Yogi Majra is a small town near Ludhiana in Punjab, which was the hub of yogis 100 years ago, and that is how it got its name. I went there 13 years ago as part of a group led by shakti path yog guru, Yogi Ashwini of Delhi’s Dhyan Ashram. The green and largely open place we visited in Yogi Majra was the shrine of a saint. It was run under the supervision of a frail, old Sikh saint, who exuded light. The chemistry between him and Yogi Ashwini was wonderful as they both touched each other’s feet.
As Yogi Ashwini chanted the Shiv Tandav Stotra, the young Sikh men around the saint got riveted. Later, they reported a massive vibration experienced by them: “It is as though the very ground on which I stood was quaking,” said one of them. He, like the others at the shrine, knew nothing about Shiv Tandav Stotra, had never heard it before.
In 2018, I met a student of Yogi Ashwini’s in Hyderabad. She told me that when she first heard Shiv Tandav Stotra from him, she saw an image of Ravan materialise in front of her. However, she was shy to say that aloud when asked about her experience while listening to it. “I thought it would be an embarrassment to say I saw Ravan, but a few moments later, I got to know that the Stotra was composed by Ravan.” She, too, had not heard it before.
Such is the energy of this composition, and of course, the bhav of the yogi who chanted it, that the earth vibrates to its sound. The chanting of Shiv Tandav Stotra can not only facilitate a vision of Lord Shiv but also that of his devotee that was Ravan. But why was the lady “embarrassed” about having seen Ravan? That is because he is commonly seen as the opposite of good.
However, there are pious people in the country who worship Ravan and whose view about Ram and Ravan is not politically coloured—unlike that of the (late) M. Karunanidhi variety of Dravidians.
A devotee of Shri Premanand ji of Vrindavan recently told him that he came from a village—he did not say its name– where Ravan was worshipped by all Brahmin pandits. He sounded almost apologetic on behalf of his village as he said that, and asked if it was the right thing to do. Shri Premanand ji’s reply was delightfully objective. Here is paraphrasing what Premanand ji said:
You must understand that Ravan, who played a role against Ram, was no ordinary human. He is part of God’s Jai Vijay parshad (representative)and, therefore, God. He was a parangat vidvan of the shastra. It is not as though he lost it all or became totally characterless (by his act of abduction of Sita).
Shri Premanand further said that when Ramayan aarti is done, it is also Ravan aarti, because Ramayan describes the birth and life of Ravan as well. By playing the villain’s role, Ravan was eventually bringing out and highlighting the power and glory of Ram. No ordinary human could have played that role. If someone is worshipping Ravan, we cannot criticise him.
We worship Ram, more particularly, his character. Ravan is a parshad of Ram, not outside of him; Ravan manifested characterlessness because he was ordained to represent the negative force and oppose Ram, and his effigy is burnt because it represents the annihilation of the negative he represented. Otherwise, he was extraordinary. Bhagwan hai, koi agyani nahin. khar dooshan mohi sam balvanta, tinhahi ko maarai binu bhagwanta (Rakshasas Khar and Dushan were as strong as me. Who else can kill them except God?)
Shri Premanand ji’s clinical view was meant to educate the listeners and to evolve their thinking to a point where everything just is, where judgement drops, where acceptance of the divine scheme of things is absolute, where one rises above duality and where one sees the negative and positive as part of the whole. These are some of the wonderful things about listening to Premanand ji or any enlightened being.
So, if you experience a vibration or see Ravan while hearing the Shiv Tandav Stotra, don’t feel bad. Enjoy. And remember the great pandit and the staunch devotee of Lord Shiv that was Ravan. The rest is all divine play.
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