A night to be awake and aware! #Mahashivaratri 2017 🎶🎷🎵🎼❤️ योगेश्वराय महादेवाय त्र्यम्बकाय त्रिपुरांतकाय त्रिकाग्नि कालाय कालाग्नि रुद्राय नीलकंठाय मृत्युंजयाय सर्वेश्वराय सदाशिवाय महादेवाय नमः महादेवाय नमः महादेवाय नमः #yoga #yogi #mahashivratri #adiyogi #india #festival #incredibleindia

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 24, 2017 at 8:39am PST

Earlier in February 2017, life intensity peaked with Mahashivaratri. I had returned from my 3 month travel in December. And especially with the ride to Tiruvannamalai, the trip had just gotten really intense and impactful. I was in bit of a daze back in Mumbai, and very gladly took up the 40 day sadhana for Mahashivaratri given by Sadhguru. Have been doing this since the last 3 years. Great experience every time.

Being an avid blogger and social media person, I saw some other friends planning a series around Shiva forms, and so I was piqued and over-excited to do the same.

#Repost @anushankarn ・・・ Sahasralinga, Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Follow the #FormsofShiva series by @sudhagee & @anushankarn When I heard of this I also wanted to do a Shiva series, so I started my #Mahashivaratri specific updates since last few days 🙂 #shiva #india #incredibleindia #heritage

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 19, 2017 at 7:10pm PST

I wasn’t too keen about ‘historic sculptures and forms’, not my forte. So I decided to do a series on Shiva in my life.

Recapping here, you may find these interesting 🙂

Oh, and my instagram account is mostly about my travel adventures, but I do post Spirituality stuff once in a while. Anyway travel and all other aspects of life are all interwoven with spirituality. They cannot be separate.

Damru

A Damru I playfully bought at the Ujjain Kumbhmela. Didn’t think much of it but I noticed the unique style of playing it with one hand. And imagined Shiva and his ganas playing the Damru as they strolled on the planet. In a recent sathsang with Sadhguru, he spoke about how the instrument depicted with specific Gods had a deeper significance. The sound of it resonates with those energy forms. So I find this Damru too cool. #Love #Shiva Start of my #Mahashivaratri series of updates, until next week. #hindu #hinduism #musical #musicalinstruments #ancientindia #india #mahashivratri #yoga #religion #spirituality

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 17, 2017 at 6:12am PST

Nandi

Nandi at Virupaksha temple, Hampi. It creates a loving and devoted picture outside every Shiva temple. I was reading the English translation of the Arunachalam Purana recently and it is a dialogue between rishi Markendey and Nandi, who here is a sword clad warrior. 😀 It was such an interesting other avatar of this meditative bull. #love #nandi #shiva Part of my #Mahashivaratri series #temple #hindu #hinduism #religion #india #incredibleindia #bharat #devotee #mahashivratri #bnw #blacknwhite #hampi #karnataka

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 18, 2017 at 6:09am PST

Talking about Nandi yesterday, this is one of the 4th largest idol at Chamundi Hills, Mysore. I have been here a number of times. Because just nearby down the road is the spot where Sadhguru got enlightened. However enigmatic Shiva seemed to me earlier, it is only through Sadhguru that I have grasped some understanding and value of this Hindu lore. I am now waiting for his new book #AdiYogi. It is up for pre-order on Amazon. #Love Sadhguru #Shiva Rambling on towards #mahashivaratri #hindu #hinduism #india #bharat #incredibleindia #nandi #mysore #महाशिवरात्री #नंदी

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 19, 2017 at 6:59am PST

Arunachala

Love #Arunachala Second solo cycling ride in India from Kanchipuram to Thiruvannamalai became one mad, intense pilgrimage to Arunachala. Sat to write the blog post for it – talk about cycling, safety for a woman solo cycling and so on… it became a 5000 word article just for the one day. And then I wanted to write so much more on Arunachala. So figured I can write a mini book. 😀 (don’t worry will prolly put a briefer cycling related post too) Arunachala is not an abode of Shiva. It is considered one of the greatest forms of Shiva especially for a seeker. #Shiva #Mahashivaratri #india #incredibleindia #pilgrimage #saivism #southindia #mahashivratri #bharat #festival

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 20, 2017 at 8:12am PST

Vilva

This is the best pic I could take of Vilva leaves dipped in honey with peppercorns. It is what we have in the mornings as part of #Mahashivaratri sadhana. Sadhguru started this Mahashivaratri sadhana thing 3 years back and I have always been pretty over excited about it. Once Mahashivaratri comes and goes, it feels like a void for a while. The best part of this is, that I don’t have to interact with the organization at all to participate. Works for me. #india #incredibleindia #leaf #leafy #pepper #shiva #yoga #yogi #adiyogi #sadhguru

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 21, 2017 at 6:44am PST

Rudraksha

Rudraksha, the tears (of ecstasy) of #Shiva. Often people are curious about this mala and why I wear it. It has been years since I have been wearing it and now I don’t wish to bother with anything else. Cosmetic jewellery stands for the social consumerist lifestyle while this for something much deeper and meaningful. What a lot of people don’t know is that the rudraksha mala can be used to detect food properties – positive pranic food versus negative pranic foods. So yogis can use it to decide which of the food donated to them, they should eat. And in times of danger (maybe from other rival sects) they can detect if any of the food contains poison. Part of the #Mahashivaratri series. #india #indian #incredibleindia #yoga #yogi #yogalove #karma #liberation #adiyogi #sadhguru #bnw

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 22, 2017 at 3:30am PST

Vibhuti

The only thing left to add to my series of #Mahashivaratri updates is Vibhuti. Shiva is often said to be covered with this sacred ash. He of course uses ash from the cremation ground but for most of us normal folks, ash of mummy cow’s dung is good enough. I find this ash to be amazingly powerful and the feeling of putting some after yoga practices and a bath is ethereal. It helps direct our energies and is usually put on spots which enhance our life perception like the Agna chakra (between the eyebrows). #yoga #yogi #shiva #sacred #india #indian #hindu #yogalove #awesome #mahashivratri #festival #yogaforlife #yogagram

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 23, 2017 at 9:53am PST

And the day of Mahashivaratri,

Jyotirlinga Trimbakeshwar

त्र्यंबकेशवर ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर #Mahashivaratri is a festival of being awake and aware. So no sleeping tonight. The Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga temple is in my mind today. I spent an amazing morning meditating here during my first Kumbh mela visit there. I am very thankful that we in India have such powerful energy spots to meditate and imbibe. Talking about Vibhuti yesterday, this temple Vibhuti used to be from the cremation grounds. But apparently certain people complained and then it was changed to the normal cow dung variant. Hope we can look deeper into our ancient traditions and preserve what is valuable without changing it simply to suit modern sensibilities. At the same remove the junk accumulated over the centuries. Has to be done with care and deep understanding. Har har mahadev! #mahashivratri #shiva #india #incredibleindia #yoga #yogi #yogalove #jyotirlinga #festival #yogagram

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 23, 2017 at 7:30pm PST

Mahshivaratri is a festival to stay awake and aware. At Isha Sadhguru also expects us to dance the whole night through – they organize an all night program which is also live streamed on web and TV. I make it a point to keep this program running through the night. Though at the side I may be doing some other stuff. Some years when I was very busy running my company, I would take this opportunity to put in a few hours of extra work.

Volunteering at the Isha ashram for Mahashivaratri can be one mad experience. These volunteers won’t sleep the night before the festival either, as they are working for the festive night event for which lakhs of people come down from all across the world. I have volunteered once this way in the Isha ashram where I didn’t sleep both nights, and I must tell you it is one wild experience. Sadhguru keeps talking about being stoned without any chemicals – just on the consecrated space and your sadhana – that is exactly how it was. Really helps put perspective to life. When life can be so awesome without any material possessions or ego pandering.

And this amazing Mahashivaratri was followed by reading the Adiyogi book. I have reviewed it here if you are curious. 🙂

#Adiyogi ❤️🎶🎵💞 #book #read #incredibleindia #yoga #yogi #india #heritage #shiva

A post shared by Priyanka Dalal (@priyankawriting) on Feb 28, 2017 at 6:03am PST