In this excerpt from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains Utpaladeva’s wonder about being a “slave” to Lord Shiva without seeing his master.
Chapter 12 (58:58)
भगवनभवदिचछयैव दास –
सतव जातोऽसमि परसय नातर शकतिः ।
कथमेष तथापि वकतरबिमबं
तव पशयामि न जातु चितरमेतत ॥॥
bhagavanbhavadicchayaiva dasa-
stava jato’smi parasya natra saktih /
kathamesa tathapi vaktrabimbam
tava pasyami na jatu citrametat //26//
...
“Lord Shiva is the essence of all beings, His existence is nature, everybody’s nature. Lord Shiva is found in the absence of Lord Shiva also.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
This is a continuation of blog posts on the Bodhapañcadaśikā by Abhinavagupta, who wrote the [15 verses of wisdom] for ‘those dear devotees who are not intellectually inclined”. In this final part Swamiji is explaining the 15th and 16th, which are the ending verses.
इतथमिचछाकलाज...
This is a beautiful devotional excerpt from Chapter 1 of the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, highlighting the need to achieve God in the activity of the universe, not by shunning it.
“So, you should find out the way to achieve God in the activity of the universe, not by shunning it. This is Shaivism. The real way of perceiving You is to perceive You in each and every action of life.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
शिवो भूतवा...
Here Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals that bondage and liberation are not separate from the reality of Lord Siva. And why this theory of Shaivism is misunderstood.
Bondage and Liberation are not separate from the reality of Lord Shiva. ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
एतौ बनधविमोकषौ च परमेशसवरूपतः ।
न भिदयेते न भेदो हि तततवतः परमेशवरे ॥
etau bandha-vimoksau ca paramesa-svarupatah /
na bhidyete na bhedo hi tattvatah paramesvare // 14 //
But in fact these two cycles of...
Swamiji explains to us how and why Lord Shiva disconnects Himself from His energy and yet is never disconnected from it at the same time.
This is from the Bodhapañcadaśikā by Abhinavagupta, who wrote the “15 verses of wisdom” for ‘those dear devotees who are not intellectually inclined”.
This part starts with verses 6 - 8.
एष देवोऽनया देवया नितयं करीडारसोतसुकः ।
विचितरान सृषटिसंहारान विधतते युगपदविभुः ॥
esa devo’naya devya nityam...
