English
22nd February 2020
The compassion of Lord Shiva
Shivaratri is being celebrated today in Mayapur. Here Shiva and Parvati have an eternal abode. Advaita Ācārya is an expansion of Mahavisnu as well as Sada Shiva. There are three Visnus namely Karanodakashayi Visnu, Garbhodakashayi Visnu, and Kshirodakashayi Visnu. Maha-Visnu is an expansion of sankarsana. So Sada Shiva is an expansion of Maha-Visnu. So Sada Shiva appears in the form of Advaita Ācārya and has become a member of Pancatattva.
pancha-tattvatmakam krishnam
bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
namami bhakta-shaktikam
Translation:
Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Sri Krsna, who has manifested Himself in five as a devotee, expansion of a devotee, incarnation of a devotee, pure devotee, and devotional energy. (CC Adi-Lila, 7.6)
Advaita Ācārya has been called a bhakta avatar. Advaita meaning that He is non-different from Gauranga. There is no question of impersonalism. Shivaji, as we were saying yesterday, he is the greatest amongst the Vaisnavas.
nimna-gānāṁ yathā gaṅgā
devānām acyuto yathā
vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ
purāṇānām idam tathā
Translation:
Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas. (SB 12.13.16)
He knows that Visnu is the greatest amongst all. Worshippers of Visnu are called as Vaisnavas.
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma su-durlabhah
Translation:
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.( BG 7.19)
Shivaji himself is a maha Vaisnava.He worships Visnu and hence he is Vaishnava. Bhagavatam says this and he is a worshipper of Visnu. There are many tattvas out of which Shiva-tattva is there which is difficult to understand. Shiva is neither Visnu nor jiva- tattva. He is Shiva- tattva.
kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogāt
sañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ
yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryād
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Translation:
Lord Śiva is considered to be like yogurt (dahi). Yogurt is nothing but transformed milk; nonetheless, yogurt cannot be accepted as milk. Similarly, Lord Śiva holds almost all the powers of Lord Viṣṇu, and he is also above the qualities of the living entity, but he is not exactly like Viṣṇu, just as yogurt, although transformed milk, is not exactly like milk.(Brahma-saṁhitā 5.45)
If Visnu is milk, then Shivaji is curd. Yogurt can be made from milk, but milk can't be made from yogurt. Milk is a source of the yogurt. Lord Shiva's many activities resemble the activities of Vaisnavas. He worships Lord Sankarsana. He chants the holy names on beads with his 5 heads.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
Mahadeva Pancha mukhe Rama Rama Hare hare
Mahadeva (Shiva) sings with five mouths 'Rama Rama Hare Hare’. He worships and meditates on Lord Sankarsana who is actually an expansion of Sankarsana known as Anantsesa. The 5 expansions of Balarama have been explained at the start of Caitanya-caritamrta. They are :
(1) Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa,
(2) Kāraṇodakaśāyī,
(3) Garbhodakaśāyī,
(4) Kṣīrodakaśāyī, and
(5) Śeṣa. Lord Shiva worship Anantasesa.
The entire material world is situated on the hoods of Anantasesa. When it is the time of annihilation, then only Shivaji doesn't do the annihilation. Similarly creation is not done by Brahma only. Sarga or creation is started by the Lord and taken ahead by Brahma. In the same way, Shivaji is assisted by Anantasesa. Fires come out of the hoods of Anantasesa. There are 4 types of annihilation as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
There are 11 different expansions of Shivaji. There are 11 Rudras and Rudranis. Here in Mayapur, there is Rudradvipa, where these 11 Rudras and Rudranis stay. Shivaji expands in this way.He is not Visnu tattva. Brahma is jiva tattva. You can become Brahma, but no one can become Shiva. Mahesh Dhama is the eternal abode of Shiva. Shivaji's half abode is in Vaikuntha and it's lower portion is in this material world. Sada Shiva lives in Vaikuntha, exactly similar to Vaikuntha. In the lower portion, Kalabhairava stays. When we say that Advaita Ācārya is Sadashiv it means he is a resident of Vaikuntha. But Shivaji who performs the tandava dance at the time of annihilation is different and stays in the lower portion in this material world. At the time of annihilation, there is a jungle in the mangal which is an act of ignorance. All the ghosts and hobgoblins accompany Shivaji in this lower portion.
Shivaji has become part of the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement in the form of Advaita Ācārya. He became Sankaracarya before 1100 or 1200 years ago. He just followed the instruction of the Lord to preach Mayavada. He didn't commit any mistake. That mistake is forgiven. The same Sankaracarya becomes Advaita Ācārya. He is a Vaisnava and he is very merciful and by his mercy, we can get Caitanya Nitai.
doya koro sita-pati adwaita gosai
tava kripa-bale pai caitanya-nitai
Translation:
My dear Advaita Prabhu, husband of Sita, You are so kind. Please be merciful to me. If You are kind to me, naturally Lord Caitanya and Nityananda will also be kind to me.(Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu Doya Koro More” by Narottam Das Thakura )
Sita-pati means Advaita Acarya who is the husband of Sita Thakurani. He appeared 50 years before Caitanya Mahaprabhu and felt compassion for the fallen souls.
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
Translation:
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself. ( BG 4.7)
Seeing the condition of the world, Advaita Ācārya appeared. By seeing that there is a decline in religious practice he thought that now its time for the appearance of the Lord. In Santipur, on the banks of the Ganges, he worships Saligram by offering Ganga water and Tulasi. Haridas Thakur who was also there along with Him started to dance as Gauranga appeared. Such connections are there of Sada Shiva and Advaita Ācārya. We should thank Lord Sada Shiva who is in the form of Advaita Ācārya. If Advaita Ācārya wouldn't have been, then Gaura Nitai wouldn't have appeared. He brought Gaura Nitai to this world and hence we also came to Mayapur. Keep on doing kirtana and Japa.
Maha Shivaratri ki jay.
Srila Prabhupada ki Jay.
Gaur Premanande
Haribol