It is said that when Creation ends at Maha-Pralaya, when all manifestation in withdrawn back into the Great Void, Lord Shiva begins His cosmic dance known as Shiva-Tandav. This dance releases and activates the destructive energies which dismantle and unmanifest all of Creation. The Nataraja form of Lord Shiva depicting this divine dance stands at the entrance of the CERN Institute at Geneva, where physicists have been experimenting to discover the secrets behind the Bing Bang that gave birth to the Universe as we know it.

Lord Shiva has been worshipped for thousands and thousands of years, with His energies being sought and utilised for Mankind’s evolution and growth. Mythology pays rich tributes to Him as the Lord of the Universe and as the God of Gods. The Shiva Purana details the origins, activities and exploits of this divine personality along with His various incarnations. He is a part of Indian folklore as well as the epics, worshipped as a patron of arts, dance and music. Devotional traditions have grown around the mystical aura of Lord Shiva while the Siddhas, Nagas and Tantrics focus their Sadhana on His energies.

Lord Shiva is one of the trinity of Gods comprising of Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwara. He plays a very important role in the administration of God’s Creation by withdrawing and transforming manifestations at various time-intervals. The Rishis who meditated and explored the various aspects and characteristics of this divine personality and His immense field, have not only brought down unique knowledge about Him but also devised techniques to harness His powers and energies, for the benefit of all Life.

The following account of Shiva Loka reveals unique insights and further information about Him. It is also a timely gift to all of us from the Rishis, on this sacred day of Shivarathri, when an amsha of Him descends down to our Earth and stays in our midst for the next ten days.

Creation in the beginning

Our Creation is very ancient, extending all the way back to eons and eons of Earth’s time. The diversity and variety of manifestation that we find today has not occurred just in a single phase. A lot of experimentation, trials and errors have occurred before it has evolved into the present condition. This evolution and change is a never ending process which will continue and go on into the future.

In the beginning, after Devi Loka came into existence and ParaBrahma decided to manifest more of His potential, there was no Shiva, Vishnu or Brahma. The Material Cosmoses (Brahmanda’s) manifested from Devi Loka directly. But they were primitive and had less diversity and specializations. And at that time, Devi Loka too was much more ancient and less diverse than it is at present.

Adi Shakti wanted to experiment in manifesting her various energies and bring forth different creations; hence she directly created many Cosmoses. But after that, the task of managing these cosmoses took most of Her efforts. When the diversification processes continued and gradually became too vast and complex, She requested the permission of ParaBrahma and Mula Brahman to create specialized personalities, who would take over various parts of the administration of Creation.

The Trinity

To simplify the process of administration and ease Devi’s work, three huge divine Cosmoses manifested. Each Cosmos had its own unique characteristic and a personality; we know them as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Brahma took over the task of creating new worlds and bringing forth life in them, while Vishnu managed and sustained these worlds with His energies. The work of destroying and withdrawing these manifestations was taken up by Lord Shiva.

The introduction of these three levels in the hierarchy of God’s administration also enabled more diversity to manifest. Another reason for the creation of the Trimurtis (Three Gods) was that, the Material Cosmoses which weren’t so pure could not directly receive and hold the very strong and pristine energies of Devi. These divine personalities helped in reducing the intensity and potency of those energies, so that they could be absorbed and made use of in all the Material cosmoses.

The first Divine Cosmos, Shiva Loka manifested from Devi Loka. For manifesting this Cosmos, Devi first created an immensely strong and dominant field of energy. The Rishis have called it as the ‘Vectrum Diamond Principle’.

The Vectrum Diamond Principle

This is a hugely vast and powerful field, which is in the shape of a Star Tetrahedron. It is bright, light blue in colour. This field was created first, as an earlier attempt to manifest a Cosmos directly did not succeed. That Cosmos was not stable and a portion of its Light also dissipated away. Hence Devi created the Vectrum Diamond Principle mainly to contain and protect the new manifestations which would further emerge.

From the Vectrum Diamond Principle, a total of 1008 Cosmoses manifested. Each one of these Cosmoses had unique properties & characteristics and was completely different from the other. The decision to manifest very different Cosmoses was taken by Mula Brahman in order to introduce diversity in Creation at the highest levels. In essence we can say that a total of 1008 Shiva Lokas manifested out of Devi Loka.

There were many other manifestations that emerged out of Devi Loka other than the Shiva Lokas. Also these Shiva Lokas further gave birth to other Cosmoses. The Vectrum Diamond Field covers and protects only the 1008 Shiva Lokas. It also helps these Cosmoses stay connected to Devi at all times. It further acts as a substrate for the transfer of energies and knowledge from Devi Loka to these Cosmoses.

The Vectrum Diamond Principle helps in creating new matter and then protects it. Because of the special properties of this field, many advanced souls in Creation try to connect to it, in order to gain special powers. This field also protects the Shiva Lokas from the other manifestations that have emerged out of Devi Loka, which are stronger and have different radiations, which can have a negative effect on these 1008 Cosmoses. It acts as a shield around these cosmoses, protecting them from the stronger energies emerging from other sources in Existence.

Out of these 1008 Cosmoses, the one which led to creation all the way down to us is called as Kailasa. Another name for this Cosmos is Kailasa Shiva.

Shiva Loka

Most of the temples of Lord Shiva worship Him in the form of a Linga rather than as a personality. A Linga is a sacred geometrical shape that can hold a lot of strong and special energies. It is cylindrical in shape with a hemispherical top and is surrounded by an oval structure, as shown in the diagram. The reason for this practice of worship is that our Shiva Loka is also in the form of a Linga. This shape is inverted in Existence, with the oval rings towards Devi Loka and the cylindrical shape facing down towards further manifestations.

The huge field of Shiva Loka is divided into 8 concentric layers. Each of these layers is in the shape of a Linga and is further divided into 108 planes.

Creation inside Shiva Loka does not have Galaxies or Solar systems but is made up of more complex and diverse units. A lot of floating particles are spread all over this Cosmos. There are many special cells with various geometric shapes. These cells have a lot of intelligence and they help in the creation of new energies and new methods in solving problems at various levels of existence. There are many liquid like structures inside Shiva Loka, which are the source of all the powers that can be gained by any Soul.

The Dimensions

At the base of the Linga shape of Lord Shiva’s field, there are two circular rings similar to the rings of Saturn. These are the two special dimensions of Shiva Loka. The inner dimension is whitish blue in colour while the outer one is of a dark blue hue. These two rings also act as a base for the entire Shiva loka.

The first inner ring is called as Adi and it contains the special energies of Lord Shiva. It is also made up of a very porous matter. The outer ring contains the energies of Ardanarishwara (a combination of Shiva and his consort, Parvati). This dimension is filled with a viscous matter, and because of this, it acts like a filter and protects the Cosmos by absorbing all the unwanted energies and matter that come in.

These two rings also have tunnels which connect to all parts of Creation. When a Soul descends down from Devi Loka and comes to Shiva Loka, it resides in these rings for a very long duration, learning about the various choices it has when it incarnates into Creation. Then the personalities in charge determine the destination of the Soul and guide it further.

The Energies of Shiva Loka

The main energies of Shiva Loka are light Blue in colour. Apart from this, other shades of Blue are also very prominent. The remaining coloured energies are in less proportion. These energies are full of unconditional Love and kindness. It is easy for anyone to relate to Lord Shiva and experience His energies.

There are many energies in this Loka that help us to activate our inner faculties. Shiva Loka is also the source of many Powers and Siddhis. Tantrics do a lot of serious Sadhana to acquire these.

One of the specialities of these energies is that they can easily multiply themselves. Hence even if a small quantity is anchored, at an appropriate time a huge field of energy gets manifested with the approval of Lord Shiva.

Another important feature of Shiva Loka is that the basic constituent energies change periodically. It roughly coincides with a Mahayuga of our Earth. The resulting new constituents bring about many diverse changes in all the further manifestations that emanate from Shiva Loka.

Shiva Loka is the abode of many rare gadgets. Lord Shiva has specialised in the areas of fragrance. The special fragrance of Shiva Loka helps in tuning up these gadgets and also in maintaining the Linga shape of the Cosmos.

The Souls of Shiva Loka

Many Souls are created within Shiva Loka. Very few of them stay in that Cosmos for experiencing life over there. The Rishis say that about 30% of the overall Souls in our Material Cosmos are from Shiva Loka. No evil exists in Shiva Loka but the energies of Lord Shiva can be used by both the good and evil forces of Creation.

Lord Shiva has also created many special Souls to assist Him in His work. These entities, also known as Shiva Ganas, have an abundance of Lord Shiva’s energies embedded in them. Each of them is very talented as they are specialised in different areas of the work. They move all over Creation and spread the energies of Lord Shiva wherever required. They are also involved in educating people about Him. About 3/4ths of the work of Lord Shiva are executed by the Shiva Ganas themselves.

Lord Nandi and Nageshwara

Indian mythological stories depict a mighty bull, Nandi, which is the vehicle for Lord Shiva to travel around. The Rishis explain that Lord Nandi is actually a personality known as Nandikeshwara. He is like the backbone of Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva has stored a lot of His energies in Nandi. They always work together and usually discuss and co-ordinate before executing any work. Lord Nandi is also the head and the person in charge of all the Shiva Ganas.

He is also the main channel for the energies and love from Lord Shiva to flow to the entire Creation and Humanity. This is the reason why in all Shiva temples, a statue of a Bull is placed facing the Shiva Linga.

Another personality known as Nageshwara is in charge of protecting Lord Shiva during His work. He is symbolically represented as a snake encircling Lord Shiva’s neck, protecting the vulnerable area. He sees to it that Lord Shiva is not affected in any manner in the course of His work.

The Third Eye of Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is depicted with a third eye in His forehead. The prevalent idea is that it is a means through which He carries out His destruction. This isn’t true. The third eye of Lord Shiva is one of the most complicated subjects to explore and understand.

This third eye is symbolic of a special layer in Shiva Loka. Millions of Galaxy like units, special Souls and Shiva Ganas exist in that layer. The Rishis say that this special part of Shiva Loka is the place where many new energies are created and from where new knowledge descends into Creation.

The Andromeda Galaxy took birth from the third eye of Lord Shiva.

Once a batch of 200 great Rishis went into the third Eye of Lord Shiva to explore and understand. After coming back, they expressed that the place appeared like a new Creation itself with everything being unique. They experienced a lot of unconditional love flowing towards them. Every particle in that place was Light and in each particle, they could experience Devi Parvati. These particles had the potential to become a Galaxy each and nurture Life.

The Rishis found a thoroughly organised life in the third eye layer, with the souls assisting in executing various specialised works. More research is going on about the Third eye Cosmos within Shiva Loka. A very great Rishi, Kapila Maharshi, is an expert on this special Cosmos, as he has a lot of Light from here.

Shiva – The destroyer

The personality of Shiva Loka’s core is Lord Shiva. Although He is depicted in various forms, he doesn’t have different aspects like Devi does.

As explained earlier, the energy field of Shiva Loka was created by Devi to assist Her in withdrawing and destroying Creation at various stages. The entire manifestation has been withdrawn many times in the past. This has lead to the creation of better and diverse manifestations.

Destruction is an integral part of Creation, where the concept of birth and death is a profound reality. This destruction is required to bring about a balance in Manifestation. At times, it is required to allow righteousness, justice and peace to prevail. It also empowers the divine to manifest further and bring about more Light, Love and Oneness.

The role of Lord Shiva isn’t confined just to destroy creation when required. His functions extend much more beyond that.

He is in charge of destroying not only Creation, but also the evil, negativity and stagnation of Life. Destruction doesn’t always mean death and pain but also an opportunity for more Light to manifest in Creation and more transformation to occur towards Light. Hence the destruction that’s taken up by Lord Shiva results in major transformations and an abundance of new changes.

He gets involved in destruction only when it’s very important, just and essential. Whenever He destroys a particular manifestation, He also creates a special energy field with all the corrections, so that, when a similar manifestation has to occur the next time, Lord Brahma (the Creator) can create with more care.

As He’s a specialist in destruction, he knows the exact ratio in which to do it. And once the destruction is completed, He uses the energies from the destroyed manifestation to create new gadgets.

The Other roles of Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva helps all the Souls in Creation to experience God to the fullest. He assists many Cosmoses and Galaxies in their functioning and shares a very good percentage of Adi Shakti’s work.

He personally involves Himself in the work of the Rishis and gives them a lot of hope, energies and love. He has incarnated in many Earths to assist the Rishis in their work. Even after the work is completed and He leaves the Earth, His energies stay back and continue to influence and assist the positive forces of Creation. In the previous cycle (Mahayuga), Lord Shiva incarnated on our Earth and lived for a very long time on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas (the mountain is named so because it housed this divine personality from Kailasa Shiva Loka). About 75% of His energies were available at that place until 1974. Once the Pralaya period started, much of those energies were gradually shifted and distributed to various other places. Currently only 2% of His energies can be found at Mount Kailash.

Lord Shiva has many rare gadgets, many of which are used to destroy the evil forces. The speciality of these gadgets is that if they are misused, they automatically diffuse and become powerless. He is also the creator of newer gadgets. The Rishis say that most of the gadgets and weapons in Creation have come from Shiva Loka.

He is also a master at creating new energies. He takes a lot of help from Goddess Parvati for this purpose. He carries an abundance of healing energies, which destroy the cause of sickness and poor health in an individual.

When a Soul incarnates into Creation, its gender is selected upon choosing the Mind in Brahma Loka. For all those Souls who choose the female mind, Lord Shiva passes on a lot of energies from Devi Parvati.

Lord Shiva is in charge of extending the life of a person in the Material Cosmos, although this process is monitored and administered by the Rishis.

There are many other roles, capabilities and characteristics of Lord Shiva which we’re yet to fully comprehend. And apart from our Kailasa Shiva, there are 1007 other Shiva Lokas which have manifested out of Devi, from the Vectrum Diamond Principle. These Cosmoses are still unknown to us. The diversification and manifestations which have emerged from those wonderful Cosmoses and the life which has evolved in that part of Existence is yet to be understood fully.

Conclusion

The enormity of Manifestation and the diversity that has occurred through all these worlds and sub-worlds is truly mind-boggling and awe inspiring. The Rishis say that all of this is the ‘leela’ of the Supreme Intelligence, His play, in which he brings forth Creation, creates Life, allows us the Souls to experience all of these and then withdraws it, only to bring it out again, in some other form.

The divine personalities play crucial roles in this play of God. Apart from administering and maintaining these manifestations, they assist the Souls in their journey and evolution through these worlds. Lord Shiva who withdraws and transforms Creation at different levels, helps each Soul in their individual transformations too. His energies can be used by any Soul to destroy their innate negativities and transform themselves in the course of their individual journeys. Anyone can link up to Him and receive energies, knowledge and guidance from His Cosmos.

Creation continued further from Shiva Loka where newer Cosmoses emerged. At the next level of Creation is Vishnu Loka (Vaikunta) which has the characteristics and energies necessary to maintain and sustain life in the Material Cosmoses. Vishnu Loka has a very interesting detail of how it came into manifestation; which we shall explore in the next article of this series.

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Articles in this Series –

Creation part 1 – Light, Soul and Consciouness

Creation part 2 – The Sacred Mantra – Om

Creation part 3 – Mula Brahman and the Unmanifested Universes

Creation part 4 – The 108 Unmanifested Universes

Creation part 5 – The Manifested Universes

Creation part 6 – Manifestation of Prakruti and Purusha

Creation part 7 – Devi Loka (Adi Shakti)

Copyright © 2011 VishwaAmara.

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