Many Hindus often take a word like maTha for granted given its relative simplicity. But what is a maTha, really? A definition follows: pic.twitter.com/zRDCLnr80i
Many Hindus often take a word like maTha for granted given its relative simplicity. But what is a maTha, really? A definition follows:
A maTha was essentially where both the diamond sword of scholarship & penetrating insights as well as compassion for strangers can be found. The above definition speaks volumes for the noble-mindedness of the text, the tradition the text comes from & followers of that tradition.
The above verses are from the kAmikAgama, the text which governs a large number of shivAlayas in Tamil Nadu even today.
Short thread on snAnAbhiSeka procedure for shiva from kAmikAgama of unrivaled status; 1. pre-abhiSeka preparations & division of labour 👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/NmuIxH9DtA
The importance of building public water works & utilities from a dhArmika perspective. Let us start with a passage from the garuDamahApurANa: pic.twitter.com/pwTkxcdT6p
1. The importance of building public water works & utilities from a dhArmika perspective
Let us start with a passage from the garuDamahApurANa
This wonderful passage is from a saMvAda (dialogue) between shrI kRSNa & garuDadeva. Please note the last shloka quoted (2.38.40), where the merit of arranging for the funeral rites of an orphaned corpse is stated. The mahAsvAmi of kA~nci maTha (the 68th shaMkarAcArya svAmi) made it a point to emphasize the importance of giving orphaned Hindus their due respects at least after their deaths. Those who can read tamizh may read here: http://kamakoti.org/tamil/3dKK64.htm… and http://kamakoti.org/tamil/3dKK65.htm
A brief summary of a paragraph from shrI kA~nci mahAsvAmi’s discourses:
I wanted to do a thread strictly on water works in the Hindu tradition but felt it wrong to not bring this to attention. In line with mahAsvAmi’s vision, there is an organization solely dedicated to rites for orphaned Hindus. Please have a look: http://dharmaa.org
The sponsoring of public water resources was especially adored in Hindu dharma; with teachers stating that its merit goes all the way back to the veda. Here is an excerpt from an article on various dAnas by shrI @/blog_supplement. The importance of kUpAdi (wells, etc) dAnas:
These water works & other public welfare activities were very important in preventing the onslaught of drought and famine in various parts of bhArata. A major reason for the proliferation of public water works & others is the growth of the shaiva & vaiSNava religions.
Again and again, one reads the great works of saiddhAntika shaiva gurus sponsoring water works for the public:
Nevertheless, this great culture was not to die from bhArata. Great AcAryas always endeavored to make water facilities available for the people. (this tweet inspired me to record, very briefly, the role of public water works in our dharma)
Social service rendered by Sri Vyasaraya Tirtha in Andhra dEsha. A snippet on Kandukuru water tank, fully functional to this date, exemplifying his long term vision. https://t.co/nFfXKLoqpV
2. annadAna & the care for orphans & other vulnerable groups in the Hindu tradition.
A beautiful quote from the shivamahApurANa, umAsaMhitA, adhyAya 11, shloka 38:
Part of the instructions given by a shivAcArya to newly initiated disciples on conduct befitting a shaiva. This gem is from the kiraNAgama.
In the 266th अध्याय of the मत्स्यमहापुराण named प्रतिष्ठानुकीर्तनम्, it is said that after the स्थापन ritual of a deity is completed, apart from the priests, 3 categories of people must be given ornaments & clothes: दीन:-abandoned/helpless, अन्ध:-blind, कृपण:-indigent/poor man.
If one wrongly thought this was referring to only the helpless, orphans & distinguished among ब्राह्मणाः, note that after stating दीन, अनाथ, विशिष्ट, etc, the श्लोक ends with ब्राह्मणैः सह-“together with the brAhmaNas”, indicating that the helpless, etc are a separate group.
Also, note the term, “पूजयेत्”. The दीन (destitute) & अनाथ (orphan) must be as honored (given पूजन) as the विशिष्ट (distinguished: Eg: scholars, otherwise famed/worthy etc] or the ब्राह्मणाः (brAhmaNas who lead the prescribed life).
The orphans & helpless are given the same पूजन as the distinguished recipients & didn’t have the gold just thrown at them. But this is unsurprising because the donor, right before alighting from the scales, is asked to remember देवी as सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्थ & that’s the spirit here.
The पुराण explicitly has the donor contemplate देवी as abiding in the souls of all creatures (सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्थ) before he proceeds to donate to various individuals including orphans. But for a famed dharma-hater, our philosophy of ब्रह्मन् in everyone was utterly useless.
3. Some real-life examples of the Hindu legacy
3a. dharmapurI AdhInam: Providing food & oil to the poor:
dharmapuri AdhInam, a renowned shaiva maTha, is one of those few institutions which not only sustained shAstriya scholarship but also provided succour to the poor & hungry.
தருமை 25வது குருமணிகளின் அருளாட்சிக்காலத்தில்… ஆதீனத் திருமடத்து முகப்பில் தினமும் ஏழைகளுக்கு அறுசுவை வழங்குதல்.. உணவருந்திய பிற்பாடு அவர்கள் சந்தனம் பூசிக்கொண்டு குதூகலத்துடன் நிற்கும் அரிய காட்சிகள்…(1953) நன்றி: சிவா பி ஜி எஸ். முகநூல்
Indeed, this great maTha of siddhAnta shaivam is in line with the definition of a maTha in terms of its two-fold function as given by the divine kAmikAgama. Many Hindus often take a word like maTha for granted given its relative simplicity. But what is a maTha, really? A definition follows:
A maTha was essentially where both the diamond sword of scholarship & penetrating insights as well as compassion for strangers can be found.
The above definition speaks volumes for the noble-mindedness of the text, the tradition the text comes from & followers of that tradition. The above verses are from the kAmikAgama, the text which governs a large number of shivAlayas in Tamil Nadu even today. The attached pictures are of dharmapuri AdhInam’s great legacy of feeding the poor & giving them sacred vibhUti to smear on their bodies. Never say that Hindu maThas did not do anything for the poor or that only others do it.
3b. The temple of ErnakuLam mahAdeva providing food for flood victims:
The servants of महादेव/മഹാദേവ are true to his word given in the किरणागम/കിരണാഗമ: अनाथं दुर्बलं भीतं दुर्गस्थं न परित्यजेत्। / അനാഥം ദുർബലം ഭീതം ദുർഗസ്ഥം ന പരിത്യജേത്| “One should not forsake/abandon an orphan, a weak person, a timid one and one standing in distress/difficulty”. Never say that Hinduism is a religion that does nothing for people in distress.
Prasadams for #KeralaFloods Food prepared in Ernakulam Siva Temple for relief camps @HKupdate
Kollur Shri Mookambika Temple to donate 1 crore Rs for #KeralaFloods via Kerala CM’s relief fund & 25 lakhs for flood relief in Kodagu, SouthWest Karnataka @HKupdate
Founded by that great devotee of skanda & famed tamizh shaiva siddhAntin, shrI kumaraguruparar (कुमरगुरुपरर्); feeding pilgrims in kAshi for more than 300 years. The kumArasvAmi maTha’s parent org is tirupannantAL maTha in TN.
3d. केदारेश्वर (kedAreshvara) temple in Karnataka
This is a record from the केदारेश्वर (kedAreshvara) temple in Karnataka, from the year 1162. See how the temple not only functioned as a site of vedic studies for कालामुख-शैव ascetics but also how the vulnerable were all fed, given medical treatment & safety.
Let us see some of the categories given: दीन/dIna (poor), अनाथ/anAtha (orphans), पङ्गु/paGgu (crippled), अन्ध/andha (blind), बधिर/badhira (deaf), नग्न/nagna (naked/without clothes), भग्न/bhagna (one with broken limbs); this was a place where all these received food & treatment.
Note: अन्नदान-स्थानम्, नानानाथ-रोगिजन-रोध-भैषाज्य-स्थानम्, सकल-भूत-अभय-प्रदान-स्थानम् (annadAna-sthAnam, nAnAnAtha-rogijana-rodha-bhaiShAjya-sthAnam, sakala-bhUta-abhaya-pradAna-sthAnam). A place of medicines for many orphans & sick ones; a place granting safety to all creatures.
This is our dharma. These were not schemes of revolutionaries. The ones behind these welfare works were all traditional institutions, which believed in scriptural study & orthodoxy. Helping one suffering is a deeply entrenched part of our dharma; not something revolutionary.
The 19th पटल of कामिकागम-उत्तरभाग instructs the आचार्य of a शिवालय (head-priest) about the नवनैवेद्य: Offering (नैवेद्य) of fresh/new grains, the 1st fruits (नव). After specifying how the fresh crop-yield should be cut & brought back to the temple, the आगम says:
The offering of the fresh crop-yield is a ritual as well as temple-festival. However, the divine आगम always adds an element of kindness. Having presented the 1st fruits of the harvest to the deity, the आचार्य leading the temple distributes them to temple visitors. Do keep in mind that for this wonderful institution to actually work today, temples need to have something called, “lands” & more importantly, in the control of devout Hindus. The undermining of temple ownership of land will affect such charitable works adversely.
The single most important ceremony/festival at the very heart of a शिवालय is the annual महोत्सव. This is a complex & lengthy ceremony with numerous rites. Here too, following the procession of the deity, there is a distribution of food to all, including strangers & others.
On the विशाख-नक्षत्र of वैशाख मास, शीतकुम्भ-उत्सव is commenced, to pray for rain, food & health during the brutally hot season that brings drought & drought-related diseases. The king himself sponsors the festival & at the end the helpless (दीन) & orphans (अनाथ) are fed.
The धर्म places a lot of emphasis on the well-being of servants & others who do various works for us:
कामम् आत्मानं भार्यां पुत्रं वा उपरुन्ध्यान् न तु एव दास कर्मकरम् / – आपस्तम्ब-धर्मसूत्र, (प्रश्न २, खाण्ड ९, सूत्र ११)
“If he (a householder) so desires, he may interrupt [the apportioned food] for himself, his wife or children but never indeed [he must deprive] a servant who does works for one.”
The verse may look like an exaggeration but it reflects the importance attached to the proper care & well-being of one’s domestic helpers or other workmen under one’s care.
Cheap-ass director of cheap-ass movies, Pa Ranjith, insults our great king rAjarAja chOzha as a robber of dalit lands. There is zero evidence for this assertion. On the contrary…(read on)++ https://t.co/yQYqwv1jkB
A director in Tamil film industry, insults our great king rAjarAja chOzha as a robber of dalit lands. There is zero evidence for this assertion. On the contrary, although land was (and still is) recognized as belonging to the state, rAjarAja recognized the separate lands owned by paRaiyars (पऱैयर्-s), a caste well-recognized as dalit today and gave them tax-exemptions, along with Hindu temples & Jain monasteries.
Here are two inscriptions from the great shiva temple of tanjAvUr (तञ्जावूर्), the बृहदीश्वर. The first one is from the second tier of the south wall. Will post original and translation; have even highlighted relevant portions. This is but a sample.
You can also read the english here if the print is difficult: https://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_2/no_4_south_wall_second_tier.html#_ftnref21
paRayas, apart from kammanas (artisans), Agamika temples (referred to as shrI-koyil) but also village temples (of ayyan & piDAri); these & many more were deducted from the chOzha tax “grid”. What you see here is just a small sample. It shows the tax scheme for tanjAvur (the capital, तञ्जावूर्) & 2 villages: palaiyUr (पलैयूर्) & ArappAr (आरप्पार्) in the chOzha empire. In each of these 3 units, paRayas were given tax exemption for their lands along with temples.
A vicious conspiracy is taking place—to portray one of bhArata’s most revered and loved kings as a “dalit oppressor”; the noble king who engraved the name of every person of every community who contributed to the building of one of the greatest temples ever. Those who call themselves Hindus must show that this endless playing of the victimhood card by some anti-hindu, filthy ideologues cannot & will not be allowed to tar the image of our religion & great forebears whose memories we cherish. Long live rAjarAja & his blessed name!
There is now a toxic thinking that if some people invoke certain cards or activate certain triggers, the Hindus will cowardly allow them to get away with anything they do or say. Any tamizh who insults great forebears like rAjarAja should not dwell peacefully on tamizh soil.
The second inscription is from the upper tier of the north wall of the same temple (बृहदीश्वर). Again, I will post original as well as translation, along with highlights of relevant parts. Those knowing tamizh can confirm the translation with little difficulty:
Translation of relevant parts, with highlights corresponding to exact portions highlighted in original:
Certain lands, we see, are exempted from tax in every village. Again, this is just a sample. Posting the entire original of the inscription here with highlights will be a long and tiring exercise. We see that the lands of paRayar cultivators were clearly exempt from tax.
We also note that rAjarAja did not differentiate between Agamika temples (Which his inscriptions refer to as “shrI-koyil”) and the local village temples for deities such as ayyanAr or piDAri. He exempted the lands of both types of temples from taxes.
Kuḍalasaṅgama-Kṣetra & the Liṅga represents the Great Vyomavyāpī mantra of the Siddhānta tradition. Something many may not know is the fact that KN was once a great hub of Saiddhāntika Śaivam.
This a mantra of 368 syllables. But more importantly, it is a mantra of 81 words. In Śaiva metaphysics, the entirety of material existence (the “pure”, “pure-impure” & “impure” realms) can be mapped out in 6 various ways. 1 of those ways is the पदाध्व-
The Vyomavyāpī is considered supremely great because it encompasses ALL of “insentient matter” which is the raw material cause for the worlds, instruments, bodies & objects in the pure & impure dimensions.
How the 81 words map out to the 36 Tattvas & other such dimensions is something that I can’t elaborate here itself. I may do an article on it sometime though it is best grasped through a Guru steeped in the Siddhānta.
The mantra also has secret meanings, which have been expounded in Siddhānta scripture as well as by the Ācāryas. I had briefly touched upon this here, upon request:
Another way one can interpret the 2 व्योम-s is simply that they refer to the two spaces within which शुद्धमाया & अशुद्धमाया exist.
To give a little more idea of its importance, it has to be grasped in the context of ritual. Here, that would be Dīkṣā (initiation).
In Siddhānta initiation, the soul, though all-pervasive, has to “climb” through the ontological ladder to reach the state beyond all insentient matter & bondages. Initiation allows this extremely complex act to happen with our own very imperfect bodies & limbs as tools.
What can possibly link acts happening at an infinitesimal, micro-level (our body, etc) & the realities of a grand ontological framework (all pervasive soul realizing its innate divinity by coursing through levels)?? The link is through the form of mantras.
We “call” those levels by employing the mantras meant for that level. We get an initiate’s soul to that level & make the soul enjoy the offerings of that level & then sever its association with that level —all by means of mantras.
These mantras accomplish the grand acts. But it is the all-pervasive Śiva who has to command these mantras. Who else has authority to command the mantras who lord over even the lords of the lords of gods?
The Ācārya, who has received the Ācāryābhiṣeka — when he calls upon these mantras in his capacity as Śiva himself, they carry out their functions & help the soul realize its innate Śivatva.
So, you just have to “call” those ontological levels & “speak into being” the changes you want at those levels. There are different ways of “making the ontological shake-ups” happen. 6 as the Siddhānta puts it. And 1 of those ways of calling is the way of words – the Padādhva.
In सिद्धान्त-शैव metaphysics, the entirety of existence has माया as its material cause. Here, माया is NOT an illusion, mere appearance or “neither existent nor non-existent”.
माया is a positive reality, the basic raw material which evolves into our bodies, cognitive instruments, worlds & objects (तनु-करण-भुवन-भोग). Now, this existence made of माया has two paths:
The ‘pure’ path, शुद्धाध्वा, made up of शुद्धमाया or ‘बिन्दु’ and
The ‘impure’ path, अशुद्धाध्वा, made up of अशुद्धमाया. In the अशुद्धाध्वा, the ब्रह्माण्ड occupies the lowest part. Within this ब्रह्माण्ड, our earth occupies an infinitesimally tiny portion.
Our sentient souls, which are of the nature of pure consciousness (चित् / चिच्छक्ति), have been obscured since eternity by a primordial, insentient substance called मल (mala). This मल has infinite powers attaching itself to infinite souls.
In the case of ordinary humans like ourselves, the power of this मल is very unripened/immature (अपक्व) & has been so since eternity. This मल enables us souls to be bound to माया (अशुद्धमाया) through कर्मन् since eternity.
The कर्म we have saved up so far; we experience its fruits through our bodies, instruments, worlds & objects in these worlds, which are made up of माया. This माया we possess (bodies, instruments & objects) & live in (worlds) becomes a fertile ground for performing more कर्मन्.
But शिव’s grace is such that he enables the products of माया (तनु-करण-भुवन-भोग) to serve as conduits for the ripening of our कर्म – rituals enjoined for the bodies, sacred acts to engage the senses/instruments, temples & यज्ञशाल-s for the worlds & sacred objects to see, etc.
In the शुद्धाध्वा, शुद्धमाया does not bind the souls residing there. Instead, it is the raw material for the various transcendental enjoyments (भोग) & powers (अधिकार) enjoyed by the residents of the शुद्धाध्व, who approximate शिव in terms of their शिवत्वम् (“शिव”-ness).
Approximating शिव means that they are very close to recovering their identity as the unsullied consciousness that has always been innate to them. Their मल is extremely पक्व. Their powers of knowledge & action are extremely high in magnitude, though not infinite like शिव yet.
Now, this entirety of माया, all of existence, can be mapped onto six parallel paths (षडध्वा). Three of these paths are वाचक (the word, that which conveys) while the other three are वाच्य (the object/predicate, that which is being conveyed).
The six are:
कला (5 powers of शिव)
तत्त्व (36 fundamental constituents of existence)
भुवन (224 overarching worlds within which transcendental & mundane enjoyments take place)
वर्ण (51 phonemes)
पद (81 words of the व्योमव्यापी मन्त्र)
मन्त्र (11 मन्त्र-s)
Since शिव is all-pervasive, he eternally encompasses all of माया. So, though शिव is pure consciousness & has no connection with matter, he is visualized as having a body containing the 6 अध्वा-s.
There is an old, anonymous verse in tamizh which gives a meditation of शिव as अध्वमूर्ति, containing the 6 parallel paths in himself as his various body parts & layers, which I came across about 2-3 months ago.
At that time, I had asked शिव to point to a proper scriptural source & forgot about it. And yesterday, one thing led to another & he led me to the following beautiful ध्यान in the श्रीमदघोरशिवाचार्य-पद्धति (क्रियाक्रमद्योतिका of श्रीमद्-अघोरशिवाचार्य).
On a separate note, it’s a joy to be able to read granthalipi with only a little difficulty. I will transliterate & translate the above verse later if possible. Also, there is a small spelling slip in the first line. Should be mūrdha not mūrḍa.
नागरी-
शान्त्यातितकलामूर्धं-शान्तिवक्त्रसरोरुहम्
विद्याविततवक्षोङ्गं-प्रतिष्ठागुह्यमण्डलम्
निवृत्तिजानुजङ्घाङ्घ्रिं-भुवनाध्वतनूरुहम्
वर्णत्वङ्मन्त्ररुधिरं-पदमांससिराचितम्
तत्त्वास्थिमज्जाशुक्लादिधातुं-सद्भोगमोक्षदम्
शिवान्ततत्त्वगर्भाध्वव्यापिनं-सर्वदा-शिवम्
IAST
शान्त्यातितकलामूर्धं-शान्तिवक्त्रसरोरुहम्
He with the शान्त्यातितकला as his crown (मूर्ध), He with the शान्तिकला as his lotus-face.
विद्याविततवक्षोङ्गं-प्रतिष्ठागुह्यमण्डलम्
He with the विद्याकला as his broad chest/trunk; He with the प्रतिष्ठाकला as his secret region.
निवृत्तिजानुजङ्घाङ्घ्रिं-भुवनाध्वतनूरुहम्
He with the निवृत्तिकला as his knees, thighs & foot (basically, the whole leg); He with the [224] भुवन-s (worlds) as his bodily hair.
वर्णत्वङ्मन्त्ररुधिरं-पदमांससिराचितम्
He with the [51] Phonemes as skin (त्वक्) & the [11] mantras as his blood; He with the [81] words [of the व्योमव्यापी-मन्त्र] as his muscles & the veins.
तत्त्वास्थिमज्जाशुक्लादिधातुं-सद्भोगमोक्षदम्
He with the [36] fundamental essences (तत्त्व-s) as the धातु-s such as the bones (अस्थि), nerves (मज्जा) & semen (शुक्ल); He the bestower of good enjoyment & liberation.
शिवान्ततत्त्वगर्भाध्वव्यापिनं-सर्वदा-शिवम्
The pervader of the path of the womb of the tattvas up to शिवतत्त्व, the eternal शिव.
Great traditional Ācāryas of old engaged in fierce debate.
At times, they wrote treatises even against highly venerated elders of their own Sampradāya, because of their zeal for what they saw as the correct Siddhānta & the intellectual honesty in being vocal about it.
Meanwhile, you have here a group of people who are convinced about the omniscience of their teacher & have zero tolerance for the slightest criticism. In fact, they are offended that people are even shocked by what they heard.
And they accuse Satsampradāyikas of being rigid & blind.
See, this is where Hindus need to appreciate the value of their Śāstras. They provide a safeguard against personality cults because even the highest Ācārya of a Śāstriya Satsampradāya MUST be accountable to the Mūlaśāstras & Pūrvācārya-granthas.
Jokers are those who accuse unenforceable Śāstras (which they can violate with impunity anyday, anytime) of robbing them of their freedom & individuality but can’t see how they are magically unable to critically engage a single man’s comment, whatever it is.
They are robbed of the freedom & individuality they celebrate so much but can’t see the robbery. This is not Gurubhakti. Don’t use that label. Gurubhakti is not the suspension of thinking, standards or thresholds.
Sūreśvarācārya could depart from his Guru, Śaṅkara on some views. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī could depart from Śaṅkara as well. A Śrībhāṣya was born because a Kūreśa could raise questions about his Guru, Rāmānuja’s definition of a Jīva.
Kāśmīra Śaivācārya Rāmakaṇṭha could pay his deep respects to Saiddhāntika Ācārya Bṛhaspati while disagreeing with him on the correct view regarding a tricky issue in Siddhānta—The liberation of the highest of all beings endowed with divine authority, Ananta the Vidyeśvara.
Kumārila writes his Tantravārttika on Śabarasvāmī’s Mīmām̐sasūtrabhāṣya but does not hesitate to depart from his predecessor’s commentary on the Mīmām̐sasūtra in several places.
There was an ancient practice where some studied all the Vedas for a grand total of 48 years (from the day of their Upanayana). This is a practice that is cited with respect by even Baudhāyana though he too notes the inherent problem.
Śabarasvāmī deconstructs this provision brutally, stating that it contradicts the Veda’s command to set up Śrautāgni while the hair is still black & must have a hetu (reason “ulterior motive”) where men hide their lack of manhood & use the 48 years as an excuse to avoid marriage.
Medhātithi has no hesitation rejecting the opinions of sages that approve of voluntary sahagamana, saying that they fall foul of the Veda’s command to not end one’s life before the natural expiry.
In this sacred time of the year, we dedicate to शिव this thread about the role in the महाभारत of his particular form as श्रीकण्ठ-रुद्र.
1. The great ऋषि & ritualist, बक-दाल्भ्य asks धृतराष्ट्र for cattle, who arrogantly calls him a ब्रह्मबन्धु (lit. a ब्राह्मण’s kinsman, effectively means a “namesake ब्राह्मण”) & offers cattle already dead due to sickness caused by भगवान्-पशुपति. बक-दाल्भ्य then offers the whole कुरु kingdom with the meats of the sick cattle & black rice grains to अग्नि-रुद्रवत्, with the कुरु country wasting away, till धृतराष्ट्र realizes his error and begs the ऋषि to release his kingdom. But the sacrifice of कुरु-s to रुद्र had begun & this only prefigures the even bloodier sacrifice to take place. The account given with बलराम’s यात्र in शाल्यपर्व must be read together with account given in कृष्णयजुर्वेद’s काठक-संहिता for fuller details.
2. व्यास explains to द्रुपद that it is शंकर who imprisoned 5 old इन्द्र-s & sends them down as the 5 पाण्डव-s.
3. शिव enables king श्वेतकि to fulfill his dream of performing sacrifices incessantly (शिव sends दुर्वास to accomplish that as normal human priests are too weak) provided the king can pour ghee into अग्नि for 12 years uninterruptedly as तपस्. The king fulfils this condition, causing अग्नि’s indigestion, which in turn necessitates the summoning of कृष्ण & अर्जुन to help with खाण्डव-दहन, which will cause परीक्षित’s death & eventually the सर्पसत्त्र.
4. शंकर appoints श्री as the common partner of the 5 इन्द्र-s & द्रौपदी in her previous life performs तपस् to महादेव to attain a good husband & when the great god appears, she asks the boon 5 times, not understanding the god’s smile as “yes”. He assures her that this will take place in her next life. Hearing this story, द्रुपद says that the sin of holding a polyandrous marriage will not touch him as it was sanctioned by शंकर.
5. युधिष्ठिर was ambitious & eager to do the राजसूय but without the requisite wealth, resources & military might, it would be a futile endeavour. शिव had blessed & allowed जरसंध to conquer without failure & thus capture 86 क्षत्रिय-s & their troops. जरसंध had vowed to sacrifice all his victims to महादेव when his captured kings reaches a total of 100. कृष्ण says that even he had to flee Mathura due to जरसंध. Eventually, a coalition of भीम, अर्जुन & कृष्ण kills hum & those 86 kings are freed, who help युधिष्ठिर with the राजसूय. Why is this important? It’s युधिष्ठिर’s & by extension, the पाण्डव-s’ affluence which makes दुर्योधन jealous & start conspiring about the dice game. The level of success of the राजसूय depended on the पाण्डव-कृष्ण being the ones to defeat जरसंध. If शिव withdrew his grace & allowed him to be defeated earlier by someone else, then the राजसूय might not have been as successful.
6. शिव grants the ब्रह्मशिरस् weapon to अर्जुन after a fight, where he leaves the latter bloodied. This fight is a great turning point. The intimate contact with भगवान् turns out to be a huge blessing for him.
7. When दुर्योधन once had to be rescued by अर्जुन from the गान्धर्व-s, he is depressed & wishes to die & reach heaven. The दानव-s & दैत्य-s know that he was born to strengthen their cause, which will be frustrated if he attempts to fast to death. They bring him to their world with the help of a कृत्या (a goddess generated here by an अथर्ववेद-rite) & tell him that his upper 1/2 was created by महादेव with वज्र-s, making it extremely strong & his lower 1/2 by उमा, thereby making it soft. This strength in the upper body and weakness in the lower portion will be crucial in the final battle between दुर्योधन & भीम.
8. जयद्रथ’s boon from शिव meant that all the पाण्डव-s & their whole army, with the exception of अर्जुन who was fighting at the other end anyway, were able to be contained by him, allowing him to have अभिमन्यु killed without resistance.
9. शिव grants पाशुपतास्त्र to अर्जुन
10. After द्रोण’s death, अश्वत्थामा is enraged & slays 3 key पाण्डव warriors & also has सत्यकि, धृष्टद्युम्न & भीमसेन driven away from the battlefield. अर्जुन, upset, challenges him to a fight. अश्वत्थामा fires the अग्नेयास्त्प at कृष्ण & अर्जुन but while it burns up a large number of the army, it does not harm those 2 at all. Dejected & saying, “धिग्धिक्सर्वमिदं मिथ्या” (“Fie, fie; all this is false”), he leaves the battlefield to get clarity from व्यास. व्यास explains to him that शंकर, pleased with the तपस्, had formerly given a boon to नारायण that he will ever remain invincible & should शंकर himself confront him in battle, he will cause the latter to be victorious.
11. अर्जुन sees an effulgent being killing all the soldiers of him, despite him not using his weapon at all. व्यास explains that the one doing all actions on the battlefield is शंकर.
12. The night-raid, where अश्वत्थामा, with आवेश of महादेव, kills धृष्टद्युम्न & the उपपाण्डव-s, marking the end to the war-sacrifice, where रुद्र takes the remnants left behind at the site of sacrifice (those left behind at the camp after 18th evening).
13. Forgot to include 3 more points. कुन्ती received a boon to summon any chosen देव to obtain a child. Who granted this boon? दुर्वास, who is described by शिव himself at another place in the महाभारत as his own अंश (portion).
14. Who granted गान्धारी the boon of having a hundred sons? Again, it was शिव only. For the destined war between देव-s & असुर-s, the great god supplied a 100 for the असुर side.
15. अंबा’s reincarnation as शिखण्डी & भीष्म’s fall due to शिखण्डी (अंबा‘s revenge) are all facilitated by the blessings of शिव.
There‘s 1 more example in which we see a seemingly small thing facilitated by शिव eventually leading to a huge conclusion (just like the condition he laid for श्वेतकि, the 12-year continuous offering of ghee, led to drastic consequences for परिक्षित & the नाग-s).
16. Now, in the lineage of यादु, there was कृष्ण‘s father वसुदेव & one शिनि. Now, शिनि attends the स्वयम्वर of देवकी &, defeating the kings there, stationed देवकी in his chariot, to take her as bride for his clansman, वसुदेव. Now, the son of बाह्लिक, who is the brother of शांतनु & grandson of प्रतीप, सोमदत्त, could not bear to see this display of might by that यादव & this challenged शिनि to a fight. In that fight, शिनि humiliates सोमदत्त by pinning him down to the ground & while holding his hair in front of 1000s of खत्रिय-s, lets him go “mercy”. सोमदत्त then prays to महादेव for a son who will return that humiliation to शिनि’s son. That son of सोमदत्त was भूरिश्रवस् & शिनि’s was सात्यकि. During the war, despite the invincibility of the वार्ष्णेय (यादव) warriors, भूरिश्रवस् was able to completely subjugate सात्यकि, by the grace of महादेव. He humiliatingly drags him on the ground with everyone watching, just like it happened to his father decades ago. At the end, अर्जुन saves सात्यकि by firing an arrow, cutting off the arm of भूरिश्रवस्, who could not even see अर्जुन. When भूरिश्रवस् questions the injustice of attacking one engaged in combat with another, कृष्ण reminds him of his own role in अभिमन्यु’s death. Feeling dejected, he sits down to meditate & सात्यकि, smarting from the humiliation, shamelessly kills him.
Wait, what is so important about this? Some lesser-known character died. So? Now, only 3 warriors from कौरव side survived—अश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य & कृतवर्मा. Now, कृतवर्मा was also a यादव like सात्यकि, albeit fighting on the opposite side.
See, सात्यकि was condemned by both sides for his disgraceful act & although time can temporarily make people forget, one never shakes of such an evil reputation. 36 years after the war, on one fine day when the यादव-s were intoxicated, कृतवर्मा disparages सात्यकि for his deed & taunts him about it. This is the starting point of the यादव intar-clan massacre, where यादव-s started slaughtering each other. Had सोमदत्त not asked शिव for that boon for a son to return his humiliation against his enemy’s son, the dishonorable killing in response to that revenge by सात्यकि would have not occurred & it wouldn’t have become a trigger for the यादव-s’ final conflict!
“Everyone thinks that they are the gamblers, the players of dangerous games & then comes a god who plays games with these very gamblers as the dice & stakes.”
श्रीकण्ठ-रुद्र is very compassionate towards the simple ब्राह्मण reciting the वेद in devotion or the गोप (cowherd) or the women carrying water as the morning sun rises. It is those in power he tosses & throws about like dice. To that great god, a 1000 prostrations!
Postscript: Only 3 warriors from the कौरव side who survived are all associated with शिव in some way. अश्वत्थामा is born of a portion of रुद्र himself. कृपाचार्य is the contribution of the रुद्र-s & कृतवर्मा that of the मरुत्-s; both classes of gods being like हर’s children.
The reason they survive is because neither शिव nor those acting as his empowered agents are bound by the ordinary rules of morality or “perceived” justice that binds others. They have a divine purpose whose morality transcends the immediately perceptible situations & characters.
To an ordinary person, the night-raid conducted by the above three is nothing short of brutal & cruel. However, as the ब्रह्माण्ड-पुराण tells us, the उपपाण्डव-s had secured a boon that they will not suffer residence on earth for long. शिव only gives what they want.
The same goes for अभिमन्यु, incarnation of बुध. His father, चन्द्रदेव, had secured a promise that he will part with his son as a contribution to the destined war between the human incarnations of devas & those of their enemies, on the condition that his son leaves earth by 16.
What about धृष्टद्युम्न? See, the war is described as a grand vedic sacrifice (श्रौतयाग) & धृष्टद्युम्न is described as the दक्षिणा (the fee given to the ऋत्विज-s for helping conduct the sacrifice)! Who are the 4 main priests? कृष्ण & the 3 sons of कुन्ती!
The दक्षिणा shoukd have been given to the 4 priests (should have gone with the पाण्डव-s) after the completion of sacrifice (I.e. after the war) but it is instead left behind at the site of sacrifice (I.e. at the camp). Now, the श्रुति tells us what?
It warns us that even an agreed दक्षिणा can become the portion of रुद्र if it is left behind at the site of sacrifice. And रुद्र indeed claims his remnants.
The beauty of शिव is that he is not on any group’s side. The श्रुति tells us that असुर-s suffer from lack of दया, we humans from lack of दान & देव-s from lack of दम (self-restraint). As such, how can it do them good to keep aiding them without correction?
Therefore, शिव puts in place anyone who displays ignorance, देव, असुर or otherwise. This is why, an असुर like अन्धक could be redeemed & made a गणनाथ of शिव.
17. To add another point, after शिवसहस्रनाम was revealed by कृष्ण to युधिष्ठिर, different sages come to speak of the glory of worshipping शिव & among them, पराशर-ऋषि stated that he worshipped महादेव for a son who will be a वेदव्यास & शिव blesses him with more than what he asked. Not only will he become a वेदव्यास (वेदानां च स वै वक्ता) but will also be 1 of the सप्त-ऋषि in the era of सावर्ण-मनु (सावर्णस्य मनोः सर्गे सप्तर्षिश्च भविष्यति), the author of an इतिहास & पुराण-s (इतिहासस्य कर्ता च पुत्रस्ते जगतो हितः) & wait, relevances to महाभारत?
महादेव also gives a specific blessing that this son of पराशर-ऋषि will be a generator of the lineage of कुरु (कुरुवंशकर), although this was not specifically sought by the ऋषि. And indeed, व्यास revived the line of कुरु at a most critical time! In सभापर्व, after the राजसूय’s completion (a यज्ञ reputed in scriptures to be risky in terms of bringing calamities afterwards), युधिष्ठिर naively asks व्यास if the killing of शिशुपाल by वासुदेव has warded off those ill effects of the राजसूय as predicted by नारद.
See भगवान् व्यास’s answer from त्रयोदश समा onwards. He says that these ill-effects will last for 13 years (which युधिष्ठिर doesn’t get yet), culminating in a destruction of क्षत्रिय-s, & that युधिष्ठिर will dream of, that very night, महादेव facing the south.
The dream indicates the destruction that will result from the war & can be traced to the jealousy experienced by दुर्योधन as a result of the राजसूय & how countless illustrious kings & warriors will head towards the southern quarter of the ancestors (i.e. death).
18. For how the राजसूय’s performance was itself linked to महादेव’s intervention, scroll up this thread & read point No. 5.
5. युधिष्ठिर was ambitious & eager to do the राजसूय but without the requisite wealth, resources & military might, it would be a futile endeavour. शिव had blessed & allowed जरसंध to conquer without failure & thus capture 86 क्षत्रिय-s & their troops.++ #shivabhAratam#शिवभारतम्
Let us be clear here. I hate discussing this subject (since it tends to attract gutter scums) but the abuse isn’t pointing out phallic symbolism of Śivaliṅga. Not at all. The abuse is to demean liṅga due to said phallic significance. And how we respond is absolutely important.
Hindus should recall how when Xtians & others used to taunt us about our divine multiplicity, we were embarrassed & defensive & wanted to be known as monotheists. Today, the situation has improved with more Hindus being more confident of the word, “polytheism”. Likewise here.
What is embarrassing about the phallic significance of the Śivaliṅga? People keep repeating verses praising the head & feet of the deva but get disgusted at a symbol that connotes what? The eternal fatherhood & motherhood of Śiva & his inseparable Śakti.
I don’t care if getting defensive about the phallic significance is the politically “right” stance to take as per the prude-tva consensus. I am & will be a Śaiva till my last breath & will never be apologetic for the phallic significance of the Śivaliṅga.
Those who dislike me for this can go ahead & unfollow. I don’t care for such immature folks. I care for the opinion of Śrī-Upamanyu-Ṛṣi who states in Mahābhārata that Śiva-Devī are the only deities whose signs/insignia are found on the very persons of all humans & even beasts.
Those who are squeamish about Śivaliṅga & Yoni; take a hike & don’t ever pollute my TL with anti-Śaiva filth disguised as “defence” of Hindudharma.
If you are ashamed of the obvious significance of the Liṅga stated in so many śāstra-s & keep privileging your own biases even after being educated wth better-informed opinions, you are a Śivadveṣī.
The eternal unity of Śiva & Śakti symbolized through Sadāśiva’s form as liṅga & yoni in our Temples is not a joke or an object of ridicule to be ashamed of.
Those in the know will appreciate that the imagery of a man & woman in intimate embrace is used for ParaBrahma even in the Upaniṣad. The Śaiva śāstras have encapsulated the most profound meanings in the image of liṅga & yoni.
The Śivaliṅga has been an object of hate for some “Hindus”. For a Long time, some “Hindu” individuals have shown that they can treat Christians with far more respect than fellow Āstikas.An example: See the lovely garland of adjectives (Low, unworthy, debased) for Phallic liṅga & the relatively far far more respectful comparison (“Even more immaculate”, meaning this Hindu author still accepts Jeebus as immaculate) with Shittianity.
The dasyusamāj condescension for the Liṅga is pretty much along similar lines. There is no doubt we will continue to have imbeciles like this in our ranks for the years to come. I only hope better Hindus don’t get ashamed or defensive about the Śivaliṅga & Yonī.
The relevant श्लोक-s from महाभारत; uttered by भगवान्-उपमन्यु to शिव in te guise of देवेन्द्र. It is a very very straightforward passage.
If someone is suffering from lack of wealth, I can help him create wealth, but not aggressively appropriate wealth from others to redistribute or strive to eradicate wealth itself.Likewise, we can work on discrimination issues & help all Hindus achieve self-esteem, thereby creating new sources of pride. But making everyone Brahmin or something else will not solve that. It will only reinforce the false idea that other identities have no substance.
And that is a very regrettable idea if people actually hold it. I came to know of a nāgasvara player at a temple in sim̐hapurī, who was very proud of his nāgasvara family lineage going back to rājarāja chōzha time. How many brahmins today can compete with such a memory?
There are fishermen even today who participate in festivals, which are several centuries old.
