Dear Hari!
I was long time admire one of the most wonderful personality in all creation Lord Shiva .
I like Him very much, His benevolent nature, His qualityes, His mercy ,and HIs love to all creatures/
But i know so less because of wellknown reasons about Lord Shiva/
I know some contradictory information that Lord Shiva is Father of all living entities and also annihilator of the universe.
But i really dont know his wonderful personality /
Can you please explain some information about Lord Shiva ,?
Why he considered as a father of the universe and why he is annihilating it,?
Can you please tell something more about such a wonderful benevolent and merciful Lord Mahadev?
Thank you !
Lord Shiva
Re: Lord Shiva
Although your question seems simple enough, in fact it is quite hard to properly answer. Lord Siva has been depicted for more than 10,000 years in a variety of ways. These descriptions fall into categories where cosmically significant qualities are systematically ascribed to this magnificent personality. Despite that, he is perhaps best known as the one who wraps up the universal creation at the end of its cycle when he releases his energy of anger to destroy all things. Thus his anger and his unrivaled capacity to destroy are seen as paramount. To balance this, he is presented as the most peaceful, meditative soul, fully renounced of all worldly attachments or possessions, who is always ready to assist those who come before him. His story becomes one of a great deity who awakens at the right time to do what he is meant to do.
This is all more or less a fair representation, but it leaves out the most important consideration. We can easily embrace him as a deity because all deities are more or less available to us when we come before them in submission and service and ask for blessings or assistance with our problems. But humans cannot connect with him as the person he is and most devas have either a hard time befriending him or they may fear getting too close to him. Some devas sit near him to share the inconceivably dense energetic space he creates. This is an important insight that can help us better understand why he is seemingly aloof.
Lord Siva is sakti. In Vaisnava vocabulary, he and his family are sakti tattva. When the host of living entities in this world who are jiva tattva attempt to truly understand Lord Siva or any sakti personality, they do so through worship, philosophical discussions, celebrations, yoga and renunciation, to mention a few, where they associate together to amplify their sprouting connection with him. But due to the fundamental differences between sakti and jiva, it is almost impossible to understand him in a more personal manner.
Connecting to Radha and Krsna is easier because we all are their nature in essence and they have facilitated connecting to them. Indeed, they invite and encourage this connection. When one attempts it, they nurture it. This is not the case with Lord Siva. He is detached, renounced, unengaged, and almost never participating in the process to connect with him. He will give protection and benedictions, albeit rarely, but true connection is rare.
And yet, we are always connected to him because we swim within his energy. One who is sakti knows this, but those who are not sakti have a very hard time even conceiving of it. His energy is limitless and everywhere, and equally powerful at all locations within this universe. His meditation is far more than a spiritual quest, it is the tower of power from which we all draw -- whether we know it or not. Most beings flow within energy easily but are unaware of its source. Although we are all the same energy as Krsna and Radha, we could not exist within this universe without their divine support. Their support appears in the form of sakti. Lord Siva's energy is Lord Krsna's energy and Goddess Sakti (in all forms) is Radha's energy, and they uniquely empowered to pass on and share their energy within the universe and thus support this creation. Therefore they are the father and mother. They create the playground within which their children play and when it is time to go, they destroy the playground and move on. But again, these words are descriptive and to some extent philosophical.
Although volumes have been written about Lord Siva, sakti cannot be experienced as deeply and personally by one who is not sakti. Words do not carry the meaning of sakti because sakti is not expressed by words. Lord Siva does speak words, but his energy that powers and supports the universe is not made of words. His energy creates the forces that physics strives to understand. He is the one unified field theory of everything that cannot be described by words. One cannot rationally define his energy because it simply is. It is qualitatively different from the essence that I have often spoken about. One can think of sakti as the perfect transformation of essence meant to support a creation that appears to be disconnected from the spiritual realm.
Sakti can only be felt and therefore, Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati are only directly experienced when one is immersed in their energy. A jiva soul can attempt to do this, but due to jivas vibrating at a different frequency they cannot tune to the personal energy of sakti. A boat on a raging sea perceives the energy of the sea differently than the fish that swim peacefully below the surface. When a jiva comes near to the essence of Lord Siva, the raging waves make it impossible to connect. Because of this basic incompatibility, Lord Siva is described by humans as the one who does wonderful things with wonderful qualities. The personality he is may only be known to those who are the same energy as him.
This is all more or less a fair representation, but it leaves out the most important consideration. We can easily embrace him as a deity because all deities are more or less available to us when we come before them in submission and service and ask for blessings or assistance with our problems. But humans cannot connect with him as the person he is and most devas have either a hard time befriending him or they may fear getting too close to him. Some devas sit near him to share the inconceivably dense energetic space he creates. This is an important insight that can help us better understand why he is seemingly aloof.
Lord Siva is sakti. In Vaisnava vocabulary, he and his family are sakti tattva. When the host of living entities in this world who are jiva tattva attempt to truly understand Lord Siva or any sakti personality, they do so through worship, philosophical discussions, celebrations, yoga and renunciation, to mention a few, where they associate together to amplify their sprouting connection with him. But due to the fundamental differences between sakti and jiva, it is almost impossible to understand him in a more personal manner.
Connecting to Radha and Krsna is easier because we all are their nature in essence and they have facilitated connecting to them. Indeed, they invite and encourage this connection. When one attempts it, they nurture it. This is not the case with Lord Siva. He is detached, renounced, unengaged, and almost never participating in the process to connect with him. He will give protection and benedictions, albeit rarely, but true connection is rare.
And yet, we are always connected to him because we swim within his energy. One who is sakti knows this, but those who are not sakti have a very hard time even conceiving of it. His energy is limitless and everywhere, and equally powerful at all locations within this universe. His meditation is far more than a spiritual quest, it is the tower of power from which we all draw -- whether we know it or not. Most beings flow within energy easily but are unaware of its source. Although we are all the same energy as Krsna and Radha, we could not exist within this universe without their divine support. Their support appears in the form of sakti. Lord Siva's energy is Lord Krsna's energy and Goddess Sakti (in all forms) is Radha's energy, and they uniquely empowered to pass on and share their energy within the universe and thus support this creation. Therefore they are the father and mother. They create the playground within which their children play and when it is time to go, they destroy the playground and move on. But again, these words are descriptive and to some extent philosophical.
Although volumes have been written about Lord Siva, sakti cannot be experienced as deeply and personally by one who is not sakti. Words do not carry the meaning of sakti because sakti is not expressed by words. Lord Siva does speak words, but his energy that powers and supports the universe is not made of words. His energy creates the forces that physics strives to understand. He is the one unified field theory of everything that cannot be described by words. One cannot rationally define his energy because it simply is. It is qualitatively different from the essence that I have often spoken about. One can think of sakti as the perfect transformation of essence meant to support a creation that appears to be disconnected from the spiritual realm.
Sakti can only be felt and therefore, Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati are only directly experienced when one is immersed in their energy. A jiva soul can attempt to do this, but due to jivas vibrating at a different frequency they cannot tune to the personal energy of sakti. A boat on a raging sea perceives the energy of the sea differently than the fish that swim peacefully below the surface. When a jiva comes near to the essence of Lord Siva, the raging waves make it impossible to connect. Because of this basic incompatibility, Lord Siva is described by humans as the one who does wonderful things with wonderful qualities. The personality he is may only be known to those who are the same energy as him.
Re: Lord Shiva
Hariji, what you wrote is amazing. Write a book about this, please. We all need such a book where will be described hierarchy and forces rule in universe and over the universe, in spiritual realm. Who are the devas and how do they work. Who are Radha and Krishna? Who is God and how it appears? Your message is very fresh and actual, it based on your experience, it is very important. It is not just digested book’s knowledge. Really.
It is interesting, is it possible migration thru tattvas thru shifting soul’s vibration? For example, if I meditate on Lord Siva, do my vibrations shift into band of his vibrations? There is an example with steel road which accepts qualities of fire being rad-hoted. Is it work here?
According vaishnava vocabulary Radha and Krisna are from Vishnu-tattva. Is it true that only Vishnu-tattvis able to realize who They really are? If, for example, in my imagination I see me as a closed friend of Krishna, then I can be His friend. If I can imagine something then it is already exists, isn’t it?
It is interesting, is it possible migration thru tattvas thru shifting soul’s vibration? For example, if I meditate on Lord Siva, do my vibrations shift into band of his vibrations? There is an example with steel road which accepts qualities of fire being rad-hoted. Is it work here?
According vaishnava vocabulary Radha and Krisna are from Vishnu-tattva. Is it true that only Vishnu-tattvis able to realize who They really are? If, for example, in my imagination I see me as a closed friend of Krishna, then I can be His friend. If I can imagine something then it is already exists, isn’t it?
Re: Lord Shiva
Dear Hari!
Thank you very very much for your such amaizing explanation.
Thank you very very much for your such amaizing explanation.
Re: Lord Shiva
Thank you for this explanation. Do you mean that to be able to understand how Lord Shiva can be both a person and energy at the same time you have to be on the same level?
"Because of this basic incompatibility, Lord Siva is described by humans as the one who does wonderful things with wonderful qualities. The personality he is may only be known to those who are the same energy as him."
First, most of humans do not know him, second, his depiction may seem very awkward, naive, or primitive to the educated people. Third, how could this message reach educated people of our times then?
"Connecting to Radha and Krsna is easier because we all are their nature in essence and they have facilitated connecting to them. Indeed, they invite and encourage this connection. When one attempts it, they nurture it. This is not the case with Lord Siva."
This is definitely much easier to explain for a common man. The connection is bliss and relief. But it seems that the world we are living in is doing all but not facilitating this connection?
"Because of this basic incompatibility, Lord Siva is described by humans as the one who does wonderful things with wonderful qualities. The personality he is may only be known to those who are the same energy as him."
First, most of humans do not know him, second, his depiction may seem very awkward, naive, or primitive to the educated people. Third, how could this message reach educated people of our times then?
"Connecting to Radha and Krsna is easier because we all are their nature in essence and they have facilitated connecting to them. Indeed, they invite and encourage this connection. When one attempts it, they nurture it. This is not the case with Lord Siva."
This is definitely much easier to explain for a common man. The connection is bliss and relief. But it seems that the world we are living in is doing all but not facilitating this connection?
Re: Lord Shiva
First, most of humans do not know him, second, his depiction may seem very awkward, naive, or primitive to the educated people. Third, how could this message reach educated people of our times then?
I think that the deficiency in descriptions about Lord Siva are directly related to humans not knowing him very well. I am not sure why "this message" (whatever you mean by that
) has to reach educated people? I do not see people reaching out to Lord Siva unless they want something and often what they want is somewhat nasty. Why should we attempt to facilitate bothering him with their desires? If you are of his energy, you are connected and if you are not of his energy, you cannot connect, at least not in the usual sense of the term. Just because someone is educated does not mean they have a greater capacity to make the connection with Lord Siva. I am not actually sure what you mean by your comments or questions? If you desire, you can further clarify, but if you now better realize what I originally stated, you might not feel the need. Up to you!
Re: Lord Shiva
Dear Hari, thank you for your explanation,I am satisfied. I just found your comments very intriguing and elucidating at the same time. It seems that many of us have problem with person-energy duality. We do not really know how to deal with specific persons being one with a specific energy. Thus, the descriptions make us confused. For educated people of our times, to deal with energy is much easier than to deal with a person. I do not know why the original question was asked and I do not find it very relevant to me but your answer was relevant and generalisable. My very naive and emotional approach is that I do not need to know all these details about different persons and energies they govern - I do not think it might offer anything in my specific life circumstances neither I feel such a need. First of all, why should we assume that descriptions given so many years ago are correct? Second, I would rather hear why Radha & Krishna facilitate the connection.