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Swami teaches... Enlightenment given by Shiva and Krishna

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Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (24 February 2005)

Enlightenment Given by Shiva and Krishna

Shivaraathri observed every month, on the fourteenth night of the dark half

of the moon, which is the presiding deity of the human mind. In the month of

Magha the fourteenth night is named Mahaa (great) Shivaraathri, what is sacred

also for another reason. It is the day on which Shiva (supreme God) takes the

Linga form, for the benefit of seekers. Shiva is revered as the form to be

adored for the acquisition of Jnaana (supreme wisdom). This day and night is

for the contemplation on the Aathma Linga (elliptical idol which emanates from

Shiva as His symbol), the Jyothir Linga (symbol of the supreme light of

wisdom). Shiva is in everyone. Let that vision illumine anyone's inner

consciousness.

Shiva means, graciousness, auspiciousness, Mangalam. He is all graciousness,

ever auspicious, Sarva Mangalam. Shiva is adored as the teacher of teachers,

Dakshinamuurthi. The form of Shiva is itself a great lesson in tolerance and

forbearance who teaches that renunciation, detachment, indifference to good

fortune or bad, are the paths to attain Him.

Shiva is known as Mrthyunjaya (He who vanquishes death). He is also the

Kaamaari (the destroyer of desire). These two names show that he who destroys

desire can conquer death, for desire breeds activity, activity breeds

consequence, consequence breeds bondage, bondage results in birth and birth

involves death.

Ishwara, also a name of Shiva, means that He has all the glory that is

associated with Godhead. Ishwara is symbolised in the Linga form. Linga is

derived from the Sanskrit root, 'Li,' which means 'Leeyathe,' 'merges'; it is

the form in which all forms merge.

Shamkara, another name of Shiva, means that He causes by His grace, Sham,

that is, Aanandha (bliss) at the supremest level. Shiva is the embodiment of

Aanandha; hence the Thaandava dance, which He enjoys so much, with the cosmos

as His stage. To set apart just one day among the 365 for the worship of this

universal omnipresence is an insult to His majesty and mystery.

The significance of the form that Shiva has assumed for human adoration: In

His throat, He has the holocaust-producing poison, Haalahaala, that can destroy

all life in a trice. On His head, He has the sacred Ganga river, whose waters

can cure all ills, here and hereafter. On His forehead, He has the eye of fire.

On his head, He has the cool comforting moon. On His wrists, ankles, shoulders

and neck He wears deadly cobras, which live in life-giving breath of air. Shiva

lives in the burial ground and the burning ghat, the Rudhrabhuumi, as it is

called - the land of Shiva or Rudhra. The place is no area of dread; it is an

auspicious area, for all have to end their lives there, at the close of this

life or a few more lives. Shiva is teaching you that death cannot be shunned or

frightened away. It has to be gladly and bravely met.

 

Shiva is the God who blesses beings with the most desirable gift of meaning

in the universe. That is the end, beyond death, which one should strive for,

the end which Shiva can vouchsafe. Realise the God in you first; then, if you

involve yourself with the material world, no harm can come to you, for you will

recognise the objective world as but the body of God. But, if you try to involve

yourself with the objective world first, and then try to discover God, you will

see the material world only. Again, you can direct your spiritual effort in

either of two ways: Follow the commands of God, and He will be pleased to raise

you up. Follow the path of inquiry and discover where He resides, and realise

Him there. You can follow either means.

 

Shiva takes the Linga forms - symbols of supreme wisdom and light; through

contemplation He teaches seekers to find the truth about human's reality. The

same teaches Krishna to Arjuna. (The Sanskrit word arjuna means one who is

pure). Krishna's teaching (by example to Arjuna) is as actual as Shiva's

teaching for development of spiritual culture not only in India but all over

the world.

To reach your spiritual goals, you need to obtain God's love. Krishna

taught, 'Obey my commands and perform your duty.' In obeying the commands of

the Lord and fighting in the war, Arjuna's actions became a sacred yagna, a

sacrificial ritual. There is another story in one of the epics of Daksha who

wanted to perform a yagna, a ritual sacrifice. However, he disobeyed and

disrespected Lord Shiva, and violated the commands of the holy sages. With a

sense of egoism and attachment, he commenced the sacrifice. His egoism

converted that sacrifice into a war.

Actions that are pure and selfless, and performed as an offering to the

Lord, become a sacrifice. But actions which are undertaken in violation of the

Lord's command, which are contrary to the scriptures and which are performed

with a sense of egoism and pomposity, undertaken only for the purpose of

promoting one's desires or hatreds become a war, even though the nature of the

action may be that of a sacrifice. The root of all this is attachment and

desire, arising from identification with the body.

 

Krishna decided that Arjuna was ready for the highest wisdom and resolved to

turn him into a truly wise being. Arjuna had both the capacity and the virtue to

rise to great spiritual heights.

Krishna gave Arjuna the title who was the sacred-hearted one; another was

the jewel-of-men. Arjuna was such a powerful person that he could, if he wanted

to, undertake acts which would terrify the entire world. However, Arjuna always

acted purely in keeping with righteousness. He earned the right to use a

powerful weapon which could not be wielded by any other living person of his

day. Originally, this weapon belonged to Lord Shiva. This same fearsome weapon

which was originally with Shiva and then with King Janaka in an earlier age, in

Krishna and Arjuna's time, became the Gandhiva, Arjuna's formidable bow. By

earning the grace of Shiva, Arjuna was able to obtain this magnificent weapon.

In every respect Arjuna Krishna chose to teach the Gita, so that the entire

world would benefit thereby.

 

It is through your mouth that you offer food to the stomach. Then it is

through the stomach that the food reaches the entire body. In the same way as

food reaches all the limbs of the body when offered to the stomach, the Gita

was given to a pure and selfless person such as Arjuna so that it might reach

the entire world. One of Arjuna's names is Parthiva which means son of the

earth. All of you are children of the earth. Since Arjuna may be considered an

outstanding representative of all mankind, Krishna felt that the whole world

would in time be transformed by converting him into a sacred person.

 

"Only a person who has sacred vision can achieve success in great

undertakings. Arjuna, people are giving the same value to the shadow as they

give to that which is casting the shadow; they are giving the same value to the

reflection as they give to the one whose reflection they are seeing. The

unchanging, sacred principle which has given rise to all these shadows and

reflections is the eternal self. It is the Atma. Its value is unlimited and

beyond all measure."

 

When Arjuna gave so much value to mere reflections, he was displaying his

ignorance. Arjuna had not developed his inner vision. He was not yet able to

discriminate between that which is real and that which is unreal. In order to

save him from all the misunderstandings and confusion which would inevitably

arise when there is a lack of inner vision, Krishna undertook to teach Arjuna

the sacred knowledge of the eternal self. Krishna instructed Arjuna in the

spiritual exercises which had to be practiced in order to attain this highest

wisdom.

 

Compared to ordinary actions which are done by thinking of yourself as the

doer, actions done without any sense of doership will be much greater. But, an

action that is done with complete selflessness, performed impersonally with

total indifference and without any attachment - is greater still. But when the

action is entirely offered to the Lord, when it becomes a holy sacrifice, it is

even more sacred than all of these. Thus, Krishna commanded Arjuna to offer all

his acts to the Lord.

In the primary stage, every human being has to perform actions and be

actively employed in the tasks for which he is suited. One needs to perform

action in order not to develop laziness. Swami does not approve or encourage

anyone to be lazy. First, one must perform ordinary actions. Then one would

enter into the stage where all actions have performed without any

self-interest. Gradually one transforms these actions into yoga, work into

worship. This is one of the core teachings of the Gita.

 

The chariot that is being spoken of Gita is the human body. There is

millions upon millions of chariots. Every day, these chariots move from street

to street and house to house, taking the indwelling resident in procession. You

have been developing your vision in such a way that you see only the body and

its external features or the expressions arising from various feelings and

emotional states. But you would to develop the internal vision, the vision

which perceives the indwelling person and understands who he really is.

 

The bodies of human beings are not the only chariots. The bodies every alive

beings is a chariot. For example, Lord Shiva is depicted as riding on Nandi, the

bull. The bullock is Shiva's chariot. Yet, when you see a bullock, you do not

think of Lord Shiva; still he will be seated there. When you see a rat, you

will not be thinking of Ganesha, the elephant god, who represents the aspects

of protection and wisdom in the divinity. Lord Ganesha will be there, riding on

that rat. The rat is his vehicle, so it is also a chariot in which God is

installed. In a similar way, lions, crows, dogs, snakes, eagles and so many

other animals and birds are used as vehicles for the many different aspects of

God.

These days you are developing the vision that sees only the chariot. You are

focusing all your concentration on the external decorations. In this age, almost

your entire time is spent on adorning the chariot and seeing to the comforts and

pleasures of the body. As a result, you are paying attention only to the

external differences and you are not spending any time trying to see the

indweller.

"Therefore, Arjuna," said Krishna, "know that all these people about whom

you are so concerned, are only chariots. In truth, you are seeing only

chariots in the form of these various relatives and teachers. You have been

keeping your vision clouded by seeing only the body. But a sacred person like

you should not care so much for externals. You must concentrate your mind on

the indweller who is seated in every human body. Then only will your vision

become sacred and can provide the basis for your victory."

There are many who bargain with God, and offer Him gifts of money or

articles if He would confer grace. If one believes that God can be mollified by

the gift of a coconut or a purse of 116 rupees, I wonder what kind of God he has

in his mind? Those who plan to have their desires granted through riches can

never deserve the name, devotee. Those who encourage the payment of money for

spiritual gains or for gaining divine favour are also to be condemned. This is

the reason why the Geetha (Gita) lays down that God will be pleased by offering

leaf, flower or fruit or even a drop of water. But even these four articles are

materials.

The Geetha (Gita) does not intend that you should pluck a leaf or flower or

a fruit from some plant or tree and place it before God. Nor does it ask you to

bring water from a well or river or the roadside tap. The leaf is your own body,

which like the leaf, sprouts green, fades, and finally falls off from the

branch. The flower is the heart freed from the insect pests of lust, anger,

greed, attachment, pride, hate, etc. The fruit is the mind, the consequence of

its yearnings, which have to be dedicated to God. The water is the stream of

tears that flow from the eyes when one is in ecstatic bliss at the

contemplation of God's glory. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Baba. The

Divine Discourse "Teacher of Teachers." Brindavan, 5 March 1973. Sathya Sai

Baba. "Sai Baba Gita," Chapters XXX - XXXV).

 

Namaste - Reet

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