mRRityu~njayam mRRityu bhiyAshritAnAm

ahammatirmRRityumupaiti pUrvam

atha svabhAvAdamRRiteShu teShu

katham punarmRRityu dhiyaH avakAshaH—2

mRRityu~njayam = vanquisher of mortality;  mRRityu bhiyA = by the fear of death;

AshritAnAm= of those who have sought protection; ahammatiH = the ‘I’ notion (I am

devotee);mRRityumupaiti = attains death;  pUrvam = first; atha = thereafter;  svabhAvAt =

by nature;amRRiteShu teShu = in the immortals; katham = how; punaH =again; mRRityu

dhiyaH = of the notion of death; avakAshaH = possibility.

The vanquisher of mortality (Lord shiva) destroys the “I am a devotee’ notion of those who have sought protection in him. Thereafter in them, who are immortal by nature, how can there be a notion of death?

Lord shiva is called mRRityu~njaya. He destroys the mortality of those who seek his protection. What does this mean?

I, as the individual see myself as limited. I consider myself as a part in the whole. A natural consequence is the rest of the world is the other part and the Lord is the protector of all parts. There is this feeling and need of being salvaged by the protector and one becomes a devotee. This devotee-hood though seems religious and serene makes once life stagnant and redundant, in that, the division is set and maintained forever. One has to grow beyond this. At the beginning, it is helpful to consider oneself a devotee, but carrying it too long will stunt a person’s spiritual growth. Continue reading →