The Esoteric Significance of SIVA RAHASYA 4

[Guest guest]

Om Namah Sivaya This holy form consists of six faces and twelve hands. The hands bear different kinds of weapons. On the breast the most important weapon, the Vel (Spear) is being kept. He rides on the peacock and holds the banner of cock. On either side are His Devis, Valli and Deivayanai. The peacock stands upon a black serpent. The entire picture is the form of Subrahmanya (Skanda). Let us see the inner meaning of the form. The six faces indicate that His presence shines on the four sides and also above and below. He seems also to express that He it is that is spoken about in all the six main religions. It is also hinted that He is the perfect being who is being sought after by the six means of knowledge. The six faces may also be

taken to indicate the six Chakras or the centres of energy in the human body which are known to Yogis. The twelve arms show that He alone creates, preserves, destroys, hides and blesses,—in fact does everything in the world. Valli, Deivayanai and the Vel mean, respectively, Iccha Sakti, Kriya Sakti and Jnana Sakti, i.e., the force of Desire, the force of Action, and the force of Knowledge. It is indicated that all these three abide in Subrahmanya, who is Para Brahman Himself. The fact that Desire and Action forces are kept on either side of Him and that Jnana Sakti or the force of Knowledge alone is kept in His breast points out that Knowledge is the most important of them all and that it never gets separated from Him. There is another form of Subrahmanya which is known as Danda Pani. When He is presented in that form, He stands alone, with the Vel but without Valli or Deivayanai. That also shows that He can be without the forces of Desire and Action, but cannot be without the force of Knowledge. Subrahmanya married Valli according to the Gandharva mode. He did not obtain the permission of her parents for doing so. That also shows that Valli is His Desire force. On the other hand

His marriage with Deivayanai was after His victory over the Asuras. Out of gratitude, Indra gave Subrahmanya his own daughter Deivayanai in marriage. This was done according to Vedic rites. These events point to the fact that Deivayanai shows His Action force. The Vel or Spear was given to Subrahmanya by Parvati, the embodiment of Siva Sakti. It, therefore, indicates that the Spear is the symbol of True Knowledge as coming out of Parvati, the Para Sakti. The shape of Vel also

shows that Knowledge in the form of Jyotis will start from the Muladhara Chakra, represented by the bottom of the Vel, pass through the intermediate Nadis (which are represented by the body of the Vel) and pierce through the thousand-petalled Brahmarandhra, which is represented by the sharp, leaf-shaped end of the Vel, and in the end will shine resplendent in the top beyond all these Chakras or Nadis. Shanmukha’s Vahana, the peacock, shows the shape of the Pranava . It is of the shape of the Bindu. When the peacock spreads out its tail, it has the round shape of the Pranava. Within it is the Para Brahma Jyoti, which is the form of Murugan (Skanda) or Subrahmanya. The subordinated

serpent kept in check by the peacock’s feet shows that Maya or impurity is completely overpowered by the power of Pranava. The cock in the banner signifies the Sound-form or the Nada of Pranava. It is the nature of the cock to crow at the moment when the sun makes himself just visible in the horizon. Let us now examine the meaning of the legend about Surapadma who was killed by Subrahmanya. The Asuras Taraka, Simhamukha and Surapadma were the sons of Maya. They persecuted the Devas and imprisoned Devakumara. Murugan heeded the prayers of the Devas, killed the three Asuras with His Spear and liberated Devakumara from prison. Later, according to the request of the victorious Devas, Murugan married Deivayanai, the daughter of Indra. The inner significance of their accounts is as follows. The three sons of Maya are Sattva, Rajas and

Tamas,—the three Gunas. The original cause of the three Gunas is also shown to be the impurity known as Maya. The Jiva is ever under the influence of these three Gunas and is subjugated by them. God Subrahmanya listens to the prayers of the Jiva and liberates him from the clutches of the three foes, the three Gunas. Not only does he liberate the Jiva, but also (by marrying) unites the Jiva with Himself. ----Sri Swami Sivananda Sivaya Namah

What kind of emailer are you? Find out today - get a free analysis of your email personality. Take the quiz at the Mail Championship.