Loosely translated into English, the Sanskrit term “Ekagrata” would mean intense focus. Now what exactly does that mean in the context of Lord Shiva and how does any of that have anything at all to do with people who do not know about Lord Shiva, or even if they do, they have no religious affiliations to him?
Lord Shiva and Ekagrata are not concepts that have a whole lot to do with mythology and religion per se. It becomes religious when one ascribes divine qualities to it but like all religions the world over, Hinduism opines that God or divinity exist within each one of us. As such the power of God also ought to exist in each one of us? Well may be not literally but figuratively.
Let us begin our thought on the subject of divinity by considering what could be the one universal concept that is attached to all manifestations of divinity, in every world religion?
It would not be an overstatement to suggest that the one abiding commonality happens to be the fact that divinity is associated with positive forces. That Gods, may or may not be easy to please, but they are evoked to being about positive and desirable changes in our life. In other words, different religions are basically different methods of arranging our lives in such a fashion that we may become closer to God, thereby leading a pious and rewarding life.
Lord Shiva is one of the very few Gods in the Hindu pantheon who actually sets out practical examples for his followers that could help improve their lives. In this particular article, let us understand why it becomes important to have Ekagrata in our lives, or if it is humanely possible to acquire this trait that is clearly one possessed by a God!
In the immediate aftermath of the demise of Goddess Sati, Lord Shiva was beside himself with grief. It was the first time he had fallen in love and now he was hurt. All of us know the bitter sweet agony of the loss of our first loves I presume? Well, so there he was, hurt and confused. How could it be that he who knew it all and was all powerful, could not prevent such a tragedy from happening? He concluded that asking such questions was tantamount to whining and there was nothing to be gained from the exercise. As such he decided to not have his mind go anywhere near the ideas of intimacy and togetherness with anyone in the future. Once again, this is a pledge most lovers make when they suffer a heart ache for the first time.
He forgot everything and set his mind upon intense meditation. His meditations were never the kind that separated him from the rest of the world, instead it helped him become a part of all things in creation. It helps him get past the narrow concerns surrounding the ‘individual self’, managing to place a significant attention on the fate of the rest of creation.
The legend continues about how Kaamdev (the Hindu equivalent of the Western Cupid) attempted to break Lord Shiva’s vow of asceticism. The Gods needed Lord Shiva to move out of his grief and continue with his life. Goddess Sati had by then reincarnated as Goddess Parvati and their union was necessary to birth a child who would alone have the power to vanquish the Demon King Tarkasura, wrecking havoc on the world. So Kaam Deva sets the atmosphere of romance in Kailash, brings Goddess Parvati on the scene, and strikes Lord Shiva with the arrow of desire. Shiva is awakened and realizes the trickery and his third eye of fiery rage opens that reduces Kaam Dev to ashes.
Now this may be interpreted as Lord Shiva having lost Ekagrata and flared with anger. If however one were to look deeper and at the larger picture surrounding Lord Shiva, one would note the following:
Shiva is all knowing and all powerful.
Even in his meditation he would’ve known of Tarakasura’s terror and the reincarnation of Sati as Parvati.
Why then does he react the way he does? A simplistic answer could be that his divine will or Leela is inscrutable thus we cannot really question it. The other reaction to that would be, those that wrote the story of Lord Shiva wanted to show him in a human light, capable of being aroused to anger and prone to failure.
Lord Shiva destroyed the physical form of Kaama Dev and dispersed his essence across the cosmos. As Ananga Dev- the formless God, Kaam Deva can now reach out to everyone, everywhere, spreading the process of regeneration, making the life cycle continue seamlessly. The destruction of Tarakasura was a given, it had to happen, the chain of events that roll the cosmic cycle is large and not something everyone can perceive. Lord Shiva can do it, because of Ekagrata.
It is not for human beings to become God or attempt becoming Godlike. We can however order our lives in a fashion conducive to godliness and positive progress. Ekagrata enables us to sideline all things unimportant and distracting. By completely focusing on each and every work and commitment at hand, we can dedicate our energies in making it a success, giving a lie to the erroneous concept of multitasking that makes us jack of all trades but masters of none. It is only when one pays total and undivided attention to one’s work, one’s personal relationship and does so having introspected about what one really aspires for in order to be happy, success and happiness walks into their life willingly. SO the ultimate underlying message is: take the pains and make it happen- Use Ekagrata as a tool to sustainable happiness.
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