Listen O Children of Immortality!

Maharishi Śvetāśvatara invites us to the Divine Light

 युजे वां ब्रह्म पूर्व्यं नमोभिर्वि श्लोक एतु पथ्येव सूरेः । 

शृण्वन्तु विश्वे अमृतस्य पुत्रा आ ये धामानि दिव्यानि तस्थुः ॥

Yuje vāṃ brahma pūrvyaṃ namobhir-vi śloka etu pathyeva sūreḥ | 

Śṛṇvantu viśve amṛtasya putrā ā ye dhāmāni divyāni tasthuḥ ||

I unite myself with the Eternal Brahman through salutations. Let my prayer go forth like the sun on its path. 

May all the children of immortality listen, even those who dwell in the celestial spheres!

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣhad II.5

(This mantra is also found in Shukla Yajurveda XI.5 and Rigveda X.13.1)

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And thus ends the year 5126 of the Kaliyuga Era, the year 5101 of the Saptarishi/Laukika Era, the year 2082 named Kalayukta of the Vikram Samvat Era, and the year 1947 named Vishvavasu of the Shalivahana Shaka Era.

A Paeon to the Red Archer

O Thou of the Dark Belly and the Red Back! I stand upon the unploughed earth, In the shadow of the village and its rising smoke. I wear the skins of the wilderness; I carry the bow that needs no string.

Lord of the Blue-Neck, Towering Archer of the Clouds, Behind me the priests pour ghee into the pit, But I look to Thy face, divine and terrible in the heights. Turn Thy fierce gaze toward the horizon, Thou who art the Master of the Hounds and the Lord of the Sky.

Healer of the Wild, Drinker of the Poison, With the Vratya heart, I speak Thy name into the calm. I stand where the fence ends and the world begins, O Rudra, Great Bull of the Heavens! Give us the thousand medicines of the forest, And let us walk the path of the sun, Unbound, unburnt, and wild.

-Composed by invoking an unnamed Vratya Mendicant from 2000 BCE as described in the Atharva Veda 

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

Meditation on the Akshara

𑆥𑆫𑆤𑇀 𑆥𑆫𑆴𑆡𑇀 𑆡𑆬𑆴 𑆑𑆶𑆬𑇀 𑆓𑆍𑆩𑇀 𑇅 𑆃𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆫 𑆣𑇀𑆪𑆳𑆤 𑆓𑆍𑆩𑇀 𑆣𑆳𑆫𑆤𑆳 𑇅 𑆏𑆀𑆑𑆳𑆫 𑆠𑆶𑆡𑆶𑆩𑇀 𑆪𑆼𑆬𑆴 𑆢𑆼𑆲 𑆓𑆍𑆩𑇀 𑇅 𑆠𑆼𑆬𑆴 𑆬𑆬𑆴 𑆓𑆍𑆩𑇀 𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆳𑆥𑇀𑆠 𑆮𑆳𑆪𑆶 𑆥𑆳𑆤𑆪𑇀 𑇆

I wore out my palate and tongue by reading and reading, But I did not find the practice that would help me. When I meditated on the Akshara (Om) as the focal point, My body and mind became one. When I realized the Omkara, I was transformed; Then Lalla’s vital breath became one with the Universe.

~Lalleshvari, Lal Vakh 58 (Jayalal Kaul collection)

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)

Agni-Soma Vibhuti Stotra

 

यदेतदग्नीषोमाख्यं तत्तदाभासनिर्मितम् । तत्त्वं विजयते तस्य विभोः शिवलक्षणम् ॥ १ ॥

अग्नीषोममयं विश्वं तच्चैतदुभयात्मकम् । प्रकाशानन्दसारं तज्जयेच्छक्तिद्वयात्मकम् ॥ २ ॥

अग्नीषोमात्मकं रूपं मुक्तामपि न मुञ्चति । सर्वज्ञत्वं च यत्तस्य तृप्तिश्चाव्यग्रलक्षणम् ॥ ३ ॥

तस्मादनुत्तरं रूपं यदग्नीषोममर्दनम् । शक्तयो यत्र विलीनास्तद्वन्दे शाम्भवं पदम् ॥ ४ ॥

भक्षकोऽग्निः स्मृतो लोके भोज्यं सोम इति स्थितिः । अग्नीषोममयं विश्वमिति भोक्तृप्रकाशनम् ॥ ५ ॥

यथाग्निः समिधः प्राप्य ज्वलत्येव सविस्तरम् । तथा ग्राह्यं समासाद्य प्रकाशोऽयमुज्जृम्भते ॥ ६ ॥

एवमग्निर्महानेष बोधलक्षण उच्यते । विश्वं यस्यैतदखिलं हविर्भावेन कल्पितम् ॥ ७ ॥

यथाग्निरिध्मसापेक्षस्तथा बोधोऽप्ययं विभुः । ज्ञेयसापेक्षतां यातः प्रकाशत्वेन भासते ॥ ८ ॥

स सोमो ज्ञेयतामभ्येति प्रकाशाप्यायितः पुनः । प्रकाशस्य च सा पूर्णता यज्ज्ञेयाप्यायनं प्रति ॥ ९ ॥

तस्माज्ज्ञेयं प्रकाशश्च द्वयमेतन्न भिद्यते । अग्नीषोममयं तस्मात्तत्त्वमेकमवस्थितम् ॥ १० ॥

अग्नीषोममयीं जुह्वदवस्थां तत्र तत्र यः । विभोराराधनपरः स धन्यः कोऽपि जायते ॥ ११ ॥

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Glory to that all-pervading Reality characterized as Shiva, which is called Agni and Soma, and which is constructed from their various manifestations.

The entire universe is composed of Agni and Soma; it consists of both these natures. Glory to that which is the essence of Light and Bliss, and whose nature is the union of these two Shaktis.

This form, consisting of Agni and Soma, does not leave even the liberated soul; it is manifested as the Lord’s omniscience and His state of unwavering contentment.

Therefore, I bow to that state of Shambhu where the supreme form is the union of Agni and Soma, and wherein all individual powers are dissolved.

It is traditionally held that Agni is the Devourer and Soma is the Food. The statement "the universe consists of Agni and Soma" refers to the manifestation of the Enjoyer.

Just as fire, upon reaching fuel, blazes up and expands, so too this Light of Consciousness expands and flashes forth upon reaching an object of perception.

Thus, this great Agni is said to be the nature of Awareness, for which this entire universe is conceived as the sacrificial offering.

Just as fire depends upon fuel, so too this all-pervading Awareness, having come to depend upon the object of knowledge, shines forth as Light.

That object of knowledge becomes "Soma" when it is nourished by the Light; and the fullness of the Light consists in its act of nourishing that object.

Therefore, the object of knowledge and the Light of awareness—these two are not different. Thus, they remain as a single Reality consisting of Agni and Soma.

Blessed is that rare soul who, devoted to the worship of the All-pervading Lord, offers every state of Agni and Soma into the fire of the Divine at every moment.

Agni-Soma Vibhuti Stotra, Shivastotravali II:1-11

-by Utpalacharya (10th century CE)

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 ||

Hymn to Rudra Kapardin

This hymn attributed to Maharishi Atri Bhauma belongs to the early Vedic stratum that venerates Rudra as both terrifying and beneficent—the “Destroyer of heroes” whose arrows bring disease and the end of all things great, yet who also carries “healing remedies most precious.” The poet pleads for the God’s favor and protection for people, animals, and the settlement, revealing the ancient understanding of divine power as ambivalent: to be feared, yet also the sole source of well-being when rightly propitiated. This Rudra, like the serene Śiva of later theology, already contains the seeds of transformation, as His destructive energy (Śakti) is recognized as inseparable from healing and renewal.

In later Śaiva thought, especially within Purāṇic and Siddhāntic traditions, the dipoles between Rudra’s wrath and grace evolves into a philosophy of divine duality—Śiva as both the Destroyer of ignorance and the Giver of liberation. This hymn thus marks the beginning of the shift from propitiating a formidable power to embracing Him as the inner Lord and Protector. Through this early meditation, we glimpse the emergence of the Śaiva vision of auspiciousness born from awe.

Maharishi Atri Bhauma meditates on Rudra-Shiva

---om---

These thoughts we offer to Rudra, the powerful, 

the matted-haired ascetic, the destroyer of heroes; 

may he grant peace to beings with two legs and four, 

and make all that thrives within this settlement flourish and untroubled.

Be gracious to us, Rudra; make us happy.

We bow to you, the destroyer of heroes, with our homage.

That welfare and favor which our ancestor Manu once desired,

may we experience through your guiding protection, O Rudra.

May we attain your favor, O Rudra of great might, through our divine offering.

Bring our people into harmony and strength,

and grant that our men may live unharmed;

accept this offering from us.

We call upon the fierce Rudra, master of the sacrifice,

the wise and unbending Lord, for help.

Let the divine anger stand far from us;

we choose instead your gracious favor, your kindly mind.

We call with reverence upon Rudra, the red one of the sky, 

the matted-haired, whose form is radiant;

holding in his hand healing remedies most precious—

may he bestow on us shelter, protection, and defense.

This word is spoken to the father of the Maruts—

sweeter than the sweet—a hymn to Rudra for increase.

Grant us, O deathless one, mortal sustenance in due measure;

be gracious to our life, to our children and descendants.

Harm not our great ones nor our little ones,

strike not him who rears the herd nor him who is born to it.

Do not slay our father nor our mother;

O Rudra, do not injure our dear bodies.

Do not harm our sons, our children, or our lifespan;

do not wound our cattle or our horses.

O Rudra, in your might, do not strike down our warriors.

We who make offerings call to you always for help.

Like a herdsman guarding his cattle, I have brought praises to you;

grant us, father of the Maruts, your goodwill.

For your disposition is auspicious and most gracious;

therefore we choose you as our protector and friend.

Keep far from us your arrow that kills the cow and the man,

O mighty Rudra, may your favor be upon us.

Be gracious to us; speak kindly, O God,

and grant us shelter and wide protection.

We have declared our homage to him, the helper;

may Rudra, companion of the Maruts, hear our call.

And may Mitra, Varuṇa, Aditi, the River, the Earth, and the Sky

not harm us — may they protect us in friendship.

Ṛgveda (Śākala Saṃhitā) I.114.1-11 

- Composed by Maharishi Atri Bhauma

Essential Nature of the Great Lord

The essential nature of the great Lord (Parameshvara) is the fullness of His consciousness. This fullness of consciousness is His Shakti, which is known as body (kula), capacity (samarthya), wave (urmi), heart (hrdaya), essence (sara), vibration (spanda), glory of power (vibhuti), the three-formed Goddess (Trishika), the cause of kalana (Kali), one who minimizes (Karsini), dreadful (Chandi), speech (vani), enjoyment (bhoga), knowledge (drk), and the superintending Deity of lunar phases (Nitya). This Shakti is expressed by these and other appellations based on various grammatical, derivations, which are technical terms used in the Agamas. Let this Shakti abide in any of these forms in the heart of a meditator. If this Shakti is viewed collectively, as consisting of the totality of all Shaktis, the fullness of consciousness becomes manifest. The Lord possesses innumerable dynamic Shaktis. What more can we say? The entire universe is His Shakti. Therefore, it is impossible to enumerate all of them in this instruction.

However, the whole universe can be summed up under three main Shaktis. The supreme energy (Parashakti) of the Lord is that Shakti by means of which this universe, beginning with Shiva and ending with earth principle (prithivi tattva), is born, seen, and manifested by the Lord in indeterminate consciousness. Paraparashakti of the Lord is that Shakti by means of which He projects the universe just like the reflection of an elephant, etc., in a mirror: as different-cum-nondifferent. The glorious Aparashakti is that Shakti by means of which He manifests this differentiated universe, in which all these objects appear as different from one another.

Tantrasara of Abhinavagupta, Chapter 4  

H.N. Chakravarty, 2012

OM Sauh Parayai Namah

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). 

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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.

Fifteen Verses of Wisdom

Who here hath not heard of Abhinavagupta? About the greatest of Shivacharyas, we need not say anything for no words can describe the grandeur, the depth, the genius of his being. Unto the feet of this Jagadguru, we pay obeisance. 

In the Bodhapanchadashika (Fifteen Verses on Wisdom), the great Acharya very succinctly summarizes the entirety of Shivadvaya, the non-dualist philosophy associated with what we now term Kashmir Shaivism. Although written about a thousand years ago, the powerful words still resound in our consciousness as we read these beautiful verses. Because this short work was created by the Acharya for his disciples of little understanding, it is easy for us to understand without any explanation. Presumably, he wrote these fifteen verses after finishing his magnum opera. 

As we know, 118 worlds (bhuvanas; 256 in some Agamas) make up the entire universe at various levels, within various tattvas. Lord Bhairava is Himself the nature of all these 118 bhuvanas; all this His experience of His own infinite Being. All this diversity exists within Him. It is by His grace alone that we realize the true nature of reality, the true nature of our own being, which is but Lord Bhairava. Indeed time, one of the kanchukas of maya, and our (mis)understanding of its march results in worldly existence (samsara). The perception of the existence of time is a result of His independence, His means to realize His own nature (see: Time Divine; Doctrine of Time). The fullness of this realization is achieved by those who have been liberated within this life (jivan-muktas; see: Sivagnanabodham). 

These verses have been especially created for those of us with little understanding so we may be instantaneously elevated! Let us, then, as disciples, learn from the Bodhapanchadashika. 

oṃ sauḥ parāyai namaḥ

-----

बोधपञ्चदशिका [Bodhapanchadashika]

1. The brilliance of the One Being's light does not vanish in external light or in darkness because all light and darkness resides in the supreme light of God Consciousness.

2. This Being is called Lord Shiva. He is the nature and existence of all beings. The external objective world is the expansion of His Energy and it is filled with the glamour of the glory of God Consciousness.

3. Shiva and Shakti are not aware that they are separate. They are interconnected just as fire is one with heat.

4. He is the God Bhairava. He creates, protects, destroys, conceals, and reveals His nature through the cycle of this world. This whole universe is created by God in His own nature, just as one finds the reflection of the world in a mirror.

5. The collective state of the universe is His supreme Energy (Shakti), which He created in order to recognize His own nature. This (Shakti), who is the embodiment of the collective state of the universe, loves possessing the state of God Consciousness. She is in the state of ignorance, remaining perfectly complete and full in each and every object.

6. The supreme Lord Shiva, who is all-pervasive and fond of playing and falling, together with the Energy of His own nature simultaneously brings about the varieties of creation and destruction.

7. This supreme action cannot be accomplished by any other power in this universe except Lord Shiva, who is completely independent, perfectly glorious and intelligent.

8. The limited state of consciousness is insentient and cannot simultaneously expand itself to become the various forms of the universe. The possessor of independence is absolutely different from that insentient state of consciousness. You cannot, therefore, recognize Him in only one way. The moment you recognize Him in one way you will also recognize Him in the other way.

9. This Lord Shiva, who is completely independent (svatantra), has the diversity of creation and destruction existing in His own nature. And, at the same time, this diversity is found existing in its own way as the field of ignorance.

10. In this world you will find varieties of creation and destruction, some of which are created in the upper cycle, some of which are created below, and some of which are even created sideways. Attached to these worlds smaller portions of worlds are created. Pain, pleasure, and intellectual power are created according to the status of being. This is the world.

11. If you do not understand that there is actually no span of time, this misunderstanding is also the independence (svatantrya) of Lord Shiva. This misunderstanding results in worldly existence (samsara). And those who are ignorant are terrified by worldly existence.

12-13. When, because the grace of Lord Shiva is showered upon you, or due to the teachings or vibrating force of your Master, or through understanding the scriptures concerned with Supreme Shiva, you attain the real knowledge of reality, that is the existent state of Lord Shiva, and that is final liberation. This fullness is achieved by elevated souls and is called liberation in this life (jivan-mukti).

14. These two cycles, bondage and liberation, are the play of Lord Shiva and nothing else. They are not separate from Lord Shiva because differentiated states have not risen at all. In reality, nothing has happened to Lord Shiva.

15. In this way the Lord, Bhairava, the essence of all being, has held in His own way in His own nature, the three great energies: the energy of will (iccha-shakti), the energy of action (kriya-shakti), and the energy of knowledge (jnana-shakti). These three energies are just like that trident which is the three-fold lotus. And seated on this lotus is Lord Bhairava, who is the nature of the whole universe of 118 worlds.

16. I, Abhinavagupta, have written and revealed these verses for some of my dear disciples who have very little intellectual understanding. For those disciples, who are deeply devoted to me, I have composed these fifteen verses just to elevate them instantaneously.

Hughes, John. Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism. State University of New York Press, 1994. 

Sivagnanabodham

Meykanda Devar (aka Meykandar) was a important 13th century CE philosopher and propounder of the southern school of Saiva Siddhanta. Here we read from his work known as Sivagnanabodham (Instruction in the Knowledge of Shiva), a masterpiece of 12 sutras in the Tamil language. It is said that these verses come from or are inspired by the Rauravasutrasamgraha (aka, Raurava Agama). However, this is no longer found in the remaining fragment of the text that goes by that name. 

Within these sutras, Meykanda Devar has carefully woven and saliently highlighted the essential triad that is central to all forms of Shaivism from the ancient Vedic Pashupata and Lakulisha-Pashupata forms all the way to the Agamic-Tantric, Puranic and Vedantic forms. These sutras then also go on to form a school of philosophy within the southern Saiva Siddhanta through their exposition by Shivacharyas that follow Meykanda Devar. 

Verses 1-2 describe the nature of Pati (the Lord), here called Hara, as it relates to the world and the individual Atmans (Pashus). Verses 3-5 elaborate the true nature of the Pashus, and how they are guided by the Pati. Verses 6-7 speaks of the world (the fetters, pasha) and how it is perceived by the Pashus; what constitutes real and not real. Verses 8-11 speak of the quest and means of liberation for the Pashus. Finally, verse 12 describes the remaining life of the liberated soul (jivan-mukta), who has removed the fetters by the Grace (Arul/Anugraha) of Hara. Such is the beauty of the Sivagnanabodham!

 

ஓம் நம சிவாய ~ ॐ नमः शिवाय ~ ওঁ নমঃ শিবায় ~ ૐ નમઃ શિવાય ~ اوم نمہ شوایہ ~ Om Namah Shivaya 

-----

Sivagnanabodham

Tamil Om

1. As the (seen) universe, spoken of as he, she and it, undergoes three changes (origin, development, and decay), this must be an entity created (by an efficient cause.) This entity owing to its conjunction with anava mala has to emanate from Hara to whom it returns during samharam (dissolution). Hence, the learned say that Hara is the first Cause.

2. He is one with the souls (non-dual). He is different from them (dual). He is one and different from them (dual-non-dual). He stands in union with His Gnana Sakti and causes the souls to undergo the processes of evolution (births) and return (samharam) by including their good and bad acts (karma).

3. It rejects every portion of the body as not being itself; it says my body; it is conscious of dreams; it exists in sleep without feeling pleasure or pain or movements; it knows from others; This is the soul which exists in the body formed as a machine from maya.

4. The soul is not one of the antahkarana (mental apparatus). It is not conscious when it is in conjunction with anava mala. It becomes conscious only when it meets the antahkarana, just as a king understands through his ministers. The relation of the soul to the five avasthas is also similar.

5. The senses while perceiving the object cannot perceive themselves or the soul; and they are perceived by soul. Similarly, the soul while perceiving cannot perceive itself (while thinking cannot think thought) and God. It is moved by the Arul  (Anugraha) Sakti of God, as the magnet moves the iron, while He Himself remains immoveable or unchangeable.

6. That which is perceived by the senses is Asat (non-real in the absolute sense). That which is not so perceived does not exist. God is neither the one nor the other, and hence Siva is called Sat or Chit - Sat by the wise; Chit or Siva when not understood by the human intelligence and Sat when perceived with divine wisdom.

7. In the presence of Sat, every thing else (i.e., cosmos - Asat) is sunyam (is non-apparent). Hence Sat cannot perceive Asat. As Asat does not exist, it cannot perceive Sat. That which perceives both cannot be either of them. This is the Soul (called Sat-Asat).

8. The Lord appearing as Guru to the soul which had advanced in tapas (virtue and knowledge) instructs him that he has wasted himself by living among the savages of the five senses; and on this, the soul, understanding its real nature leaves its former associates, and not being different from Him, becomes united to His Feet.

9. The soul, on perceiving in itself with. The eye of Gnanam, the Lord who cannot be perceived by the human intellect or senses, and on giving up the world (Pasha) by knowing it to be false as a mirage, will find its rest in the Lord. Let the soul contemplate the panchakshara according to instruction.

10. As the Lord becomes one with the Soul in its human condition, so let the Soul become one with Him and perceive all its actions to be His. Then will it lose all its mala, maya, and karma.

11. As the soul enables the eye to see and itself sees, so Hara enables the soul to know and itself knows. And this Advaita knowledge and undying love will unite it to His Feet.

12. Let the Jivatma, after washing off its mala which separates it from the strong lotus feet of the Lord and mixing in the society of bhaktas (jivan-muktas) whose souls abound with love, having lost dark ignorance, contemplate their forms and the forms in the temples as His Form.

Trans: J M Nallaswami Pillai

[Edited for clarity]

Teaching of Upamanyu

Today we read from the oldest part of Shiva Purana, a large book of two parts called the Vayaviya Samhita/वायावीय संहिता. The Vayaviya Samhita is an ancient recension of the Vayu Purana that was built upon to form the massive Shiva Purana. The entire book then is a narration of Vayu. Within this book the Sage Upamanyu and his teachings are prominent. Sage Upamanyu, like Shvetashvatara, Tandi, Durvasa and many other illustrious ancients were Vedic rishis and Pashupata ascetics par excellence. 

Here, Upamanyu instructs his disciple, Krishna Vasudeva, on the meaning of the five-syllable (panchakshara) mantra, Namah Shivaya. As we know, appended with the seed syllable OM (AUM), it becomes with six-syllable (shadakshara) mantra. The two terms are used interchangeably. Sage Upamanyu recounts a dialogue between Shiva and Shakti on the meaning of this mantra. The divine sage tells Krishna Vasudeva that the mantra OM Namah Shivaya is the essence of all essences, the very meaning of all the Vedas, Agamas and scriptures. The mantra is the expression and Shiva is the expressed. The mantra is Shiva Himself! It is the means to Shiva consciousness, the means for release from the ocean of samsara. 

Let us then, without further ado, imbibe from the teaching of Upamanyu.

Aum Namah Shivaya. 

----

Krishna said:

O omniscient excellent sage, ocean of all knowledge, I wish to hear precisely about the glory of the five-syllable mantra.

Upamanyu said:

It is impossible to explain in detail the glory of the five-syllable mantra even in hundreds of crores of years. Hence, hear it in brief:

The six-syllable mantra is found in the Vedas and the Shiva Agamas. It facilitates the understanding of all topics by the devotees of Shiva. It consists of very few syllables, but is pregnant with meaning. It is the essence of the Vedas and it is conducive to salvation. This expression of auspicious nature is devoid of doubts. It is achieved by the order of Shiva; it is attended by many siddhis. It is divine and delightful to the mind. This expression of Lord Shiva is majestic and decisive in meaning.

The omniscient Lord Shiva spake the mantra OM Namah Shivaya for the acquisition of all topics and meanings by the embodied beings since it can be easily uttered by the mouth. The first mantra [OM] that makes up the six syllables is the seed of all lores. It is very subtle, but serves a great purpose. It is like the seed of the banyan tree. The omniscient Lord, the Creator of everything, that all-pervasive Shiva, who is beyond the three attributes [gunas] is stationed in the single-syllable mantra, OM. The five subtle Brahmans [Panchabrahma] are stationed in the mantra Namah Shivaya occupying one syllable each. Thus in the six-syllable subtle mantra, Shiva in the form of the Panchabrahma is stationed in the way of the expressed and the expressive. Shiva is expressed and the mantra is expressive of Him. The state of being the expressive and the expressed is beginningless inasmuch as this terrible ocean of existence functions without a beginning. 

Shiva too is beginningless and He is the Releaser of persons from worldly existence. Just as medicine is naturally antagonistic to ailments, so also Shiva is antagonistic to the ills of worldly existence. If the Lord of the universe had not been in existence, the whole universe would have been gloomy, since prakriti is insentient and purusha is ignorant. Pradhana (unmanifest prakriti), atoms, etc. are insentient; they never function as creators themselves without an intelligent cause. The instruction in virtue and evil, bondage and salvation, the activity of reflection - in view of all these things - the first creation of men would not have been possible without the omniscient Lord. Just as patients will be devoid of joy and be distressed without physicians, so also the people of the world would be in distress without the Lord. Hence, surely there is the Lord, the primordial, omniscient, perfect, Sadashiva, the Protector of persons from the ocean of worldly existence.

Shiva is devoid of beginning, middle or end. He is the Lord innately pure, omniscient, and perfect as mentioned in the Shaiva Agamas. This mantra expresses Him; He is the person expressed by the great mantra. The Shivajnana (Shiva consciousness) is as extensive as the expression of Shiva, the six-syllable mantra, OM Namah Shivaya. 

Although there are many mantras, there is nothing like the holy mantra [originally] uttered by Shiva. The Vedas and scriptures (shastras) along with their ancillaries are present in the six syllables. Hence no other mantra is equal to this. Just as an aphorism is ramified and expanded by its gloss, the six-syllable mantra is expanded by seven crores of great and subsidiary mantras [contained within all scriptures]. Whatever texts there are, they expound Shivajnana; all the repositories of lore, they are commentaries of this succinct aphorism, the six-syllable mantra. Of what avail are many mantras and shastras full of details to one whose heart is firmly established in the mantra OM Namah Shivaya?

If one has stabilized himself in the mantra OM Namah Shivaya by frequent practice, he has learned it all, heard it all, and performed it all. For that person on whose tongue's tip is present the three syllables Shi-va-ya prefixed by the word denoting obeisance (Namah), life is fruitful indeed! A person steady in the chanting of the five-syllable mantra is released from the cage of sins whoever he be - wise, low born or learned.

All this was mentioned by the Lord when asked by the Goddess [in the days of yore] for the benefit of all men, particularly the wise.

Shiva Purana, Vayaviya Samhita, Section II, Chapter XII:1-20, 30-38.

The Elixir to the ills of the world

शिवप्रातःस्मरणस्तोत्रम् 

śivaprātaḥsmaranastotram

Morning Chant for Remembering Shiva

प्रातः स्मरामि भवभीतिहरं सुरेशं गङ्गाधरं वृषभवाहनमम्बिकेशम्।

खट्टाङ्गशूलवरदाभयहस्तमीशं संसाररोगहरमौषधद्वितीयम्॥१॥

prātaḥ smarāmi bhavabhītiharaṁ sureśaṁ gaṅgādharaṁ vṛṣabhavāhanamambikeśam |

khaṭṭāṅgaśūlavaradābhayahastamīśaṁ saṁsārarogaharamauṣadhadvitīyam ||1||

In the morning, I remember the Lord of Gods, who dispels the fears of worldly existence,

The Bearer of the Ganga, whose mount is the bull, the Lord of Ambika. 

To Him who holds the club and trident, who blesses and grants fearlessness, 

The Elixir to the ills of world, that One without a second!  

प्रातर्नमामि गिरिशं गिरिजार्धदेहं सर्गस्तिथिप्रलयकारणमादिदेवम्।

विश्वेश्वरं विजितविश्वमनोभिरामं संसाररोगहरमौषधद्वितीयम्॥२॥

prātarnamāmi giriśaṁ girijārdhadehaṁ sargastithipralayakāraṇamādidevam |

viśveśvaraṁ vijitaviśvamanobhirāmaṁ saṁsārarogaharamauṣadhadvitīyam ||2||

In the morning, I bow to the Lord of the mountains, whose half-body is Girija, 

The Primal God, the very cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution. 

To the Lord of the universe, whose charm conquers the world, 

The Elixir to the ills of the world, that One without a second!

प्रातर्भजामि शिवमेकमनन्तमाद्यं वेदान्तवेद्यमनघं पुरुषं महान्तम्।

नामादिभेदरहितं षड्भावशून्यं संसाररोगहरमौषधद्वितीयम्॥३॥

prātarbhajāmi śivamekamanantamādyaṁ vedāntavedyamanaghaṁ puruṣaṁ mahāntam|

nāmādibhedarahitaṁ ṣaḍbhāvaśūnyaṁ saṁsārarogaharamauṣadhadvitīyam ||3||

In the morning, I worship Shiva, the One, the primeval, the endless, the pure, 

That great Purusha known through the Vedas and Vedanta.

To Him free of distinctions of name and form, bereft of the six bodily conditions,

The Elixir to the ills of the world, that One without a second!

Composition attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.

Conversion of King Sushila

It has long been suspected that Sage Shvetashvatara, the author of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, was a Pashupata ascetic. Reading the upanishad, one certainly does get that impression based on the overt Pashupata terminologies and the teachings therein. Since Sage Shvetashvatara predated Guru Lakulisha (fl. 1st century CE) by half a millennium or more, we can safely assume he taught a form of Pashupatism prior to the advent of the Pashupata Sutras and the reform of the sect. In essence then, Sage Shvetashvatara is the earliest known teacher of Pashupata Shaivism. However, we know virtually nothing of the sage.

What we do know of him comes from a section of the Kurma Purana which relates the story of a king named Sushila, who is born in the line of Manu. The story relates how the pious king encounters the sage in a holy forest and then becomes his disciple, essentially embracing the Pashupata sect as an ascetic. In the story, Sage Shvetashvatara tells the king that he initiated this branch of knowledge, viz Pashupata doctrine, by which yogins attain Shiva. Moreover, the king joins a large hermitage with many disciples from different walks of life.

Now, many scholars are of the opinion that the Shvetashvatara Upanishad is likely not the work of a single author, but of several authors, and represents a compilation. This may indeed be the case. If one carefully reads the text, the first chapter itself reads like an independent work with an concluding verse. It may be, as illustrated in the story of King Sushila, that Sage Shvetashvatara had many disciples and the upanishad was a compilation of his teachings at the hermitage. This would also explain one of the last passages of the upanishad which identifies the sage by name and refers to him from a third person perspective:

Through the power of austerity and through the grace of the Lord, the Sage Shvetāshvatara realised Brahman and proclaimed the highly sacred knowledge, supremely cherished by the company of seers, to sannyasins of the most advanced stage. (VI.22)

 

It is not a stretch of the imagination to consider that Sage Shvetashvatara was the founder of the Pashupata system and had many followers. In fact, the Linga Purana (I.7.30-35) provides a list of 28 yogacharayas of the kaliyuga, which begins with Shveta and ends with Lakulisha. It is presumed that Shveta here is Sage Shvetashvatara. If Lakulisha (fl. 1st century CE) was 28th in line from Shveta, then that would put Sage Shvetashvatara somewhere before 600 BCE. 

With this in mind, we read the below passage from the Kurma Purana. 

Aum Namah Shivaya. 

-----

To Shikhandin, a son was born who became famous by the name Sushila. He was righteous, endowed with beauty and a master of the Vedas and the Vedangas. He studied the Vedas duly and virtuously and was established in penance. As good fortune would have it, that knower of Dharma became inclined towards renunciation. Eager that he was in the study of the Vedas and the performance of penance he resorted to holy centres.  

Once he went to the higher plateau of the Himalayas frequented by the siddhas. There he saw a holy forest named Dharmavana, which affords the achievement of Dharma — a place accessible to the yogins and inaccessible to the haters of Brahman. A very holy and pure river named Mandakini flowed there. It was endowed with clusterous growth of red and blue lotuses and was bedecked with the hermitages of the siddhas. On its southern bank, he saw a beautiful and very holy hermitage occupied by leading sages and yogins and felt delighted. He took his holy dip in the water of Mandakini. He propitiated the divine Pitris (manes). He then worshipped Mahadeva with red and blue lotuses and other flowers. He meditated on Ishana stationed in the orb of the Sun after joining his hands together in reverence over his head. Looking at the radiant Sun, he eulogised the Supreme Ruler. He propitiated Girisha (God Shiva) by means of (reciting) the Rudradhyaya and Charita (narrative) of Rudra, as well as by many different kinds of hymns of Shambhu taken from the Vedas.

In the meantime (while praying) he saw the great sage Shvetashvatara coming. He was the most excellent among the great devotees of Pashupati (God Shiva). He had applied bhasma (ashes) all over his limbs. The loin cloth was the only covering garment he had. His body was emaciated due to the performance of penance. He was wearing a white sacred thread. 

After concluding his eulogy of Sambhu, Sushila bowed down his head at Sage Shvetashvatara's feet. His eyesight was rendered blurry due to tears (of joy). With palms joined in reverence, he said, "I am contented and blessed as I have seen the leading sage and yogin, the holy Lord, the most excellent among the knowers of yoga with my own eyes. Ah! My fortune is indeed great. My penances have become fruitful. What shall I do? O sinless one, I am your disciple. Save me.” 

Sage Shvetashvatara blessed the king of very good conduct and gentle behaviour. He accepted him as his disciple, for he had wiped off all his sins, thanks to his penance. The clever sage made him perform all rites pertaining to sannyasa and then bestowed on him the divine knowledge for which the holy rites had been laid down in his own branch of the Vedas. He gave Sushila the entire essence of the Vedas, that secures the release of the Pashu (individual soul) from the pasha (the binding noose of avidya). The rite is famous as antyashrama (the last stage of life) and has been performed by Brahma and others. 

Glancing at all his disciples, those who resided in that hermitage, brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaisyas, etc., who were all interested in maintaining celibacy, the sage said thus: “It is only after studying the branch of knowledge initiated by me that the yogins attain Mahadeva after meditating on the universe as the creation of the Lord. It is here that the Lord Mahadeva sporting along with His Consort, Uma, occupies the place, with a desire to bless the devotees. Formerly, Narayana himself, the Creator of the entire universe, propitiated Mahadeva here with a desire for the welfare of the worlds. It is after propitiating Lord Ishana, the Lord the Devas, that Devas and Danavas attained great miraculous powers here. It was here itself that Marici and all other sages perceived Maheshvara through the power of their penance and attained eternal perfect knowledge. Hence, O leading king, you too stay here practising penance and yoga. You stay with me permanently and thereby you will attain Siddhi."

After addressing thus, the leading wise sage meditated on Lord Shiva, the wielder of the Pinaka bow. He then imparted precisely the great mantra for the achievement of all his objectives. That mantra suppresses all sins. It is the essence of the Vedas. It yields liberation. It is the holy mantra beginning with the word Agni. It has been initiated by the sages. 

At this instant King Sushila, endowed with faith, became a devotee of Pashupati and was engaged in the study of the Vedas. He applied the sacred ashes (bhasma) all over his body. He lived on roots, fruits and bulbous roots. He was quiescent and had full self-control. He subdued his anger and resorted to the procedure of renunciation.

Kurma Purana I.14.23-50

Source: The Kurma-Purana Part I. Motilal Banarasidass Publishers, Pvt. Ltd., 1998. (translation edited for clarity)