The 5 faces of Lord Shiva
The Universe is a Play
The whole universe is fluctuation, its a fluctuation of energy, silence and dynamism, expansion and contraction, isn’t it? Up and down, height and depth, left and right, this is the whole, this is how the whole universe is functioning. Its expanding contracting and expanding, so does our mind. Mind also expands contracts and being a witness to this it takes us to another plane from where even this play, this expansion contraction, all this happiness, unhappiness all this becomes a game.
What is OM?
OM represents that which is all permeating, that which is ever present and present everywhere. So the 19 different meanings for the root of OM i.e. AUM. AUM means that has 19 meanings
Japa frees us from duality
Japa means feeling the meanings that is what is Japa, do you get it? japa is not simply saying some sound but feeling the sound, feeling it. Japa frees us from duality. Definition of Japa -तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम् (Patanjali Yog Sutras). Definition of Japa is to feel and experience the sound
How to get Siddhis?
Now siddhi means perfection and the perfection comes when we feel the meaning, we feel the sound. The sound has many meanings, so just feeling those meanings like people who are doing sahaj mantra, you don’t need to worry about the meaning but that sound is like the seed of all that is needed for your evolution, thats it. This much you know, this my life force and my evolution and this sound has all the vibrations in it. Its like a tonic and so feeling the vibration is really meditation. And japa is knowing a little bit about the meaning where you feel the meaning as well. So meditation and then japa. Japa is sandwiched between meditation. There should be meditation before and after also. So even if you dont do after but before japa, meditation is essential. Know meditation is the supreme. In Bhagvad Gita also Lord Krishna says yagna, daan, tapas all this japa all this is there everything is great but meditation tops them all. Its one notch higher.
Question – Gurudev you spoke yesterday about the place beyond space where the deities reside in the form of mantras. Just hearing it felt ethereal and vast. Could you tell us more about this place?
Gurudev – That is it, no need to tell too much about it. Just a little glimpse is good enough. Rest is to be experienced not make it into a concept and intellectually mulling about it, got it?
Question – Gurudev could you please talk about the five faces of Shiva?
Gurudev – Actually Shiva has no face yet he has 5 aspects, 5 faces, that is through the 5 elements, the fire, water, air, earth and ether and the lord of each one of that is given a beautiful name. Sadyojata means that which is born every moment, that means he is fresh alive and new and then Vam Dev. Vam Dev means the most beautiful and then Aghora that is also that where there is no fear and again it depicts an aspect of beauty which is stunning. Like this there are many different names are given to Shiva not one. Sahastraksh, he has thousands of eyes and then Virupaksh formless and yet he has eyes. Virup means no form, aksh means eye. The formless eye that is your mind. Just close your eyes and see, you are able to see something? There is no eye but you are able to see something, you are able to know something, that by which you know you see, you smell but without using the 5 senses. That aspect of consciousness is called Virupaksh. So thousands of attributes are given to Shiva. Tat Purusha, he is the male, he is the master, he is the masculine aspect. There is no other masculine only Shiva is the masculine. Tat Purusha, that which cannot be addressed and yet it is which lives in the in the city called the body. Our body is a city, its a township. Pura, pura means city. You know Kanakpura, this pura that pura. You have that Pura means city. Purusha means the one who lives in the city. Now its not that he is not living in village & he lives in city. No, here the Purusha means the body, body is like a city. Its full of so many microbes so many organisms and so many cellular permutations and combinations and activities that are happening in the body. There are channels of food supply, there is drainage system, all that you can see in a town planning is inside our body. Its a great architectural design, your own body you know? there’s a central vista, central avenue is there and there are side roads also. I mean its amazing and this spirit which lives in this Pura called body is Purusha and Tat Purusha – He is the One. Like that so many names are there.
Question – Gurudev why is a child called Dwija after their Upanayanam?
Gurudev – One is born, first birth is the biological birth, the second birth is the spiritual birth. When anyone who got initiated into spiritual wisdom are called Dwija – born again or twice born. This is an old an ancient concept. I mean practice that’s been there, you are born but then you become wise, you become aware of yourself, you become aware of the whole existence, then you are born again,
hasn’t it happened to you? Just can you relate to the person who was there before doing your practice? Sudarshan Kriya or meditation? How many of you see that you cannot relate to the person who was before you started your practices? Raise your hands, look at that, dont you feel that you are a different person? how many of you feel you are different? See everybody says thats it. That is Dwija. You got the experience of something phenomenal, something fantastic and you find, you see everything from a new light.