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Thread: śiva and the moon

  1. #1
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    śiva and the moon

    hari o
    ~~~~~~

    namasté

    शशिशेखराय नमः
    oṁ śaśiśekharāya nama


    Many times we see śiva depicted with the moon over his head. We then call him śaśiśekharā. But is there more to this then meets the eye.

    This is from an older post , 108 names of śiva found in the śiva aṣṭottaraśata nāmāvali;

    regarding this name - śaśiśekharāya
    • śaśin शशिन् is a name for the moon, also camphor; it also infers the number one. We know śiva is called out as white as camphor, that of His purity.
    • hara हर - is bearing or wearing; We also know this word means 'Seizer', 'Destroyer' ,another epithet of śiva.
    • We know that śiva is always depicted with a moon over his head. The moon is also called soma. We also know the Supreme by the word Sat ( or satta -Being, or Truth), that is Brahmam. And Umā is Śrī Devī, Pārvatī. Now when Sa(t) comes together with Umā what is created ? Soma. What do we call the moon? Soma ( also Chandr). When Śiva and Pārvatī are joined together we get Soma. Hence for amāvāsya or the new moon, śiva and pārvatī come together, are enveloped and become Soma. for more on this , consider the HDF Post http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3354
    Hence śaśiśekhara is He, the bearer or holder of the moon; He is white as Camphor; He is the Seizer, and it is inferred that He brings Soma i.e. delight.

    Yet it seems there must be more then this. Does anyone care to offer some ideas on this matter ?



    praṇām
    Last edited by yajvan; 04 May 2012 at 07:52 AM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  2. #2

    Re: śiva and the moon

    Namaste yjavan,

    Thank you for your delightful posting!

    Might we also consider the universal form of Śiva? That we in our own habits, collectively; reflect the joining of Śiva with Pārvatī?

    When he is content, he dances in joy; but were he to stamp his feet in anger; the whole world might be destroyed.
    Should he turn his back or sleep, what then?

    How can we best see that he is pleased with our praise? By offering all that we do to him!

    He who sees the waxing a waning of the phase of the moon, might he also see that reflected upon this world?

    As surely as the plants raise their leaves before sunrise; to salute Surya, they are also versed in camphors dance, as they bring water in to their cells from the ground to protect against Suryas overwhelming force. Surya brings water from the seas to the mountain top from where it might flow.

    Who is he that harnesses this flow of water?

    Śiva, the river of knowledge flows upon his forehead; that Surya does not burn us all!

    One must justly ask if Surya, without Śiva is not blinded, enamoured by the splendour of his own magnificence?





    A humble heart felt offering; thank you for posting such a delight full thread.

  3. #3

    Re: śiva and the moon

    Thank you all,

    i lovet it

    Lord Ganesh also called Balacandra , but i dont know why
    Many Lord Shiva family or Devi manifestation, also wear cresent moon on their makuta (crown) . . .But i also ever seen Sarasvati maa wear cresent moon in Her jata

    OM. VAJRA. VISHNUYA. SVAHA
    OM. VAJRA. GARUDA. CALE CALE. HUM PHAT


    OM. AMOGHA VAIROCANA. MAHA-MUDRA. MANI PADMA JVALA PRAVARTTAYA. HUM

    Om Saha Nau-Avatu |
    Saha Nau Bhunaktu |
    Saha Viiryam Karava-Avahai |
    Tejasvi Nau-Adhii-Tam-Astu Maa Vidviss-Aavahai |
    Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||


  4. #4
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    Re: śiva and the moon

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    namasté

    शशिशेखराय नमः
    oṁ śaśiśekharāya nama

    When we think of the moon , we think of it as white, bright, outstanding in the sky. This idea is reviewed in the orginal post. Yet there is also another quality of the moon, and that of tithi. Some say tithīśa , the singular name given to one lunar day ( digit).We note that there are 15 tithīśa to lunar waxing or wanning of the month.

    Within saṃskṛtam there are 16 vowels called out. They are from a, ā to ṁ, ḥ. We are told śiva owns these vowels. What is the connection with tithi-s ? There are 15 tithīśa , yet 16 vowels, how do we make sense of this ? The last vowel sound is ḥ ( written in saṃskṛtam as a colon or : ), and it is implied that it resides in each and every other vowel , the other 15.
    So the 15 vowels are also called 'lunar stations' because another name tithi also stands for the number 15.
    So with cresent moon over śiva's head it is saying it is He who owns the vowels. No words can be spoken without vowels. The very first vowel is 'a' and is called anuttara meaning Supreme. It is the very first sound found in the ṛg ved ' agni' . From this 'a' all else proceeds.

    Yet there is so much more that goes with this notion - the blossoming of consciousness as the moon goes to fullness ( pūrṇa), how all of creation is contained between a+ha +ṁ (ahaṁ or universal I or Self which is śiva); how śiva and śakti are part of this whole idea; how kāla (time) fits in to the moon and its cycles, and how each tithi has a quality associated with it that influences creation.

    All this is contained within the notion of the cresent moon over śiva's head.

    praṇām
    Last edited by yajvan; 04 May 2012 at 01:28 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  5. #5

    Re: śiva and the moon

    Namaste yajvan,

    Thank you for sharing this wisdom; might the colon be considered "breath"? The prana contained in all vowels?

    Pertaining to the tithīśa, where might we read more of the nature of each tithīśa, maybe you would be so kind as to expand a little? Does the nature of the vowel sound correspond to the nature of the tithīśa; in relation to the position of the moon in her cycle?

    Thank you kindly.

    praNAma

    mana

  6. #6
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    Re: śiva and the moon

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    namasté

    शशिशेखराय नमः
    oṁ śaśiśekharāya nama

    Quote Originally Posted by Mana View Post
    Thank you for sharing this wisdom; might the colon be considered "breath"? The prana contained in all vowels?
    This ḥ viewed as a colon : is called visarga (also called by some visarjanīya). Here are some HDF posts you may find interesting regarding visarga :
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6581&highlight=visarga

    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...hlight=visarga
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...4&postcount=17

    More advanced thinking on this notion:
    http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=3808&highlight=visarga


    I will add a bit more as time permits on this overall subject. One idea is from a jyotish point of view; sun (sūrya) is considered śiva. Each sound-bīja connected to the sun should in fact be connected to śiva, and it is. That is, the 16 vowels align to the sun-śiva starting with 'a' and ending with 'ḥ' . It is from here the sun and the moon are related.

    If we look to ḥ as the saṃskṛtam symbol : it is considered śiva and śakti. You will find this knowledge in the HDF links offered above. If one wishes to read more on HDF about this, then search on visarga and you will find many more posts.


    praṇām
    Last edited by yajvan; 04 May 2012 at 07:56 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  7. #7

    Re: śiva and the moon

    Namaste yajvan, All

    Thank you for collecting all these posts together, still absorbing the basics of this beautiful language; I hope that once my first hurdles of assimilation are crossed, that it will become much easier. (Makes vow to self to work harder at saṃskṛtam).

    Might we consider the moon to be Parvarti her self? In retrospect mAtRkA would seem more apt, especially when one considers the point of view of Jyotish!

    It must assuredly be wiser to venerate these phases of the Moon, rather than forget them, pay them no mind, or even hide them.

    I wonder if it is divine coincidence by which the presidential elections are being held this Sunday, in France; upon the occurrence of the full moon?


    praNAma

    mana
    Last edited by Mana; 06 May 2012 at 06:50 AM. Reason: mAtRkA

  8. #8
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    Re: śiva and the moon


  9. #9

    Re: śiva and the moon

    Discussion about the greatness of Shiva Bhagavan and Parvati Bhagavati give us purification of sin

    OM. VAJRA. VISHNUYA. SVAHA
    OM. VAJRA. GARUDA. CALE CALE. HUM PHAT


    OM. AMOGHA VAIROCANA. MAHA-MUDRA. MANI PADMA JVALA PRAVARTTAYA. HUM

    Om Saha Nau-Avatu |
    Saha Nau Bhunaktu |
    Saha Viiryam Karava-Avahai |
    Tejasvi Nau-Adhii-Tam-Astu Maa Vidviss-Aavahai |
    Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||


  10. Re: śiva and the moon

    हरिः ओम्


    Namaste All.

    A few thoughts as to Śiva's grace and nature.

    Were it that any should doubt the close relationship we humans have with our most beautiful orbiting satellite; Mother the Moon. I
    have decided to compile this little post:

    I was mocked only today, as to my belief in her presence in all of our lives. We in the west are so far removed from these natural cycles that we
    are totally out of sync with nature. I explained as follows.

    I gently explained the effect of the lunar cycle on the sap and thus the movement of plants but also,
    the more recent discovery that
    the Moon takes an electrical charge, every time she passes through the Earth's "Magnetic tail". This charge
    no matter how small can be held as capacitance between the moon and the Earth, slowly discharging; maybe this is the source of lightning?

    Now any who are already familiar with the Jyotish, will know about the lunar nodes, but what are they? I will propose that we
    look to the Lorentz Force for an explanation of the lunar nodes. As a combination of increased charge as the moon crosses directly the Earth's
    path and accentuated circular velocity create an enormous scope for fluctuations in the magnetic fractal field. Rather like a signal going into
    an old vacuum lamp.



    Let us remember that these fluctuates happen along with the amount of light received from the Sun and Moon and stars, as the earth's tail is
    naturally perpendicular to the Sun!



    I did think to post this in the science section, but to me it really seems to me to be more relevant here. I will not take the slightest offence if you
    think this subject better suited to either the Jyotish or the science sections of the forum.









    pranāma

    mana




    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Aum Namaḥ Śivāya
    Last edited by Mana; 11 May 2012 at 12:15 PM.
    8i8

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