Conclusion
Samāpanam
समापनम्
HE END OF THIS BOOK, MERGING WITH ŚIVA, IS THE BEGINNING, AS THE BEGINNING WAS THE END. THE CONUNDRUMS OF CYCLES CONTINUE UNTIL VIŚVAGRASA, FULL MERGER OF THE SOUL IN GOD, HAPPENS. VIŚVAGRASA IS NOT AN EXPERIENCE; IT IS A permanent happening, as are birth and death, but even more permanent than both, for there is no singular experience that occurs after viśvagrāsa except, of course, constant unrelenting creation, preservation and dissolution, all occurring simultaneously. Merging with Śiva is the inevitable destination and conclusion of the evolution of all souls. As all water returns back to the ocean, all captured air when released finally returns to the sky, as all organic matter returns to earth, and as all fire merges into fire, all ākāśa, both inner space and outer space, merge together and become the grand relative reality, stemming from the Absolute Reality–so will it be for you, as the physical body is needed no more, as the astral body is needed no more, as the prāṇic body holding both together is needed no more, as the mental body is needed no more, and lastly as the ever-watching, all-knowing, self-contained soul body is needed no more. Where else to go but into the all of the All, the Self, Śiva? For you, then, merging with Śiva has become a conclusive reality. ¶Even at the beginning stages, merging with the Divine within oneself requires a great deal of resolve and commitment. This is called saṅkalpa, the preparation for the final merger with Śiva, which takes lifetimes. First, we must dance with Śiva, meaning accept consciously, subconsciously, subsubconsciously and subsuperconsciously the Advaita Īśvaravāda philosophy, or outlook on life, and live by its tenets. This is the charyā pāda, not to be ignored. To do otherwise would be merely following a path of words, not the experiential path of living according to the wisdom of this profound Śaiva Siddhānta perspective. Then, before we can really, fully experience merger, which is well explained in this book, it is absolutely necessary that living with Śiva be perfected in every department of life, physically, emotionally, intellectually and culturally. This is the kriyā pāda, also not to be ignored. This means molding one’s life according to the culture of Hindu Dharma so that the physical, emotional and mental bodies are all in perfect synchronicity with the great, Divine, master plan, the ultimate computer program of Śiva’s perfect universe. §
So, now we are aware of the path toward viśvagrāsa, final, irrevocable merger of the soul with Śiva, the Lord of Lords, God of Gods, above all, in all, below all, on all sides of all and within all–and all of the many prior levels of merging with the Divine. §
The first two books of the trilogy, Dancing with Śiva and Living with Śiva, are the preparation that make merging with Śiva, even in the beginning stages, a reality in one’s life. It is a progressive path. The first book is the foundation and the ground floor, the second is the upper stories, the third forms the penthouse at the top. To get to the penthouse takes time and effort, and so a secure foundation of sādhana is the necessary prerequisite. First dance, learn and become transfixed with the philosophy, then live the culture and obey its protocols, then all will become clear from the inside out. If you do, your life will be a model for all to follow. There is no doubt about it. Without such preparation, this book is, to the seeker, merely another path of metaphysical words–words that are inspiring, to be sure, but may easily be forgotten when other metaphysical instruction comes along. §
The trilogy of Dancing, Living, Merging with Śiva–which took many, many lives to experience before recording in this life–is my heritage and my legacy. They are now your inheritance, dear seeker, a most precious inheritance. Read them well. Read them often. Read them all. Live them fully. Live them fully. Experience the truths herein for yourself, step by step, and be transformed, never to be the same again.§
Self Realization
Man came from God, evolves in God and ultimately merges into God. Thus, whether you fully know it or not, you are the story of God. Your life is the story of evolution. Now, in this book, that story becomes more conscious and purposeful than ever before.§
Inwardly, people intuit that they are special, as indeed they are. They know, perhaps not consciously, but still they know deep down, that there is a profound meaning to life, a profound purpose for being here. The rare few find this purpose consciously and begin to pursue life as a great spiritual adventure. You may be one of these fortunate souls, these old souls, for whom the yogas here are familiar, for whom the inner light and sounds are like old friends, for whom the world’s material opportunities are like the sand that could never quell the hunger of the famished villager. You may well be such an old soul, on a journey within. If so, this book will perhaps change your life forever. Certainly the spiritual experiences narrated in it changed mine!§
There is nothing more wonderful than knowledge about oneself that improves self-image. Everyone almost everywhere has this foremost on his agenda. But, still, there are those who are content to remain forever as they have been schooled to be. This division between those who are on the spiritual path of enlightenment and those who are not has existed for as long as I remember, and have been told much longer. §
How do we know when someone is “on the path” or not? Well, there are signposts, and the biggest and most obvious is this one: people on the spiritual path will not argue. They will accept, meditate and draw their own conclusions. It now is obvious that those not on the path, when faced with challenging concepts, which can only be proven by personal realization and transformation, will endeavor to argue them out of their existence. These are those who resist selfless service of any kind of a spontaneous nature, always harboring an excuse of why they cannot and how they can’t.§
Realization is a signpost of finality. The question is often asked, “How do we know we have realized something?” The answer is easy: you just know, for realization is deeper than belief. Beliefs can be changed more easily than not. Realization is much deeper than faith. That can be taken away, too. But personal realization, especially of the spiritual kind, becomes stronger as the years pass by and is the foundation for personal transformation. It is some of these spiritual realizations that Merging with Śiva has just explained in utmost detail. §
This Self of which we speak is subtle and elusive. To the ordinary man it is a fiction. To him, sex, money, food and clothes are more real. To him, the ego is a reality that cannot be transcended. To him, the ineffable Absolute Truth in all men, which is the Source of all things, is a fiction, a silliness, no more or perhaps even less real than an animated story by Disney or a special-effects film by Spielberg. §
But to those who know this Truth, It is the All in all. It is the essence of life and love. The heart itself, with its every beat, sleeping and waking, touches instantaneously into this Self and thus continues its life-giving work. Thought and feeling could not be if the Self were not. Nor the senses, nor the stars, nor time and space. It is there, underlying all, sustaining all, giving existence to all, silently and without notice.§
In fact, this Self is so subtle as to be hidden from all but the most awakened. How can it remain so unknown? Simplicity is the answer. The Self is so simple, so uncomplicated, that the ramified external mind overlooks it. From birth to death and back to birth, we live in the ocean of Being and see only the fishes of objective perception. We neglect to notice that these swim in the ocean of Being. When man comes to a point, as he must, when the things of this world possess less attraction for him than the path toward merging with Śiva, then only will he begin to detach himself enough to see the obvious, the Ocean of Śivaness that lies on every side, inside, outside, above and below. Then only will the merging we speak of here become meaningful to him. Then only will he be able to simplify his life and his thinking, his very perceptions, his hour-to-hour way of looking at things, enough to quiet the mind, for this Self can only be known in a quieted consciousness. Not even a thought can remain. Not a feeling. Not a hope or a question. One must be very pure for this realization to come, very pure indeed. The Self reveals itself, by the satguru’s unique grace, to a mind that has, in a mystical but very pragmatic manner, eliminated itself. “You must die before you die,” my satguru, Siva Yogaswami, said. That is all that needs to be said. §
Merging with Śiva–what is done by the soul is what is done: being and becoming. The soul establishes its identity and strengthens each chakra, from the soles of the feet to the top of the head and the seven above, through the stages of its evolution, referred to as three avasthās. All souls are in the process of evolution toward merging with Śiva, and that is the conclusive conclusion of this book. §