ID SONI
Mahashivratri, as the name indicate- “the great night of Lord Shiva” is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva- the Most Gullible of the Gods, the Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity.
Who is Lord Shiva? He is Rudra, the Mighty. He is blue-throated, because he drank the poison (churned from the milky ocean), Which otherwise would have destroyed the human race. He is considered both the Creater and Destroyer of men: he destroys the ignorance that holds men in its thrall. He is so simple that it is said that he can be easily deceived. So we call him Bholanath- the Lord who is gullible and often misled. Yes, he permits himself to be misled that he may lead us on to Truth, to Beauty, to Goodness, to Holiness- to Himself. For victory always belongs, to him.
Dear to his compassionate heart were the lowliest of the low, the disinherited and the dispossessed, the untouchables and the outeasts. Of all the creatures in world he chose a shabby old bull- Nandi as his constant companion. And because the whole world runs away from snakes, he garlanded them round his neck. The blind and the lame, the hideous and the hunch-backed, the lepers and the insane, he regards as his very own. And they that are friendless and forsaken of the world have only to cry out to him in their loneliness and anguish, and he will come running to them to offer them his wealth of love.
He is the great Giver who gives and gives and ever gives out of his inexhaustible abundance. He gives alike to the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the good and the bad. He is like the sun that shines on all, denying to none its life-giving warmth and light. Let us, therefore, come out of our closed rooms if we want to receive the rays of the sun. Come out of our ego-centric selves, if we want to receive the bounties of Lord Shiva.
Shiva and Shakti go together: we cannot think of one without the other; Shiva is Light, knowledge. Wisdom: Shakti is the Primal Force, which expresses itself in the beauty and grandeur, the power and majesty of the universe around us. So in pictures and parables, Shiva is accompanied by Parvati also called Uma, Sati, Kali, Durga.
She is Gauri, the Golden One, fair and pure as the snow that falls on the Kailash, which is their home. There they dwell in beauty and blessing- Shiva, the Great God and Parvati, his devoted disciple, ever gazing at the Beloved of her heart.
There are pictures in which Lord Shiva is seen sitting in the “Lotus Pose”- Wrapt in the immensity of silence which pervades the snow-peaked Kailash mountains. And it is said that with each breath that he exhales, worlds are created: and with each breath that he draws in, worlds are destroyed. Yet he is the Eternal Fakir, possessing nothing, desiring nothing. Nothing in all the universe can tempt him to claim it. He has but one desire- to destroy the ignorance that holds in its thrall. For that he knows that men quarrel and commit crimes and slip into sinfulness because “they know not what they do.” The darkness of ignorance must be dispelled. This is the task of Lord Shiva. Whatever be our fault and failing, he comes to reveal to us its cause that we may not grope in darkness. He is the Master of Infinite Compassion, Infinite Mercy, Infinite Love.
Sometimes- perhaps, very often- the cause of our ignorance is something, someone, very dear to us. And the great God will not hesitate in removing the barriers that stand in the way of our enlightenment. And when the time comes, he will rise with sword in hand to slay our best beloved before our very eyes.
In worldly matters, may be, we can never mislead him. So is he called Rudra, the Terrible. And in the aarti which his bhaktas offer him they address him as “The sweetest of the sweet, the Most Terrible of the Terrible.
SHIVA- THE LORD OF COMPASSION:
We love to gaze and gaze at the picture of Lord Shiva, clothed in the mendicant’s garb. His body is smeared with ashes. His head is crowned with coils of matted hair. In one of his hands is a begging-bowl and in the other a tall staff with the trident. The king of all the world moves as beggar, from door to door, asking for alms. Such is the humility of the Eternal One, the Ancient of the ancients. He stands at the door of our heart, asking for alms of love. He waits there outside, in sun and rain, asking us to open the door. Alas! We are busy chasing the shadow shapes of wealth, pleasure and power. We hear Him not. If we will but be still, if we will but enter into the depths of silence, we, too, may hear his voice.
“How long will we wander thus. It is time to hear him. Shiva is humble and compassionate, ever kind and loving to all who turn to Him for help and healing, in this world of tragedy and tears. Ringing across the centuries, since the dawn of creation, cometh His call:
O ye that are tired, tattered, torn! O ye that feel forsaken and forlorn! Come unto me!
It is the call of Him who speaks not only to his bhaktas (devotees) but to the weary and unhappy, the heavy-laden and heart-broken ones. He is so simple that he can easily be deluded.
It is not what we give that counts, it is the spirit with which we give it. Howsoever costly be our gift, if it is empty of love, it can be of no Value to Him, who is the Lord of all the worlds and suns and stars. But a little gift of no material value is precious to Him if it carries within it the love of pure, devoted heart. The gift is but the container, the outer vessel.
Does it carry within it, egoistic thoughts or a desire for self-glorification? Or, does it contain the aspiration of a humble heart: “May I be unto thee, a Sacrifice!” A king built a house of worship made of marble at a cost of Several millions. He said to himself in the pride of kingship, “What a beautiful building I have built unto the Lord! Generations unborn will look at it in wonder and awe!” His offering was infected with a sense of “I”- ness: it was not accepted by the Lord. But He accepted the humble offering of a poor widow who, took from her mattress a piece of straw and give it to the oxen who drew the marble from the ships. The way to Shiva is not paved with “big” offerings or pompous ceremonies, but with self-giving which is symbolised by little offerings made in love and longing. The offerings Shiva readily accepts are those of bel leaves and water and a little parched rice. He accepts them in whatever from they are offered.
The Brahmin offers Him the pure water of the Ganges: more precious to Him are tears of a repentant or a yearning heart. Sivaprakasa was a learned Brahmin, proud of his knowledge and scholarship. Every day he offered Lord Shiva the pure water of the Ganges: it was not accepted by the Lord. But He accepted the “impure” water which a lowly untouchable hunter brought in His mouth: for in the heart of the man was deep humility and love.
Mahashivratri- the great night of Shiva-is celebrated all over India with religious fervor and ardor in order to help us to remove the barriers that stand in the way of enlightenment of every one who has full faith in His compassion, clemency, pity and forgiveness.
(The writer is President Home of Aged & Infirm, Ambphalla, Jammu).