THE KINGDOM OF SHIVA

Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world and is one of the five and the highest Panch Kedar temples located in the mounta...in range of Tunganath in Rudraprayag district of Tehri Garhwal. The Tunganath (literal meaning: Lord of the peaks) mountains form the Mandakini and Alaknanda river valleys. Located at an altitude of 3,680 m and just below the peak of Chandrashila, Tungnath temple is the highest Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is believed to be 1000 years old and is the second in the pecking order of the Panch Kedars. The priest at this temple is a local Brahmin from Maku village, unlike the other Kedar temples where the priests are from South India, a tradition set by the eighth century Hindu seer Sankaracharya. It is also said that the Khasi Brahmins officiate as priests at this temple. During the winter season, the temple is closed and the symbolic image of the deity and the temple priests are moved to Mukunath, which is 19 km from here. Best time for pilgrimage to the shrine is summer months (end April or early May to October) as the temple remains snow bound and unapproachable. During this period even Chopta, the nearest road head remains deserted. It is an ancient temple built in the North Indian style of temple architecture. It is small in size and can barely accommodate ten people in the sanctum. Surrounding this temple, there are a number of small shrines of several gods. The sanctum part of the temple abuts the hills where the sacred standing black rock (swayambu) with tilt to the left, of 1 ft height, denoting the form of arms of Lord Shiva is worshipped. Among the smaller shrines, the central temple is of goddess Parvati, Shiva’s consort. Away to the far right there is a group of five small shrines dedicated to the Panch Kedar, which include Tungnath also as one of the Panch Kedar, in addition to the main Tunganath temple. Near the Akash Ganga water fall, close to Tungnath, a temple to Nanda Devi is located to denote that it is descending from heaven. The Tungnath peak on this ridge is the source of three springs, which form the Akashkamini River. The temple lies about 2 km below the Chandrashila Peak 4,000 m. The road to Chopta is just below this ridge and hence provides the shortest bridle approach path for trekking to the temple from Chopta, over a short distance of about 4 km.Chopta is 63 km (39 mi) from Rudraprayag towards Karnaprayag and is reached from Rishikesh via Devprayag, Srinagar and Rudraprayag. From the top of the Chandrashila peak, picturseque views of the Himalayan range comprising snow peaks of Nanda Devi, Panch Chuli, Banderpoonch, Kedarnath, Chaukhamba and Neelkanth on one side, and the Garhwal valley on the opposite side could be witnessed. The valley between Chopta and Tunganath temple has wooded hills with rich alpine meadows with rhododendron coppices and also agricultural fields. The rododendrons, when they are in full bloom during March, display dazzling colours ranging from crimson to pink. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun 258 km. The nearest railway station is at Rishikesh 241 km

Arudhra Darshan or Arudara Darshan is observed in the Tamil month of Margazhi (December – January). It is essentially a Shaivite festival and celebrates the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, which is represented by the Nataraja form. Arudhra signifies the golden red flame and Shiva performs the dance in the form this red-flamed light. In 2013, Arudhara Darshan is on December 18. The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva represents five activities – Creation, Protection, Destruction, Embodiment and Release. In essence, it represents the continuous cycle of creation and destruction. This cosmic dance takes place in every particle and is the source of all energy. Arudra Darshan celebrates this ecstatic dance of Lord Shiva. It takes place on the full moon night (along with Arudara Birth Star) in the month of Margazhi and this is also the longest night in a year. The festival is mainly observed in the Tamil speaking world. The most important Arudhra Darshan festival takes place at the Chidambaram Shiva Temple in Tamil Nadu. The cosmic dance of Lord Shiva is enacted on the day. Most of the temples around the world with Lord Nataraja and Shiva as deity perform the Arudhra Darshan. The Thiruvathirai Festival dedicated to Shiva and Parvati is observed on the day in Kerala.

God is love,God,is not fear.The only fear ,is not knowing God

It is impossible not to notice how "different" people literally fill the ranks of Lord Shiva's Ganas- The merry men. What does this really signify? Shivji accepts all! Caste and colour, form and appearance , these do not deter Him whatsoe...ver in remembering that all come from One source, all have the same aspirations: of simply being happy. and perhaps more importantly, a great message for those who consider themselves the followers of Shiva: Learn to love all beings, the only ghosts and goblins you must stay away from, are those created by your judgmental mind.

Mananam, Sravanam and Kirtanam

In the Sivapurana it has been told that once Sanatkumara was traveling in an aircraft and happened to see sage Parasara, practicing austerities (tapas ) on the banks of the river Saraswathi. Sanatkumara stopped by and asked the latter the reason for being at such a lonely place. Sage Parasara replied that having done his ordained duties as a teacher and helped lots of... students to gain knowledge, he decided to practice austerities for his own salvation. Sanatkumara then revealed to him the knowledge he received earlier from Nandikeswara and suggested him to practice mananam, sravanam and kirtanam instead of austerities as effective means of attaining the grace of Lord Siva and achieve liberation. These three means are explained below. Mananam: Uttering the Siva mantras or prayers, contemplating or meditating upon the grandeur and significance of Siva or the sacred texts of Saivism and performing similar mental activities. Sravanam: Listening from others, or in a gathering of Siva's devotees, about Lord Siva, the concepts of Saivism, the books on Saivism, the life and activities of Nayanars or other devotees of Siva. Kirtanam. Singing the glory of Lord Siva either alone or in the company of other devotees. When it is done in groups it is called bhajan. Devotional singing helps the mind become stabilized in God. The Worship of Sivalinga According to the Sivapurana, in the age of Kali (kaliyuga) ,worship of Siva in the form of Sivalinga is the best means of liberation. Woship of Sivalinga can be done either at home or in a Siva temple or a sacred place such as the banks of a sacred river. The linga has to be worshipped by the traditional means (sadupachara) of dhyana, avahana, asana, padya, arghya, achamaniya, abhisheka, vastra, bhasma, gandha, akshata, pushpa, bilva, dhupa, dipa, naivedya, tambula, mahanirajana, mantrapushpa, namaskara and prardhana. The Significance of Sivalinga. As the highest reality Siva is both Saguna (with form and qualities) and Nirguna (without form and qualities). The Siva linga is a rendering of Siva in his formless or nirguna aspect. Saguna Siva is known by his five aspects known as panchanana aspect and there are temples in India where we can see a Sivalinga having five faces representing these five aspects. According to the followers of Saivism, Nirguan Siva is the highest reality, the absolute principle, the formless unknown Self of all and the one indivisible Supreme Reality. Sivalinga represents this aspect of Siva and therefore its worship is considered to be the highest form of worship we can perform.

A Question To Shiva

Few days back, one girl asked Shiva that She feels no one understands her. She wants to do best for everyone, still everyone is against her. She always has problems at home and in the office too. Shiva asked her, if she understands herself. She said of course I know myself. Shiva said you know yourself but do you understand yourself and she was confused. She wants to do good for everyone, but why does she want to do good? When you are asking someone to do something, do you want best for him or do you want him to appreciate you? She said that but ultimately i am doing good for everyone. No, your deep intention is to do good for yourself and what reflects in our action is very small part of it. What we feel is the major part of who we are. You are into conflict yourself for everything inside you. You want to do something, you want something and you say something else. Till the time your every word, thought, feeling and action is in alignment, you will never have peace inside you. Till the time you will not have peace inside you, you will always have conflicts around you in everything you would do because this is what you are creating. So what should I do? Then Shiva Said Write down all the things. Write down all your thoughts. Write down all your feelings. Write down all your intentions. Write down all your actions. Write down everything without judging. Why should I write down, when i know them already. You know them, but you are not aware of them. Human mind is very intelligent. It would try to cancel everything without you being aware of it and you would lose your real thoughts or let's say you would bury them. It would disguise everything under the wrap of nobility. Don't judge anything good or bad. Just be aware of all of them so that you can have a clarity and then start sorting them out. Ask yourself why do I desire this? What am I gaining from this? Is it important to have my way all the time? What would happen if I do not have everything as per me? What would I lose if my expectations are not met? What am I gaining in all this? What should I leave behind? What are the things I actually want in myself? Why do i have so much resentment? Question all your intentions, feelings, desires, thoughts and actions. Once you get the clarity inside you, you will get the clarity everywhere. After two months of working on herself and on her thoughts, she was able to get into harmony with herself. She started liking herself and she also started liking everyone else. When she started liking everyone else inside herself, then everyone also got into harmony with her. You cannot create peace around you till the time you do not have peace inside you. You cannot be happy if you wait for something to happen. You can be happy if you are happy now and then you will have happiness everywhere. Whatever you have inside you, you create around you. If you want to have harmony around you, create harmony inside you. Be at peace yourself and everything else would be peaceful too. If you have love inside you, you will have love around you. Be happy, be peaceful, be love.

Lord shiva to see with us

It is natural to forget about God, but there are many helpful ways that we can avoid distraction, that we can remember to keep seeing God Siva everywhere. One of the practical ways to bring God Siva into the midst of all this is to keep repeating His name. Do japa when you find yourself forgetting, when you just can't see God at all, let alone everywhere. Repeat "Aum Namah Sivaya." When life becomes difficult or strained, say to yourself "Siva Siva" or "Aum Sivaya" or "Namah Sivaya." Mentally put it all at His feet. See Him in everyone that you meet or confront, regardless of the circumstances. He is there as their life force, but you just need to quiet the mind to see. Smile when you feel unhappy with someone and say to yourself, "How nice to see you, Siva, in this form." Animals, beggars, princes, politicians, friends and enemies, holy men, saints and sages are all Siva to the soul that loves God. He smiles and thinks to himself, "How nice to see you, Siva, in this, another of your many forms.

"There is one thing only that God Siva cannot do. He cannot separate Himself from me." He cannot separate Himself from you, because He permeates you. He is you. He created the soul, the Vedas and Agamas tell us. He created your soul, and your soul is evolving, maturing through karma, through life, on its way back to Him. That is the goal of life, to know Siva, to love Siva and to find union in Him, to dance with Siva, live with Siva and merge with Siva. This is what the oldest religion on the Earth teaches and believes

The small town of Ujjain

Set on the banks of the river Shipra, the small town of Ujjain gets awakened by the spiritual calls of aarti bells. These bells seem to be the lingua franca of this place. It is one of the holiest cities of the country—a place of the dakshinmukhi (south facing) jyotirlinga Mahakaleshwar where all roads seem to lead to the deity.

The Skanda Purana describes the glory of Ujjain (Mahakaala Vana) in great detail. Ujjain was the capital of Avanti. It played an important role during the periods of the Mauryas and the Guptas.

Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Benaras, Kanchipuram, Dwarka and Ujjain are considered to be the seven Mukti Sthalas (pilgrimage centres) of India. Ujjain is also home to the Kumbh Mela, when Jupiter resides in the zodiac sign of Scorpio.

The first stop in Ujjain is always the Mahakal. Legend has it that demon Dushana tormented the holy province of Avanti and Shiva appeared from the ground and vanquished the demon and, then upon the request of the inhabitants of Avanti, took up permanent abode here as Mahakaleshwar jyotirlinga. Lord Shiva is not only the guardian and patron deity of this city, but also the ruler.

The temple has a lake in the centre to draw water for performing abhishek of Lord Shiva. The temple is known for its Bhasma aarti at 4 O’clock in the morning. Though now the temple has changed its ways and the aarti is performed from vibhooti (holy ashes), still this is an experience worth getting up at 4 am for.

Far removed from the bustle of the city is the Gadkalika Temple, a place where Kalidas is said to have received knowledge after being blessed by Goddess Kali. The temple is simple and an unassuming one. Ujjain boasts of myriads of such assets one can’t afford to miss. This is the religious capital of central India—a place of legends. On the banks of the Shipra stands the Siddhvat tree. This is the tree believed to be standing since thousands of years. The tree’s origins lie in the days of yore when Parvati meditated here. Aurangzeb is said to have ordered the tree to be uprooted and stumps burnt. In spite of all this, the tree grew and flourished again, and became a sacred entity.

Outside the boundaries of the city are the Bhartruhari caves. Bhartruhari was the elder brother of King Vikramaditya. According to legend, after realising the infidelity of the world around him, he became an ascetic and joined the Nath sect. The caves are situated on the banks of the Shipra and are, even today, an idyllic spot. A little turn towards the city and one lands at the temple of the guardian deity of the city, Kal Bhairav, a lord whose prasad is liquor. Pilgrims flock to the temple to offer wine to the lord. The temple has some paintings of the Malwa time but the only thing that will draw your attention is the deity into whose mouth liquor is poured. Inside the temple also exists Patal Bhairavi temple, and nearby an old temple is located in the forest where King Vikramaditya gained ‘Baital Sidhhi’.

Next on the ‘must see’ list in Ujjain is the Harsiddhi Temple, an abode of Goddess Parvati. The temple is one of the 52 Shakti Peeths situated all over India. Shakti Peeths are places where parts of Sati’s body fell as Shiva danced ‘Tandava’ after being enraged by Sati offering herself to fire at her father’s place. Two huge Deepasthambs (pillars for lighting lamps) stand proud, welcoming the devotees. At night the two Deepastambs being fully lighted give a majestic look.

One thing that has the potential to captivate any spiritual being is the evening aarti at the Ram Ghat. A long string of steps leading down to the river become witness to the evening prayers to the river Shipra. As the day melts into night, the vibes of the prayers increase. The steps are all cleaned for the daily rituals. Three priests take the centrestage and perform the aarti. The river water gets lit by numerous earthen lamps offered by the devotees. The mantras start resonating in the air. After some time the flames become the most glaring light on the ghats. This sight is enough to make your day. The numerous temples dotting the ghat also start their pujas around the same time. The aarti can very well be compared to the one at Haridwar or Benares but sans fanfare and the milling crowd.

Temples dotting every corner of Ujjain make it worth visiting. Not just for its spiritual value but also for the very beautiful views of the river Shipra that meanders through the holy city.