On this auspicious day, Paramashiva appeared as Jyotirlinga, Lingodbhava in Arunachala. The place where this happened is Arunachala. And today is the day Paramashiva gives Parashakti, the internal space in himself, becomes Ardhanarishvara. Beautiful, wonderful happenings happened on this day. Listen to the story. The story has too much significance. Listen. Brahma is the creator. Not creation principle. Creator created, manifested from the creation principle of Paramashiva. Sadashiva’s five heads: from one head the creation principle manifests as Brahma. And from Brahma creation happens. Same way Vishnu manifest. From Vishnu: sustenance, and maintenance happens.

The creation and sustenance deludes themselves that they both are ultimate. The next level delusion starts, between them who is great.

Unfortunately, these creation and maintenance is such … attention drawing colourful action. Listen. Attention drawing colourful action, they delude themself they are the, they both are the ultimate. Understand. The creation and sustenance deludes themselves that they both are ultimate. The next level delusion starts, between them who is great. The layers of delusion. The knowledge and wealth: knowledge is required for creation and wealth is required for maintenance. They both start feeling both are ultimate. The funny thing is the second level delusion is, they both start fighting between each other who is more ultimate who is more powerful. Naturally Paramashiva has to intervene to make them understand, … liberate them from the delusion. Neither creation nor sustenance is ultimate. Ultimate is liberation. He liberates both of them from the delusions. He pulls both of them out of delusion and liberates them.

The moment Paramashiva appears as Jyotirlinga, … He tells Brahma and Vishnu, whoever finds his head or feet … will be the winner, will be declared as supreme. Brahma immediately become swan and flies towards the head. This a very significant story. Brahma takes the form of swan. Swan always lives in lotus. He should have gone to find the lotus feet. And Vishnu takes the form of varaha, pig and that always lives in the forest. He should have gone to find the jata which is forest. But delusion diverts them absolutely even in their choice. They are so deluded, the swan goes to the forest and pig goes to the lotus. Feet is lotus feet. Head is jata – aranya (अरण्य, araṇya), forest. Anyhow both of them could not find. Vishnu goes for yugas digging Patala, Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Patala. Even then reached only calf muscle. To mark the place where he reached, he puts his neck bell. That is why in all Shiva deity, you will see calf muscle there will be one bell. In the right leg calf muscle, the bell was put by Vishnu. That is the level he travelled till his whole lifetime.

Brahma takes the form of swan and flies, flies, flies, flies almost his age is over. Then he finds that he could not find. He sees a flower falling. He asked, “From where are you falling?” The flower says, “I am falling from the ears of Paramashiva.” “Oh God! From ears you are coming down then I am not even reach the ears. What about reaching the head?” And Brahma asked, “How long you are coming down?” “Oh, I am falling for four Brahmas age.” Four Brahmas age. Chatur Brahma ayush paryantam. “Four Brahmas age I am falling.” Then Brahma decides, “Okay. What can I do?” But then always this knowledge has its own ego. It cannot accept defeat. And … Brahma asked that flower, “Can you … just support me that I brought you from the head of Paramashiva, and I’ll give you lot of boons.” The flower got little tempted. Eh, all false witnesses understand. And then okay, Brahma goes and tell lies to Paramashiva that, “I saw Your head and this is the witness.” And of course Paramashiva knows and then He … the moment He stares at Brahma and that flower, both shiver and wither away. All Brahma’s feathers fall. And … the false witness said, “No, no, no, no, no, he did not pick me up. I was falling and he caught me and brought me.”

Brahma gets the curse he will never be worshipped anymore on planet earth in the individual temple and that flower gets cursed, will never be used for Shiva Puja – Thazhampoo (Thalampoo). Then Brahma does tapas. After the tapas, ask for forgivens, ask for, asked to be apologized and begs Paramashiva. Paramashiva always that eternal compassion. He says, “Alright, you will have a place in all My temples in north facing, where the … Abhishek Tirtha – the bathing, sacred bathing water of Paramashiva comes in that gomukham he will be there in that water, he can create the Universe. That is the water – Mantra Tirtha, he uses for creation. And he is given a permanent place and the Thazhampoo (Thalampoo) was given a shapa vimochana, that once a year on Shivaratri Day … for puja, Thazhampoo (Thalampoo) will be accepted. Only that, for that puja, Shiva Puja it will be used, not otherwise. No other time. Even now in Tiruvannamalai Temple, only on Shivaratri Day, the Lingodbhava will be worship with that Thazhampoo (Thalampoo). Otherwise it will never be used for Shiva Puja.

knowledge and wealth cannot show you the ultimate and it is not ultimate. Enlightenment alone is ultimate.

It has lot of significance you need to understand. The deeper layer and meaning … knowledge and wealth cannot show you the ultimate and it is not ultimate. Enlightenment alone is ultimate. Understand. I always tell people, sangha are your personal life. Is not built on … the knowledge we have or the money we have. No! Whether your personal life or sangha or everything – is not built on knowledge or money, please understand! It is built on absolute integrity, Paramashiva. Pure powerfulness, love, integrity, enlightenment. Listen deeply. Whenever … you get deluded, your ability to create and your ability to maintain is the success of your life. You are absolutely deluded, even a small shake, you will just collapse, tumble down. Understand! Your ability to create or ability to maintain is not your power. Your ability to stand all the shakes and any destruction attempt, that is your power.

Paramashiva, this is the auspicious day He shows how one becomes many through Bharani Deepam. And many becomes one again through Maha Deepam. Morning He becomes many, the great Big Bang and evening He becomes one. Understand, not Black Hole – Whole, w-h-o-l-e. Black Hole is not end. Black Hole is not climax of the Universe. Anugraha is the climax of the Universe. Creation, maintenance, destruction, delusion, liberation. Liberation is the climax of the Universe, not the destruction. Destruction is just a rejuvenation, change, understand. Through morning Bharani Deepam, He shows how He becomes many to celebrate Himself. By evening Maha Deepam, He shows how He becomes one again and radiates Oneness. When He is many lights, He is not separate separate – same fire. When He becomes one, it’s not that something gets added – the same fire. Quality does not change, only quantity changes. That is why the fire becomes many and fire becomes one. There is no meaning in fire becoming many and becoming one. It’s only the quantitative change, not qualitative change. Fire remains in Oneness when it is many or one.

Anugraha is the climax of the Universe. Creation, maintenance, destruction, delusion, liberation. Liberation is the climax of the Universe, not the destruction.

If you think, “I want to get up in the morning and do yoga and build my body, but my laziness you see, morning any alarm cannot wake me up.” If you think you have that laziness pattern which is restricting your possibility or that boredom,” I really want to learn French but you see I am tired and bored, I don’t know when I will open the book and when I want to learn. I really want to learn English but I cannot stand reading one statement and one sentence.” If you think all these patterns are torturing you, listen carefully, the good news is – ‘All your patterns are dead but the person who need to break the patterns’ Will, is alive!!’ Your patterns are not living part of You. They do not live means they do not exist. You are a living mechanism. They are not part of the living mechanism, which is You.

Also, Today is the day Devi became enlightened. In Arunachala the festival is celebrated in a very big way. Devi does her great penance of pancha tapas panchagni tapas to achieve enlightenment; to become one with Shiva. And evening when the sunsets and the moon rises Shiva appears as the light, pure consciousness and gives the half to Devi and Devi realizes her masculine part and she becomes Ardhanareeshwara; means part of Shiva. So if you are in the male body, if you realize your feminine part, you are enlightened. If you are in the female body if you realize your masculine part, you are enlightened. If you realize the other part, you are liberated; enlightened. You experience the same thing what Devi has experienced.

This ten days of Brahmotsavam, each day Shiva liberates. Shiva gives enlightenment to one, one person. The whole ten day festival is all about giving enlightenment to different people. The first day; Adigaranandi Nandi receives enlightenment. The next day Indra and Devathas they receive enlightenment. That is why in the first day festival Shiva will come on the Nandi vahana; Adigara nandi, the second day on Indra vimana. When Indra gets liberated he puts his vimana, flight, as a offering to Mahadeva. So he comes around second day in procession of Indra vimana. Third day Patanjali naga vahana, Patanjali gets enlightened; so Shiva comes in naga vahana.This ten days of Brahmotsavam, each day Shiva liberates. Shiva gives enlightenment to one, one person. The whole ten day festival is all about giving enlightenment to different people. The first day; Adigaranandi Nandi receives enlightenment. The next day Indra and Devathas they receive enlightenment. That is why in the first day festival Shiva will come on the Nandi vahana; Adigara nandi, the second day on Indra vimana. When Indra gets liberated he puts his vimana, flight, as a offering to Mahadeva. So he comes around second day in procession of Indra vimana. Third day Patanjali naga vahana, Patanjali gets enlightened; so Shiva comes in naga vahana.

The whole ten day festival is all about giving enlightenment to different people. Each day Shiva gives enlightenment to one, one person.

Fourth day Kamadhenu and Kalpavriksha, both of them get enlightened. Vashishta offers both of them. Vashishta, saptha rishis get enlightened. So after their enlightenment Vashishta offers Kamadhenu and Kalpataru to Shiva. So fourth day he comes on Kamadhenu and Kalpatharu. Fifth day all the Shivacharyas, the people who touch his body and worship, Thirumeni, whoever touches the deity they are all liberated. He comes in the Rishabha on the Nandi and liberates all the Shivacharyas. Sixth day he goes around in the chariot, silver chariot and the top two lokas; the Gandharva and Yaksha loka. Gandharva loka and Yaksha loka are described as a silver colored lokas; moon based. Deva loka and Vaikunta are described as sun based, solar; golden color. All the moon based lokas he goes around in silver chariot and liberates them.

Seventh day he comes in a wooden chariot and liberates the whole Bhoo loka, wood belongs to Bhoo loka; the human consciousness. He comes in the wooden chariot, whoever has his darshan he liberates all of them and eighth day he comes as a Bhikshadana and liberates all the rishis, ninth day for rakshasas. He liberates Ravana. The ninth day Shiva will come in the vahana of Ravana; Kailasha vahana. Ravana will be lifting the Kailasha; that is the vahana he will come. He liberates all the demons; even the demons are given enlightenment, liberation, through Shiva bhakti.

It is not solution. If you think you know the solution, you can’t do it, it is not a solution”. Understand. Same way as long as you perceive a problem, it is a problem inside. Everything you think stops you, whether your physiology, mind, life…I have seen people come in and telling me, “I always wanted to be loving but the moment I see that fellow I just burst, mess up the whole thing, and only then I even remember I wanted to be very loving”. “I really want to wake up and do yoga and build the body but the….only after morning 10 o’clock I even understand the world exist”. “I really do not want to drink but I don’t know what happens, the moment it is weekend, Friday evening. I already discover myself – I am in the Bar and I don’t what happens from workplace to the Bar, how I reach I don’t know? I suddenly wake up with bottle and cigarette. Only then I am realising, I am alive”. Whatever may be the pattern, please understand, they are dead. They do not have life. They get life only when your Will supports it.

The tenth day is the day Devi becomes part of Shiva; Ardhanareeshwara. Today is the day he liberates the whole cosmos. Devi is representative of the whole cosmos; universe. He blesses the whole universe. It’s a very powerful truth. Whatever has expanded from him he just takes them all back and gives them the feeling you are my part; reuniting, reunion. So all the lamps which has become different, this is the prakruti Devi, by evening all of them come back and become one with the purusha. That is what the Devi becoming Ardhanareeshwara; the prakruthi becoming purusha is the celebration.