The Connection With Lord Shiva That Was Formed When I Was A Child

My connection with Lord Shiva was formed when I was a small child. One of my earliest memories was visiting the beautiful Shankaracharya temple in Srinagar in Kashmir, as a five-year-old. My father used to take me to this temple every time we visited Srinagar. He was an ardent follower of Lord Shiva. It was a sacred and picturesque place located at the top of a mountain.

We had to walk for a long time to get there. I remember enjoying the arduous trek to the temple. As soon as we reached the top of the mountain, a wave of bliss and serenity descended on us. There was something so magical and captivating about this place. I remember feeling overwhelmed with the silence and the peace in this temple.

For many years, I had a vision of the Amarnath shrine in my dreams. I saw myself walking around the mountain to reach the temple, the ice-bound Lingam and two beautiful doves near the shrine. It was an ancient snowbound place that beckoned me with its peace and beauty. I asked my parents later to remind me of the time we visited Amarnath, but they insisted that they had never taken me there. I was certain I had seen it! It was a feeling and a deep knowing that I had been there. The question is, when? Maybe, in another birth?

I remember the time when my son was being born, and I was in the operating theatre, undergoing a caesarean section. I was in a delirious state and under the influence of local anaesthesia. The entire experience around me felt surreal. It was like I was out of this world but still in it, watching everything. As soon as my son was picked up and brought out of my body, a loud voice resonated in my ears: He is Shiva! He is Shiva! It kept reverberating around me.

I felt this as a realisation, as a deep knowing in my being. It was not only a voice. I knew it, and I believed it. I was not a follower of Shivji at that time in my life. I believed in Shirdi Sai Baba. Yet this information was passed on to me. We named our son Ishaan after Lord Shiva, as Shivji wanted it this way.

In 2021, when I was going through a turbulent phase in my personal life, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw that I was visiting a beautiful temple of Lord Shiva in Mukteshwar in Kumaon. I had never visited this temple before. I saw it for the first time in my dream and with a lot of detail. This temple was located on top of a hill. I walked up the long flight of white steps that led up to the temple. This temple was unique because as soon as I entered it, I saw Shirdi Sai Baba and Lord Shiva sitting next to each other.

I was amazed to see them together in this way. They were sitting in a meditation posture, facing me. Baba smiled at me. Shiv ji’s eyes were closed. He seemed to be deep in meditation. His body was a deep indigo blue, like the colour of the evening sky just before it merges into the night. I bowed down before Sai Baba and touched his feet. I then asked Baba to give me some Vibhuti. I seemed to be searching for Vibhuti (sacred ash) in the temple, but could not find it anywhere. Then suddenly, I saw Shivji turning his body towards me. He opened his eyes.

I remember noticing his eyes. They looked like two smouldering coals. The white and black in his eyes shone like mesmerising stars in the night sky. He hurled a ton of sacred Vibhuti towards me. The ash fell all over me, covering me with it and all around me in heaps. There was so much. I was choking with emotion and gratitude. I fell on Baba’s feet and thanked him for blessing me.

That same morning, my son called me from Mukteshwar, excited that he had just visited a beautiful temple of Lord Shiva, which was so unique because it had Sai Baba and Shivji placed in the same temple! He sent me pictures of the temple. I could not believe my eyes. It was the same temple that I saw in my dream! Baba and Shiv ji had come in person to bless me for the days that lay ahead in my life, as I discovered later.

A few weeks later, I was admitted to the hospital for surgery. I was going through a difficult phase in my life at that time. I was emotionally distraught as there was no one by my side at a time when I really needed someone. No one came to see me either. Due to Sai Baba’s grace, I kept chanting Lord Shiva and Sai Baba’s name all the while I was in the hospital. Chanting their name gave me so much peace and strength. I felt their strong presence beside me. When I was being taken for the surgery, I closed my eyes and saw Shivji and Baba standing next to me. Tears kept rolling down my face. I surrendered myself to them. I am grateful to Shiv ji and Baba for being there for me. They wanted me to know that I was not alone. That gave me the strength to go through everything.

In 2023, my son went through a turbulent phase in his life. I turned to Baba for help, and he came to help me! He showed me the role of Shivji in Ishaan’s life. I took my son to Ujjain twice after Baba guided me to do so. Going to Ujjain was a beautiful experience for me personally, as it was for Ishaan. I was flowing in Shivji’s vibration. Shiv ji pulled Ishaan out of danger and cured him of his problem. I followed Baba’s guidance for Ishaan, and slowly and steadily, my son was healed. Baba and Shivji continue to guide my son in his journey forward.

Thank you, Shivji, for watching over my family and me. When I close my eyes in meditation, I sometimes see Shivji surrounding me and protecting me in His embrace. He is a presence that has always been there. Eternal. Ever loving. And strong.

Om Namah Shivaya.

(The author is a certified Life Coach, Therapist and Healer)

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