MahaShivaratri

The word shiva means friendly, gracious, kind, or bliss. Shiva is always blissful and meditative. He is also "alpa trupta", He is satisfied by mere abhishEka of water and by offering of "bilwa patra" (bael leaves). He is an ultimate outlaw i.e. SmashANa VairAgi. He is also the king among dancers i.e. he is the best - naTarAja. His tAnDava nRutya is unparalleled among all forms of dances (it is said that he does it during deluge). He dwells in meditation from within while he dances without. When he sits upon to meditate, his inner self dances to the tune of the universe.

Today is mahAshivrAtri, the day shiva and sati (his other half) united. Sati represents the feminine power and shiva represents the masculine. The union of feminine & masculine is representative of the universal being/self. Hence Shiva in called the ardha nArIshwara (in the ardha nArIshwara is contained all that is in the universe).

Two most powerful methods of pleasing shiva today is through "upavAsa" and "jAgaraNa". In a lame man's understanding "upavAsa = fasting" and "jAgaraNa = keeping awake". Let's go to the roots and understand the inner meaning.

1. upavAsa - The word "upa" means "near" and "vasa" means "to dwell / to reside". Hence, upavAsa means to reside near Lord Shiva; it means to dwell upon him the whole day.

2. jAgaraNa - jAgaraNa or jAgRuti means "awareness", "consciousness" or "awakening". It simply means this day is not just of "wakefulness" but of "awakening"; the awareness of the reality (satya); being conscious of the reality within us (Ruta); awakening of the cosmic consciousness within and without (dharma).

Today is the day to meditate, to sing in praise of Lord Shiva, to dwell and contemplate upon him, to worship him, and to raise in Consciousness.

May the abhayankara grant us fearlessness;

May the shankara bestow prosperity upon us;

May the gangAdhara purify our lives like the holy ganga;

May the vishwEswara protect the whole of humanity and the universe.

#shivarAtri

#mahAshivarAtri

#Praise_the_LordShiva

#Awakening_Consciousness

The Story of Manu

Vaivasvata Manu is the manasa putra of Brahman, the Lord of the Universe or the creator so as to say. He is the 7th & the current progenitor of the human race (i.e. out of the 14 epochs, this is the 7th). You can vaguely claim this - 'The word "man" is a diluted form of the word "Manu" (or his descendant as such). He has written a book on "Dharma Shastra", namely the Manu Smruti! There is this Mythological Manu that comes in the Mahabharata & there is a historical Manu of the Dharma Shastras. There is a bit of confusion as to the date & whether the same Manu has written the Dharma Shastra. I will take into account that both were the same. Apart from this, Manu is believed to have carried the Saptarshis (7 Sages) and one representative each from all the living species, on a boat/ship to save life on planet earth during the "Great Floods" of the ice age (the story of matsyAvatAra - vishNu guides the ship as a big fish & Manu is the Captain of the ship) . There is a similar story in the "Epic of Gilgamesh" of the Sumerians/Babylonians. Further, the story of "Noah's Ark" from the Genesis (Bible) has a strikingly similar narrative. 

Manu carrying the Saptarshis on the Boat/Ship.

There is so much of Sanctity attached to the life of Maharshi Manu. We all owe to him, our very existence. We all live today, due to the great feat accomplished by Manu. Till today, his words guide us, through his teachings on Dharma, even 1000s of years after his exit from planet earth. Lest those who speak lowly of this great man, their names won't be heard even for a few years after death!
Over 10,000 years must have gone after Manu left this planet earth. What great powerful personality must be he, who is remembered even today after 10,000 (be it as a praise or as a curse).