ŚIVARĀTRI MUSINGS – 3

Lord Śiva is depicted with a third eye on His forehead . This third eye is the eye of wisdom . Therefore , another name for Lord Śiva is Tryambaka meaning the three-eyed one . The puranas narrate many different stories about Lord Śiva’s third eye .

The well-known story would be the one of Kamadeva or Manmatha . After the death of Sati , Lord Śiva entered into a deep meditation . At this time , the asuras grew in power and started terrorizing the three worlds . All the devas sought Brahmaji’s help who in turn told them that Sati has taken rebirth as Goddess Parvati and that the marriage of Lord Śiva and Goddess Parvati alone can remedy the problem . Now , the devas had to make Lord Śiva abandon his meditation to get Him married . So , Kamadeva ( the lord of desires ) was instructed to seduce Lord Śiva out of his meditation . As Kamadeva’s arrow hits Lord Śiva , the Lord opened his third eye and burned Kamadeva into ashes . 

From the Vedic standpoint , Kamadeva represents all forms of desires . From desires , all other problems such as anger , delusion , pride and etc. are born . Burning the desires here refers to discerning of the desires . It is not merely giving up all desires because that defeats the goal of human life . Living is growing from the experiences gained in the process of fulfilling desires . In fact , the Lord himself says -“ I am the desires that conform to dharma .”

Only with knowledge , one can decide which desire is to be pursued and which not to . Therefore , we pray to Lord Śiva to be given wisdom to discern our desires well . Eventually , an individual reduces his worldly desires and his affinity towards the spiritual pursuit increases . It is the sign of a matured person living a meaningful life .

In the Vedic tradition , all forms of worship and spiritual disciplines is meant to bring the individual to acknowledge the divine’s presence in his or her life . Nothing is devoid of the Lord’s grace . As the person ventures further in their journey , he or she comes to appreciate the fact that nothing that is separate from Ishvara , the Lord . All that is here is only Ishvara .

Om Tat Sat .

ŚIVARĀTRI MUSINGS – 2

Lord Śiva is glorified as Mṛtyuñjaya or the conqueror of death . It is said that Lord Yama ( the lord of death ) trembles in fear at the mere mention of Lord Śiva’s name . The story of Markandeya illustrates this . When Markandeya was born , he was fated to die at the age of sixteen . Even his parents lost hope that their son could be saved . Markandeya became an ardent devotee of Lord Śiva and dedicated his entire life to the worship of the Lord . When Markandeya turned sixteen , Lord Yama came to take his life . Markandeya ran to the temple and embraced the śivalinga . Yama’s noose (paasa-kairu) caught both Markandeya and the linga . Lord Śiva furiously emerged from the śivalinga , kicked off Lord Yama and freed Markandeya from death .

Lord Yama or Mṛtyuḥ represents our innate fear . Death is our greatest fear because we do not want to lose things that are dear to us (family , material wealth , etc.) . The whole problem is that we are look at ourselves as lacking and incomplete which creates a sense of insecurity . Thus , we seek security by going after worldly pursuits – dharma , artha and kama .

Lord Śiva is the giver of atma-jñana (self-knowledge) . The Lord removes the ignorance that blindfolds us from the fact that we are already complete . There is nothing to become or search for outside myself . All worldly pleasures are of temporary nature and losing them is inevitable since anything that begins will have to come to an end . So , why grieve and feel sorrow about it ? Understanding this , one grows out of the fear of death and the freedom from this fear is immortality .

The blessings of Lord Śiva as Mṛtyuñjaya is invoked by chanting the Maha Mṛtyuñjaya Mantra . It is a highly efficacious prayer found in the Sri Rudram . Traditionally , the mantra is chanted for longevity and also for those in deathbed or suffering from illness . The mantra is also a prayer of a mumukṣu who seeks the Lord’s grace to become a mature person , able to see the fact that “ I am purnaḥ (complete) . ”

ŚIVARĀTRI MUSINGS – 1

Lord Śiva is called Nīlakaṇṭhā , meaning the one with a blue neck . In the Bhagavata Purana , it is said that in the quest for the nectar of immortality (amrutham) , the devas and asuras made truce and started churning the Milky Ocean . Mount Mandara was used as the rod and the serpent Vasuki as the cord . Unable to tolerate the pressure during churning , the serpent Vasuki spilled out poison . The alarmed devas and asuras ran towards Lord Śiva , pleading for His help . Lord Śiva saved them by consuming the poison and contained it in His neck .

The poison here represents the impurities that the mind picks up . In day-to-day life , one encounters guilt and hurt . Dwelling upon them gives rise to anger and frustration , making the mind impure . An impure mind is not fit for managing one's thoughts and life becomes a total mess . Not only is the individual rendered helpless in dealing with worldly matters , but he or she also becomes unfit for spiritual undertakings .

Therefore , we worship Lord Śiva by chanting His names and glories through which the mind is purified . There is nothing more healing than the Lord’s name . It is a balm for all the daily hurt , for all the aches and pains of life . On Śivarātri night particularly , the chanting of the Sri Rudram , Panchakshara-mantra japa and Maha Mrityunjaya mantra japa are considered highly efficacious . Ultimately , one realises that the Lord alone is one’s saviour from a life of becoming (samsara) .

SHIVARATHRI

A human being is called purusha – meaning one who is purnaḥ ( complete ) . Thus , one should live his life in a manner to discover this fullness . The Vedas mention of the four purushārtha (human goals) – dharma , artha , kāma and moksha . Moksha is the ultimate end and realising the limitations of the first three pursuits , one eventually resorts to the pursuit of moksha .

Moksha is the spiritual goal unique to the Hindu Dharma alone . It is discovering the fact “ I am the whole” . This means I am already a complete person , free from defects and lacking . Our day to day encounters with worldly matters gives the mind a tendency to sway away from the spiritual goal . So , we take vratams (resolves) to withdraw our mind from worldly pursuits and remind ourselves of the spiritual goal . Vratams emphasizes two forms of practices : upavasa (fasting) and śravanam (listening to the scriptures) . Śivarātri is an ideal occasion for taking up both the forms of vratam .

On this night , it is said that Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were both arguing on who is superior . To resolve the dispute , they went to Lord Śiva who then said the one who can find Lord Śiva’s limits is the superior one . Brahma took the form of a Hamsa (swan) and ascended upwards searching for the Lord’s head while Vishnu took the form of a Varaha (boar) and went into the earth to find the Lord’s feet . Both eventually failed and Lord Śiva appears in the form of a jyotirlinga before them .
In the Vedic tradition , Lord Śiva is the presiding deity of destruction . Lord Śiva destroys ignorance (ajñana) which is the cause of bondage by giving atma-jñana (self-knowledge) . The word “Śiva” itself means “ the auspicious one” . From the standpoint of Vedanta , bondage is deemed as inauspicious because it gives rise to sorrow , pain and sufferings to the individual . In life , letting go is always the toughest part because one sees himself as lacking or incomplete when he lets go of things that are dear to him . In reality , a human being is already complete and all he needs is to see this fact .

The form of Lord Śiva beautifully unfolds the true nature of oneself . Lord Śiva is depicted as wearing garland of snakes and skulls , dancing in the crematorium and etc. which are considered as impure and inauspicious . In spite of all these inauspiciousness , Lord Śiva remains ever-pure and auspicious , untainted by the inauspiciousness that surround Him . This is the nature of the ātmā (Self) which in spite of all the bondage imposed on the individual , the ātmā (Self) is ever-pure and auspicious , free from any associations . This is the truth that the Vedas expound . On Śivarātri , we worship Lord Śiva , seeking His grace to bless and guide us to see this fact .

Traditionally , spiritual seekers observe fasting and keep vigil all night during Śivarātri , chanting the pancaksara-manta , “ Om Namah Shivaya ” with great fervour . In Śiva temples , abhiṣeka is offered to the śivalinga during each yāma( three hour period ) of the night and arcana is performed using bilva leaves . Maha-Mrityunjaya mantra japa and chanting of the Sri Rudram are highly efficacious on this day . Religious satsangs and puranic stories of Lord Śiva are narrated on this day . Since Lord Śiva is also yogaswami ( Lord of Renunciation ) , gurus give sannyāsa-dīkṣā to committed spiritual seekers .

As Sri Śankara says , “ Don’t postpone . We grow older daily yet we are still waiting to begin the spiritual pursuit as though we are going to live for a hundred years . Start now .”

Hara Hara Mahadeva !

Vedic Marriage - A Friendship Pledge

Vivāha or marriage is a significant saṃskāra in an individual’s life . It marks the transition of an individual from the brahmacāri stage to Gṛhasta stage . In the Vedic view , marriage itself is not the end , but a means to the end – personal growth and freedom (mokṣa) . In the Vedic tradition , there are many types of marriage or vivāha . We have the gandharva-vivāha in which mutual consent alone without any elaborate wedding ceremony or rituals suffice for the union  of the couple . For example , the marriage between King Dushyanta and Shakuntala . However , the most common and elaborate wedding in the Vedic tradition is the vaidika-vivāha or brahma-vivāha . 

Many rituals are involved in the vaidika-vivāha . Firstly , a nāndī- śrādha is done to seek the blessings of the ancestors . Next , a dāyādi-homa is performed to invoke the blessings of all devatās . Therefore , the devatās together with agni (fire) , the audience present and the individual’s very own heart , mind and ātmā becomes sākṣi (witness) of the sacred bond .  The highlight is definitely the māṅgalya-dhāraṇam (tying of the māṅgala-sūtra or thaali) but it is not the final ritual .  The most important of all the rituals is the saptapadī (the taking of the seven steps ) without which , the marriage is incomplete . 

The first step in the saptapadī is for material wealth (artha) . The second step is for health and strength . The third step is towards all kinds of wealth , including inner wealth to lead a dharmic life . The fourth step is towards mutual happiness , the fifth , towards the welfare of the families and the sixth , towards prosperity in all seasons . Finally , the seventh step is towards happiness born of wisdom (mokṣa) . Every step taken in the saptapadī is accompanied by a prayer – “ May the all-pervasive Lord Vishnu , the sustainer of everything , lead us as we take this step .”

Concluding the vivāha is sakhya-homa . In this final ritual , the bridegroom chants a mantra telling the bride that he is the sāma and she is the ṛk , meaning that he is the lyric and she is the music , he is the earth and she is the heaven , etc. Here , the couple also does the hṛdaya-sparśa ( touching of the hearts ) in which both declare , “ I give my heart to you . May your mind work in consonance with mine .” This is a pledge by both of them pledge to be supportive of each other at all times . They also declare neither is superior or inferior in this relationship . In a Hindu marriage , the man is typically older to the women and the respect given to the male is on this basis alone . Mutual friendship alone is the essence of Vedic marriage . 

In the Vedic culture , the patnī (wife) qualifies the man for performing certain Vedic rituals . The Vedas say , “patnīva tasya agnihotraṃ bhavati” – one who has a wife alone performs the agnihotra-karma . In fact , the mere glance of the wife is said to purify the oblations offered in a ritual . After marriage , the husband wears a second yajñopavitā ( sacred thread ) signifying his wife’s partaking in the rituals he performs and the results of the rituals . 

Thus , vivāha is not meant merely for intimacy . It is a sacred commitment the couple undertakes to discover the fullness of their life . Just like two separate rivers come together and merge in the same ocean , two separate individuals are united by vivāha as they step together into the path of inner growth and eternal bliss .

Fate and Prayer

CAN PRAYER CHANGE MY FATE ?

“ What can I do , it is my fate ” . It is not uncommon to hear people bemoan their fate . Many people believe we are destined to meet our fate but still seek a way out . One of the questions often asked is whether fate can be changed by prayer . This is an eternally debated question . Some argue for and some against . Interestingly , both groups claim scriptural support .

Those who believe fate cannot be changed quote a well known Sanskrit sloka that says whatever is written on one’s forehead cannot be changed by even Vishnu , Shiva , Brahma or any other God . If suffering is our fate , we are destined to suffer . Even if we are able to escape suffering now by some means or the other , we will have to face it later . Even though fate is unavoidable , this group believes in the efficacy of prayer . The question arises – if fate is inevitable , why pray ? Prayer is not meant to change fate but to give strength to face adverse circumstances or situations in life if that be our fate .

The second group believes fate can be changed by prayer and cite any number of Puranic stories . Even the worst fate of death can be changed by the Lord . The story of Markandeya is well known . This devotee of the Lord who was given a life of only sixteen years but at the end of the allotted time span , Lord Shiva appeared and saved Markandeya from Yama . Markandeya went on to live to ripe old age . This great devotee composed a prayer on Shiva titled Chandrasekhara Ashtakam that says , “ what can Lord Yama do ?…Lord Shiva destroys all fate . I myself am the example . ” The story of Satyavan and Savitri is another example .

Which group is correct ? Can vidhi or fate can be changed by prayer or not ? This question has a unique answer . Both groups are correct . Naturally the question arises – How can both groups be correct ? If one is right , the other has to be wrong . The problem arises because we use the word ‘fate’ loosely , giving it many meanings . Fate can be defined as karma-phalam (result) of one’s actions in the past and present . Fate is not something written on our forehead by Brahmaji according to His whims and fancies . If so , the Lord will be partial .

Fate can be broadly classified into two categories : durbala vidhi ( weak karma-phalam ) and prabala vidhi ( strong karma-phalam ) . When the issue ‘ Can fate be changed by prayer ’ is raised , we must first clarify what type of fate is meant – durbala or prabala . Durbala vidhi can be weakened or even totally eradicated by prayer while prabala vidhi cannot be changed by prayer . However , prayer will give us the strength to face adversity .

Therefore , prayer works in twofold manner . Prayer mitigates or destroys durbala vidhi and gives us the strength and immunity to bear prabala vidhi .

~ Swami Paramarthananda Saraswati

Moments with Sri Swamiji - 2

Q : Swamiji , what does it mean to be free from attachment and worldly desires ?

A : There are two types of desires . One is binding desire and the other is non-binding desire . Binding desires are desires whereby having fulfilled them , they come back again in another form . Non-binding desires are desires that help you to grow out of your sense of limitation .

For example , one person requests a brand new mobile phone to appear trendy and stylish . Another person requests a scientific calculator for his exam . Eventually , the person who bought the mobile phone will continue to desire to for a better model every time it is available . He does not want to be looked as outdated . The desire to get a mobile phone , here , is a binding desire . Whereas , the person who bought the scientific calculator uses it to pass his exam and further his studies . The scientific calculator did not make him spend more money to buy anything else nor did it disturb in other aspects of his life . So , the desire to get a scientific calculator , in this case , is a non-binding desire .

Freedom from attachment and worldly desires means to grow out of the binding desires that one has . Desire is an embellishment . We need not give up desires but at the same time , do not allow the desires to overpower you . Do not fall into the spell cast by the desires , instead learn to manage them . By learning to manage your desires , you can become a successful person . A good example will be the body-chariot analogy .

The chariot is your body , the horses pulling the chariot are your sensory organs / senses , the charioteer is the intellect (buddhi) and the reign used by the charioteer to whip the horses to move them is your mind . When you are driving , if you allow the mind (reign) to be distracted in unnecessary ways , then your senses (horses) will go haywire and the charioteer (you) will not reach your destination . If you can control your mind , then your senses will be in control and you will reach your destination .