It is said, this Stotram was written by Ravana (a great devotee of Lord Shiva) himself. One who chants this Stotram, gets the grace of Lord Shiva. Though, this Stotram is not easy to chant, but as one learns to chant it; it gives entirely new experience as the entire body starts vibrating.

Another Shvia Tandava, beautifully sung, you can get from here.

जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले
गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम्
डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं
चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम् …[1]

जटाकटाहसंभ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी
विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि
धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके
किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम … [2]

धराधरेन्द्रनंदिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर
स्फुरद्दिगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे
कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि
क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि … [3]

लताभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा
कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे
मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे
मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि … [4]

सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर
प्रसूनधूलिधोरणी विधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः
भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटक
श्रियै चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः … [5]

ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गभा
निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम्
सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं
महाकपालिसम्पदेशिरोजटालमस्तु नः … [6]

करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल
द्धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायके
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक
प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम … [7]

नवीनमेघमण्डली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत्
कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः
निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः
कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः … [8]

प्रफुल्लनीलपङ्कजप्रपञ्चकालिमप्रभा
वलम्बिकण्ठकन्दलीरुचिप्रबद्धकन्धरम्
स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं
गजच्छिदांधकच्छिदं तमंतकच्छिदं भजे … [9]

अखर्व सर्वमङ्गलाकलाकदंबमञ्जरी
रसप्रवाहमाधुरी विजृंभणामधुव्रतम्
स्मरान्तकं पुरान्तकं भवान्तकं मखान्तकं
गजान्तकान्धकान्तकं तमन्तकान्तकं भजे … [10]

जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजङ्गमश्वस
द्विनिर्गमत्क्रमस्फुरत्करालभालहव्यवाट्
धिमिद्धिमिद्धिमिध्वनन्मृदङ्गतुङ्गमङ्गल
ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तित प्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः … [11]

स्पृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजङ्गमौक्तिकस्रजोर्
गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः
तृष्णारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः
समप्रवृत्तिकः सदा सदाशिवं भजे … [12]

कदा निलिम्पनिर्झरीनिकुञ्जकोटरे वसन्
विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरः स्थमञ्जलिं वहन्
विमुक्तलोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः
शिवेति मंत्रमुच्चरन् कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम् … [13]

इदम् हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं
पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेतिसंततम्
हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं
विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशङ्करस्य चिंतनम् … [14]

पूजावसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं
यः शंभुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे
तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेन्द्रतुरङ्गयुक्तां
लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखिं प्रददाति शंभुः … [15]

Below terms work beyond the ordinary capabilities, for vision, feeling, hearing and smelling, etc.

Clairvoyance is used for vision.
Clairsentience is used for feeling/touching.
Clairaudience is used for hearing/listening.
Clairalience is used for smelling.
Claircognizance is used for knowing.
Clairgustance is used for tasting.

The terms like: omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful) and omniscience (knowing everything) — are the highly spiritual terms, unlike the above they aren’t easy to master. Thanks to Dr. Retish Ambat for above terms.

Lord Vishnu takes this avatar to protect his devotees from demonic forces: evil spirits, bad people and other threatening situations. This chant calls forth his might to destroy the negative forces. Here, you can find the meaning of this chant. Thanks to an ISKCON devotee, who introduced me all the stuff.

Baba Ramdev is telling the benefits of Kapalbhati. Interesting watch!

It comes down from the Brahmarshi Vishvamitra, who was once a King, but later on his life he turned as Vishwamitra (Vishwa = world, mitra = friend; the friend of everyone), and the title Brahmarshi was given to him by Rishi Vasistha. In fact, it was Rishi Vasistha who melted the pride of a King and turned him into Vishvamitra, and next Brahmarshi Visvamitra. Brahmarshi is the rarest title not available to an ordinary Rishi.

Brahmarshi Visvamitra had a daughter, named Shakuntala. And she also had a son, named Bharata — a great emperor. With his name India got the ancient name as “Bharata.”

Some people work on things, some work on the body, and some work on the mind — but few work on the consciousness, which drives mind, body, things and everything. If consciousness is not evolved, how can a good life be possible?

The level of our consciousness settles the quality of our lives. The difference among a demon, an angel and an ordinary person — is just of consciousness. When it starts evolving, a person starts becoming an angel and ultimately the God. And when its level starts decreasing, a person becomes a demon, and suffers in his created hell.

The people who worked on consciousness, they made their and other’s lives beautiful. And the people who work on consciousness, they are remembered, rest are not needed, I think.

It is a healthy body, a healthy mind, the healthy emotions and the balanced energy. It’s like to prepare a environment with good soil, proper watering and enough sun-light – for a seed to grow, and the seed grows itself.

Healthy body: the yoga exercises are good for the body.

Healthy mind: all the things which grow understanding, and set free from limited belief system and biased ideologies – are good for the mind.

Healthy emotions: understanding of attachment, detachment … love and hate – the opposite emotions, more exactly understanding the Kathoupanishad terms “Preya and Shreya,” helps to give healthy emotions. No doubt knowledge is the driving factor behind emotions. Emotions driven by the ignorance are the disastrous ones.

Balanced Energy: if I tell you what precisely it is, check the difference when you wake up early in the morning, you have plenty of energy in you – and in the evening when you are tired, you have lesser energy. Most of the time doing unnecessary things decay our energy, i.e., shaking legs, un-useful thinking, being in panic or uncertainty, and succumbing to chaos, etc.

That is 2 hours 40 minutes, 10% of 24 hours. This is some secret amount of time, I think, lesser number of people are able to meditate 2.40 hours in one sitting. They are mostly told 1 hour per sitting.

As water doesn’t boil below 100°C, 2.40 hours are somewhere true to get the divine qualities in life. The great spiritual people meditate, meditate very regularly; 2-3 hours of meditation is just the part of their lives. The spiritual people who are flourishing these days also have done intensive meditation regularly, and still they never leave it.

Isn’t it that 2.40 hours of time is that which we truly dedicate to ourselves? Otherwise totally lost and decay our mental, emotional and physical energy — in this and that of the world.

If anybody chooses to meditate for 2.40 hours regularly. The time from 4 am to 6. 40 am may be a good option for them.

Photo: Giovanni Baglione

Here, there is two colors: one is visible, that is known by sayings “I love you, I can’t live without you, You’re my life, etc.,” and doing some visible stuffs, i.e., a hug, few gifts, serving and caring for something, etc. The second love is invisible, though the words are harsh, actions are hurting but they all are governed by the deep love inside, though hard to recognize at a given moment, but later in life that invisible love clears everything.

As I see, the most of the people are driven by the first kind of love, the visible love – as soon as the visibility is gone, the love is gone. Then another partner and another love, and the same thing again.

When we see any fault in our partner, we want to remove him or her from our life, rather wait and help that person to grow and become a far more better person, perhaps we don’t want to grow in ourselves, unless we grow how can be expect our partner to be grown? Or we ever need the person of our “dream,” and in-turn that person expect us to be the “person of his or her dream,” we terribly fail here – when we see perfection everywhere overlooking our own imperfections. It is OK, that life is not about making compromise with imperfections of the other person and to suffer the whole life, but it is not OK to leave other person for his or her imperfections. Play the hard love! The invisible love. Do things to put that person on track. This is not easy to tell how to do things exactly, but under controlled conditions play your role very hard, positively. That with each stroke, that person starts shifting from “this” to “that, where you want his or her life should be,” not as per your fancies of the mind but as per it is ethically correct. It is also possible that the person whom with you are playing hard love, may leave you – but he or she will ever appreciate you that you made his or her life. And it is also possible if he or she has little intelligence, to fall back in your open arms. Whatever the case, you will feel proud of you, as you have been the real lover, you ever wanted good of that person in every way, whether he or she is with you or not.

The word Samadhi is the combination of two words: “Sama,” and “Dhi.” “Sama” means no-variation; there should be one, same level. “Dhi” means the mind. Now we can conclude, when the mind exists in its equal state all the time, that is possible in thoughtlessness — then the Samadhi happens.

There are two types of Samadhi, in the first a man have enough control over himself and he decides when to come-back from Samadhi. And in the second, a man doesn’t have enough control when to come-back from Samadhi, at this state, the nature decides for him when to come-back. In Hindu terminology, the first is called Savikalpa Samadhi and the second is called Nirvikalpa Samadhi.