Shiva Mahimna Stotra

Shloka 10

Meaning: O Girisha (Shiva)! To measure your glories which appeared as a luminous pillar, Brahma went above, and Vishnu went below. Thus, they made lots of effort. But they could not measure your glories. Then, being filled with devotion and faith, when they sang your glories, you revealed yourself to them. A prayer filled with devotion and faith definitely leads to the realization of the Lord.

Reflections:  This shloka tells us that no one can fully comprehend Brahman, the absolute aspect of God, even the divine forms Brahma, and Vishnu.

The story goes that a dispute arose between Brahma and Vishnu about ‘who is greater’. Each one claimed that he was greater. Brahma said that he is greater because he creates the universe and Vishnu said that he is greater because he preserves the universe and Brahma has been born from his navel. The dispute could not be resolved, and it became intense. Out of anger, each one threw a weapon at the other. Lord Shiva stopped both the weapons and thus stopped great destruction, and He appeared as the infinite luminous pillar.

Brahma had not created that pillar and Vishnu had not seen it before. Both were amazed by its luminosity and infinite nature. Both planned to check out the source of the pillar. Brahma went above and Vishnu went below. But they could not find its end and its source. They felt ashamed of their boasting. They found something higher than them. Finally, both forgot about their fight, their hearts got filled with faith and devotion, and with folded hands, they asked this divine force to reveal itself.  At that time, Brahman appeared in the form of Shiva and told that Brahman is the Ultimate Reality of the universe and It appears as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.   

We can learn from this that we boast about our worldly achievements and think that we are great. But, when we think of the infinite power and glories of God manifesting in the universe, then we look very timid. For example, when we see Himalayas, or an ocean, or Grand Canyon, or think of the infinite sky filled with planets, stars, and galaxies, or the infinite time, then we realize that we are nothing more than an ant or a very tiny creature walking on earth having a big ego which has a very little value.

Here is a practical way to reduce our ego, pain, problems, and quarrels in our life. Suppose I am sitting in a chair in my study room and a camera is showing only me. I occupy the whole picture. Then, the camera moves further away and shows me sitting in the whole room. Then, it keeps moving away showing me in my house, in the whole block, in the city, in the country, on the earth, and so on. Then, the camera goes out into space where the whole earth becomes like a green pea and then may become a small dot. In this infinite space, what is my existence? It is ridiculous that we walked around with a big worldly ego having achieved something which looks trivial in infinite time. In this perspective, our existence, our pain, problems, and quarrels in our life become insignificant, and we realize that we had mentally magnified them more than their actual reality. Thus, we get a proper understanding and inner strength to go through the adversities of life.  

Now, let us look at it from the Vedantic point of view. A being with body and mind is an extremely limited person, but as an Atman, each individual is not different than Brahman. When we realize our true divine Self, Atman, then we become infinite by being one with the whole universe.          

This shloka also teaches us that if we sincerely pray to God with faith and devotion, then God reveals Its nature.