Lord Siva and the Young Devotee
Originally uploaded by flickr photographerno1
Kodak Picture of the Day, Oct. 18 -Glenn Losack MD
From: "Editor, KODAK Picture of the Day"
Date: October 9, 2007 4:35:54 PM EDT
To: Glenn Losack
Subject: Kodak Picture of the Day, Oct. 18
Dear Glenn,
Once again I'm writing to say Congratulations!
"Young Devotee" has been selected for Picture of
the Day, and will be featured October 18, 2007 on
Kodak's web site, and every few minutes on the
Kodak Times Square Gallery in New York City.
Another wonderful picture filled with great color,
interest and depth. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Best regards,
Marianna
my poem
young devotee
incarnation of
godliness
lord shiva
thoughts of goddess parvati
begging child
within the shadow
of a supreme diety
bam bam bholenath
har har mahadev
cleansing the soul
in all its purity
yogic kundalini
shiva and shakti
third eye of oceanless
cosmic consciousness
spritual security
the powers of nandi
he soleminzes a moment
takes your surety
hari om ..
the sound rising
out of a karmic sea
mutual coexistence
live and let live
the cornerstone of
firoze shakirs poetry
According to the philosophy of Tantra, the entire universe is a manifestation of pure consciousness. In manifesting the universe, this pure consciousness seems to become divided into two poles or aspects, neither of which can exist without the other.
One aspect, Shiva, is masculine, retains a static quality and remains identified with unmanifested consciousness. Shiva has the power to be but not the power to become or change.
The other aspect, Shakti, is feminine, dynamic, energetic and creative. Shakti is the Great Mother of the universe, for it is from her that all form is born.
According to Tantra, the human being is a miniature universe. All that is found in the cosmos can be found within each individual, and the same principles that apply to the universe apply in the case of the individual being.
In human beings, Shakti, the feminine aspect is called Kundalini. This potential energy is said to rest at the base of the spinal cord. The object of the Tantric practice of Kundalini-yoga is to awaken this cosmic energy and make it ascend through the psychic centres, the chakras, that lie along the axis of the spine as consciousness potentials. She will then unite above the crown of the head with Shiva the pure consciousness. This union is the aim of Kundalini-yoga: a resolution of duality into unity again, a fusion with the Absolute. By this union the adept attains liberation while living which is considered in Indian life to be the highest experience: an union of the individual with the universe.
In Tantrism the state of ultimate bliss is a transcendence of dualities male-female, energy-consciousness, Shiva-Shakti.
www.tantra-kundalini.com/
Nandi Shivas Bull
According to Some Puranas, he was born out of the right side of Vishnu resembling Siva exactly and given as a son to the sage Salankayana. Some purnas mention him as the son of the sage Silada who got him by the grace of Shiva.
It was Nandi who cursed Ravana (the demon King of Lanka) that his kingdom would be burnt by a monkey (Vanara). And later Hanuman burnt Lanka when he went in search of Sita, who was kept prisoner by Ravana in Ashok Vatika.
When the positive forces, the devas, and the negative forces, the asuras, joined together on a rare occasion to churn the ocean with a mountain to obtain the nectar of immortality they utilized Vasuki, the serpent, as the rope. The devas pulled from one end and the asuras from the other. Vasuki was upset during the process of this churning, and vomited up a poison which became human karma. This "poison" was so dangerous that none of the devas or asuras wanted to go near it. It was extremely sticky and coming into contact with this poison, i.e, human karma, would drag the divinity down to the realms of human suffering and ego. As everyone else ran away, Lord Siva, followed by Nandi, came forward to help as he was the only one who could counteract this deadly poison. Shiva took the poison into his hand and drank it. Nandi saw some of the poison spill out of Siva's mouth and immediately drank if off the ground. The devas and asuras watching were shocked and wondered aloud what would happen to Nandi. Lord Siva calmed their fears saying, "Nandi has surrendered into me so completely that he has all my powers and my protection
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandi_Bull
