Lord Shiva and Shivatwa

Shiva = Shakti

It is  Maha Shivratri nonth, the most auspicious festival of Lord Shiva. It is the day where all the shiva followers practice penances for the perfection of their sadhana.

The main element  of Maha Shivaratri is Lord Shiva himself and the attainment of "Shivatwa". Shivatwa means "Ishwaratva". To establish Shivatwa inside means to establish and nurture the divinity inside. That divinity is the source of the whole universe and human existence. When nothing in this universe remained only divinity remained and through that divinity all things sprung and to that divinity everything shall rest upon.

Before going into "Shivatva" we should dwell upon who Shiva is and who Shiva isn't? From Aghor tradition and perspective "everything is Shiva". There is nothing that isn't Shiva because Shiva of the Aghora doesn't just mean lord Rudra only but the "tatwa" that is the element. In modern terms, there is the concept of Higgs Boson which is also known as the god particles. It is something that permeates the whole universe and it gives mass to all matter. Shiva in exact word is like Higgs Boson which permeates the whole universe and which is the building blocks of everything even the atom.


Both Vedanti and Aghoras confluence on a certain point. Both believe that the supreme reality i.e Brahman for Vedanti and Shiva for Aghori's is the element that permeates everything in this universe. For both who do not go with the form but the "tatwa" inside it treats everything as tatwa. When everything is tatwa then there is no difference between a man and woman, black and white people, foe and friends etc. To give up every dogma of the self and then realizing the self through penance and Gyana is the ultimate aim of any sadhana.

Lord Shiva is Ishwara therefore Shiva tatwa is Ishwara tatwa. The Vedas and the upanishad and agama nigama says that "soul is Brahman", "Jiva is Shiva". Therefore, there is no distinction between Ishwara and the self. The self is ones own existent and not the perception of the self, identified with the body, sense, mind etc. The soul is the Ishwara inside us, to realize that the self is Shiva is the ultimate aim of Shivatva.

To seek self realization and to attain self realization and to be the supreme observer of every phenomena is to be Shiva. To be the center of the centrifugal force is to be Shiva. The centrifugal force may have dynamism and the center may lack luster but the centrifugal force always remains rotated around the center. The center causes the centrifugal force. The center is the Shiva and the centrifugal force is the Shakti.

Therefore, sadhaks who realizes that the body, mind, senses, blood, bones, feelings etc are like the centrifugal force that rotates around the center known as self or soul becomes Shiva. This realization doesn't come with reading books but through self practice, discipline and grace austerity.

It was my great fortune to have been initiated into Shivatva by His Holiness Kaulantak Peethadeswar Mahayogi Satyendra Nath Ishputra. It is a great journey to the center of ones own existent and it is a journey of thousand miles that ends in a dot. The size of that dot is the 1/1000 part of the tip of a human hair.