A Beautiful Teaching from the Shiva Purana

We saw about the two types of Shiva Linga — movable and immovable — the measurements of these and also how a Shiva Linga should be installed.

Now, puja of Shiva Linga — the daily puja.
If you have Shiva Linga, then daily puja is mandatory.

There is a beautiful concept in Shiva Purana.
Suppose you don’t have a Shiva Linga to worship. Then what?

स्थावरं लिङ्गमित्याहुः तरुगुल्मादिकं तथा
जङ्गमं लिङ्गमित्याहुः कृमिकीटादिकं तथा
स्थावरस्य च शुश्रूषा जङ्गमस्य च तर्पणम्
तत्तत्सुखानुसारेण शिवपूजां विदुर्बुधाः

The plants, creepers, trees — they can be considered as the sthavara type of Linga — the immovable type of Linga.
Insects and other creatures, animals — they can be considered as the jangama type of Linga — the movable kind of Linga.

Do shushroosha of sthavara Linga — like watering them, keeping their surroundings clean, keeping them healthy — this is sthavara Linga puja.
Feed insects, feed animals, give them water, give them shelter — this is jangama Linga puja.

This is as good and as powerful as Shiva puja itself — puja of Shiva Linga itself.

See how much our dharma cares for nature.
Our dharma is not just about men and their well-being.
We don’t believe that everything in the world is created for us to consume and enjoy.

For us, nature is God.
Plants are Lord Shiva.
Animals are Lord Shiva.

What a noble concept, you see!
See how it has developed.

The best of Shivopasana is shrava, keertana, and manana of His stories.
If you don’t have access to this, then worship Shiva Linga or the Lord’s idol, either at a temple or at home — every day.
If that is also not possible, then serve plants, insects, creatures, and animals.

Through that also, you can attain Shiva pada.

People foolishly think that Shiva Purana glorifies Shiva, Vishnu Purana glorifies Vishnu — they are all written with some agenda, they are sectarian, they are trying to create cults.

Isn’t this absolutely wrong?
See where these are all finally leading to.

How can you serve God if you are ignoring His creation?
The Lord becomes happy when you care for His creation.

Haven’t you seen this — a mother becomes happy when her child is appreciated?
It is the same principle.

Serve divinity only by serving His creation.
What a noble concept.
Where do you see sectarian interest in this?

If it was to promote one particular thought, then Shiva Purana would have said — there is no God other than Shiva, all others are inferior.
None of our scriptures say so.

They may highlight certain aspects of certain divinities from time to time.
Even here, we started Shiva Purana as the answer to the question —
Who is the most supreme God? — Shiva.
But see where it is leading to.

Shiva means — plants, insects, animals, birds.
Serve them — that’s how you serve Shiva.

The same you will see when you read Vishnu Purana also.
The same you will see when you read Devi Bhagavata also.
Eventually, you will realize that they are all talking about the same divinity, in different ways, in different languages.

If you write:
A + B = C
What is on the left side of the equal sign and what is on the right side of the equal sign — they look different.
But ultimately, with the equal sign in between, they become equals.

Don’t fall for any other propaganda.
Anything else is not Sanatana Dharma.

If someone is saying that this God is greater than everyone else, this is the only God, rest are all demigods —
That only means they have only seen one side of this equal sign, not the whole picture.

They have understood something, and they are trying to teach others before they have understood the whole.

Vyasa never did this when he divided the Vedas into four.
Did Sage Vyasa say that Rigveda is better than Yajurveda, or Samaveda is better than Atharva Veda?

All the best mantras in Rigveda, the second best in Yajurveda — that was not the purpose of the division.

If any scripture says that this God is the highest, it is to help you to focus and get faster results, benefits.
You should not run here and there.
Stay focused on one God and assimilate everything else into Him or Her.

If you are seeing differences, don’t push them away — pull them towards you.
Make them all into one.

See, we said the Linga should always be with the peetha.
You should never worship a Linga without a peetha.

You know how it should be visualized — as Devi sitting on the lap of the Lord.
यथा देवीमुमामङ्के तिष्ठति शंकरः

Devi Bhagavata will say — without the Shakti, Shiva will be shava — dead body.

Our limited brain will immediately rush towards the wrong conclusion that —
Okay, that means Shakti is greater than Shiva. Let me worship Shakti. Let me worship the more powerful.

This is our stupidity.
Devi Bhagavata says — Shakti and Shiva are always together.
Shiva Purana also says the same thing — don’t worship Linga without peetha.

Where does it say that Shiva is higher or Shakti is higher?
We are making this mistake.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi