Lord Shiva- Adiyogi and His Role in Yoga

Lord Shiva- Adiyogi and His Role in Yoga

यस्य निःश्वसितं वेदा यो वेदेभ्योऽखिलं जगत् ।

निर्ममे तमहं वन्दे विद्यातीर्थ महेश्वरम् ॥ ८॥

शिवत्वं गुरुत्वम् शक्ति त्वमेव

त्वमेव माता पिता चा त्वमेव त्वैवमेवासी बन्दूर्

त्वैवमेवासी विद्या गतिर्मेय मतीर्देवी सर्वम् त्वमेव

-ऋग्वेदस्य स्तोत्रम्।

Translation:

I bow down to Him, whose very breath is the Vedas; He who forms the universe out of it while being detached and non-manifest, and the most revered and hallowed place of pilgrimage for all the streams of knowledge. You are Shiva, You are the Guru, and the Divine Energy manifest in Creation. You are Mother, Father and the best companion, and You are the Knowledge of all that is. Grant me a blessing so that my mind would be focused on You and remain there for eternity.

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Also known as Mahadeva, Yogeshwara, Adiyogi, Adiguru, and Trilokinaath, Lord Shiva is the most powerful Hindu deity and is the embodiment of knowledge, wisdom and infinite consciousness. He is the Lord or Founder of Yoga, Dance and Meditation. Whether you visualize him in the form of Nataraja, meditating Yogi, or Shiva Lingam, Lord Shiva is the ultimate Destroyer of all evil forces in the Cosmos and the Universe itself when it completes its life. However, only a few people know His profound role in spreading the knowledge of Yoga and Yogic philosophy, meditation and spiritual enlightenment.

Yoga Origin: Legend Behind It

As legend has it Lord Shiva discovered the science of Yoga and Self-realization through deep meditation. He practised various yoga asanas and employed Yogic philosophy to attain inner peace, harmony, and spiritual bliss. He used to perform the Cosmic Dance when he was overjoyed in a blissful state. Seven men approached Lord Shiva to learn how he performed exercises and meditation that elevated his consciousness and provided him with extreme energy. They wanted to learn how to attain self-realization and unity with the divine.

On a full moon day, Lord Shiva decided to teach them becoming the First Teacher or Adi Guru and he imparted the in-depth knowledge of yoga and meditation to all these seven men, later known as Sapt Rishis. He provided the knowledge of one aspect of Yoga to each seven men leading to seven distinctive forms of Yoga. Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Tantric Yoga, Hatha Yoga, and Dhyana Yoga are these seven forms. After getting enlightenment from Lord Shiva, the seven sages were told to spread this knowledge to the whole world for the welfare of humanity.

Yoga: The Science of Self-Awareness and Holistic Growth

Yoga means to Unite. It is the unity of a person (mind) with the nature (body) or the unification of humans with the divine spirit that is also known as Samadhi- the ultimate goal of Yoga. Shiva’s teachings of Yoga incorporated a holistic approach to life and spirit. He said that the practices of deep meditation, breath control, physical postures, mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, and self-awareness are all aimed at achieving the highest level of awareness and perception that would bring mental peace, harmony, compassion, and complete inner transformation.

Shiva with deep meditation and ultimate power from the eight Siddhis controls the entire universe and yet remains detached from worldly affairs and materialistic things. His immense yogic power is often manifested in his opening of ‘His Third Eye’ that burns the evil.

Thus, Yoga is not limited only to learning physical postures and breath control but is a science of inner transformation that leads to the harmony of body and mind and helps a person attain Moksha or Self-Realization.

Depth of Spiritual Knowledge of Shiva

Shiva possesses an infinite and in-depeth knowledge of Spirit and Universal Consciousness. He appears in three different forms- Nirgun (Formless), Sagun (Form pervading the entire universe) and Nirgun-Sagun (Shivalinga).

When Shiva taught the principles and practices of Yoga to Sapt Rishis, he stressed the importance of Self-awareness, Self-discipline and Self-confidence for inner exploration. He guided the seven sages to inspire human beings to dive deep into the realms of their consciousness and understand the essence of their lives and unity with the cosmos. A comprehensive and in-depth understanding of body, mind and spirit through Yoga leads to complete transformation.

Meditation is an age-old spiritual practice that helps people gain peace and clarity and unlock their true potential. When a meditator draws his mind and thought processes from the worldly chaos and materialistic things to his body chakras and universal consciousness, he experiences a new light of knowledge and joy of spiritual bliss as if Lord Shiva blessing him with infinite wisdom.

Shiva and Cosmic Consciousness

Shiva represents the fourth state of consciousness which is the meditative state beyond the states of waking, deep sleep and dreams. Shive is Unified and present everywhere. Shiva is the embodiment of a blissful, pure and innocent state of consciousness. Shiva's meditation represents the ultimate attainment of oneness, where the individual self unites with the universal self. People through Yoga and deep meditation can easily realize that their consciousness or spirit is a reflection of cosmic consciousness. The undertanding of the essence of this divine unity will empower them to transcend all limitations and attain Kaivalya or freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Shiva’s Connection to Spiritual Enlightenment

Every person is different with their unique identity and nature. Knowledge is the ultimate empowering tool that can let a person realize his uniqueness and divine connections. Whether it is through Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Dhyan Yoga, Kundalini Yoga or Hatha Yoga, one can seek Yoga knowledge and gain spiritual enlightenment through meditation, mindfulness, detachment, yoga practices and other methods to be learned from an experienced Spiritual master or Yoga Guru. Having a Yoga Guru as a mentor is quite important to learning this amazing science of inner transformation and holistic growth.

Every person has a Shiva within himself. It can be as a Yogi, a loving and compassionate family man, a selfless philanthropist, a knowledge seeker or a Tantric ascetic. Shiva through his meditative state inspires people to explore the Truth, Peace and Divinity within oneself and elevate his/her consciousness to the highest level. Yoga and meditation will uncover the path to spiritual enlightenment for any passionate seeker irrespective of gender, caste, creed or ethnicity.

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Also read : What is Meditation?