Unveiling Lord Shiva: The Cosmic Guru, His Shakti & The Dance of 36 Tattvas
Lord Shiva, the Cosmic Guru and Supreme Consciousness, is far more than an image in stone or a legend in ancient texts. He is the pulse of existence itself, pervading the entire universe through His Shakti, orchestrating the cosmic drama with tender grace and profound wisdom.
"True love is not an emotion; it is the pulse of the universe flowing through the heart of Shiva." ~ Adarsh Singh
Shiva and His Shakti ~ The Divine Union
At the heart of all creation lies the inseparable unity of Shiva and Shakti. Shakti is Shiva’s conscious energy, His very breath and body, the dynamic force through which the stillness of Shiva becomes the dance of life.
Just as fire and its heat cannot be separated, so too Shiva and Shakti are eternally one. It is through Shakti that Lord Shiva pervades the cosmos, manifesting in every vibration and every heartbeat.
Consider the humble potter’s craft:
The potter is the first cause, conceiving the pot.
The wheel and stick are instrumental causes, shaping it.
The clay is the material cause, forming the pot itself.
Similarly:
Lord Shiva is the first cause of the universe.
His Shakti is the instrumental cause, shaping all existence.
Maya is the material cause, out of which the universe is woven.
"Everything you see is a dance of Shiva and Shakti, stillness and movement, silence and sound, forever entwined." ~ Adarsh Singh
The Cosmic Guru and Compassionate Savior
Beyond being the architect of the cosmos, Lord Shiva is also the God of Love. His grace knows no bounds. Out of His immeasurable compassion, He becomes the Guru, guiding lost souls out of the dense forests of ignorance into the luminous fields of liberation.
Shiva watches every soul with the eyes of infinite love, ensuring each finds its way to the blissful union known as Shiva-Pada. He draws close, often unnoticed, gently steering us through the labyrinth of life.
"Grace is Shiva’s silent way of pulling your soul closer, even when you are unaware of His touch." ~ Adarsh Singh
The Dance of 36 Tattvas ~ The Heart of Shaiva Siddhanta
In Shaiva Siddhanta, one of the profound Shaiva philosophies, existence is beautifully explained through 36 Tattvas (principles of reality). These represent the unfolding of consciousness from the most subtle to the gross, mapping the soul’s journey from bondage to liberation.
🌺 1. The 24 Atma Tattvas
These form the individual plane:
5 Elements: Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth
5 Tanmatras: Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell
5 Sense Organs: Ear, Skin, Eye, Tongue, Nose
5 Motor Organs: Speech, Hand, Foot, Anus, Generative Organ
The internal Organ (Mind), Ahankara (Ego), Buddhi (Intellect), and Gunas (Qualities)
🌿 2. The 7 Vidya Tattvas
These shape the soul’s experiences:
Purusha (individual soul)
Raga (attachment or love)
Vidya (knowledge)
Kala (art, limited power)
Niyati (order, law)
Kaala (time)
Ashuddha Maya (Impure Maya)
🔱 3. The 5 Shiva Tattvas
These represent the purest levels of divine consciousness:
Shuddha Vidya (pure knowledge)
Ishvara (the ruling consciousness)
Sadashiva (experiencing divine)
Shakti (dynamic power)
Shiva (pure undifferentiated consciousness)
"The journey through the 36 tattvas is nothing but Consciousness gradually remembering its own boundless nature." ~ Adarsh Singh
The Play of Maya and The Emergence of Experience
It is Maya, the divine Shakti of Shiva, that begins the process of manifestation. From the subtlest to the most gross, creation unfolds. The individual soul, through the field of Vidya, experiences both pleasure and pain.
At the deepest core lies the Shiva Tattva, The Undivided, Stainless Consciousness (Nishkala Suddha) that underpins all existence.
As creation progresses:
Shiva becomes the Experiencer, known as Sadashiva (Sadakhya), yet remains inseparable from pure Shiva.
As the divine play intensifies, He becomes the Ruler (Ishvara).
Through Shuddha Vidya, true knowledge arises, dispelling illusion and revealing the soul’s divine essence.
"Liberation is not somewhere else; it is clear seeing that you have always been Shiva, playing with your own shadow." ~ Adarsh Singh
The Five Divine Acts ~ Pancha-Krityas of Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva’s cosmic drama is carried out through five fundamental acts (Pancha-Krityas):
1. Srishti (Creation)
2. Sthiti (Preservation)
3. Samhara (Destruction or dissolution)
4. Tirobhava (Veiling, concealing the truth)
5. Anugraha (Grace, revealing the truth)
These are sometimes personified as the activities of:
Brahma (creation),
Vishnu (preservation),
Rudra (destruction/regeneration),
Maheshvara (concealment),
Sadashiva (grace).
Yet ultimately, these are all simply different faces of Shiva, lovingly managing the universe so that every soul may find its way home.
"The cosmos is but Shiva’s breath, inhaling as creation, holding as life, exhaling as dissolution, hiding in mystery, and finally whispering grace into every heart." ~ Adarsh Singh
The Bliss of Unveiling Shiva
In unveiling Lord Shiva, the Cosmic Guru, His Shakti, and the intricate dance of the 36 Tattvas, we begin to see not just a deity, but the very truth of our own existence. Shiva is both the distant infinite and the closest pulse in our chest.
"When you truly surrender, you discover that you were never separate, you were Shiva all along, dreaming the dream of a seeker." ~ Adarsh Singh
Thu Jul 10, 2025
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