GOWRISHVARA
DANCING WITH THE COSMIC DUALITY


1
GOWRI ISHVARA
golden radiant gowri
goddess of grace and power,
ashen pale ishvara
god omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent.

GOWRI
girija, parvathi, devi, tripurasundari,
glorious beauty incarnate,
mother of the universe,
compassion infinite

ISHVARA
shiva, pasupathi, mahadev, trinetra,
tapas incarnate,
consciousness supreme,
eternal, infinite

GOWRI ISHVARA
shakti and shiva,
parvathi and shankara,
cosmic inseparables,
kaameshvari and kaameshvara

They are the divine couple, the cosmic duo,
of power patent and latent, of truth and beauty,
effulgent as a million suns
Their eternal dance of love and joy gives form to the universe
Their every movement gives life to life
Their every word gives meaning to things
Their every smile and glance the source of all beauty

Let us contemplate on Gowrishvara,
the cosmic energy of yin and yang
Let us meditate on Gowrishvara,
the cosmic duality that embraces the universe
Let us praise Gowrishvara,
the beginning and the end of all things
At whose feet, total surrender brings infinite grace

(intro to shivaanjali – add a sfx here: mrdangam / bell / conch)


2
Hark! Even as we join our palms in prayer to invoke Lord Shiva, the beloved of Shakti, Gangadharo, he who holds the Ganga in his matted locks, Sashidhara, he who ornaments his hair with the crescent moon, the celestials and the sages cry out “Hara hara shiva shiva” with joy… for they behold the cosmic dance of the great lord, his ananda tandava, which is the very life vibration of the universe… and they thrill with bliss watching the lord dance to the reverberating drums of nandi. “Hara hara shiva shiva”, He, from whom everything evolves, around whom everything revolves… and in whom, everything dissolves. “Hara hara shiva shiva”, the sages cry out as they join their palms in anjali, and with their minds and hearts in total surrender, utter “shivaanjali”…


3
Om Iym Hreem Shreem.
O Goddess Absolute,
mother divine,
supreme embodiment
of power,
wisdom, and
auspiciousness,
grant us the bliss
of your nourishing form.
Source of infinite compassion
and nourishment, O goddess,
you are the very fountainhead
of spiritual bliss anandam.
You are shive shivey,
you are the grace
and the power
that activate Shiva himself.
Grant me your loving darshan.
Are you not the loving mother
of Ganesha,
the elephant headed god,
remover of obstacles,
embodiment of knowledge?
Are you not the admiring mother
of Subrahmanya,
the god of beauty incarnate,
bearer of the shakti vel
of wisdom and transcendent knowledge?
O mother,
I have surrendered myself at your lotus feet.
Amma ananda dayini,
compassionate mother of divine bliss…


4
Truth, Grace and Beauty. Satyam shivam sundaram. O, my soul longs for the vision of my lord. Will he not reward my painful yearning with the beauty of his marvelous form, the grace of his divine presence, and the truth of his all-knowingness?

I behold him in my mind, hold him close in my heart, but must still paint a picture of him, to relish him with my eyes. My friends remark about his unkempt hair and garments… alas, they do not see the shining crescent moon in his matted locks nor the elephant and tiger skins that symbolize his valour and prowess. To me, he is handsomer than a thousand manmathas. What do they know?

O how I long for a vision of my beautiful Lord Shiva, he who danced his ananda tandava so majestically in the golden hall of Thillai. His many dancing forms adorn temple pillars, and seeing this, I am filled with the wonderment of his power and his glory, longing once again for a vision of him. The sages say that he is transcendence and immeasurable brilliance, and with the moon and the river in his hair, he dances in the sacred hall of thillai… praises and worship offered at his feet blossom into grace…

O, will my lord grant me a vision of his amazing form – that of him and a woman hidden in him? Lovingly, he gave one half of himself to his other half, and in doing so, reconciles all contradictions, embracing duality and infinite multiplicity all at once in his divine oneness.

Compassionately, he saved the world from absolute destruction - he drank the poison that was churned out from the ocean by the gods and asuras. The goddess Parvathi held his throat to prevent him from swallowing it, and his neck turned blue. Such is his compassion, and such is her love for him. O, I would have done the same as the goddess… if only I could have my lord with me.

My love is not hopeless and I will make no secret of it! My lord has come to me in my dreams, professed his deep love for me, and will come to take my hand in his. And yet, I have been longing for a vision of his beautiful form, to bask in his radiant presence, and to taste the truth of his love. Separated from him, pining for him, I waste away, unable to bear this painful yearning. But I know my love is not hopeless: let the sky shatter and fall, let the earth quake and tremble, I will not forget my loving lord Shiva, I will not give up on my love for my lord. For I behold him in my mind, hold him close in my heart.


5
O golden gowri, goddess parashakti.
Shivashankari, maheshwari…
mashishasura mardhini.
O supreme goddess, maheshwari, supreme cosmic energy…
shower your blessings upon this humble devotee…
The devas and asuras worship your divine lotus feet eternally
And I, I place myself at your feet so you will protect me
Just as you have slain the demon mahishasura
Bless me, O lion-riding warrior goddess durga
Slay the demon-ego in me…
And set me free…


6
GOWRI ISHVARA shakti shiva
gowri shakti shiva ishvara
gowri gowri shiva shiva
GOWRI kaameshvari
ISHVARA kaameshvara
ARDHANARISVARA ARDHANARISVARA
Man in woman, woman in man
Behold the cosmic energy of yin and yang
Paradoxical perfection
Behold the cosmic duality both in one
The two who hold the universe in ONE embrace
The two-in-one whose very form is divine grace
O Ardhanarishvara, on you we contemplate
O Ardhanarishvara, on you we meditate
O Ardhanarishvara, let us sing in praise
As we bow in total surrender beseeching your grace


7
O sacred lord of sacred Chidambaram
Show me your sacred dance, give me your darshan
I hear the words of the sacred saint thirumoolar
And I yearn to see your form, searching for where you are
He said you are everywhere, your dance is here, is there
He said Chidambaram is right here, right now, if you are aware
He said your marvelous dance is in that temple on earth
He said your marvelous dance is in the shrine within the heart
O sacred lord of sacred Chidambaram
Give me a vision of your sacred dance
Enter my secret sacred heart space within


[written for ajith bhaskaran dass: his production of GOWRISHVARA in kuala lumpur, 14th july 2007]