The
Siva Sutra Rock
Siva Sutra Rock
Photographs
_______________
_________
This project is being
presented
as the
Epilogue
to the three projects
which preceded it:
which preceded it:
At the end of Swami Shantananda's book The Splendor of Recognition, in which he presents commentaries on the twenty sutras of the Kashmiri scriptural text known as the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam, he lovingly remembers his Guru, Swami Muktananda with an Epilogue in which he shares the following story.
In 1982, just a month before Baba [Muktananda] left his body, he took Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Swami Shantananda, and a few others on a final pilgrimage to Kashmir, in northernmost India. After Baba's death Gurumayi would become the living head of the Siddha Yoga Path, and Baba wanted to show her the birthplace of Kashmir Saivism, "the philosophy Baba so loved" before he passed on.
Swamiji goes on to explain how Baba led them to an extraordinarily large rock in the Mahadeva Mountains, where, in the ninth century--according to tradition among Kashmiri scholars--the sage Vasugutpta had been directed in a dream to go to the mountains and find this rock which is situated on the edge of a mountain stream. It is said that as Vasugupta stood before the rock "it overturned, as if by divine will." The overturned rock "revealed, inscribed on its underside, the seventy-seven aphorisms that comprise the seminal text of Kasmir Shivism, the Siva-sutra."
Swamiji writes: "At Baba's direction, we mounted this rock and, for the next several hours, we sat atop it in the brilliant morning sunlight, chanting various Saiva scriptures." Swamiji added, "I have always thought it significant that Baba had us begin by singing the twenty sutras of the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam."
After leaving the rock, Swamiji and a few of the others on the pilgrimage were joking about lifting up the rock with a car jack. Baba heard them, and at first laughed along with them; then he said quite seriously: "You cannot lift the Siva-sutra rock in that way. Only Lord Siva is able to lift that rock." After a short pause, Baba added: "The sutras are there."
Swamiji felt that Baba's words spoke to multiple levels of subtlety: "He was saying that the [seventy-seven] sutras are physically etched on the underside of the rock, and that they live as a beacon to guide us on our inner journey." ~ "To this day, I continue to be inspired by [Baba's] implicit faith in the veracity of the scriptures."
*
Swami Muktananda wrote (over a period of time) a series of commentaries on several of the seventy-seven Siva Sutras. They were eventually collected and presented in a Siddha Yoga publication entitled Nothing Exists That Is Not Siva. I will be presenting excerpts from some of Baba's commentaries with my photographs below.
The Rain of Grace
The twelve "straight" photographs presented here were made in the early morning hours of February 24, 2017, which was a most auspicious holiday in Siddha Yoga known as MahaShivaratri. The word literally means the "Great Night of Lord Shiva," and the holiday takes place in the lunar month of Magha in the Indian Calendar when the crescent moon is at its finest--just before the phase of the new moon begins. Siva, a name given to absolute Reality personified as a god, is often pictured in meditation wearing a crescent moon in his hair. The crescent symbolizes Siva's mastery over time.
It was raining that morning, however I wanted to go out and try to make a photograph. A few days earlier I had seen a rock wrapped inside of a piece of rubber roofing material in one of our back yard gardens. I felt that the situation might make for a good photograph, but at that time the light was not right, and the tones of the rubber and the rock were lacking in visual richness. I decided to return to the garden from time to time to see if some change in the situation would yield a more successful photograph. Perhaps the quality of light would make the difference. When I saw it was raining on the morning of Shivaratri I thought that perhaps the wetness of the rain would have enriched the tones of the rock and the rubber.
I had been using the rubber pieces in our raspberry garden to hold back the growth of weeds. However the strong winter winds--which constantly blow across the meadow behind our house--had been moving the rubber pieces around in the garden into odd but interesting sculpture-like configurations despite the rocks I had placed on them to keep them from blowing away. I had photographed some of these changing "sculptures" earlier that winter when the presence of snow had added yet another dimension of interest to these strange objects.
Just as I was going out--in my raincoat, and with my camera in hand--Gloria reminded me that it was Shivaratri. As I stood before the rock wrapped in the rubber sheeting (see the image above) I thought about it being Shivaratri and I remembered how Gurumayi so often talked about grace in relation to rain. She used the phrase "the rain of grace" in many of her talks in which she spoke about the outpouring of grace which is constantly--in every moment--being bestowed upon each one of us (and the planet). This living, divine energy is also known as Sakti, the creative and transformative power of the universe, the blessings of God, the true Guru, Siva, the Supreme Self. Gurumayi also reminds us frequently that the yogic scriptures, such as the Siva sutras, are there for us, to help us understand how to become receptive to this ever-present divine gift.
It had been raining most of the night, but had come to a stop early in the morning. The night's rain had made the the earth and the grass very soggy and dark; on the other hand, the wetness also brought out all the subtle colors and a hidden luminosity within the rocks we had placed in our various garden beds. Just as I was about to make the photograph (above) it began sprinkling again very gently. I enjoyed watching and hearing the rain falling on the rubber material, leaving little dark traces of wetness on its gray surfaces. The rubber had become like a "womb," and it seemed to be embracing or holding the rock close to itself.
After making the photograph, I started feeling a lot of energy moving though my body, and the desire to continue photographing grew very strong within me. As I looked around for more things to photograph I noticed that some of the other rocks in our back yard gardens appeared to be lit up. It seemed as if they were calling me over to take their photograph. I continued photographing rocks in the rain for the next twenty minutes or so. I photographed in the gardens around our house and in our front yard as well as those in our back yard.
I have photographed many many rocks over the years. I love seeing them just laying silently on the surface of the earth, so still, and yet so full of presence. Rocks seem pervaded by what in Siddha Yoga is called divine Consciousness, or Sakti. I have always felt challenged by these "living" rocks--challenged to make a photographic image of them that had the same quality of radiance, the same presence that I had perceived within them. Certainly, on this particular sacred day known as Mahashivaratri, I felt that challenge again and again as I photographed the the rocks in our many small gardens in the "rain of grace" which seemed to have made everything, even my own self, feel extraordinarily alive.
The photographs in this project were made while I was in the middle of working on the third and last project in the triadic series dedicated to Swami Shantananda's commentaries on the Pratyabhijna-hrdayam. I stored those Shivaratri rock photographs in a digital folder, placed them on hold, waiting for the right time, later, to edit and fine tune the images with Photoshop. Perhaps I could use one or more of them in some future project.
However, after completing The Pulsating Uncreated Heart : Origin & Center of Creation, I spontaneously remembered the story that Swamiji tells in his Epilogue of the Shiva Sutra Rock. After I re-read the Epilogue, I knew what I had to do, and I began working on the rock photographs which then became the project before you now. As I have already indicated, I consider this project the Epilogue to the three projects listed above.
Nothing Exists That Is Not Siva
As I was writing the above introductory text, the thought (or fantasy) occurred to me that each of the rocks I photographed on Mahashivaratri had, etched on its underside, one of the seventy-seven Siva sutras. In keeping with this idea, I have decided to provide under each of the photographs in this project with the English translation of one of the Siva sutras and excerpts (in blue italics) from Baba Muktananda's commentaries of that particular sutra. The translations and excerpted commentaries have been taken from the Siddha Yoga publication entitled Nothing Exists That Is Not Shiva.
The yogic sages say that this entire universe is Shiva's Garden and that it was created by Siva for His delight, His "sport," to walk in, to play in, to fully enjoy and imbibe the magnificent beauty of His created world. The Siva Sutras tell us that Shiva has taken the form of each and every thing in His Creation--including me and you; and that Shiva--the Great Lord, the True Guru, the Supreme Self--pervades and illuminates everything He created. They also tell us that Shiva lives in the heart of every human being.
Baba Muktananda not only loved the philosophy of Kashmir Saivism; he was the living embodiment of that philosophy. His spiritual autobiography The Play of Consciousness, and all of his teachings and other publications are a wonderful personal testament to this fact. Baba actually experienced the world "through the eyes of Shiva." That is to say, he had been graced by his Guru, Bhagawan Nityananda, with Shiva drishti, the "vision of Shiva." (see my project The Blue Pearl) Thus, Baba spoke and wrote about that which he knew from his own direct, personal experience. Baba understood in the truest way possible that Nothing Exists That Is Not Siva. ~ Welcome to the project: The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs.
Note: you can click on the images to enlarge them; this will
insure that you see the images in their highest degree
of sharpness, luminosity and tonal richness.
_________________
_________________
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #1
Siva Sutra 1.1
Consciousness is the Self.
He who dwells in all places, things, and times as one with all . . . He who is the
Self of all and illuminates everything, He is called chaitanya, Consciousness.
Though He is nothing, He becomes everything necessary at the proper
time. . . . Though the very essence of formlessness, He lives on
the far shore of formlessness. Like sparks arising
spontaneously from a blazing fire, infinite
universes rise and set of their own
accord out of Him, yet remains
one with Him. He alone is
caitanya atman, the
Conscious
Self.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #2
Siva Sutra 1.2
Knowledge is Bondage.
Amazing as it is, this aphorism is completely true. Our inner states--
contraction or expansion, joy or sorrow, anxiety or ignorance--
are all reactions to outer stimuli. Knowledge of the external
world is the root of all sorrow when it seeps inside and
we identify with it. . . . Outer knowledge causes
bondage. When by the Guru's grace the inner
Sakti is awakened, knowledge of the
Self arises from within.
Sakti is awakened, knowledge of the
Self arises from within.
The Self stands
revealed.
revealed.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #3
Siva Sutra 2.6
The Guru is the means.
For absorption in the supreme Self, the Guru is the most effective means.
Even Lord Siva agrees that a disciple's Self-unfolding takes place
only by the grace of the Guru. The Guru destroys the darkness
in the hearts of his disciples and fills them with the light of
knowledge. . . The Guru should not be confused with
a particular form . . . The Guru is one in whom the
divine power of grace has taken permanent
abode. . . . He alone is the supreme Guru
who enters his disciple as grace,
blessing him with shaktipat
and transforming him
and transforming him
into the Guru, like
himself.
himself.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #4
Siva Sutra 1.5
Effort is itself Bhairava.
The only true effort is this: on attaining knowledge of the nature of the
highest reality, one strives to remain constantly immersed in the
awareness of the inner Self. . . . Limited knowledge relying
on words produces only dualities such as love and hate,
joy or sorrow. But the undifferentiated awareness of
one's true nature, which is the same as Bhairava,
Siva, releases pure bliss. To remain aware
of the inner Self is right effort. To
understand that all thoughts are
nothing but the pulsation of
Parasakti anchors one
firmly in the Self.
firmly in the Self.
Right effort is
Bhairava, the
Bhairava, the
Supreme
Self.
Self.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #5
Siva Sutra 1.12
Yogic realizations are amazing.
The yogi is filled with amazement by the realizations he attains as the
Guru's grace unfolds itself . . . When his inner Sakti is awakened
by the grace of the Guru, the yogi starts having marvelous
inner experiences. . . . He enters the space of the heart,
and there he sees the worlds of meditation . . . By
means of the Guru's grace, the yogi perceives
and there he sees the worlds of meditation . . . By
means of the Guru's grace, the yogi perceives
that the cosmos exists within himself . . .
and in time he becomes aware of his
unity with the entire universe.
Then, immersed in the
awareness of inner
awareness of inner
blue radiance, he
unceasingly sees
unceasingly sees
himself in all,
and all in
and all in
himself.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #6
Siva Sutra 2.1
The mind is mantra.
Virtually all religions . . . practice their own forms of mantra repetition. In this
aphorism Parasiva gives us the secret of mantra: the mind of the aspirant
who practices mantra is itself the mantra. By means of the mind we
become aware of the supreme truth. It is with this mind that we
repeat mantras, we contemplate their meaning, we come to
know their essence and their goal . . . we must consider
mantra to be one with the supreme Self. Mantra is the
undifferentiated, integral awareness of the nature
of the Divine . . . The whole cosmos throbs in
mantra to be one with the supreme Self. Mantra is the
undifferentiated, integral awareness of the nature
of the Divine . . . The whole cosmos throbs in
the mind, which is itself mantra. The
person who attains oneness with
mantra by remaining in unity-
mantra by remaining in unity-
consciousness annihilates
the world of dualities.
Mantra is the great
Sakti who brings
Mantra is the great
Sakti who brings
the syllables to
life; it is the
awareness
life; it is the
awareness
of inner
unity.
unity.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #7
Siva Sutra 1.11
The supreme Lord is the
experiencer of the three states.
The Self, who is the witness of the waking, dream, and deep sleep states,
is indeed Siva, the supreme Lord. As witness He enjoys these states
without undergoing any change. . . . Supreme Siva is the real
experiencer of all the states. . . . In their delusion, people
think, "I am the one experiencing. . . I am the one who
is doing. . . " This attitude is bondage. Who but Siva
can hear through the ears? Who but Siva can think
with the mind and speak with the tongue? Who
but Siva can perceive objects? The One who
experiences the external waking world,
the internal world of dreams, and
the total oblivion of deep sleep
is the supreme Lord.
Both the seer and
the seen are the same
Consciousness. . . Siva
is the experience and Siva
is what is experienced. One who
plunges into the inner Self with this
knowledge and with a still mind becomes God.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #8
Siva Sutra 1.13
icchasaktir uma kumari
The power of will is the maiden Uma.
God . . . is the final goal of all philosophical systems. In His being a vibration arises
spontaneously. This is His power of will, and it is in no way different from Him.
In the word kumari, the syllable ku is maya, the power that gives rise to the
awareness of differences; mari is that which destroys. Uma kumari is the
maiden who dissolves the consciousness of differences. . . . This
power of will creates an independent universe with Her own
being. She creates this richly diverse universe of dualities
and contradictions: it is different from Her and yet
not different. Though She Herself becomes the
universe, She remains exactly what She has
always been: a maiden, ever youthful.
A Siddha is one who, merging
with the divine will, has become utterly
free and lives and moves everywhere without
the least hinderance. For such a Master of yoga
--who sees nothing as different from himself, who is capable
of entering any realm with total ease and freedom--his will is the maiden Uma.
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #9
Siva Sutra 3.6
By the conquest of delusion
the supreme realization is attained.
the supreme realization is attained.
Maya deludes men; she is the great enchantress. She lives with everyone,
merges with and manipulates everyone, and catches everyone in her
snares. Her way of seeing is perverse--the real seems unreal,
consciousness becomes matter. She makes God man . . .
the One many. Maya gives rise to avarana, the veil. . .
Only meditation can help realize the supreme
reality. . . Meditation removes the veil
covering the light of the
highest reality.
Parashiva
is without birth
and death, without
beginning and end. He is
devoid of thought, He is self-
evident and fills everything. The
transcendent being exists everywhere,
but in our delusion, we do not understand this.
To know that Siva can be experienced--this is
real dhyana (meditation). "Supreme Siva is
within me always" --this awareness is
dharana (concentration). The Siva
principle equally pervades the
entire universe, including
both subject and
object.
"I am not apart from Siva."
To continually experience this is
samadhi, the merging in highest reality,
merges with and manipulates everyone, and catches everyone in her
snares. Her way of seeing is perverse--the real seems unreal,
consciousness becomes matter. She makes God man . . .
the One many. Maya gives rise to avarana, the veil. . .
Only meditation can help realize the supreme
reality. . . Meditation removes the veil
covering the light of the
highest reality.
Parashiva
is without birth
and death, without
beginning and end. He is
devoid of thought, He is self-
evident and fills everything. The
transcendent being exists everywhere,
but in our delusion, we do not understand this.
To know that Siva can be experienced--this is
real dhyana (meditation). "Supreme Siva is
within me always" --this awareness is
dharana (concentration). The Siva
principle equally pervades the
entire universe, including
both subject and
object.
"I am not apart from Siva."
To continually experience this is
samadhi, the merging in highest reality,
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #10
Siva Sutra 2.9
Knowledge is food.
The food that is nourishing to a yogi and brings him satisfaction and
bliss is the awareness of his own nature, contented rest in his own
atman. In sutra 1.2 knowledge was said to be bondage. That
was outer knowledge, implying forgetfulness of one's nature
and the presence of the ego-sense of "I" and "mine."
Knowledge becomes food when it is the knowledge
of unity, arising by the grace of the Guru . . .
This knowledge takes one beyond the reach
of death, time, and limitation, to the
supreme Self and supreme
contentment.
Knowledge,
then, is food in
the sense that it gives
perfect satisfaction and perfect
rest. . . By the inner understanding born
of Guru's grace, the yogi devours both the merely
conceptual knowledge that obstructs complete rest in the
Self, and the ignorance that hides his own spirit from him.
~ ~ ~ ~ He is then immersed in perfect inner contentment. ~ ~ ~ ~
bliss is the awareness of his own nature, contented rest in his own
atman. In sutra 1.2 knowledge was said to be bondage. That
was outer knowledge, implying forgetfulness of one's nature
and the presence of the ego-sense of "I" and "mine."
Knowledge becomes food when it is the knowledge
of unity, arising by the grace of the Guru . . .
This knowledge takes one beyond the reach
of death, time, and limitation, to the
supreme Self and supreme
contentment.
Knowledge,
then, is food in
the sense that it gives
perfect satisfaction and perfect
rest. . . By the inner understanding born
of Guru's grace, the yogi devours both the merely
conceptual knowledge that obstructs complete rest in the
Self, and the ignorance that hides his own spirit from him.
~ ~ ~ ~ He is then immersed in perfect inner contentment. ~ ~ ~ ~
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #11
Siva Sutra 3.10
The inner Self is the stage.
There is a great mystery in this sutra. The atman manifests countless
dramas in His nonbeing. He Himself becomes the stage, the actor,
and the costumes. He enacts His dramas in Himself for His own
sake and for his own delight. . . The inner Self is the place
where he enacts the scenes . . . Assuming physical
bodies, He manifests His mundane sport through
the sense organs by means of His own
dynamic Sakti. Becoming the subtle
body, He transmigrates from one
life-form to another in
various births.
__________
__________
The senses are the spectators who watch the Self stage the drama
of the universe in the theater of one's own being. . . The king
of yogis who has received the Guru's grace while
watching the drama of the universe being
rolled out attains Self-realization when
he turns inward. His inner experience
teaches him that the whole world
springs from his own Self.
His sense of differences
dissolved, he rises to
the awareness
"I am Siva."
dramas in His nonbeing. He Himself becomes the stage, the actor,
and the costumes. He enacts His dramas in Himself for His own
sake and for his own delight. . . The inner Self is the place
where he enacts the scenes . . . Assuming physical
bodies, He manifests His mundane sport through
the sense organs by means of His own
dynamic Sakti. Becoming the subtle
body, He transmigrates from one
life-form to another in
various births.
__________
__________
Siva Sutra 3.11
The senses are the spectators.
of the universe in the theater of one's own being. . . The king
of yogis who has received the Guru's grace while
watching the drama of the universe being
rolled out attains Self-realization when
he turns inward. His inner experience
teaches him that the whole world
springs from his own Self.
His sense of differences
dissolved, he rises to
the awareness
"I am Siva."
The Siva Sutra Rock Photographs, Image #12
Siva Sutra 3.14
As here, so elsewhere.
A Siddha, having attained supreme freedom, lives wholly in the Self. . .
He holds the same light within and without, permeating his gross
and subtle bodies: the light of his soul spreads through the
whole universe. He discovers that all countries, all
external worlds, all realms, and in fact the entire
cosmos possess the same reality that is
within him. Here is the body, the
senses and mind. Elsewhere
is the outer universe. All
things and all beings
embody the same
impalpable
essence.
He holds the same light within and without, permeating his gross
and subtle bodies: the light of his soul spreads through the
whole universe. He discovers that all countries, all
external worlds, all realms, and in fact the entire
cosmos possess the same reality that is
within him. Here is the body, the
senses and mind. Elsewhere
is the outer universe. All
things and all beings
embody the same
impalpable
essence.
____________________________________________
* * *
________________________________
Epilogue
The Snow Covered Siva Sutra Rock Photograph, Epilogue Image
This snow covered rock photograph was made early Tuesday Morning, March 14, 2017 in the first hours of what would become a major winter storm in which over 24 inches of snow would accumulate within 48 hours. The rock hidden beneath the snow is the same rock I photographed in the first of the twelve images presented above. Though the stone itself is not visible because of the veil of snow that covers it, nonetheless the living Presence of Siva is there, for me, in the soft emerging form that resembles the human heart.
~ Nothing Exists That Is Not Siva ~
If you cannot use your eyes to see
God's glory in this universe, if
you cannot use these eyes
to have the darshan
[vision] of the Lord,
then what is the
use of these
eyes?
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
from
The Yoga of Discipline
If you cannot use your eyes to see
God's glory in this universe, if
you cannot use these eyes
to have the darshan
[vision] of the Lord,
then what is the
use of these
eyes?
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
from
The Yoga of Discipline
* * *
___________
___________
*
This Project was announced on my
Welcome Page April 2, 2017
RELATED PROJECTS
Epilogue
Welcome Page to my Departing Landscape website which includes the complete listing of my online hyperlinked photography projects, my resume, contact information, and more
