The sacred holiday of Shivaratri is celebrated to commemorate the saving of the world by Lord Shiva. Once, as the devas and demons were churning the nectar, a horrible side effect had accord: a sea of poison was produced, threatening to flood the universe. Lord Shiva then swallowed the poison, holding it in by wrapping a snake around his neck. And thus all was saved by Lord Shiva who consumed this grate trouble of the world, yet remained unharmed himself.Who is Lord Shiva? Is he God or deva? Is his worship spiritual or or meant for material benefits? There might not be a simple answer to these questions, since it seems the answer to all of them is yes. He is God yet not. Or one might say: in the middle. Out of the two categories of persons we know of Vishnu-tatva, the personality of godhead, and Jiva-tatva, the servant. God only is Vishnu-tatva, along with his different forms and incarnations (avatara). And we, the living entities, as well as the Devas (the controllers of the universal forces) are all Jivas.
The material creation is manifested as Prakriti, the material energy, is being impregnated by God. Yet God is not associating with it personally. Therefore, Vishnu, God, manifest himself as Lord Shiva, the male principal that impregnates the female principal, known as Prakriti or Parvati. So what is Shiva? Is he Jiva-tatva or Vishnu-tatva? The answer: non of the above. Shiva is a third category of self, known as Shiva-tatva. Is he God or not? Well, is yogurt milk or not? Yogurt and milk are two different things, yet yogurt is milk. The same is the relation between Shiva and Vishnu.
Shiva is known as the greatest yogi (Maha-Yogi). He is being worshiped for material gain. Yet he has the power to deliver the living entities. from material bondage, for he is the greatest devotee of the lord within this universe. Lord Shiva also taken a part of Lord Krishna's greatest pastime, the Rasa-Lila, and by that, revealed his role:
In Vrindavan, Krishna and the Gopies, the village girls, were performing the amorous dance, the Rasa-Lila, a pastime of true love and devotion of the Gopies and Lord Krishna, to which the devotees of krishna aspire. Lord Shiva was very eager to join this pastime and so he entered the nearby lake of Kusum-Sarovar and went out in the form of a young Gopi girl. By that he was not only able to enter the pastimes of Krishna, he was also appointed the guardian standing at the entrance of these pastimes in this form of his as Gopesvara-Mahadeva.
In the spiritual world, the Rasa-Lila is performed in the inner cycle of Goloka and in the outer rims is Kailesh, the abode of Lord Shiva, guarding the entrance to the spiritual world. In order to reach the spiritual level, one must get rid of the urge for being self centered, as the Gopies in Rasa-Lila. One must take the mode of the Gopies who, by gazing and the footprints of Lord Krishna, thought not of their own pleasure, but worried about the bear feet of Krishna being harmed by blades of grass. Shiva, who in time of destruction destroy the whole universe with his dance of anger, has the power to destroy our vices and elevate us to the level of pure devotion. And by meditating on his image as Gopesvara-Mahadeve, as a Gopi girl, one should ask permission to enter the pastimes of Lord Krishna.
The material creation is manifested as Prakriti, the material energy, is being impregnated by God. Yet God is not associating with it personally. Therefore, Vishnu, God, manifest himself as Lord Shiva, the male principal that impregnates the female principal, known as Prakriti or Parvati. So what is Shiva? Is he Jiva-tatva or Vishnu-tatva? The answer: non of the above. Shiva is a third category of self, known as Shiva-tatva. Is he God or not? Well, is yogurt milk or not? Yogurt and milk are two different things, yet yogurt is milk. The same is the relation between Shiva and Vishnu.
Shiva is known as the greatest yogi (Maha-Yogi). He is being worshiped for material gain. Yet he has the power to deliver the living entities. from material bondage, for he is the greatest devotee of the lord within this universe. Lord Shiva also taken a part of Lord Krishna's greatest pastime, the Rasa-Lila, and by that, revealed his role:
In Vrindavan, Krishna and the Gopies, the village girls, were performing the amorous dance, the Rasa-Lila, a pastime of true love and devotion of the Gopies and Lord Krishna, to which the devotees of krishna aspire. Lord Shiva was very eager to join this pastime and so he entered the nearby lake of Kusum-Sarovar and went out in the form of a young Gopi girl. By that he was not only able to enter the pastimes of Krishna, he was also appointed the guardian standing at the entrance of these pastimes in this form of his as Gopesvara-Mahadeva.
In the spiritual world, the Rasa-Lila is performed in the inner cycle of Goloka and in the outer rims is Kailesh, the abode of Lord Shiva, guarding the entrance to the spiritual world. In order to reach the spiritual level, one must get rid of the urge for being self centered, as the Gopies in Rasa-Lila. One must take the mode of the Gopies who, by gazing and the footprints of Lord Krishna, thought not of their own pleasure, but worried about the bear feet of Krishna being harmed by blades of grass. Shiva, who in time of destruction destroy the whole universe with his dance of anger, has the power to destroy our vices and elevate us to the level of pure devotion. And by meditating on his image as Gopesvara-Mahadeve, as a Gopi girl, one should ask permission to enter the pastimes of Lord Krishna.
Kusum-Sarovar - Goverdhan - India
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