Shivoham
Shivoham is a mantra, meaning “I am Shiva”. It is a beautiful Maha Vaakya which declares that we are nothing but Shiva Himself. It gives the right introduction of you to you.
Etymology
Scriptural references
This phrase is found in the Shiva Agamas, the authoritative scriptures revealed directly by Lord Shiva Himself.
Shastra Pramana - You are Sadashiva
jīvaḥ śivaḥ śivo jīvaḥ sa jīvaḥ kaivalaḥ śivaḥ । pāśabaddhaḥ smṛto jīvaḥ pāśamuktaḥ sadāśivaḥ ॥ 82 ॥
e Jīva (individual soul) is Shiva; Shiva is Jiva. at pure jiva is verily only SHIVA. When bound by the Pāsha, the bondage or binding rope [of individual identity (ānava), unful lled actions (karma) and non-existential perception (Māyā)], it is Jīva; when liberated from the Pāsha, It is SADASHIVA.
tuṣeṇa baddho vrīhiḥ syāttuṣābhāve hi taṇḍulaḥ । karmabaddhaḥ smṛto jīvaḥ karmamuktaḥ sadāśivaḥ ॥ 83 ॥
When enclosed and bound in husk (tushena), it is paddy; freed from husk, it is rice (tanḍula). Enclosed and bound in karma, it is Jiva; freed from the karma (karmamukta), It is SADASHIVA.
~ Kulārnava Tantra, ullasa 9, the Agama by Sadashiva to D
Invoking Mahadeva
Shiva (A Hindu God) is not just a totality of some good qualities. He is alive. That is why, when you invoke and invite Him, He happens so powerfully and beautifully.
In Hinduism, Shiva is portrayed wearing the rejected items of society, and sitting in the graveyard amongst ghosts as his companions. Among all that, he dances in ecstasy as Nataraja. It is a beautiful depiction illustrating how he is Bholenath - He is so easy to please. He does not need preconditions in life to celebrate it.
Similarly, he shows that even if you are like a ghost in a cremation ground - depressed and filed with negative thinking, even then he is ready to be your companion and enter you. Just invoking, and inviting him is enough. He will fill you, enter you, burn your incompletions and make you as He. He will give you the inner space that he possesses. That is why the Mantra “Shivoham” - Let me (Aham) become HIM - Shiva. Consciousness Himself.
When you meditate on the truth ‘Shivoham’, your body language will change, your mental language will change, the words you utter towards you will change, the words you utter towards others will change. This is because you will start having the right understanding about you, through which the very source of you will change. Through the right introduction of you to you, the mantra realigns our physical, mental and psychological states to be in tune with Sadashiva. To realize that you are
Himself.
Four Easy Steps to Shivoham
There is no fine print in the Shivoham initiation. There is no prerequisite for you to experience, live, and radiate Shivoham. The reasons you are not Mahadeva are not real in the cosmic law of life, because Shivoham is the unconditional truth.
You may not be able to experience Shivoham right from day one; but you don’t have to bother about it. You may not be able to sit under a banyan tree and give enlightenment to people immediately. But you can live like Mahadeva based on what you know as Mahadeva. SAT (truth)-CHIT (consciousness) – ANANDA (bliss of constantly being himself) is the basic expression of Mahadeva.
A simple four-step logical exercise is all you need to complete with your doubts around the statement – ‘I am Shiva,’ and get a straightforward initiation into Shivoham.
First: “My Guru is the ultimate spiritual expression I know. He told me clearly that I am Shiva, I am Mahadeva. Then this is the path I need to start walking on.”
Second: “My Guru did not give any pre-conditions or pre-qualifications for me to experience ‘Shivoham’. He said, ‘You ARE Mahadeva as you are’. Then the whole problem boils down to my not accepting it. Any logic that says I’m not Mahadeva is not factual.”
Third: “Anything which is not factual, I can complete with it. It is my freedom. I created the delusion around me. ” The very remembrance of this statement drastically reduces the powers of incompletion.
Fourth: “Let me start celebrating all the qualities I can radiate as Mahadeva.’
Live Sadashiva, Manifest Sadashiva
“Neither there is a law nor there is a logic in Sadāshiva’s functioning. There is a tremendous love and integrity to His love. Once you catch His love and His integrity to his love, you will understand, that is the way He functions.
Sadashiva has nothing to achieve through anyone. Neither money, nor beauty, nor age, nor wealth, nor possessions - whatever anyone may think as most valuable in their life, nothing is useful for Him. He is not looking at someone for any utility value. He is looking at them only as a conscious value. He is owing towards the person just to manifest through them. He is rushing towards someone just to manifest through them. Even if all wealth, life, beauty, car, bank balance, houses are offered to Sadashiva, it is like a lion cub offering grass to a lion.
Manifesting Sadashiva is manifesting Sadashiva with all his powers and qualities. For that, you only need to declare “Sadashivoham.” The moment seeking starts in someone, they already received the incoming call from Sadashiva – “Shivatvamsi.” Now they have the adhikara (authority) to declare “Sadashivoham” and start manifesting the powers and experiences of Sadashiva, and manifest life as they want. Declaration alone is powerful enough to manifest the powers of Sadashiva, and Sadashiva is waiting to ful ll it, waiting to manifest through the person.
“Declare with all your will, ‘Sadāshivoham!’ Manifest what you want in your life. If I am Sadāshiva, this is the way I want my life, let me manifest it. Just by the power of the declaration of Sadashivoham, make the body as you want. Just by the power of the declaration of Sadashivoham, make the mind as you want. Just by the power of the declaration of Sadashivoham, make life as you want.”
Every time someone declares “Sadashivoham,” Sadashiva rushes towards the person to manifest through them, because the Whole wants to manifest through every part, the Whole by Its nature wants to manifest and celebrate Its existence through every part. The moment someone even has the guts to declare “Sada shivoham,” Sadashiva just feels mesmerized by the person and He just lands and manifests through the person. Manifesting the powers and experiences of Sadashiva is the purpose of all that exists. The purpose of all life is to manifest Sada shiva. Whenever a being declares and moves towards manifesting Sadashiva, all of Existence supports that being and rushes towards them.
“Breathe Sadashiva, make people breathe Sadashiva. Manifest Sadashiva, make people manifest Sadashiva!”
Remember you are Sadashiva
Low and powerless inner image is the result of forgetting the original state of Sadashivatva – the space of being Sadashiva. Paramahamsa Nithyananda a rms that the only way this state can be remembered again and again is when the powers of Sadashiva are manifested.
Only when the powers are manifested; the low inner image gets transformed to the powerful space of Sadashiva. Sadashiva is the source and the one who can manifest and play with powers. Being in Oneness with Sadashiva facilitates the manifestation of these powers.
“Manifesting powers every day in your day to day life will change your opinion about you. And the beauty of Sadashivatva is when you change as you want, the outer, even the inner [world] whatever need to be changed will be awakened, and you’ll go through a change. Your identity about you will changed.”
The powers can be used for everyday simple events like changing the tra c signal so one can move through the tra c faster and healing knee pain to as great as manifesting whatever someone wants as reality.
A Secret Passcode to experience Sadashiva
“Anybody, if they address me as Arunachala and ask anything, I will just give. That’s a secret password which I enjoy. That’s a secret passcode. I tell you, same way Sadāshiva has a secret passcode. Sadāshiva has a very secret passcode. It’s almost like a pattern for Him. I know Sadāshiva cannot have pattern. But I can tell you with all My confidence, its almost like a pattern for Him.
The moment you even have the guts to declare Sadāshivoham, He just feels mesmerized by you and He just lands and manifests through you, whatever you want. Understand, if you call me Arunachala and ask for something, I will never say ‘no’, because I have to prove I am Arunachala. I have to establish. Same way, if you just declare – “Sadāshivoham. I am Sadāshiva. This is the way I want my life to manifest” – simply He gets mesmerized by you and enters into you, and manifests through you the way you want.
Understand this secret code. Use it to all your benefit, max it. Over use it, not just use it, overuse it to your maximum benefit. He loves to be overused. He celebrates when you overuse Him. He is the limitless resource, does not feel afraid of get overused. He is waiting for you to overuse Him. Only limited resources are afraid of getting overused. He is limitless resource. He celebrates when you overuse Him. He celebrates when you overuse Him.” Paramahamsa Nithyananda
Similar Mantras And Understandings
- Tatvamasi
- Soham Asmi
- Brahmanyam Bahuputratam
References
http://www.dhyanapeetam.org/video/light-your-inner-space-shivoham http://nithyananda.org/video/shivoham-inner-awakening-shivaratri-night-special-satsang#gsc.tab=0 http://nithyanandatimes.org/start-walking-on-the-path-to-shivoham-four-easy-steps/ http://books.nithyanandatimes.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/12/ManifestingShaktisBook_WebRes_20Dec16_Preview.pdf