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Spiritualseeker
26 May 2011, 06:52 PM
Namaste,

So I am meditating upon this story, I am not sure which scripture it comes from, but I got it from "Lord Siva and His Worship" by Swami Sivananda. I am trying to understand the meaning of this teaching. I want to get it beyond the apparent meaning. I am hoping some of you will help me as I am not skilled in interpretation and learning the mystical meanings from scriptures. Below is the story.

Once upon a time in Mount Kailas, Parvati closed the eyes of Lord Siva with her hands. Thereupon the sun, moon, and fire did not shine forth. This caused terrible havoc in the world. All were enveloped by darkness for a long period. Lord Siva opened His third eye a bit. The sun, moon and fire began to shine again and all darkness vanished.

Parvati was frightened. She removed her hands and dropped down the perspiration from her fingers. This perspiration was turned into ten Gangas with countless branches. These rivers did much havoc to the world. Thereupon Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Indra ran to Lord Siva and requested Him to avert this catastrophe.

Lord Siva felt compassionate and brought the whole waters in one hair of His matted locks. Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Indra requested Lord Siva to give a little of the water of the Ganga for their worlds. Lord Siva gave them a little. They became Virajanadi in Vaikuntha, Manasa Tirtha in Satyaloka and Devaganga in Indraloka. King Bhagiratha brought down the Ganga from Brahmaloka to save the sixty thousand sons of Sagara.

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Can somebody please go over some the deep meanings that are behind these words.

Om Namah Sivaya

Spiritualseeker
28 May 2011, 08:33 AM
Anybody? Where is Yajvan, Devotee, and EM when you need em? lol

Om Namah Sivaya

Eastern Mind
28 May 2011, 11:49 AM
Vannakkam SS: Although you put me in some sort of knowledge pedestal there, it is undeserved. This is just one of the many myths and stories within SD that I have absolutely no clue about. :) You might as well have asked a dead guy. Internet searching maybe?

Aum Namasivaya

devotee
30 May 2011, 10:45 PM
Namaste SS,



So I am meditating upon this story, I am not sure which scripture it comes from, but I got it from "Lord Siva and His Worship" by Swami Sivananda. I am trying to understand the meaning of this teaching. I want to get it beyond the apparent meaning. I am hoping some of you will help me as I am not skilled in interpretation and learning the mystical meanings from scriptures. Below is the story.

Once upon a time in Mount Kailas, Parvati closed the eyes of Lord Siva with her hands. Thereupon the sun, moon, and fire did not shine forth. This caused terrible havoc in the world. All were enveloped by darkness for a long period. Lord Siva opened His third eye a bit. The sun, moon and fire began to shine again and all darkness vanished.

Parvati was frightened. She removed her hands and dropped down the perspiration from her fingers. This perspiration was turned into ten Gangas with countless branches. These rivers did much havoc to the world. Thereupon Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Indra ran to Lord Siva and requested Him to avert this catastrophe.

Lord Siva felt compassionate and brought the whole waters in one hair of His matted locks. Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Indra requested Lord Siva to give a little of the water of the Ganga for their worlds. Lord Siva gave them a little. They became Virajanadi in Vaikuntha, Manasa Tirtha in Satyaloka and Devaganga in Indraloka. King Bhagiratha brought down the Ganga from Brahmaloka to save the sixty thousand sons of Sagara.

---
Can somebody please go over some the deep meanings that are behind these words.


Shiva is whatever Is. He is the origin and end of all beings. Therefore, He sustains everything and everything comes from Him alone. So, all rivers including Ganga, the moksha-giving river all oiginate from Him alone.

.... The meaning is all there and it is not difficult to find out. However, these stories are not for "finding the true hidden meaning behind each words". These stories are for the worshipper of Lord Shiva who worships Him in the form depicted in the Shastras. For him, these stories are as real as this world is. ... and let me tell you that it is "not untrue". There have been devotees who have seen & lived with Shiva as we read in the Puranas. I would have told you the story of great devotee of Lord Shiva and poet, Sri Vidyapati, if I had sufficient time. Lord Shiva stayed with him as his servant, named, "Uganaa" & gave him darshan with ganges originating from His head & also offered him to drink satisfying Ganga-water to him when once on the way (going somewhere with Uganaa accompanying him as his faithful servant) he was thirsty and wanted water.

God manifests to you in the form you love and worship Him. Therefore, in Bhakti, such analysis is not done and it is unnecessary ... because for him, the form & the associated attributes of the chosen form of God is everything. Such analysis is for Jnan-yogis & they don't bank on Puranas much & therefore, they don't discuss such stories. For Jnan-yogis these forms don't matter much as He is all forms & even formlessness ... beyond all illusions of Maya. The form and formlessness is the subject matter within Maya ... these have no meaning in absolute sense.

Therefore, in my humble opinion, "Bhakta should not indulge in too much such hair-splitting analysis. It is in fact, a hurdle for the Bhakti-margis (the followers of path of bhakti (devotion))".

OM

Ganeshprasad
31 May 2011, 08:26 AM
Pranam

On this I have a short story of cobbler and a Brahmin to narrate,

Narad ji when asked by Brahmin what was Narayan doing? Narad replied the lord was threading an elephant through the eye off a needle, to this Brahmin doubted if Narad had ever been to see Narayan, that he was fraud, such a feat is impossible. When the cobbler heard the same, the reaction was completely different, he said how wonderful my Lord is threading elephant through the eye off a needle, Narad ji asked how can you believe this? The reply was truly amazing, he said if the lord can put a whole big banyan tree in a seed what is so difficult for him to thread an elephant through an eye off a needle.

You see the purans means ancient history, when Vedyas wrote them he didn’t forget, to tell us it is a myth. There are stories in them that is way beyond my understanding, so I thought, only few years ago, the direct conversation between Ravan and Ahiravan thousand of miles apart would have sounded a fairy story, now we do that, no one blinks an eyelid.

For me to call Purans a myth is like kicking Vyasdev in the teeth, sideline him, then what have we got left?

Vedas speak off Rudra as Neelkhant, we all know how? through Puran. Next thing someone will tell me that is a myth, why should I argue that is your opinion.

Jai Shree Krishna

yajvan
31 May 2011, 12:38 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


I see the purāṇa-s from a different light... I prefer to see them as puraṇa¹ , an ocean of knowledge that are fulfilling ( pūraṇa¹)
and can be viewed on 3 levels.


That said it would be useful to see the saṃskṛtam (sanskrit) version - as one word translated differently brings a whole new meaning.

Yet from the story told ( as I do not recall reading this in the Śiva mahāpurāṇa - doesn't mean it's not there) , I see the following themes:

the rest and activity of the universe ( śiva's eyes opening and closing)
śiva's 3 eyes are dharma, compassion and spiritual insight
parvatī is that impulse to create , the vibration some call spanda - it is from Her touching that creation begins
the number 10 is significant as it symbolizes a few things: wholeness, the manifest and the unmanifest,
and both together are 1 (1+0) = 1
the infinite characteristic of śiva - 'one drop of perspiration was turned into ten Gangas with countless branches.
Lord Siva felt compassionate and brought the whole waters in one hair of His matted locks'praṇām

words

puraṇa - ocean, sea
pūraṇa - filling , completing , satisfying causing

Spiritualseeker
01 June 2011, 07:46 AM
Namaste everyone,

I had to reread my post again to see if I indicated that these stories were untrue and fake? But I don't see anything in my post that suggested that. I am not sure why some of you think that I am suggesting the texts are fake... That is why I mentioned that I wanted to meditate on more than just the "apparent " meaning. The apparent meaning would be the text itself that may be used for Bhakti. I just wanted to dwell deeper. I am not sure that since I am a westerner some of you may have thought I was suggesting that, but let us be just I do not see anything in the post that suggest that.

I am new to the scriptures and I am just trying to get some teachings to meditate on.

Now do I literally think that Ganga is on the head of Shiva in that there is a physical person with that on his head.. No, but I do not say the text is a myth. Although a myth would be okay to call it because a myth indicates what is true and real. In the Lotus Sutra a treasure tower came up from the Earth with A buddha on it and Shakyamuni was also seated on it. His assembly then was lifted up in the air so they could view it. Some may say the text is untrue because this is an impossible event. But interpreters of the Lotus Sutra says the Treasure Tower is the Eternal Truth, Taho Buddha is the True cause, and Buddha Shakyamuni is the True Affect, the raising of the disciples of the Buddha means the Buddha was raising them to his understanding. The mention of the emanations of the Buddha in the 10 directions means that what He became enlightened to and what he is is the truth that is everywhere and that there is not a place it is not. So it would be foolish for one to say the Lotus Sutra is a myth that is untrue.

So this is not my view, I see it as something that is true and real.

I ask questions about this Hindu text because I have no working with Hindu Scriptures. And to be frank not many at the local temple are willing to teach a white mexican. So that is why I asked here. I meant no disrespect.

Yajvan, Devotee, I did enjoy your feed back.

EM your more knowledgable than me thats why I put you on the pedestal lol.

Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya