AN Insight to the deep spiritual symbolisms of Hinduism...

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I pray to Lord Shri Krishna that he may guide me so that the paraphrase I am about to present of Baishri Rameshbhai Oza (a Shrimad Bhagwat Kathakar who si truly blessed by Devi Saraswati) may be accurate and may bring some insight.

 

This particular lecture deals with our constant battle with Bhramswarups in idol form. This is one of many lessons I learned from Baishri but I feel that this is definitly one to start off with.

 

In a Shivji temple one encounters many different idols...

Before we have darshan of the actual Shivling we see Nandimaharaj (Bull Vehicle of Shivji)...it symbolises the aasan or a firm position that faces Shiji (murti/form). The aasan teaches the common man that we must be firm in our place and position and it should gaze upon the Lord alone.

 

Once our aasan is confirmed, we must breath (Pranayam) to still the mind. In a Shivji temple, we encounter the murti of Hanumanji. Since he is a monkey swarup, we should learn from the murti that our mind is always jumping like a monkey and so we should still it with regulated breathing and thinking of our Lord.

 

Once we have the position and mind firm we encounter our senses. these senses are very troublesome and the must be withdrawn from the material world into the self and ultimately into the service of the Lord. The senses are represnted by the tortoise that is seated in a Shiv temple. It shows us that just as a tortoise withdraws it senses into its body, so should we.

 

This constant focus of the mind and senses brings about Dhyann, or eternal connection to the Lord. Our Devi Parvati is this representative of the undivided attention to the Lord (Bhagwan Shankar)

 

Finally, water completly drops on the shivling and always flows North like the Ganga at Banaras, this awakens Gynan (or true knowledge)

 

When all these aspects of our lives are purified then we understand what is Shiv, or like Baishri says we become Shiv.

 

The purpose of this is so that all of us, including myself look beyond the quarrels of forms/idol/murtis and realise that just as the different "objects" of a Shiv temple are connected to us and are there so that we refresh our actual connection with the Lord, every temple, idol, murti experience should be a reminder of what we need to polish up to go back to the Lord.

 

Many other beautiful examples were given, especially about Bhagwat katha and Lord Krishna but this is a step.

 

So next time we go to the temple, it shouldn't be for mindless, thoughtless head bowing but an EXPERIENCE that should awaken our desire to reach the ultimate.

 

Jai Shri Krishna