Krishna there appears a picture of a human being. I wish to humbly submit that I am totally at loss to understand the logic behind replacing the picture of Shri Krishna (whom you believe to be immortal, imperishable, beyond the cycle of birth and death) with the picture of a mortal being who has entered the cycle of birth and death. By asking this question I do not in anyway desire to offend the feelings of the followers of that human being. This is only out of curiosity, especially after seing so much devotion for Lord Krishna by many of the members of this forum.

Kindly enlighten me in this regard.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari.

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 18, 2005

am a girl so plz call me mataji instead of brother. sorry about that..what is sarva shastramayi shiromani?

Hari Hari

September 18, 2005

As regards the knowledge being given by God to the PBKs being imaginary is concerned I would like to say that it is more compatible with science and history than the knowledge given by any other religion. I would not take examples from other religions, but will quote only from Hindu scriptures. There is mention of various deities with thousand arms, 8 arms, four arms, three eyes etc. Then there was Ravana with 10 heads. All kinds of imaginary demons, which nobody has ever seen. Scriptures say that deities live in a heaven that exists above the sky. And that there is a land of demons in the paataal lok. Scientists have traveled far and wide in the universe but could not find life anywhere. Neither does life exist beneath the earth beyond a certain level. So where do all these deities exist? Had they existed in the past then there should have been their progeny with similar physical features. But we have not heard of any surviving human beings with such physical features, leave alone performing any miracles for the benefit of the humanity. Actually, all these pictures of deities and the stories of wars between deities and demons have spiritual meanings and did not take place actually in the history of mankind. These spiritual meanings of the mythological figures and stories are being explained now by God Himself.

This is interesting. You bring so called rationality here to show Vedas, Itihaasas and Puranas are imaginary, yet you want us to believe in your lekhraj seeing incorporeal Shiva mumbo jumbo.

So you are a hypcrite, when it comes to your own belief. Where is your incorporeal Shiva, there is no evidence whatsoever of this entity Shiva's existence. It is not until some guy by name lekhraj imagines this being nobody heard of it.

The very fact that your so called beliefs is supposedly in line with science, shows that a lot of retrofitting was done by your teacher fakeraj. It does not prove your faith.

By the way why do you people need to misinterpret Gita. I have no interest proving my faith to you.

In this connection I would like to submit that human beings have been reading scriptures (many of them dealing with complex matters) but where has all this brought us to today? Take any field of life, are we progressing or becoming more and more vicious? The mother earth is totally polluted, there is irreligiousness, unrighteousness, corruption everywhere. Attempts by incompletely pure human beings to guide or purify fellow impure human beings will only lead to more degradation. That is why we say that it is time for God’s incarnation. And He has even taken incarnation, but in an ordinary human being. He can be recognized only through the third eye of knowledge. When God comes Himself, he does not quote the scriptures written by human beings, but His knowledge can nevertheless be tallied with the scriptures.

Neither Dada Lekhraj, nor the present human chariot of God has claimed that God enters into him. It is we children, who on the basis of the unique Godly knowledge and easy Rajyoga believe that the incorporeal God Shiva is giving knowledge through his body. We are neither asking you to accept nor reject the knowledge being given by God. It is only being given here for the sake of churning, because manushya means “manan chintan manthan karney vaala”.

Neither Dada Lekhraj nor the present medium of God claim to be medium of God, but I would like to know, which authority or scripture has given you the authority to reprimand anyone? Nobody except God Father has the power to reprimand anyone, especially on spiritual matters. I wish to humbly know if you claim to be God or the representative of God authorized to reprimand fellow human beings?

For your information.

Avatar means Lord Visnu descends as HE is. HE does not incarnate as you and your fake gurus hallucinate.

As per Vedas Shiva is a minor deity of north-west direction.

As per Vedas Shatapatha Brahmana Rudra aliasa Shiva is born through ChaturmukhaBrahmA with corporeal body.

As per Vedas, Shiva is NOT GOD.

So when you say somebody had vision of GOD, how would you know whether it is true or false.

All human knowledge(science included) is defective as science etc. keep changing as new discoveries are made.

So what should one depend on is unchanging Vedas. Vedas are the breath of GOD(Narayana). You said we have to listen to GOD HIMSELF to know the truth. VEDAS from time immemorial were and are considered by many many sages as expounding THE TRUTH. Vedas have no single author or have no begining. No other religious scripture can make such a claim. Scientifically all other religious scriptures have been traced to one or few human beings, but not the Vedas.

Even scientists do not know what is the begining of Vedas. They simply speculate that it may have been brought by invading Aryans around 1500 bc. There is no hard proof for this false claim of scientists. Max Muller in his writings finally says nobody would be able to find the beginings of Vedas in truth.

So Vedas are the original words of GOD(Krishna alias Narayana). All claims made by any person must be in accordance with claims of Vedas. If not the teachers are to be rejected as fake cheaters. dada fakeraj is one such cheater.

September 18, 2005

There was no sudden outburst of anger as you say, otherwise I would not have stated that they may have thought what they were doing they thought was for upliftment, which would mean they had good intentions, by their standards. The quotes were merely to illustrate the point as I am not in the habit of making a statement without some kind of evidence to substantiate it.

The statements were made simply to show that so called historians may have ulterior motives, and would it be enough to speculate about that or should I give evidence that, that was the actual case.

The anger you perceive is nothing more than a reflection of the stereotypes you have created about others and their attitudes. You have prejudged, and designated the masses to what you believe a wretched, but maybe, prevailing opinion (otherwise you may not have been so quick to judge). I do not say this with anger, or insultive tones either, just in case you are reading that into it. It is only because you have so wrongly construed the meaning of the message that I say this to awaken you. Judge not lest ye be judged.

September 19, 2005

Omshanti.

Our learned guest wrote, "As per Vedas Shiva is a minor deity of north-west direction.As per Vedas Shatapatha Brahmana Rudra aliasa Shiva is born through ChaturmukhaBrahmA with corporeal body. As per Vedas, Shiva is NOT GOD."

I wish to intimate that quite opposite to the common belief that Shiva and Shankar are the same, as per the knowledge being given by God to us, Shiva, the incorporeal Supreme Father is different from Shankar, the father of humanity (Aadi-dev, Adam, Aadam, Aadinath). The incorporeal Supreme Father Shiva, who is revered and remembered by souls of different religions by different names like God, Ishwar, Allah gets revealed to the world through an ordinary person (called Shankar on the basis of his acts) at the end of the present confluence age. Shankar is not someone possessing three eyes physically and sittin in penance atop Mt. Kailash, but the number one soul among all the human souls, in whose body the Supreme Soul Shiva enters to give the Godly knowledge and to teach Rajyoga. Shankar is shown to be sitting in penance. If he himself was God then whom would he remember? Moreover, Shankar is shown to be destroyer, whereas Shiva means benefactor. We say Shivratri and not Shankar-ratri.

On the basis of the various acts performed by Him, God is also remembered by the names of Ram, Krishna etc. Ram means someone who is present in the thoughts of every mind (Ram arthaat sabke man may raman karney vaala) and Krishna means one who attracts everyone. All these titles are those of one incorporeal God who says my real name based on my actions is Shiva, i.e. kalyaankaari, i.e. benefactor. Since he is always kalyaankaari, i.e. ever benefactor, he is also called Sada Shiva. God says that although I am remembered by various names and forms throughout the world, my original name based on my actions and based on my soul is Shiv only.

All other souls get names based on their bodies, but the name of God is based only on the soul. He does not enter into birth and death. All other souls including the souls like Shankar (or Ram), Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Mohammad, Abraham etc. enter the cycle of birth and death. But incorporeal God Shiva never enters the cycle of birth and death. He is ever pure, whereas we souls are sometimes pure and sometimes impure. God only enters into the body of a human being at the end of this cycle to purify us. That is why he is also called Patit-paavan. He is ocean of peace, purity, knowledge, bliss, power etc. He is the knower of past, present and future. He unites the entire divided world into one family, called vasudhaiv kutumbkam.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 19, 2005

The different Vedic gods have particular roles or functions, and represent or control different forces of nature. Thus, they are not all the same. They all have different meanings and potencies to do particular things in the arrangement and management of the universal creation. In this way, most of them have specific positions and purposes to help facilitate the cause for the creation, maintenance, and even the destruction of the universe.

Since our analysis of the Vedic texts indicated that the Bhagavatam was the most ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge, as well as being the commentary of all Vedanta by Srila Vyasadeva Himself, we will include the conclusive descriptions as found in the Bhagavatam to reach our definitive understanding.

The most prominent of all the Vedic gods consists of the Trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Brahma assists in creating the world, Vishnu maintains it, and Shiva helps in its annihilation. (I have dealt with this aspect much more extensively in my book, How the Universe Was Created, so I’ll not include that here.) Those that follow the Vedic path, can generally be divided into three main categories; namely those who worship Shiva and are Shaivites, those who worship Shakti or the Goddess and are Shaktas, and those who worship Vishnu, the Vaishnavas. So let’s take a look at who is Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.

* * *

One of the most significant of all the Vedic gods is Shiva. And one of the most noted of all the goddesses is Shiva’s wife, Durga. They also go by many other names. For example, Durga is also called Parvati and Sati, which means chastity. The name Shiva means auspicious. Shiva is known by many different names according to his function. When, for example, he expresses himself through space and time, he is known as Eshwara. He is called Sadashiva when he functions through air, which incorporates the principles of both sound and touch. Shiva is known as Rudra when he operates through fire, which incorporates the principles of sound, touch and form.

Shiva is the embodiment and controller of tama-guna, the mode of darkness, inertia, and the tendency towards annihilation. This is how he assists in the destruction of the cosmic creation in the end times, as well as in the exhibition of continuous forms of death and destruction that we see every day. However, this demise and dissolution can also be viewed as a renewal, which is also considered to be a part of Shiva.

We can find additional characteristics of Lord Shiva in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.2.2) in which it states that Lord Shiva is the spiritual master of the entire world. He is a peaceful personality, free from enmity, always satisfied in himself. He is the greatest among all the demigods. He is the spiritual master of the world by showing how to worship the Supreme. He is considered the best of all devotees. Therefore, he has his own spiritual line or sampradaya called the Rudra-sampradaya that comes directly from him. These days it is also found in the Vishnusvami-sampradaya, or the Vallabha-sampradaya.

Shiva is described as the most powerful, second only to Lord Vishnu.1 In this way, he is not the Supreme, but is almost as powerful. Although he has nothing to attain in this material world, he is always engaged for the benefit of everyone in this universe, and is accompanied by his material and dangerous energies like goddess Kali and goddess Durga. They serve him by killing all kinds of demons and impious persons. War represents Kali’s energy of devastation. Sometimes we see pictures of a fierce form of Kali standing with one foot on the body of Shiva. This is because Shiva sometimes has to lie down in front of her to pacify her from killing all the demoniac people in the world. In this way, Shiva controls the material energy. Lord Shiva is also in control of the destructive energy, tamo-guna, the mode of darkness, and is assisted by Kali and Durga in this purpose. Durga helps him in keeping the majority of the living beings in the darkness of ignorance. That is why Durga and Kali are described as dangerous potencies. Only those who are serious about spiritual life are protected from this darkness.

Shiva is often shown as a handsome young man, with long hair from which flows a spurt of the Ganga (Ganges) River (an emblem of purity) and in which is also a crescent moon. He is also white or light bluish in complexion, sometimes with a third eye between the eyebrows on the forehead, and usually with four arms (a sign of universal power) holding a Trishula (a trident, showing his ruling proficiency over the three modes of nature), the Damaru (small hour-glass shaped drum, the beating of which represents language or the alphabet), and exhibiting the mudras (hand positions) of Abhaya (protection) and Varada (giving blessings).

It is also said that Shiva’s drum represents srishti, the creation; the abhaya hand (giving blessings) represents sthiti, or preservation; his foot that presses down symbolizes tirobhava, or the veiling effect; and the uplifted foot means blessings (anugraha), especially toward seeing through the veil of illusion caused by ego. When he is shown with an axe, it represents samhara, destruction.

Sometimes he is shown with eight, ten or even thirty-two hands. These represent his various potencies and contain such things as an Akshamala (rosary that signifies being the master of spiritual sciences), the Khatvanga (magic wand which shows his being an adept in occult sciences), a Darpana (a mirror showing that the creation is a reflection of his cosmic form), a chakra (disc), a noose, a staff, a bow, a Pashupata spear, a lotus, sword, and so on. He is often sitting on or wearing a tiger skin. The tiger skin represents his command over his desires, which often consumes common men like a tiger.

Shiva is often shown with serpents entwined around his arms, waist, neck and hair. Snakes often invoke fear. So this represents how Shiva is free from fear. The snake also signifies time. If a poisonous snake bites someone, it is only a matter of time before that person will die. And time catches up with everyone sooner or later. So Lord Shiva is the Lord over time and death. These serpents also indicate that he is surrounded by death but beyond the power of it.

Shiva is also seen with ash from the cremation grounds smeared over his body. This is called vibhuti. It symbolizes death or detachment from the world and lust. It also indicates that our bodies, being inert matter in their essential form, will also become ashes when we die and if the body is cremated. Thus, we must rise above the bodily identification and become conscious of our real identity within. Ash is the sign of Shiva’s complete renunciation of the world.

Sometimes Shiva is shown wearing a garland of skulls. The skulls are representative of his being the lord of destruction and the cyclical nature of the appearance and disappearance of the material creation.

One of the most beautiful forms of Lord Shiva is portrayed in his dancing position, known as Nataraja, the king of dancers. As Nataraja, Shiva holds his damaru drum in his upper right hand. This indicates nada, the sound of the universal development. In his other hand, he holds a flame of destruction. Together these indicate both creation and destruction, the counterpoints of all material existence. His right hand is also held in the position of blessing and protection. As Nataraja, he also wears the skin of a tiger, which he slew. This represents the ego, which will fight when attacked and must be killed by the knowledge of the guru, or the wisdom of Nataraja himself. As Nataraja, he is shown with one foot subduing or standing on the body of Mahamaya, the illusion which is the cause of all suffering. The other foot is raised upward, which represents the attainment of the turiya state beyond the states of waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the influence of the mind and creation. Thus, he is completely free from all of these.

There are many stories that relate how and why Shiva appears the way he does. For example, Lord Shiva is shown at times with a third eye in between his eyebrows on his forehead. It is said that his third eye represents the eye of wisdom, or inner sight. The other two eyes represent the balanced form of love and justice. Thus, Lord Shiva is not too harsh nor too lenient, but views everything with the proper proportions of love, justice, and inner knowledge. Together, Shiva’s three eyes also represent the sun, moon and fire, the means by which the universe is illuminated. How Shiva got a third eye is explained that one day Shiva’s wife Parvati covered Shiva’s eyes with her hands and the whole world was enveloped in darkness. Then Shiva willed the third eye to manifest, which sent forth light, heat and fire.

Another story is that once when the heavenly Ganga river was descending onto the earth, the weight of its force would have crushed the world, so Shiva accepted it on his head, wherein it stayed until it was ready to be released. The Ganga River is considered to have entered the universe when the Supreme Lord in His incarnation as Vamanadeva kicked the outer shell of the universe with His toe, thus letting in some of the water of the Karanadakashayi Ocean, the spiritual water that surrounds the universe. This became the holy Ganga. Thus, it is considered the foot wash of the Lord. So Lord Shiva takes this water on his head.

Shiva’s Ganga water is also said to represent the flow of knowledge and devotion to God. Shiva is known as the foremost devotee of Lord Krishna, Vishnu, or Lord Rama, which is one of the meanings of the spout of Ganga water on Shiva’s head.

The Bhagavatam (10.41.15) relates: “The water of the river Ganga [Ganges] has purified the three worlds, having become transcendental by bathing Your [Lord Vishnu’s] feet. Lord Shiva accepted that water on his head, and by that water’s grace the sons of King Sagara attained heaven.”

Another story is that during the time when the demons and demigods were churning the ocean of milk, many objects started to be produced from it. One was the moon, which Shiva took and placed in his hair. This represents the phases of the moon or the passing of time, which is but an ornament for Shiva since he is not affected by it. The crescent moon also signifies the happiness of life, especially when it is based on a spiritual purpose. The rays of the moon enhance one’s inspiration and energy for spiritual life, just as it is said that the rays of the moon nourish the vegetable kingdom. It represents the cooling light of the knowledge of the Self, and the way life should be when lived in that knowledge.

Another object that appeared from the churning was the severe poison which Shiva drank to keep it from spreading. However, Parvati, being alarmed at this, grabbed his throat so it could not go down, which is where he kept the poison, and which made his throat turn blue.

Shiva is often portrayed standing next to or on his bull, Nandikeshvara or Nandi (meaning joyful). Symbolically, Nandi represents the animal tendencies, such as the urge for sex, which are tamed and docile by Lord Shiva’s mastery over it. Thus, he rides on Nandi, who is obedient to Shiva’s command. Nandi also represents strength and virility. He is often seen in temples of Shiva in a reclining position in front of the main shrine, gazing toward the image of Shiva. Nandi also represents the jivatma, the individual soul, and the animalistic impulses that will carry it away into material existence, unless such tendencies are curbed.

KRISHNA DEVOTEES ARE DEAR TO SHIVA

AND SHIVA IS DEAR TO THEM

Shiva works for the benefit of everyone, and tries to help the living beings make spiritual advancement. This is why he has his own line of disciplic succession. This is also why he says to the sons of King Pracinibarhi, “Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of God, Lord Krishna, the controller of everything, is very dear to me.”1

The sons of the King were going to practice austerities to worship Lord Vishnu and while searching for a suitable place happened to find Lord Shiva. His bodily luster was like molten gold, his throat was bluish, he had three eyes, and was accompanied by musicians who were glorifying him. Shiva is the protector of the pious and those of gentle behavior. So he was pleased to speak to the princes the way he did. He continued in this way:

“A person who is directly surrendered to Lord Krishna, or Vishnu, in unalloyed devotional service is immediately promoted to the spiritual planets. I, Lord Shiva, and other demigods attain these planets only after the destruction of the material world. You are all devotees of the Lord, and as such I appreciate that you are as respectable as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. I know in this way that the devotees also respect me and that I am dear to them. Thus no one can be as dear to the devotees as I am.”2

In this way, a devotee of Krishna does not disrespect Lord Shiva, but worships him as the greatest of devotees of Lord Krishna. A Krishna bhakta also prays to Lord Shiva, but asks Shiva to assist him in attaining the favor of Lord Krishna, and not merely for material benefits. As we find in the Tulasi Ramayana (Uttara-Kanda, Doha 45), Lord Rama says “With joined palms I lay before you another secret doctrine: without adoring Sankara (Lord Shiva) man cannot attain devotion to Me.” So in this way, Shiva can assist us in attaining devotion to Lord Krishna and His expansions.

After Lord Shiva had spoken to the sons of King Pracinabarhi, he relates a particular mantra for their benefit, which is pure and auspicious for anyone who wants to attain the ultimate goal of life. This mantra is called Shiva’s Song, and consists of verses 33 to 79 of the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Forth Canto in Srimad-Bhagavatam. He starts his prayer with this verse:

“O Supreme Personality of Godhead, all glories unto You. You are the most exalted of all self-realized souls. Since You are always auspicious for the self-realized, I wish that You be auspicious to me. You are worshipable by virtue of the all perfect instructions You give. You are the Supersoul; therefore I offer my obeisances unto You as the supreme living bring.”

Through the remaining 45 verses of this prayer, Lord Shiva praises the many qualities, characteristics, and powers of the Supreme Being in the form of Lord Krishna. At the end of many years in which the sons of the King, called the Pracetas, repeated this prayer everyday, Lord Vishnu Himself appeared to them. He said, “Those who will offer Me the prayers composed by Lord Shiva, both in the morning and in the evening, will be given benedictions by Me. In this way they can both fulfill their desires and attain good intelligence.”3

Also in the Bhagavatam (4.6.42-53), we can see Lord Shiva’s greatness among the demigods. During the disastrous ritual of Daksha, who displayed great dislike toward Shiva and Shiva’s wife, Durga (Sati) immolated herself in fire. Sati was Daksha’s own daughter and could not tolerate the insults her father made toward her husband, Shiva. So while in meditation she burst into flames. Thereafter, Lord Brahma and the demigods went to pacify Lord Shiva. Brahma consoled Shiva and addressed him as “My dear Lord,” and called him the controller of the entire universe, the combination of mother and father of the universe, and the Supreme Brahman, beyond this creation. Therein we can see that Brahma, the partial creator of the universe, offers praises to Lord Shiva as a superior. This is to appease Lord Shiva, since it is known that his anger can annihilate the universe.

When the ritual was able to continue and Daksha offered the clarified butter with the mantras from the Yajur-veda, Lord Vishnu appeared there in His original form as Narayana. As described in the Bhagavatam (4.7.18-29) as soon as Lord Vishnu appeared, all the demigods, including Lord Brahma, Shiva, the Gandharvas and sages, immediately offered their respectful obeisances. In the presence of Lord Vishnu’s glaring effulgence from His body, everyone else’s luster faded. Everyone offered their prayers to Him. Therein, Lord Shiva addresses Lord Vishnu, “My dear Lord, my mind and consciousness are always fixed on Your lotus feet, which, as the source of all benediction and the fulfillment of all desires, are worshiped by all liberated sages because Your lotus feet are worthy of worship. With my mind fixed on Your lotus feet, I am no longer disturbed by persons who blaspheme me, claiming that my activities are not purified. I do not mind their accusations, and I excuse them out of compassion, just as You exhibit compassion toward all living entities.”

After all the personalities had offered their prayers to Lord Vishnu, He replied to Daksha, “Brahma, Shiva and I are the supreme cause of the material manifestation. I am the Supersoul, the self-effulgent witness. But impersonally there is no difference between Brahma, Lord Shiva and Me. I am the original Personality of Godhead, but in order to create, maintain and annihilate this cosmic manifestation, I act through My material energy, and according to different grades of activity, My representations are equally named. One who is not in proper knowledge thinks that the demigods like Brahma and Shiva are independent, or he even thinks that the living entities are independent. A person with average intelligence does not think the head and other parts of the body to be separate. Similarly, My devotee does not differentiate Vishnu, the all-pervading Personality, from anything or any living entity. One who does not consider Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva or the living entities in general to be separate from the Supreme, and who knows Brahman, actually realizes peace; others do not.” 4

What this indicates is the interdependence of the demigods on Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is the ultimate cause of the universal creation. Lord Brahma was born out of Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva was born from Lord Brahma. It is the energy that comes from Lord Vishnu, in the form of Lord Brahma and Shiva, that creates and annihilates the universe. Lord Brahma is manifested for the continuation of the creation, while Lord Shiva assists in the annihilation. In this way, they are interconnected and work together like parts of a single body. Yet, they all play distinct and significant roles in the affairs of the cosmos, but are dependent on Lord Vishnu. When we see that all living beings are expansions from the Supreme Lord and His energy, then one can achieve real peace.

In fact, it is said that these sages and devotees who see with such equal vision become worshipable by Lord Shiva, Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Once when Lord Shiva was traveling, he met the great sage Markandeya as he was coming out of his yogic trance. At that time, Markandeya offered prayers to Lord Shiva who blessed the sage and then asked if there were any benedictions that the sage wanted. As described in the Bhagavatam (12.10.19-22) Suta Gosvami said: “Lord Shiva, the foremost demigod and the shelter of the saintly devotees, was satisfied by Markandeya’s praise. Pleased, he smiled and addressed the sage. Lord Shiva said: Please ask me for some benediction, since among all givers of benedictions, we three--Brahma, Vishnu and I--are the best. Seeing us never goes in vain, because simply by seeing us a mortal achieves immortality. The inhabitants and ruling demigods of all planets, along with Lord Brahma, the Supreme Lord Hari and I, glorify, worship and assist those brahmanas who are saintly, always peaceful, free of material attachment, compassionate to all living beings, purely devoted to us, devoid of hatred and endowed with equal vision. These devotees do not differentiate between Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and me, nor do they differentiate between themselves and other living beings. Therefore, because you are this kind of saintly devotee, we worship you.”

LORD SHIVA’S POSITION

In the Bhagavatam (4.3.23), Lord Shiva himself tells his wife, Sati, he is always engaged in worshiping the Supreme Personality known as Lord Vasudeva, Krishna, who is revealed in pure consciousness, by offering obeisances.

Herein, we can see that in actuality Lord Shiva is subordinate to Lord Vishnu, Krishna, in that he is also a part of Lord Krishna’s universal form, as described in the Bhagavad-gita (11.15). Therein we find: “Arjuna said: My dear Lord Krishna, I see assembled together in Your [universal] body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting on the lotus flower as well as Lord Shiva and many sages and divine serpents.”

In the pastimes of Lord Krishna in Vrindavana, we find that Lord Shiva had also tried to enter the rasa-lila dance between Krishna and the gopis, the cowherd damsels. The Mahadeva Gopisvara temple in Vrindavana is said to mark where Lord Shiva desired to become a gopi in order to enter the dance with Lord Krishna. So Lord Shiva was trying to enter into the most confidential pastimes and devotion of Sri Krishna.

In another light, Lord Shiva is Lord Krishna’s brother-in-law. At the time of Krishna’s birth pastime in Vrindavana, Yasoda bore a daughter, Katyayani or Durga, and Mother Devaki bore a son, Lord Krishna. To save Him from the nefarious King Kamsa, Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, brought Krishna from Mathura to Gokul and exchanged Him with the daughter of Mother Yasoda, taking the daughter back with him. When King Kamsa came to get the new born from Mother Devaki, the child rose into the air and exhibited her form as the eight-armed Durga and chastised Kamsa. Durga is Lord Shiva’s wife, and in this pastime Lord Krishna’s sister, so it can also be said that Shiva is the brother-in-law of Lord Krishna.

In another place in the Bhagavatam (8.12.10), when Lord Shiva was bewildered by the Supreme Lord’s form as a beautiful woman, Mohini-Murti, Lord Shiva admits his weakness in being unable to fully understand the illusory nature of this material creation. “O My Lord, I, who am considered to be the best of the demigods, and Lord Brahma and the great rishis, headed by Marichi, are born of the mode of goodness. Nonetheless, we are bewildered by Your illusory energy and cannot understand what this creation is. Aside from us, what is to be said of others, like the demons and human beings, who are in the base modes of material nature [rajo-guna and tamo-guna]? How will they know You?”

Later, Lord Shiva, who is often pictured in meditation, explains to his wife who it is that he meditates on while in trance. He says, “O Goddess, You have now seen the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the unborn master of everyone. Although I am one of the principal expansions of His Lordship, even I was illusioned by His energy. What then is to be said of others, who are fully dependent on maya? When I finished performing mystic yoga for one thousand years, you asked me upon whom was I meditating. Now, here is the Supreme Person to whom time has no entrance and who the Vedas cannot understand.”5

Another time when Lord Shiva described his subservient position was when Lord Krishna was battling with Banasura, who was a devotee of Lord Shiva, and was cutting off his hundreds of arms. When it looked like Banasura was about to lose his life, Lord Shiva, who had also been a part of the battle scene, approached Lord Krishna to pacify Him and spare Banasura’s life. Therein (Bhagavatam 10.63.34-45) it is related, “Sri Rudra said: You alone are the absolute Truth, the supreme light, the mystery hidden within the verbal manifestation of the Absolute. Those whose hearts are spotless can see You, for You are uncontaminated, like the sky.” In the ten verses that follow, Lord Shiva also addresses Lord Krishna in other ways: “Your current descent into the material realm, O Lord of unrestricted power, is meant for upholding the principles of justice and benefitting the entire universe. We demigods, each depending on Your grace and authority, develop the seven planetary systems. You are the original person, one without a second, transcendental and self-manifesting. Uncaused, you are the cause of all, and You are the ultimate controller.”

When Uddhava was praying to Lord Krishna, he said, “Even Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva act only as Your instruments in cosmic creation and annihilation, which are ultimately done by You, The Supreme Lord, in Your invisible aspect of time.”6

One of the major differences between Shiva and Krishna is described as follows: “Sri Shukadeva Gosvami said: Lord Shiva is always united with his personal energy, the material nature. Manifesting himself in three features in response to the entreaties of nature’s three modes, he thus embodies the threefold principle of material ego in goodness, passion and ignorance. The sixteen elements have evolved as transformations of that false ego. When a devotee of Lord Shiva worships his manifestation in any one of these elements, the devotee obtains all sorts of corresponding enjoyable opulences. Lord Hari, however, has no connection with the material modes. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the all-seeing eternal witness, who is transcendental to material nature. One who worships Him becomes similarly free from the material modes.”7 Thus a worshiper of Lord Shiva gets the results that are conditional to the affects of material nature, while a worshiper of Lord Krishna gets released from the material nature rather than receiving material opulences.

So in this regard, Sri Shukadeva Gosvami said, “Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and others are able to curse or bless one. Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma are very quick to curse or bestow benedictions, my dear King, but the infallible Supreme Lord is not.”8

Another aspect of understanding Shiva’s position has to do with his purpose, which is connected with how he appeared. This is clearly explained in the ancient text of the Brahma-samhita (verse 15). Therein we find it said “The same Maha-Vishnu created [His next expansion of] Vishnu [Garbhodakashayi Vishnu] from His left limb, Brahma, the first progenitor of beings, from His right limb and, from the space between His two eyebrows, Shambhu, the divine masculine manifested halo.”

In an explanation of this, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta elaborates that when the mundane creation of the universe is manifested, then the principle of Shambhu in the form of Rudra is born from the space between the two eyebrows of Vishnu. Shambhu enshrines the principle of materialistic ego. This principle makes the living being identify with the material body, subject to the desires for material and bodily happiness. (Brahma-samhita, verse 16, purport)

So the power of Lord Shiva comes from the potency of Lord Vishnu. This is described as follows in verse 10 of the Brahma-samhita: “The person embodying the material causal principle, viz., the great lord of this mundane world [Maheshvara] Shambhu, in the form of the male generating organ, is joined to his female consort, the limited energy [Maya] as the efficient causal principle. The Lord of the world Maha-Vishnu is manifest in him by His subjective portion in the form of His glance.”

In this way, during the process of the material creation, and when Maha-Vishnu casts His glance onto the shadowy potency of Maya, Shambhu, lord of the pradhana (the unmanifest material ingredients), who is the same as Rudra, consummates his intercourse with Maya, the efficient principle of the cause of mundane energy. But Shambhu can do nothing independent of the energy of Maha-Vishnu, who represents the direct spiritual power of Krishna. In this way, the principle of the material creation is produced only when Maha-Vishnu, the plenary portion of Lord Krishna, is propitious towards the active endeavors of Maya, Shiva’s consort, and the principle of mundane causality. (Brahma-samhita, verse 10, purport)

So the difference between Maha-Vishnu and Shiva as Shambhu is more clearly described in the Brahma-samhita (verse 45) as follows: “Just as milk is transformed into curd by the action of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither the same as, nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Shambhu is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction.”

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta goes on to explain in the purport to this verse that Shiva is not a second Godhead other than Krishna. In fact, those who entertain such a discriminating sentiment commit a great offense to the Supreme Lord. The position of Shambhu is subservient to that of Govinda, Krishna. Hence they are not really different from each other, as the above verse indicates. But as yogurt comes from its initial cause, so Shiva is manifest according to his initial cause, which is from Krishna through Maha-Vishnu. So God takes a subservient position to His direct forms when He attains a distinct personality by the addition of a particular element of adulteration, which is the form of Lord Shiva or Shambhu, through which the Lord comes in contact with the material energy, since Maha-Vishnu never does touch the mundane energy. However, Shiva has no independent initiative or ability.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta further describes that in this way, Govinda manifests Himself as a plenary portion which, in this case, is a guna-avatara in the form of Shambhu, lord of tamo-guna or the mode of darkness... Thus, Shambhu, in pursuance of the will of Govinda, works in union with his consort, Durga-devi, by his own time energy.

Therefore, the real difference between Govinda and Shiva or Brahma is that all the majestic attributes of God are fully present in the form of Govinda, Krishna. Shiva and Brahma are entities adulterated with mundane qualities, however slight they may be. Though Vishnu is also a divine appearance in the mode of goodness, still He is not adulterated. The appearance of Narayana as Maha-Vishnu, or as Garbhodakashayi Vishnu (Vishnu’s expansion in each universe) and Kshirodakashayi Vishnu (Vishnu’s expansion as the Supersoul), are examples of the ubiquitous function of the Supreme Divinity. Lord Vishnu is Godhead Himself, and the two other guna-avataras and all the other gods are entities possessing authority in subordination to Him. The different incarnations of the Supreme Being, Govinda, are the same as the same light appearing in different candles, all shining by the spiritual potency of Govinda, Krishna. (Brahma-samhita, verse forty-six, purport)

This makes it clear that the forms and positions of Shiva and Brahma are eternal, but only in the context of the endurance of the material creation. Lord Shiva is the lord of tamo-guna and material nature, but not of the spiritual world. It is Lord Krishna who is described as the Supreme Being and controller of both the spiritual and material energies.

It is explained further by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta that Lord Krishna has sixty divine qualities in their fullest measure. While 50 of the divine qualities of the jiva souls are present along with five additional qualities in Lord Brahma, yet in Shiva these fifty-five qualities are also present but in greater degrees than in Lord Brahma. (Brahma-samhita, verse 49, purport)

Thus, the position of Lord Shiva has been described relative to his purpose and function within the material creation, and his form as an expansion of Lord Krishna.

SHAIVISM

Shaivism is one of the major traditions of the Vedic system, and centers around the worship of Lord Shiva. Those who accept Shiva as the supreme deity are called Shaivites. Its origin predates recorded history, but references to the worship of Shiva can be found in the Vedas and Puranas.

You will notice that a devotee of Shiva in India usually wears Vibhuti or bhasma, the sacred ash, on his forehead, and Radrakshamala around his neck and elsewhere. The Rudra bead represents the third eye on Lord Shiva’s forehead. He should worship the Shiva lingam with the leaves of the Bilva trees, and his meditation should consist of chanting the Panchakshara, “Om Namaha Shivaya”.

The philosophy of Shaivism covers a wide range of Hindu thought, from idealistic monism to pluralistic realism, depending on the locality. As it changed through the years, a number of Shaivite sects were established, and the Pasupatas are considered the earliest. The Shaiva cults have had great popularity with village people throughout India, and use a form of asceticism for their means of spiritual advancement. This includes rising above anger and greed, engaging in deep meditation, and concentrating on the repetition of the sacred syllable om. Many Shaiva ascetics can be recognized by their long matted hair, which may also be wrapped and piled up on the head. They often wear a horizontal, three-lined tilok mark on their forehead. Many initiates smear their bodies with ashes which come from the sacred fire or crematoriums. They chant mantras to become free from the bondage of material existence, and sometimes dance and sing to induce trance-like states. Some of their practices are rather unorthodox, depending on the school of thought, and, thus, some have met opposition at various times. Much information about the practices of Shaivism is given in the Shiva Purana.

The Pasupatas were the earliest sect of Shaivism. They based their ideas on two works, both said to be by Kaundinya: the Pasupatasutra (written around 100-200 A.D.) and the Pancarthabhasya (400-600 A.D.). They expanded primarily into Gujarat. The Pasupatas accept the idea of a Supreme controller, but do not use the Vedas. They establish the existence of the Supreme through inference and say that the Supreme, who they accept as Lord Shiva, is not the original cause of the material world, but is the operative cause in that he simply used the material ingredients which already existed to form the cosmic manifestation. Therefore, through a combination of the potency of Lord Shiva and the material energy, generally regarded as Shakti or Mother Durga, the universe is created.

The conclusive Vedic literature, however, maintains that demigods such as Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are created by and subordinate to Lord Narayana, Vishnu, who is the creator of the material worlds and all ingredients thereof. The Varaha Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana and many others specifically state that Narayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and from Him Brahma was born, from whom Shiva was born. Therefore, the demigods are not the Supreme but only dependent agents of the Supreme who work under His direction. This is confirmed in many verses throughout the Vedic literature. Although in some places we may find that demigods like Shiva, Ganesh, Surya, Indra, etc., are described as the ruler and creator of all, we should understand that almost all prayers to the demigods use such terms. But the words should be taken in their etymological sense referring to Narayana, or Vishnu, who is the source of the power that the demigods have. Shiva’s name as Pasupati means “Lord of all souls,” Ganesh means “Lord of all beings,” Surya means “the goal of the wise,” Indra means “the supreme ruler,” all of which ultimately refer to the Supreme Lord and that these demigods are His agents and represent the power of the Supreme.

The Vedanta-sutras point out many contradictions in the philosophy of the Pasupatas or Shaivites (Vedanta-sutras or Sri Bhasya 2.2.35-41). It concludes that if one is serious about attaining spiritual enlightenment and liberation, he must avoid this questionable philosophy, for in spite of the uncommon austerities and lifestyle of the Shaivites, their destination after death is not certain. The reason is that, though they may worship Shiva as the Supreme Being, they generally believe that God is an unembodied void into which they try to merge. Many of them accept Shiva or any other deity as simply being a material manifestation of that void or Brahman. Thus, their understanding of the Absolute Truth is faulty, and the process they use for spiritual realization is misdirected.

We should point out, however, that the Vedic literature establishes Lord Shiva as one of the topmost devotees of Lord Vishnu or Krishna. Shiva is often pictured in meditation, and many verses from the Puranas explain that he is always meditating on the Supreme, Sri Krishna. This means that Shiva is a Vaishnava of the greatest caliber. Furthermore, he is also one of the most important demigods in the universe. Therefore, as long as one understands Lord Shiva’s real position and avoids the impersonalistic philosophy that most Shaivites follow, there certainly is no harm in worshiping or offering respects to Lord Shiva or visiting the temples dedicated to him. In this case, worshiping Lord Shiva is simply offering respects to a superior devotee of God who can help one along the way. In fact, as we have explained earlier, respect for Shiva is beneficial for such advancement.

There are many other sects of the Shaivites besides the Pasupatas. The Pratyabhijna Shaiva sect is from Kashmir. They were systematized by Vasugupta (800 AD) based on the Shivasutra and Spandakarika. The latter was expanded by the commentaries of Somananda, Utpaladeva, Abhinavagupta, and Kshemaraja, who wrote the summary teachings in his Pratyabhijnabridaya.

The Virasaiva or Lingayatas was another sect. There was little notice of this sect until Basava, a brahmana from Kannada developed it. They may have developed from the Kalamukhas and worshiped the linga.

The Shaiva Siddhantas was another sect in South India, having originated in the 11th and 13th centuries. They used Sanskrit texts, but these were later overshadowed by the Tamil texts of the Nayanmar poets, which lent to its bhakti or devotionally oriented system.

Additionally, there was also the Lakulisha Pasupatas who were also ascetics. The Kapalikas dwelled in the cremation grounds. Kalamukhas were ascetics similar to the Pasupatas. The Kashmir or Trika Shaivites had a three-fold concept of God: namely Shiva, the shakti energy, and the anu or individual. The smarta or orthodox of Shaivism practiced the varnashrama system as enunciated in the smriti literature and the Manu-samhita and Kalpa Sutra. The Natha or Kanphata yogis were a Shaiva sect said to be founded by Goraknatha. This blended the Pasupata system with Tantric practices and hatha-yoga.

Shaivism essentially consists of believing and accepting that Shiva is the Absolute, that he is transcendental to time and space, and pervades all energy and existence. Shaivites believe that once the influence of maya and karma are removed, they will be free from the bondage that prevents them from perceiving that their spiritual identity is equal to Shiva. They chant obeisances to Shiva on a regular basis, such as “Om Namaha Shivaya,” or simply “Namashivaya”. Shiva is known to bless his devotees with material opulence if he is pleased. And he can be easily pleased, or quickly angered. Yet many people offer worship of some kind to Shiva and Durga in hopes of acquiring blessings for material facility.

The basic process of Shaivism, summarized as follows, particularly of the Saiva Siddhanta school, consists of 1) maintaining virtue, 2) doing service and worship, 3) yoga, meditation, 4) acquiring knowledge, and then enlightenment and Self-realization.

To elaborate a little, the first step includes maintaining virtue and purity, which means to cause no injury to any creature, do no stealing, and maintain honesty, truthfulness, proper conduct, patience and dedication, compassion, and control of the appetite. These are the basics of karma-yoga as well as the building blocks of any spiritual process.

The second step includes maintaining discipline in sadhana, or one’s spiritual practice and habits. This is when we control the mind and absorb our consciousness in the higher purpose of life and activities. This is also called kriya, regulated exercises or methods. There is also worship of the image of the divine or the deity to invoke the dormant spiritual love within us. Going to the temple or ashrama to participate in the puja, worship, and to joyfully absorb oneself in hearing the Vedic wisdom and chanting or singing is also included.

The third step includes the performance of yoga in which a person practices pranayama and pratyahara, breath control to steady the mind and senses, and withdraw them from external distractions. Then through concentration and meditation the practitioner becomes aware of God within. Through this practice, the kundalini may also become active, rising through the chakras. One’s doubts, faults, mental weaknesses and ignorance, even past karma, becomes reduced. Then ecstasy and the divine energy is aroused. Ultimately, this is meant to give way, with practice, to nirvikalpa samadhi, or the experience of the timeless and formless Parashiva.

The fourth step is when a person becomes enlightened and Self-realized. In this sate, divine wisdom is a part of one’s every move. Though still living in this mortal world, the person knows and also perceives that he is not of it. He is of a different, transcendental nature. This is a result of all his practice, austerity, sadhana, and devotional love. No more does such a yogi experience the limitations of the mind or ordinary intellect. He is free of it, or liberated, a jivanmukta, a liberated soul.

This process, as described in the above paragraphs, includes the basic steps that you will find in most forms of yoga, no matter whether it is applied directly to Shaivism or not. However, in this day and age, being able to take this system to its full perfection is not easy, and to attempt it thinking one can do so may be misleading. Nonetheless, as anyone can see, the basic steps of this process includes qualities and practices that can enhance anyone’s life and assist in whatever spiritual path is being pursued.

THE SHIVARATRI FESTIVAL

One festival that all worshipers of Shiva take part in is Shivaratri. The night of Shiva is a festival that is held in the typical pattern of preparation, purification, realization, and then celebration. On the day of the festival, people will fast and spend the day focused on Shiva, meditating and chanting “Om Namaha Shivaya.” Thus, offering their obeisances to Lord Shiva, the mind is held in such single-pointed concentration throughout the day. Then at the stroke of midnight Shiva is said to manifest as the inner light of purified consciousness. This climax at night represents our overcoming the dark ignorance and reaching the state of purified spiritual knowledge. Therein we conquer the influence of the mind and senses, exhibited by staying awake all night, and enter the state of steady awareness wherein there is spiritual awakening. If one can follow this process, then he or she can experience the real meaning of Shivaratri.

THE SHIVA-LINGAM

One thing you may be questioning is why Lord Shiva is so often represented as a lingam. Linga basically means a sign or symbol. So the lingam is essentially a symbol of the shapeless universal consciousness of Lord Shiva. “Shiva” also means that in which the creation lies dormant after the annihilation. So, one explanation is that the lingam is a representative of the dormant universal consciousness in which all created things rest after the cosmic annihilation. It also represents the pradhana, the potential but unmanifest ingredients of the material world. Another explanation is that Shiva means auspicious. So the linga is the shapeless symbol for the great god of auspiciousness. It is intended to bring the shapeless unknown into our attention.

The yoni upon which the lingam often sits represents the manifest universal energy. From the unmanifest comes the manifest energy, through which all other things are created. The yoni, which is a symbol of Shakti, combined with the lingam, is a symbol of the eternal union of the paternal and maternal principles, or the positive and negative, or the static and dynamic energies of the Absolute Reality. It is the communion of the eternal consciousness and dynamic power of the Shakti, the source of all actions and changes. It is also the symbol for the creation of the universe through the combination of the active energy of Lord Shiva and his Shakti. This is how Lord Shiva and Durga are considered the parents of the universe. The symbolism of the lingam and yoni also represents the base of the spine, meaning the Muladhara chakra, upon which the kundalini is resting, waiting for awakening.

There are a few versions according to the Puranas of why Shiva is worshiped as a lingam and how this happened, of which I will relate one. There was a great sacrificial ceremony that was going to take place many hundreds of years ago. The great sage Narada Muni was invited to it and asked who would receive the effects of the sacrifice. No one could answer, so the sages who were present asked him who should receive it. Narada said that Sri Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva were all eligible, but they would have to find out which one had the most patience and purity to be the receiver of the sacrifice. So he chose the great sage Brighu to learn the answer.

Brighu had many mystic powers and was able to travel to the domain of the demigods. So first he went to see Lord Brahma, but Brahma was preoccupied and did not notice Brighu’s presence. Feeling insulted, Brighu cursed Brahma, “You are so proud of your power of creation, you did not notice my arrival. For this you shall have no temples on earth.” Thus, there are very few temples of Brahma on earth. Next, Brighu went to see Shiva in Kailash, but Shiva also did not notice Brighu’s arrival. Brighu, again feeling offended, cursed Shiva to be worshiped only as a lingam on earth. This is the reason why Lord Shiva is primarily represented and worshiped as a lingam on this planet.

Then, to continue the story, Brighu went to see Lord Vishnu, who also did not recognize Brighu’s presence. Brighu was so angered that he went forward and kicked Vishnu’s chest. Lord Vishnu apologized if He had hurt Brighu’s foot and began praising Brighu. Brighu immediately felt pleased and could understand that Vishnu was actually the most qualified to receive the offerings from the sacrifice. However, Lakshmidevi, the goddess of fortune and Lord Vishnu’s wife, was very displeased by Brighu’s action and, therefore, does not bestow much mercy on the brahmanas who, as a result, are often without much money.

To explain the shape of the lingam, a Baana linga is egg-shaped and is meant to show that Ishvara has neither beginning nor end. The Lingobhavamurti is said to be the prime manifestation of the form of the formless, which Shiva is said to have manifested exactly at midnight on Shivaratri. This is why everyone stays up until midnight and then worships that form during the Shivaratri festival. A representation of the Lingobhavamurti can often be found in a niche on the outside wall of the sanctum in any important Shiva temple.

The lingas in the temples are often formed in three parts. The lowest part is the base square called the Brahmabhaga or Brahma-pitha, which represents the creator Brahma. The next part in the middle is the octagonal Vishnubhaga or Vishnu-pitha, which signifies Lord Vishnu the sustainer. Both of these parts form the pedestal. The top cylindrical portion is the Rudrabhaga or Shiva-pitha, which is also called the Pujabhaga since this is the worshipable part. The top portion is also meant to symbolize the projecting flame of fire. This flame also represents the destructive aspects as well as the preserving power of God.

There are twelve important Jyotirlinga temples scattered across India. They are found in Kedarnatha, Kashi Visvanatha, Somnatha, Baijnath, Ramesvare, Ghrisnesvar, Bhimasankar, Mahakala, Mallikarjuna, Amalesvar, Nagesvar, and Tryambakesvar. The five Pancha Bhuta Lingas in India are located at Kalahastisvar, Jambukesvar, Arunachalesvar, Ekambesvara at Kanchipuram, and Nataraja at Chidambaram. The temple of Lord Mahalinga at Tiruvidaimarudur (Madhyarjuna) is also a great temple in South India.

The reason Lord Shiva is often worshiped by pouring Ganges water over the lingam is that it represents the Ganges descending from heaven on to Shiva’s head. The legend is that when the Ganges first began to flow to the earthly planet from the heavenly region, the force of it would have destroyed the earth. To prevent this, Lord Shiva agreed to let the river first fall on his head before forming into a river. It is also explained that when worshipers pour milk or Ganga water on the linga, it represents the pouring of ghee on the sacred fire in the fire ceremony, or yajna. It is the symbolic offering of ourselves to God.

One story in connection with the Shiva linga is found in the Linga Purana. It describes that once Lord Brahma, the god of creation, and Lord Vishnu, the God of protection, engaged in an argument on who was greater. When those two great gods were fighting between themselves, Lord Shiva appeared as a huge pillar of fire that spread across the universe. He told Brahma and Vishnu that whoever finds the head or foot of his form of flame would be considered greater. Then Brahma took the form of a swan and set out to reach the top of the flame. Vishnu took the form of a boar to seek out the foot of the fire. But in spite of their efforts, they could not succeed in finding the limits. They realized their mistake and the peerless greatness of Lord Shiva. This shows how Shiva cannot be approached through ego, but responds with love to those who surrender to him. In this pastime, Lord Shiva appeared in the form of the fiery lingam for their benefit. So they were considered blessed with additional insight for worshiping that oldest form of him. This form of Shiva who appeared from the flame is called Lingodbhava. This story is found in the Shiva Purana and other texts.

This further helps to show how the lingam is not formless nor really a form, but a symbol for the divinity of Lord Shiva. In Sanskrit, linga means “mark”. It is a symbol of Lord Shiva in the same way that large puddles of water is an indication of heavy rains. It is an inference for something else, like the form of that which is formless and omnipotent.

THE GODDESS DURGA

Worship of the Goddess goes back at least 4000 years in India, and further back to the Vedic times. Durga is the Goddess of the universe, and Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva, is a form of Durga. She has up to 64 different forms, with different names for each form. Each form represents a different pastime, power, or aspect of the Goddess. Some of the names of these forms of Durga are Ambika, Bhadra, Bhadrakali, Aryadurga, Vedagarbha, Kshemakshemakari, Naikabahu, Bhagavati, Katyayani, and others, such as Sati, which means chastity. In her gentle aspects she is worshiped as Kanya, Kamakshi, or Mukamba. Uma (Parvati) is the maiden name for the consort of Lord Shiva. She represents matter (prakriti). Shiva is the god of destruction, which has no meaning without objects to destroy. Thus, he is paired with Uma.

Durga is often pictured as a beautiful woman in red cloth. She has either four, eight, ten, eighteen or twenty hands and three eyes. Items in her hands can include a conch, disc, trident, bow, arrow, sword, dagger, shield, rosary, wine cup, and bell. She may also be standing on a lotus or riding a lion. The lion represents power, but also the animal tendency of greed for food and other sensual objects. Her riding on the lion represents that she keeps all such tendencies under complete control.

The full details of Durga can be found in the Devibhagavat, or another text called the Durgasaptashati, which can be found as part of the Markandeya Purana. The name “Durga” means one who is difficult to know. Yet, being the mother of the universe, she can be approached through love. Love is also natural for her to give to her children.

Durga is the personification of the material energy, in which all materially conditioned living beings are absorbed in thoughts, actions and identity. She is also considered the power of sleep, or the Yoganidra in which Lord Vishnu rests between creative cycles. She is also the personification of wisdom and knowledge. Her energy permeates the universe. She also embodies sacrifice or penance and the highest knowledge. She is most beautiful, but at the same time fierce and terrible. She can dispel difficulties as well as kill the demons.

Another of her popular forms is Mahishasuramardini. In this form she is often pictured with eight arms, each with a weapon, and in the process of killing the demon Mahishasura in his form as a bull. She was generated out of the anger and powers of the gods, namely Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and others. And their weapons became her weapons. Thus, riding on her fierce lion, she fought and killed Mahishasura and his army. This demon represents the egotistical propensity that brute strength is all that is needed to acquire selfish desires. While fighting amongst the gods, he was succeeding, until their combined powers and will to fight was manifest in the Devi as Mahishasuramardini, who then killed the demon.

Symbolically, Durga destroys the buffalo demon which represents tamo-guna, the dark quality of laziness, ignorance and inertia. So she destroys the tamo-guna within each of us, which can be very difficult to overcome. Another one of her qualities is her wrath, which sometimes manifests as war. Such war cleanses the world of the many negative elements which accumulate from a sinful society.

Later, when the gods were challenged by the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha, they went to petition the Goddess again. This time, from the side of Parvati, she manifested herself as Kaushika Durga, also called Ambika. Ambika’s beauty attracted the demons who then wanted to marry her. She vowed to marry the one who could defeat her in battle, but all such attempts were disastrous. Even with the assistance of giants like Dhumralochana, Chanda, Munda, and Raktabija, they were unsuccessful.

From the forehead of Durga manifested the fierce, dark goddess Kali, who became known as Chamunda for beheading the demons Chanda and Munda. When she fought with Raktabija, it took a special endeavor because of his powers that caused each drop of his spilled blood to become another demon. It was Kali who managed to drink all of his flowing blood and prevent any additional demons from manifesting. Thus, Durga was able to kill him. She then easily killed Nishumbha, but Shumbha accused her of accepting help. The Devi then withdrew all her emanations into her one form, and then proceeded to battle and kill Shumbha.

Durga is also called Vaishnavishakti, the creative power from Lord Vishnu, the original cause. She is also called Vindhyavasini (the one who lives in the Vindhya mountains), Raktadanta (the one with the red teeth), Shatakshi (who is liked to having one hundred eyes), Shakambhari (who gives the life-force of vegetables), Durgaa (the slayer of the demon Durga), Bhima (the ferocious), and Bhramaramba (one who is liked to having a form of bees).

Devi is also manifested as Maheshvari, which, according to the three modes of material nature, also manifests as Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasarasvati. These are different than the Goddesses Lakshmi and Sarasvati, which will be discussed later. In the aspect of Mahakali she is considered the personification of the tamo-guna, or mode of darkness and sleep or inertia. She is also maya, the illusory energy of Lord Vishnu. Thus, this maya must be removed for us to awaken to our real spiritual identity. It is within this maya in which the seeming powers of evil and divisiveness exist. She is often pictured as blue in color with ten hands, each holding a different weapon, including a sword, disc, mace, arrow, bow, iron club, lance, sling, a human head, and a conch.

Mahalakshmi is the aspect of raja-guna, the passionate nature. In this aspect she is seen as red in color, signifying the will to fight evil forces. She has eighteen hands, holding a rosary, pot, club, lance, sword, shield, conch, bell, wine cup, trident, noose, and disc. She is the one who killed Mahishasura.

Mahasarasvati represents the sattvic aspect, or that of goodness and purity. She is light in color and has eight hands that hold a bell, trident, plough, conch, pestle, disc, bow, and arrow. She is the manifestation of beauty, work, and organization. It is she, as Kaushika Durga, who manifested from Parvati. She is the one who destroyed the demons known as Dhumralochana, Chanda, Munda, Raktabija, Nishumbha, and Shumbha, all of which are certain aspects of the principle of ego.

Kali is another form of the Goddess which is often seen in temples and pictures. She is usually pictured as nude except for being covered by her scattered hair. She has a dark complexion. She wears an apron of human hands and a garland of human skulls, and sometimes carries a human head in one hand, freshly severed and dripping with blood, and a long chopper in another hand. The other two hands are giving blessings and offering protection. Her tongue is protruding, dripping with blood. She is also often seen in a cremation ground or in a battlefield amidst dead and mutilated bodies. Sometimes she is standing on the white body or bluish body of her spouse, Shiva. He supplicates her in this way to keep her from destroying everything.

The meaning of all this is that, first of all, Kali represents time, Kala, which devours everything in its terrifying ways. She is naked because she is free from the veil of ignorance that the universe represents, which hides our real spiritual identity. She is black because she represents tama-guna or the void which has swallowed everything, including space, time, and the ingredients of material nature. Her apron of hands indicates that she is pleased with the offerings of our work, so she wears them. It also represents the inward potential for outward manifestation waiting to take place. Her disheveled hair simply represents her freedom to do and go as she likes. The garland of 50 skulls represent the 50 letters of the alphabet, or sound from which the whole material manifestation has sprung, which is now in a state of destruction, indicated by her wearing them. Though she is an awesome form, she is also offering freedom from fear by her hand gestures.

A further explanation of why Goddess Kali stands on Shiva is that once Kali engaged in a battle in which she destroyed all the demons. She danced in victory to such an extent that the worlds started to shake in destruction. Everyone became concerned and Shiva came to appease her from further dancing. Yet she was so worked up that she could not notice or listen to him. So Shiva lay like a corpse at her feet to absorb the shock of her movements, and when she finally noticed that she had stepped on her husband, she put her tongue out in shame.

THE IDENTITY OF DURGA AND DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAHAMAYA AND YOGAMAYA

Being the personification of the material energy, Durga is also the maidservant of Lord Krishna, and conducts herself in accordance to the will of the Supreme. Her shadow is the material energy, maya. In this form of Durga, she is pictured as a beautiful demigoddess with ten arms, representing the ten types of material activities. She rides on her lion, indicating her heroic activities. She is the subduer of vices, represented by the image of her trampling the demon Mahishasura. She is the mother of her sons Kartikeya and Ganesha, representing beauty and success. She is armed with twenty weapons, denoting the various pious activities enjoined by the Vedas for the suppression of vices. She also holds a snake, which signifies destructive time. The word durga also means a prison house or a fort. So the material world is like a prison from which it is hard to escape. “Dur” means difficulty and “Ga” means going. So it is very difficult to escape from this material world without undergoing many hardships. But one who takes shelter of the spiritual potency can get free from the illusory nature of the material world. So when the living beings forget their spiritual nature and the service of the Supreme Being, Krishna, they are confined in the material prison of the universe. This is the aspect of the cosmic creation which is presided over by Durga. However, those who are devotees of the Lord and who are on the spiritual path to regain their real nature are free from this prison-like environment of the universe. Durga does not affect them.

The spiritual form of Durga is Yogamaya. The external form of Durga is Mahamaya, the illusory energy. The spiritual form of Durga who functions on the platform of shuddha-sattva, pure transcendental existence, is understood to be Krishna’s sister, known as Ekanamsha or Subhadra.9 The name Subhadra means auspicious. So Subhadra also paves the way for the devotee’s spiritual progress by supplying that which is auspicious and taking away all that is inauspicious. So this is the spiritual form of Durga, the shadow of whom is the external material energy. We should note, however, that Durga works in the material world. Subhadra plays the part of Lord Krishna’s sister and is the internal or spiritual energy, and does not work as Durga in the material world. So, originally their energy is one and the same, but through her expansion as Durga she works in a different capacity within the material realm.

Furthermore, higher than Subhadra is Radharani, Lord Krishna’s consort and the quintessence of spiritual energy. She is the personification, essence, and origin of Lord Krishna’s pleasure potency, hladini-shakti. This pleasure potency of Lord Krishna expands to become Radharani for the sake of the most intimate spiritual pastimes in Goloka Vrinadavana, the topmost spiritual planet. This potency expands further into the forms of Krishna’s queens in the other Vaikuntha planets, and also as His sister, Subhadra, for other purposes and pastimes. And Durga is an expansion of this internal or spiritual energy. In this way, Durga also can be considered an expansion of Radharani. Therefore, Radharani is the source of the pleasure essence in the spiritual dimension, while Durga provides the means for all pleasure in the material realm.

So herein we can understand that mahamaya in the material world is an expansion of yogamaya in the spiritual world. The difference in function is that yogamaya manages the spiritual sky, and in her partial expansion as mahamaya she manages the material world. Yogamaya covers the devotees in the spiritual world so that they can forget the Lord’s greatness and engage in loving pastimes with Him as His friends, parents, servants, and so on without being overwhelmed by His omnipotence. Mahamaya in the material world, on the other hand, keeps the living entities forgetful of their true eternal nature as long as they have no spiritual inclination. So yogamaya helps bring the devotees together with the Supreme Being in various relationships while mahamaya keeps them separate, or at least makes it seem they are separate through the principle of forgetfulness.

Another way to understand this is that there are two divisions of energy, the material and spiritual. The original energy is the spiritual, in which is the hladini-shakti potency of Krishna, which is His pleasure potency. It is this pleasure potency from God thr

September 19, 2005

Dear Guest,

Omshanti. You wrote - So when you say somebody had vision of GOD, how would you know whether it is true or false.

In this connection I would like to say that when the incorporeal God Shiva began His task on this earth, He caused many divine visions to many persons including Dada Lekhraj. That happened only in the initial days and then stopped after the realization of the corporeal role of incorporeal God Shiva and his knowledge. Even those divine visions were caused because His task was to begin in India and most of the Indians believed in some or the other deity like Vishnu, Ram, Krishna, Ganesh, Shankar etc. So He caused the divine visions of various deities to Dada Lekhraj and through him to various other people. This was just to make them believe that this was a Godly task. Once a small group of people developed a firm belief that this was the beginning of a Godly task, the incorporeal God Shiva entered into an ordinary human body to explain the meanings of these divine visions. And thus the Godly task began. There are much more details to this story, how the Godly task started and spread all over the world and how it is going on presently, but the most important point to note that except for that initial period, divine visions (sakshaatkaars) did not play any important role thereafter. God says that nothing can be achieved just by getting a divine vision. One must make spiritual efforts to realize oneself as a soul, to realize the God as a Supreme Soul working through an ordinary body and to realize the cycle of 84 births in this world drama of 84 births. Just by having a divine vision of Shri Krishna we cannot become like him, but by imbibing the divine knowledge that God is giving to us presently (the True Gita) one can get transformed from a man to a deity. When we can meet God face to face then why aim for just a divine vision which is nothing but a day dream. Incorporeal God Shiva says that the key to divine visions is in my hands. Whenever I wish I cause divine vision of that deity to my devotees, in whom they have the maximum faith. If someone worships Krishna and if God causes the divine vision of Hanuman or Ganesh to him/her then that devotee won't be satisfied. So He causes the divine vision of Krishna to him. Similarly God may cause the divine vision of Ram, Ganesh, Shankar, Jagdamba, Lakshmi, Christ, Buddha or just a point of light to the souls of various religions just to reward them for the bhakti or devotion that they have in that deity. That does not mean that all the Hindu deities actually exist in the form that they are shown in the pictures or scriptures. Deity or devata means a human being with divine qualities. Rakshas or daitya or demon means a human being with vices.

Now God has come to transform us from vicious human beings, i.e. demons to divine human beings, i.e. deities.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

Prajapita Brahmakumar

September 19, 2005

Respected mataji, Omshanti. As far as I know Sarvashaastramayi means mother of all the scriptures and Shiromani means the highest among all the gems. The position of Gita amonga all the scriptures is like this.

With regards,

On Godly service,

Roohani sevadhari,

Prajapita Brahmakumar (PBK).

September 19, 2005

I wish to intimate that quite opposite to the common belief that Shiva and Shankar are the same, as per the knowledge being given by God to us, Shiva, the incorporeal Supreme Father is different from Shankar, the father of humanity (Aadi-dev, Adam, Aadam, Aadinath). The incorporeal Supreme Father Shiva, who is revered and remembered by souls of different religions by different names like God, Ishwar, Allah gets revealed to the world through an ordinary person (called Shankar on the basis of his acts) at the end of the present confluence age. Shankar is not someone possessing three eyes physically and sittin in penance atop Mt. Kailash, but the number one soul among all the human souls, in whose body the Supreme Soul Shiva enters to give the Godly knowledge and to teach Rajyoga. Shankar is shown to be sitting in penance. If he himself was God then whom would he remember? Moreover, Shankar is shown to be destroyer, whereas Shiva means benefactor. We say Shivratri and not Shankar-ratri.

You can believe what you want ?

But tell me why I should believe in this hocus pocus of some lekhraj guy who allegedly saw this god of yours ?

As per Vedas, Shankar is also called Shiva(Rudriyam-Yajur Veda).

The rest of it is all your teacher's hallucination.

What makes you think that your teacher had any realization ? There are so many so called saints, sages etc. who have realized something diiferent than the claims made by your teacher.

What makes you think your teacher is right ? and say not the claims of a Buddhist(Dalai Lama), who says there is no GOD ?

God of Geeta / Geeta ka bhagwaan

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