Shiva Mahimna Stotra

Shloka 2

Meaning: (and O Lord Shiva!) Your glories are beyond the reach of the mind and the speech. Even the scriptures, being astonished by Your incomprehensible form, establish You by negating everything else through ‘Neti Neti”. Who can describe Your glories? Who can tell how many virtues You have? Who can make You a subject of comprehension? But, when You manifest with your divine form, whose mind and speech do not get attracted to You?

Reflections: The thoughts of the shloka -1 continue in this one.

Pushpadanta says that the glories of Lord Shiva as Brahman, the Absolute, the Formless and devoid of qualities, the Infinite, are beyond the comprehension of the mind and speech. Even the scriptures are aware that whatever they describe makes the Brahman limited. That is why the scriptures humbly establish Brahman by negating anything that is perceived through the mind and the senses, saying ‘Neti, Neti’, meaning ‘not this, not this’.

Some people think that the Lord is infinite but has virtues, auspicious qualities, called ‘Gunas’. Shri Pushpadanta says that who can even describe the ‘Gunas’ of the Lord. The Lord has infinitely many virtues. No one can sing the full glories of the Lord. 

Brahman cannot be an object of study, because It is the subject. Because I am different from a lamp, I can study the lamp. In that case, I am the ‘subject’ and the lamp is an ‘object’.  But, when I want to know Brahman, the problem arises. In this case, both the subject and the object are the same. Since ‘I’ is Brahman, It cannot separate itself from Brahman to know.

Kenopanishad (1.4-9) says, “Know that That alone is Brahman

“which cannot be expressed by the speech, but by which the speech functions,

“which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which the mind apprehends,

“which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye perceives,                                       

“which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the ear hears,

“which cannot be activated by the vital forces, but by which the vital forces become active,

“and not the one that people worship.”

Kenopanishad tells that Brahman is not the symbol that people worship.

However, when the same Brahman manifests in the universe with a form, like the form of Lord Shiva, then It naturally attracts the minds and the hearts of the devotees. This divine form is enchanting. Devotees get attracted to the Incarnations of God, the spiritual teachers, and the devotees from whom Brahman manifests.

Sri Ramakrishna used to salute, saying, “Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan”, meaning, “Scriptures, Devotees, Lord”.  If we read and reflect upon the scriptures, it uncovers our inner divinity that is hidden by ignorance. The Lord dwells in the hearts of the devotees. Thus, when we meet the devotees, we feel the presence of God.  The Incarnations are one hundred percent manifestations of God. Devotees who are around the Incarnations feel that they are living with God.  

Thus, Pushpadanta says that even though Lord Shiva, as Brahman, is infinite and indescribable, his mind, like the other devotees’ minds, gets attracted to Him.

In the next shloka, Pushpadanta gives a reason why he is trying to describe Lord Shiva’s virtues even though they cannot be described.