There is a story of Sudharma Brahmin in Shivpuran. He remained satisfied, happy and in a non-dual state. He had a devout wife named Sudeha. Much of his life passed but he did not have any son. Still the philosopher Sudharma did not feel sad at all. But his wife was very sad about not having a son. She asked her husband to try for a son. Then Sudharma would scold him and explain what his son would do. Who is whose mother and who is whose father, who is the son and who is the brother or friend. Everyone is selfish. Once a neighbor woman scolded Sudeha for not having a son. She again started complaining to her husband. He explained to her a lot but when she still did not understand, he placed two flowers in front of her and asked her to pick one of them. Sudeha picked up the flower on which the Brahmin had thought about not having a son. Still she did not agree and threatened to commit suicide without her son. Then Sudeha brought her real sister Ghushma and asked her husband to marry her for a son. Sudharma explained to her that she would become jealous of her if she had a son, which would hurt her. On that Ghushma said how could she be jealous of her real sister. Ghushma used to make, worship and immerse one hundred and one earthly Lingas every day. In this way, when the number of one lakh Lingas was completed, she was blessed with a beautiful son. Sudharma was very happy to see him and started enjoying pleasures without attachment. After that Sudeha became very jealous of Ghushma. All the relatives started respecting Ghushma. Although Sudharma still gave more respect and love to Sudeha, there was deceit in her mind. Ghushma’s son also got married. Burning Sudeha Couldn’t stay calm on a day. She killed the stepson who slept with his wife, dismembered his body and threw those pieces into the river. Coincidentally, Sudeha also used to immerse the earthly shivlingas at the same place. When the daughter-in-law woke up in the morning and saw splattered blood and pieces of her husband’s body scattered on the bed, she cried. Sudeha also started crying while acting. But Ghushma did not feel sad at all and continued fasting for the Shiva’s prayers. Her husband also did not pay any attention until the Shivling worship was completed. With a steady mind, she took the name of Shiva and went to leave the earthly Shivalingas and when she turned back, she saw her son on the banks of that lake. Ghushma was not very happy to see her son alive, just as she was not sad at his death, but remained ready to meditate on Lord Shiva. At the same time, Satisfied Sadashiv appeared from there and asked Ghushma to ask for a boon. Then she asked for the boon of protecting her sister Sudeha. When Shiva expressed surprise at this, Ghushma said that all the sins are destroyed by the mere sight of the one who does good to the one who does harm. Then Shiva became happy with this and asked her to ask for another boon. Then Ghushma asked Shiva to always stay with her. On this, Shiva settled there under the name Ghushmeshwar Linga. Seeing her son alive, Sudeha felt ashamed and sought forgiveness from both of them and started fasting to erase her sins.
Psychological analysis of the ghushmeshwar linga story
The glory of Karmayoga, non-attachment and non-duality has been described in this story. Ghushma was not very happy even after seeing her son. Meaning, a Karmayogi also feels happy for the benefit of another person, but not much, that is, not so much that he becomes attached to him. Ghushma did not feel sad at all after seeing her dead son. The one who had to go, has gone. What was the use of feeling sad for him? There was no sorrow for herself at all, meaning the Karmayogi does not accept sorrow for himself at all. Perhaps he doesn’t even consider happiness for himself. The little happiness she felt on seeing his living son must have been for him, not for herself. By living in a non-duality, one automatically starts concentrating on the desired aka ishta. It is said that she was not happy to see her son alive, but remained attentive to Lord Shiva. As far as justice is concerned, meditation on God should give rise to a feeling of non-duality, perhaps this is what has happened. This is the principle reason behind the development of spiritual qualities through Kundalini meditation. A dead person can never come alive. Whatever she saw as her dead son, she saw him in her mind only because of her deep meditation due to the influence of her Shiv Sadhana. Then she also saw Shiva, which means she became awakened by that meditation. If her son had really come alive then why would Sudeha do penance and atone for it, because then the sin of killing her son would itself have been destroyed if her son was alive. The story tells indirectly that seeing her killed son in the meditative imagination of sudeha by ghushma made her remember her that sin repeatedly that propelled her to do penance. Many films have been made on such types of stepmothers. A Punjabi film Saunkan Saunkne seems to have exactly the same story. The difference is that the daughter-in-law in this herself separated and went to her maternal home before any harm could be done by her. As far as forgiving the one who has done wrong is concerned, the Vedas and Puranas are full of such examples. Perhaps that is why Hinduism is the most tolerant community. But many communities also took unfair advantage of it. It is said that if Prithviraj Chauhan had not forgiven Muhammad Gauri in the battle of Tarain, India would not have become like a slave of the Mughals for hundreds of years. Glimpse of slavery still appears existing in some form or the other. Everyone knows which communities can create the most obstacles in implementing the population control law and uniform civil code. There are many such examples. Now take Myanmar’s Buddhist saint Wirathu. His statement was widely shared on social media that love and tolerance are good but you cannot sleep next to a mad dog. Well, this thing started based on Purana, it has no separate purpose. Overall, extremism is harmful everywhere. Meaning that forgiving others is certainly very virtuous, but if the person in front is inclined to kill you then what will you do with that virtue, because everything depends on the body. However, Lord Shiva seems to be against this extremism, because almost everywhere he expresses surprise at such a boon of extreme tolerance. He would not have been surprised if asking for such a boon was natural or absolutely right. By the way, he was also very happy about this. Meaning that the line dividing tolerance and over-tolerance is very thin, and reactions should be tailored to the occasion. I think people like Ghushma, Atri etc. were great devotees of Shiva who attained awakening with the help of Shivalinga. To honor them, permanent Shivalingas would have been built in their names at their residences so that people could continue to get inspiration from them. When physical scientists are also given such credit then why not spiritual scientists? This seems to be the reason behind the origin of Ghushmeshwar Linga, Atrishwar Linga etc. This story also gives an idea that remembering someone after death gives him/her benefits in the next world. It is possible that when Ghushma, through intense meditation, saw her son alive, he may have become alive in a subtle way, although of course not visible to anyone. That is why many cultures have a tradition of remembering and worshiping dead relatives every year. Perhaps this is a relationship similar to that between a mother and the child growing in her womb. Many times, when an evil spirit resides in someone’s body, it also makes him do wrong things. Then he has to be chased away with the help of Tantrikas. That is why it is said to avoid bad company. Good souls do not interfere much in anyone’s body because they understand their limitations, however, they keep guiding them on the right path whenever the need arises. Therefore, there is no need to chase them away, rather it is done by calling them, like invocation of the gods. Well, moreover what strange can not happen in this world full of wonders.
Demystifying Kundalini 