How Important is it to Meditate?

How important is meditation, spirituality?

There is an ancient story from the Shiva Puranas: Shiva marries Shakti the daughter of Daksha Prajapati. For some reasons Daksha starts to dislike Shiva, and when he arranges a big difficult, elaborate Yagya and celebration, doesn't invite Shiva and Shakti to particiapte. Shakti sees many devas and devis decked up and smiling, going for the yagya and asks them about their destination and when told about it, is completely surprized she and Shiva were not invited...

After arguing with Shiva about going to the party, she has her way and bejeweled and smiling leaves for her fathers abode... Her father is not happy to see her at all, and insults her and her husband Shiva in front of the entire assembly. Shakti is outraged and immolates herself screaming that she will be born again to wed Shiva, but this time from a father who she can be proud of...

When Shiva hears that his beloved wife is no more, He comes to the scene along with all his ganas and wreaks havoc... the way only Shiva can! It ends with chopping off and spectacular destruction of the head of Daksha Prajapati and a premature ending of the Yagya...

All the gathered assembly then bows down in abject fear and prays to Lord Shiva for mercy and compassion and somehow to make the Yagya complete. Shiva (in his characteristic way) chops off the head of a goat and attaches that to the body of Daksha Prajapati and brings him back to life so that the Yagya can be completed. The Yagya is completed... All praise the glory of Lord Shiva...




That's a nice story, but it contains a beautiful secret: Daksha Prajapati is the one who is most skillful, the most adept... and that's required to rule and be the King. Now when there is skill, Shakti (power) will actually even manifest, but will not stay long without the deep, blissful, meditative Shiva tatwa (essence of Shiva)...

Shiva then comes along and chops off the head of Daksha, symbolizing the annihilation of ego and replaces it with a goat's head. And here the symbolizing is really superb: Shiva is conveying that the most elaborate, difficult Yagya... which requires so much skill and such adeptness can be done even by a goat!... When the presence of Shiva is manifest!!

Guruji added similarly having all the skill in life, all the success, whatever you wish will still make you feel hollow, incomplete unless you also have with all that spirituality and meditation.

He had once said: " You loose the right to eat if you have not done your meditation for that day!!" (Agar Dhyan nahi kiya, to tumhe khana khane ka koi hak nahi hai!)

Without the essence of Shiva, Life is like a huge elaborate wedding without the bride and the groom... You got everything, the flowers, the music, the dancers, the fragrances, the poojaris, the witnesses, the food, the laughter, the tears, the noise, the confusion, the gifts, the jewelry... everything needed for the perfect wedding... but with the bride and groom missing, there would be no point...

Laugh, Sing, Dance, Meditate... (Remember to do Seva as well!:))

Jai Gurudeva!
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bawa