Kapardee Ka - means water , pah - means flow of water . Dee - denotes - purity and cleanliness . Kapah - means flow of water . Here it denotes Ganga . Da - denotes purification or cleansing . Kapardi - One who was bathed with the pure clean flow of water of Gangā . Lord Shiva who is always pure by nature and doesn't need a bath to become pure . We should only take it for an abhisheka - bathing a divine form for the purpose of worship. The lord's purity is mentioned in Ramayana while describing the incident of Gangavatarana .

पपात जाह्नवी पुण्या पुण्ये रुद्रस्य मूर्धनि

papāta jānhavī puṇyā puṇyē rudrasya mūrdhani

The sacred river Jaanhavee Gangā ) fell in the sacred head of Rudra

(Shiva). This indicates that rudra is already sacred and pure and doesn't require anything to purify him or make him sacred .

The root word da - also has the meaning one who purifies . By that the meaning of kapardee is one who makes the river gangā sacred. Ganga which is already a pure river from heaven gained more sacredness and worship because it fell in his head and came to earth through his body. Said in Rāmāyana

भवाङ्गपतितं तोयं पवित्रं इति पस्प्रुशु : bhavāṅgapatitaṃ tōyaṃ

pavitraṃ iti paspruṡu : They touched it saying - this water has fell

down from lord Bhava's ( Shiva ) body so it is sacred . This means

lord Shiva is the giver of purity to the pure .

The root word da means give . So kapardee means one who gave

Gangā to king Bhageeratha and through him to the earth.

Kaparda means a kind of hair knot. Kapardee means one who has

that hair knot. Lord Shiva has long twisted locks of hair and only

in it he held Gangā . His locks of hair are called Kaparda .

This name is also praised in the vedas कपर्दिने च व्युप्तकेशायच - रुद्र प्रश्ने kapardinē ca vyuptakēṡāyaca - rudra praṡnē

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We have two eyes. But the Lord has 3 eyes. Our eyes are made of flesh. Sun, Moon & Fire are HIS eyes. His senses are Divine, special and do not have limitations like ours. With HIS eyes He can see the 3 periods of time - Past, Present & Future. 2 eyes of the Lord symbolise the names and forms of the Universe. Anyone who only believes what one sees is not using the Intellect which is a gift to the Humans. With the third eye the Lord helps us to see the Changeless Substratum that pervades the names & forms of the Universe. To see the Consciousness which alone pervades the world and names and forms are mere appearances, is to have the Divine Vision that Lord Shiva has. Eg. Pot, Cup, Pitcher & Saucer etc. are only appearances of Mud. The Pot is only a word or shape. Mud alone is the Reality. When we live in the world, we do many actions. The Lord is the giver of the results. He gives the results with Justice & Compassion. In our life there should be a balance of both. Compassion without Justice will get exploited. Justice without Compassion is heartless. Wisdom to see how to balance both is Virupaksha. A mother loves the Child very much and is very kind and compassionate. To discipline the child, the mother will be strict, but out of compassion. Where we have to destroy, it is also based on compassion. Doctor amputates the limb of a patient out of compassion to save the patient. Sun, Moon & Fire represent the sources of enlivening. Lord enlivens our senses. Upanishads say that the Lord sees without eyes and hears without ears. Without the Lord, the senses cannot function but the Lord can be without them. Scriptures also say that our body is made up of flesh, bones etc. Lord’s body is light alone. It is Pure Consciousness alone. Hence His senses are also Sun, Moon & Fire. May we have the vision to look deep and recognise Consciousness. May we live our life in the balance of Justice & Compassion.

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Vāma means handsome . Deva means god . Vāmadeva means the handsome god . It is said

मङ्गलायतनं देवं युवानं अतिसुन्दरं ध्यायेत् कल्पतरोर्मूले सुखासीनं सहोमया

maṅgalāyatanaṃ dēvaṃ yuvānaṃ atisundaraṃ dhyāyēt kalpatarōrmūlē sukhāsīnaṃ sahōmayā

One should meditate on Shiva, seated along with Uma at the base of the wish-fulfilling tree, who is the abode of auspiciousness and is the youthful god that is most handsome.

We all want to be handsome, beautiful etc. and we have our own notions of it. Vaama means weird or distorted. Lord Shiva looks weird because he has a munda-mala(garland of skulls), smears ash, has snakes, wears elephant skin etc. None of these match our standards of beauty. Yet He is most handsome. Why? Because beauty is the inner beauty. Lord Shiva inspires us to look beyond appearances and look deep. How to appreciate beauty in others, which is beyond appearances? When we turn within and identify what is beautiful in us, we can see beauty in things, people & situations. Satyam Shivam Sundaram is Lord Shiva.

Vaamadeva also means on whose left side is Mother Parvati. Vaame Devi Yasya Saha. Lord Shiva sports from His left(Vama) side, The power of Consciousness(Chit-Shakti) presiding over His left half makes Him a Deva, a player. One on whose left side is Goddess Parvati or Prakriti. With the Support of Mother Parvati, Lord Shiva does the whole creation. Deva also means a player. Vaamadeva means one for whom the whole creation is also just a leela. He teaches us to live life like a sport. Let us play the game of life with a sportsmanship spirit. In and through all experiences of life we must never forget that we are truly beautiful. Satyam Shivam Sundaram is our nature.

Vaamadeva means the Lord who gives us our karmaphala. Actions give results. How? This proves that there is an intelligent cause who is the one who empowers us to act and also gives us the results of actions.

The name Vamadeva appears in the famous vedic mantra - Vaamadevaaya namo jyeshthaya namah shreshthaya namo…etc.

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There is an interesting story about how Chandra came to be the Crest Ornament of Lord Shiva. Chandra had 27 wives who were the daughters of Daksha Prajapati. But Chandra was partial to Rohini & Kartikai. Other daughters complained to Daksha Prajapati, who warned Chandra twice. But the behaviour of Chandra did not change. So the third time, Daksha Prajapati cursed him that he will lose his luminosity and sink into oblivion. Chandra sought his forgiveness but Daksha Prajapati was relentless. Chandra started losing his luminosity. He got worried. The world was also getting affected by it. So he went to the refuge of Lord Shiva, told him about his mistake, the curse and sought forgiveness. The Compassionate Lord lifted him, forgave him and also adorned him as a crest ornament. He also told him that he will lose and regain the luminosity every fortnight. Thus Chandra was uplifted by the Lord. As a Jiva we also do many mistakes. We must surrender to the Lord and we must seek His Forgiveness. From the utter gloom to full bloom we rise with HIS Grace.

Why is the Moon only a cresent shape? Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda says that it represents the Yogi’s mind which is in steady contemplation on the Self. It is not lost in the world or full moon, not in a complete blank or nothingness or New Moon. Man of contemplation is thinking. Mind has not ended. There is thought flow. But one is thinking steadily only about the Self.

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Shashi means a rabbit. It is a name given to moon because when we look at the moon from the earth, it looks as though there is a rabbit. One who holds the moon in one’s jata is Shashi shekharaha. Shekharaha means a crest or a crest ornament. Lord Shiva has the moon as his crest ornament. Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. Vedanta says – “Manaso Devataa Chandramaaha” Moon has an impact on our mind. The high-tides and

low tides are also caused due to Moon’s distance from the earth. On such days of high tides our mind also goes through tremendous pressure. Hence the word lunatic comes from Lunar.

Crescent Moon is symbolic of our mind being steady. Moon goes through waxing and waning. The moon on Lord Shiva’s Jata does not go through any modification. It remains steady. In the Vedas there is a sukta called Shiva Sankalpa Sukta. In that, every mantra ends with the line – Tan me Manaha Shivasankalpam Astu. May My mind have an auspicious resolve. By Grace of Lord Shiva may our mind have positive and auspicious

resolve. May we not fall for negative thinking. May we continue to lift ourselves higher and higher. Moon also represents coolness. As seekers, we have to keep our mind cool and calm. Though Lord Shiva is known for anger or Rudra Tandava, yet he is calm, composed and equanimous. He is a yogi whose mind is very calm. The Geeta says – “Prashanta

Manasm hyenam yoginam sukham uttamam.” The Calm Mind of a Yogi experiences Supreme Bliss. Yoga Shastra also describes this bliss.

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Lord Shiva is the holder of the Pinaaka – the Bow. Pinakaa is one which protects the Universe. Lord Shiva is not just the destroyer but He is the protector. Bhagvan protected the world from Tripurasura. To kill Tripurasura the Lord made the Bow from Mandara mountain and used Vishnu as an arrow. The Bow is since then is called Pinaaka – That by which the heavens were regained. Tripurasura is our ego who dwells in 3 states of Consciousness. Vishnu is the All-Pervading Reality who is launched as an arrow from the Pinaka bow which is the symbol of OM. Contemplating on the All-Pervading Consciousness through chanting of OM, we can destroy of our ego. Heaven symbolizes our state of Absolute Bliss. In Rudram Chamakam one prostrates to the Lord, to his bow, his arrows, his arms and his quiver also.

Pinaaka also means OM. By chanting OM we are requesting the Lord to come to us. Mundakopanishad says – Bow is the OM, arrow is the Jiva and Brahman is the Goal. With a steady mind when we contemplate, we will become one with Brahman. When the mind has become completely single pointed with the chanting, we let go of all thoughts, like the arrow is left and we discover the Thoughtless Awareness. Not a blank.

Devotee also prays to the Lord that Your Bow and Arrow are terrible. O Lord! Please be Gracious to me and let your Bow and Arrows destroy my ignorance, wanderings and the 6 impurities. Please protect me and the whole world.

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Shambhuh means one who makes others happy. We are able to utilize our body because of Shiva. He makes us happy by enlivening our body. He is Ashutosh and is pleased very easily. He fulfils desires of others and makes them happy. As one approaches the Lord, so the Lord blesses them. The evil forces also propitiate the Lord and seek boons by which their strength is enhanced. If they misuse these, the Lord teaches them a lesson and helps them to evolve. The Lord teaches us WOW attitude – With or Without, so that we are not dependent on anything outside. Lord Shiva is an embodiment of Detachment. At the intellectual level he brings us happiness by giving us the right vision and right knowledge. Lord Shiva is the Adi Guru. At the spiritual level, Shambhu means whose nature is Eternal Bliss. All the temporary pleasures that we experience through some food, music etc. are an expression of the Eternal Bliss. Salutations to the Lord Shambhu. May He make us also Blissful.

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Maheshwaraha – The Lord of the Bhutas. He is the Lord of our body made up of 5 elements(bhutas). He is the Lord of the whole universe which is also made up of 5 elements. Bhuta also means beings. He is the Lord of all beings. Bhuta also means Ghosts. He is their Lord too. When He married Mother Parvati, Ghosts & Goblins were there in his procession. He is the Lord of all Sadhus and Sannyasis. The Lord of the Ascetics. Jivanmuktas worship Lord Shiva. On the samadhi of Jeevanmuktas, there is a Sivalinga. Maya is the material cause of the universe. The intelligent cause of the universe is Lord Shiva – the controller of Maya. When we take refuge of the Lord, we cross over Maya.

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Maheshwaraha – The Great God. A King of a country, a Devata, a great achiever, a Siddha are called as the Lord. Shiva is the Lord of all Lords. Though Shiva is sitting quietly in Kailash and appears to have no ambition or goals etc., yet He is the Greatest of the Gods. In our culture we worship the 5 main forms called as Panchayatana – Lord Shiva, Shakti, Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesha & Surya. If Kartikeya also is added it becomes –

Shanmata or 6 Major forms of the Lord. Amongst these, 4 of them are from Lord Shiva’s family. Hence HE has the greatest number of devotees in the Hindu Fold. Devatas, Asuras, Bhuta, Preta, Pisacha also worship the Lord apart from the humans. Animals also worship Him. In Nirgun Nirakar worship Shiva is called Sadashiva and in Sagun Sakar He is called Maheshwarah.

He is the Lord and He is Great because All those who are rejected by the world are accommodated by the Lord. He is great because of His Compassion. He is Great because He revels in the Greatest(Infinite) and inspires us to seek the Greatest. Seek the Highest.

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Shiva means one who is desired by all. Happiness is what is desired by all. In the world we only experience temporary pleasure. How do we experience Supreme Happiness? How do I get out of the sense of incompleteness and experience Supreme Bliss? Shiva reversed becomes Vashi. Vashi means Self-Mastery. If we master our Body, Breath, Mind, Intellect and align all of them, we attain Self-Mastery. Shiva is a Master of all these. Once we align these aspects, we can turn within and experience Absolute Bliss.

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