In Truth, You Are the Absolute - 13th February 2018

Shiva is just another name for the Absolute. The one that we speak of, the reality, is the day that we celebrate. Actually, we celebrate every day, still in some form. In this, we love that they decided that today is the day where Shiva and Parvati got married. Today is the night, but Shiva is Absolute. Parvati is the dynamic aspect of the same Absolute, and their union is the night of Shiva. A beautiful representation, and yet the truth is that they are one. That is why in India, like the representation of what is called Ardhanarishvara—one portrait, one sculpture, half-and-half. It's almost like we in Advaita representing the non-phenomenal and the phenomenal as oneself.

You see, Shiva himself in this form as Parvati has been playing with her toenails and saying, 'This is all that I am.' Look at just one tiny aspect of this existence, limit ourselves, which is that that Self is having a conversation with itself. Consciousness is having a conversation with consciousness, reminding itself. So this is just a fallacy, just an idea that you have. We wanted to play like this, and as part of the play, you also set this alarm clock, this reminder to remind you that all of this is just a play. In truth, you are Shiva, the Absolute. That which is the source of all things, that nothing which is the source of all things, and that's the thing that all things dissolve into. That which is beyond birth and death, which is beyond all appearances, is ourselves.

So for today, you can try this experiment: anything that bothers you about this world, just say 'Om Namah Shivaya' and see what really remains. Also today is a beautiful day to express gratitude to the embodiment of Shiva. This entire beautiful lineage of masters starting with Arunachala, which is the embodiment on this earth of the Shiva energy, and in whose presence the mind automatically loses its power. If there is a little bit of openness, it is exactly the same thing which we feel in the presence of my Master, my Father. So much gratitude for his presence. All of us are so blessed to have the privilege of his presence in our life.

Let's go being grateful to Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the Guru of his son, who was like a grandfather, Sri Mooji. Thank you for allowing us to experience Shiva, the Absolute Self. Even one moment of this recognition is worth a lifetime of celebration. Today is a night to celebrate the tasting of the nectar, the experience of the non-experiential. This Shiva. All my gratitude to all of you.