\|/Doubts & Discussions about Lord Shiva Part-1\|/ - Page 34

shali

Which story?

 "Mahishi",  story...

(shiv and mohini)...

When Manikantan returned, Pandalam told him that he had overheard the queen and her minister (who too had aspirations to power) discussing their plot, and told him that he'd punish them.  Manikantan then revealed to the king who he was and requested that they be spared, since they had hastened the killing of Mahishi.  He also asked the king to accept his queen's son as his successor, and allow him to leave, given his real identity, and the king asked him where to build a shrine to him.  Manikantan shot an arrow, and it landed @ the spot where the temple that Varaali mentioned is located.

Months later, that minister was down w/ a rash, and realized that his sins had gotten the better of him.  He had a dream where Ayappa appeared before him and asked him to take a bath in some river nearby, and then go to the temple.  The minister did so, and was cured after he took the dip, and ran to that temple, and from then on became a bhakt.

 

 

In a marvelously unified and dynamic composition expressing the rhythm and harmony of life, Nataraj is shown with four hands represent the cardinal directions. He is dancing, with his left foot elegantly raised and the right foot on a prostrate figure ' 'Apasmara Purusha', the personification of illusion and ignorance over whom Shiva triumphs. The upper left hand holds a flame, the lower left hand points down to the dwarf, who is shown holding a cobra. The upper right hand holds an hourglass drum or 'dumroo' that stands for the male-female vital principle, the lower shows the gesture of assertion: "Be without fear."

Snakes that stand for egotism, are seen uncoiling from his arms, legs, and hair, which is braided and bejeweled. His matted locks are whirling as he dances within an arch of flames representing the endless cycle of birth and death. On his head is a skull, which symbolizes his conquest over death. Goddess Ganga, the epitome of the holy river Ganges, also sits on his hairdo. His third eye is symbolic of his omniscience, insight, and enlightenment. The whole idol rests on a lotus pedestal, the symbol of the creative forces of the universe.

This cosmic dance of Shiva is called 'Anandatandava,' meaning the Dance of Bliss, and symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as the daily rhythm of birth and death. The dance is a pictorial allegory of the five principle manifestations of eternal energy ' creation, destruction, preservation, salvation, and illusion. The dance of Shiva also represents his five activities: 'Shrishti' (creation, evolution); 'Sthiti' (preservation, support); 'Samhara' (destruction, evolution); 'Tirobhava' (illusion); and 'Anugraha' (release, emancipation, grace).

The river is Pampa . Though the king had decided to build a temple for his son-turned-God, he could visualize what form the idol should take. While he was thus mulling, Lord Parashuram himself appeared there, and fashioned the idol.

1. The soul has, of necessity, to pass through the 84 lakh yonis, and only after obtaining a human birth it can attain God.

A soul takes a body only on account of karmas. Whatever be the body, on the exhaustion of karmas, the soul will attain liberation. Therefore, the number of births is dependent on the karmas of the soul. Souls that have less karmas can attain liberation even in one or two births. But if the karmas are not exhausted even after taking births in 84 lakh yonis, the souls take births again and again in those same yonis. Therefore, to say that souls have to pass through the 84 lakh yonis to attain liberation is not correct.

1. Rare is a human birth, because only through it the soul can attain God.

It is not necessary that the knowledge necessary to attain God can arise in the soul only on obtaining a human birth. It can arise in births like an ant, etc. There are a number of instances where souls in the bodies of an ant, elephant, snake, etc. have attained such knowledge. Did these attain salvation through the human body, which you call "the doorway to salvation"?

1. Souls have to take births in the ascending order of plants, animals, humans and Devas.

A student in Class 3 can be promoted to Class 5 through Class 4, as also directly. He can also be demoted, all dependent upon his intelligence. Similarly, the soul that is born as a plant can obtain a Deva's birth, and a Deva may be born as a dog or fox. All depends upon the good-bad deeds.

1. The law of karma comes into operation only at the human level.

Without a body, the soul cannot exist. And there can be no body without karmas. That a soul gets a body that will correspond to its karmas. Therefore, there is no body (for the soul) without karmas.

It may be asked: If so, the soul from its subtle condition, when it takes its first body, on what does its body depend (as it is held by some that there being no body for the soul in its subtle condition, it has no karmas, too)? The answer is: That also is depending in its Karmas! When the soul is in its subtle condition, the anava (darkenss) griping it will induce desire in it. That desire becomes karma and, as a result, the soul obtains a body in its first birth.

Therefore, to say that karmas obtain only in the human level and not in the lower yonis does not stand to reason.

1. There is freedom for the soul (to do virtuous or otherwise deeds) only in the human birth.

The souls have no freedom in any birth. The only person who has freedom is God. (This is one of the fundamental truths of Saiva Siddhanta). The peculiar characteristic of the soul is that it partakes of the nature of that to which it gets united. Accordingly, when the soul tries to unite itself with the Pati, it gets a little enlightenment and performs good deeds; when it joins Pasas, it will perform evil deeds. To so join (the Pati or Pasam) is also due to its past karmas. Therefore, the soul has no freedom.

due to good or bad karma's...

 

can u also answer my other questions on this page 43?