They keep away from effects of maya because they know that everything that has emerged has to go back to where it came from, writes Yogi Ashwini
lord Brahma gave birth to physical creation. The task of ensuring its smooth functioning was entrusted upon lord Vishnu, and lord Shiv paved the path of the journey back. The purpose of creation is experience; each one of us has taken birth because of desire for a specific experience. Depending on that desire, a guru carves out the path of sadhna for you and gives you the mantra to invoke the shakti or dev which is responsible for it.
Broadly, sadhaks may be put into three broad categories — Brahma sadhaks, Vishnu sadhaks, and Shiv sadhaks. It is the path they walk that differentiates one sadhak from the other, and no path is higher or lower than the other. The path of Brahma is that of aiding him in the process of creation. That of Vishnu sadhaks is to assist him in the preservation and maintenance of creation. And Shiv sadhaks tread his path of the journey back.
If you visit a Brahma temple in present times, chances of finding a sadhak there are rare. Such places have no signs of yog or dhyan. In fact, at some of these spots, cattle mafias are in full swing, where cows and camels are illegally sold for slaughter. The reason for this is simple. There is little need for Brahma in present times. All that had to be created has already been created (it depends on your capacity what you can take from it). And it is human mentality to forget about that which is not our immediate requirement, hence the sorry state of affairs.
The temples of lord Vishnu attract people in large numbers. At such places, you will find there is no dearth of wealth, grandeur and funds. Patrons of lord Vishnu profess health, happiness and material fulfillment, which is what the majority is seeking. Maya is the force of Vishnu. Ya devi sarvbhuteshu Vishnu maya shabdita, goes the sloka. It is the force that runs creation, but it is also the force that ties you to it. let us not forget that every aspect of physical creation — wealth, property, beauty, power, status — is temporary. While it brings pleasure as it comes along, as it leaves (and leave it will), it leaves one with pain and grief.
This is where the Shiv sadhaks step in. They show the exit route from both pain and pleasure: Aham brahm asmi, tat tvam asi, shivohum. All these refer to the journey back. It is imperative to understand here that the return journey does not mean going back to lord Brahma. Creation began with him, but the journey back is the path of parabrahma, that which is real.
You will not find grandeur or opulence at a Shiv dham. There will be no singing or dancing, nor a display of beautiful clothes or jewellery. The path of Shiv sadhak is simple and straightforward. That is why Shiv sadhaks are not very popular in the physical world. They keep themselves away from the effects of Vishnu’s maya because they know everything that has emerged has to go back to where it came from.
To walk the path of lord Shiv, one has to forego his/her attachments and leave behind the material or unreal, which is why most find it a difficult journey to traverse. Majority find excuses to change their path because they know to be on this path they will have to bear the pain of leaving behind what they hold dear. You know how difficult it is to let go of something or return something that you possess. How bad does it feel to return from a holiday trip to an exquisite destination, with beautiful locales and delicious foodIJ And here we are talking about leaving everything.
Shiv sadhaks don’t take anything from you, neither do they make big promises or give upays. They only speak of letting go, instantly. Either leave everything or you don’t, there is nothing like ‘working towards it’. Shiv dhams don’t even have greenery — that is to prepare you for the truth of what lies ahead. You have to decide which path you want to walk — utpatti, vaibhav, or moksha — that of Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiv. Because based on the state of thesadhak and his desires, the guru guides him on the path of sadhna for giving back to the various energies and harnessing the shakti within.
A normal human being does not know what lies beyond the physical world and is so engrossed in the pursuit of the senses and collection of wealth and fame that he does not want to understand that one day this will all go away due to the inherent destructive nature and non-permanency of all aspects of physical creation. So he goes to search for a guru in the hope that what is temporary can somehow be made permanent. One forgets here that even the guru’s body is not permanent, so to look for permanency from something which is temporary is foolish. The purpose of human birth is to go beyond the higher states of consciousness, and this is facilitated by the guru. But to grow and nurture that seed is up to you.
Detachment is the state where whether you have something or not, it does not have an effect on you. Even when it is with you, you are prepared that one day it has to go; you understand the permanency in the temporary world. It is easy to leave something when you are given something higher, you think you are over the lower pleasure but you forget that it is actually the satisfaction of getting something bigger and better. The state should be irrespective of whether you get it or not, as only that can take you to yog. You may conquer the physical world with your power and ability, you may even reach the pleasures of swarglok, but you cannot conquer the tridev, for they are the epitome of detachment, they have and do nothing for themselves, they represent the creation. The only way to access them is vairagya; even if you rise up to the devlok, thereafter begins the descent, for what rises has to come down, where there is pleasure, pain is not far away.
One look at present day and age — the scams, pollution, jealousy, disrespect of guru by so-called gurus themselves — is proof that the teachings of the Vedas are not being followed. The world is moving towards its logical end — a new beginning. I invite you to experience reality, to avoid rebirth and the pain associated with this birth, and move towards freedom.
The writer is the guiding light of Dhyan Ashram. Email: www.dhyanfoundation.com