There are innumerable Shiva-stories prevalent in the practice of yoga which impart invaluable knowledge in the field of jurisprudence. Here are four such Shiva-stories.
Story 1: Shiva and that bullock cart
Sadguru: It happened about three hundred years ago. There was a devotee in the southern part of Karnataka whose mother was quite old. His mother wanted to go to Kashi, and die in the lap of Bishwanath, in the lap of Shiva. He never wanted anything in his life, he just asked the boy for this one thing.
The man walked with his old mother through the jungle from South Karnataka to Kashi - a long way. As she got older, her mother fell ill. Then he took his mother on his shoulders, so naturally he soon became exhausted. He had only one way to carry himself - to beg Shiva, "O Shiva, please don't let me fail in this one thing, this is my mother's only request, let me fulfill it. I want to cough him up. We are coming there just for you. Please give me strength. ”
As he walked, he heard the sound of a bell, like the sound of a bullock cart coming from behind. He saw a one-bullock cart pulling out of the fog, which is very strange because the only bullock in the area can be seen pulling the cart only when it has to cross a short distance. When you have to cross a long road, through the jungle, there are always two bulls. But when you are very tired, you do not pay attention to these small differences. When the car approached, he could not see the driver's face because the driver's face was covered and fog all around.
“Look, my mother is sick. If you please, can we get in your empty car? ” The man shook his head. Then both of them got into the car and the car started moving. After a while, he noticed that even on this jungle road, there was not much shaking in the car. Then he looked down and saw that the wheels of the car were not turning. They are stable, but the car is still moving. Then he looked at the bull. It is sitting, meanwhile the car is still running. Then his gaze went to the driver. Only the sheet of his body could be seen. There were no people. He looked at his mother. His mother said, “You idiot, we got there. There is no need to go anywhere else. This is the place, let me go. ” Saying this, his mother left the body there. Meanwhile, the bull, the car, and the driver disappeared!
The young man returned to his village. People thought, "He came back very soon, he must have left his mother somewhere." He was not taken to Kashi." He said, "No, we did not have to go, Shiva himself came for us." They said, "What nonsense!" The young man said, "It doesn't matter what you think, he came for us, that's all, my life is full of light, I know it in my heart." If you do not agree, it is up to you. ” That he came for you. ” There was no face, there was nothing, everything was empty.
Then everyone suddenly noticed that the man was not there. They only saw the clothes on his body. He became one of the great sages of South India. Wherever he went, people knew him as a blank face.
Story 2: Malla: A devotee of Shiva and a thief
Sadguru: I am talking about a yogi who lived very close to my birthplace. I heard about this man and what happened there, but as a young man I didn't pay much attention to it. It was nice to hear that, but I didn't really care about it at the time.
There was a devotee who lived about 18 kilometers from the city of Mysore, on the outskirts of the now famous Nanjangur. His name was Malla. Malla did not belong to any conventional practice or know any formal worship or meditation method. However, if he closed his eyes from his childhood, he could only see the idol of Shiva. Maybe the word fan is not enough for him. There are millions of people like him. They are prisoners of Shiva. They have no choice. Maybe I am also a prisoner in his hands. We didn't want him - too arrogant to go begging, but captive in his hands. Shiva was a hunter. He has ensnared not only animals but even humans. He was another such person.
Malla knew nothing but Shiva. He did not learn any special work, so he became wild in nature. It never seemed wrong or unjust for him to snatch someone and take away what he needed. So that's what he did, and people started calling him a robber.
He became a regular bandit in the forest where people used to travel. The name of the place where he collected his "rent" became Kallanamulai, meaning "the corner of a thief." At first, people scolded him, but at the end of the year, he spent all the money he had saved on celebrating Mahashivratri. He used to organize a huge celebration.
So, a few years go by, people recognize him as a great fan and start helping him voluntarily. He did not hesitate to encourage those who did not donate voluntarily!
A few years later, two yogis who were each other's brothers came here and saw this man who was a bandit but also a great devotee.
From the time he left the robbery and sat with the yogis, he attained Mahasamadhi within a year. After his release, the two yogis also sat down and left the body on the same day. A very beautiful temple has been built on the banks of the river Kabini for the purpose of those yogis today, still known as Mallanamulai.
Story 3: How Kubera became the "greatest" fan of Shiva
Shiva graciously gave him another kingdom, with all the wealth of the world and Kubera became the richest man in the world. Wealth means Kuber - this is how it is seen. Kuber became a great fan and if any fan starts to think that he is a great fan, it means he has lost everything. Kubera began to think that he was a great devotee, because he was making a lot of offerings to Shiva. Shiva, of course, never accepted anything but the sacred ashes offered to him. But Kuber himself seemed to be a great fan because he was dedicating so much.
One day Kubera came to Shiva and asked, “What can I do for you? I want to do something for you. ” What will you do for me? Because I don't need anything, I'm fine. You better take my son. ” He pointed to Ganapati and said, “This boy is always hungry. Feed him well. ”
"It's not a problem," Kuber said, and took Ganpati for lunch. They served him food, and he ate, ate, and ate. They served him and he ate. Kuber hired several hundred cooks and started cooking a lot of food. They served him all this food and he continued to eat.
Panicked, Kuber said, "Stop!" "If you eat like this, your stomach will burst." Ganapati said, “Don't worry, my stomach is tied with this curse, you don't have to worry about my stomach. I'm hungry, give me food, you said you would satisfy my hunger! ”
Kuber spent all his resources. People say he sent people to other worlds to bring food, and they served food. But Ganapati just ate and kept saying, "My hunger is not satisfied yet, where is more food?" Then Kubera, realizing the smallness of his own mind, bowed before Shiva, “I know that my wealth is not equal to dust to you. By giving back some of what you gave me, I made the mistake of thinking I was a great fan. ” And from that moment his life took a different direction.
Story 4: Brighu Maharshi and Shiva in the form of Ardhanari
Sadguru: When we say yoga, we are not talking about any particular exercise or any technique. We are talking about the science of creation and how this piece of creation can be taken to its ultimate potential. We are talking about a science and a technology through which we can build every aspect of our lives into an ultimate possibility.
When Shiva began to explain to the Saptarishis the nature of yoga and existence, a beautiful thing happened. Later one of the seven sages who later became known as Bhrigu Maharshi was a strong devotee of Shiva. Parvati was also a witness to the first yoga program on the banks of Kanti Sarobar or Kripa Dighi. Vrgu comes as usual in the morning and he wants to circumambulate Shiva. Parvati was sitting next to him, but Bhrigu went between the two of them and only surrounded Shiva. He only wanted to circumambulate Shiva, not Parvati.
Shiva was amused but Parvati was not happy at all. He did not like it. He looked at Shiva, Shiva said, "Come closer, it will turn around you too." Parvati came closer and sat down. Vrgu saw that there was not enough space for him to just walk around Shiva, so he turned himself into a rat and left Parvati around and only walked around Shiva.
Parvati was very upset. Then Shiva took Parvati and sat her on his lap to please him. Vrgu transformed himself into a tiny bird, leaving Parvati alone and wandering around Shiva. Parvati was burning with rage for so long, so Shiva pulled her into himself and made her a part of himself. That is, Parvati became a part of him. She became a semi-woman.
Vrgu saw it and turned himself into a bee, turning only his right foot. This childish devotion of Bhrigu was amusing, but at the same time Shiva did not want Bhrigu to get lost in his devotion and let the ultimate nature of existence escape his gaze. So he held Siddhasana where there was no way to circumnavigate his legs or any other part of his body. If he has to do it, he has to do it for the principles of both nature and man.
What this story reveals is that when we say yoga we are talking about a dimension that is all-inclusive. It is not a practice or process for creating health. It is for the absolute welfare of the people so that no aspect of life is left out. This is to reach a level beyond all levels. It's about a method that teaches you how to use the humanity you have - your body, mind, emotions and energy - as a stepping stone to God. It’s a way to build yourself up as a step towards the goal of your ultimate nature.