Thursday, December 16, 2021

A Single Verse on Rudra-Shiva

Today, we read from the Atharva Veda a hymn of a single verse praising Rudra-Shiva. Rudra dwells within the fire, within the waters, within herbs and plants. He has formed and fashioned these worlds. He is Agni, the fire of consciousness within! He is transcendent and immanent.

Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya!


To Rudra in the fire, to Him who dwells in floods, to Rudra who hath entered into herbs and plants,
 To Him who formed and fashioned all these worlds, to Him this Rudra, yea, to Agni, reverence be paid!


Atharva Veda (Shaunaka Recension): VII:87

Monday, December 13, 2021

Teaching of Markendeya


Markandeya is an ancient sage in the Shaiva tradition and the primary teacher in the Markandeya Purana. Here, in the Harivamsa Purana, we come across a short teaching on the oneness of Shiva and Vishnu as taught by Markandeya. This teaching of the oneness of the central Deity of Shaivism and Vaishnavism is not unique to this Purana, and is an important teaching across the vast Puranic literature. While the Hindu religion of the Goddess has long been consolidated, the Hindu religion of God has historically struggled to consolidate. The early Puranic literature, therefore, introduces the concept we now call the Trimurti, which tries to bring together the three religions of God: Rudra-Shiva, Vasudeva-Vishnu and Prajapati-Brahmā as one. With the rising of later sectarian Puranas and blossoming of Tantric (Agamic) literature, the religions of Rudra-Shiva and Vasudeva-Vishnu subsume the religion of Prajapati-Brahmā to the point where the latter becomes a secondary Creator. Herein, we already observe that process occurring. Brahmā, Vishnu and Rudra are identified as one, but a few verses later, Narayana (Vishnu) and Maheshvara (Shiva) are also called the primary causes of Hiranyagarbha (Brahmā). 

-----
Markendeya said:

Shiva is identical with Vishnu and Vishnu is identical with Shiva. I do not see any difference. They are both auspicious, without beginning, middle or end, eternal and undecaying. Hear! I will describe that form identical with Hari and Hara. 

He is Vishnu who is Rudra; and He is Rudra who is Brahmā. Brahmā, Vishnu and Rudra are one and of the same form. Three of them are great ascetics, Lords of half-female forms, self-sprung, Givers of boons and masters of the universe. As water is mixed with water when it is thrown into it so Vishnu becomes at one with Rudra, when He enters into Him. As fire becomes fire when it is mixed with it so Rudra becomes identical with Vishnu when He enters into Him. Rudra is identical with fire and Vishnu is identical with the moon. This universe, consisting of mobile and immobile creations, is identical with the Protector of what is mobile and immobile in this universe. And Maheshvara is their Destroyer. The Lord Narayana, identical with past, present and future, and Mahesvara are the primary causes of Hiranyagarbha and the great principles. They both are the Givers of the Vedas. They are the Creator and the Protector of the universe. They send down rain in the shape of Indra and spread rays in the shape of the sun. They blow in the shape of the wind and create all. Thus, O grandfather [Vaishampayana], I have described to you the great secret. The man, who daily reads or hears this account, attains to that most excellent region created by the power of Vishnu and Rudra.

With Brahmā, Hari and Hara are the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the universe. I will now chant their glories. Vishnu is adorable unto Rudra, and Rudra is adorable unto Vishnu. They are one, still they range in the world under two forms. Vishnu is not different from Shankara and Shankara is not different from Vishnu. Therefore, formerly Rudra and Upendra became one. Salutation unto Rudra and Krishna of one united body!

Salutation unto the three-eyed Deity, salutation unto the two-eyed Deity, salutation unto coppery-eyed and lotus-eyed.

Salutation unto the Holder of the earth, of the Holder of peacock-feathers and of Keyura. Salutation unto Him adorned with a garland of skulls, Him adorned with a garland of wild flowers, Him the holder of trident and him the Holder of discus, unto the standard of gold and Brahmā.

Salutation unto Him clad in skin and salutation unto Him clad in a yellow raiment. Salutation unto the Lord of Lakshmi and unto the Lord of Uma.

Salutation unto the Holder of trident and unto Him of mace. Salutation unto Him whose body is covered with ashes and unto Him who is dark-blue hued. Salutation unto Him who lives in the cremation ground and unto Him who lives in an ashrama. Salutation unto the Rider of a bull and unto the Rider of Garuda. Salutation unto Him who has more than one form, unto Him who has many forms, unto the Lord of destruction and unto Him who lies on the ocean. Salutation unto Him who has many forms and unto Him who is Bhairava. 


Harivamsa Purana II:127:29-50


Om Namah Shivaya.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Guíanos


Guíanos de la falsedad a la realidad;

Guíanos de la oscuridad a la luz;

Guíanos de la muerte a la inmortalidad.

OM! Sea la paz, paz y paz. _/|\_

(Gran Upanisad del Bosque del Yajurveda Blanco)

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Rudra is Truly One


ya eko jālavān īśata īśanībhi sarvā lokān īśata īśanībhi |

ya evaika udbhave sambhave ca ya etad vidur amtās te bhavanti ||1||


The non-dual Ensnarer rules by His powers. Remaining one and the same, He rules by His powers all the worlds during their manifestation and continued existence. They who know this become immortal. 

 

eko hi rudro na dvitīyāya tasthur ya imāl lokān īśata īśanībhi |

pratya janās tiṣṭhati sañcukocānta-kāle sasjya viśvā bhuvanāni gopā ||2||


Rudra is truly One; for the knowers of Brahman do not admit the existence of a second, He alone rules all the worlds by His powers. He dwells as the inner Self of every living being. After having created all the worlds, He, their Protector, takes them back into Himself at the end of time. 

 

viśvataś cakur uta viśvato-mukho viśvato-bāhur uta viśvatas-pāt |

sabāhubhyā dhamati sampatatrair dyāv-ābhūmī janayan deva eka ||3||


His eyes are everywhere, His faces everywhere, His arms everywhere, everywhere His feet. He it is who endows men with arms, birds with feet and wings and men likewise with feet. Having produced heaven and earth, He remains as their non-dual manifester. 

 

yo devānā prabhavaś codbhavaś ca viśvādhipo rudro mahari |

hirayagarbha janayāmāsa pūrva sa no buddhyā śubhayā sayunaktu ||4||


He, the omniscient Rudra, the Creator of the Gods and the Bestower of their powers, the Support of the universe, He who, in the beginning, gave birth to Hiranyagarbha -may He endow us with clear intellect! 


yā te rudra śivā tanūr aghorāpāpa-kāśinī |

tayā nas tanuvā śantamayā giriśantābhicākaśīhi ||5||


O Rudra, Thou who dwellest in the body and bestowest happiness! Look upon us with that most blessed form of Thine, which is auspicious, unterrifying and all good. 


yābhiu giriśanta haste bibhary astave |

śivā giritra tā kuru mā hi purua jagat ||6||


O Dweller in the body and Bestower of happiness, make benign that arrow which Thou holdest in Thy hand ready to shoot, O Protector of the body! Do not injure man or the world!


tata para brahma para bhanta yathānikāya sarva-bhūteu gūham |

viśvasyaika pariveṣṭitāram īśa ta jñātvāmtā bhavanti ||7||

 

The Supreme Lord is higher than Virat, beyond Hiranyagarbha. He is vast and is hidden in the bodies of all living beings. By knowing Him who alone pervades the universe, men become immortal. 

 

vedāham eta purua mahāntam āditya-vara tamasa parastāt |

tam eva viditvātimtyum eti nānya panthā vidyate'yanāya ||8||


I know the great Purusha, who is luminous, like the sun and beyond darkness. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death; there is no other way to the Supreme Goal. 

 

yasmāt para nāparam asti kicid yasmān nāīyo na jyāyo 'sti kaścit |

vka iva stabdho divi tiṣṭhaty ekas teneda pūra puruea sarvam ||9||


The whole universe is filled by the Purusha, to whom there is nothing superior, from whom there is nothing different, than whom there is nothing either smaller or greater; who stands alone, motionless as a tree, established in His own glory. 

 

tato yad uttaratara tad arūpam anāmayam |

ya etad vidur amtāste bhavanti athetare dukham evāpi yanti ||10||


That which is farthest from this world is without form and without affliction. They who know It become immortal; but others, indeed, suffer pain. 

 

sarvānana-śiro-grīva sarva-bhūta-guhāśaya |

sarva-vyāpī sa bhagavās tasmāt sarva-gata śiva ||11||


All faces are His faces; all heads, His heads; all necks, His necks. He dwells in the hearts of all beings. He is the all-pervading Bhagavan. Therefore He is the omnipresent and benign Lord. 

 

mahān prabhur vai purua sattvasyaia pravartaka |

sunirmalām imā prāptim īśāno jyotir avyaya ||12||


He, indeed, is the great Purusha, the Lord of creation, preservation and destruction, who inspires the mind to attain the state of stainlessness. He is the Ruler and the Light that is imperishable. 

 

aguṣṭha-mātra puruo'ntarātmā sadā janānā hdaye sanniviṣṭa |

hdā manīo manasābhikpto ya etad vidur amtās te bhavanti ||13||


The Purusha, no bigger than a thumb, is the inner Self, ever seated in the heart of man. He is known by the mind, which controls knowledge and is perceived in the heart. They who know Him become immortal.

 

sahasra-śīrā purua sahasrāka sahasra-pāt |

sa bhūmi viśvato vtvā-[a]tyatiṣṭhad daśāgulam ||14||

purua eveda sarva yad bhūta yac ca bhavyam |

utāmtatvasyeśāno yad annenātirohati ||15||


The Purusha with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet, compasses the earth on all sides and extends beyond it by ten fingers' breadth. The Purusha alone is all this — what has been and what will be. He is also the Lord of Immortality and of whatever grows by food. 

 

sarvatai-pāda tat sarvato 'ki-śiro-mukham |

sarvata śrutimal loke sarvam āvtya tiṣṭhati ||16||


His hands and feet are everywhere; His eyes, heads and faces are everywhere; His ears are everywhere; He exists compassing all. 

 

sarvendriya-guābhāsa sarvendriya-vivarjitam |

sarvasya prabhum īśāna sarvasya śaraa bhat ||17||

 

Himself devoid of senses, He shines through the functions of the senses. He is the capable ruler of all; He is the refuge of all. He is great. 

 

nava-dvāre pure dehī haso lelāyate bahi |

vaśī sarvasya lokasya sthāvarasya carasya ca ||18||


The Swan, the ruler of the whole world, of all that is moving and all that is motionless, becomes the embodied self and dwelling in the city of nine gates, flies outward. 

 

apāi-pādo javano grahītā paśyaty acaku sa śṛṇoty akara |

sa vetti vedya na ca tasyāsti vettā tam āhur agrya purua mahāntam ||19||


Grasping without hands, hasting without feet, It sees without eyes, It hears without ears. It knows what is to be known, but no one knows It. They call It the First, the Great, the Full. 

 

aor aīyān mahato mahīyān ātmā guhāyā nihito'sya janto |

tam akratu paśyati vīta-śoko dhātu prasādān mahimānam īśam ||20||


The Self, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of creatures. The wise, by the grace of the Creator, behold the Lord, majestic and desireless and become free from grief. 

 

vedāham etam ajara purāa sarvātmāna sarva-gata vibhutvāt |

janma-nirodha pravadanti yasya brahma-vādino hi pravadanti nityam ||21||

 

I know this undecaying, primeval One, the Self of all things, which exists everywhere, being all-pervading and which the wise declare to be free from birth. The teachers of Brahman, indeed, speak of It as eternal.


Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣhad III:1-21 of the Yajurveda.

Saturday, June 12, 2021

They Do Not Incarnate Any More


Bhasmajabala Upanishad is an ancient Shaiva scripture written in the form a dialogue between Mahadeva Shiva and Sage Jabala. It deals with various Shaiva topics including the holy mantras of Shiva, rituals, rules for wearing sacred ash, Shiva puja, and the sanctity of the city of Kashi (Varanasi). In the below section, we read about the real nature of Lord Shiva and liberation of pashus (individual souls). 

[Mahadeva said:]
I, conjoint with Uma, am the Brahman!

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Pavana that sanctified all.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Generator of the various dispositions of the mind.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Generator of the Earth.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Generator of fire.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Generator of the Sun.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Generator of Indra.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the Generator of Vishnu.

I alone am the Generator of the Moon, the Devas, the terrestrial, mid-ethereal and the celestial regions and all the other worlds.

I, conjoint with Uma, am the source of all that has been, that continues to be generated in various and variegated forms, and all that is yet to be.

I am the great Rishi, the Seer of Vedic mantras.

I am Rudra, transcending all the universe.

I do see Hiranyagarbha and other Prajapatis that are yet to come into existence.

I alone am the innermost Atman, that is immanent in all as the Antaratman [Indweller], the radiance of the Brahman, transcending which, transcending Me, there is naught else!

I alone am the transcendent Brahman that transcends the entire universe.

The world of persons, ignorant of the real nature of the Atman, on coming to realize Me alone attains the state of immortality and surmounts all misery. He, who, on coming to realize ME, remains in the attitude, “I am the Brahman alone” causes the disease of worldly existence to melt away. Hence I am known as Rudra [the Driver of the disease of worldly existence], who is the final resort of all. That reputed Rudra of the aspect of all, am I.

Knowing Me to be the Paramatman alone whence all creatures take their origin, through whom all these creatures continue to subsist, and whom they finally reach as their last resting place and get dissolved therein, one should resort to Me through upasana.

I alone am praised by all beings, and the Devas as well.

The wind wafts ouf of fear for Me. The Sun rises only out of fear of Me. Agni and Indra [discharge their duties] of out fear of Me.

I, conjoint with Uma, am alone the Controller of all and protector of all.

I am the Earth; I am the fire; I am air; I am time; I am the cardinal points; I am the Atman. In Me all things are established.

He who knows the Brahman himself attains the Parabrahman.

May Brahma, the Creator, be identical with Shiva unto me; may he be identical with Sadashiva too, OM!

I am the Ishvara of the universe that has no eyes and at the same time has eyes turned in all directions; that has no ears and has ears turned in all directions; that has no feet and at the same time has feet moving in all directions; that has no hands and at the same time has hands moving in all directions; that has no head and at the same time has heads in all directions.

I am Ishvara resorted to through the vidya mantras, that of the form of the vidya, composed of vidya, the Vishveshvara [Lord of the Universe] and devoid of dotage.

Having known me as of this character, the seeker after liberation is released from bonds of worldly existence.

For that reason I am the Liberator of pashus from the bonds of worldly existence (pasha).

All created beings down [from Brahma] down to the human beings and those that occupy intermediate positions are verily pashus.

Should any of these pashus have attained the balanced state of Samadhi, such persons endeavor to attain Me alone.

On attaining Me, they do not incarnate any more; they do not incarnate any more.

~Bhasmajabala Upanishad II:5-14 of the Atharvaveda.