“Shivoham” means “I am Shiva”. Shiva means auspicious and benevolent. When you meditate, the silence builds your bridge with the absolute. It makes us pragmatic because it reminds us of our oneness with the absolute. That is why we emerge stronger, stress-free after every stint of meditation.
Shiva is the Yogiraj – the epitome of penance. Only penance can appease him. Meditation essentially means to remain unoccupied and unattached. Occupation is an escape and distraction. So, when you are still, the energy moves towards the centre. It settles down towards there. But when you are unstable, the energy dissipates and moves out.
Doing is a way of spilling out and non-doing is a way of gathering in. So, the engagements or occupations make you cling outside your being. They are excuses to remain on the fringes, outside. You would not have the courage to gather yourself. That is why it seems so difficult to meditate. It seems because we do not make an attempt to face ourselves and our silence. Always running away makes us resort to an external locus of control.
Shiva meditated, looked inside, sought silence in the mountains, and hence exemplified absolute control on the absolute. And for Him the absolute was self. Hence, He never sought material creatures and lived the life of a nomad. He was the richest and why would He look for external embellishments to put up a good show? He did not ever pay attention to His clothes or riches because His belief and message was that all these are external. They are cosmetic.
To start an inward journey is often scary because we have made ourselves chaotic and a puddle of muddy water. When we enter ourselves, we have to cross our own doing and that puts us off. The self-created ghosts scare us. We need the courage to be oneself, and to move inwards. The courage to be meditative is the greatest courage, one where you be one – both inside and outside. This assimilation needs tremendous fluidity.
Another meaning of the word Shiva is acceptance. If you accept there is no blockage. Fluidity gives us the reach and the independence. You can breathe better if you are fluid and accepting. You don’t have to create wily ways of carving your own path. In this activity of carving our own path, we bring in ego to our doing. The momentary achievements in having the paths paved give the pride of a doer. It destroys the beauty of creation. Everything is given. Why are you so anxious to build your own estate? Learn to enjoy. The rage of Shiva is the fire in a sacrificing Yagna. It is meant to signal the sprouting of ego and hence the need to gut it down.
Start collecting yourself and drop the frills. They do not belong to you. Are you sure that you belong to yourself? For a change, be selfish by collecting yourself, your traits, your absorption with nature, the Supreme. You have come a long way and do not abandon yourself any further. Yogiraj might be sitting on the rocks, with snakes around him and no riches and jewellery but He has the ‘entire’ with Him.
This composure inside has opened His third eye – the completeness beyond everything and nothing. When you meditate and do that consistently you will realise that you develop a strong intuition. This intuition is a little drop of the third eye or the power of “looking beyond”, contemplating the unknown. Meditation is just to be, not doing anything –no thought, no emotion, no action. You just are. There is complete fulfillment or richness in mediation. It comes from nowhere and it comes from everywhere. Existence is always complete, designed for everyone and everything and still we feel so deprived, depraved, and disillusioned.
On this Shivratri day, pledge to sit with yourself, gather your energies, listen carefully to what Shiva has to tell you, and only then you can dance. Tandav is easy provided you know to dance to the tune of nature. For Shiva is the Supreme nature, the most human of creators, and the ultimate role model.
Joy is your sanctum sanctorum. Whenever you are happy, you are happy for no reason at all, whenever you are unhappy, you have some reason to be unhappy. Happiness is the stuff you are made of. Repeating “Shivoham Shivoham” mantra would help you in your inward journey to freedom.
You are Shiva. But first, centre yourself and know your true worth, not your asset list. Don’t remain poor, this Shivratri.
