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Rudra Shakti is a Lord Shiva Shakti.Rudra shakti the aspect is a Supreme Being that continuously dissolves to recreate the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. Lord Shiva is the foremost of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Owing to His cosmic activity of dissolution and recreation, the world's destruction has been erroneously associated with Lord Shiva. This difficulty arises when people fail to grasp the true significance of His cosmic role. The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance is disturbed and sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe for creation of the next cycle so that the unliberated souls will have another opportunity to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world. Thus, Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering that would be caused by a dysfunctional universe.Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion.
The Five Great Acts of Lord Shiva
Pancakrityavidhih
The five great acts of Lord Shiva are srishti, the creative act; sthiti, the protective act; samhara, the destructive act; tirodhana, the act of enfolding or concealing His nature; and anugraha, the act of unfolding or revealing His nature. Each of these acts is also accomplished by the individual soul. In the case of the individual, however, they are not called acts, but “actions” because this kind of act is dependent on the will of God, not on the will of the individual being.
If you believe that because the individual soul does not perform acts but only actions, and that he has no freedom and, therefore, cannot be held responsible for his actions, you are wrong. The limited individual is responsible for his actions. He does have ego and feels that he is acting himself. When he feels that he is acting himself, then he is responsible for his actions. If he were to feel that Lord Shiva is really the actor and that it is Lord Shiva acting, not himself, only then is he not responsible for his actions. But then, of course, he could do no wrong.
In the kingdom of spirituality, Lord Shiva creates masters and disciples through His fifth act, the act of grace (anugraha). This grace is ninefold and, therefore, He creates masters and disciples in nine different ways.
Lord Shiva (Rudra) is known as the great merciful Lord in Hinduism.
His great mantras, the Mahamrityunjaya, which is the mantra of Rishi Vasishta in Rig Veda (VII.59.10), is well-known as the taraka-mantra (mantra of deliverance), as also is his famed Panchakshara mantra (Namah Shivaya), first appearing in the Taittiriya Samhita.
Shiva has many names in the Vedas, as per his forms: Soma (Sundara), Indra (Shiva and Mahakala; Indra nmeans 'Lord of Senses'), Rudra (Bhairava), Agni (Kumara and Rudra). Most often these are all Rudras (forms of Rudra) as are the Maruts, who are his Ganas, Ugra forms and Siddhas, avatars etc.
Indra itself not only is cognate to Yogeshvara as 'Lord of Senses', the Yogi who has controlled his sense, but is also synonymous with Ishvara, the later term for God and signifying Shiva. Thus, Mahendra of Vedas is later Maheshvara etc.
Shiva is an extremely loving deity, and, contrary to Western views, his so-called Phallus or the Linga, is actually representing the Vishwastambha or Cosmic Pillar, of which he is. This pillar (also called Skambha) is all over the Vedic texts.
The Vedas show the way in which our forefathers loved and adored Lord Shiva also:
"You, gracious Shatakratu (hundred powered), have always been a Father and Mother to us - so we now pray to you for Bliss." (Rig Veda.VIII.87.11)
"You O Lord of the Sense-organs are the Conqueror - you gave effulgence to the (inner) Sun. You are the Cosmic-Worker, the Cosmic-Deity and the Greatest." (Rig Veda.VIII.87.2)
Unlike the avatars (human incarnations), Shiva is himself the being of consciousness that others seek to attain. As Soma-Sundara, he dwells in Satyaloka or Crown Chakra as Bliss, and as Brihaspati-Akshyobha (Nilakanda) in the Throat as the Divine Word, for example. He is the Cosmic Being (Vaishwanara). As the Sun (Savitar), Shiva is also addressed as Shiva-Surya and is the Inner-Sun within us, as Svetasvatara states, and asserts it's claim from the fourth chapter of the Taittiriya Samhita to which it belongs, which itself, contains Savitar-Yoga and Sri Rudram.
As Savitar, Shiva can be worshipped with the Gayatri mantra. Gayatri means 'song of deliverance', and thus it's Shakti (power) as the Goddess (Gauri), takes us over all distress, like a ship across the Ocean. This is al idea in the Agni-Durga Sukta of Rig Veda (I.99.1) and elsewhere as the Solar-Fire or Shiva as the Flame of Consciousness (ie.VI.1.5). Shiva is the great God of Love (Prema). This is not lust, but Divine Love, free from all material qualities. There are many stories in the Brahmanas, Mahabharata and Ramayana, which tell of ancient Aryan peoples attaining the grace of Shiva, many thousands of years before the Christian era. He is thus the oldest form of God on the planet.
Some scholars have seen Shiva as a 'Dravidian God' or an 'Aryan God' etc. - but in Truth, he belongs to all of humanity. He represents the underlying and inherit consciousness of the Cosmos, not limited to culture, planet, name etc., but being the possession of one and all. Unlike many cultures or religions, as Christianity or Islam that fear God and his wrath - Hinduism's Lord Shiva is impartial and does not hate anybody, and greatly loves even those who have demonic tendencies, if they worship him with love and reverence.
Thus, he bestowed boons upon great Demons like Ravana, Banasura and many others, because of his all-merciful nature. He knows that all beings are merely lead by the three gunas, and thus plays a personal part in their lilas or divine plays, of their self-being, in the physical world. There have also been many incarnations or avatars of Shiva. Rishi Agastya, Rishi Sanatkumara (later known as Skanda), Adi Shankaracharya, Ashwathama etc. are all avatars of Lord Shiva from the past. The Great God incarnates or assumes human form, for the purpose of teaching humanity. It is through the avatars - direct decent of Divinity itself that alone can restore the true teachings of the Universe, and guide others to become true Gurus. Krishna, Buddha and Ramakrishna are examples of this, in the Vishnu form of Shiva.
To the true devotee, Vishnu, Shakti, Brahma etc. are not different from Shiva, but mere attributes or forms of him, for specific purposes. Indeed, great is the fool who thinks that Krishna and Shiva are different! Indra is the form of Shiva that rules the Demigods, and Agni the form of Shiva that accepts the sacrifice (as Medhapati, Rudra Bhairava). Brahma is Shiva as the Creator and Shakti is Shiva in the form of the manifest world or the Universe - the world of Maya, and his feminine aspect. Vishnu and his avatars are the form of Shiva as the Cosmic Preserver, ever-incarnating to restore Truth and Law to all beings in the Universe. Some Rishis are also his incarnations. Rishi Agastya, Rishi Tirumular, Ashwattama, Balarama, Lakshman, Adi Shankara, Dattatreya and others, are all avatars of Lord Shiva, who come as teachers for Humans and other beings. True Shaivism, is Advaita (non-dualism), as he sees Shiva everywhere and everything in Shiva, in his various forms. Mother Kali is Shiva in the form of the Divine Mother, representing the Nirvana-shakti and Creation (Maya), and even the Robber, Murderer and others are forms of Shiva, as are the Mother, Father and Son - as the Vedic texts also state with various forms of Shiva. Many Hindus worship Shiva as the Divine Father. Yet, this is not in the same manner as the Western concept - but see Shiva as the personal ever-loving Father, and thus become one with the consciousness in which Jesus saw the Divine Father, personally. Hence they became known as Rudras in the Vedas, 'forms of Shiva', as his own Sons. There are thousands of Rudras or Maruts in the Universe, who are celestials mind-born from Shiva ad lead by Skanda, who incarnates and also take forms of Siddhas or Rishis, in human-form - but also sometimes display their higher forms, such as Rishi Agastya does.
Why do they take human form? This is in order to teach humanity and other beings, and to enlighten them to join the Shiva-consciousness, and also become sons of Shiva, through various paths, to suit the varied tastes of men, gods and demons. Shiva in the form of Brihaspati-Akshobhya (aka Nilakantha), is the teacher of the Celestial Beings, and Brihaspati took the form of Shukarcharya (as Maitareya Upanishad states) to teach the demons. As Agastya and Dattatreya, he teaches Humanity also.
Thus, Shiva is Cosmic Love, and does not discriminate between God, Man or Demon, as he knows all are forms of his own Self, wondering about playing a part in the Divine Lila, which the wise call as Maya. All are forms of Shakti, wondering about playing 'hard to get' with their Divine Consort Shiva, of whom they seek to reunite with. So, how can we attain the grace of Shiva? The answer is, we already have it, but do not now it. It is like a bank account that we have full of money, but do not use it. We must merely 'withdraw the money', meaning chant his mantra or worship him in any manner, with love and devotion, and he shall appear in his graceful form, either in form of Guru, God or teaching. In this present age of Kali-Yuga, Maya or Cosmic Illusion is at it's best, and hence keeps obscuring Man's true spiritual heritage, like a game of 'hide and seek'. We must merely through aside this Illusion, and reclaim or realize our Spiritual Being. We should not think we are fallen - as that is the worst type of religion. We are not fallen - we are transcendent free Souls wondering about in the Cosmic Play of Eternity, as noted before, as Shakti trying to hide from Shiva. We just do not know it, as our Karmas and Kali-Yuga have become so powerful, they have deluded us, and we become entrapped in the world of name and form. We see no Shiva - yet he is all around us! A wise mans sees him everywhere. That is why worship of his many forms as Gods and Goddesses, and their vidyas, are important. If he sees smoke, for example, it is not mere Smoke - it is Space, and it is Shiva in the form as the Shakti, Dhumavati. Likewise, if he sees a Thundercloud, it is not merely a Thundercloud, it is Mahakala or Kali forms of Shiva, and so forth. Thus, Shiva is a great gift of India to Humanity, as, unlike other cultures, she has not lost this Auspicious Consciousness (Shivachaitanya), and has retained it through her Rishis, to restore it again and again to the races of mankind, throughout the ages. Being the great Cosmic Being of Prosperity, and our own inner being, let us never forget our great Lord Shiva, of whom is our past, present and future, our origin and final refuge, our teacher and most of all, the Cosmic Love.
The Five Great Acts of Lord Shiva
Pancakrityavidhih
The five great acts of Lord Shiva are srishti, the creative act; sthiti, the protective act; samhara, the destructive act; tirodhana, the act of enfolding or concealing His nature; and anugraha, the act of unfolding or revealing His nature. Each of these acts is also accomplished by the individual soul. In the case of the individual, however, they are not called acts, but “actions” because this kind of act is dependent on the will of God, not on the will of the individual being.
"The individual being does not act according to his own will; he cannot. He is dependent on the will of God, Lord Shiva. It is only God that is completely independent."There is a difference, therefore, between “action” and “act.” Action is attributed to the individual soul and act is attributed to Lord Shiva.
If you believe that because the individual soul does not perform acts but only actions, and that he has no freedom and, therefore, cannot be held responsible for his actions, you are wrong. The limited individual is responsible for his actions. He does have ego and feels that he is acting himself. When he feels that he is acting himself, then he is responsible for his actions. If he were to feel that Lord Shiva is really the actor and that it is Lord Shiva acting, not himself, only then is he not responsible for his actions. But then, of course, he could do no wrong.
In the kingdom of spirituality, Lord Shiva creates masters and disciples through His fifth act, the act of grace (anugraha). This grace is ninefold and, therefore, He creates masters and disciples in nine different ways.
Lord Shiva (Rudra) is known as the great merciful Lord in Hinduism.
His great mantras, the Mahamrityunjaya, which is the mantra of Rishi Vasishta in Rig Veda (VII.59.10), is well-known as the taraka-mantra (mantra of deliverance), as also is his famed Panchakshara mantra (Namah Shivaya), first appearing in the Taittiriya Samhita.
Shiva has many names in the Vedas, as per his forms: Soma (Sundara), Indra (Shiva and Mahakala; Indra nmeans 'Lord of Senses'), Rudra (Bhairava), Agni (Kumara and Rudra). Most often these are all Rudras (forms of Rudra) as are the Maruts, who are his Ganas, Ugra forms and Siddhas, avatars etc.
Indra itself not only is cognate to Yogeshvara as 'Lord of Senses', the Yogi who has controlled his sense, but is also synonymous with Ishvara, the later term for God and signifying Shiva. Thus, Mahendra of Vedas is later Maheshvara etc.
Shiva is an extremely loving deity, and, contrary to Western views, his so-called Phallus or the Linga, is actually representing the Vishwastambha or Cosmic Pillar, of which he is. This pillar (also called Skambha) is all over the Vedic texts.
The Vedas show the way in which our forefathers loved and adored Lord Shiva also:
"You, gracious Shatakratu (hundred powered), have always been a Father and Mother to us - so we now pray to you for Bliss." (Rig Veda.VIII.87.11)
"You O Lord of the Sense-organs are the Conqueror - you gave effulgence to the (inner) Sun. You are the Cosmic-Worker, the Cosmic-Deity and the Greatest." (Rig Veda.VIII.87.2)
Unlike the avatars (human incarnations), Shiva is himself the being of consciousness that others seek to attain. As Soma-Sundara, he dwells in Satyaloka or Crown Chakra as Bliss, and as Brihaspati-Akshyobha (Nilakanda) in the Throat as the Divine Word, for example. He is the Cosmic Being (Vaishwanara). As the Sun (Savitar), Shiva is also addressed as Shiva-Surya and is the Inner-Sun within us, as Svetasvatara states, and asserts it's claim from the fourth chapter of the Taittiriya Samhita to which it belongs, which itself, contains Savitar-Yoga and Sri Rudram.
As Savitar, Shiva can be worshipped with the Gayatri mantra. Gayatri means 'song of deliverance', and thus it's Shakti (power) as the Goddess (Gauri), takes us over all distress, like a ship across the Ocean. This is al idea in the Agni-Durga Sukta of Rig Veda (I.99.1) and elsewhere as the Solar-Fire or Shiva as the Flame of Consciousness (ie.VI.1.5). Shiva is the great God of Love (Prema). This is not lust, but Divine Love, free from all material qualities. There are many stories in the Brahmanas, Mahabharata and Ramayana, which tell of ancient Aryan peoples attaining the grace of Shiva, many thousands of years before the Christian era. He is thus the oldest form of God on the planet.
Some scholars have seen Shiva as a 'Dravidian God' or an 'Aryan God' etc. - but in Truth, he belongs to all of humanity. He represents the underlying and inherit consciousness of the Cosmos, not limited to culture, planet, name etc., but being the possession of one and all. Unlike many cultures or religions, as Christianity or Islam that fear God and his wrath - Hinduism's Lord Shiva is impartial and does not hate anybody, and greatly loves even those who have demonic tendencies, if they worship him with love and reverence.
Thus, he bestowed boons upon great Demons like Ravana, Banasura and many others, because of his all-merciful nature. He knows that all beings are merely lead by the three gunas, and thus plays a personal part in their lilas or divine plays, of their self-being, in the physical world. There have also been many incarnations or avatars of Shiva. Rishi Agastya, Rishi Sanatkumara (later known as Skanda), Adi Shankaracharya, Ashwathama etc. are all avatars of Lord Shiva from the past. The Great God incarnates or assumes human form, for the purpose of teaching humanity. It is through the avatars - direct decent of Divinity itself that alone can restore the true teachings of the Universe, and guide others to become true Gurus. Krishna, Buddha and Ramakrishna are examples of this, in the Vishnu form of Shiva.
To the true devotee, Vishnu, Shakti, Brahma etc. are not different from Shiva, but mere attributes or forms of him, for specific purposes. Indeed, great is the fool who thinks that Krishna and Shiva are different! Indra is the form of Shiva that rules the Demigods, and Agni the form of Shiva that accepts the sacrifice (as Medhapati, Rudra Bhairava). Brahma is Shiva as the Creator and Shakti is Shiva in the form of the manifest world or the Universe - the world of Maya, and his feminine aspect. Vishnu and his avatars are the form of Shiva as the Cosmic Preserver, ever-incarnating to restore Truth and Law to all beings in the Universe. Some Rishis are also his incarnations. Rishi Agastya, Rishi Tirumular, Ashwattama, Balarama, Lakshman, Adi Shankara, Dattatreya and others, are all avatars of Lord Shiva, who come as teachers for Humans and other beings. True Shaivism, is Advaita (non-dualism), as he sees Shiva everywhere and everything in Shiva, in his various forms. Mother Kali is Shiva in the form of the Divine Mother, representing the Nirvana-shakti and Creation (Maya), and even the Robber, Murderer and others are forms of Shiva, as are the Mother, Father and Son - as the Vedic texts also state with various forms of Shiva. Many Hindus worship Shiva as the Divine Father. Yet, this is not in the same manner as the Western concept - but see Shiva as the personal ever-loving Father, and thus become one with the consciousness in which Jesus saw the Divine Father, personally. Hence they became known as Rudras in the Vedas, 'forms of Shiva', as his own Sons. There are thousands of Rudras or Maruts in the Universe, who are celestials mind-born from Shiva ad lead by Skanda, who incarnates and also take forms of Siddhas or Rishis, in human-form - but also sometimes display their higher forms, such as Rishi Agastya does.
Why do they take human form? This is in order to teach humanity and other beings, and to enlighten them to join the Shiva-consciousness, and also become sons of Shiva, through various paths, to suit the varied tastes of men, gods and demons. Shiva in the form of Brihaspati-Akshobhya (aka Nilakantha), is the teacher of the Celestial Beings, and Brihaspati took the form of Shukarcharya (as Maitareya Upanishad states) to teach the demons. As Agastya and Dattatreya, he teaches Humanity also.
Thus, Shiva is Cosmic Love, and does not discriminate between God, Man or Demon, as he knows all are forms of his own Self, wondering about playing a part in the Divine Lila, which the wise call as Maya. All are forms of Shakti, wondering about playing 'hard to get' with their Divine Consort Shiva, of whom they seek to reunite with. So, how can we attain the grace of Shiva? The answer is, we already have it, but do not now it. It is like a bank account that we have full of money, but do not use it. We must merely 'withdraw the money', meaning chant his mantra or worship him in any manner, with love and devotion, and he shall appear in his graceful form, either in form of Guru, God or teaching. In this present age of Kali-Yuga, Maya or Cosmic Illusion is at it's best, and hence keeps obscuring Man's true spiritual heritage, like a game of 'hide and seek'. We must merely through aside this Illusion, and reclaim or realize our Spiritual Being. We should not think we are fallen - as that is the worst type of religion. We are not fallen - we are transcendent free Souls wondering about in the Cosmic Play of Eternity, as noted before, as Shakti trying to hide from Shiva. We just do not know it, as our Karmas and Kali-Yuga have become so powerful, they have deluded us, and we become entrapped in the world of name and form. We see no Shiva - yet he is all around us! A wise mans sees him everywhere. That is why worship of his many forms as Gods and Goddesses, and their vidyas, are important. If he sees smoke, for example, it is not mere Smoke - it is Space, and it is Shiva in the form as the Shakti, Dhumavati. Likewise, if he sees a Thundercloud, it is not merely a Thundercloud, it is Mahakala or Kali forms of Shiva, and so forth. Thus, Shiva is a great gift of India to Humanity, as, unlike other cultures, she has not lost this Auspicious Consciousness (Shivachaitanya), and has retained it through her Rishis, to restore it again and again to the races of mankind, throughout the ages. Being the great Cosmic Being of Prosperity, and our own inner being, let us never forget our great Lord Shiva, of whom is our past, present and future, our origin and final refuge, our teacher and most of all, the Cosmic Love.
