To Muktimaa: The Story of Siva, by Sister Nivedita

[Guest guest]

Dear Sister,

 

I'm so glad you liked the story. It came from 'Cradle Tales of

Hinduism' by Sister Nivedita published first in 1907 by Ramakrishna

Mission.

Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna; and Yogin Ma, a

life-long companion of Sarada Devi, helped Nivedita write the book.

The stories from this book give wonderful, lasting impressions of the

divinities and avataras.

 

Love,

Kumari

 

 

 

, "muktimaa" <muktimaa wrote:

>

> Jai Ramakrishna, dear Kumari ji!

>

> How thrilled i am seeing this story written by the very saintly

> Sister Nivedita! i have loved and respected her since i first came

> across her writings more than 30 years ago. Her words are flowery

> arrows that go straight to the bindu of my heart! Her little

> booklet, "Kali" i have shared with so many over the years...some who

> formerly had some very negative limited conceptions of just "Who"

> Kali Maa is. That book has been a spiritual light and a Kavacha of

> sorts.

>

> The Shiva story by sister N. that you have posted is so Divine...so

> beautiful...Words fail me...

> What book did you find it in? Thank-you so much for posting this

> Divine Shiva story dripping with Nectar. Anyone who reads it can't

> help but be filled with Shiva Bhav!

>

> Om Namah Shivaya!

> Your sister slowly dissolving,

> muktimaa

>

>

>

>

>

>

, "ty_maa" <ds.james@> wrote:

> >

> >

> > Dear Holy Family,

> >

> > Sister Nivedita was an Irish disciple of Swami Vivekananda who did

> > immense work for the Indian people after her guru's mahasamadhi,

> and,

> > in the process, she also became very saintly.

> >

> > "In wild and lonely places, at any time, one may chance on the Great

> > God, for such are His most favoured haunts. Once seen, there is no

> > mistaking Him. Yet He has no look of being rich or powerful. His

> skin

> > is covered with white wood-ashes. His clothing is but the religious

> > wanderer's yellow cloth. The coils of matted hair are piled high on

> > the top of His head. In one hand He carries the begging-bowl, and in

> > the other His tall staff, crowned with the trident. And sometimes He

> > goes from door to door at midday, asking alms.

> >

> > High amongst the Himalayas tower the great smow-mountains, and here,

> > on the still, cold heights, is Shiva throned. Silent---nay, rapt in

> > silence---does He sit there, absorbed and lost in one eternal

> > meditation. When the new moon shines over the mountain-tops,

> standing

> > above the brow of the Great God, it appears to worshipping souls as

> if

> > the light shines through, instead of all about Him. For He is full

> of

> > radiance, and can cast no shadow.

> >

> > Wrapped thus into hushed intensity lies Kailas, above Lake

> > Manasarovara, the Mountain home of Mahadeva, and there, with mind

> > hidden deep under fold upon fold of thought, rests He. With each

> > breath of His, outward and in, worlds, it is said, are created and

> > destroyed. Yet He, the Great God, has nothing of His own; for in all

> > these that He has created there is nothing---not kingship, nor

> > fatherhood nor wealth, nor power---that could for one moment tempt

> Him

> > to claim it. One desire, and one alone, has He, to destroy the

> > ignorance of souls, and let light come.

> >

> > Once, it is said, His meditation grew so deep, that when He awoke He

> > was standing alone, poised on the heart's centre of all things, and

> > the universe had vanished. Then, knowing that all darkness was

> > dispelled, that nowhere more, in all the worlds, was there blindness

> > or sin, He danced forward with uplifted hands, into the nothingness

> of

> > that uttermost withdrawnness, singing, in His joy, 'Bom! Bom!" And

> > this dance of the Great God is the Indian Dance of Death, and for

> its

> > sake is He worshipped with the words, 'Bom! Bom! Hara! Hara!'

> >

> > It is, however, by the face of the Great God that we may know Him

> once

> > for all, beyond the possibility of doubt. One look is enough out of

> > that radiance of knowledge, one glance from the pity and tenderness

> in

> > His benign eyes, and never more are we able to forget that this whom

> > we saw was Shiva Himself.

> >

> > It is impossible to think of the Great God as being angry. He 'whose

> > form is like unto a silver mountain' sees only two things, insight

> and

> > want of insight amongst mankind. Whatever be our sin and error, He

> > longs only to reveal to us its cause, that we may not be left to

> > wander in the dark. His is the infinite compassion, without one

> > shadow or stain upon it.

> >

> > In matters of the world He is but simple, asking almost nothing in

> > worship, and strangely easy to mislead. His offerings are only

> > bael-leaves and water, and far less than a handful of rice. And He

> > will accept these in any form. The tears of the sorrowful, for

> > instance, often seemed to Him like the pure water of His offering.

> >

> > Once He was guarding a royal camp at night when the enemy fell upon

> > Him and tried to kill Him. But these wicked men were armed with

> sticks

> > of bael-wood, and, as they beat Him again and again, with these, He,

> > smiling and taking the blows for worship, put out His hand and

> blessed

> > them on their heads.

> >

> > He keeps for Himself only those who would otherwise wander unclaimed

> > and masterless. He has but one servant, the devoted Nandi. He rides,

> > not on horse or elephant, but on a shabby old bull. Because the

> > serpents were rejected by all others, did He allow them to twine

> about

> > His neck. And among human beings, all the crooked and hunchbacked,

> and

> > lame and squiint-eyed, He regards as His very own.

> >

> > For lonliness and deformity and poverty are passwords sufficient to

> > the heart of the Great God, and He, who asks nothing from any one,

> who

> > bestows all, and takes nothing in return, He, the Lord of the

> Animals,

> > who refuses none that come to Him sincerely, He will give His very

> > Self, with all its sweetness and illumination, merely on the plea of

> > our longing or our need.

> >

> > Yet this is not the only form in which Shiva may come to the soul of

> > mankind. Sometimes the thing that stands between us and knowledge is

> > unspeakably dear. Yet is the Great God ever the Destroyer of

> > ignorance, and for this, when our hour comes, He will arise, as it

> > were, sword in hand, and slay before our eyes, that which we seem to

> > love most.

> >

> > In the middle of His brow shines forth the great Third Eye of

> > spiritual vision, with which He pierces to the heart of all

> hypocrisy

> > and sham. And with the light which flashes from this Eye, He can

> burn

> > to ashes at a glance that which is untrue. For foolish as He may be

> in

> > matters of the world, in spiritual things He can never be deceived.

> > In this aspect, therefore, He is known as Rudra the Terrible; and to

> > Him day after day men pray, saying:

> >

> > From the unreal, lead us to the Real.

> > From darkness, lead us unto Light.

> > From death, lead us to Immortality.

> > Reach us through and through our Self,

> > And evermore protect us, O Thou Terrible,

> > From ignorance,

> > by Thy sweet compassionate Face.

> >

> > So runs the tale of that Mahadeva, of spiritual insight,

> > Who goes amongst men by the name of Shiva, the Great God."

> >

> > With Love,

> > Kumari

> >

>