These thoughts came to me when we were watching Devon ka Dev and also discussing some Shiva stories.
Shiva is one of the Trinity. He is the Great Destroyer who brings creation to a close.
Shiva is the chosen deity for millions in India. In fact Osho says that the largest number of temples in India are dedicated to Shiva. The reason? Osho says it is because we are all afraid of death and we think praying to Shiva will avert death. Shiva is called Mrutyunjaya as he saved the young Markandeya from the noose of death.
The other day someone was asking Sri Sri Ravishankar why do we worship Shiva who drinks bhang (made of opium), an intoxicant. Guruji replied that for Shiva, it means nothing. In fact he drank even poison. So we should go deeper into these stories before we judge anything.
I have been reading Puranas and scriptures for long and a lot more recently. Let me share my thoughts here on Shiva.
If we joke about Shiva as Bholenath (simpleton) or Nanga Baba (naked) or one who drinks Bhang (mast) or running away from Bhasmasura in fear after giving him a boon hastily, we think we are joking about Shiva. But the joke is actually on us!
In all our scriptures, we see constant interactions between God, gods, demons and humans. These stories show many situations and difficulties and troubles very much like our lives. That is because these stories are supposed to make us understand life better and find our way to God. The six enemies - lust, anger, greed, infatuation, arrogance and jealousy - they can trap and pull anyone down. Even a god. Or a saint or a great meditator.
But not God!
God is called Ishwara in Hinduism. He is the Creator Protector and Destroyer of all creation. For Him creation is just a play. All creation is intrinsically within Ishwara and our sense of individuality and the six enemies I mentioned give us a sense of separation. The path back to our becoming one with Ishwara is to lose this false sense of I-ness and get free from the six enemies.
The path therefore consists of
1. Becoming aware of the six enemies.
2. Fixing a goal beyond immediate material enjoyment and wanting to go back to Ishwara.
3. Seeking the company of people who are on the right path and getting guidance from an advanced soul.
4. Making it life's top most priority to merge into Ishwara. This is called Moksha or Mukti.
This ends the repeated cycles of birth and death we experience due to our karmas.
Karmas are nothing but our thoughts and actions based on our likes and dislikes and prompted by the six enemies.
By the way the essence of Ishwara in each of us is called Atma. This Atma is falsely identified with body and mind and experiences the six enemies. Once Atma realises his original nature is to be a part of Ishwara, his journey begins.
Ishwara takes the form of Vishnu or Narayana, Shiva, or Devi in the various stories. This is what we call God (not any god). This God is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-loving. He or She is FREE FROM THE SIX ENEMIES. So there is no question of Vishnu doing something cheap or Shiva running away in fear. Let us be VERY CLEAR!
So when Vishnu or Shiva appears helpless, scared, or foolish, remember that He is playing the fool with us. Ultimately the play is for us to realise the path we should get back on.
When we pray to Vishnu, Shiva, or Devi, what is the best prayer?
Oh God, please please help me to get back to you by the best means... Keep me on my guard against the six enemies. Against false identities and baseless fears.
If you believe in yourself, that is enough. You're immortal and eternally blissful within yourself. You can experience it when you lose your false identity with body and mind. God or Ishwara or Shiva or Vishnu or Devi is only for you to reach to your higher self - the Ishwara which encompasses your Atma.
हरिः ॐ तत् सत्
(I pray to Hari who takes me back to my infinite eternal identity. That is not my limited sense of this I-ness).
