Omkareshvara

Lord Śiva said:—

O Goddess, listen. I shall explain what you have asked for. Merely by hearing this the individual soul becomes Śiva himself.

To understand the meaning of Praṇava is to understand me. Praṇava is the seed of all the lores.

It shall be understood as very subtle but possessed of great meaning even as the seed of the Banyan tree though very small contains a huge tree. It is the initial mantra and the essence of the Vedas. Particularly it has Me for its form.

I am the Lord far beyond the attributes, the omniscient and the omnipotent. I am Śiva pervading all but stationed in the single-syllabled mantra Om.

They say that whatever object there is whether hypothesised into one or analysed in pieces is the meaning of Praṇava, thanks to the combination and importance of the attributes.

It is the imperishable Brahman, the means of attaining all objects. Śiva creates universe at the outset saying “Om”.

Since there is not much difference between the sense and the sound Om, this is explained thus. Śiva is Praṇava or Praṇava is Śiva.

The brahminical sages, the scholars who realize the identity between the sense and the sound know Me as the single-syllabled Om.

Hence he who aspires for salvation and is free from aberration shall understand Praṇava as the cause of all and Me as the Nirguṇa Parameśvara.

O Goddess, I shall give this crest-jewel of mantras at Kāśī for the liberation of all Individual souls.

O Ambā, there at the outset I shall explain Praṇavoddhāra, the knowledge of which imparts the greatest achievement.

Firstly the devotee shall extricate Nivṛtti, then the fuel, time, staff, and the Lord.

Thus the Praṇava of five syllables is explained by extricating the three Mātrās, Bindu and Nāda. It yields liberation to those who perform the Japa in this manner.

Praṇava is the vital breath of all living beings from Brahmā to immobile beings. Being the Prāṇa thus, it is called Praṇava.

It consists of A, U and M in the middle, Bindu and Nāda at the end. That is Om.

The first letter (A) is like water in the south, the second letter (U) is in the north; the letter M is like fire in the middle, before Nāda and Bindu.

The three Mātrās are thus mentioned in order: A. U. M. Half a mātrā is beyond it.

O Goddess, this half mātrā is in the form of Bindu and Nāda. This cannot be described directly. It is known only by the wise.

O beloved, the Vedic texts beginning with “Īśānaḥ Sarvavidyānām” issue from Me. The Vedas indeed speak the truth.

I am the source of the Vedas. Praṇava expresses Me. Since it expresses Me the Praṇava too is mentioned as Vedādi.

‘A’ is the great Bīja, Rajas, the four-faced creator. ‘U’ is the Prakṛti, source, Sattva, the protector Viṣṇu.

‘M’ is the Puruṣa, the Bījin, Tamas, the annihilator Rudra. Bindu is Maheśvara the Lord, the disappearance.

Nāda is Sadāśiva the bestower of blessings on all. Beyond Nāda there is Śiva who is greater than the greatest.

He is Omniscient, the Creator, the Lord, Free from dirt, the Imperishable, the Inexpressible, the great Brahman, beyond the existent and the nonexistent.

Shiva Purana, Kailasa Samhita III.1-24

Lord White as Jasmine

ಎನ್ನ ತನವು ಕೊರೆದದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರಲಿ, ಎನ್ನ ಮನವು ನಿಂದದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಧ್ಯಾನದಲಿ, ಬಯಲಿಗೆ ಬಯಲು ಬೆರತಂತೆ ನಾನು ನಿಮ್ಮಲಿ ಬೆರತು ಹೋದೆನಯ್ಯಾ, ಚನ್ನಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನಯ್ಯಾ.

I have seen the great After-Light. For a Kingdom, I am the Queen. I have seen the Entire, the Absolute. 

Like a piece of camphor caught in a flame, I was consumed.

Like a doll of salt dropped into the sea, I dissolved.

My body is Yours, My breath is Yours, My pride is Yours. O Lord White as Jasmine, I have become You.

~Mahadevi Akka, Shūnyasampādane XVI:63

The Decad of Rebuttal

We are subjects to no one. We do not fear Death. We shall not suffer the torments of hell. We are free from wavering and deceit. We exult in bliss. We know no disease. We shall never bow down. It is joy alone every day; there is no sorrow. For we have become the eternal, un-returning servants of the Lord who wears the white conch-shell earring in His ear. To His flower-like feet alone have we surrendered.

The wide world is our home. In every town, we eat what is cooked and offered; no one denies us our alms. Our refuge is the sacred public halls. If we lie upon Mother Earth, she does not cast us off—this is the truth. The Lord who rides the fierce Bull has accepted us. Now we lack nothing; our miseries are gone. Should we listen to the words of those who wrap themselves in fine silks and wear gold? We are free from such stains.

We do not enter the houses of those who dwell in worldly lusts. Chanting "Mahadeva! Mahadeva!" we have gained the blessing of bathing in the waters of the morning. We have attained the beauty of wearing the sacred ash. Like a raincloud in the dark season, our tears flow as our stone-like hearts melt into "good hearts." Should we obey the commands of those who ride on royal elephants and rule the land? We are detached from all bonds.

Our kinsmen are the countless hosts of Shiva. Our clothing is but a loincloth. Even those who hate us cannot harm us; even evil turns into goodness for us. We shall never return to the cycle of birth. With our tongues, we are capable of chanting the glorious "Namah Shivaya." We have followed the Radiant Light who turned the fish-bannered God of Desire to ashes.

Never shall we yield to anyone; in this vast world, there is no one who can oppose us. We will not go and join lesser gods; we have reached the sacred feet of Lord Shiva. We do not lack a single thing. Great diseases have lost their power over us and fled. We are among the blessed who have approached the Holy One, who wears a garland of skulls on His head.

He is the first form among the Trinity; the Lord of the eight directions. He is the coral-hued Shiva whom the thirty-three groups of Devas and Great Ones praise. Those whose tongues speak His name are our masters. Even if the rulers of this world send their fierce orders to us, we shall not obey. We are free from harshness and deceit.

He is the stationary and the moving; He is land, water, fire, wind, and the wide sky. He is the small and the great, the rare and the precious. To those who love Him, He is easily found. He is the Transcendental Absolute, the Eternal Shiva. He is the one whose nature is to become both "Himself and Me." We shall speak only of His beauty and goodness. Why should we speak the babble of fools? We are free of error.

The Master, the Lord of all worlds, the King of the Immortals, the Radiant Flame! He is the red-bodied one covered in white ash, the lover of the Golden Daughter of the Mountain. We have gained the merit of thinking of Him daily. We have forgotten the words of those who came to tell us to obey. Who is this "King" that has come? Who does he think he is?

He has matted hair, a conch-shell earring, and a body adorned with ash and snakes. He rides the Bull and wears the tiger’s skin as His garment, with a spotted deer skin over it. See, He is the one who owns us! We will not perform service for you or your army. We are in a state where the bonds of worldly attachment have been cast away.

With our tongues, we have sung of the Trustworthy One. We have been blessed to speak openly so that the shameless ones cannot approach us. The Lord of the Immortals, whom Brahma and Vishnu could not find as a pillar of fire, has entered and stayed in my heart. Even if the King of the South himself comes and commands us to do menial service, we will not consider it. We are established in the Eight Virtues of God.

~Saint Appar, Maṟumāṟṟat Tiruttāṇṭakam (Tēvāram VI.98)

The Dancer and Dance are One

பொன்னான அம்பலம் பொன்னான திருநடம் பொன்னான சக்கரம்

பொன்னான முடிமுடி பொன்னான பங்கரு கண்ணான கூத்துக்குப்

பொன்னான எம்பிரான் பொன்னம் பலத்தே.

எவ்விடமுந் திருமேனி எவ்விடமுந் திருநடம் எவ்விடமுஞ் சிவமாகி யிருப்பதால

எவ்விடமுந் திருநடமா கிநின்றது எவ்விடமுஞ் சிவசக்தி திருநடமே.

தோற்றந் துதிதி யொடுங்க மறைப்புடன் ஆற்றல் தரும் அருள் ஐந்தும் திருநடம்

சற்றும் உயிர்கள் தலைவர்க்குத் தலைவனை முற்றும் திருநடம் மாபரக் கூத்தே.

ஆடுவன் கூத்தும் ஆடும் கூத்தனும் தேடிய நாதமும் தேடிய ஜோதியும் ஆடும்

கூத்துள்ளே அடங்கி நிற்பது கூடும் கூத்தல்லே கூத்து நடமே.

---om---

Everywhere is the Holy Form; Everywhere is the Holy Dance; 

As Shiva is everywhere, So is His Dance omnipresent.
The Five-fold acts are His Dance; Creation, Preservation, and Destruction,

Obscuration and the Granting of Grace— All these are the movements of His Feet.
In the Golden Hall, He dances; In the heart of the seeker, He dances; 

The sound of His golden bells rings within, Ending the sorrow of those who listen.
The Dancer and the Dance are one; The Light and the Flame are one; 

He who sees the Dance within his own soul, Becomes the Dance himself.

- Tirumantiram 2722-2725

Makeishura

 

オーム

アオキハダ　ホノオノナカニ　シズマリテダイサンガン　シンリヲミツム　ハスノウエ

サクラマウ　コノヨノヌシワ　ダイジザイマケイシュラ　ウチュウノヤミヲ　テラスカミ

Om

Of blue-hued skin, amidst the roaring flames, He dwells in stillness;

The third eye gazing at the Truth, atop the lotus.

Cherry blossoms flutter, the Lord of this fleeting world is Daijizaiten;

Makeishura, the God who illuminates the darkness of the universe.

Mahadeva'r Stuti

This unique Axomiya hymn, echoing the deep philosophical and devotional style similar to that of the historical tradition of the region, beautifully captures the essence of Lord Shiva. Attributed to 'Shibadasa,' the verses celebrate Shiva as the ultimate, all-encompassing reality.

The hymn's power lies in its duality: it first establishes Shiva as the Transcendent Brahman (Nirguṇa, Nirākāra), existing beyond the universe. It then shifts to recognize Him as the Immanent Force, the Līlāmaya Mahadeva, residing within every creation and governing all action.

The final verses deliver a profound message that salvation is achieved not merely through austerity, but through understanding this Shiva-Tattva and meditating on His formless yet benevolent presence. The hymn is a succinct guide to finding moksha by navigating the world while focused on the ultimate peace offered by the Divine.

জয় জয় শিৱ শম্ভু, দেৱ দিগম্বর। তুমিহে কেৱল ব্ৰহ্ম, জগতৰ পৰ॥ 

চিদানন্দ ৰূপ তোমাৰ, নিৰ্গুণ নিৰাকাৰ। নিৰঞ্জন প্ৰভু তুমি, নাহিকে বিকাৰ॥ 

তথাপিও তুমি প্ৰভু, সৱ ঘটে আছা। স্থাৱৰ জঙ্গম যত, তোমাৰেই ক্ৰিয়া॥ 

তুমি সৃষ্টি স্থিতি লয়, ত্ৰিগুণৰ মূল। লীলাময় মহাদেৱ, সদায় অনুকূল॥ 

তোমাতে আৰম্ভ প্ৰভু, তোমাতে পৰিণতি। তোমাৰ চৰণে সেৱা, ভকতিৰ গতি॥ 

যতেক পুণ্য যশ, যতেক তপস্যা। তোমাৰ নামৰ ৰস, কৰিলেহে ৰক্ষা॥ 

বিষয় বাসনাত, জীৱ সদা ভ্ৰান্ত। তোমাৰ চৰণ পঙ্কজ, পৰম শান্ত॥ 

শিৱ-তত্ত্ব জ্ঞান যাৰ, সিজনেহে তৰে। শিৱদাসে কহে, মোক্ষ পদে স্মৰে॥ 

---om---

Victory, victory to Shiva Shambhu, the Sky-clad God. You alone are the absolute Brahman, beyond the universe. Your form is pure Consciousness-Bliss, without attributes, without form. You are the immaculate Lord, entirely without change or modification.

Yet, O Lord, You reside within every vessel/being. Whatever is unmoving or moving, is all Your divine action. You are the root of creation, maintenance, and dissolution—the source of the three gunas. The playful Mahadeva, You are always benevolent.

In You is the beginning, O Lord, and in You is the ultimate end. Worship at Your feet is the true path of devotion. Whatever merit or fame, whatever austerity one has amassed, only the nectar of Your Name can truly protect it.

The individual soul is always bewildered by material desires. Your lotus feet offer the ultimate peace. The one who attains the knowledge of the Shiva-Tattva (Shiva Principle) is indeed saved. Shibadasa says: meditate upon the state of Liberation.

|| oṁ namaḥ śivāya ||

Two verses on Gyanvapi

Today, we find inspiration from two synthetic verses about the Gyānvāpī Temple in Kāśī. These verses are stylized and inspired by the Kāśī Khanda, a large section of 100 chapters embedded within the Skanda Purāna praising the spiritual supremacy of Vārānasi. Below we imagine the magnificence of the Gyānvāpī Temple during the height of its splendor that once was and once again will be. May it be the will of Bhagavān Viśveśvara!

 गङ्गातीरनिभूतशैवलनिभं काश्याः प्रकाशं शिवं

ज्ञानाख्यस्य विशालवाप्युदितरत्नाभोगगर्भान्तरम् ।

नन्दीस्थाणुकृते नताः प्रथयते यत्सात्त्विकं तेजसा

तच्चित्रं प्रतिवीक्षितं हृदि ममाभाति त्रयीदीपवत् ॥

विश्वेशस्य पुरातनप्रभमिहोद्द्योतं प्रशान्ताम्बुधेः
काञ्चित्संवत्सरसारवह्निशिखया ध्यानान्तराले स्थितम् ।
यत्रोन्मेषतरङ्गमालिजलवद्भक्तिप्रभा जृष्णुता
तत्तेजो मम चेतसि प्रतिपदं देदीप्यते ध्यानवत् ॥

On the banks of Gaṅgā, where Kāśī shines with the quiet hue of moss and morning light,
rests the deep, gem-filled radiance of the vast Jñāna-vāpī, hidden in its sacred womb.
Before steadfast Nandi, those who bow perceive its gentle, sattvic flame;
and that vision, glimpsed again, glows in my heart like the lamp of the threefold Veda.

Here dawns the ancient brilliance of Viśveśvara, rising like a calm ocean of light,
standing in the inner sanctum of meditation, steady as the refined flame of years.
Where devotion shimmers in bright, wave-like ripples, vibrant and unbroken,
that radiance burns in my heart at every step, as in deep, unwavering contemplation.

|| oṁ namaḥ śivāya ||

I bow to the Lord of all beings

ॐ वन्दे देव उमापतिं सुरगुरुं वन्दे जगत्कारणम् ।

वन्दे पन्नगभूषणं मृगधरं वन्दे पशूनां पतिम् ॥

वन्दे सूर्य शशांक वह्नि नयनं वन्दे मुकुन्दप्रियम् ।

वन्दे भक्त जनाश्रयं च वरदं वन्दे शिवंशंकरम् ॥

Om, I bow to the divine Lord Shiva, consort of Uma, the Guru of the gods.

I bow to the cause of the universe.

I bow to the one adorned with serpents, the wearer of the tiger skin.

I bow to the Lord of all beings.

I bow to the one whose eyes blaze like the sun, moon, and fire.

I bow to the beloved of Vishnu.

I bow to the Refuge of devotees and the Giver of blessings.

I bow to Lord Shiva, the auspicious Shankara.

~Traditional Prayer~

Sita and Ram and the Dharma of Shiva

As we embark on the beginning of a new age of Sanatan Dharma, we seek answers to unanswered questions. Sanatan Dharma is neither a dogma nor organized on the premise of an unfaltering book, but rather is a quest, a eternal journey to understand ourselves and reality. The never ending seeking is therefore very much a part of our Dharma. Hence the ancients left much answered for future generations to continue to seek and experience findings answers from within. 

And now, we come upon the subject at hand, that of Sita and Ram in the context of Shaivism. Although it is has been realized again and again, the deep connection between the Dharma of Sita-Ram and Uma-Maheshwar is worth again exploring. To understand the deep connection, the oneness of the two, we must explore the stories of both. 

Let us begin then with the story of Sati (feminization of Sat, truth/existence). In the beginning of the cycle of creation, Sati is born of Daksha Prajapati, one of the many sons of Brahma and progenitors of mankind. Daksha has many daughters, and Sati is one of them. Sati in intent on marrying none other than Shiva and eventually marries Him, much to her father's displeasure. Later on, Sati attends her father's yajna, uninvited, and when Shiva is insulted chooses to self-immolate. Shiva then descends there in a Bhairava form called Virabhadra to destroy the sacrifice of Daksha. The relics of Sati are later spread around the Indian subcontinent which later come to be known as Shakti Pithas (Centers of Energy). We now consider there to be 51 or 52 principal Shakti Pithas in existence (51 or 52 being the number of phenomes in Sanskrit, and Shakti being the primal divine energy that permeates and brings forth name and form of all things in existence). 

Now, from that very holy land dotted with Shakti Pithas emerges the Lady Sita (literally sita = furrow). She is discovered as a baby by the ruler of Videha, King Janak, in a field. Sita then is an embodiment of the very Shakti that was dispersed across the land. Sita is Shakti. On the other hand, Ram descends through the holy fire into which Sati has chosen to self-immolate. In the story, the Deity of Fire, Agni, emerges from sacrificial fire conducted by King Dasharath and delivers the pudding (payasa) to feed his queens so they may bear children. From this, Ram is born. Ram, then, is the essence of the holy fire, the Divine Being who is invoked through Agni, the fire of consciousness in all beings. Ram descends from above, while Sita emerges from below. 

The essence of Ram is Shiva, and the essence of Sita is Shakti. Ram is Shiva and Sita is Shakti. 

There is only a singular eternal existence, which indeed is all existence. We understand it as the Divine encompassing of pure unfettered existence and its inseparable pure energy. These two then are emblematically represented and personified as the Divine Couple, the bipoles of Absolute Reality. 

Today, as we begin the new Samvatsar, let us remember Sita-Ram and Uma-Maheshwar together. 

Om Namah Shivaya. 

Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, Vikram Samvat 2081 (Pingala)/Shaka 1946 (Krodhi)

Obeisance to Thee, O Bhava!

Thou art the form of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, the Sacrificer, the Moon and the Sun. (Ashtamurti)

Thou art beneficent and abidest in all that is;

Obeisance to Thee!

Thou abidest in the Upanishads,

Thou art Shruti (Veda), Shruti owes her birth to Thee.

Thou art beyond the senses.

Thou art the eternal Mahah (All Might);

To Thee obeisance again and again.

Thou art neither gross nor subtle.

Thou art Shambhu (the Good).

Thou destroyest the ills of this world.

Obeisance to Thee, O Bhava (Existence)!

Thou art far beyond all polemics.

All-knowing Thou art and grantest the fruits of penance,

And the fourfold aims of human life.

Obeisance to Thee and again obeisance!

Thou hast no beginning, no middle and no end.

Thou dispellest all fear.

Attributeless art Thou and great.

Yogins alone can meditate on Thee;

To Thee obeisance and again obeisance!

Thou art the Universe, and beyond thought.

Thou destroyest the pride of Kama.

Thou annihilatest Time (Kala).

On Thy forehead shines the Moon,

To Thee obeisance again and again!

Thou eatest poison and

Art seated on the constantly moving Vrsha (Bull of Dharma).

The flowing waters of Ganga holds like a string

Thy matted locks in place;

To Thee obeisance!

Pure Thou art and purifiest,

Thou art the innermost Atma of the pure.

Thou art the Destroyer of Tripura.

Thou art all and Thy name purifies;

To Thee obeisance!

Thou grantest enjoyment and liberation to Thy votaries,

And art to them devoted.

Thou hast no home, no cloth to cover Thyself,

Yet art Thou the Ruler of the Universe;

To Thee obeisance again and again !

Thou art the root of the Three (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra).

Thou hast three eyes. Obeisance to Thee!

Thou art the Light of the three lights (Sun, Moon, Fire).

Thou destroyest rebirth;

To Thee obeisance!

The gems in the diadems of Devas and Asuras tint,

With a rosy tint, Thy feet.

Charming and beloved Thou art,

And hast to Thy beloved given half Thine own body;

Obeisance to Thee again and yet again!

~Sri Sharada Tilaka XX:149-160 (translated by Arthur Avalon)

Aum Namah Shivaya.

Aspectless (Nishkala) Form of Shiva

Today we read from the ninth chapter of the Ishvara Gita entitled the Nishkala (aspectless) Form of Shiva. In the Kurma Purana, of which Ishvara Gita is a part, it is said that the Ishvara Gita was spoken in an earlier aeon (Satya Yuga) long before the Bhagavad Gita was spoken. In a future aeon (Dvapara Yuga), the Bhagavad Gita reveals the same knowledge yet again. 

Notice the subtle philosophy in this text in the usage of the terms Brahman, the highest Lord, and Maya. Maya is termed Shakti, the cause of the universe, and the supreme Brahman termed the ground of that cause. What is termed the Lord is the one pointed intersection between the unmanifest and the manifest, who is immanent in all beings, and the goal or doorway for escape from the cycles of samsara and means for bliss eternal. One sees in this chapter a continuation of the old philosophy present in seed form in the Nandikeshvara Kashika. Indeed, this is the core of all forms of Shaivite theology even today. 

-----

The Sages said : 

1 . O Mahadeva, the Supreme God is unsullied, pure, eternal and devoid of activities. Hence, explain to us how you become identical with universe in form. 

Ishvara replied : 

2. O brahmanas, I am not the Universe (in reality). Nor does the universe exist without Me. In this respect Maya is the cause and She is supported by Me in my [own] Atman. 

3. Maya is the Shakti (potency) which has neither beginning nor destruction. It is supported in the Avyakta (the Unmanifest). This world is caused by it and is indeed born of the Avyakta. 

4. They (the sages) say that the Avyakta which is bliss luminous and imperishable is the cause. I am that supreme Brahman [viz the Avyakta] and nothing else exists apart from Me. 

5. In my unity and diversity (or apparent identity and separateness from the universe) the expounders of the Vedas have decisively concluded that from My Being the universe formed. 

6. I am that greatest Brahman, the eternal supreme Atman. As I am said to be the non-cause, no fault can be attributed to Atman. 

7. All divine powers are infinite, unmanifest, permanent and established by Maya. The absolute Avyakta which is abiding in the region beyond shines eternally. 

8. The unmanifest eternal Brahman which is without any beginning or end and which is permanent is united with Maya and thereby is called diverse and divided though it is an undivided whole. 

9. Just as the manifestation of the Purusha’s one power is not concealed or obscured by another, He functions through the power of knowledge without beginning, middle and the end. 

10. That is the supreme unmanifest, embellished with a halo of lustre. That is the imperishable light. That is the supreme abode of Vishnu. 

11. Therein the entire universe is woven as if in the warp and woof of cloth. That alone is the entire universe. Having realised this, one is liberated. 

12. Brahman is that entity from which words along with mind recede due to their inability to reach it. He who has realized the joy of the Brahman entertains no fear from anywhere at any time. [Taittiriya Up. II. 9.]

13. I know this supreme Purusha with the refulgence of the sun in front of me (beyond the darkness of ignorance). Having realized Him as such, the knower is liberated (from samsara). Becoming identical with the Brahman, he enjoys perpetual bliss. [Svetasvatara Up. III.8; III.21]

14. Realizing that is his self from which there is nothing that is greater, and that is the supreme light of the luminaries stationed in the heaven, the knower becomes identical with the Brahman and attains perpetual bliss. 

15. Knowers of the Brahman (aka brahmanas) who are established in the Brahman, proclaim that I am however impenetrable, subtle-bodied, joy of the Brahman, and the immortal abode of the universe, and after attaining whom one never reverts to samsara. 

16. The lustre that appears to shine in heaven is the principle of the highest firmament of golden colour. The sages visualize it in their own supreme knowledge as the resplendent, pure (spotless) abode of heaven. 

17. Thereafter, the bold (self-possessed) men observe it, after experiencing the (cosmic) Atman directly in their individual Atman. Paramesthin, the Lord Himself, is the greatest one. The Lord has the bliss of Brahman. 

18. That one Lord is lying hidden in all living beings. He is omnipresent, the immanent soul of all living beings. The self-possessed men who see him as one (without a second) enjoy permanent bliss and not the others. 

19. He has heads and necks on all sides. He is the ultimate goal of all. He abides in the cavity of the heart of all living beings. That Lord is omnipresent. There is nothing other than He. 

20. O leading sages, thus the knowledge pertaining to Ishvara has been related to you. It should be particularly guarded, as it is very difficult even for Yogis to attain.

Ishvara Gita IX.1-20 (Kurma Purana, Book II, IX.1-20).

Aum Namah Shivaya. 

See also: Vibhuti Yoga of Shiva (from Chapter VII of the Ishvara Gita)

Kala Sukta

Who is Kāla? It is but Lord Mahakāla Bhairava, the Origin, the Purusha, the first personification of the Absolute, Shiva Himself. He is Time Divine. He is the Father of Prajapati-Brahmā, the Lord of All. All conflicts and confusions that arise from stories occur within the constraints of time. It is only when we vie for timelessness that we realize the oneness in Sanātana Dharma. All paths lead to Lord Mahakāla Bhairava!

कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो - I am mighty Kāla, Dissolver of the worlds.

Those who understand, understand!

Let us, today, imbibe from the twin hymns of Time Divine from the Atharvaveda.

Jai Mahakal! 

OM Namah Shivaya!

Also see: Doctrine of Time and Time Divine

---

Prolific, thousand-eyed, and undecaying, a horse with seven reins Time bears us onward.

Sages inspired with holy knowledge mount him: his chariot wheels are all the worlds of creatures.

This Time hath seven rolling wheels and seven naves immorality is the chariot's axle.

This Time brings hitherward all worlds about us: as primal Deity is He entreated.

On Time is laid an overflowing beaker: this we behold in many a place appearing.

He carries from us all these worlds of creatures. They call him Kāla in the loftiest heaven.

He only made the worlds of life, He only gathered the worlds of living things together.

Their son did He become who was their Father: no other higher power than He existeth.

Kāla created yonder heaven, and Kāla made these realms of earth.

By Kāla, stirred to motion, both what is and what shall be expand.

Kāla created land; the Sun in Kāla hath his light and heat.

In Kāla rest all things that be: in Kāla doth the eye discern.

In Kāla mind, in Kāla breath, in Kāla name are fixt and joined.

These living creatures, one and all, rejoice when Kāla hath approached.

Kāla embraces Holy Fire, the Highest, Brahmā in Himself.

Yea, Kāla, who was Father of Prajāpati, is Lord of All.

From Kāla sprang the Waters, sprang the regions, Brahmā, Holy Fire.

The Sun ascends by Kāla, and in Kāla sinks again to rest.

By Kāla freshly blows the wind, mighty through Kāla is the Earth: on Kāla rests the mighty Sky.

In Kāla erst the text produced what is and what is yet to be.

From Kāla sprang the Richas, and from Kāla was the Yajus born.

They formed in Kāla sacrifice, eternal portion for the Gods.

In Kāla the Gandharvas and Apsarasas and worlds abide.

Atharvan and this Angiras in Kāla are supreme o'er heaven.

Both this world and the world that is most lofty, the pure worlds and pure intermediate spaces,

Yea, having conquered all the worlds by Brahmā, Kāla as God Supreme is supplicated.

He made, He stirred this universe to motion, and on Him it rests.

He, Kāla, having now become Brahmā, holds Parameshthin up.

Kāla created living things and, first of all, Prajāpati.

From Kāla self-made Kasyapa, from Kāla Holy Fire was born.

Holy Atharvaveda [Shaunaka Recension]: XIX:53-54

Vibhuti-Yoga of Shiva

ॐ

Today we read from the seventh chapter of Ishvara Gita (the Lord's Song), an ancient gita spoken by Lord Shiva to the assembled sages in the Naimisha forest (Naimisharanya). The Ishvara Gita comes to us from the latter book (uttarabhaga) of the Kurma Purana. In modern rendering, the chapter is entitled "Vibhuti-Yoga of Shiva." The teaching is in line with the doctrines of the Vedic Pashupatas and is absent of overt concepts from Agamic Shaivism except in seed form. The concepts around the essential triad are beautifully incorporated alongside theistic sankhya philosophy. The pashas (fetters) are said to be two: karma and maya; anava is curiously missing. Nevertheless, asmita (egotism) is said to be one of the six klesha (miseries) caused by maya.  By all accounts, this is a very ancient composition. 

In the chapter below, we find that Shiva as best of the best, the highest of the highest, the essence of All; He is the supreme Lord, He indeed is Aum. He is the Overlord of both prakriti and purusha, and Maya Shakti is His primordial energy. He is the Causer of bondage and He is the Causer of liberation. As we read, we also note the similarity between this chapter and sixth chapter of the Shiva Gita and the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. 

||Aum Namah Shivaya, Shivaya Namah Aum||

-----

 

Ishvara said:

1. Ye Sages, listen all of you to the prowess of Parameshthin (highest objective) on realizing which man becomes liberated and does not fall into the worldly existence again. 

2. That is my greatest abode, the Brahman, which is greater than the greatest, eternal, steady and immutable, of perpetual bliss, devoid of doubts and alternatives. 

3. Among the knowers of Brahman, I am the God, Brahmā, the self-born deity, with faces all round. Among the wielders of maya, I am the ancient, imperishable God, Hari. 

4. Among yogins, I am Shambhu, among ladies, I am the Goddess (Parvati), the Daughter of the lord of mountains. I am Vishnu among solar deities, and am the fire-god among Vasus. 

5. Among Rudras, I am Shankara; among those who fly, I am Garuda; among the leading elephants, I am Airavata, and among those who bear weapons, I am Rama. 

6. Among sages, I am Vasishtha; among Devas, I am Satakratu (i.e., Indra); among craftsmen, I am Vishvakarman, and among the enemies of Devas, I am Prahlada. 

7. Among ascetics, I am Vyasa; among the Ganas (attendants of Shiva) I am Vinayaka; among heroes, I am Virabhadra; and among the Siddhas, I am the ascetic Kapila. 

8. Among the mountains, I am Meru; among constellations, I am the Moon; among the weapons of striking potentiality, I am the thunderbolt; and among holy rites, I am truthfulness.

9. Among serpents, I am Ananta (Shesa); among generals of armies, I am Lord Pāvaki (i.e. Skanda); among the stages of life, I am the householder’s stage and among lshvaras (Rulers), I am Maheshvara. 

10. Among kalpas (cycles of time), I am mahakalpa (the great kalpa); among the yugas, I am Krtayuga (golden age); among the Yaksas, I am Kubera and among grasses, I am Virudha. 

11. Among the Prajapatis (progenitors ofthe world), I am Daksha; among the Rakshasas I am Nirrti; among powerful persons, I am Vayu, and among the continents, I am Pushkara. 

12. Among the leaders of beasts, I am the lion; among mechanical devices, I am the bow; among the Vedas, I am Samaveda and among Yajur mantras, I am Shatarudriya (Vaj. Sam. XVI. 1-66). 

13. Among the mantras for the purpose of chanting, I am Savitri (Gayatri mantra; RV. III. 62. 10); among mystic secret mantras, I am Pranava (AUM), among the hymns, I am the Purusha Sukta (RV. X. 90); and among the Saman mantras I am Jyestha Saman. 

14. Among the scholars of Vedic topics, I am Svayambhuva Manu; among territories, I am Brahmavarta, and among holy centers, I am Avimuktaka (Varanasi). 

15. Among Vidyas (lores), I am the Atmavidya (spiritual science, leading to realization of Atman). Among types of knowledge, I am the greatest knowledge pertaining to Ishvara; among the elements, I am the ether (akasha), and among the entities (realities), I am mrtyu (death). 

16. Among the nooses and fetters, I am maya, and among the calculators, I am kala (time); among goals, I am liberation (from samsara) and among the greatest ones, I am Parameshvara (supreme Lord).

17. Whatever else be in the world that stands most prominent by means of sattva guna, brilliance of power, you can vouchsafe for it that it is a manifestation of (My) brilliance.

18. All the Atmans existing in the world are said to be pashus. I am remembered as their Lord, Pashupati, by the wise sages.

19. In my sportive activity, I bind all these pashus by means of the noose of the maya. Expounders of the Vedas say that I am the Liberator of the pashus. 

20. Excepting me, the great Atman, the unchanging overlord of the bhutas (beings), there is no other liberator of those who are bound with the noose of the maya. 

21. The twenty-four principles, the maya, the karma and the three gunas—these are the nooses (in the hands) of Pashupati; and distresses are the bondages of individual souls (pashus). 

22. The mind, the intellect, the ego, the firmament, the wind, the fire, the water, and the earth—these eight are prakritis (causes) and the other things are vikaras (effects). 

23-24. The ears, the sense of touch, the eyes, the tongue and the fifth one the nose (these are the sense-organs of knowledge), the anus, the genitals, the hands, the feet and the organ of speech (these are the organs of activity), sound, touch, color, taste and smell (these are the five objects of pleasure) —these fifteen together with the eight objects mentioned before constitute the twenty-three prakritas or products of Prakriti. 

25. The twenty-fourth principle is the Avyakta (unmanifest), Pradhana characterized by its gunas. It has neither beginning nor middle nor destruction. It is the supreme cause of the universe.

26. Sattva, rajas and tamas—these are called the three gunas. The state of equilibrium of these, three, they know to be the Avyakta Prakriti (the unmanifest Prakrti). 

27. Sattva is knowledge; the rajas is a mixture of knowledge and ignorance; and the tamas is ignorance (ajnana). The wise sages know that the inequality of the gunas is due to the disequilibrium in intellect. 

28. What are called dharma and adharma are the binding nooses called karmas. But those karmas dedicated unto Me are conducive to liberation and not to bondage. 

29. Avidya (ignorance); asmita (egotism), raga (passion), dvesha (hatred) and abhinivesha (attachment) are collectively called kleshas (miseries). They are themselves the bonds that fetter the Atman. 

30. Maya alone is called the cause of these pashas (fetters). It is the original unmanifest Prakriti. That Shakti (divine power) stays in me. 

31. He alone is the primordial nature or pradhana as well as purusha, and the product such as mahat, etc. (i.e. evolutes of prakriti). He is the eternal God of gods. 

32. He alone is the bondage and the Maker of bondage; He alone is the pasha and the Sustainer of the pashus. He knows everything, but no one knows him. They call him the Primordial and Ancient Purusha.  

Ishvara Gita VII:1-23 (Kurma Purana, Book II, VII:1-32)

Hymn of the Supreme Support

Of the thousands of hymns of the Vedas, a few stand out as unique, most rarefied. These hymns also demonstrate that the composers, the Maharishis, were not pastoral nomads, but men and women of extraordinary realization. Their yajnas were not just external fire rituals, but they also kindled the fire of consciousness deep within. The Purusha Sukta, the Nasadiya Sukta, the Rudradhyaya, and the Hiranyagarbha Sukta, to name a few, are all examples of such exalted hymns. Volumes could be written on these suktas, which are but upanishads without so classifying. Another such magnificent hymn is the Skambha Sukta from the Atharvaveda, the most mysterious and misunderstood of the Vedas. 

While the Rigvedic hymn glorifies the Divine as Purusha, the Cosmic Person, who was sacrificed to bring about creation, the Atharvaveda glorifies the Divine as the Skambha, the Pillar of Creation. The Skambha is the singular support unto which all this is based, the substratum of all existence, the primoridial cause of all, the singular source of all Devas. The Skambha, the Pillar of Light, is the center of the manifest universe, the axis mundi, the Dispeller of all darkness, the One on whom all the compass points converge. The Shambha is both known, and at the same time, unknowable. It is both Being and Nonbeing; it is verily the Supreme Brahman. It is the end of all pursuits, all knowledge. S/he who knows that the highest Being, the Lord of Life, also intuitively knows that Supreme Support, the fulcrum of existence. 

In later literature, this Pillar of Light is called the Jyotirlinga or Lingodbhava Murti, the primordial formless form of Shiva that first manifest in front of the great Devas, who couldn't but find the ends of it. It speaks to His immeasurable existence, the infinitude of Paramashiva. This same form is also understood to be Aja Ekapada, the Unborn One-Footed. For from the one limb, says the hymn, the world was fashioned; in the one limb, all the great Devas are affixed. The rest remains beyond, transcendental, unmanifest, pure Prakasha (vide: Purusha Sukta, mantra 4). 

Aum Namah Shivaya.

-----

Skambha Sukta

Atharvaveda X.7.1-44

In which of His limbs does Fervor dwell?

In which of His limbs is Order set?

In what part of Him abides Constancy, Faith?

In which of His limbs is Truth established?

From which of His limbs does Fire shine forth?

From which of His limbs issues the Wind?

Which limb does the Moon take for measuring rod

when it measures the form of the great Support?

In which of His limbs does the Earth abide?

In which of His limbs the atmosphere?

In which of His limbs is the sky affixed?

In which of His limbs the great Beyond?

Toward whom does the rising Flame aspire?

Toward whom does the Wind eagerly blow?

On whom do all the compass points converge?

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

Where do the half-months and months together

proceed in consultation with the year?

Where do the seasons go, in groups or singly?

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

Toward whom run the sisters, day and night,

who look so different yet one summons answer?

Toward whom do the waters with longing flow?

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

The One on whom the Lord of Life

leaned for support when He propped up the world--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

That which of all forms the Lord of Life

created--above, below, and in between--

with how much of Himself penetrated the Support?

How long was the portion that did not enter?

With how much of Himself penetrated the Support

into the past? With how much into the future?

In that single limb whose thousand parts He fashioned

with how much of himself did He enter, that Support?

Through whom men know the worlds and what enwraps them,

the waters and Holy Word, the all-powerful

in whom are found both Being and Nonbeing--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

By whom Creative Fervor waxing powerful

upholds the highest Vow, in whom unite

Cosmic Order and Faith, the Waters and the Word--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

On whom is firmly founded earth and sky

and the air in between; so too the fire,

Moon, Sun, and wind, each knowing His own place--

Tell me of that Support--who may Hebe?

In whose one limb all the Gods,

three and thirty in number, are affixed--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

In whom are set firm the firstborn Seers,

the hymns, the songs, and the sacrificial formulas,

in whom is established the Single Seer--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

In whom, as Man, deathlessness and death combine,

to whom belong the surging ocean

and all the arteries that course within him;

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

Of whom the four cardinal directions

comprise the veins, visibly swollen,

in whom the sacrifice has advanced victorious--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

Those who know the Divine in man

know the highest Lord; who knows the highest Lord

or the Lord of Life knows the supreme Brahman.

They, therefore, know the Support also.

He whose head is the Universal Fire,

who has for His eyes the Angirases

and for His limbs the practitioners of sorcery--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

He whose mouth, so they say, is Brahma,

whose tongue is a whip steeped in honey,

of whom Viraj is considered the udder--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

Out of His body were carved the verses,

the formulas being formed from the shavings.

His hairs are the songs, His mouth the hymns

of the Seers Atharvan and Angiras--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

The branch of Nonbeing which is far-extending

men take to be the highest one of all.

They reckon as inferior those who worship

your other branch, the branch of Being.

In whom the Adityas, Rudras and Vasus,

are held together, in whom are set firm

worlds--that which was and that which shall be--

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

Whose treasure hoard the three and thirty Gods

forever guard--today who knows its contents?

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

In whom the Gods, knowers of Brahman,

acknowledge Brahman as the Supreme--

he who knows the Gods face to face

is truly a Knower, a Vehicle of Brahman.

Great are the Gods who were born from Nonbeing,

yet men aver this Nonbeing to be

the single limb of the Support, the great Beyond.

The limb in which the Support, when generating,

evolved the Ancient One--who knows the limb

knows too by that same knowledge the Ancient One.

It was from His limb that the thirty-three Gods

distributed portions among themselves.

Thus in truth only knowers of Brahman

are also knowers of the thirty-three Gods.

Men recognize the Golden Embryo

as the unutterable, the Supreme.

Yet it was the Support who in the beginning

poured forth upon the world that stream of gold.

In the Support the worlds consist; in Him

Creative Fervor and Order have their ground.

You I have known, O Support, face to face,

in Indra wholly concentrated.

In Indra the worlds consist; in Indra

Creative Fervor and Order have their ground.

You I have known, O Indra, face to face,

in the Support wholly established.

Before dawn and sunrise man invokes

name after name. This Unborn sprang to birth

already with full sovereignty empowered.

Than He nothing higher ever existed.

Homage to Him of whom the Earth is the model,

the atmosphere His belly, who created the sky

from His head. Homage to this supreme Brahman!

Homage to Him whose eye is the Sun

and the Moon which is ever renewed, whose mouth

is the Fire. Homage to this supreme Brahman!

Homage to Him whose in-breath and out-breath

is the wind, whose eyes are the Angirases,

whose wisdom consists in the cardinal points.

Homage once again to this supreme Brahman!

By the Support are held both heaven and earth,

by the Support the broad domain of space,

by the Support the six divergent directions,

by the Support is this whole world pervaded.

Homage to Him who, born of labor

and Creative Fervor, has entered all the worlds,

who has taken Soma for His own exclusive possession.

Homage to this Supreme Brahman!

How does the wind not cease to blow?

How does the mind take no repose?

Why do the waters, seeking to reach truth,

never at any time cease flowing?

A mighty wonder in the midst of creation moves,

thanks to Fervor, on the waters' surface.

To Him whatever Gods there are adhere

like branches of a tree around the trunk.

To whom the Gods always with hands and feet,

with speech, ear, and eye bring tribute unmeasured

in a well-measured place of sacrifice.

Tell me of that Support--who may He be?

In Him exists no darkness, no evil.

In Him are all the lights, including the three

that are in the Lord of Life. The one who knows

the Reed of gold standing up in the Water

is truly the mysterious Lord of Life.