Friday, February 16, 2007

Śivarātri forgotten


Rādhākuṇḍa Harekṛṣṇa dhāma -
I completely forgot that it is Śivarātri today - I only find it out in the afternoon in the pāṭh. I took a normal meal of roti and kichuri - no fast, no pūjā. At least I hear Śiva Līlā from the Bhāgavat in the Gopīnāth Mandir. From Tulasīdās' Rāmcarita Mānas comes the continuation of the 4th canto story - after combusting herself Sati takes birth as Umā from Himālaya and Menakā. Nārada came there. Śiva had turned to Hari-bhajan. Umā did 10.000 years tapasya to get Śiva as her husband. The devatās tried to disturb Śiva's samādhi to get a son from him that would defeat the Rākṣasa Tārakāsura. Kāmadeva used his five arrows, Malayan breezes, pretty girls and Śiva burned him to a crisp. Rati complained that now she has no more husband so the devatās blessed her that he would be pervading everyone as anaṅga, the disembodied god of temptation and that later they would be reunited in Dwārkā, where Kāmadeva would become Pradyumna, the son of Kṛṣṇa.

3 comments:

  1. Can you elaborate on why a Gaudiya Vaisnava considers this holy day important, and why a Gaudiya Vaisnava would spend time hearing Siva lila?

    This is not a challending question, I am just genuinely curious.

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  2. This is important just for me really because I am initiated in the Adwaita parivara, and Adwaita Prabhu is Shiva.

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  3. We could also say that Sivaratri is important due to the Bhagavata's statement vaisnavanam yatha sambhu.

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