The Experience Dr. Nilima Chitgopekar | Rajendra Mongia
The Shiva Experience
In the tales of Shiva lie the essential teachings of our ancestors that when applied conscientiously lead to a transformed and evolved living.
Shiva, I will trace your lineage Will I feel full? I will construct your history Will I be satiated? I will throw light on your symbolism Will I attain salvation? Just give me a place in your heart Or better still you take a place in mine why only a place, take my heart my lotus heart, ever open for receiving The grace of your love O Shiva. Nilima Chitgopekar
Why Experience Mythology and Experience Shiva Dear Readers, I am Nilima Chitgopekar, an Associate Professor at the Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi. Experience Mythology is part of Transformative Learning Solutions Pvt Ltd. Project, a company which I co- founded. In this project an effort is made to analyse why certain ideas and teachings have persisted for millennia, while others have disappeared. Hinduism has always been a religion of millions of gods, but from the earliest times there has been a pattern of some gods being prominent and others fading into oblivion. Having studied Shiva and aspects of Hindu mythology academically for more than 30 years, I know how many historical forces have been there over the centuries, which could have replaced Shiva and his philosophy. So many other gods have gained prominence in Hindu mythology such as Indra(king of gods) , Vayu (the god of air), Varuna (god of waters and the guardian of the western sector), but only the 'fittest' of gods and their teachings have managed to survive for so long and with such prominence. Shiva has remained a supreme deity for so long. This is even more intriguing since he was one of the very FIRST gods to be seen since the beginning of civilization. I believe, this is because Shiva's teachings have been going through a process of adaptation for centuries. They have managed to meet the psychological needs of several generations including ours. We even see many key Shaiva associations flourish to this day - Yoga, Ayurveda, dance, the concepts revolving around death, time and several invaluable facets of Indian mythology which all ultimately lead to Shiva. Today, through our study, we can confidently say that certain ideas are evergreen and can help transform lives and this is the reason why they have lasted so long. We have analysed how these ideas contained in mythology have enough malleability for changing times, while maintaining their core philosophy. And for this reason, having lived a life closely associated with the myths of Shiva, I thought of it as my duty to share with you what I have understood and enunciated as Shiva's teachings and secrets. They have brought such tremendous joy and if I may say so, success and satisfaction to my life and hence I got inspired to co- create The Shiva Experience Program. Our organisation and research teams have structured the program where we represent these ideas to you in the simplest manner possible, and hopefully will provide you with valuable insights to solve issues and to find answers to conundrums that you have lived with for a long time.
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Introduction to Shiva Shiva has been hailed as one of the most important gods of the Hindu pantheon. His status as a god finds respect in the whole of the Indian subcontinent and through his mythology and iconography, which includes all the other art forms - sculpture, paintings, and other renderings of Shiva, he emerges not only as popular god but also much loved one. Shiva has captured the attention of not only the common man on the street, who is in awe of the deity, but also of many scholars, who are riveted by the vast array of subjects revolving around Shiva - the philosophy, the theology, the art, the rituals, the history.... Whether seated as a Mahayogi, whether seated in the Dakshinamurti form as a great teacher, or standing tall, statuesque and majestic, Shiva is absolutely enthralling in all the different asanas. Clad in rough tiger- skin garb, his hair matted like snails, snakes slithering up and down his chest, yet he embodies power, mystique and self control. Shiva has the aura of a self contained, self sufficient persona. He doesn't need much to satisfy him, and does not need elaborate rituals to please him. It is by emulating this aspect of Shiva that one can try and get the very confidence of being. We see many people around us trying to get their sense of identity by what they wear, and own, and they make sure others are aware of their possessions. However, the majesty of Shiva's simplicity gives him an astoundingly empowered and unique personality among all the gods. Shiva has a grandeur which is not complimented by any kind of ornaments. His aura lies in his simplicity. Shiva does not dress beautifully or in exquisite clothes. He commands respect by his simplicity. Shiva's is a more sustainable form of empowerment, which relies on one's internal strength and characteristics, which are eternal and embedded in you, and only need to be excavated. Moreover, Shiva has his own signature style, and is not swayed by the other gods, which makes him a unique personality.
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Shiva - The Destroyer In what is often called the ‘trinity’ of the Hindu pantheon, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. This formula has been coming down unchallenged over the centuries. But as we look at mythology, we find many aspects which contradict this division and characterization. Shiva, according to this prescription, surprisingly, is approached whenever the world is in trouble. By his actions he preserves, saves and stabilizes the world. All of these actions are part of his personality and it would indeed be an injustice to associate the mighty deity with only acts of destruction. Metaphysically, one can say, yes, in one sense Shiva is a ‘destroyer’ as he destroys ego, anger and lust which lie within us and in members of the celestial world. Or one may ask, if he is indeed the destroyer, is destruction all that bad? For, isn't it only after one destroys the old that the new can take birth? Through his actions, Shiva makes us question the notion and lays ground for new definitions about him. Through his meditation, he destroys the ego within him and hence, emerges as a better being. The presence of ego in his personality traits might be there in his personality due to anger and passion but through meditation, Shiva destroys it and emerges new and renewed to face the world and the myriad issues. In popular mythology, there are various episodes in which Shiva is approached to save the world from destruction. The one that first comes to mind is the creation myth known as the ‘Churning of the Ocean’ that is the Samudramanthan, In the households of India, from early times churning is an important activity. It is used to extract clarified butter, the precious ghee out of milk and similarly, the myth deals with the extraction of something pure - soma. This incident has been written about albeit, with some variations, in different Puranas and other sacred texts. Ancient relics, art and sculpture often depict this episode in great detail, not just in India but in different countries in South Asia. The myth goes like this, it seems, in the heavenly world, the Devas reside with the Asuras. Asuras are the anti-gods. Both Devas and Asuras felt their energy dwindling as their prowess was lost in a huge flood which destroyed the celestial world. In order to restore their power, they had to drink an elixir which would grant them immense power and absolute dominance over the other creatures. However, this elixir probably referred to as soma in the Vedic texts and later amrita had been lost in the bottom of the ocean. To retrieve the amrita, the ocean had to be churned. This was a mammoth task and the Devas, realized their incapacity to accomplish this alone, especially in their present emasculated state, sans amrita. Hence they had to take the help of the Asuras. Once they start churning the ocean, a black smoke starts emanating from the ocean and spreading around.
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Shiva's Teachings on the Art of Relationships Talking about Shiva the family man, the first woman with whom Shiva entered into matrimony was Sati. Sati and Shiva have many myths surrounding their lives. Sati fell in love with Shiva. One of the myths also state that after birth, the first word Sati uttered was Shiva. However, Sati's parents did not want this alliance to be forged. Before elaborating further on this relationship, it would be interesting to know more about the god that Shiva was. Shiva was primarily an ascetic with matted locks; snakes adorning his neck, ash smeared upon his body and a wanderer with no interest in the matters of the world. He refuted the prescribed order and was master of his own will. When beautiful Sati falls in love with him, her father Daksha was infuriated at her choice of husband and rejects the match right away. Here, a classic relationship of disagreement and tussle between father-in-law and son-in-law emerges. Daksha's dislike for Shiva comes primarily from the fact that Shiva did not care about the prescribed rules and regulations of Daksha's world. So, when Sati chooses Shiva as her husband, the match finds no acceptance from her father. Though Sati eventually gets married to Shiva and it's a very beautiful and happy marriage, indeed.
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Shiva – The Understanding Husband Soon after their marriage, Sati comes to know that her father Daksha is holding a yagya that is, a large sacrifice in the form of a ceremonial function and has invited sages from all over the world. However, Daksha did not invite Shiva nor his daughter, Sati. This saddens Sati, She tells Shiva that they should still attend it. Shiva refuses the same, claiming how could they go without an invitation. Over this issue, they have many arguments and ultimately Sati disagrees with Shiva and insists on going alone to her maternal home. Shiva emerges as an understanding husband who is ready to be reasoned by his wife and allows her to do as she wishes. The relationship between Shiva and Sati is similar to a modern day relationship between couples. What is remarkable is that all his wives- Sati, Parvati and Ganga - were very powerful goddesses. He shares an equal relationship with them, and gives them the space to express their points of view, even if it differs with his long cherished ideals. Sati's stubbornness invokes love and concern in Shiva and he tells his ganas, that is, his aides, to accompany her in order to protect her during the journey. Each attendant is told by Shiva to carry things she would need in her journey - a palanquin, a shade to protect her from the sun and rain, things for her to eat and drink. In other words Shiva looked after all her comforts for this journey she had embarked upon, in a huff. When Sati reaches her parents home she is not welcomed by her father. Instead, Daksha openly shows his loathing for Shiva, for refusing the prescribed order of the society and being an outcast. Moreover, the arrogance of being a king puts an impetus upon him to reject the power of asceticism held by Shiva. This infuriates Sati and in a fit of anger and humiliation, she self-immolates, because she cannot bear the insults that are being flung at her beloved Shiva by her father. Neither does she have the face to go back to Shiva, as she had come in defiance of his wishes. When Shiva comes to know about Sati's death, he also embarks for Daksha's home. Upon reaching there, in wild anger he decapitates the yagya. Shiva picks up Sati's body and places it on his shoulder and begins to dance in rage and grief. Completely shattered, Shiva challenges the prescribed roles of gender and weeps copiously, without caring for what the world might think, Shiva grieves over his dead wife. He does not seem to care for the conventional image of a man who should not cry and show emotions so openly. He mourns his dead wife and in a significant way, challenges the patriarchal notion of a man being strong and resolute. Shiva is so saddened by his wife's death that this grief turns into a rage and throws the world into a tumult. This frenzy continues till Vishnu dismembers the body of Sati by his weapon the chakra (the discus) because it was bringing the world to a catastrophic end. Due to Shiva's grief, everything has come to a standstill. Vishnu comes in as a saviour and as a friend. He brings an end to the frenzy and also, brings Shiva to accept that his wife was dead.
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The Lack of Ego In the Puranas, Parvati and Shiva's relationship appears most beautiful. When I say beautiful, I mean that both of them enjoy an intellectual and an equal relationship, with discussing, sharing, bantering - all forming an integral part. They often passed their time in indulging in various kinds of games. Once as they were playing chauser (probably the precursor to modern day chess), Parvati started winning. Shiva's friends, more like his cronies, who were known to accompany him, were surrounding the couple and egging him on to win. They did not bother to hide where their loyalties lay. So, when Shiva began losing, they tried to salvage the situation by diverting Parvati's attention, but to no avail. Eventually, as victory was imminent, a triumphant Parvati, after every move, asks Shiva to take off a prized possession and she keeps it as her trophy. She asks for the moon on his head, annulates it and wears it as an earring. As the game goes on, Parvati asks Shiva to give her the snakes adorning his neck and finally, she asks for his loin cloth. Shiva, however, is shocked. This demand took him completely by surprise and he retorts back at her by exclaiming what kind of wife was she who was asking her husband to go naked? Following which, Parvati reminds him of his ascetic days when he used to roam around naked and enchanted all the sages wives in the Daruvava forest. After some negotiations, Parvati gives in and allows Shiva to keep on his loin cloth. During my lectures in America, when I recounted this story the audience was initially astonished and their hesitant giggles soon turned into open laughter and eventually, they applauded and suggested to me that it seems that Shiva and Parvati were engaged in playing strip poker! So, it amused them a great deal that here is a couple in ‘heavendom’ who breaks away from the conventional norms of man and wife and create a unique relationship of companionship and harmless banter. This tussle brings out the generous nature of Shiva. He allows Parvati to have her way in the end. He allows her to fight with him, reason with him and even sometimes, dominate him. It is more a humane relationship. Shiva allows that kind of heated discussion or arguments between himself and his wife. What is surprising is the fact that Shiva can handle such a strong wife. In fact, it is only Shiva who handles such a strong wife. He is the only one who does not try to dominate his wife. Many people wonder why young girls want husbands like Shiva. I have been asked this question many times and the answer I give is that it is because perhaps, Shiva in his imperfections is very real and in his antics, very colourful. Most important than all is his ability to have an equal and loving relationship between himself and his wife. This relationship exemplifies understanding, reconciliation, mutual respect and of course love, instead of domination of the male spouse over the female spouse.
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The Six Simplified Shiva Secrets Harnessing the Power of the Mind -Ekagrata Ekagrata means one minded focus In Hindu mythology, the mind has been attributed with great powers. Across ages, Hindu sages have been grappling to understand human behaviour, the human mind, nature and consciousness. Shiva epitomizes that attempt to understand the world by escaping from the chaos of the world, isolating himself and concentrating on the mind and its powers. In this manner Shiva symbolizes the great power of the mind. The mind is a very potent tool and we, as ordinary mortals, deprive ourselves by not recognizing this treasure we have with us. The power of mind is to have clarity of mind. And you can get clarity of mind by spending time with yourself. We must learn to spend time with ourselves and give ourselves the chance to go inward and know what lies within you. We should all be in a pursuit of this self knowledge , we have to do some kind of self-examination which will come through introspection. It is all about knowing yourself. The amount of energy one has differs from person to person. A person might have been completely dissipated due to a bad phase in life. That lost vigour and energy needs to be regained and the way to accomplish this is through introspection. Through introspection, we can come to know what our dreams are, do we still want to pursue them or have they changed and the like. It is amazing to see many people moving along the road of life without knowing what they actually want. They do not care to spend time with themselves and churn their minds honestly, almost brutally, to realize what it is that they actually want. When we sit back and introspect, we must ask ourselves a lot of questions. Am I happy with what I have? If not, then what do I lack? Am I working towards accomplishing it? Am I taking those steps? Are they practical? So, when we analyze, we become transparent to ourselves. When we are honest with ourselves, we can find honest roads to change /rectify the situation and our efforts result in positive change and hence, contentment. Once we realize our own self, we are privileged to be a whole and to be one with the God. How do we then, attain that sense of contentment? It is through these beliefs that Shiva provides a picture of contentment to all his believers. In the Puranas we see episodes in which the gods are amazed at seeing Shiva's blissfulness as he dances wildly when he wants to, he laughs when he wants to, in other words he is content and happy. This is a manifestation of him being in sync, his mind and body being in sync, and him being in control of his mind, Thoughts, words and action should be in line and not dissonant. How do we know who has used this power? Look at people around you. You will 38
Varaigya -what does Asceticism and Detachment truly mean? Very often, Shiva is also detached. He often goes to the mountains for his meditations and completely isolates himself. Yet it is a fact that he is the only deity in the Hindu pantheon to have a family. He is so often depicted with his family. So at one level he is detached. And at another level, he is a householder – a loved and cherished husband and a much admired father. Shiva does not abstain from the pleasures of the body or from the bliss of family. So what makes Shiva an ascetic when he enjoys all the worldly pleasure? His asceticism lies in his ability to control and regulate his mind and emotions. Shiva detaches himself and epitomizes introspection and detachment. Shiva is never known to indulge in the pursuits of power or being arrogant. We can see it in his encounters with other deities - he does not get into petty fights with Brahma or others over matters such as who is the greatest among them all. Instead, he comes to the rescue when there is complete chaos and disorder. He stabilizes the world because he has that power of mind which enables him to have the best of both worlds- materially and spiritually. Detachment means to have a calm exterior and a calm way of being.
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham It means that in all the consciousness, Shiva resides. I get an unparalleled bliss when I recite "Shivoham Shivoham". I am Shiva. In fact, we become like Shiva if we live according to Shiva. Through detachment, we become wholesome, better and happier. Detachment can come to you if you meditate. When we meditate, we introspect and look inwards. Meditation and detachment can, however, be dangerous if you have a brooding personality. The strategy is to detach oneself from the unsavoury events of your life. Every individual has some personal history which is responsible for his attitude towards life. Our mind is very impressionable. Some people do not even recognize the presence of these latencies. That is precisely the first step towards empowerment of the mind. The stage of introspection is necessary for realizing what exists there and why, thereby examining your own capabilities and inabilities. Childhood is a time when we have no control over what happens to us. Some incidents in childhood and the persons responsible for them can affect our mind and our thinking in a damaging manner, for instance if we have had an impoverished childhood, it can make us miserly in our adult life. Someone might have had a torturous childhood, which installed a fear of relationships in them. Someone might have had an abused teenage life which led them to a sense of isolation. So, we have always a past which shapes our personality. However, that personal history should not cow us down and scare us. We should try to understand the power of our mind because that alone shall help us in gaining self esteem and confidence upon ourselves. Shiva symbolizes such satisfaction, because whatever he did was exactly what he wanted to do.
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Not for me those snow-capped mountains Not for me those dark jungles Not for me the ashes dry Not for me snakes slithering by Not for me your cosmic dance But for me just one glance Just one glance from those eyes Unblinking Unflinching Unfathomable Unearthing All of this world All of that world My so loved My so beloved My so Siva Nilima Chitgopekar
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Mano–buddhyaahamkara-chintani naham Na cha shrotra-jihve na cha ghrana–netre Na cha vyoma bhumir na tejo na vayuh Chidananda–rupah shivo’ham shivoham. Mind-intellect thought–ego, I am not Neither have I ears tongue nor nostrils nor eyes I am not the five great elements I am pure consciousness, bliss, the self I am Shiva, Shiva alone am I. Adi Shankaryacharya
Dr Nilima Chitgopekar Dr Nilima Chitgopekar is an Associate Professor at the Jesus & Mary College, Delhi University. She has authored books and research articles pertaining to Shiva and aspects of Shivaism. Her books include, Encountering Sivaism: The Deity the Milieu the Entourage (Munshiram Manoharlal, 1998), The Book of Durga ( Penguin 2003), Rudra: The Idea of Shiva ( Penguin, 2007) and she has edited Invoking Goddesses: Gender Politics in Indian Religion (Har-Anand, 2002). A published poet, Dr Chitgopekar has been the recipient of several prestigious fellowships and has lectured widely in India and overseas.
Rajendra Mongia Rajendra Mongia is a spiritual healer and artist. His use of colour, form, and texture to create art that triggers energy, influences the deep mind, raises the level of consciousness and create powerful bonds with the inner self‌ You to the U within YOU!!
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