Preface

Lord Shiva is the most revered and fervently worshipped God among the Hindu pantheon of deities. Numerous Vedic scriptures and legends detail Shiva’s glory and present him as the most enigmatic and prominent God of Indian spiritual traditions. His endearing mythology as well as scintillating spirituality needs to be known fully to understand the supreme God, Shiva.

I decided to write a book on Shiva due to a series of reasons that convinced me of the need for such a book.

Many devotees I interacted with, shared a view that they are neither aware of the various aspects of the supreme and divine God Shiva, nor are they aware of the various customs followed in the worship of the Lord. They also conveyed that they were unfamiliar with the various Puranic legends connected with the respective temple(s) they visited. If only, they expressed their desire to read a book that encompassed the details of the divinity of Shiva and gave ample information of the legends from Puranas that would help them understand the relevance and significance of the rituals performed in each of these temples.

Our ignorance is far more profound than our knowledge. It is my sincere belief that a book such as this one, would be appropriate to enhance the experience of the devotee with the Divinity, during their visit to the holy shrines.

Through this book, I have endeavoured to provide the mythological references for why we perform certain rituals at the temples and answered questions such as, “Why do devotees of Shiva smear themselves with a Vibhooti?”, “Why do devotees whisper their prayer wishes into Nandi’s ear at the Shiva temple?”, “Why do devotees perform half pradakshina, circumambulation, when they go to Shiva temples?”, “What is Chidambara Rahasyam?”, etc.

When the reasons are known and understood, it is easy to put things in the proper perspective and with increasing knowledge and awareness, our devotion would also increase manifold.

Sruti - the sacred Vedas, Smriti - the religious traditions and Puranas – the ancient legends, form the three pillars of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion known as Hinduism. The Smriti and Puranas get their scriptural authority and validity from the Vedas. The value of Puranas is that they help us understand the Vedas. This book, ‘Worshipping Shiva’ attempts to explain the Divinity of Lord Shiva as best as I can, with as much devotion, from material found in various religious texts.

The sequence of tales and events recorded in this book are different from those mentioned in the Puranas. It is arranged in such a way that the reader, while understanding and appreciating the greatness of Shiva, can connect the legends mentioned in the Puranas with the ritualistic worship during his/her visit to the respective Shiva temple, thereby getting a step closer to the supreme God – Shiva.

As we harness the power of our mind through knowledge, our attitude towards the world slowly transforms into one of joyful coexistence, until perhaps one day, we are truly able to see God in everyone and in everything around us. May Lord Shiva and his devoted consort Parvati bless and guide each one of us through our journey of religious enlightenment.

Lord Shiva is an ocean of compassion and ever overflowing grace. Words cannot convey the depth of gratitude to the Lord for having granted us shelter and bestowing on us the opportunity of pursuing his Mantra sadhana.

The Rishis of yore designated a part of every house as a sacred place where the residents could worship various Gods. Every devout Hindu’s house has an area allocated for a holy shrine, like a miniature temple, located in the most auspicious quadrant where religious rituals, pujas are conducted to help radiate blessings on the family and the community. This book on Worshipping Shiva, provides a detailed method of performing the Rudrabhishekam Puja through Shodashopachara Puja vidhi. It is important to note that the devotee has prior knowledge of Rudram, Chamakam, Purusha Sooktham and other Vedas, which should be recited only under the guidance and initiation from a Guru.

I believe that enabling me to undertake this work is a blessing from Lord Shiva. I humbly and gratefully submit to his will with devotion and deepest veneration.

Shiva the Supreme God

Shiva the Supreme God

Lord Shiva is the God of Love. His Grace as the cosmic Dancer, is boundless. He is the Saviour and Guru. He is the Beloved of Gauri, Gayatri, Girija or Parvati. He is Satyam - the Truth, Shivam - the Auspicious, Sundaram - the Beauty, Shubham - the Good, and Kantam – the Resplendent.

No culture in the world has produced as many ways of worshipping God as India has, nor has any other culture produced as many images of God to worship. The tenets of Sanathana Dharma does not advocate plurality; as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita and the Puranas emphatically reiterate that God is only One Supreme Being called Brahman, who is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient and absolutely formless with myriad forms residing in you, me and everything else in this world. The reason for depicting numerous Gods with different forms and names is to help the devotee understand the One Supreme God in their own distinct way.

Lord Shiva is a prominent God of the Hindu pantheon of deities and is one of Hinduism’s holy Trinity, Trimoorthys, with Brahma and Vishnu. Together, these three deities personify the cosmic functions of the wheel of life, and thus ensure the cycle of existence. Brahma, the generator of life, is the Creator; Vishnu, the perpetuator of life, is the Preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer of evil, the purifier and harbinger of good, is the Transformer. Essentially, the Trimoorthys represent birth, life, and death in its micro and macro repetitions.

Shiva, as Mahayogi, is the only Godhead who symbolises the highest form of austere penance, forever in deep transcendental meditation to attain salvation. He resides in his abode Mount Kailash in the Himalayas.

Shiva’s divine majesty and powers are depicted through symbolic yet highly realistic descriptions of an awe-inspiring figure. At the time of the cosmic dawn, before the creation of man, Shiva, a paragon of virtue, appeared with body as white as camphor. His matted locks coiled in the shape of a shell are adorned with the crescent moon like a diadem that kiss the fragrant clouds of the Himalayas representing wisdom and Ganga representing knowledge that purifies the soul, flowing from them. The three lines of Tripundra across his forehead and all over his body represent the three gunas. One eye, shining like the Sun, the other like the Moon and the third eye between the eyebrows, a blazing fire of spiritual wisdom, collectively representing the past, the present and the future. His neck is blue as he had quaffed poison to save mankind. The serpent around Shiva’s neck represents his fearless nature. He is the archer, with his divine bow, Pinaki, pointing to the unrevealed absolute. He holds the polyvalent Trishul, majestically representing auspiciousness. He holds with grace the Damru, symbolising the Universe which is always expanding and collapsing in the process of creation. He wears the tiger skin symbolising victory over every force. His breath is the Sama Veda, the primordial sound of music. Lord Shiva rides the bull, representing the righteous. He dances the awe-inspiring Thandavam, the dance of one consciousness that manifested a million species in the world. This infinite creation is Shiva Thandavam.

The whole world is the place of Shiva.

With body as broad and white as Kailash, three eyed, five faced, Parvati by his side, blue throated with Vasuki as his ornament, dressed in tiger skin, adorning the rudraksha, hand in boon granting and in saviour positions, adorning the crescent of moon, shining with Ganga’s water meandering through his locks, who is praised by the Devas, I offer my oblations to Maheshwara

(Shiva Dyana Stotram)

Shiva is the supreme power, the supreme energy, the supreme creator, the source of all creation and the soul of all creation. Shiva is an enigma. Shiva is all pervasive. Every drop of water that we offer to the Shivalingam enhances our connection with the supreme power of Shiva. Shiva is a state, and it is that state that we are aspiring to reach. In that state, we do not exist as a separate being from the consciousness called Shiva, we become one with him. Devotees worship Lord Shiva to seek his divine blessings for the welfare of the world.

Lord Shiva is called Tribhuvaneshwara, Lord of the three worlds, the higher world, the middle world, and the nether world. When all the worlds are referred collectively, Lord Shiva is hailed as Bhuvaneshwara, the supreme Lord of all the worlds.

He, the fierce god, with strong limbs, assuming many forms, the tawny Rudra, decked himself with brilliant golden ornaments. From Rudra, who is lord of this wide world (īśānādasya bhuvanasya), divine power will never depart.

(Rig Veda, 2.33.9)

Shiva is the Supreme Being, who is beyond both the form and the formless. He embraces our world from both sides; above, below, and in the centre, and yet stands infinitely beyond it as well. He is inside all things, outside all things and yet not limited by anything. He is one and yet he is all, the supreme nameless and formless reality - the Supreme God - Shiva the auspicious.

His form is not an object of vision; no one beholds Him with the eyes. They who, through pure intellect and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection, realize Him as abiding in the heart become immortal.

(Svetasvatara Upanishad, 4.20)

It is because you are birthless, that some rare souls, frightened by birth and death, take refuge in you. O Rudra, may your benign face protect me for ever!

(Svetasvatara Upanishad 4.21)

Lord Shiva is considered as the most unique of all the Gods. In Shaivism tradition, being the supreme God, he is shown as the deity of opposites, as Creator or Preserver and as the Transformer or Destroyer in total command of the cosmos.

As the Creator or Preserver, as Shankara the benevolent, he is shown as the easy to please protector of the downtrodden who has the power to alter the laws of destiny. He protects his devotees from evil forces that is always around us. He blesses his followers with grace, knowledge and peace. A God of exemplary kindness whose anger knows no bounds;- the master of inner reflection and outward focus.

Lord Shiva has manifested several times in different Avatars to end evil on heaven and Earth. Each of these forms of the Lord has a divine purpose aimed towards the overall betterment of the Universe.

Shiva, in his manifestation as Creator, incarnated as Hanuman to assist Lord Rama in his task of re-establishing dharma. According to Shiva Puran, Vayu carried the seeds of Lord Shiva to Anjani and then Hanuman was born. Hanuman is an exemplification of strength, selfless devotion and perseverance.

In his manifestation as Preserver, Shiva is Neelkantan, saviour of mankind. During the process of Samudra manthan, the churning of the ocean to procure Amrit, elxir, from the bottom of the ocean, Halahala, a deadly poison was emitted. All beings who came in contact with it began to perish. At that time, Lord Shiva consumed the deadly poison by lodging it in his neck, for the benefit of all living beings and came to be known as Neelkantan, the blue-throated one.

As the transformer or destroyer, Rudra, the fiery God, he brings a change through transformation or destruction, undertaking the role of ending evil on heaven and Earth. He undertakes these tasks for the divine purpose aimed towards the overall betterment of the universe through the destruction of the entire creation during Pralaya, so that it may be merged back to the source from where all creation began. In this sense, Shiva is the massive destructive force that absorbs everything into himself at the point of dissolution.

Shiva as the transformer, manifested himself as Veerabhadran, a super colossal being, when he stepped in to destroy the yagna of Daksha whose daughter and Shiva’s consort Sati, self-immolated herself in the yagna fire. Veerabhadran beheaded Daksha and later when Brahma prayed to Shiva asking for pardoning Daksha, the all-merciful Shiva replaced Daksha’s head with a goat’s head and brought him back to life. A reformed Daksha subsequently became a great devotee of Shiva.

Shiva as destroyer, manifested as Tripurantakan, the destroyer of three cities infested with Asuras. Through the boon granted to them by Brahma, the three sons of Tarakasura became powerful and started wreaking havoc from their three cities made of gold, silver and iron. Shiva rode on his chariot driven by Brahma through the skies and when the three cities converged into a single line, he shot his fiery arrow, Pashupata. Tripura was burnt to ashes, thus bringing back world order.

This inference of Shiva as a destroyer is not negative. It is a positive, nourishing and constructive destruction which transforms life and energy for the welfare of the world and the beings that inhabit it. He destroys in order to regenerate life forms and facilitate the transformation and evolution of nature. It only indicates destruction of what is meant to be destroyed metaphysically, metaphorically and symbolically to attain ultimate peace in life.

In his more fearsome role of destruction, these manifestations have several shades of meaning that need to be understood and assimilated. Each of these forms of the Lord, has a divine purpose; that of overall betterment of the Universe and as such, should not be misconstrued as destruction. The physical and material dissolution may also be seen as the end of a cycle, – making room for fresh manifestation in the same way as one season gives way to another.

Disintegration of the universe ends in its ultimate thinning out into a boundless void. This boundless void, the substratum of all existence, from which repeatedly springs this apparently limitless universe, is Shiva. So, though Shiva is described as responsible for destruction, he is equally responsible for creation and existence or preservation. In this sense, Brahma and Vishnu are also Shiva. Though he is projected as a fiery deity, he is the God who removes all the fearful influences that threaten mankind.

Creation, sustenance, dissolution, obscuration and presenter of grace are the five functions of Lord Shiva. These functions are performed only by him.

(Mregndra Agama, Vidya pada, 2.3)

According to Mrgendra Agama, the knowledge section of Kamika Agama, in addition to creation, preservation and destruction, Shiva performs two more actions which relate specifically to the Atman, soul. These are Tirobhava, concealing grace and Anugraha, revealing grace.

With the fourth called Tirobhava, concealing grace, Shiva as the concealer, casts a net of delusion (Maya) upon the whole creation and keeps the world under delusion so that the order and regularity of the worlds are not disrupted. He does not let the living beings perceive their true nature or become aware of his presence. He remains hidden and keeps the beings suppressed in order to maintain order and stability in the world.

With His fifth action or power called Anugraha, revealing grace, Lord Shiva, as the revealer of truth and source of knowledge is responsible for the liberation of all beings. One cannot achieve inner peace and liberation without his blessings.

As the awakened supreme self, Shiva is Maheshwara, the Lord of the universe. He is the cosmic Lord who combines within himself the roles of creation, maintenance, destruction, concealing grace and revealing grace. He performs these five functions through his five supreme energies: chit-Shakti-pure consciousness, ananda-Shakti-bliss, iccha-Shakti-will power, jnana-Shakti-pure knowledge and kriya-Shakti - dynamic power.

According to Raurava Agama ‘Creation of the world, its preservation or maintenance, its destruction or transformation, concealing grace and revealing grace leading to liberation are the five acts of His dance.’

According to Tirumanthiram the five actions of Shiva are represented by the dance of Nataraja, the Lord of Dance. Creation (Srishti) is represented by His upper right hand which holds the Damru through which He beats the Paranada, primal sound, conveying the cycles of creation. Preservation (Sthiti) is represented by His lower right hand, held in the gesture of Abhaya Mudra, conveying preservation and protection. Destruction (Samhara) is symbolized by the fire in His upper left hand, held in Ardha Chandra Mudra, half-moon gesture, conveying dissolution when the universe is reabsorbed at the end of each cycle of creation, only to be created again. Concealing grace (Tirobhava), the power which hides the truth from beings, thereby permitting souls to mature through experience to realise their own essential nature is represented by His right foot which is upon the prostrate Apasmarapurusha, ignorant person, who represents the Ananva mala, the individuating veil of duality and a source of separation from God. Revealing grace (Anugraha), which bestows grace through revelatory manifestation, grants knowledge and splits the soul’s bonds such that it ultimately transcends the bonds of Aṇava, Karma and Mayiya malas to realise its identity and return to Him, is symbolised by Shiva’s raised left foot.

The concept of Brahman or absolute reality is the central concept in Sanatana Dharma. It raises the question of whether the Supreme Being, Brahman, is to be characterised as without qualities (Nirguna) or possessing good qualities (Saguna). Nirguna is the eternal all-pervading and omnipresent divine consciousness, while Saguna is the manifestation of God in form. Sunlight is the Nirguna form of Sun, and the celestial body of Sun is the Saguna form. God in Nirguna form is everywhere and in everything. But this is not easily comprehensible to our human intellect. The ultimate goal of humans is to become one in consciousness with the Nirguna form of God. However, the medium through which we can reach this goal is the embodied form of God in the Saguna form. In the Saguna aspect, God appears in a human form making it easier for us to get closer to the supreme Brahman. There have been divine incarnations of God in the Saguna form in every age, to show people the path to Nirguna God.

In his Nirguna, formless aspect, he is the transcendental formless reality; attributeless, eternal, infinite, absolute, timeless, indivisible and that unlimited ocean of pure consciousness which is beyond the mind and senses. According to Shiva Puran, Brahma and Vishnu attained the level of Trinity only because of their devotion to Nirguna Shiva.

In the Saguna state, Shiva is the entire Universe and his Ansh, manifestation is present in the tree, the insect, the animal, male, female and the whole creation. In this state, no form can describe Him, though all forms arise out of him.

The order of creation is as follows. From Shiva emerged Vishnu, from Vishnu’s naval emerged Brahma and creation began. Upon dissolution, Brahma along with the cosmos will merge back into Vishnu and Vishnu will merge back into Shiva, thus completing one cycle of creation.

Shiva is the supreme principle, or the eternal truth described as Sat, Chit and Ananda, meaning Truth, Consciousness and Bliss.

Brahman is referred to as Sat-Chit-Ananda or Sachchidananda. It means “Being, Consciousness, Bliss.” Sat is divine existence or being, Chit is divine Consciousness, Ananda is divine Bliss. This is Satyam Shivam and Sundaram.

Sat is the highest principle of the supreme Brahman. Shiva implies auspiciousness and peace, which are qualities of a pure being. Shiva represents Sat which is the principle of truth, absolute being or Satyam. To seek Shiva is therefore to seek Satyam (truth), the core foundation of all life.

Chit or Consciousness is the first manifestation of our true nature. Pure being and consciousness are always present, although they may not be recognized. Shiva represents this supreme consciousness (Chit) and Shakti is its power to visualise, create and express (Chit-Shakti). The Shiva principle becomes the mind in creatures and the Shakti principle becomes the prana or vital energy. This is the state of Shivam.

Ananda is when the mind unwinds and becomes calmer - bliss, love and happiness naturally arise. In letting go of the mind for a moment as we watch a sunset or a sunrise, bliss arises naturally. Shiva represents this supreme bliss or Ananda in his symbolism and action. This implies a state of detachment, elevation and exaltation - Sundaram.

The Sage of Kanchi - Sri Jagadguru Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal, Maha Periyava, extolled the virtues of the divine gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas in the context of the Trimoorthys. In the fourteenth chapter of Bhagavadgita, Lord Krishna has given a detailed description and definition of the three gunas in a section called Guna Traya Vibhaga Yogam where the primary qualities or traits of humans are explained.

Sattva is pure and relates to a balanced mind filled with serenity and joy. The colour of Sattva is white. Sattva is harmony or light or wisdom or equilibrium or goodness. When this predominates over the other two gunas, a person’s wisdom shines in his expression. Vishnu is endowed with the attribute of Sattva as he is responsible for sustenance or preservation of all living beings. Sattva binds people through attachment to knowledge and happiness.

Rajas is passion or motion or activity. Rajas is a combination of both good and bad, virtues and non-virtues. Rajas is passion which creates a craving for what you do not have and attachment to what you possess. When this guna dominates over the other two, the person develops greed, becomes involved in endless activity and suffers from mental unrest. Brahma the head of creation perfectly symbolises Rajas. Creation involves birth of human life and physical lust. It is a combination of good and bad. Rajas binds through attachment to action.

Tamas is inertia or inaction or darkness. Laziness, procrastination, sleep are forms of Tamas. Shiva symbolises Tamas, as the act of destruction is carried out by him. It represents the crudeness of man. The colour is black. Tamas arises out of ignorance, which manifests as delusion, inertia and heedlessness, an indication of darkness. Tamas binds through indolence and sleep.