ॐ गणपतिशारदागुरुभ्यो नमः |
ॐ नमो: शिवाय |
Sūta Maharshi uvācha, “I will elucidate, by the grace of the benevolent and great Lord Shiva, that which removes the pain of cycle of births and bestows the supreme release.
The mortal does not get liberation either by the performance of obligatory religious duties, nor by gifts, nor by penance, but only through the knowledge, wisdom and experience of the Truth. This is preceded by renunciation of the fruits of action. Renunciation leads one to complete immersion and absorption in the Self.
The reverential Siva Gita which has been imparted in the days of yore by the Lord of Parvati namely Lord Shiva to Prabhu Shri Rama in the Dandakaranya Forest is the most secret of all secrets.
Verily, this Siva Gita that liberates certain persons by mere thought/thinking was expounded in the ancient times by Lord Skanda to Brahmaputra Sanatkumara Paramarshi.
The most venerated of all sages, Brahmaputra Sanatkumara Paramarshi imparted this to Vyāsa Bādarāyana, who then revealed this sacred Siva Gita to me Sūta out of exceeding compassion.
It has been categorically stated by my Guru, Vyāsa Bādarāyana that, O the son of Sūta, this Gita should not be given to anybody indiscriminately, for the gods will be offended and will curse. This Gita is meant only for those whose hearts are pure and who are immersed and absorbed in the Supreme Being at all times.
At which point, the all-knowing Brahman, Bhagawan Vyāsa Bādarāyana was asked this by me, “O venerable Lord! Why do the gods get offended and curse? What harm can come in imparting this Gita and its wisdom to one and all for which the gods get angry?”
Bhagawan Vyāsa Bādarāyana, the son of Parasara Maharshi said thus to me, “O child! Listen carefully to the reply to the question asked. The Brahmins who are householders and who perform agnihotra every day are verily the Kamadhenus, satisfying all the gods by making offerings of food and drink that are both dear and desirable to them. Here, Brahmins refer to those who are contemplating on the Brahman at all times and perform the obligatory duties prescribed in the scriptures.
All these offerings are received in the heavenly worlds by the gods through the oblations poured into the sacred sacrificial fire. There is nothing in the heavenly worlds like the devout who strive to satisfy all the desires of the gods.
Just as householders experience sorrow when the cow is taken away from them, similarly, a Brahmana who is endowed with the knowledge and wisdom of the Supreme Truth causes sorrow to the gods. The reason is that a man who has realized the Self will not trouble himself with the prescribed rites and rituals and obligatory offerings in the sacrificial fire for the gods residing in the heavenly worlds.
Hence, the gods obstruct a seeker’s experience of the Self by creating delusion, desire and lust so as to tempt the seeker to move away from the search for the Supreme Truth and as a result, the unbounded devotion to Lord Shiva will not arise in these beings.
Therefore, for deluded persons, devotion towards Shoolapani does not arise. Even if by chance, it does arise, it unfortunately gets destroyed in the middle.
Even if the knowledge of Shiva arose by chance, the person prone to ignorance, confusion and delusion does not believe it to be true.”
Rishyah uvācha, “If in this manner, the gods themselves create hurdles, delusion and confusion to the devout, then to whom should one turn to and in whom is there the potency to bestow liberation?
O son of Sūta! Tell us the truth if there is any way to overcome the obstacles created by the gods and secure release or not?”
Sūta Maharshi uvācha, “By virtue of the merits acquired in millions of births, devotion towards Lord Shiva is born.
Because of one’s effort while surrendering in entirety to the Supreme Being, a man performs good deeds of ista and purta in the prescribed manner with the intention of offering the action and the fruits to Lord Shiva thereby, renouncing desires.
By the grace of Lord Shiva, steadfastness and singular firm conviction on the Supreme Goal descends upon the seeker. Consequently, the gods stop their hindrance and take to flight in fright.
With the absence of hurdles, only the desire to hear the glories of Lord Chandramouli arises from within. From hearing the glories of the Lord, knowledge is born and by that knowledge alone, one is liberated.
To put it plainly, even one who has committed innumerable mortal and minor sins will be liberated if his devotion to Lord Shiva is steadfast.
Even the worst sinner who is so deluded and ignorant is capable of redeeming himself and freeing himself from the relentless cycle of birth and death by devoting himself to Lord Shiva.
If one is either steadfast in devotion or is equally inimical to Lord Shiva, He is pleased and grants all that they desire. The meaning is that if one is inimical to the merciful Lord, he or she constantly thinks of the Lord even though in hateful terms and is in fact unconsciously filled with devotion for Lord Shiva in every atom of his or her body.
The Lord bestows all the three worlds to one either affluent or poor who offers even a little water or any other offering regularly with complete faith. The Lord does not care for ostentation but only for purity, love and surrender in his devotees.
If one is unable to make even a small offering regularly to the Lord, then he should do prostrations and circumambulations to the great Lord Shiva, for the Lord will be pleased even with that and will look upon him with kindness.
The Lord grants the wishes of one who is incapable of doing even a pradakshina, if he contemplates on Lord Shiva while moving or sitting or engaging in action.
What is difficult to acquire in the three worlds for Lord Shiva to whom the paste of the bilva wood, flowers blossoming in the forest and fruits in the forests are pleasing?
The pleasure that the Lord expresses for things that are found in abundance in the forests is not the same for the most excellent things available in the human settlements. The gifts of Mother Earth like the dried leaves, ripe fruits and sweet-smelling flowers that have fallen on the ground are deemed most delightful by Lord Shiva.
One who ignores such a renunciate like Lord Shiva and worships another is comparable to a person who forsakes the holy waters of the Ganges and runs after an illusion.
To the person whose intellect is deluded and in whom exist the sins accumulated in millions of lives, this message does not verily refer to. A sinner is ripe for redemption only when his devotion to Lord Shiva is pure.
One whose mind is constantly engaged in the contemplation of Lord Shiva irrespective of time, place or location will attain union with Lord Shiva and become one with Shiva Himself on the merit of sheer contemplation.
Every deity irrespective of its designation and stature by virtue of it being the essence and aspect of the Lord of all beings has power. Though the deity might have less lifespan and perhaps enjoy only a few privileges, it can still destroy with their kith and kin all those who praise themselves as, “I am the ruling sovereign”.
On the other hand, Lord Shiva, the creator of all the worlds and in possession of infinite power bestows greatness on the person who says ‘I am Shiva’, thereby, conferring identity and union with Him.
I will explain to you the divine observance called Pasupata vrat by which the pious sages attain the fulfillment of righteousness, wealth, desires and liberation.
Having undertaken the blemishless vow to observe the sacrosanct Pasupata vrat and meditating on the one thousand names of Lord Shiva in silence which has been deemed to be the quintessence of the Vedas, wearing the Rudraksha and sacred ash, thus, setting aside the mortal cycle of birth and death and attaining that very rare form of Shiva, the observers of the vow are blessed by Lord Shankara who always bestows good to all. He will appear before you so that you will see him with your physical eyes and thus, bless you with liberation.
I will now narrate to you that which was imparted to Prabhu Shri Rama in the Dandakaranya Forest by Agastya Maharshi who manifested from the pot. Listen with devotion.”
[Siva Gita, Chapter I – Slokas 1 – Slokas 36, Uttara Khanda, Padma Purana]
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