As I Know: The Lord of the Mountains – Shiv Purana: 137

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Shiva is omnipresent and lives through different images – murties, the wise men tell. Murties are Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesaan and Sadasiva …the great eight murtis, and as Panchbrahmas… the famous brahma murties…that exercise control of different organs… magnificent splendor of Shiva and Parvati

Upamanyu revealed to Krishna that the unique murities – the images of Shiva spread over the entire universe whether these were stationary or still, mobile or immobile. He is the great soul, the incomprehensible, the sages tell, he told further. Shiva was the lord of images, the murties and so he governed the cosmos and its all created beings whether alive or dead. These images or murties of lord were – Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Mahesaan and Sadasiva because of which the entire universe had attained its present dimensions. Brahma obeys lord Shiva and creates the entire world and through other images – murties, he takes care of the functions of preservation and total destruction.

Five other bodies called Panchbrahmas and the famous brahma murties are – Ishana, Purusa, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadyojata. Ishana the greatest is the individual soul the enjoyer of prakriti whereas all the murties carry different qualities and speak of gunas. Ishana the greatest Murti is the lord of individual soul, and is the swamy of hearing, voice and word, and the employer of Prakriti. All murtis pervade everything animate or inanimate in the world. Tatpurusa is an embodied form of Shiva that controls, commands the invisible – the un-manifest, and takes the form of three gunas, and he is also the deity of skin, hand, touch and Vayu-tattva.

Aghora murti, a trident-bearing lord is revered and it directs and guides the principle of cosmic intellect that consists of eight organs of Dharma etc and is the deity of eye, leg, colour and fire. Agama is Vamadeva murti – the lord of Ego and is the lord of tongue, anus, water and flavor also. Sadyojata murti of the infinite radiant Shiva is the chief of mind, nose, sexual organ, smell and earth, the wise men say. Ishana murti supervises as deity the ear, speech, sound and all pervasive ether, the essence of Akasa. The five murties are causes of well-being and men wanting wellbeing must worship.

The great monk tells Krishna, “O Krishna, the entire universe has eight murties of lord Shiva, the primordial lord of all the gods and they are like the wonderful rosaries of gems and beads. The famous murties are – Sarva is the lord of earth, water, fire, air, ether, regions, the sun and the moon. The wise men believe that Sarva in the form of earth sustains the universe of mobile and immobile beings. Presiding deity is Sarva and so the image-murti is Sarvi.

Murti of Bhava is the great soul in the shape of water that sustains the universe. It is Bhavi because it is image of the great lord Bhava. Rudra, the most awesome and terrible image of Shiva is present in the entire universe. It is an image of fire also and it exists inside and outside of all created beings. It is Rudra murti called Raudri. Ugra murti of lord in the shape of wind is the life breath and the image of Vayudeva and therefore, the saints call it Augri.

Bhaimi’s murti is ether that gives space to all and is omnipresent and all encompassing. Image – murti of Pasupati is the lord, the deity of all souls – atmas and that tears apart the bonds of pasus. Murti of Maheshwara is Ishana also called sun, the most illuminating that keeps moving in the entire firmament and illuminates the entire world.

In the same way, moon is the image of Shiva. It gives joy and nurtures the three worlds and its created beings. Soul is the image of lord Shiva, it exists in all other images-murtis, and therefore, Shiva blesses the universe who is present everywhere, and so takes care of the entire universe. Therefore, prayer and worship to propitiate Shiva gives refuge, protection, and blessing and so facilitates living of all beings.

Upamanyu tells Krishna that the eight muritis of lord Shiva preside over the entire universe as the reflection of lord Rudra, the cause of everything. A man should know that if the created beings whether mortals or immortals are happy, and live a life of deep devotion, it makes the great lord happy and that is the essence of Shiva’s blessings, he wishes to convey.

Thereafter, he continued to talk of five murties, the cause of prosperity – sreyas gunas. In truth, lord Shiva lives in the entire world in different images and controls everything that constitutes the internal and external areas of life and existence of created beings whether human beings or celestial beings or gods. Shiva is the soul and this soul makes everything move, speak or control, he told again. If a created being worships lord Shiva, the all-pervasive that gives time and space to each one, it not only protects but also blesses all, he explained. One infers that Pasupati is the lord of souls, in purest form bereft of dirt and filth maya creates.

Monk Upamanyu in different ways spoke about the devotion to Shiva and told Krishna that he had known the real images of Shiva and Parvati and therefore, the mystery shrouds and persists, he told again. However, a genuine devotee understands that the lord is the soul and life-breath of all creations. He told him everything about Shiva and Parvati because he was a true and genuine devotee of Shiva. He also explained in detail to Krishna the reality and truth of Shiva.

“Created beings – jivas or pasus or even monks and sages, many a time fail to understand the real visage and form in formlessness, potential and divine image of the great lord because they describe the lord in different ways to arrive at a conclusion. Doubts assail and the monks and wise brahmins think over and reflect about the ultimate reason of existence. Questions about birth, living, final destination, the absolute ruler and the lord, universe and its mysterious system and the methodology of management arise. Again, the function and character of time, nature, providence come under scrutiny and so appears the mystery the intellect ought to resolve through the power of rationale, inquiry and analysis.”

“Created beings – the jivas if seek shelter at the feet of the lord of gods, omnipotent and omniscient, they get deliverance from the bondages of earthly life. Knowledge of the lord is not easy to gain. Many call it worldly existence and still do not agree. A man lives in contradictions of good and bad, this and that and fails to arrive at a definite conclusion about the lord’s qualities, form and potential. He is everything and yet he is nothing. True nature and form, images and murties raise genuine doubts and so a man or a devotee fails to understand the lord due to differing ideas, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and therefore, the supreme remains beyond knowledge, wisdom, comprehension and strength, and yet at times, he appears so easy to understand. Still, others, who bow in faith and absolute devotion, understand the great lord, the cause of creation without any difficulty.” He continued to dwell upon life of man, existence and knowledge of lord.   

“If a person realises the primordial lord and knows that none is above to regulate him and he is the only ruler of the worlds and the great controller, he is free from sufferings or else he undergoes challenges. When a seer or a sage or a wise soul understands and visualises the lord, the creator of the world in all its luminosity, the primeval Purusa, the origin of Brahma, he is near the goal. He discards and shakes off worldly punyas, the charitable acts or goodness and sins or wickedness, and becomes pure and clean and then, he attains unity with the great soul, the lord.

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