To explore the inherent blissfulness within us, a cosmic dance like Shiv’s to get rid of our demons and unconscious darker shadows is a prerequisite, writes Pratiksha Apurv in The Speaking Tree, on August 13, 2023.
As per Harvard University research, being authentic and true to your own self can make you more impressive and professionally successful. But being such an individual is not easy. The Shiv Sutra offers us mantras that work like hidden seeds to flower our individuality and help us discover our traits. Some of these aphorisms are Caitanyatma, Jnanam Bandhah, Yonivargah Kalashariram, and Udyamo Bhairavah.
Ultimately, Atman, the soul, is pure consciousness. In literal Hindi, the word ‘Atman’ means ‘my own’. We all know that our conscious self is all that we have. Consciousness is Self, but we live totally oblivious to it. Conventional knowledge is not a facilitator, instead it acts as a shackle that keeps us from exploring the mysteries of life. The Shiva Sutra aphorisms encourage us to embark on a journey to find our true self — and this journey is the process to become one with the Divine.
The Mandukya Upanishad calls this state omniscient, the knower of everything. But it also means the experience of everything. In one of the verses, the Upanishad states: If an individual’s energy is harnessed completely through meditation, then he can reach the soul, which our sages say is the very inner womb of the universe, the source of origin and destruction. Shiv’s divine message is to experience everything, instead of learning the technicalities. His talks with Devi and the 112 methods of meditation in Vijnana Bhairava Tantra are methods to centre oneself and experience bliss. This is the reason ancient sages have found Shiv’s Nataraj form as a perfect example of one who contains the whole. No wonder a gilded statue of Nataraj adorns the very entrance of CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research in Switzerland. And only those who can dance, be in a blissful state have consciously realised the true Self. Only they have identified the demons within and weeded them out.
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung worked extensively on our dark side, the unconscious, which in layman’s term has all the traits of a symbolic demon we label as greed, jealousy, and violence. Jung, while describing the unconscious part, says, “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the darker and denser it is.” The tandav, cosmic dance, in the true sense is the process to cleanse the inner Self. Osho in one of his discourses says that meditation cleanses the inner Self so that the heart becomes more alert, aware, loving and sensitive. He adds that meditation is like a bath that existence showers on us, making us totally cleansed. And, to enter the state of meditation, one has to be an individual first. In order to explore the blissfulness within, the cosmic dance to get rid of our demons or the unconscious darker shadows is a prerequisite. Every individual has to be guided carefully on the path to be his own self. Observe yourself carefully, with a vision that extends beyond your immediate horizon.
Society is a collection of throbbing hearts and one has to accept the fact that there is no fundamental conflict of interest between two people. Just that on the periphery, each one is different from the other. If we let go of the dark shadows within us, we can explore new frontiers. Conscious individuals alone can strengthen society.
A person who is centred in his being can feel the divine moments happening all around. It is a continuous state of bliss. The journey to that bliss is all about love and a constant celebration.
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