Disillusioned Lord Shiva

[amritha varshini]

From: "Raghu" <mailr...@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 18, 2015 6:43 PM
Subject: Disillusioned Lord Shiva
To: <anand.va...@gmail.com>
Cc:

Disillusioned Lord Shiva...

 

I always enjoyed the chorus chanting of  Mahanyasa/Laghunyasa, Rudram, Chamakam and other Sookthams in various religious ceremonies, particularly at the temple during Pradosham and Chathurthi days and the excitement is much more on Mahashivaratri day when most of the learned devotees assemble at the temple to chant the Rudram.

Not only the chorus, but also the dravyams (11 different items) used for the abhishekam is in abundance compared to the limited quantity offered during Pradosham and Chathurthi days.  Most of the devotees, particularly from the Gujarati community, would bring packets of milk as well as dozens of bananas for abhishekam and offering.  The total quantity of Milk being poured on the Shiva Linga would be around 100 litres.  Generally the dravya abhishekam starts while chanting while chanting the 6^th stanza of Rudram and ends simultaneously when the stanza is chanted – but during Shivaratri day, though the Ksheera  abhishekam starts at the beginning of the 6^th Stanza and continues till the entire rudram and the respective Chamaka is over, because of the large quantity.  Even other items like Panchamrutam, Curd, Honey, Sugarcane Juice, Limboo Juice etc. also offered as abhishekam in large quantities.  This is the day, one can witness large vessels containing various items as enlisted, being kept ready for abhishekam;  as well as bananas and other fruits as offerings by the devotees after chanting the rudram each time for 11 times.  The entire process of abhishekam –that is from the start of Mahanyasam to final Deeparadhana takes about 4 hours and during the entire duration water from the vessel  (with a hole hung above the Shiva Linga) drops at the Linga...In all, it is a continuous   4 hours of bathing for Lord Shiva with water and other items. After Deeparadhana, the dravyams as well as fruits are distributed to the devotees present at the temple.

As like any other Mahasivaratri, I attended and participated in the Rudra Japam and returned home with total fulfilment and happiness.    I was rewinding the scenes of abhishekam and the chorus recital of Rudram at the temple when I went to sleep.  Suddenly, the calling bell rang....and I went to open the door....

Since it was too late in the night, I only opened one door and kept the safety door unopened and I could see a person of more than 6 feet, stout with a 6 pack muscles, clad in tiger skin, body smeared with vibhooti, trishul in one hand and damaru in another, a serpent like crown smiling at me.... for a moment I was spell bound  and stared at him... looking at my plight the person offered a smile and said....  I am Nataraja and coming from a far away place, don’t worry ..I will neither harm you nor am I a thief... are you Raghu?  My head automatically nodded in assent.

Nataraja: Would you allow me to come in please... I would like to spend a little time with you.

My hand was automatically unlocking the safety door – I was in a hypnotised condition.... by this time the person had entered home....  I said, please come in... Please be seated... He came in and sat in the sofa and with an action told me to sit next to him....

I asked him: May I offer you some water please...

Nataraja: thank you... no, nothing please... I just had enough fruits and lots of water... you seem to be very happy today.  Was there anything special today which made you happy...

I said: yes, today is Maha Sivarathri and I just returned from the temple after chanting Rudram, witnessing the Abhishekam and doing my prayers....

Nataraja:  very good... so you know the chanting of rudram...

Self: Yes...my chittappa taught me some years ago and I like chanting Rudram, Chamakam and other sooktams in chorus, particularly on Maha 

Sivaratri day.. I also feel happy when Abhishekam of dravyams in large quantity is offered to the God.

Nataraja: Offering to God is good... but to offer anything to anybody there should be some reason.... do you have a reason?

Self: yes, of course... God protects me, safeguards me, fulfils my wishes and desires, gives me the confidence to face the difficulties in life... and as gratitude towards his benevolence, I pray to him and offer him various types of Nivedyams and yes, at times, I offer Him in advance for fulfilling certain specific wishes and desires...

Nataraja: oh that means... generally you offer only when you are given what you want or in case you need anything special you pay him in advance?

Self:  why are you saying like this... He is God... he is the creator, protector and destroyer...everything belongs to Him...It is only my faith, belief, bhakti and sentiments that I offer Him from His own things..

Nataraja:  did you say Bhakti.... is Bhakti with expectations?  Is not Bhakti should be NISHKAMYA Bhakti...without expecting anything from the Supreme God, surrender un to him, pray him and do our Karma? Should not one aim and cultivate to do the prayers for the Prayer’s sake without any expectation and leave it to Him ? does He not know what best to give and not to give? Does he not award the fruits of ones Karmic actions thorugh His divine Karmic laws?

I was awestruck for a moment.... what is happening to me.... who is this person at this time of the night cornering me with such dialogues...

Nataraja: anyway... tell me what is the basic principles of doing abhisheka, offering various types of nivedya/fruits etc?

Self: paused for a moment....Because we treat God also one amongst us and would like to bath him and offer him food ... at homes morning and evening and at temples three times...

Nataraja: how much water do you use for bathing every day? How much quantity and items do you consume every day?

Self: a bucket full of water is enough for me to bath.... and mmmmm food... generally I skip the breakfast... at lunch, I consume a couple of chapathis and daal or baji and a little curd... at night also some lite tiffin..

Nataraja: is it... then do you know with how much quantity he hunger would subside? How much water would quench his thirst?  How much water can wet him for bathing....

Self: Who can even imagine the size of God and how much He can consume... He can consume the entire world at one stroke... the water of 7 oceans is not enough to make him wet... what we offer is only to satisfy our mind...

Nataraja: And what you do with the offerings? Does the God eat them...

Self: Oh No..never... we take it as prasadam and distribute to ourselves...

Nataraja: hahaha... so you make various items in the name of God and offer him and nivedyam and distribute amongst yourselves as prasadam...without even known that whether God has even looked at it.. 

Self: Why do you say such things.... it effects my sentiments... you are insulting my faith and belief...

Nataraja: smiling..... Raghu... you are taking out the Linga from the river bed and offering it continuous water... is it not like catching a fish from the sea and putting it in a glass pot...? if you are to offer water, then why take it out from the water?  When everything belongs to Him, then why take His own things and offer Him back...?  Litres and Litres of milk are used for Abhishekam each day and lakhs of litres are used on Maha Sivaratri day... most of it is being wasted or pushed to the drain....  God owns everything and His wish is that the items meant for human consumption to be shared by all.  While everyone  bring  bananas and other fruits at the same time  to the God, there are number of people who are starving and dying.... the malnutrition  street children  with malnutrition cannot even afford milk and you are pouring it on the Linga. Will not the God be more happy if the excess quantity is distributed to the poor, needy and underprivileged people.... so that no body goes to sleep hungry?   Have you ever imagined your children crying of hunger and you are not able to provide them food and cursing our fate of helplessness.... 

No quantity of offerings can satisfy the God.... whether it is a teaspoon or a bucket full... the quantity does not matter... offer Him with very little to satisfy your mind and offer the balance to the people who are in need...

You said you are happy in whatever you have done today being Maha Sivaratri.... but, do you think that Lord Siva was happy with whatever you have done? He must be shivering with fever now, having bathed him for hours with various items and made Him have the offering after each  recital of the Rudram..... hahah...

Self: but.....I had no words to say..

 

Suddenly, somebody patted me... hello it is already 5.30 ... please get up now..... are you not going to office today.....

 

 

 

 

[subi24]

I too had a wonderful dream of Lord Shiva. He was dressed in a bright spotted tiger skin, with matted hair and carrying the Trident. He was jubilant and shone like the Sun! I could not believe it. While I hurriedly prostrated before Him, I heard Him speak, "I am so happy and very cool today because of the abhishekams and puja done to me by millions of people around the world." I replied, "It is really the Bhagyam of those devotees but then some people think it's all a waste on you. Instead, it would have been better to give the abhishekam materials to the less-privileged." Lord Shiva smiled and spoke softly, "They may be right. I have given the sixth sense only to human beings to think. Using that sense, many think what they offered me was from their own creation. If you take a bucket of water from a river, and pour it back, do you really own the water? Ask - Who produced the water and where does it come from? Ask- who provided the earth, the sunlight and the grass to feed the cows? Like what they think, there must be a creator for everything. I am the Creator of the five elements out of which many things have merely come through human effort. Even for that human effort, I provide the energy."

I dared to ask Him, "But then, how do we address the question of the needy and underprivileged? Aren't they your children too?" Lord Shiva's brief response was, "You know I don't take even a morsel out of all the offerings made to me. It's all returned. Those little offerings which form a minute portion of what I give to humanity, made millions of devotees happy with a feeling of gratitude to me. They seek my blessings and I give it in abundance." Seeing I wasn't convinced, Lord Shiva continued, " Of course, you cannot see what I provide because the sixth sense that I gave has certain limitations. All I can say is that I have provided plenty to satisfy human needs but it seems they are not enough to satisfy their greed. Poverty is not a curse but an inspiration for people to rise high. Many human gems have risen from it. You know that I am called a "Bhikshandi" -a beggar!  If people minimize the enormous waste in those wild parties, society weddings, unwanted luxuries, and armaments, they can make the world a better place to live." 

I suddenly woke up from my dream with a shiver!   

Sundaresan Subramanian