MAHA SHIVARATHRI - 8-3-2005

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Om NimaHa Shivaya

MAHA SHIVARATHRI

Kailaasarana Shiva ChandramouliPhaneendra Maathaa Mukutee ZalaaleeKaarunya

Sindhu Bhava Dukha HaareeThujaveena Shambho Maja Kona Taaree Oh, Lord Shiva,

who is seated on Mount Kailas, whose forhead is decorated with the moon and the

king of serpents as a crown, who is the Ocean of Mercy and the remover of

delusion, You alone can protect me. I surrender to Thee.

MRITYUNJAYA MANTRA Aum Trayambakam YajaamaheySugandhim Pusti

VardhanamUrvaarukamiva BandhanaathMrutyor Muksheeya Maamritaat We worship the

three eyed One (Lord Shiva) who is fragrant and who nourishes all beings; may

He liberate me from death, for the sake of immortality, even as cucumber is

severed from its bondage of the vine.Mrutyunjayaaya RudraayaNeelakantaaya

ShambhaveAmriteshaaya SarvaayaMahadevaaya Te Namaha I pray to Lord Mahadeva who

has conquered death, who is the destroyer of the universe, who has a blue neck

and who gives happiness to all.Vande Deva Umaa Pathim SuragurumVande Jagat

KaaranamVande Pannaga Bhooshanam Mruga DharamVande Pashoonam PathimVande Soorya

Shashanka Vahni NayanamVande Mukunda PriyamVande Bhakta Jana Ashrayam Cha

VaradamVande Shiva Shankaram I bow down to the Lord of Uma (Parvathi), the

divine Guru, the cause of the universe. I bow down to the Lord who is adorned

with snake and wears tiger skin, the Lord of all creatures. I bow down to the

Lord whose three eyes are the sun, moon and fire and to whom Lord Vishu is

near. I bow down to the Lord who is the refuge of all devotees and the giver of

boons, Shiva Shanakara.Gauri Vallabha KaamaareyKaala Koota VishaasanaMaam

Uddhhare PadambhojeTripura Agnyata Kaantaka Please save me, oh Lord Kaamaarey

(another name for Lord Shiva). You are mother Gauri's consort; You are the One

who drank the kaala koota poison (which resulted from the churning of the

ocean); You are the destroyer of the three cities. Oh Lord I have taken refuge

at Your Feet.

LINGAASHTAKAM Brahma Muraari Suraarchita LingamNirmala Bhashita Shobhita

LingamJanmaja Dukha Vinaashaka LingamTat Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow

before that Sada Shiva Linga, which is adored by Brahma, Vishnu and other Gods,

which is praised by pure and holy speeches and which destroys the cycle of

births and deaths.Devamuni Pravaraarchita LingamKaamadaham Karunaakara

LingamRaavana Darpa Vinaashaka LingamTat Pranamaami Sada Shiva Lingam I bow

before that Sada Shiva Linga, which is the destroyer of desires, which the

Devas and the sages worship,

which is infinitely compassionate and which subdued the pride of Raavana.Sarva

Sugandha Sulepitha LingamBuddhi Vivardhana Kaarana LingamSiddha Suraasura

Vanditha LingamTat Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow before that Sada Shiva

Linga, which is lavishly smeared with variegated perfumes and scents, which

elevates the power of thought and enkindles the light of discrimination, and

before which the Siddhas and Suras and Asuras prostrate.Kanaka Mahaamani

Bhushitha LingamPhanipathi Veshtitha Shobhitha LingamDaksha Suyajna Vinaashaka

Lingam Tat Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow before that Sada Shiva Linga,

the destroyer of Dakshas sacrifice, which is decorated with

various ornaments, studded with different gems and rubies and which glows with

the garland of the serpent Lord coiled around it.Kumkuma Chandana Lepitha

LingamPankaja Haara Sushobhitha LingamSanchitha Paapa Vinaashaka LingamTat

Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow before that Sada Shiva Linga, which is

smeared with saffron and sandal paste, which is decorated with lotus garlands

and which wipes out all accumulated sins.Devaganaarchitha Sevitha

LingamBhaavair Bhakti Bhirevacha LingamDinakara Koti Prabhakara Lingam Tat

Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow before that Sada Shiva Linga which is

worshipped by the multitude of Gods with genuine

thoughts full of faith and devotion and whose splendor is like that of a million

suns.Ashta Dalopari Veshtitha LingamSarva Samudbhava Kaarana LingamAshta Daridra

Vinaashaka LingamTat Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow before that Sada Shiva

Linga, destroyer of all poverty and misery in its eight aspects, which is the

cause of all creation and which stands on the eight petalled Lotus.Suraguru

Suravara Pujitha LingamSuravana Pushpa Sadaarchitha LingamParaatparam

Paramatmaka Lingam Tat Pranamaami Sadaa Shiva Lingam I bow before that Sada

Shiva Linga which is the Transcendent Being and the

Supreme Self, worshipped by all Suras and their preceptor (Brhaspathi), with

innumerable flowers from the celestial gardens.SHIVA PANCHAAKSHARA

STOTRANagendra Haaraaya ThrilochanaayaBhasmaanga Raagaaya MaheshvaraayaNityaaya

Suddhaaya DigambaraayaTasmai Nakaaraaya Namah Shivaaya. I offer my humble

salutations to Lord Mahesvara - who has a garland of serpents around the neck;

who has three eyes; whose body is covered with ash (vibhuti); who is eternal;

who is pure; who has the entire sky as His dress and who is embodies as the

first letter Na.Mandaakini Salila Chandana ChaarthitaayaNandeesvara Pramatha

Naatha MahesvaraayaMandaara Pushpa Vahu Pushpa SupoojitaayaTasmai Makaaraaya

Namah

Shivaaya I bow to Lord Mahesvara, who is embodied as Makaara (letter Ma), whose

body is anointed with holy waters from the river Ganges and sandal paste, who

is the sovereign king of the Pramatha Ganas and who is adorned with innumerable

divine flowers such as Mandaara.Shivaaya Gauri Vadana Aravinda Sooryaaya

Dakshaadhvara NaashakaayaSree Neelakantaaya Vrisha DhvajaayaTasmai Shikaaraaya

Namah Shivaaya I offer my salutations to Lord Shiva, who is the resplendent sun

for mother Gauri's lotus face (sun causes the lotus flower to open up and bloom;

Lord Shiva makes mother Gauri's face bloom), who is the destroyer of Daksha's

sacrificial ritual, who is the blue necked Lord (due to the Haalahala poison

which He agreed to consume), whose banner

bears the emblem of a bull and who is embodied as the letter Shi.Vasishta

Kumbhodbhava GautamaayaMuneendra Devaarchita SekharaayaChandraarka Vaishvaanara

LochanaayaTasmai Vakaaraaya Namah Shivaaya I prostrate before the God of Gods,

who is worshipped and prayed to by great sages such as Vashishta, Agastya and

Gautama, whose eyes are sun, moon and the fire and who is embodied as Vakaara

(letter Va).Yajna Swaroopaaya JataadharaayaPinaaka Hasthaaya

SanaatanaayaDivyaaya Devaaya DigambaraayaTasmai Yakaraaya Namah Shivaaya.

Prostrartions to the sacred Lord who is the Yaksa incarnate, whose hairs are

long and matted, who holds Pinaaka (trident) in His hand, who has the entire

sky as His attire and who is embodied as the letter Ya.Panchaaksharam Idam

PunyamYah Pateh Shiva SannidhauShivaloka MavaapnotheeShivena Saha Modate

Whoever repeats this prayer composed with the five holy letters before Lord

Shiva, attains that supreme abode of His and enjoys the eternal Bliss

LORD SHIVA:- The terms Siva or Shankara mean Auspicious. Sam means Chitaananda

(Blissful Awareness). Kara means the one who causes it. Shankara means the One

who causes blissful awareness. Shankara is the One who confers Chitaananda on

those who take refuge in Him or adore Him. The secret of Creation is evident

from the description of the form of Siva. The crescent moon on Siva's head

symbolizes the consciousness in human beings, the Ganga symbolizes the Life

Force and the snakes on Siva's body represent the myriad of living beings. He

resides on a silver mountain. His dearest friend is Kubera, the Lord of Wealth.

Despite being endowed with all these, why was He obliged to carry the begging

bowl? To demonstrate to the world that every kind of wealth is a hindrance to

spiritual advancement, Siva

renounced everything. It is through renunciation Siva became the eternal

embodiment of supreme bliss.Iswara is also symbolized in the Linga Form, Lings

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

in which all forms merge. Siva is the goal who blesses beings with the most

desirable gift of meaning in the universe. That is the end, the death,which one

should strive for, the end which Siva can vouch-safe.Siva means, graciousness;

auspiciousness; Mangalam. He is all graciousness, ever auspicious, Sarva

Mangalam. That is the reason why the epithet, Sri, which indicates these

qualities, is not added to the name Siva, Sankara, lsvara etc. It is added to

the number of Avatars, for they have taken on perishable bodies for a specific

purpose. They have to be distinguished from other humans, by the epithet, Siva

is

eternally gracious, auspicious, Mangala and so the epithet is superfluous. Siva

is adored as the teacher of teachers, Dakshinamurti. The form of Siva is itself

a great lesson in tolerance and forbearance.The Lord has another name. It is

only when the love principle underlying this name is rightly understood, the

real form of the Cosmos can be recognized. That name is Saambasiva. Saa means

divinity. Amba refers to the Cosmos. Siva means the Supreme person

(Purusha).Easwara has yet another name: Yogasikha. The sky is His blue form.

The directions (Dik) are His garments. Hence He is known as Digambara. He is

also known as Panchaanana - the Five-headed One. The five are: Earth, water,

fire and aakaasa (space). His five heads represent the five basic elements

(panchabhuthas). Siva is also described as Bhuthanaatha - the Lord of all

created beings. Bhutha refers to creation. Easwara is the Lord of every creature

in the universe. Hence, the entire cosmos is reflected as an image in the Lord.

Siva is known as Subhankara- the one who is ever good (Subham).The three eyes

of Siva represent the three worlds (lokas). Siva's trident is symbolic of the

Past, the Present, and the Future, the three aspects of Time. The three gunas

(Satwa, Rajas, Thamas) are images of the Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva.

The three worlds, the triune aspect of Time, the three gunas (qualities) are

the manifestations of the Easwara Principle.It is for the well being of the

world that Siva swallowed the Halahala poison. Again, it is for the sake of the

worlds good that Siva contained the Ganga in His matted locks. Siva bears the

moon on His head to confer peace of mind on mankind. When man moulds himself on

the pattern of

Easwara, he will get rid of all his evil tendencies and offer to the world what

is good in him. That is the meaning of the worship of Siva. It is only when man

gives up utterly his bad thoughts, evil desires and wicked deeds, he will be

able to transform himself into divinity

Shivaraathri - Festival of the Divine Inspiration

Shivarathri is a very auspicious day for all. It is the fourteenth day of the

lunar fortnight when the moon is waning and the sun is in the sign of Aquarius.

The festival is, however, related to the moon rather than the sun. That is the

reason why it is called Shivarathri, the night of Shiva. Unlike other nights,

this particular night is the night of consecration, of dedication, and of

illumination. On this night there is just a minute part more to be conquered

and that can be done by keeping vigil and dwelling on the glory of God. The

vigil that is prescribed is symbolic of the eternal vigil one has to observe,

while the rite of fasting is symbolic of divesting the senses of the pleasures

for which they crave. The nightlong devotional singing is significant of the

life-long consciousness of the Divine Presence that every one should cultivate.

 

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Foster good and sacred thoughts, filled with godly feelings to become one with

the Divine by reflecting on their inherent divinity. Chanting Nama Japa, God

realization will follow. God alone is giver. "Rathri" implies the darkness of

night. But "Shivarathri" connotes not darkness but the special sacredness of

this night. Night is always dark, but this darkness is invested with

auspiciousness, as the moon is the presiding deity for the mind, having

proximity to God.

Never forget to serve, which will enable you develop love. To develop love, one

has to promote the spirit of sacrifice. Service coupled with sacrifice is

conducive to spiritual development.

Until a fruit ripens on a tree, its juice is not sweet. When the fruit is fully

ripe, it drops from the tree. Attachment to the tree is gone. Likewise, when a

man achieves spiritual maturity, he acquires detachment to reach his

consciousness. Turn your minds toward the Divine. Repetition of the Lord's

names is discipline to turn your mind away from the things of the world. Bear

in mind the triple characteristics of the Divine --Truth, Wisdom, Eternal

Brahman (Sathyam, Jnaanam, Anantham Brahman)-- strive to achieve the supreme

goal of Man.

Lord Shiva-His many Facets. Every God and Goddess in Hinduism represents at

least four different standpoints, the absolute, the cosmic, the department in

charge like Minister holding three portfolios & the incarnation who appeared on

the earth to establish Dharma. Lord Shiva is the Formless, Absolute Reality,

which is of the nature of consciousness. The name Shiva means “Auspiciousness”.

 

>From the cosmic standpoint of view, Lord Shiva represents the Lord of Universe,

the Creator, the Sustainer and the Destroyer of the World. Lord Shiva, Lord

Vishnu and Lord Brahma are three in one & are not separate from each other. But

each one is given a separate department as a specialized wing. Lord Shiva is

worshipped as the deity in charge of destruction, while Lord Brahman is

considered to be creator and the Lord Vishnu, the deity in charge of

sustenance.

 

However, since there can be no destruction without creation nor no creation

without destruction, we cannot attribute the power of creation exclusively to

one deity and the power of destruction to another deity and the power of

sustenance to third deity. The distinction between three powers is merely to

help clarify the various processes of Life. Lord Shiva is said to have appeared

in numerous incarnations as a Guru Avatar, an enlightened Master who teaches the

knowledge of the Self to His disciples. Sri Adi Shankaracharya & Dakshinamurti

Bhagavan

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such avatars of Lord Shiva.

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Saint Tulsidas salutes Lord Shiva as He on whose left side sits the beautiful

Goddess Parvati and on whose head is Goddess Mata Jnani Ganga. Even though

there are beautiful Goddesses above and beside Him, Lord Shiva is never

distracted and is ever in meditation, whereas the attention of us is distracted

on the slightest disturbances or a noise or a small diversion.

 

Mata Jnani Ganga. The Mata Ganga on the head of Lord Shiva has several interpretations.

 

1) It is said that she is Gyaana Ganga, the flow of knowledge from teacher

to disciple, as we conceive of knowledge flowing into the head.

 

2) Mata Jnani Ganga represents devotion or knowledge, both are the same,

for just as we keep knowledge in the head that we must also revere and sustain

the attitude of devotion in our minds.

 

3) Goddess Ganga on Lord Shiva’s head, reflects that you should keep your

head cool. But in normal parlance, the people are hotheaded. The health of the

person is seen, when his feet are

warm, stomach is soft and head is cool. But, in almost all the cases, it is just

opposite. It is always said that if you want to win the world, you should keep

the head cool.

 

We can keep the head cool only through knowledge & devotion, just as Bharata did

to demonstrate his great love & respect for Sri Ram, when he took the sandals of

Sri Ram at Chitrakuta & kept them on his head as he went all way back to

Ayodhya.

 

The Crescent Moon. On Lord Shiva’s forehead is the Crescent moon and in His neck

is poison. The Crescent Moon represents the nectar of life, which nourishes the

entire vegetation kingdom in the universe. But the poison is opposite, it

brings death. This image has a deep significance, that our lives are full of

pairs of opposite- joy & sorrow, creation & destruction, honour & dishonour,

success & failure. This is a balance act to be performed by each one of us to

become successful in life & would create inner balance & equipoise in the midst

of all good and bad experiences.

 

The Blue Necked One. We all have heard the famous story in Puranas, as to how

Lord Shiva saved the world by drinking the poison which came out of Vasuki, the

celestial snake, when the milky ocean was being churned by the God and the

Demons, who wanted to get the nectar of immortality. Lord Shiva is the

embodiment of compassion, Karuna Avatar, He took the poison and drank it.

However He did not swallow & He merely held it in His Throat. Thus His neck is

Blue and known as Neelakantha. The real meaning behind is that is only great

and wise people, who are able to swallow all the poison in life, whereas the

ordinary people like us, who only look for the good things in life- beauty,

comfort, success and so on & become bitter, when the things are not

moving or functioning in their style or direction. That is why only good and

nice people have capacity to suffer, & other people would break down. Majority

of us emit bitterness on others. One who goes through all experiences of life &

still abide in his own true nature without being affected by the vagaries of the

temperaments of other people & is immersed in the meditation, becomes another

Lord Shiva.

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The Snake Garland. Lord Shiva is adorned with the snake garland, but all of us

are afraid of snake. But Lord Shiva is fearless. When

poisonous snake bites, the man dies & the snake also represents time. Time &

death are ordinarily frightening, but Lord Shiva is the Lord of Time,

indicating that the timeless Reality is own nature too. How then can time and

death frighten us? The snake on the Lord’s neck also represents the mind hisses

and spits poisonous, negative thoughts. Yet we keep the mind under perfect

control so that it is quiet within and would lie as peacefully in meditation as

Lord Shiva Himself.

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Ashes of the cremation smeared over His body. These ashes are Vibhuti. It

represents that our body is already dead, inert matter, which will turn to

ashes one day. Hence we should live on higher platform & rise above our

identification with body, while we are performing in the world outside as

master of the world.

 

The Ruler of all. When one rises above one’s body identification does become

Master of the World. Thereafter, neither fear nor temptation nor insecurities

nor bribe could compel him to do any thing wrong, because you are living beyond

the body level. It is Lord Shiva, Who is able to destroy all the negatives &

such a person becomes all pervading and is famous every where.

 

The Third eyed one. It is said that the third eye is located between the

eyebrows & is the eye of wisdom. The other two eyes represents Love and

Justice. Lord looks at and deals with this world, He is both loving and just.

Some people want to be just without compassion, but in that case the justice is

too harsh. On the other hand, if one is too loving, with no sense of justice,

then he becomes sentimental. This creates a problem because then the number of

unjust, criminal people & insecurities grows in society.

 

Lord Shiva as Nataraja. Lord Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe, is often

shown as Natraraja, the King of Dancers, and His dance depicting the Cosmic

Energy. He dances on the Demon, Apasmasra Purusha, who represents Ego. Only by

destroying one's ego, can one attain God-hood. On one hand he holds a deer which

denotes man's unsteady mind which darts hither & thither like deer but has to be

brought under control.

 

On the right ear Lord Shiva wears a kundala (a jewel worn by men) & on his left

ear atanaka (ear ornament worn by women). This also convey that He is

Ardhanarishwara, half man and half woman ( as Pravati, His consort, is part of

Shiva himself),symbolizing the ideal union of man & woman. As fire & heat are

inseparable, so are the Lord Shiva and the Goddess Pravati, & purusha (the

spirit) & prakriti (matter) are combined in them.

 

The lingam. Typically a cylindrical stone several feet tall, with a rounded top,

standing in a circular base. On one level, this is the most basic image of

divinity, providing a focus for worship with a minimum of artistic

embellishment, attempting to represent the infinite. The addition of carved

anatomical details on many lingams, however, leaves no doubt for the worshiper

that this is an erect male sexual organ, showing the procreative power of God

at the origin of all things.

 

Shiva is destroyer of all evil. He often appears on earth in disguise, perhaps

as a wandering Brahman priest, to challenge the charity or belief of a

suffering servant, only to appear eventually in his true nature. The hundreds

of medieval temples in Tamil Nadu, almost all dedicated to Shiva, contain

sculptured panels depicting the god in a variety of guises: Bhikshatana, the

begging lord; Bhairava, a horrible, destructive image; or Nataraja, the lord of

the dance, beating a drum that keeps time while

he manifests the universe.

 

As per the Puranas, Brahma was unsuccessful at creation. He propitiated Shiva

who took this form and separated Parvati from his body. Parvati has many

incarnations, like Kali, Durga, and Uma. Their sons are Kartikeya and Ganesha.

 

In Shiva temples, His vehicle, Nandi the bull, faces the figure of Shiva

symbolizing the soul of man, the Jiva, yearning for Paranmatma, the great Soul

(God). Thus we find that Lord Shiva is Master of the Universe as well as the

deity in charge of the total destruction of this world. He is Faith whereby we

reach Truth.

"Chidananda roopa sivoham’.

 

OM NAMAHA SHIVAYAH,

OM NAMAHA SHIVAYAH.

ON NAMAHA SHIVAYAH.

 

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