Pages 21–30🔗

From tomorrow onwards, we will start the sutras, or aphorisms of Shiva, the Shiva Sutras. From tomorrow onwards, we will start the techniques of Shiva to enter into his consciousness. To begin, today we will first open ourselves so that we can enter into the Devi consciousness. This way Shiva will descend upon us so that we can experience Shiva consciousness. This way, Shiva can happen within us.

Now, let us enter into the Devi consciousness. When I say Devi consciousness I mean that you should just be completely open and receptive, with no opposing or supporting words. Just be available to whatever is happening inside and outside your being. Just make yourself available and you will be in Devi consciousness. I will just guide you. You will be visualizing yourself as a lotus. Just open yourself, petal by petal, leaf by leaf, and wait for Shiva to descend upon you in this deep, receptive mood. Lay aside all your doubts and questions. Become flexible ready to receive whatever that happens to you. When you are in this totally trusting mood, completely in the present moment, you are in the space of Devi, receptive, accepting and becoming a part of the energy that descends on you. Become Devi and experience the bliss of accepting and enjoying all that happens to you.

May you be in Nithyanandam, eternal bliss!

DEVI ASKS

In a sense Vigyana Bhairava Tantra is a dialogue. At least it starts as a dialogue between two people who could have just as well been one. In fact they were one. The womanly aspect of the ultimate form of the formless asks the manly aspect to clarify doubts that she has.

Why is that the woman asks and not the man?

I can easily say that it is in the nature of women, and it may be true as far as humans are concerned. But here we are talking about Shiva and Parvati, Shiva and Shakti, the ultimate energies of manliness and womanliness.

Shiva is purusha, the origin of all that there is, was and will ever be, and the passive, unmoving, undisturbed principle. Shakti is the active principle; the kinetic as different from the static energy. She created all that there is, was and ever will be. It is the ever moving, ever active cosmic energy asking the unmoving, centered cosmic intelligence to explain what it takes to reach the state of that unmoving center.

This dialogue, or if you prefer the monologue, between two parts of the same cosmic principle, is the most definitive guide to enlightenment that you would ever come across. It is delivered in a form that is cryptic, and for good reasons. It is meant only for those who have the ability to understand. It is said only to those who are ready for that state of consciousness that Shiva represents. For others, it needs a guide to walk them through this pathless land. Let me be your guide. Hold my hand and begin this journey. Listen to me with our heart and being and understand.

In order to fully comprehend and internalize the true meaning of what has been said in a book or a speech, one needs to understand completely the mindset of the person who has written the book or has spoken the words.

Shiva delivered these sutras to his consort, lover and disciple Devi Parvati. These words, these mantras and these techniques were spoken from the heart from a lover o his beloved. Shiva spoke and Devi heard. The wisdom of the speaker reflected the nature of the listener, so much in tune they were. The supreme master speaks to the supreme disciple. Unless we understand the mindset and body language of the speaker and listener, and their intense feelings for one another, we cannot grasp the truth of these techniques.

If you read superficially with your intellect without understanding the mindset and feelings of the master and disciple, without visualizing their body language, your understanding too will be superficial. You may wonder why one should have this understanding, what is the link? Unless there is an intense connection between the speaker and the listener truth can never be understood.

Only an enlightened master like Shiva would have the deep love and compassion to express the truth in line with the mindset, feelings and receptivity of the listener. Had he been a philosopher his concern would have been to establish his knowledge by using as complicated an expression as possible without any reference to the listener's ability to receive what is expressed.

Another complication would be if the listener was someone who considered himself more knowledgeable than the speaker, in which case his interest would be to argue to establish that he know better. Either way, whether the speaker is bent on establishing how clever he is or whether when the listener is bent of establishing how much he knows, in both cases the transmission suffers. In both cases just words flow unceasingly, but truth does not get expressed or received.

The reason for the expression is of great importance in the transmission of the truth. The speaker's emotional state, the listener's mindset and the reason for the expression are the three essential conditions that determine the character and the truth of a sutra.

In the case of Bhagavad Gita, the speaker Krishna was an enlightened master. However, Arjuna was a proud prince who had been conditioned all his life into an inflexible and uncaring mindset. This mindset became the biggest block to Arjuna's receiving the truth of what Krishna was trying to impart to him.

That is why Krishna had to speak for 18 chapters. There was nothing in what was said to warrant 18 chapters and 700 verses. Again and again Arjuna questions and Krishna has to repeat himself. One wonders what kind of a depressive mindset Arjuna would have been in.

Had Arjuna not been a prince but an ordinary man perhaps he would have led a life that would make him flexible enough to accept the views of other people. Being a ruler, he did not have to listen to others. He had no reason to change himself. Being a prince perhaps he was a better mirror of the attitudes of the people of that day. Had he been an ordinary man, there might not have been the need to deliver the Gita.

Because he was a prince and was of such a rigid frame of mind, Krishna had to express the truth to him in many different ways and many different angles. When truth is expressed in such diverse ways, there is a chance of completely missing it.

This is why Krishna had to express various aspects of the truth as Karma yoga, bhakti yoga, dhyana yoga, raja yoga etc. This creates the possibility of confusing the listener. Another issue here is the reason for Krishna's expression. Krishna wanted Arjuna to wage war against his kinsmen. Krishna had the need to inspire Arjuna to fight.

Whatever may have been the reason, it influenced the teaching. Reasons or objectives will compromise the teaching. Truth will not be revealed truly. Automatically, the Truth will be watered down. The moment there is a reason behind a teaching, the quality of the teaching suffers.

If you go by all these factors and look at Shiva Sutra, then you will know that Shiva Sutra does not belong to any other classification ordinary sastras, stotras and sutras. Shiva Sutra expresses the quality of the ultimate truth without dilution, since the person who teaches is an enlightened master, and the person who receives the highest teaching is also an enlightened soul. The sutras are delivered by Shiva to Parvati, after her enlightenment. The sutras are not delivered when Parvati was unenlightened. Another important thing is that there is no particular reason for the teaching. Shiva had no motive to influence Devi act in one way or the other. This dialogue is an exchange of divine love.

Without any reason, there was this exchange of divine love! Shiva Sutra is a wave of bliss born out of the ocean of bliss. Someone, somewhere, saw this bliss wave and documented it. That’s all. The ocean of bliss for no reason created a wave of bliss and that is Shiva Sutra. By delivering Shiva Sutra, Shiva is not trying to prepare or inspire Devi to wage a war or to stop a war.

While Krishna delivered the Gita, Arjuna’s ego and restless mind kept raising questions. Arjuna was not able to imbibe the truth before he was shown a glimpse of the Truth, the Vishwaroopa Darshan. He had doubts deep inside. He thought that Krishna was trying to make him wage war for His personal reasons. Here we have to understand an important issue. When the disciple is sitting in front of the Guru with a doubt, then Guru has to use so many words and different ways to convey the truth and in the process, the truth to be delivered is not delivered completely.

The truth cannot be delivered in such a manner. It disappears without being delivered fully and totally. It is like the seed not being allowed to become a tree. The Guru has to take a big responsibility to try to get the disciple out of doubt. When there is a doubt in the disciple’s head, it certainly affects the quality of delivery of the truth. This is what happened in the case of Gita. Fortunately it did not happen to Shiva Sutra.

The person who delivered the Shiva Sutra was the genuine embodiment of the ultimate truth and the person who received it was also the genuine embodiment of the ultimate truth. There was no selfish or selfless reason for delivering the sutras. Because, even if there is a self-less reason, there is a possibility that the quality of the truth will suffer.

This is what is meant by the Zen Koan ‘sound of one hand clapping’. Two hands become one. There is no differentiation between saying and listening. The speaker and Listener merge. Shiva and Devi have already merged.

If we look from these three perspectives, the state of the person who expresses the Shiva Sutra, the state of the person who receives it and the reason for its delivery, we can understand the highest level of quality of the Shiva Sutras.

Sometimes, if the disciple listens to the Guru without genuine seeking, the truth will be compromised. The disciple will sleep closing his eyes or with open eyes. There will be tamas, if there is a compulsion or there is a lack of interest. When Arjuna was listening to Gita, he had only one reason. He wanted to get out of his dilemma. The desire to come out of depression makes him to ask more questions and keeps him listen to Krishna’s words. He hopes hat he will come out of depression by listening to one aspect or another of Krishna’s teachings. In Shiva Sutra the listener is also a great enlightened soul. Therefore, there is no reason for Shiva to water down the truth, dilute the quality of the Truth. Out of overflowing wisdom, love and compassion, Shiva teaches the sutras to His beloved as she sits on his lap.

Usually there is a compulsion for the Acharya or Guru to convince the disciple that he knows something more than the disciple. Only then will the disciple sit and listen. If this reason is present then it will dilute the quality of the teaching. When Adi Shankara offered his teachings to the disciples, they were not in poorna, they were not complete. When Buddha taught his disciples they were not in sunya, in mindless state They had to engage with and win over arguments with their disciples. There was a need for them to convince their disciples that they knew more than them. When someone tries to convince another, the quality naturally suffers.

For Shiva there was no reason to convince, prove or explain his inner state to Devi. Because Devi had already touched the peak of love, devotion and enlightenment! Not only that, she enjoys the proximity, physically and psychologically, to her Guru. She sits on Shiva’s lap itself. She enjoys the spiritual presence of the Guru as well as physical presence of the Guru. She is already in communion with Guru at all levels. Hence there is no reason for Shiva to convince Devi.

In other words, Devi offers such a wonderful platform for the Guru that the Guru does not have to remain in a particular frame or state or be bound by a reason. We have to understand one thing clearly. It is because of the lack of such wonderful disciples that the Tamil Siddhas created fictional disciples and sung to them songs of wisdom. All along this has been the problem. Gurus are always there but there is always a dearth for disciples. A siddha sung songs to agappai (in Tamil, agam refers to one’s inner space and pei to ghost), inner ghost. He took out his own mind and assumed it as his disciple. Paambatti Siddha sings ‘aadu paambe, aadu paambe’ (exhorting snake to dance); Idaikkaadar creates Koonaar and Kuthambai Siddha sings to Kuthambai, both being fictional characters.

This is a great problem for Masters. Only a disciple, who does not exist, despite his lack of presence can understand the truth that exists despite Maya. If disciples are not available even though they are physically present, they will not know how to go beyond the mind that shows what is not there. Only that one, who is not there even when he is there, can understand the truth by going beyond the mind that reveals what is not there.

Actually, when a genuine seeker is born truth reveals itself on its own. There always exist a deep connection between a genuine disciple and a genuine guru. There is no doubt between these two. There are no disturbances between them.

When Dakshinamurthy taught his four disciples, there was no disturbance between them. However, there were no intimacy of feeling or relationship between him and his disciples. In Shiva Sutra, there is a communion of body, mind and emotions between the guru and disciple. There is no boundary between the two.

Even though glorified in thousands of ways, exalted in thousands of ways, the relationship between Dakshinamurthy and his four disciples had nothing to say beyond a point. The disciples saw Dakshinamurthy as their leader. It is called dasa bhava, one of the devotional relationships between a guru and his disciple. Seeing guru as a friend is saka bhava. Arjuna saw Krishna as his friend. That's why when Krishna shows the Vishwaroopa Darshan, Arjuna cries out, 'Oh! Lord. Not knowing who you are, I called you Yadava, using your caste name, as a friend. Forgive me!' Since Arjuna saw Krishna as his friend, the truth cannot be revealed fully.

Seeing guru as a mother is matru bhava. The relationship between Ramakrishna and Kali is that of son and mother. Even here there is only so much that can be told. At this level, maybe the path can be shown. The full truth cannot be transferred. 'After this, you have to go beyond me', Kali herself says to him. Totapuri, Ramakrishna's guru, tells him to go beyond Kali. Matru bhava can only show you the path to the truth and not the truth itself. There will be always a boundary between guru and disciple.

Seeing Guru as a child is vatsalya bhava. Yashoda sees Krishna as her child. Krishna shows her the entire cosmos when he opens his mouth to her but he could not reveal the truth. There is a boundary in all these bhavas. Even if it is between the mother and the son, there is some limit. If the son is 15 years old or above, the mother cannot hug her son more than two minutes. If they hug for some more time, there will be some disturbances in their feelings. They both may feel uncomfortable. Whether it is son or daughter, as soon as they are physically matured to become a father or mother, the boundary between them and their parents gets established.

Only madhura bhava, seeing guru as the beloved transcends all boundaries. The relationship between Shiva and Devi is that of a pure madhura bhava. That is why there is no time gap, no space gap, no disturbances, no doubt between them and the truth is fully revealed. The wave of truth emerged from the sea of bliss, fell on the sea of bliss and consumed fully by the sea of bliss. Someone saw this and captured it. Thus did the Shiva Sutra get revealed. There is not an iota of dilution in the truth. The Truth was sculpted by the truth, revealed by the truth at the pinnacle of love, intimacy, and wisdom.

So far, we understood the environment in which the truth was revealed. Now, let us understand the Guru, Lord Shiva. We may have some doubt. Is it really written by Shiva or someone wrote the Shiva Sutra and attributed the authorship to Shiva?

People doubt even when they see me talk in the recorded video. Someone asked me, ‘Swamiji do you keep a ‘teleprompter’ in front of you when you speak?’ I told him, I can understand if you doubt a printed article because many appoint ghost writers. But this is the first time I understand that there is a possibility that people doubt even a video. When we are capable of doubting a video, there is all possibility that we will doubt a palm leaf. There is always a doubt as to whether Lord Shiva was in a human form? Whether he is a god? How can we call Lord Shiva, who is God, as a guru?

Someone asked Vivekananda: ‘We can understand if you call Ramakrishna as your Guru but how can you say that he is God. Is it not an exaggeration?’ Vivekananda asks this person. ‘Do you know who is God? Can you tell me whatever you know about God?’ Only then the questioner realized that whatever he knows as God is just the collection of ideas from his reading a few books and his listening to others. These ideas are imaginations and mere concepts. Ramakrishna was beyond all the ideas and imaginations. That is the reason why Vivekananda says his Guru is more than God.

There are five universal actions called pancha kriyas. They are: creation, protection, destruction, creating illusion and pulling a soul out of maya with grace. God performs these five actions. The dancing Shiva, Nataraja, has four hands. His upper right hand holds the drum, symbolizing creation; upper left hand holds fire, symbolizing destruction; lower right hand blesses seekers and lower left hand points to raised foot, both pulling them out of maya into liberation. Caught under his leg is the demon of ignorance. The snake around him symbolizes Shakti, who is the creator of maya. Inside of all this Shiva is tranquil.

Shiva carries out these five activities in what is called the Shiva Tandava, Ananda Koothu, Divine Dance. The energy that performs all these five activities is the Cosmic Energy. Shiva performs the first four actions from his inner most nirvanic layer or bliss layer. One needs to understand all the seven energy layers. The first layer is the gross physical layer which is made of flesh and bone. The second layer is the pranic layer of breath energy. The third is the mind layer, the layer of thoughts. The fourth is the etheric layer or subtle body, comprising the flow of emotions. The fifth layer is the causal layer that we experience as deep sleep. The sixth layer is the bliss body. We can experience this layer when one realizes oneself. The last Nirvanic layer is when we merge with Existence becoming one with God. The Divine Energy can perform all the four actions of creation, protection, destruction and putting souls into illusion, from the nirvanic layer itself. However, to perform the action of pulling souls out of maya or illusion, it has to take a human form. The reason is that Divine Energy does not need your cooperation to do the first four actions of creation, protection, destruction and putting you in maya, but when it comes to pulling you out of maya it needs your consent.

Creation is not done with your consent. Protection is also not dependent on you. Similarly destruction takes place without your consent. God puts you in maya without seeking your support.

However, to make you enlightened, God needs your support. Imagine that God asks you to fill an application requesting you to provide details of who you are as in a visa form to issue you the visa for liberation. You need to fill it up and sign it. You may not fill the application or you may delay the process. To get your support for your own enlightenment, God assumes the human body. God assumes all the seven layers or bodies when he descends on earth as Guru. When performing the first four actions, he only had nirvanic body but when he comes to give you enlightenment he assumes all the seven bodies. In fact, when God comes down as Guru, he is not coming down, he comes up!

Hence, when we say God is Guru, we are not belittling him. Lord Shiva was on earth like us with seven bodies. He was here as Guru. His lotus feet were on this earth. Wherever his feet touched, those places became locations of cosmic energy, places of worship of sacred water and temples of linga. The first truth is that Shiva assumed a physical body and was there on this earth.

Q: Swamiji, what is God and what happens during enlightenment?

A: Whatever I or anyone else can say will be inadequate and therefore will be a lie, whether it is about God or about enlightenment. This is why atheists have a field day. They gloat that you can prove nothing about God and realizing God.

Of course, they are right. And they are completely wrong as well.

You cannot prove anything to others but you can prove for yourself. You can experience God yourself if you have the courage, if you have the determination and if you have that quest. The problem is that one who has experienced God does not find it necessary to talk about it. It is no longer necessary because one feels fulfilled by that experience.

People who have not experienced can either talk about achieving that realization or that there is nothing to realize. Both are wrong.

There is nothing to achieve because you are already with God and in God. You just need to be aware that is all. Realization of God is merely the realization of your true nature.

Our true nature is divine. This is why again and again I say to you: I am not here to prove that I am God. My mission is to show you that you are God.

All that you need to do is to wake up to that awareness, that is all there is to it.

I can tell you only one thing; be aware and you will experience God, nothing else needs to be done. When you experience and come out you will also have the same trouble and you will tell others that you are not able to explain. Actually, before enlightenment before I read all these great books, I used to think that these fellows were playing a game. They don't have a definition for the main product they are selling, whether god or enlightenment. None of these fellows are able to give explanation. They are selling something that they can't even define. I thought, what is happening? What kind of business is this? But after I entered into the business I also understood. Nothing can be done about it. I can do one thing; I can put you in the same problem. I can put you in the same space where you will have same problem. Otherwise I can't explain. And whatever I say will be the half-truth.

What happens during enlightenment again it is difficult to explain. Let you be aware and experience for yourself. See, all these questions you ask because you don't have confidence that you can be reach that state. You don't have confidence, you think, no, no, what he talks is right, but I can't experience all those things, so let me at least have a little knowledge and go back to the house.