Experiences stem from Him

June 02, 2010 12:11 am | Updated 12:11 am IST - CHENNAI:

We all have many kinds of experiences in this world. All our experiences stem from Lord Siva.

We are the ones who have these experiences in accordance with our karma, but it is He who decides what we shall enjoy. He is the one who created the world for His pleasure.

The act of creating is like child's play for Him. The Lord takes many forms, and He always has our welfare in mind, said K. Sambandan.

He is seen sometimes with Parvati; sometimes He is seen in yogic posture, as Dakshinamurthy. And sometimes, He is seen as the personification of the Vedas. All of these forms are only to save us.

Nothing else lasts in this world, but the Lord. Everything is destroyed during the deluge, but He alone remains. We are told that Indra is the king of the Devas. But countless Indras have lost their lives during the deluge. The number of Indras dead and gone is so huge that it is impossible to even keep count. It is as impossible as counting the sands on the banks of the Ganges.

He is the One who made the world for His enjoyment, and therefore we can experience no joy, if He chooses not to enjoy the world Himself.

There is a story of how Lord Siva begins to perform penance and goes into a state of yogic meditation. He, therefore, is not with His Consort Parvati at this time. The result is that those in the world too lose interest in their spouses. No one can have an experience that the Lord Himself has chosen not to have at a particular time.

The Devas are alarmed, because they fear that this may mean the end of all humanity, for in such a state there can be no procreation. So they send the god of love to disturb Siva's penance and to make Him seek Parvati. Finally, only after Siva seeks out Parvati do the people in this world begin to think about familial life.

If creating this world is like a game to Him, we must wonder why He indulges in this game. It is out of compassion for the atmas that are confused about who they are. He wants them to live in this world, resort to bhakti towards Him and get liberated.

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