Why Saguna bhakti of dieties. Gyana by Shivatattva, dispelling avidya. Some thoughts.

As I pondered upon the statements by guruji and maa in samyama satsang in the retreat in kashmir in July 2024, i dwelled on the following.

Rishis manifesting Devi devtas;

When I read that Pratyangira devi is manifested by two rishis, it was an eye opener.

If this is true, the other devis and devtas must also be manifested by rishis.

This indicates the tremendous power of rishis to manifest.

Once manifested, the form stays on. Becomes eternal. the forms become independent and keep growing in powers, as more and more people worship them. There are some forms that will loose their powers. So in current times, one has to know which deity has powers and which does not.

The form of Shiva tattva is Shankara and other incarnations. The forms of Vishnu are the dashvtaras.

There are many "avatars" of Shiva. Like veerabhadra, Shankara etc.

Avataras have mantras dedictaed to them like there are mantras for Krishna, Shankara, narsimha, Rama etc. these are potent tools to access the dieties powers.

The orginal name of Shiva appears to be rudra or trimbak. Hence the maha mrityunjay Mantra does not mention Shiva. It mentions trimbak or the 3 eyed one. (Third eye being agna chakra).

Vedic and puranic mantras:

Om namah shivaya is a puranic mantra.

Maha mrityunjay Mantra is a Vedic mantra, like Gayatri mantra.

Creation of a universe:

Vishwamitra created a parallel universe for trishanku. This means a new universe can be created by the one who has the power to do so.

Tapas to get siddhis:

There are many references in puranas of characters like ravana who have done tapas for thousands of years and got siddhis or powers.

Yantra mantra and tantra:

Operating in the material world:

To do work in this world you need mantra yantra and tantra. Below every idol is a yantra. Idol is the form. Energy comes from yantra. This is the link to the energy world.

Mention of Shiva and Vishnu in Vedas:

There is no explicit mention of Shiva in Vedas. It is mentioned as an adjective for positivity in relation to other deities. Rudra is mentioned as the fierce form. Lord Brahma in Vedas and vishu is also mentioned less. Maximum mention is about Indra, the lord of thunder in followed by agni. This is a clue.

Manifesting over time:

One has to understand and accept the the energy manifestations have also changed over a period of time.

For example, there are hardly any temples of brahmadev, and many of Vishnu and Shiva and shakti. A common reference cited is from shiv purana where bramha loses the race to find the top of shiv lingam to Vishnu, because he tells a lie. The story is not as simple as it looks. There has to be a deeper meaning to it.

Upanishads and puranas:

Puranas and Upanishads are composed by enlightened beings and are interpretations of Vedas and history. They are well accepted in shatras and are relied upon.

Vedas:

Vedas are not composed by anyone. They are heard when one is in higher states of meditation.

It is unlikely that Vedas will have anything to do with a form. They have to be always about different energy forms like Indra represents thunder, varuna represents water, agni represents heat and so on, rudra represents annihilation.

Cyclical nature of creation:

There is a reference in Mahabharata about a crow asking Hanuman, which Rama is he referring to, meaning this cycle has happened before too with slight variations.

Energy world:

In the domain of energy world, there can not be any forms. Just energies. The energies are not made of 5 elements as they don't exist there. They could be like holographic images, that the mind has created, just like rishis have manifested the devi.

Ramakrishna:

Correlating this with ramakrishnas statement. The consciousness is the light, the mind of the lens and the film is the image that it fixed in the mind. So when the lens is clear, what is in the mind is projected on the screen. Hence, some see Jesus, some kishna, some kali and so on.

Tibetan monk:

There is a documented experience of a Tibetan monk, invoking a Devi, taking strides of 50 feet, going around 30 get feet in the air. To reach distances that take hours, only a few minutes. How is this possible?

Analogy of electricity, elecrical appliances and electronics:

Any device needs power. The consciousness is that power. It is similar to the electrical supply in the house. You can't see it. You can't touch it (you will get a shock!) you can't hear it. It's there.

A simple appliance like a fan, light or heater uses the raw power and makes it usable. This is like Vedic mantras. Hence this is universal as the functions of creation, sustenance, dissolution, light, fire, rain are eternal. And will continue to be so

More sophisticated appliances like microwave ovens, fridge and ac are engineered and optimised for results. These are like puranas, where many thousands of such practises, yantras and yantras are documented by enlightened beings over time.

The appliances are like deities. Each designed for a specific purpose. Example a fan can not do the work of a heater and vice versa.

There is nothing to be afraid of these dieties. Are you afraid of the fan or light or do you say thank you to them when them work?

Similarly, when you follow the prescribed process, you can invoke the power of the dieties.

Some unanswered questions:

Are the sapt rishis responsible for creating all the initial deities? As they were the first batch of enlightened ones by adi Yogi?

Is brahmadev the highest level of rishi? When you see the lineage of brahamadev, which includes some of the saptrishis, naras etc, you wonder about this aspect.

Is the importance of bhramadev diminished, as the role is not significant anymore in the current times?

Are Vishnu is Shiva and Brahma names of energies responsible for creating, sustaining and ending the universe? Their accepted forms are nothing but roles assigned to enlightened souls to manage the affairs of the universe?

Is the form of Shiva Vishnu and Brahma, created so the the mind can relate to it really. Are they manifestations? In reality, there are just energy?

One thing is certain, you can engage with the deities in a technical manner. There is no need to be afraid of them. They will operate exactly as they are designed.

The way ahead:

These questions are worth pondering and things will be clear in meditation and samadhi.

As I though about it, I recollected an interesting conversation...with my dear spiritual buddy sudarshan.

He shared this interesting perspective yesterday.

Saguna bhakti

Me: Meditation on a specific diety imbibes the qualities associated with that particular diety within.

Hence so many types of devtas in our sanatana. Devis, learning, warriors, education, wealth etc. It's a truly diverse culture.

It's Shiva/nirguna tatva that is ultimately manifested as saguna/Vishnu tatva everywhere.

It's hence only after shivkrupa, that Vishnu krupa happens.

Meaning, after atma gyana is clear, the Maya is pierced, and you see the manifestation of paramatman everywhere.

Gyana or truth or knowledge:

Gyana is understood by logic. This is where buddhi comes into play. This is different than Manas, which is driven by emotions, based on roles and memory. Hence in manaspuja, girija mati is mentioned. Not the other parts of the mind. This is a subtle hint to understand the Shiva swaroopa by logic, reflection and contemplation. All experiences, siddhis etc. Are at the mind level. One has to go beyond the mind using intellect to get to the true self within.

Bhakti, devotion, love:

Bhakti is done with love. From the heart. There is no greater love than atma Prem. The key is to see the manifestation of love everywhere in the entire universe. Knowing that the source, the Atman is the same.

There are so many methods to get this done in santana dharma, it's amazing.

Uprooting Avidya:

Sudarshan: Viveka or wisdom blossoms when avidya is seen and uprooted in the process Shiva tattva is established

Me: Avidya is the misconception that i am the role, leading to desires and emotions.

I am not my role:

Once i know, it's my role, i am not the role, desires and emotions hence are also not real. This is self realisation.

This Realisation of the self, beyond the triade or body, energy and mind is the shiv tattva itself, as described in nirvanashatakam.

(Shiva is not Shankara, the form with ganga on the head, moon on forehead etc.)

Hence avidya is pierced with shiv tattva. Well said sudarshan.

We keep doing our roles with full awareness, unattached to the result, involved in action, immersed in om...

Jeevamukta:

Jeevanmukta is this state...Our goal one Of life. The second one being sarva loka kalyanam.

The journey from gyana to bhakti is the journey from the intellect to the heart.

The mind judges, has opinions, is based on memory and various roles. It is engrossed and lost.

The pure intellect knows. Is clear, is Shiva, is formless, is unbiased. This is the seat of the shoonya or the third eye or the gyana. This is the foundation of adwaita. In this state you know that water is water, irrespective of its state.

Once this is clear, a natural flow emerges.

As everything is one, there is universal love for all.. This is the seat of love, of bhatki, of the heart chakra, of the flow. A state then you enjoy the states of water, ice, water, steam...

The last state is to experience everything together.

You see water in all of the states at the same time. You accept the forms of the water, you are aware of the true nature of water molecule and your are in abundance of everything that creates, sustains and destroys for form of water, knowing very well, that water itself can never be destroyed...

This is the journey from the mind to intellect to the heart...

In the gross from it's punarjanama, karma, bhagya etc

In the subtle form, it's only realisation. Nothing else. No where to go, nothing to have. None to be! Just nothing and everything.

Blessing

May you reach this state is dispelling avidya and manifest the goal of sarava loka kalyanam while being jeevanmukta.