The gazing upon the speck of light reflected in Ishtalinga is the essence of drashtiyoga or lingayoga. With half-closed eyes, the devotee fixes his attention upon the light reflected in the Linga, the blue-black coating of which serves to widen and deepen concentration. The concentrated gaze generates psychic heart or tapas, which stirs into activity the dormant pineal gland. This gland, which is the organ of light, produces tejas or psychic light. This in turn, leads to the release of ojas or the thought-force which is at once the power of vision and excitation. Shivayoga therefore lands one into a region of effective will and intuitive knowledge, where to will is to create and to think is to see.
Yoga has different meanings in different contexts. It means meditation, union, discipline etc., but it also means Upasana or worship. Upasana is an effort to realize the presence of God, and it consists of all those observances and practices, either physical or mental by which Upasaka makes a regular and steady advance in the realm of spirituality. Upasana, in the true sense, is a sort of Bhavana or feeling. Thought is deeper than speech, feeling is deeper than thought. Our feelings move our nature and our nature may call back a semblance of those feelings; but the whole difference between nobleness and baseness lies in the question, whether the feeling begins from below or from above. In religion, feeling begins from above, for religious faith springs up from deep feeling. Worship is only an articulate form of feeling, and man should worship as though God were present. If his mind is not engaged in worshipping, it is as though he did no worshipping. The mode of worship must correspond to the issuance of God. It is symbolical and the feeling of the worshipper must correspond to the character of God which is spiritual. The mode of worship as adumbrated by yoga fulfils the above two conditions.
In myths, metaphysics and religious systems one speaks of the absolute. But it would be a mistake if we took the mythical, religious and metaphysical ideas literally and not symbolically. In the limiting situations we experience these ideas as symbols, which we enliven by our relation with the Absolute. This symbolical experience defies analysis and it is indescribable. But it is something that imparts depth and significance to our life in the world. When religious ideas and metaphysical concepts are realized as symbols, the world of our experience becomes artistic. Philosophy is not so much a matter of logical arguments as an attempt at deepening our consciousness. At a superficial level, we are aware of the world of objects, at a deeper level we become conscious of the self which is the condition of the world of objects; at a still deeper level we realize the Absolute. This conditions even the existence of the self. This is the real spiritual realization offered by Shivayoga.
The formless and nameless Reality is given a name and a form in the religious systems. The ultimate Reality is Shiva for both the Shaiva and Veerashaiva, and Shiva has two forms - the human and typal. If the bias of the Shaiva is more towards the human form, that of the Veerashaiva is more towards Linga or the typal form. This is the difference between the Shaiva and Veerashaiva practices. The Shaiva worships Shiva in human form as well as in the Linga form and Linga is installed in the temples. The Veerashaiva worships Shiva only in the Linga form and he carries that Linga, the emblem of Shiva always on his body. Veerashaivism substitutes individual worship in place of congregational worship, thus doing away with the need of the middleman and preserving the purity of worship.
The representation of Shiva in human form as conceived by the Shaiva is rich in symbolism. We find him represented either with one face or with five faces; the five faces symbolize the five root races or they signify the five elements. Whenever the five faces are represented, there are the corresponding ten hands. In each hand except the two is a destructive weapon like trident, sword or axe etc. The fifth hand is the boon-giving hand and in the remaining hand is Ghanta which represents the spiritual sound that the disciple has to hear during his progress. The instruments of destruction have an occult meaning which Madame Blavatsky unravels in her Secret Doctrine. "From the yogic standpoint, all of them symbolize the different trials which a neophyte has to undergo. For instance, Pasa, the noose is like a cross on which all the human passions have to be crucified before the yogin passes through 'the strait gate', the narrow circle that widens into an infinite one, as soon as the inner man has passed the threshold." Shiva is styled Mahadeva because he is chiefly an ascetic and the patron of all yogis and adepts.
The typal form of Shiva or Linga which the Veerashaiva prefers to worship and wear is symbolic of Pranava or 'Om'. The universe which is set forth by the spandana or vibration of the primal Energy, has a sound symbol and that is Om. Om, therefore, is the most universal and all inclusive sound utterable by man, and the only fit name for the whole universe, visible and invisible. The whole universe and earth, according to the Indian theology, are of an oval form symbolized by an egg. To gain the nearest approach to the concept of an infinite universe, the conditioned symbol of a spherical or an oval form is the best; for if such a form be expanded mentally in all directions, no mathematical point will be excluded from its sweep. This is why the physical form of Linga which the Veerashaiva wears is oval in shape. It is already said that the universe is an emanation of the vibration set forth by the primal Energy. The universe starts with the minimum rate of vibration and ends with the maximum rate. Between the beginning and the end, the universe is maintained by four rhythmic vibrations. According to Herbert Spencer, there are quadruple rhythms in the universe. These quadruple rhythms are represented by A.U. and M., the combination of which forms Om.
Closely connected with the cosmological explanation is the psychological one which relates to man. As there are four rhythmic vibrations in the cosmos, so there are four states of consciousness in man. The primary test of existence is in the human consciousness. In the first three states of consciousness, Jaggrat, Svapna and Sushupti or the waking, dreaming and deep sleep which are represented respectively by A.U.M. - existence is intuited in relation to something that is, a posterior or external and hence it is called relative existence. But the consciousness of existence in the turiya or the fourth state of existence is absolute and unconditioned by space, time and causation. In that state consciousness is existence; the absolute existence and the absolute consciousness are identical, man and the cosmos become one and the same. Such a state is represented by cipher or shunya and the attainment of this state is known as Shunya Sampadane. The avowed aim of upasana or worship of Linga is to attain to this absolute state.
The process of Upasana is simple. The first requisite is that the worshipper is required to remember that the Ishtalinga which he wears is the representative of the Inner Light which is known as Jyotirlinga or Pranalinga. The Shruti says: "There is the lotus of heart, small and taintless, the abode of the Highest Principle in the centre of the body; in that small heart lotus there is the Highest Principle, minute, formless like akasha and griefless. That inner resident of the lotus should be worshipped." The process involves the worshipping of the Linga with water, flowers, bhasma (or holy ashes), waving of light, incense, bilva leaves, sandal paste, rice grains, and sugar candy. After this process is over, the worshipper begins to gaze over Linga placed on the left palm of his hand, uttering inaudibly the mantra in his mind. The mantra may be panchakshari or shadakshari, namashivaya or omnamah shivaya. The gazing upon the speck of light reflected in Ishtalinga is the essence of drashtiyoga or lingayoga. With half-closed eyes, the devotee fixes his attention upon the light reflected in the Linga, the blue-black coating of which serves to widen and deepen concentration. The concentrated gaze generates psychic heart or tapas, which stirs into activity the dormant pineal gland. This gland, which is the organ of light, produces tejas or psychic light. This in turn, leads to the release of ojas or the thought-force which is at once the power of vision and excitation. Shivayoga therefore lands one into a region of effective will and intuitive knowledge, where to will is to create and to think is to see.
This is the secret and significance of Shivayoga.
This article 'The Yogic Aspect of Veerashaivism' is taken from H.H.Mahatapsvi Shri Kumarswamiji's book, 'Prophets of Veerashaivism'.
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