DHYAN FOUNDATION

Nature has its way of providing for balance in this Creation. For every aspect there exists an equal and opposite. Darkness is nothing but absence of Light. Similarly, Silence is nothing but the absence of Sound. It is only the duality in nature, the co-existence of positive and negative that gives meaning to the existence of the whole. What if at any given time, there exists the entire positive and negative? Then the two will balance each other out completely resulting in a shunya, and yet it is poorna or complete. In other words, there would be everything yet nothing. The only form that could fit such a description is the formless – Nirakaar, Para Brahma. This is the swaroop of Shiv.  In the words of Shankaracharya, 'Na Punyam Na Paapam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham.' What then is the dancing male form, or the half-man-half-woman, or a sadhu clad in loin cloth with body smeared in bhasma? Are Natraj, Ardhnareshwar and Ne...

We all know the importance of "balance" in Creation. Everything in the universe is in its place because of balance. Similarly, all the forces of nature, higher or lower, have to be in balance all the time for the sustenance of Creation. The smaller forces are nothing but a microscopic representation of the higher forces of universe. The Ardhanareshwar form of Lord Shiva represents the union of Mata Parvati and Lord Shiva, the union of purush and prakriti. Both are two different aspects of nature but come together to create a perfect harmonious balance. The Ardhanareshwar form represents the union of complementary forces in nature to create a complete whole. They are one, existing without duality. That is the concept of marriage in Vedic philosophy. Marriage between a man and a woman symbolically represents the Ardhanareshwar, a union between two people. When two people come together in marriage, they become an inseparable part of each other for an entire life. There i...