Shiv Guna (good qualities)
• Niswarth (Selfless)
• Dhyanasta (in meditation) but still jagrat (Awake)
• Kailashpati (The lord of mount Kailash) but still not rupiya pati (not after money)
• Jagat sanchalak (the steerer of the world) yet does not interfere in working of the world
• Finds solution without breaking niyam (rules)
• Finds a way to overcome karma.
• His door is open for everyone – bhoot (ghosts), pisach (disembodied souls), sant (saints), pashu (animals), manav (humans).
• Premal (Loving). His love, no one can discern yet, he does not bind anyone
• Akarya (does not do any action). Still does lot of work.
• Has immense patience still does not hurt anyone.
Shiv in Kashmir – Neelkanth
• Samudramanthan took place near Puri
• Shiv drank poison and walked towards Himalaya
• Established himself as blue mountain called as Neelkanth in Kashmir.
Shiv & Vasuki & Damru & trisul
• Shiv ties snakes on his waist, on his arms and around his neck. This is to keep the negative forces in control in the world.
• When negative forces increase, he sounds his damru to warn them.
• When it still increases, he raises his trisul to destroy them.
• Trisul is in the shape of aum with a shaft. Shaft helps to focus & penetrate God’s aum into the demon and destroy all that is bad in one stroke. Tishul’s attack leads straight to moksh (liberation).
Names of Shiv and their meaning
Mahadev: He is the maintainer of the nature (master of the devas).
Shankar: He removes and controls the negativity in the world by blowing damaru. Thus he is destroyer.
Shiv: he leads you to the path of salvation
Shivling and Shiv pooja
Shiv ling is depicted as circular. Thus is to depict that God is infinite. There is no beginning or end. Ling is not like a ball. It is like a cylinder. The column depicts that Shiv is like a column of light with no beginning or end. Ling is the manifested version of God. Unmanifested version of God is the womb. The yoni is in form of a womb. To depict the unmanifested, a womb is depicted as manifested arises from the unmanifested. Ling is black in colour. This is because God takes all impurities within him.
Shivling pooja
Shivling pooja is done with:
• Milk: it is white, natural. Depicts purity. Thus God is offered purity.
• Ghee: It is the clarity that comes after butter is churned. Thus purity of our heart after churning out our defects is offered.
• Honey: It depicts natural sweetness. Both jaggery and sugar are derived sweetness. Honey in its pure form is also sweet. Thus natural sweet is offered to God.
• Water: Water is the elixir of life. Thus we offer our life to the lord.
• Turmeric: It is natural antiseptic. Thus, we offer natural purity and pray that washout impurity from us and also keep us disease free.
• Saffron: It depicts for richness. We offer all richness of thoughts, action, and emotion to the lord. Fill our life with such richness.
• Kumkum: It is red. It denotes energy. It tells us that fill our life with your energy.
• Chandan: Chandan denotes soothing and peace. Fill our life with mental peace.
Shiv ling is also Ardhnareshwar form of God. It denotes shakti (energy) and channelization of Shakti (shiv). Shakti is the yoni and channelization is the ling. It also denotes that God is creator of the universe.
- These are topics of various aspects of spirituality as told by Para.