The Shiva Mahapurana is said to have come from the mouth of Lord Shiva Himself. It is an encyclopaedia of various branches of knowledge and ancient esoteric wisdom, handed down through the ages by the grace of the sages and rishis of this holy land of India. It is arranged in seven Samhitas and written in the Sanskrit language. The rarest pearls are hidden in the depths of the ocean and the most precious gems are embedded in rocks. One has to depend on someone to delve deep into the heart of the ocean or chip off the encasing rocks and expose these treasures to our eyes. Modern man has neither the time nor the knowledge of this ancient language to go through this voluminous book, however, wonderful it may be. Vanamali has condensed and picked out the most perfect of the pearls of this ancient wisdom and given it to us as in a form which is easy to read and simple to understand.
"He looked at me, The conqueror of Love! He turned His glance on this frail body, He imbued these hands with strength and courage To write about His divine glories! O Thou Ocean of compassion! Lover of the lowly and despised! Shiva! Saviour of the world! A million prostrations do I make To Thee! The blue-necked Lord of Parvati"
The Veda presents the cause of the entire jagat as Mayin, wielder of maya, who does not come under the spell of maya, The Mayin is Maheswara- the Lord of all. He is not only the intelligent cause of the jagat but He is also in the form of the jagat. Space, Time and everything in space and time, are His manifestation and therefore not separate from Him. He is therefore both the father and the mother of the universe. Every form is His form and you can invoke Him in any given from. If you look at this Maheswara from the point of view of any manifest force or law, He becomes a devata. If you give a name in Sanskrit to this devata, the name will be descriptive of the form. Thus the name Vishnu means that the Lord is all-pervasive. The word Brahma means the one who is big without a limit. The word Rudra means the cause of tears as the giver of the fruits of actions and also one who is the remover of all tears. In any of the names and forms of worship, you can invoke the Maheswara as the one who is the cause of manifestation, sustenance and dissolution.
In the Shiva Purana the whole Lila of Maheswara is presented in a style that offers the readers a scope to explore and discover. One gets to know what it takes to be almighty. An insight of every virtue in its infinite measure is unavoidable as one goes through any Purana. The author, Vanamali, present the Lord as one who is invoked as Shiva as depicted in the Shiva Purana. The author's devotion to the Lord imbues her pen with facility of expression and helps the reader discover the glories of the Lord and leads to devotion. The author is a recipient of the Lord's blessings and by converting these blessings in the form of presenting the glories of the Lord; she becomes once again the recipient of the Lord's blessings in abundance.
"Trayambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam,
"Urvarukamiva bandanath, Mrityor mukshiya-mamritath."
"I worship the fragrant, three-eyed one in order to give me perfect health and release me from the coil of mortality as effortlessly as a ripe ground falling from its stalk and grant me immortality."
Puranic literature spring s from a deep need in the heart of the human being for fulfillment. It plumbs the depths of our psyche, which cradles in it, an unconscious and indescribable longing for the Supreme, and comes out with the most fantastic images and conceptions, which have baffled the mind of modern man. Those who have been brainwashed by modern scientific preconceptions, whose imaginations have been stifled by strict adherence to a truth which only the senses can see, may find it difficult to read the Puranas and to understand their deep insight into human nature. But those, whose intellects have not been stunted by these constricting notions, will delight in the absolute freedom of expression and the amazing fights of imagination to which the human mind can soar. What must be remembered is that the forms of the gods are not mere flights of fancy but they are meant to reveal the many facets of Truth, which are not perceivable to the five senser. These five sense are limited at best and deceitful at worst, for their main aim is to conceal a Truth, which is incomprehensible to them. The modern world-view knows only of heat and motion, energy bursting out in the Big Bang, some fifteen thousand million years back and expanding into a system of galaxies which is running down from a state of maximum heat and concentration, to a state of cold stillness and disintegration, during the course of a vast period of time. Life and consciousness, as we know them, are claimed to be secondary phenomena, which will pass away into the cold ambiguity of death in this meaningless dance of the elements. Consciousness has no special significance in this view of the cosmos. The scientific outlook is quite sceptical about ultimate values. There is no purpose, no plan in the universe and intelligence itself is only a by-product of matter, condemned to perish in the course of time. For one who is convinced of this view, the Puranas will only be a source of amusement. Which modern mind can believe in oceans of milk and five-headed gods!
The Puranic view of creation unlike the modern scientific view has its basis in the will of the Supreme Being. The ancient sages or rishis of India knew that matter is only a derivative of consciousness and contains within it, in seed form, the fundamental knowledge of its own inner spiritual potency, just as the whole of the mighty banyan tree is contained in its tiny mustard-like seed. There is an invisible field of energy prior to, and underlying the whole of this visible field. This field is unmanifest and not within the grasp of our five sense. The entire field of visible objects is only a projection of this. The rishis were well aware of this. Lord Krishna calls this field, avyaktha or the Unmanifest from which all this manifestation has sprung. Beyond even this field is the vast field called chidakasha or the field of consciousness, which is potent with the power to create? This field of consciousness, which is potent with the power to create. This field is also called Shakti or the creative aspect of the Divine. It is the feminine principal that is capable of all action and creation and hence it is known as the Divine Mother. The universe and all this phenomenon of life cannot really be called a creation, but a projection of the Divine Consciousness that appears inert but which is actually pulsating with life. The creation is not a making of something out of nothing, by someone, but it is a projection of that which has eternally existed. Science may have discovered many physical and chemical laws that govern the universe but it is yet to discover those transcendental laws that are fundamental to it. These spiritual laws are eternal and inherent in Nature.
Based on a cyclical conception of Time, Puranic history has a much wider scope than the modern, limited concept of human history. Modern history linear has no idea of where and when the line started and where it might end. What was there, before the beginning and what will come after the end? These are questions that the modern historian cannot answer. Only the unthinking mind will be satisfied with such a concept of history. The Puranas, however, give us cosmic history. An intelligent reading of them would enlarge our vision and give us a totally new concept of the history of the universe. We will be made to feel that the history of the human being is not simple or as short as modern historians would have us believe. H.G. Wells was one the ancient people, the Indian philosopher alone seem to have some perception of the vast ages through which existence seems to have passed."
Preface List of Illustrations Introduction
Epilogue Glossary of Sanskrit Terms Method of Worshipping Lord Shiva Glossary of Mantras Glossary of Classical Characters Vedic Invocation for World Peace Glossary of Names of Shiva
‘Puraanam’ is Mythology. ‘Puraa api navam iti Puraanam.’ Mythology, though ancient and fictitious, is modern and true.
Myth is fiction and Truth is fact. Myth cannot be built without truth. Truth cannot be colourful and enticing without myth and fiction. Mythology is meant to present truth picturesquely, beautifully and interestingly. Truth requires the magnifying lens of colourful imagination and fiction to make it magnificent and mighty, enchantingly beautiful. kamadhenu is a mythological wish-fulilling cow-a wonderful combination of bird’s wings, cow’s body and girl’s beautiful face. In mythology, facts are collected and judiciously combined to present truth. Readers are to enjoy the taste of fiction and benefit by the nutritive calories of truth.
An attempt is made in this book to bring out Truth without marring the beauty of the myth.
Dr. K Subrahmanyam (also known as Siddhanta Thulasi) is presently the Pro Vice Chancellor, Sri Vivekananda Yoga University, Bangalore. He is the Ex-Principal of National Defence Academy, Pune and Retired Principal of Vivekananda Gurukulam College, Madurai Second son of Smt Thlasi and Sri Shastri, he was born on 16.8.1942 at Siddhantam in Andhra Pradesh.
An ardent admirer of Swami Vivekananda, he has written two books on Swamiji: 1) Vibhuti Vivekananda (English, Tamil and Telugu) and 2) Vivekananda, the Man of Letters (English).
‘Gita Darshan’, a Sri Ramakrishna Mutt publication, was written by him. In his book ‘Sri Rama and Sri Krishna as Sri Ramakrishna’ parallels in the lives of the three gods have been very well presented. A disciple of Swami Chidbhavananda, he has translated Swamiji’s commentary on the Gita into Telugu and has written a book on him: ‘Tapovana Tapasvi’. A lover and exponent of the epics, he has written two books on Hanuman (English, Tamil and German) and Bhishma (English).
An architect of Value Education, he has written three books o it: 1) For Propriety of Mind.
His commentary on the Bhaja Govindam (English) and relevance and symbolic significance of Avatars (English) have been published by Ramakrishna Tapovanam. His ‘Sadhana Deepika’ (Seven Steps to Self-Realisation) is a guide to spiritual aspirants. A devotee, his poems ‘Flowers of Truth’ and ‘A Spray of Mystic Melody’ are collections of his devotional expressions. A thinker and researcher, his articles (more than 200) have been published in magazines like ‘Vedanta kesari’ and ‘Triveni’. A good speaker he has delivered lectures on a number of topics in various radio and TV programmes. He is in demand to inspire the youth in human values and the general public in spiritual life through antaryogams (spiritual retreats).
In February 2009, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati gave a unique series of satsangs,telling the stories of Shiva. This, however, was no ordinary storytelling. Held at the precincts of the ancient temple of Baidyanatheshwar Shankarbag, the program became the medium of a special awakening. Everyone present felt the unfoldment of Shiva consciousness at their own level.
Shiva Charitra ? Narratives of Shiva is a compilation of these satsangs. Covering a wide range of topics, including creation, pashupata tantra, the Shiva-Shakti principle, the philosophy of bhakti,the significance of the Shivalingam, Swami Niranjan explains the symbologies inherent in the stories of Shiva. Whether one ponders over the deeper meanings, or simply delights in the Lila, the cosmic sport, of the divine, the grace of Shiva and guru is undoubtedly experienced across the pages.
Swami Niranjanananda was born in Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh) in 1960. Guided from birth by his guru, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, he came at the age of four to live with him at the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger where he received training in yogic and spiritual sciences through yoga nidra. In 1971 he was initiated into Dashnami sannyasa, and thereafter for eleven years he lived overseas, mastering skills in varied areas, acquiring an understanding of different cultures and helping establish Satyananda Yoga ashrams and centres in Europe, Australia, North and South America.
At the behest of his guru, he returned to India in 1983 to guide the activities of Bihar School of Yoga, Sivananda Math and the Yoga Research Foundation at Ganga Darshan. In 1990 he was initiated as a paramahamsa sannyasin and in 1995 anointed spiritual preceptor in succession to Swami Satyananda Saraswati. He established Bihar Yoga Bharati, the first university of yoga, in 1994 and the Yoga Publications Trust in 2000 in Munger. He also initiated a children's yoga movement, Bal Yoga Mitra Mandai, in 1995. In addition to steering the activities at Munger, he travelled extensively to guide seekers around the world till 2009, when he received the command to embark on a new phase of sannyasa life.
Author of many classic books on yoga, tantra and the Upanishads, Swami Niranjan is a magnetic source of wisdom on all aspects of yogic philosophy, practice and lifestyle. He ably combines tradition with modernity as he continues to nurture and spread his guru's mission from his base at Munger.
In 2008, the children of Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal, Children's Yoga Fellowship, a yoga movement of children established by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, approached Swamiji and asked him to tell the stories of Shiva. Swamiji assured them that he would do so. Accordingly, from 14th to 19th February 2009, Swamiji conducted a unique program in Munger consisting of discourses on Shiva and worship of Shiva, one of the most prominent figures of Indian culture, philosophy and history.
Held at Baidyanath Shankarbag, an ancient temple dedicated to Shiva, adjacent to the old ashram where the Bihar School of Yoga first came into being, it was an ideal location for invoking the 'auspicious one'. The satsangs were held in Hindi; however, devotees and guests from allover the world sat transfixed through the program, as if transported to another realm. This was no ordinary storytelling; every word that Swamiji spoke became a mantra, radiating a power that lifted everyone present out of their ordinary selves, irrespective of whether or not they understood the meaning.
All through the satsangs, an extraordinary brilliance seemed to emanate from Swamiji, as if Shiva himself had come to reside in him. Interspersed with powerful chants from ancient texts, rituals of Shiva worship, joyous kirtans and short enactments of Shiva's life by children, each session was a vibrant invocation of the Shiva tattwa. Shiva no longer remained an idea, but became an experiential truth for every participant.
Titled Shiva Charitra, 'Narratives of Shiva', the satsangs distilled the essence of Shiva Purana, one of the eighteen major Puranas of Indian literature. The word purana means 'once upon a time'. Often interpreted as mythology, the Puranas are actually documented history of the earliest days of creation, sometimes written in coded language, sometimes in stories and parables.
The facts stated in the Puranas are now being corroborated by modern science. Swamiji talks about the Big Bang theory clearly referred to in the Puranas, saying: "When this fact of science is compared with the events described in our itihasa or history and the Puranas, we come to realize that what is written in the Puranas is true. They are not flights of imagination from somebody's fertile mind. Scientific truths, the eternal truths, have been inscribed in the Puranas. If you think that the scriptures contain random speculation, you should revise your opinion."
Narration of stories from ancient texts and scriptures is an enduring tradition of India, and is known as katha. Specialized kathakars, storytellers, who may be householders or sannyasins, travel from place to place conducting days of storytelling in which the young and the old alike participate. Swamiji's satsangs were based along the lines of this tradition, but conducted in his distinct style. His approach was deeply yogic and spiritual.
Swamiji's central question was: 'Who is Shiva?' Is he to be accepted just as a Godhead or can we really access him? For an answer to this question, said Swamiji, we have to look at the basis of creation. The universe with its galaxies, stars and planets is constantly expanding. This is the literal meaning of Brahman, the term used for the ultimate reality or Shiva. If we apply this concept to the past, it means that the creation began at some point of time and since then it has been expanding continuously. The question therefore arises, 'What was there in the beginning?' Swamiji says, "It is said that before creation there was neither sat, existence, nor asat, non-existence; there was no sky, no space, no infinite expanse of water. Were they hidden somewhere? Who could have hidden them? Who was the creator? Is there a creator, or is there not a creator?"
The answer follows, "There was total darkness in all the directions and in that darkness there was only the one existent reality, Tatsat Brahman, and there was nothing else beside that. In the Shaiva agamas, the tantric scriptures of Shiva, that existent reality has been called Paramshiva. This reality is immanent in creation; is responsible for creation, preservation and dissolution, yet is not bound by it. Paramshiva is the eternal witness or drashta of this play of creation.
After detailing the different events related to the evolution of creation, Swamiji says, "The word 'Shiva' points towards both Shiva and Shakti, and it is the most benevolent and auspicious element in creation. Shiva is jnana and Shiva is the ultimate experience. If Shiva is the goal, then bhakti is the means. Once again, ask yourself, 'Who was there before creation and who will be here afterwards?' You will receive the answer, 'Before creation, Shiva was there and he will be there after creation, and Shiva and Shakti are not different from each other.
Shiva is the transcendental reality of this creation and the stories in this book are connected with his Lila or divine play throughout the different ages. Some of the stories depict his transcendence, while others are symbolic. For example, it is said that the moon god had twenty-seven daughters. The gods represent the different forms of the energies that pervaded creation after the Big Bang. These energies eventually solidified into the planets and constellations as we know them today.
The stories related to Kartikeya and Ganesha, the sons of Shiva and Parvati, represent different aspects of this transcendental reality. Kartikeya, the first born, is essentially the offspring of Shiva. He was born from Shiva's third eye, the eye of wisdom, and he represents the pure jnana aspect of being. It is said that six mothers, the six krittikas, nursed him. The individual journeys through the six chakras and evolves to the state of wisdom in sahasrara. This state of jnana is accompanied by non-attachment or vairagya. This is what is conveyed in the story of Kartikeya, when he leaves behind his parents in Kailash and settles in the South.
The other son is Ganesha, who is born of Parvati and later accepted by Shiva. Ganesha represents the higher mind and is the first evolute of Shakti. We can say that the manifest creation begins with his birth. In human existence, it is said that Ganesha stands for the lower brain, which includes all the autonomic functions. One has to develop awareness of these functions before one can have access to the higher functions of the brain. As one progresses on the path of evolution, one will be able to piece together more insights into this symbology.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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Vedas (1349)
Upanishads (657)
Puranas (835)
Ramayana (837)
Mahabharata (276)
Dharmasastras (164)
Vedanta (296)
Gita (1003)
Goddess (450)
Bhakti (238)
Saints (1130)
Gods (1286)
Shiva (311)
Journal (132)
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