In these two excerpts, Swami Lakshmanjoo answers the question of how to know which is the true path. The first excerpt is from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali, the second is from the Magical Jewel of Devotion, Stavacintamani by Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa, as revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo.
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Chapter 2 (1:01:24)
सर्वाशङ्काशनिं सर्वा-
लक्ष्मीकालानलं तथा ।
सर्वामङ्गल्यकल्पान्तं
मार्गं माहेश्वरं नुमः ॥२८॥
sarvāśaṅkāśaniṁ sarvā-
lakṣmīkālānalaṁ tathā /
sarvāmaṅgalyakalpāntaṁ
mārgaṁ māheśvaraṁ numaḥ //28//
I bow to the path of Lord Śiva, the path of Lord Śiva . . . The “path” means the avenue, from which avenue Lord Śiva could be achieved. That is the path. . . . I bow to that path of Lord Śiva, which is sarvāśaṅkāśaniṁ, which is the thunderbolt to destroy all doubts; to destroy all doubts, it is a thunderbolt. It acts like a thunderbolt, where all doubts are destroyed, shattered. Sarva alakṣmī kālānalaṁ, and all alakṣmī (alakṣmī means daridhratā), for all misfortunes, this path of Lord Śiva acts like kālāgnirudra, great fire so that all these misfortunes are fired to ashes.
So, all doubts are gone and all misfortunes are over just when you step on the path of Lord Śiva. And sarvā amaṅgalya kalpāntaṁ, where amaṅgala (absence of joy), where the absence of . . . for the absence of joy, it is kalpānta, it is just destruction, the way of destroying all absence of joy. So, joy comes. I bow to that path of Lord Śiva.
Source: Hymns to Shiva, Chapter 2 verse 28, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo
The second excerpt with a similar subject is from the Magical Jewel of Devotion, Stavacintamani as revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo.
Audio 6 (08:50)
मन्ये न्यस्तपदः सोऽपि क्षेम्ये मोक्षस्य वर्तमनि ।
मनोरथः स्थितो यस्य सेविष्ये शिवमित्ययम् ॥१०६॥
manye nyastapadaḥ so’pi kṣemye mokṣasya vartmani /
manorathaḥ sthito yasya seviṣye śivamityayam //106//
SWAMIJI: [Bhaṭṭanārayāna says:] From my thinking, this is my understanding (manye means, this is my understanding), mokṣasya vartmani, on the path of liberation, the path on which you are liberated from the repeated births and deaths, and which is kṣemye, the great protector (that path is always protecting a man), from my viewpoint, from my thinking, I believe (manye, I believe) that, so’pi nyasta padaḥ, he has also stepped on that path, he has also stepped on that path, . . .*
Which path?
JOHN: Path of liberation.
SWAMIJI: Path of liberation.
*. . . who yasya manoratha sthitaḥ, who have only longings, who have only longings: “When that time will come when I will meditate on God? When that time will come when I will merge in God?” This kind of only longings, anybody who has only this kind of longing in his mind, from my viewpoint, he has also stepped on that path. Who? He who has only longings, who has not stepped [on the path] at all, but who has only longings that he would like to tread on that path. He is treading.
JOHN: Already.
SWAMIJI: He is treading already. He is on the path.*
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* On this point, Kṣemarāja references a verse by Abhinavagupta: “‘Oh, it is too late! It is now 3:00 am.’ If I am sleeping and the clock shows 3:00 am, I abruptly get up from bed and call all of my kith and kin to my bed and say, ‘Leave your bed now! We will start meditating now and sing the glory of Parabhairava.’ They sit only for five minutes and do nothing, and only by this longing that, ‘I will get up and sit as it is time for meditation’, only this longing takes them abruptly to the state of God consciousness. This is the greatness of Your being. Longing carries them, not effort.” Denise Hughes ’s notes.
