On this auspicious day, Paramashiva appeared as Jyotirlinga, Lingodbhava in Arunachala. The place where this happened is Arunachala. And today is the day Paramashiva gives Parashakti, the internal space in himself, to become Ardhanarishvara. Beautiful, wonderful happenings happened on this day. Listen to the story. The story has too much significance. Listen. Brahma is the creator. Not creation principle. The creator created, manifested from the creation principle of Paramashiva. Sadashiva’s five heads: from one head, the creation principle manifests as Brahma. And from Brahma, creation happens—the same way Vishnu manifests. From Vishnu: sustenance and maintenance happen.
Unfortunately, these creations and maintenance are such … attention drawing colorful actions. Listen. Attention drawing colorful action, they delude themself they are the, they both are the ultimate. Understand. The creation and sustenance delude themselves that they both are ultimate. The next level of delusion starts between them who is great. The layers of delusion. Knowledge and wealth: knowledge is required for creation, and wealth is required for maintenance. They both start feeling both are ultimate. The funny thing is the second level delusion is, that they both start fighting with each other who is more ultimate and who is more powerful. Paramashiva has to intervene to make them understand and liberate them from the delusion. Neither creation nor sustenance is ultimate. The ultimate is liberation. He liberates both of them from the delusions. He pulls both of them out of delusion and liberates them.
The moment Paramashiva appears as Jyotirlinga, … He tells Brahma and Vishnu whoever finds his head or feet … will be the winner and declared supreme. Brahma immediately becomes a swan and flies towards the head. This is a very significant story. Brahma takes the form of a swan. Swan always lives in Lotus. He should have gone to find the lotus feet. And Vishnu takes the form of Varaha, a pig that always lives in the forest. He should have gone to find the jata, which is forest. But delusion diverts them even in their choice. They are deluded; the swan goes to the forest, and the pig goes to the lotus. Feet are lotus feet. Head is jata – aranya (अरण्य, araṇya), forest. Anyhow, neither of them could find it. Vishnu goes for yugas digging Patala, Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Patala. Even then, it reached only the calf muscle. To mark the place where he reached, he puts his neckbell. That is why in all Shiva deities, you will see calf muscle there will be one bell. In the right leg calf muscle, the bell was put by Vishnu. That is the level he traveled for his whole lifetime.
Brahma takes the form of a swan and flies, flies, flies, flies. Almost his age is over. Then he finds that he could not find it. He sees a flower falling. He asked, “From where are you falling?” The flower says, “I am falling from the ears of Paramashiva.” “Oh God! From ears, you are coming down, then I am not even reaching the ears. What about reaching the head?” And Brahma asked, “How long are you coming down?” “Oh, I am falling for four Brahmas age.” Four Brahmas age. Chatur Brahma ayush paryantam. “Four Brahmas age I am falling.” Then Brahma decides, “Okay. What can I do?” But then, always, this knowledge has its ego. It cannot accept defeat. And … Brahma asked that flower, “Can you … just support me that I brought you from the head of Paramashiva, and I’ll give you many boons.” The flower got a little tempted. Eh, all false witnesses understand. And then, okay, Brahma goes and tells lies to Paramashiva, “I saw Your head, and this is the witness.” And of course, Paramashiva knows, and then He … the moment He stares at Brahma and that flower, both shiver and wither away. All Brahma’s feathers fall. And … the false witness said, “No, no, no, no, no, he did not pick me up. I was falling, and he caught me and brought me.”
Brahma gets the curse; he will never be worshipped anymore on planet Earth in the individual temple, and that flower gets cursed and will never be used for Shiva Puja – Thazhampoo (Thalampoo). Then Brahma does tapas. After the tapas, ask for forgiveness, ask for, ask to have apologized, and beg Paramashiva. Paramashiva always has that eternal compassion. He says, “Alright, you will have a place in all My temples in north facing, where the … Abhishek Tirtha – the bathing, sacred bathing water of Paramashiva comes in that gomukham he will be there in that water, he can create the Universe. That is the water – Mantra Tirtha, he uses for creation. He is given a permanent place, and the Thazhampoo (Thalampoo) is given a shapa vimochana once a year on Shivaratri Day … for puja, Thazhampoo (Thalampoo) will be accepted. Only for that puja will Shiva Puja be used, not otherwise—no other time. Even now, in Tiruvannamalai Temple, only on Shivaratri Day the Lingodbhava will be worshiped with that Thazhampoo (Thalampoo). Otherwise, it will never be used for Shiva Puja.
It has lot of significance you need to understand. The deeper layer and meaning … knowledge and wealth cannot show you the ultimate and it is not ultimate. Enlightenment alone is ultimate. Understand. I always tell people, sangha are your personal life. Is not built on … the knowledge we have or the money we have. No! Whether your personal life or sangha or everything – is not built on knowledge or money, please understand! It is built on absolute integrity, Paramashiva – Pure powerfulness, love, integrity, enlightenment. Listen deeply. Whenever … you get deluded, your ability to create and your ability to maintain is the success of your life. You are absolutely deluded, even a small shake, you will just collapse, tumble down. Understand! Your ability to create or ability to maintain is not your power. Your ability to stand all the shakes and any destruction attempt, that is your power.
