A LINGA of fire suddenly rose in front of them.
Trying to find its beginning and end, the two fighting Gods realized the Truth. SHIVA appeared in person before them and cleared their delusion.
VISHNU and BRAHMA saluted Him and uttered hymns of praise:
SALUTATIONS TO GREAT GOD SHIVA.
SALUTATIONS TO PARAMESHVARA.
SALUTATIONS TO PANCHAVAKTRA.
SALUTATIONS TO SUNDARESHVARA.
SALUTATIONS TO MAHADEVA.
YOU ARE THE DEITY OF ALL ALPHABETS.
YOU ARE
Aa...AAA…E…EEE...U…UOO…Rru…Rr…LR…LR…EAY…AIY…O…OO…OU...AM
KA etc; CHA etc; TA etc; TTA etc; PA etc.
[Repeat all alphabets as mantras of SHIVA]
YA RA LA VA SHA SSHA SA HA KSHA.
All these ALPHABETS or sounds are the various limbs of your body.
You are also the OMKAARA.
You are the Mantra of thirty eight letters.
You are the mantra of the five aspects beginning with the OMKAARA.
You are this sacred Mantra which originated from the Gayatri Mantra.
You are the Mantra of twenty four letters.
You are the Mantra OM NAMAH SHIVAAYA.
You are the TRAYAMBAKA Mantra.
OM HROUM HREEM JOOM SAHA
You are the CHINTAMANI Mantra.
KSHAMYOM.
You are the RUDRA GAAYATRI.
TAT PURUSHAAYA VIDMAHE MAHADEVAAYA DHEEMAHI.
TANNO RUDRAH PRACHODAYAAT.
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAAT.
You are the DAKSHINAMURTHY Mantra.
OM NAMO BHAGAVATE DAKSHINAMOORTAYE
MAHYAM MEDHAAM PRAYACCHA SVAAHA.
You are the MAHAVAAKYA of the Vedas.
TATVAMASI.
You are AGHORA; who is never terrifying.
You are the four Vedas.
RK YAJUR SAAMA ATHARVA.
You are SAAMBA, one who is in the company of AMBAA.
You are VARADA, one who bestows boons.
You are ISHVARA, the Supreme Ruler of Rulers.
SALUTATIONS SALUTATIONS SALUTATIONS
VANDE ISHAANAM ISHA MUKUTAM
PURUSHAAKHYAM PURAATANAM.
Salutations to the Ruler, the Crown among Rulers; denoted by the name Purusha; Ancient;
AGHORA HRIDAYAM HRDYAM
SARVA GUHYAM SADAASHIVAM
Non-terrifying Heart; affectionate; Hidden from all; Ever auspicious;
VAAMAPAADAM MAHADEVAM
MAHA BHOGEENDRA BHOOSHANAM
Of contrary conduct; Great God; Adorned by the great King of Snakes;
BRAHMANODHIPATIM SARGA STITHI
SAMAAHAARA KAARANAM
Lord of Brahman; Cause of Creation, Maintenance and Destruction.
SHIVA smiled with compassion.
SHIVA sighed. His breath arose as the VEDAS; Knowledge Supreme. VISHNU received them and gave it to BRAHMA. VISHNU worshipped SHIVA in various ways and prayed.
“O Lord! If You are pleased by my worship, then grant me this boon. Let me have unbroken devotion to your lotus feet.”
Then throwing a mischievous glance at Brahma, he said:
“O Great Lord! It is indeed a good thing we both fought. That has forced YOU to appear before us.”
SHIVA smiled. He addressed Brahma. He explained His own principle:
O BRAHMA! I am RUDRA!
I will come out of you screaming; and the RUDRA form will arise.
I am SHIVA, the DESTROYER; I am VISHNU, the PROTECTOR; I am You also as the CREATOR.
I divide MYSELF into these forms. My forms which descend from ME do not have less power.
There is no difference at all between ME and MY other lower forms.
I am what I am in all MY lower forms too.
I am formless; yet I appear in many forms.
As the Light is not affected by the touch of the water etc., I am unaffected by my forms.
Though with forms, I remain as Formless only in them.
I am SHIVA. I am RUDRA. There is no difference between US.
It is ONE split into TWO.
Ornaments might be many; but gold is the same.
Cause is one; but, Effects are many.
Vessels are many; but the clay is the same.
Whatever you see as consisting of a form, know it to be MY FORM.
Where is the form that does not have ME as the SELF?
I AM TRUTH; I AM KNOWLEDGE; I AM ETERNAL!
I AM SATYA; I AM JNAANA; I AM ANANTA!
You both have descended from PAKRITI; but I have not!
O Brahma! I may arise out of you; but do not think you created ME.
I will come out of you by MY own will.
You will know the RUDRA-FORM as TAMASIC. But, I am not actually the TAMAS.
I am the “I”- the AHAMKAARA.
O Brahma! You are the CREATOR by MY WILL.
VAAG-DEVI will be your Power.
VISHNU will get the Power through LAKSHMI, His spouse.
The ONE SHAKTI which is the Originator of all takes various Forms of Powers.
SHE is PARAMESHVARI, MY ETERNAL COMPANION.
SHE is UMA. SHE is the DESTRUCTIVE POWER, KAALI.
SHE will give rise to the Terrifying Form of KALKI, and destroy all Evil Powers.
KALKI is beyond DHARMA and ADHARMA. She is not bound by any rules or regulations.
HER WILL will be SUPREME.
In Her milder forms, SHE will unite with VISHNU and BHAIRAVA, the Twin-Brothers.
As all Forms of MINE have Equal Powers, all forms of SHAKTI will also have Equal Powers.
The SUPREME FORMLESS SHAKTI reigns over us all.
SHE is the SUPREME CREATOR, PROTECTOR, and DESTROYER.
SHE is PAVITRI, SAAVITRI and GAAYATRI.
SHE is DURGA, SARASWATI AND LAKSHMI.
SHE is UMA, SATYAA and TAIJASAA.
SHE is SHAKTI divided into THREE.
SHE is TRIPURAA, the TRINITY SUPREME.
O Brahma! Know that VISHNU abides in MY HEART and I abide in Vishnu’s heart.
One who differentiates between ME and VISHNU does not truly understand ME.
O Brahma! I command you to be endowed with the power of giving liberation to anyone who follows the Rules of the Vedas properly. You will be endowed with All Knowledge- Higher and Lower.
The Merit gained by having My Vision will be equal to the Merit gained by Your Vision.
There is no doubt about it. I promise you.
O Brahma!
From MY right side, VISHNU was born; from the left side you were created.
RUDRA, the SUPREME DESTROYER who fills the entire Creation, is born out of the Heart.
O VISHNU!
I alone am divided as the Three Divinities. I AM BRAHMA; I AM VISHNU; I AM RUDRA.
I am SAATVIC; and I create. I am RAJASIC; and I protect. I am TAMASIC; and I destroy.
As the SUPREME SHIVA, I am above the Three Gunas.
I am above the principles of PURUSHA and PRAKRITI.
I am Non-dual, Eternal, Taintless, and Complete in Myself.
VISHNU is Taamasic inside, and Saatvic outside.
RUDRA is Saatvic inside and Taamasic outside.
BRAHMA is Rajasic both inside and outside.
SHIVA is beyond the Gunas.
O VISHNU!
Take care of the Creator with love.
By MY COMMAND, he will be worshipped in all the three worlds.
You and Brahma will serve RUDRA.
RUDRA is the Complete Form of SHIVA, who has the Power to destroy anything.
O VISHNU!
You will be adored and worshipped in all the worlds by MY COMMAND.
Whenever the Creations of Brahma are filled with suffering, you try to remove them. I will always be there to help you in this difficult work. I will destroy all your enemies. You descend down to the Creations and help the beings to rise higher in their states. I will remain as this very form of RUDRA and perform deeds which are beyond your capacity.
O VISHNU!
You adore RUDRA and RUDRA will adore you.
In reality, there is no difference among all the three Divinities. In essence all three are equal.
Only difference lies in Power and Action.
O VISHNU!
You are a devotee of RUDRA.
Any man who criticizes or disregards you will have all his merits burnt to ashes.
O VISHNU!
Anyone who hates you will end up in hells of the worst kind.
This is my promise to you. This is the TRUTH.
O VISHNU!
You will get the highest place of worship and should be meditated upon by one and all. You will have the Power to bestow liberation and prosperity. You will have the Power to control and grace anybody as you wish.”
GUNAS are three in number.
SATVA, RAJAS, TAMAS.
White, Red, Black.
Purity, Action, Dullness.
SATVA is the state of extreme purity and goodness, and is incapable of any action.
RAJAS is the state of vibration, where action is a necessary resultant.
TAMAS is the state of supreme dullness where inaction is the result.
SHIVA is always in the state of SATVA. That is why He is known as SHIVA, the Supremely Good One. But to bring the Creations to an end, and give a rest period to the other divine forms, He takes the quality of TAMAS and destroys everything.
VISHNU is also SAATVIC in essence. He is in the eternal formless state always. Yet in order to protect and guard the worlds created by BRAHMA, h accepts the character of RAJAS and acts.
BRAHMA is the very principle of Creation and is RAJASIC both inside and outside. His very essence is to create. His existence is Creation. He cannot exist without the Vibration of Creation. So he is completely RAJASIC.
RUDRA is said to have TAMAS in His nature; He destroys.
VISHNU is said to have RAJAS in His nature; He protects.
BRAHMA is said to have SATVA in His nature; He is Knowledge in essence, though He creates.
VEDAS form His essence. So, He is SAATVIC.
SHIVA continued:
VISHNU is the SUPREME GODHEAD.
He has the Supreme Powers. He is the Bestower of Boons. He is the SELF of all. Anyone who takes shelter in VISHNU actually takes shelter in ME alone. VISHNU is MY body. I am His Soul. Anyone who differentiates between us falls into innumerable hells.
Know now the Supreme Time-Span of Gods.
Thousands of Four-fold Yugas are equal to one day of BRAHMA. His night is also of the same duration.
Thirty such days make up one month and twelve months make a year. Hundred such years make up the life-span of a BRAHMA. One year of Brahma is said to be the Day of VISHNU. His life-span also measures up to hundred years. One year of VISHNU is a Day in RUDRA’S life. His form exists for a hundred years this way.
All Jeevas, all Individual Souls breathe; they inhale and exhale. Breathing is the contact of the form with the field of action. Whether one is a God, or a man, Breathing connects the Inner Self to the form and creates the World.
Except SADAASHIVA, all are bound by the process of breathing and are bound by life and time-span.
SADAASHIVA is beyond the time-span. He is not a Jeeva.
He is the Supreme Godhead. He is eternal. Does HE breathe? HE inhales; but He never exhales.
As long as He can hold his breath without exhaling, He has the Power or SHAKTI.
HE, of course has the Knowledge of the World; but He is not in contact with the world or Creations, or His own Form. HE remains formless, though He is with a form.
HE does not descend down to the level of a Jeeva. HIS Power is in the non-contact state.
None of the effects of the created worlds affect HIM in that state. HE is always in union with HIS SHAKTI in that state.
HE inhales; but HE never exhales. As long as HE does not exhale, HE is Powerful.
All those who breathe are bound by Time. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Gandharvas, Serpents, Demons, all breathe and are bound by the time-scale.
A person who does not breathe and is able to remain in a non-contact state is in the state of SADAASHIVA and is free of timescale.
For Gods, the time-scale is as explained till now.
If breathing is what decides the time-scale, then- their days and nights consist of twenty one thousand hundred and six hundred numbers in total.
Six breaths make a moment; sixty moments make an hour; sixty hours make one day and night.
Actually there are no limitations to the breaths you take.
Since all of us breathe the breath of SADAASHIVA, breathing is endless.
Therefore the form one has been endowed with has to be maintained by one and all through breathing. All the duties one is endowed with must be performed properly.
This is MY Supreme Command.”
VISHNU was overwhelmed with ‘devotion’; he spoke with a choking voice.
“O Shankara! O Ocean of Compassion! O Lord of the Universe!
I shall obey Your Commandments. You have bestowed on me all the Powers in the past.
Let me not waver from Your Contemplation even for a second.
Any of my devotees who disrespect YOU will enter countless hells.
Your devotee is always my dearest. One who knows this Truth will soon become liberated.
You have increased my own greatness by Your Grace.
Forgive me if I have unknowingly offended YOU anytime”.
Brahma who felt ashamed about his ignorant actions apologized and saluted the two Divinities.
SHIVA was pleased by their devotion. HE embraced them both with supreme affection and vanished from their presence.
From then onwards, the Worship of the LINGA came into vogue. LINGA is SHIVA Himself.
LINGA is MAHESHVARA; the pedestal is MAHADEVI. Union is termed as LINGA, and the whole Creation is supported by the LINGA. One who knows the Truth about the LINGA is liberated forever.
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