Hindus believe that there is one God, Brahman, who is the cause and foundation of all existence. Brahman, being the Absolute, is one, indivisible, unchangeable, beyond action and inaction, beyond good and evil. The Ultimate is referred to as Purushottoma (Highest Spirit), Parameshvara (Highest Lord), Bhagvan (God) and many other terms. But latent within Brahman is the power of life. When this power is manifested in the creation of a universe, it takes the form of maya, the material world.
"Vedic Invocations, which are deemed animistic and crudely pagan by many scholars, merely invoke God through his attributes and functions. He is the Force behind all of nature's mighty forces, the Light behind the light; the Terror behind the terror; the Delight behind delights; the Ultimate Activity behind all
activities. Similarly, God's various names in the Vedas are the one God viewed in terms of his attributes, functions, and nature. There is no real suggestion of anything besides the One."
"Hardly polytheism. Long before the burgeoning Hindu pantheon; long before Shiva, Vishnu, Rama, Ganesh, Parvati, Saraswati, Laxmi, and the 35,999,993 others, this is the God of the Vedas, and religion in its most pristine form."
The God/Goddess Shiva or Lord Shiva is the other great figure in the modern pantheon. In contrast to the regal attributes of Vishnu, Shiva is a figure of renunciation. A favourite image portrays him as an ascetic, performing meditation alone in the fastness of the Himalayas. There he sits on a tiger skin, clad only in a loincloth, covered with sacred ash that gives his skin a gray colour. His trident is stuck into the ground next to him. Around his neck is a snake. From his matted hair, tied in a topknot, the river Ganga (Ganges) descends to the earth. His neck is blue, a reminder of the time he drank the poison that emerged while gods and demons competed to churn the milk ocean. Shiva often appears in this image as an antisocial being, who once burned up Kama, the god of love, with a glance.
The great yogi image as seen above, accents Shiva’s ascetic aspect. It provides a model for many Shaivites who seek to practice asceticism. Shiva is depicted here in a meditating posture. His eyes are half-shut to the world, suggesting that he is in the world but no of it. He wears wild animals skins, emblematic of his primal energy. His home is in the Himalayas.
He carries a trident that represents control over mind, body and intellect. Around his neck is a tamed cobra symbolizing his triumph over the ego, because the ego, like the serpent, harasses us with desires. In the top of his hair lies the goddess Ganga. From here, the river Ganges flows softly to earth, suggesting Shiva’s compassionate nature.
The Nataraja is one of the best known images of this Hindu deity. The image depicts Shiva’s cosmic dance during the auspicious occasion of the Maha Shivaratri, the great night of Shiva. Shiva dances the night away dispelling the ignorance of the night. Now, the ascetic yogi is a dancer. He dances wild and free as indicated by his flying hair, but his face is tranquil and composed. His forearms indicate his great power, and each of them expresses a meaningful gesture. In one hand he holds a “dhamaru” (a two-headed drum). In the other he holds a flame. With the drum he sounds the world into existence. With the flame he destroys it in order to create another.
an invitation to approach. His feet also make significant gestures. With a planted foot he crushes the demon of ignorance and sin. The lifted foot symbolizes his freedom from the world. Surrounding the entire image is a ring of fire.This is Samsara, the phenomenal world.
One final image of Shiva illustrates his endogenous nature. All the great gods of Hinduism have their essential female counterpart. This female aspect of the divine is depicted in a variety of ways. One of the more interesting ways is illustrated in the image of Shiva as the half-woman lord. In it, Shiva’s endogeny is shown as a single individual with male and female halves. Such an image suggests the all-encompassing nature of the divine. It reminds one of the limitations of anything in human experience to capture it.
Lord Shiva is the God of all. Like the mother He showers the grace for all the children, but the misusing children get punished. This Supreme Lord better than a mother does not withhold the grace, He is our beloved pashupati.
Foreword 2 Shiva, The Destroyer and the Restorer 7
Shiv Tattva 8
Ganga-Vandana 9
Hindu Beliefs 11
Meditation, A Brief History 12
Shiva, the Supreme God 18
Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra – Its meaning and Spiritual significance 21
Rules for Shiva Meditation 23
Feats of Shiva Meditation and Meditation Outlines (3 outlines) 27
The Sadhus or Hindu Hermits 32
An Introduction to Sadhu Meditation 39
Kundalini and Tantra – Part One 45
Kundalini and Sex – Part Two 48
Self-Development and Realization – The Sub-Conscious Mind 52 The Bhagavad-Gita on Self-realization 58 The Western Ethics of self-Realization 60 Self-realization and Psychological Disturbances by Dr. Roberto
Assagioli, M.D.
64 The Third Eye, by John N. Bleibtreu (informational article only) 85
Epilogue – The Meditating Shiva 103
Contents 106