Glory of Lord Siva

[Guest guest]

Namaste all. _/\_

 

When Lord Krishna and Radharani played the magnificent Divine dance of

'Maha Raasa Lila', Shankar Bhagavan entered the Lila as a Gopi.

 

Thus He became popular with the Name Gopi-Isvara.

 

There is a temple in Vrindavan for 'Gopisvara', Whom all Vrajavasis

worship with love. During the day the Lord Ishvara is worshipped in

His Shiva Linga form and in the 'Gopi' decoration during evenings!

 

Lord Siva Himself is the Master of Music. Worshippers of Nada Brahma,

the Sound Incarnate of Lord, accept Him as their Guru.

 

Some Rasik Saints say Lord Siva is Lord Krishna's 'Flute'.

They are alsi right in the sense, that because the 'Flute' is

Krishna's 'Priya Sakhi' and Sivaji too has transformed Himself to

become His Gopi, any way.

 

This verse from 'Brahma-Samhita-56', which is very dear to Gauranga

Mahaprabhu confirms - "..vaMzI priya sakhI..."

 

The verse 45 of 'Sri Brahma Samahitam' gives another kind of

transformation -

 

"kSIraM yathA dadhi vikAra vizeSa yogAt

saJjAyate na hi pRthag asti hetoH

yaH zambhu tAm api tathA samupaiti kAryAd

govindam AdipuruSaM tam ahaM bhajAmi"

 

Meaning: Just as milk itself is transformed into curd (yogurt), but

yet they both are neither SAME nor DIFFERENT from each other, so also

I adore my Beloved primeveal Lord Govinda, Who has transformed Himself

into Lord Shiva for the performance of divine lilas.

 

Here are some more excerpts, taken from Brahma Vaivarta Purana in

relation to Lord Siva.

 

"Lord Siva is said to be a portion of Lord Krishna and arise out of

the left side of Krshna's body.

 

"vAmarddhAGgo mahAdevo

dakSiNo gopikApatiH"

 

The left half became Siva and the right became the Husband of Gopis.

He is dearly loved by Krishna.

The BVP says it is sin to slander Siva, Who is dearer to Krishna than

His own life.

Krishna Himself declares:

 

"Among my favorites Brahma is dear to Me.

Lakshmi, ever residing on my chest, is dearer than Brahma.

Radha is yet dearer, and my devotees are dearer still.

Dearest of all is Shankara (Siva); no one is dearer than He.

 

My heart resides with my devotees, My life with Radha.

My Self with Sankara, who is dearer than My life."

 

(Bkh,Pkh, KJkh of BVP)

 

Those who are the Excellant Portions of Krishna are intensely devoted

to Him.

It is not surprising then that Siva, a Portion of Krishna, is His Devotee.

We find frequent references to Siva as the BEST OF VAISNAVAS.

 

Accordingly, Siva seeks to become the Servant of Krishna and confesses

His own dependence upon the latter.

 

Siva is often portrayed as in constant MEDITATION ON KRISHNA, WEEPING,

DANCING with ECSTACY of devotion.

 

Of all those who know Krishna, it is Siva, the BEST OF VAISNAVAS, who

knows Him best.

 

Lord Ramacandra has declared in Sri Rama Carita Manas:

 

aurau eka guputa mata sabahi kahaum kara jori,

shankara bhajana binaa nara bhagati na paavai mori

 

With folded hands I now lay before you one MORE SECRET doctrine:

WITHOUT ADORING Lord Shankara NO MAN can ATTAIN loving DEVOTION to ME.

 

http://koausa.org/Gods/Ram1.jpg

 

Thus, by Siva's Grace a votary may attain faith in Krishna.

Siva in fact states that those who oppress Vaisnavas will be punished

by Krishna and that the hearts of non-vaisnavas are impure He further

exclaims that Vaisnavas are DEARER to HIM than HIS OWN followers.

 

Krishna, Who is filled with Love for His devotees, has made Siva equal

to Himself on account of Siva's DEEP Devotion.

Krishna asserts that Siva is fully His EQUAL in splendour, knoweledge

and virtue.

Further, the Divine Forms or Bodies (Sat-Chit-Ananda vigrahas) of Siva

and Krishna alone are Eternal, not those of other beings.

 

It is through Siva's Devotion to Krishna, finally, not MERE EQUALITY,

but actual IDENTITY is apparently attained:

 

'svapne jAgaraNe zazvath kRSNa dhyAna rataH

zivaH

yathA kRSNA stathA zambhur na bhedo mAdhavezayoH"

 

(Brahma Vaivarta Purana-Prakriti khanda II.56.61)

 

"Sleeping or awake, Siva is constantly absorbed in MEDITATION of KRISHNA.

AS IS KRISHNA, SO IS SAMBHU; THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE between MADHAVA

and ISA"

 

'yo hariH sa zivaH sAkSAd yaH zivaH sa svayaM hariH

ye tayor bhedamAti sthan narakAya bhave nnaraH"

 

(Visnu purana.5.33.46)

 

"Whoever is Lord Hari, He Himself is Lord Shiva indeed.

Whoever is manifesting as Lord Shiva, He Himself is Lord Hari.

Any humanbeing mistakes both the Lords to be different, he/she surely

goes to hell.

 

In Vishnu Purana also, VISHNU declares HIS NON DIFFERENCE from SIVA.

(V.P.5.33.46-48)

 

Here we find, full justification for the statement in the Narada

PancaRatra concerning the BVP as teaching the NON DIFFERENCE between

HARI AND HARA.

 

Often we are told that whoever does not worship the Linga of Siva

commits a great sin and goes to hell.

 

Krishna says to Siva:

"Who, having constructed Your linga of clay, joined with Prakriti

(yoni), at a place of piligrimage, worships it a thousand times with

devotion...

He shall rejoice with Me in GOLOKA for crore of Kalpas.

And who worships at that place a lakh of lingas, with proper

offerings, Shall not fall from GOLOKA; He shall be equal to US.

 

Saivaite devotional practices lead, then, to the ultimate goal of the

Vaisnavas.

 

In Brahma-Samhita the relationship of Lord Siva and Lord Govinda are

compared to that of milk and yogurt. Milk itself becomes TRANSFORMED

into yogurt.

Similarly, though They both are possessing the same transcendental

attributes, They PERFORM different divine pastimes.

 

"yathA ziva mayo viSNuH

zivasya hRdayaM viSNur viSNoz

ca hRdayaM zivaH"

 

(Skanda Purana)

 

Just as Lord Vishnu is pervaded by Lord Shiva,

similarly, in Siva's heart Vishnu resides and Vishnu's heart is the

abode of Shiva.

 

In Caitanya Caritamrita, Mahaprabhu's eternal Associate Sri

Advaitacarya is said to be Lord Sadasiva, who always says,

 

"I am the servant of Lord Krishna."

 

Intoxicated by ecstatic Love for Krishna, He becomes overwhelmed and

incessantly dances without clothing and sings about Lord Krishna's

qualities and pastimes.

 

"nimnagAnAM yathA gaMgA devAnAm acyuto yathA

vaiSNavAnAM yathA zambhuH purANAnAm idaM tathA

kSetrANAM caiva sarveSAM yathA kAzI hyonuttamA

tathA purANa vratAnAM zrI mad bhAgavataM dvijAH "

 

(Srimad Bhagavatam 12.13.17)

 

Just as the celestial Ganges is the most Holy among all the flowing

rivers,

just as Lord Krishna is the Supreme among all Divine Personalties,

just as Lord Siva is the most Exalted Lover of Vishnu,

just as the City of Kasi is the most Sacred among all Holy places,

Srimad Bhagavatam is also the most fulfilling vow as well as the most

elevated Scripture among all other auspicious Puranas.

 

In the Padma Purana, it is said:

 

ArAdhanAnAM sarvezam viSNor ArAdhanam param

tasmAt parataraM devI tadIyAnam samArcanam

 

Once, Parvati devi asked Lord Siva,

"Of all kinds of worship, whose worship is best?"

 

Then, Lord Siva told her plainly, "The worship and devotional service

of Lord Narayana, Visnu, is the highest."

 

Then Parvati became a little mortified and disappointed, thinking,

"But I am serving Siva, so I hold a lower position."

 

Then the next line came - tasmAt parataraM devI tadiyAnam samArcanam.

 

"But higher than the worship of Narayana is worship of the devotees of

Lord Narayana. That is even greater than devotion to the Lord Himself."

 

Then, Parvati smiled, thinking, "Then I am serving the devotee of the

Lord. Siva is a devotee: vaiSNavAnam yathA zambhuH. So, I am doing the

best thing."

 

This is also confirmed by Krishna, in the Adi Purana :

 

ye me bhakta-janAH pArtha ne me bhaktas ca te janaH

mad bhaktAnAM ca ye bhaktas te me bhaktatama mataH

 

"Those who worship Me directly are not real devotees; real devotees

are those who are devoted to My devotees."

 

Prayers to Lord Shiva -

 

"jagadguro namastubhyaM

zivAya zivadAya ca

yogIndrANAm ca yogIndra

gurUNAM gurave namaH"

 

"Salutations unto Thee, O Spiritual Master of the universe.

Thou art the Lord auspicious and the Giver of Divine bliss,

the foremost of the perfect Yogis, the Teacher of all teachers.

Salutations unto Thee."

 

(BVP 4.30.43)

 

Another prayer for Shivaji says-

 

"haste 'kSa mAlA hRdi kRSNa tattvaM

jihvAgra bhAge vara rAma mantraM

yan mastake kezava pAda tirthaM

zivaM 'mahA bhAgavatAM' namAmi"

 

Adi Jagadguru Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada prayed:

 

I salute to Lord Shiva, the Supreme Devotee, (Maha Bhagavata)

in Whose hand is the a-ksha (A to Z) garland of beads,

in Whose heart is the reservoir of Divine essence of Lord Krishna,

on Whose tongue is ever residing the Name of His Beloved Rama,

on Whose head is ever flowing sacred water that washes the

lotus-feet of Lord Keshava.

 

Prayer from 'Lingashtakam':

 

brahma murAri surArcita lingam

nirmalabhAsita zobhita lingam

janmaja duHkha vinAzaka lingam

tat praNamAmi sadAziva 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.

 

Jai Hari-Hara, Mahaadeva Shambho!

 

http://www.dgreetings.com/newimages/shivratri/shivani3.gif

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

 

, "Beatrix Mankel"

<suryanadi@w...> wrote:

> Maybe it is

> better to forgive them, because most of the Krishna sects are

> unknowing and are manipulated. Nobody has to insult Shiva! If

> anybody does it, he will have to suffer. So if they wish going this

> way, ok, then it could be a heavy road...without Shivas grace.

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

Here is a link for the devotees:

 

http://barsanadham.org/festivals-shivratri.html

 

An excerpt from H.D. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati's message:

 

....

 

God Shiv has two forms. With one form He is supreme God of Vaikunth,

like Maha Vishnu. In Vaikunth, Maha Vishnu, God Shiv and Durga, all

those three are equally supreme God and Goddess in Vaikunth.

Vaikunthaadi pati. From Them this whole universe evolves—such great

personality!

 

The other form of God Shiv is in Golok where He is in the form of a

Gopi—not like God Shiv wearing matted hair, and scorpions moving around.

 

He is a Gopi. A very pretty, young, Gopi. He's called Gopeshwar.

That's what we have here in our ashram, a temple of Gopeshwar. You can

see, a Shiv ling is there, and on that Shiv ling there is an

inscription in golden lines—the Gopi is there, Gopeshwar form is there.

 

The form of Gopeshwar. So Shiv as a Gopi. In Braj, in Vrindaban, in

Barsana, He cannot be in the form of Shiv. He has to be as a Gopi. His

personal intimate form is Gopi. So He was absorbed in that love,

Krishn love. He had forgotten everything. He remembered only Krishn…

Radha..Krishn..Radha…..

....

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!