Lord Shiva - Most exalted and auspicious personality

nimna-gänäà yathä gaìgä

devänäm acyuto yathä
vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù
puräëänäm idam tathä

Just as the Gaìgä is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme
among deities and Lord Çambhu [Çiva] the greatest of Vaiñëavas, so
Çrémad-Bhägavatam is the greatest of all Puräëas.

Just as Lord Shiva's devotion and service to Krishna has no limits,

similarly the topics of Lord Shiva's glories are also unlimited.

Vaishnavas never disrespect devatas (who are Krishna dasas, servants of

Krishna)
The Gautamiya tantra says:
gopalam pujayed yas tu nindayed anya devataam
astu taavam paro dharmah purva-dharmo ‘pi nashyati,
"If one worships Gopala but disrespects other devas/ devis, his bhakti
will be lost. He can not get bhakti. Whatever bhakti he had acquired
previously will also be lost."
Story from Vishnu dharmottara - of one King Ambarish dvt of Lord
Vishnu and Lord Vishnu disguised as Indra.

Worship of the Shiva Linga

In the anushasan purva of Mahabharata, 14th chp, Yudhisthir M asks
Gradfather Bhishmadev to describe the glories of Lord Shiva.
Bhishmadev replies, " The only person in all of the universe who
understands Shiva, is Krishna."

Smeared with ashes of dead bodies in the cremetorium, decorated with

bones, skulls, snakes, skins of dead animals and adorned with 3 lines of
horizontal tilaka on his forehead, even Lord Shiva's appearance is
difficult to understand. And what to speak of his activities - his
benedictions on the demons, his drinking of poison, speaking impersonal
philosophy as Shankaracarya, and allowing himself to be worshipped by
Lord Ramacandra.

Of the many unusual things about Lord Shiva, one that often strikes
people the most is the worship of his genitals known as the Shiva-linga.
Why would vedic scripture advocate worship of a male genital? What is
the history behind this?

CC Madhya 20.273 SP Purport

Lord Çiva is considered the father of this universe, and material nature is
considered the mother. The father and mother are known as Lord Çiva
and goddess Durgä. Together, Lord Çiva’s genitals and the vagina of
goddess Durgä are worshiped as the çiva-liìga. This is the origin of the
material creation. Thus Lord Çiva’s position is between that of the living
entity and that of the Supreme Lord. In other words, Lord Çiva is neither
the Supreme Personality of Godhead nor a living entity. He is the form
through which the Supreme Lord works to beget living entities within
this material world.
As yogurt is prepared when milk is mixed with a culture, the form of
Lord Çiva expands when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in
touch with material nature.

Padma Puran 1st canto chp 16-17 describes an interesting story behind
the worship of Shiva's genital.
Once grad sacrifice was performed by Lord Brahma at Pushkar.(Pushkar
is a city in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is
situated about 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Ajmer and about 150
kilometres (93 mi) southwest of Jaipur. The most famous among
Pushkar temples is the red spired Brahma Temple built by Pushkar, who
is father of Vedmata Gayatri, who was a chechi kanya married to Lord
Brahma. )
Present at the ceremony were Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Indra and all
other devatas- auspicious time approached to begin the sacrifice,
Brahma sent his assistant to bring his wife Savitri - for one can not
perform yajna without the presence of one's wife. - assistant requestes
Savitri - I haven't made any auspicious decorations in the house yet. The
pots have not been washed. Morever, Lakshmi has not arrived yet, nor
Gauri(wofVaruna), Svaha(wofAgni), Dhumorna (wofYamraj), Ganga,
Sarasvati rivers, Arundhati(wofVasistha). - Pls tell my husband to wait
for a little while and I will come when all of these other ladies arrive."

Assistant informs Brahma - Brahma instructs Indra to immediately go

and find another wife for him as the auspicious time to start the yajna
was quickly approaching. - Indra brings Gayatri-devi- marriage takes
place in gandharva style. - Gayatridevi was then given the ceremonial
seat reserved for Brahma's wife.
Savitri finally arrived with her friends...she becomes upset..starts cursing
to Brahma, Shiva..and everyone present. Her curse upon Lord Shiva was
that his male organ would fall off. Everyone was quite, but then
Gayatridevi stood up and began granting boons to nullify the curses
made by Savitri -Gayatri blessed Lord Shiva that although his male
organ would fall off, it would nonetheless remain pure and would be
worshipable for all the 3 worlds. Since that time person who want the
blessings of Lord Shiva worship him in the form of his linga.

In what way dvts of Lord Krsna offer respect to Lord Shiva?

1. Best of all devotees - all dvts of Krsna are also dvts of Lord Shiva
2. Vrindavan - Gopeshvar temple - Gopis would worship not only Lord
Shiva but Katyayani, Durga as well, but their aim was to attain the
favour of Lord Krishna.
3. Dvts of Krsna doesn't disrespect Lord Shiva but worships Lord Shiva
as the most exalted devotee of Lord Krishna. Whenever a dvt worships
Lord Shiva he prays to achieve the favor of Krishna and doesn't request
material profit - Business Deal...
Should devotees of Krishna discourage others from worshipping Lord
Shiva?
Conversation between SP and one dvt 9th July 1975 Chicago
Dvt - One pious East Indian man who for many years has been
worshipping Lord Shiva. This man reads our BG. He has taken vol 1 of
SB canto 4 which discusses Lord Shiva in great detail. He has read in
one of your purports that Krishna is more pleased when you worship
His dvt than when you worship Him directly. And Lord Shiva is a
very great devotee of Krsna. If he worships Lord Shiva nicely then
actually he is pleasing Krishna.
SP - If he accepts Lord Shiva is a dvt of Krishna then by worshipping
Lord Shiva he will be benefited. If he thinks Lord Shiva is independent
then he will not be benefited.

Dvt - Sp he doesn't chant Hare Krishna..he chants Om namah Shivay..

SP - Thats all right, he will gradually become devotee. When Lord Shiva
will be pleased upon him he will advise to worship Krishna.

Why do so many ladies worship Lord Shiva?

Unmarried girls are still taught to worship Lord Shiva with the idea that
they get husbands like him. Lord Shiva is the ideal husband, not in the
sense of riches, or sense gratification, but bcz he is the greatest of all
devotees. He constantly meditates on Lord Ram.
(जनम सफल होगा रे बंदे मन में राम बसाले, मन में राम बसाले
हे राम नाम के मोती को सांसो की माला बना ले,
मन में राम बसाले,

हे राम पतित पावन करुणाकर और सदा सुखदाता,

सरस सुहावन अति मन भावन राम से प्रीत लगाले
मन में राम बसाले)

Unmarried girls worship Lord Shiva so that they can expect a husband
who is as good a vaishnava as he. The girls are not taught to select a
husband who is very rich or very oppulent for material sense
gratification; rather, if a girl is fortunate enough to get a husband as good
as Lord Shiva in devotional service, then her life is perfect. The wife is
dependent on the husband, and if the husband is a vaishnava then
naturally she shares the devotionsl service of the husband bcz she
renders him service.

Why does Lord Shiva have snakes all over his body?
In order to get release from the false ego, one has to worship Saìkarñaëa.
Saìkarñaëa is also worshiped through Lord Çiva; the snakes which cover
the body of Lord Çiva are representations of Saìkarñaëa, and Lord Çiva
is always absorbed in meditation upon Saìkarñaëa.

Is Lord Shiva worshipped through the taking of intoxicants?

We should always consider the position of the éçvaras, or those who can
actually control the movements of the sun and moon, as superior.
Without such power, one cannot imitate the éçvaras, who are
superpowerful. Lord Çiva drank poison to the extent of swallowing an
ocean, but if any common man tries to drink even a fragment of such
poison, he will be killed. There are many pseudo devotees of Lord Çiva
who want to indulge in smoking gaïjä (marijuana) and similar
intoxicating drugs, forgetting that by so imitating the acts of Lord Çiva
they are calling death very near. Similarly, there are some pseudo
devotees of Lord Kåñëa who prefer to imitate the Lord in His räsa-lélä,
or dance of love, forgetting their inability to lift Govardhana Hill. It is
best, therefore, that one not try to imitate the powerful, but simply
follow their instructions; nor should one try to occupy their posts
without qualification. There are so many "incarnations" of God without
the power of the Supreme Godhead.

Lord Shiva - Krishna's intimate friend

kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogāt

sañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ

yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryād

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Milk changes into yogurt when mixed with a yogurt culture, but actually
yogurt is constitutionally nothing but milk. Similarly, Govinda, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, assumes the form of Lord Śiva for the
special purpose of material transactions. I offer my obeisances at Lord
Govinda's lotus feet."

Sometimes in revealed scriptures Lord Shiva is described as being non-

different from Lord Vishnu. The point is that Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu
are so intimately connected that there is no difference in opinion. The
actual fact is Krishna is the only supreme master and all others are His
devotees or servants. This is the real fact and there is no difference of
opinion between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in this connection.

CC ADi 6
teìho karena kåñëera däsya-pratyäça

nirantara kahe çiva, ‘muïi kåñëa-däsa’

He also desires only to be a servant of Lord Kåñëa. Çré Sadäçiva always

says, “I am a servant of Lord Kåñëa.”

kåñëa-preme unmatta, vihvala digambara

kåñëa-guëa-lélä gäya, näce nirantara
Intoxicated by ecstatic love for Lord Kåñëa, he becomes overwhelmed
and incessantly dances without clothing and sings about Lord Kåñëa’s
qualities and pastimes.

SB 12.10.34 Markandeya Muni offers prayers to Lord Shiva

varam ekaà våëe 'thäpi
pürëät kämäbhivarñaëät
bhagavaty acyutäà bhaktià
tat-pareñu tathä tvayi

But I do request one benediction from you, who are full of all perfection
and able to shower down the fulfillment of all desires. I ask to have
unflinching bhakti unto Krishna and unto you - who are completely
surrendered unto Krishna.

SB 4.30.38 Pracetas to Lord.

vayaà tu säkñäd bhagavan bhavasya
priyasya sakhyuù kñaëa-saìgamena
suduçcikitsyasya bhavasya måtyor
bhiñaktamaà tvädya gatià gatäù sma
Dear Lord, by virtue of a moment's association with Lord Çiva, who is
very dear to You and who is Your most intimate friend, we were
fortunate to attain You. You are the most expert physician, capable of
treating the incurable disease of material existence. On account of our
great fortune, we have been able to take shelter at Your lotus feet.

Bcz of association with Lord Shiva for a moment we got this

opportunity to meet you--priyasya sakhyuh - Shiva is Your very intimate
friend.

Shiva and Narasingha

Vishnu dharmottara -

There was a very dear devotee os Vishnu named Viswaksena. - would

travel everywhere - once feeling tired he sat down in a forest- there was
a village close by. The son of the chief of that village happened to come
by. - He said I have a very bad headache today so I can not offer worship
to my istha Shivaji. So I request you to offer the worship to my isthadev
on my behalf.
Vishwaksena said, "I am a Vishnu-bhakta..I only offer worship to
Vishnu. Son of the village chief became angry and drew his sword, " If
you don't obey me then I will cut off your head".
In order to save himself from death, Vishwaksen said, " Yes yes.I will
worship. He thought to himself that Lord Shiva is Rudradev, the
incarnation of ignorance and Narasimha dev is the killer of the demons,
in whom tamo-guna is predominating. So I must worship Narasimhadev
in the Shiva murti to kill this person's tamo-guna.
He uttered the mantra "Sri Narasimhaya namah", offered flowers to the
Deity. When son of the village chief heard him chant Narasimha dev's
mantra, he got angry and drew out his sword to cut off his head.
Immediately Lord Narasimha dev appeared from the Shiva Murti and
cut off the head of that person.
This shiva linga that Lord Narasimhadev came out of is still there in
South India. It is known as linga-sphota.

Lord Ramcandra's worship of Lord Shiva (Srila Bhakti Siddhanta

Sarasvati Thakur)
1. I worship Rudra, considering him to be My own self. Whatever I do,
common people follow. Rudra is my own part, just as a hot iron rod is
non-different from fire. I have set the standard that the Devatas headed
by Rudra should be worshipped. I teach the worship of My servants
through My personal behaviour.
2. Simply bcz Lord Ram worshipped Lord Shiva doesn't mean that Lord
Ram is subordinate to Lord Shiva. Lord Ram worshipped the ocean,
does it mean that Lord Ram is subordinate to ocean?

Lord Shiva drinks Poison

SB 8.7.42-44
tataù karatalé-kåtya
vyäpi hälähalaà viñam
abhakñayan mahä-devaù
kåpayä bhüta-bhävanaù
Thereafter, Lord Çiva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work
for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his
palm and drank it.

tasyäpi darçayäm äsa

sva-véryaà jala-kalmañaù
yac cakära gale nélaà
tac ca sädhor vibhüñaëam

As if in defamation, the poison born from the ocean of milk manifested

its potency by marking Lord Çiva's neck with a bluish line. That line,
however, is now accepted as an ornament of the Lord.

tapyante loka-täpena
sädhavaù präyaço janäù
paramärädhanaà tad dhi
puruñasyäkhilätmanaù

It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary

suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is
considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart.

Srila Prabhupad, only person from the Eastern culture who

came and sat down with us and lived with us in Haight-Ashbury.
His speech came from a time when there was grammar and
diction; discourse and conversation were well thought out
before spoken. The swami's language was novel and
memorable.

20-03-2021

Real wealth of a country is its youth

The youth is much more important to a country and it’s future
than just being a part of protests, revolutions and rallies.
It’s what we do when we are young is what decides how we will
be when we grow up.
Most of the army, navy and airforce around the world is
dominated by people below the age of 35. Because this is the
age where we will be at the peak of our ambition, health and
energy. Young people fight in the front lines to save the country
from enemies.
The importance of youth for a healthy society is to a great
extent.
Know the difference between enjoying your youth and
destroying your future.

Lead by an example!
you can not do all the good
that the world needs.
But the world needs all
the good that you can do.

Youth = a good health: both physical and emotional wellbeing

- By regulated lifestyle we can maintain good health (regulated
life is rewarding not boaring) - regulated lifestyle means good
food habits, regular exercise, application of early to bed early to
rise formula
- असली नींद तो बचपन में आती थी अब तो बस थक कर सो जाते हैंI
, for your emotional wellbeing its important to find purpose and
meaning to your life - figure out what is important to you in life
and focus on that.
One may say purpose of my life is to enjoy my life. But then its punah
punah carvita carvananam..chewing what had been already
chewed..chewing gum ..gradually same enjoyment becomes distasteful
or we become incapacitated to enjoy our life.

When body goes into repair mode sometimes its not easy to
bring it back to its normal functioning. Its a hardwork! Whole
life we may have to keep paying a big price ! We feel guilty
afterwards.
Better take precaution now, instead of hardwork just do simple work
now by regulating life and see the difference.

Same thing applies to our youth. Its delicate. you have a choice
to shape it the way you want it to be. Let us take precautions and
as far as possible save the repair cost - guilty conscience (a
personal awareness of right and wrong that you use to guide
your actions to do right. Moral development is the process
through which one develops proper attitudes and behaviors. Best
means to do that is use the platform of ABCD -
B - They value books like they value air, food and water.
Reading, listening scriptures enlightens one's mind, our
perspectives to life are widened.
following ABCD one becomes a person of substance - 1, a
person who embraces the uncertainty of life - The world is not
black and white - it is shades of grey, ex- one couple with 1 year child
happened to speak to me on last Mon. They were appreciating
GaurGopal Pr. They shared their story of life with me. 2. a person
who adds value to the world)
Lord Shiva - Most exalted and auspicious personality
Intention behind speaking about Lord Shiva is to glorify him and seek his blessings
to render devotional service with great enthusiasum.

nimna-gänäà yathä gaìgä

devänäm acyuto yathä
vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù
puräëänäm idam tathä

Just as the Gaìgä is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme
among deities and Lord Çambhu [Çiva] the greatest of Vaiñëavas, so
Çrémad-Bhägavatam is the greatest of all Puräëas.

SB verse spoken in context of Lord Shiva drinking poison..

tapyante loka-täpena
sädhavaù präyaço janäù
paramärädhanaà tad dhi
puruñasyäkhilätmanaù
It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary
suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is
considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart.
Recap -
1. Vaishnavas never disrespect devatas
2. In what way dvts of Lord Krsna offer respect to Lord Shiva?
as Best of all devotees , they offer prayers to Lord Shiva to seek
Krishna's favor.
3. Worship of the Shiva Linga
4. Why do so many ladies worship Lord Shiva?
5. Why does Lord Shiva have snakes all over his body?-to get release
from false ego
6.Is Lord Shiva worshipped through the taking of intoxicants?
7. Lord Shiva - Krishna's intimate friend

SB 4.30.38 Pracetas to Lord.

vayaà tu säkñäd bhagavan bhavasya
priyasya sakhyuù kñaëa-saìgamena
suduçcikitsyasya bhavasya måtyor
bhiñaktamaà tvädya gatià gatäù sma
Dear Lord, by virtue of a moment's association with Lord Çiva, who is
very dear to You and who is Your most intimate friend, we were
fortunate to attain You. You are the most expert physician, capable of
treating the incurable disease of material existence. On account of our
great fortune, we have been able to take shelter at Your lotus feet.

(Sometimes in revealed scriptures Lord Shiva is described as being

non-different from Lord Vishnu. The point is that Lord Shiva and Lord
Vishnu are so intimately connected that there is no difference in
opinion. The actual fact is Krishna is the only supreme master and all
others are His devotees or servants. This is the real fact and there is no
difference of opinion between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu in this
connection. )

Giriraj Maharaj argued with a wealthy saivite, Mr. Ramakrishna, they

had seperated with hurt feelings. But in meetings with other persons in
Madras, Giriraj Maharaj was often reminded, "Have you met Mr.
Ramakrishna? He is a very good man and a leader in religious
functions". Giriraj Maharaj became embarrassed and decided to make
another attempt to win Mr. Ramkrishna's friendship.

They talked again, but remained unstatisfied. Giriraj Maharaj then

informed SP and asked if he would meet Mr RK himself. SP agreed.

Mr. RK - Swamiji we have been some discussion between devotion to

Lord Krishna and devotion to Lord Shiva. What do you say?Who is
greater? Krishna or Shiva?

SP - The word bhakti could not be properly applied to the worship of

Lord Shiva. Bhakti means service without any material desire, whereas
puja included service with the desire for some return. Bhakti, therefore,
could only be applied to Krishna.

Mr. RK - But isn't it possible for someone to be a bhakta of Lord Shiva

and to worship Lord Shiva simply out of devotion, without desiring any
material benefit?
SP - It may be possible, but generally not. Just like when a person enters
a liquor shop, generally its taken that he is going for drinking, although
there may be some exception.

Then SP gave example of gopis worshipping the goddess Katyayani-

their worship had not been for material benefit but for devotion to
Krishna. Similarly if one worships Lord Shiva with the aim of serving
Krishna, that would be bhakti. But people generally approach Lord Shiva
for material benefit.

Although Mr. RK was usually prone to argue, these SP's points satisfied
him.

Which is the true benediction of Lord Shiva?

2-types of Mercy- sakapat-kripa (mercy with duplicity) which demons
get & akapata-kripa (mercy without duplicity)

SB 4.30.38 purport
Vaiñëavänäà yathä çambhuù: the most exalted Vaiñëava is Lord Çiva,
and those who are actually devotees of Lord Çiva follow Lord Çiva's
advice and take shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Viñëu. The so-called
devotees of Lord Çiva, who are simply after material prosperity, are in a
way deceived by Lord Çiva. He does not actually deceive them, because
Lord Çiva has no business deceiving people, but because the so-called
devotees of Lord Çiva want to be deceived, Lord Çiva, who is very
easily pleased, allows them all kinds of material benedictions. These
benedictions might ironically result in the destruction of the so-called
devotees. For instance, Rävaëa took all material benediction from Lord
Çiva, but the result was that he was ultimately destroyed with his family,
kingdom and everything else because he misused Lord Çiva's
benediction. Because of his material power, he became very proud and
puffed up so that he dared kidnap the wife of Lord Rämacandra. In this
way he was ruined. To get material benedictions from Lord Çiva is not
difficult, but actually these are not benedictions.
The Pracetäs received benediction from Lord Çiva, and as a result they
attained the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Viñëu. This is real
benediction. The gopés also worshiped Lord Çiva in Våndävana, and the
lord is still staying there as Gopéçvara. The gopés, however, prayed that
Lord Çiva bless them by giving them Lord Kåñëa as their husband.
There is no harm in worshiping the demigods, provided that one's aim is
to return home, back to Godhead.

Nandi - Shiva's Bull Carrier - A gift from Krishna (ref Chp 36,text 42-
47 Brahmavaivarta Purana -Krsna-janma-khanda)

Chp 5 of the Brahma-khanda describes how Srimati Radharani once

emerged from the left side of Krishna's body, followed by millions of
gopis and cowherd boys. Several young cows, including bulls, high
breed surabhi cows, and kamadhenu cows, also emerged from Krishna's
body. Krishna then gave away a beautiful bull that was as strong as 10
million lions to Lord Shiva to serve him as his carrier. Coming from the
body of the Lord, Nandi is thus an expansion of Krishna.
Story-
Desiring the welfare of the universe, Lord Shiva once went to fight the
demon Tripurasura. Shiva's mind was full of pride. He considered that as
he was the destroyer of all the 3 worlds , how could this demon, who
was just like firefly, engage in battle with him? He began fighting with
T, but, to his surprise, he found that it was not such an easy battle.
Although the two fought day and night for one continuous year, neither
was victorious. They appeared to be equal in prowess.
Employing his illusiory potency, the demon suddenly rose into space.
Shiva also flew up to fight with the demon. In space they continued
fighting for one month. The powerful demon then shattered Shiva's bow,
broke his chariot, and destroyed all of his weapons. Enraged, Shiva
delivered a powerful blow with his fist on T's chest. Reeling from
Shiva's blow, the demon fainted. Regaining consciousness in a moment,
the demon picked up Lord Shiva and threw him down. Seeing Shiva
defeated and his chariot broken, all the gods felt panicky.
Shiva started offering prayers to Krishna. Finding himself in danger,
Lord Shiva repeatedly began to meekly call out Krishna's name. Krishna
manifested Himself in the form of a beautiful bull and lifted Shiva up
onto His back. Krishna then gave Shiva some armor and a trident.
Taking that trident given to him by the Lord, Shiva struck T with it. The
demon was reduced to ashes and fell to the ground.

Understanding that his pride had been the cause of his difficulties, Lord
Shiva renounced it and began offering prayers to Krishna.
While relating this story to Srimati Radharani, Krishna concluded..
tato aham vrisha-rupena vahami tena tam priyam
mama priyatamo nasti trailokyeshu shivat parah
Since then, I started carrying Shiva over My back as his vehicle because
no one in the 3 worlds is dearer to Me than Shiva. (We can simply
admire the rel between Lord & Shiva)

Lord Shiva and the Moon

Story from Brahma-vaivarta Puran Brahma-khanda(9.49-53)
Chandra-moon god, had 27 wives, out of which beautiful Rohini was
especially dear to him. Out of affection for her, the moon neglected his
other wices. - these wives were daughters of Daksha complained to their
father Daksha - Daksha became very angry and cursed the moon - Bcz
of the curse the moon suffered from the disease of consumption. Day by
day his strength and luster decreased. - Finally he took shelter of Shiva -
The compassionate Shiva relieved the moon from the disease of
consumption and placed him over his head. - Lodged over the head of
Lord Shiva, the moon became eternal and was freed from all danger.

tam shiva shekhare kritva chabhavac candrashekharah

nasti deveshu lokeshu shivac charana-pancarah
Thereafter, Shiva came to be known as CandraShekhar bcz of his
keeping the moon over his head. O Gods, there is no one more
compassionate than Shiva.
Finding that their husband had left them, the daughters of Daksha began
to cry. Again they approached their father Daksha for help. They said - O
father, we prayed to you seeking favor of our husband. But instead of
getting his grace, our lord has left us. O father in spite of our having eyes
we find only darkness everywhere. We have now come to realize that the
husband is the only eye for a woman.

Daksha goes to Lord Shiva and asks him to return his son-in-law. If you
will not return Chandra to me then I shall pronounce terrible curse upon
you. Shiva said I am unable to return the moon who has sought my
shelter. Daksha was about to pronounce a curse on Lord Shiva. Lord
Shiva remembered Govinda.
At that moment Lord Krsna appeared on the scene as old Brahmana. He
advised to Lord Shiva - O Shiva nothing is as dearer to all creatures than
their self. Considering this O Mahadev you should save yourself by
giving the moon to Daksha. You are calm, vaishnavanam yatha...,and
you treat all creatures equally. You are free from violence and anger.
Daksha is an illustrious son of Lord Brahma and he is full of anger. A
noble person gives in before an angry person.

Shiva smiled and said -I can sacrifice my austerities, my glory, all my

achievements, my riches and even my life but I cannot abandon a person
who has taken shelter of me. One who turns away a person who has
taken shelter of them is abandoned by Dharma. I can disown anything
except dharma. O Lord, You are well aware of Dharma. One who is
devoted to You cannot be afraid of anyone.
After attentively listening to Lord Shiva Lord then took the half portion
of the moon that was ailing and gave it to Daksha. Then He took other
healthy half and placed it over Shiva's head.

Finding the moon to be infested with the disease of consumption,

Daksha prayed to Krishna, who arranged that the moon would become
full during one fortnight and dark during the other fortnight. Thus
blessing both of them, Lord Krishna returned to His abode.

How Vishnu gave His Names to the Devatas

In the Vishnu-sahastra-nama-stotra, the thousand names of Lord Vishnu,
you will find that ,"Sharva", "Shiva", "Shambhu",and "Rudra" are all
names of Vishnu.
The Brahmanda puran describes that Lord Vishnu, Janardan, controls
Rudra. Therefore Lord Vishnu is known as "Rudra".
Lord Shiva works under the control of Lord Vishnu, therefore Shiva is
known as "Ishan". "Ishan" is also a name of Lord Vishnu.
One of the names of Lord Shiva is "Mahadev" - which is also a name of
Lord Vishnu bcz He is the Lord of the Lords, the Lord Shiva, and Lord
Brahma.
Shiva means all-auspicious or all-good. One of the names of Lord
Vishnu is Shiva bcz He is all-auspicious and all-good.
Hara means "one who annihilates". One of the names of Lord Vishnu is
Hara and one of the names of Lord Shiva is also Hara bcz He
annihilates.
Brihat means very great. Thus "Brahma" is also a name for Lord Vishnu.
And bcz He is full of all oppulances, so His name is also "Indra".
Skandha Puran says Lord Purushottama kept some names for Himself,
like Narayana etc. and others of His own names He gave it to Devatas.

Why did Krishna Worship Shiva?

Lord Shiva the relisher of Gaura Prem..

(Discussing about Lord Shiva in relation to Krishna, Ram, Lord
Caitanya will give Lord Shiva great pleasure more than discussing about
him independent of Krishna, Ram, Lord Caitanya.)

For Example -
On His way to Jagannath Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to the
place named Ekamraka, Bhubaneshwar. Mahaprabhu saw there a great
temple of Shiva. Gauranga Mahaprabhu enters to the temple and bows
down His head low and offers dandavat pranam. In His ecstatic mood
He offers the prayers of praise to the Lord of the mountains. Its
Shivastakam..

su-nupura-ranjita-pada-padma
ksarat-sudha-bhrtya-sukha-pradaya
vicitra-ratnaugha-vibhusitaya
premanam evadya harau videhi

“I offer my obeisances unto you, who brings happiness to your servitors,

as you pour on them the liquid nectar from your two reddish lotus feet,
which ring with charming anklebells. Obeisances unto you, who is
adorned with an abundance of gems please endow me with pure love for
Lord Hari.”

sri rama govinda mukunda saure

sri Krishna narayana vasudeva
ity-adi namamrta-pana-matta-
bhrngadhi-payakhila-dukha-hantre

“ O Sri Rama, O Govinda, O Mukunda, O Sauri, O Sri Krishna, O

Narayana, O Vasudeva!’ I offer my obeisances unto you, Lord Shiva, the
monarch of intoxicated bee-like devotees, maddened by drinking the
nectar of these and other holy names of the Lord. Obeisances unto you,
the destroyer of all grief.”

After Listening to what we are going to discuss in next one hour I

promise you that you will feel more proud about Lord Shiva and his
connection with Lord Caitanya and you will be deeply satisfied
within your heart.
We relish aam-ras Lord Shiva relishes Gaura Prem..
- a lover relishes love of his/her beloved – (Symptoms) finds fullness of
life in each other’s association :- excitement to meet(I often feel
incomplete without you), to fulfil each other’s likes/dislikes- यहाँ जाना हैं वहा खाना
हैं, you struggle to keep your status high to make your beloved happy..by trying to
get first class in your graduation, trying to get good job .. there is experiment
also…हम तो कर देंगे प्यार में जान भी कु रबान.. लेकिन पता तो चले कि.. हम से प्यार करता कौन हैं

What is great about Gaura Prem..???

ñaò-aiçvaryaiù pürëo ya iha bhagavän sa svayam ayaà
na caitanyät krñëäj jagati para-tattvaà param iha

Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa Himself,

full with six opulences (Knowledge, beauty, strength, wealth, fame,
renunciation).
He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to
Him.

anarpita-caréà cirät karuëayävatérëaù kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasäà sva-bhakti-çriyam
hariù puraöa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandépitaù
sadä hådaya-kandare sphuratu vaù çacé-nandanaù

May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Çrématé Çacé-devé
be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart.
[Blessings are given by the author – In his very old age, Krishnadas
Kaviraj Goswami has written CC. Once we situate Lord Caitanya in
our heart then we experience the fullness of life! How can we
situate Lord Caitanya in our heart by falling in love with Him in
other words experiencing the power of Gaura-prem ] Resplendent
with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by
His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered
before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the
mellow of conjugal love.

Let’s see how Lord Shiva relishes Gaura Prem..

1. He stays where Lord Gauranga Stays : Lord Gauranga stays in

Navadvip dham

Navadvip dham is compared to A GOLDEN LOTUS FLOWER

As the golden lotus flower of Navadwip dham opens up and unveils ( खुल
जाना) its eight golden petals, it reveals the 8 islands that surround and
protect the inner sanctum of the 9th island of the dham - Anatrdwip, the
birth place of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu & HIs Sankirtan lila.
Antardwip is on the eastern side of the dham and is surrounded by the
four islands Rudradvip, Simantadwip, Godrumadwip and Madhyadvip.
It is on these 5 islands that Lord Shiva resides in the dham and relishes
the sankirtan pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Lord Shiva is a Gaura-Bhakta, a topmost vaishnava.
He is completely addicted to hearing and chanting [Addiction we see in
this world by hearing(Phone calls) and chating] the glories of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu..

He is fully absorbed in rendering service to the dham, to Gauranga

Mahaprabhu and His pastimes, to the Lord's sankirtan mission, as well
as to the Lord's associates and devotees.

Srila Kavi Karnapur in his Sri Gaura -ganoddesa dipika text 11 has
described,
bhaktavatara acaryo advaito yah sri-sadashivah - The incarnation of a
devotee, Lord Advaita Acarya is Lord Sadashiva.

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ
bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam
bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ
namāmi bhakta-śaktikam

Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who has manifested
Himself in five as a devotee(LCM), expansion of a devotee(LNP),
incarnation of a devotee(Advaita Prabhu), pure devotee(Srivas Thakur)
and devotional energy(Gadadhar Pandit).

Advaita Prabhu was the prime cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's

descent as well as a most intimate associate of Mahaprabhu in His
pastimes.
ANTARDWIP

Central Core of Navadvip dham is Antardvipa, the island where LCM

appeared, and the central core of Antardvipa is Yogapitha, the actual
place of Mahaprabhu's appearance. Lord Shiva resides eternally at this
place. Here, as the Shiva-linga known as Kshetra-pala Mahadev, Lord
Shiva renders his eternal service of protecting the dhama.

Today there are 2 shiva lingas of Kshetrapala Mahadev present at the

birthplace of Mahaprabhu that were installed by Srila Bhaktivinod
thakur. The devotees worship Lord Shiva there with prayer..

ohe ksetrapala siva tumi dayamaya

krishna bhakti deha more ha-iya saday

O Kshetrapal Shiva, protector of the Dham! You are certainly very

merciful. Being kind to me, please give me love for Krishna.

RUDRADWIP

Is just west of Antardvipa.

In Garga smhita Rudradvipa Mahatmya it is said : In the north is a holy
place named Nilalohita kshetra, where Lord Shiva is splendidly manifest
as the deity of Nila-lohita.
At this place demon Ravana worshipped the linga of Lord Shiva and
attained incomparable power and oppulance.
By seeing the deity of Lord Nila-lohita one attains the peity a hundred
times greater than what one attains by going on pilgrimage to Mount
Kailasa.

In Navadvip Mahatmya, Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur writes, that as Nila-

lohita, Lord Shiva constantly relishes gaura-kirtan in Rudradvip along
with his associates, the 11 Rudras(Ajaikapat, Ahibradhna, Virupaksha,
Raivata, Hara, Bahurupa, Devasreshtha Tryambaka, Savitra, Jayanta,
Pinaki & Aparajita). They are all intoxicated by chanting the different
names of Lord Gauranga and they dance in great jubilation.
Bhakti-ratnakar describes that because of this gaura-kirtana of Shiva and
his associates, this place became famous as Rudradvipa.

Lord Caitanya appeared before Lord Shiva and told him that vey soon
He would fulfill the intention of Shiva by appearing in Navadvip with
His followers. Rudradeva became pacified and began to further sing the
glories of Mahaprabhu.

In Bhakti Ratnakar, Narahari Chakravarti describes that if one simply

sees this place then by the mercy of Lord Shiva one will attain devotion
to the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Lord Shiva - in the mood of his eternal service of protecting the Lord's
dhama.

In Sri Navadvipa dham Mahatmya, SBVT has described that when

Sankaracarya came on a tour to Navadwip for preaching mayavada
philosophy, he came to Rudradvip. While there Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu spoke to him in a dream...
You are My servant. Following My orders you are effectively
preaching the mayvad doctrine. But as Navadvip dham is very dear to
Me, the mayavad philosophy has no place here. On My behalf, Vriddha
Shiva and praudh Maya spread the imaginary impersonal
interpretations of scriptures, but only to those who envy the Lord. Since
this Navadvip dham is generally a place for My dvt, not for the envious,
you should go somewhere else. Do not contaminate the inhabitants of
Navadvipa.
Hearing this Lord Shiva in the form of Sankaracarya immediately left
that place in the mood of his eternal service of protecting the Lord's
dham.

As a preacher, Lord Shiva has also been involved in the development of

the preaching missions of the 4 sampradayas and Lord Caitanya's
Sankirtan mission.
- In NVDM SBVT describes that in Rudradvip, Ramanujacarya,
Madhvacarya, and Vishnuswami, 3 of the 4 acaryas of the 4
sampradayas, all received the darshan and instructions of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu on their respective preaching missions.
- SBVT says that 2 of the 4 sampradayas were established in
Rudradwip, one of them by Lord Shiva himself. (Vishnuswami - Rudra
Sampradaya; Nimbarkacarya - 4 Kumaras gave him Radha-Krishna
Mantra)
-Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu crossed the Ganga from Nadiya Ghata
on this island to take sannyas and spread His Sankirtan mission all over
India.

SIMANTADWIP

Seeing her husband dancing in wild ecstacy from chanting the name of
Gauranga, Parvati-devi asked him to explain. When she heard Lord
Shiva's glorification of Lord Gauranga and His mercy of freely giving
prema in Kali-yuga, Paravati-devi immediately came here and
performed austerities.
While receiving the darshan and blessings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, she
put His red-foot-dust on her simanta, the parting in her hair. Since then
this island has been named Simantadvipa and also it became the
residence of Lord Shiva and Parvati.
The local people in this island have worshipped a large tree here as the
residence of Lord Shiva and Paravati. This tree is located in the
ISKCON Jagannath Mandir property and has a very old shiva-linga
residing underneath it.
GODRUMADWIP

In Navadwipa dhama mahatmya, SBVT describes this island of

Godrumadvipa and the deity of Hari-hara. The Hari-hara deity is a
combined form of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Lord VIshnu created
this half-black(Lord Vishnu) and half white(Lord Shiva) deity to show
how dear and inseparable Lord Shiva is to Him.
Hari-hara resides in Hari Hara Ksetra in this island. It is also known as
Maha-Kasi bcz Lord Shiva took refuge here after leaving his own city of
Kasi. However this Navadvipa-Kasi is superior to other Kasi. Here,
Shiva is always dancing and chanting the name of Gaura, begging his
followers to accept gaura-bhakti.
While leaving the body here, living entites are delivered by Lord Shiva,
who chants the name of Gauranga into their ears. This dhama is thus
called Maha-varanasi, for here there is no fear of death.

MADHYADWIP

When Lord Shiva heard that Suta Goswami was about to speak on the
pastimes of Lord Caitanya here, he could not tolerate missing even one
word. His anxiety to reach here in time was so intense that he even
abandoned his normal carrier, the bull Nandi, and took up Lord
Brahma's much faster hamsa(swan) carrier.
The Hamsa-Vahana temple houses the deity of Hamsa-Vahana-Shiva -
but only for 3 days a year. This deity is still manifesting the heat of Lord
Shiva's anxiety, and it becomes very hot. Therefore during the year He is
kept cool by being placed deep inside a nearby lake. Then in the month
of Caitra(March/April) he is taken out for 3 days. During this time water
is constantly poured on the deity to keep him cool, and there is a grand
festival.

Conclusion -
These pastimes reveal
- how Lord Shiva is absorbed in relishing the nectar of gaura-
prema.
- his great eagerness to serve the devotees and to give them
priceless treasure of Sri Gauracandra's supreme mercy.

When we go to Navadwipa dham we should pray to him as ksetrapala

Shiva to reveal the dhama to us and bestow the causeless mercy of
gaura-prema within our hearts.