Seven Chakras (Energy Centers)

Shiva: Ichcha Shakti, Vidya Shakti and Kriya Shakti

 Sham mangalam karoti iti Shiva

Shiv is the one who creates auspiciousness...mangalam.Shiva is a state of being...which represents three types of strengths: Ichcha Shakti,  Vidya Shakti and Kriya Shakti.

Ichcha Shakti is the power of intention or the power of "will". Ichcha shakti is the intention to destroy the inner darkness. "Udhyamo Bhairavaha". Udhyam means effort to fulfill certain intention. Bhairavaha means Shiv Himself! Every intention or effort that one make to eliminate the inner darkness itself is Lord Shiva.

Vidya Shakti means the power of understanding. Most of us think Vidya means knowledge. But according to Shiva Sutra, Knowledge binds, but clear understanding unbinds...sets us free. Vidya Shakti is acquired by having clear understanding. Confusing isn't it? Let me clarify what I understood. Knowledge binds when it is only words for the words are description. And description is not the "described". When we know the description of things, that is not knowledge. That is called Shabdagnanam. Such knowledge limits our understanding and thus, binds us.

Vidya is the clear understanding of things...which comes from complete realization, which requires no word. For words are only pointers which are pointing out to the thing. We need to comprehend the reality of the things to totally understand those. This is Arthagnanam. Only this way we acquire Vidya Shakti.

When we have Ichcha Shakti and Vidya Shakti, this is the time to act on the understanding with intention. That action is Kriya Shakti.  We know what we SHOULD do, but we do not act on that. This is as good as not knowing. We intend to end the darkness within us, and start acting on it RIGHT NOW. This is Kriya Shakti. Vidya Shakti let us open to be here and now, we start experiencing the transformation within us, we watch this happen with true wonderment. For this to happen, we must start HERE and NOW.

 When Ichcha Shakti, vidya Shakti, and Kriya Shakti are in action, we invoke Lord Shiva. He is the way from darkness to enlightenment. He is the destroyer of darkness.

Om Namah Shivay!

I will come back with more understanding of Lord Shiva....Till then,

Keep the faith!

Nataraja, The Teacher

Shiva, mostly misunderstood as The Destroyer, leaves us awestruck, when we try to conceive Him. He is the Inconceivable. We may try to understand Him, if we want to. His fierce ways have always confused every single creature including Devas, Yakshas, Asuras, and of course human beings.
His most fierce face, ever exposed to the mankind, is His Tandava as Nataraja. While I delved deep into the sea of knowledge available...I came to know that Shiva means the process of Construction to Deconstruction.

Maya is a constructed reality, a reality that depends on cultural norms and personal prejudices (Brahmand). To quote Devdutt Pattanaik "...maya is the measuring scale that values and devalues all things in Prakriti, and by doing so gives rise to Brahmanda, an individual perception of the world....it is just the way human minds perceive reality."
This constructed reality, Maya is the birthplace of Aham, Ego- that imagines itself as the creator. Shiva is the destroyer of the Aham, so that human can realize its reality, the soul. This realization is the reason of human life.
Shiva is the Teacher, who teaches the meaning of human life in two ways: As Dakshinamurti or as Nataraja.

Let us try to find out what He teaches as Nataraja and why?
Unlike other form of dances, it was enlightenment (not entertainment). Nataraja was dancing Ananda Tandava, the dance of bliss. Shiva was using poses to communicate, to stir imagination of human beings. The final pose, (see the image above) with which He freezes, was the ultimate knowledge, the wisdom of Veda.

The upraised right palm: Abhaya (which says, 'do not fear')...human beings want to control the world around them to feel secured from this fear
The left hand pointing to the left foot which is swinging in the midair: The left foot is in motion, moving round and round. This symbolizes the ever-changing Nature, the transformation of the world, the main source of all fears.

The leg and the left hand are moving towards the right side: Left side of the body is rhythm of the material world, as the rhythmic heart beats, the world goes through rhythmic changed such as seasons, tides, birth/death etc. The left side is Prakriti. The right side is Purusha, still and silent, symbolizes human's potential to stay still. This is spiritual reality. Human existence requires both sides: Purusha and Prakriti. Shiva balances Himself on his right leg, calm, comfortable. He is Ekapada.

As Nataraja, Shiva teaches a way out of fear: Do not control Nature, recognize the truth of Nature. Nothing ends forever, there is always a new beginning.

The wheel of fire: This wheel is the wheel of rebirth, the Samsara
Shiva advises to us to sit back and observe, thereby understand and realize. This realization takes away fear and brings back faith.

We forget Nature's timeless Truth: The cycle, the going away and coming back of everything. We forget that only we can destroy our "subjective reality", three worlds: "me", "mine" and "not mine". We destroy this subjective reality with our third eye of wisdom.

This is what I understood and believe.
I will come back with a new realization and more Love for Him next time…till then,
Keep the Faith.