Looking at certain images can stir your emotions deeply, like when you look at photos of your
family while you're traveling far from home.
Seeing those photos can make you feel intimately connected to your loved ones.
In a similar way, feelings of being intimately connected to Ishwara can be evoked when you
visit a sacred temple and stand in front of the altar, looking at the beautiful, consecrated
deities, lovingly adorned with fine dress, jewelry, and garlands of fresh flowers.
That sight can touch your heart and evoke a powerful sense of reverence and adoration.
Now, in addition to seeing all this with your eyes, you can also see images with your mind.
We all have the ability to visualize things, to imagine forms and images.
Visualization is often used in the practice of upasana, devotional meditation.
In upasana, your sense or feeling of Ishwara's divine presence can be deepened when you picture
in your mind, as vividly as possible, the particular form of Ishwara that you're meditating
on.
Visualization not only deepens your sense of Ishwara's presence, but the image in your
mind becomes the alambana, the object of meditation, on which you concentrate your attention, which
happens to be the approach to meditation taught by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.
The image in your mind becomes both a focus of devotion and a focus of concentration.
In this way, by including aspects of the concentration techniques discussed in earlier chapters,
your practice of upasana can be enhanced.
The use of this visualization while you meditate becomes even more powerful when you fully
understand the symbolism associated with the particular deity you're meditating on.
Traditional depictions of Hindu deities are rich with symbolism.
The posture, dress, ornaments, positions of arms, hands and legs - all these are based
on descriptions found in sacred scriptures like the Puranas.
The deities in temples around the world are all fashioned according to those scriptural
descriptions.
But nowadays, some artists have departed from that tradition and take considerable liberty
in how they portray deities, like when they depict Ganesha playing musical instruments.
Unfortunately, modern depictions like these often sacrifice much of the powerful traditional
symbolism.
It's surprising how powerful symbolism can be.
A simple piece of cloth can evoke strong patriotic feelings when it happens to be your country
s national flag.
A little piece of paper becomes valuable if it happens to be a one-hundred dollar bill.
But, if you don't recognize the flag or banknote for some reason, they wouldn't have any value
for you at all.
Symbols become powerful only when their symbolism is understood.
For this reason, it's really important to understand the symbolism associated with the
deity you meditate on.
For example, this form of Shiva is called Nataraja, the King or Lord of Dance.
His dance, as you may know, represents the cosmic drama in which the universe is created
and destroyed again and again.
In his upper right hand, he holds a damaru, a drum that signifies creation.
Each beat of the drum represents the birth of a new universe.
His upper left hand holds fire, a common symbol for destruction.
His lower right hand is held in a special position called abhaya mudra, a mudra or hand
symbol that indicates abhaya, the total absence of anything to fear, due to the protection
of Shiva's blessings.
His lower left hand points at his feet, indicating the place where devotees symbolically find
refuge.
He stands on a little demon who represents ignorance.
In Hinduism, ignorance is the source of all that's considered evil, which is effortlessly
overcome by Shiva in his playful dance.
There's actually more symbolism here that we could discuss, but this much is plenty
to show the richness and importance of sacred symbolism, symbolism that's associated not
just with Shiva, but with every deity.
To support your practice of upasana, if you have an ishta devata, a favorite deity, you
should certainly learn all the symbolism associated with it.
There are many resources that can help you, on the internet, in bookstores, and in libraries.
The next exercise makes use of the symbolism associated with Shiva.
In this exercise, you'll visualize Shiva's form while silently reciting the mantra, om
namah shivaya, om salutations to Shiva.
For this exercise, it's best if you sit in a place that's suitable for meditation.
You can listen to this exercise using a laptop computer, a tablet, or a mobile device like
your phone.
This exercise is also available as a podcast or download from our website using the links
in the video description below.
I hope you are now seated comfortably in a suitable place.
This exercise will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
First, sit with a proper posture as we discussed before, close your eyes gently, and take a
deep breath to get settled down.
Now, make a sankalpa to affirm your intention and commitment to meditate.
Acknowledge the fact that you have many unfulfilled responsibilities and issues that need to be
addressed.
Since you don't want to be distracted by those things during this meditation, you can give
yourself permission to set all those concerns aside, just for the next 10 to 15 minutes.
Next, we'll perform the progressive relaxation exercise, like in previous lessons.
Start by turning your attention to your feet.
Become aware of sensations there.
Notice the sense of pressure as your feet press down.
Notice the touch of your clothing and feelings of warmth or coolness.
Now, become aware of any tension that might be held in the muscles of your feet.
And let go of that tension.
Allow those muscles to relax completely.
Next, turn your attention to your ankles and calves.
Notice sensations of pressure, the touch of your clothing, warmth or coolness.
Become aware of any tension held in the muscles of your ankles and calves, and let go of that
tension completely.
Next, turn to your knees and thighs.
Notice the weight of your hands or arms where they rest.
Notice any other sensations.
Become aware of any tension held in your knees and thighs, and let go of that tension completely.
Next, turn to the trunk of your body.
Feel the weight of your body pressing down.
Feel the firmness of the seat beneath you.
Let go of any tension.
Next, turn to your lower back and stomach, together.
Become aware of sensations.
Let go of any tension.
Now turn to your upper back and chest.
Become aware of sensations, and let go of any tension.
Now, your shoulders, arms, and hands.
Become aware of sensations and let go of any tension.
Finally, your neck, face, the muscles around your eyes, at your temples, and across your
forehead.
Let go of any tension.
Now, we'll chant the mantra om namah shivaya, salutations to Shiva.
Chant silently as you listen to me.
Allow the mantra's sound and meaning to invoke a sense of Shiva's infinite power and limitless
energy as represented by his cosmic dance of creation and destruction.
om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
Now, imagine that you're entering a sacred temple where Shiva has been worshipped for
centuries.
Imagine walking into a huge, darkened hall with a brightly lit altar where an exquisitely
beautiful form of Shiva stands majestically, garlanded with fresh flowers.
Imagine yourself standing right in front of the deity, marveling at its beauty, as you
chant, om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
Now, picture in your mind Shiva's magnificent form on the altar, with his right leg raised
as he performs the cosmic dance of creation and destruction.
Notice the damaru drum in his upper right hand, symbolizing his power to create the
world, and notice the fire in his upper left hand, indicating his power to bring about
the dissolution of the entire universe, as you chant, om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
Now, picture in your mind Shiva's magnificent form on the altar, with his lower right hand
held in a mudra that blesses you with his never-ending protection from all that's inauspicious,
and his lower left hand pointing to his feet, showing you where you can find refuge from
all suffering, as you chant, om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
Now, in the final part of this exercise, picture in your mind Shiva's magnificent form on the
altar, and notice how incredibly powerful and graceful the deity is.
Notice the beautiful garland of fresh flowers hanging from his neck, the heap of flowers
lovingly offered at his feet, and the burning lamps and incense offered in his worship,
as you chant, om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
om namah shivaya, om namah shivaya.
Now, as we conclude this exercise, just listen to these closing remarks.
You can practice this technique whenever you want, listening to this exercise again, or
without it.
If you practice it independently, you can visualize any deity you choose, and silently
recite a mantra addressed to that deity.
In the next lesson, we'll discuss how the deity in a temple represents the presence
of Ishwara within yourself.