WORSHIPING LORD SHIVA FOR GETTING THE LUXURY OF INDRA

We work hard for earning money and luxury. We want to feel powerful. We want to have everything what Indra has. Many people in the past did severe penance to win Indrasan, the throne of Indra. There is a constant fight between Devas and Asuras for the Amravati where Indra resides. His abode`s name is Amravati, because Amrut, the elixir of immortality, is found there. This is Indra`s paradise. Everybody wants to have that paradise where every kind of luxury is available what we can imagine, wish or think of.

Kalpvruksha, a tree who fulfills everything what we can imagine, Kaamdhenu cow which can fulfill everything what we can wish, Chintamani stone which can fulfill everything want we can think of. These all are found in the Indra`s abode. No need to slog for anything, just wish and that will appear. It is amazing ! Isn`t it ?

Gandharva, the unraveled musician and Apsaras, the most beautiful and gracious dancers are available there. Sura, the exotic wine is available to drink. Amrut, the elixir of immortality, is available for the resident of Amravati which makes the consumer ever young.

Indra is the king of Devas ruling the sky. He has Vajra in his hand as a powerful weapon by which strike no one can escape. Once he had used his Vajra to stop lord Hanuman from engulfing the sun. The Vajra smacked in the face of Hanuman, and Hanuman fell down unconscious on the earth. Due to the Vajra clout on his face, Hanuman`s mouth swelled and after that he was known as Vajrang Bali.

He has unparalleled palace, a white elephant named Airavata, a seven-headed flying horse named Uchchaihsravas. Goddesses Laxmi in the form of Sachi is the wife of Indra. What a great life he has ! Who do not want to have what Indra has to feel themselves comfortable and powerful !

However, despite all luxury, power and means of entertainment, Indra lives in a constant fear. He is very restless, envious and arrogant. From outside, his life looks very happy and successful, but from inside, he is highly afraid and stressed about losing all these things. It appears that he enjoys his life the most, because he has all means of enjoyment, but it is not so … his mind is so much clogged with a sense of insecurity of losing his power and luxury that he never enjoyed his present moment.

A fearful and restless mind can never achieve the state of peace and bliss. We have to drop our fear and still our mind only then happiness can flow in our existence.

Fear, arrogance, restlessness and jealousy comes by default with Indra`s paradise. Peace and Indra`s paradise cannot exist at the same time. For getting one, we have to renounce another.

Despite all these materialistic things and thoughts, we do not get the stillness and happiness in our existence, then we incline to Lord Shiva to get rid of our fear because he is Bhairav, one who removes fear or instill fear (contextual), and still our mind because he is Adiyogi.

There also we worship lord Shiva to have more and more accumulation and position to feel ourselves more powerful. We desire to be more powerful and prosperous Indra. Our mind has been programmed in such a way that it thinks that by getting more power and accumulating more wealth and luxury we will get rid of fear, and bliss will flow in our existence. But that never happens. That is contradictory. The more we accumulate and attach to it, the more fearful and restless we become by thinking of its security and continuation.

Lord Shiva`s way is different than Indra`s way. Both are opposite in direction. Worshiping lord Shiva for getting the luxury of Indra will never bring tranquility and happiness in our existence. What Indra holds, lord Shiva says to renounce those. Indra is highly driven by desire and ambitions. Kaamdeva, the god of desire, is the resident of Indra`s paradise, and there is no place of desire in Shiva`s abode, he burns Kaamdeva into ashes.

Where there is desire, there would be fear, slavery and restlessness. We have a choice – either kill the desire to be free and fearless like Lord Shiva or nourish desire and live in constant fear like Indra. But both cannot be achieved at that same time.

Pursuing the path of Indra and expecting the blessings of peace and happiness from Lord Shiva, practically, that is not going to happen.

However, one path is still left by which we can achieve both – the kingdom like Indra and blessings of tranquility and bliss from Lord Shiva at the same time. That is the path of King Janak who was a king of a great kingdom, but lived a simple and detached life like a great saint.

There is no problem of having more or less or not, but the problem is the attachment to any of the states. We should have everything, but attach to nothing. We renounce only those things what we are attached to, not what we have or not have. When we are not attached to anything, we will not much worried about losing or getting it. When we are not worried about losing or gaining something, we naturally enjoy the most what is available before us in the present, and consequently, the peace and happiness incessantly flow in our existence – that is the state of pure being.