om jaya Shiva Shambho -
meaning, discussion.
.
om jaya Shiva Shambho .
success Shiva Source of happiness.
“Wishing success for Shiva as the Source of happiness and health.”
om jaya Shiva Shambho .
success Shiva Source of happiness.
“Wishing success for Shiva as the Source of happiness and health.”
The Song.
Sacred Earth has a particularly moving recording of this mantra, that they call “Dancing Shiva.” It’s on their live album “Presence,” 2017, that complements well “om tare tutare ture”, the preceding song on this album. It well represents their style of performance in concert these days. “Dancing Shiva” could be their “best” song”. The CD sleeve has some particularly powerful imagery of Prem and Jethro that helps depict the special energy they can create in Kirtan.
You can listen to and buy this song as a single as a download at –
https://www.sacredearthmusic.com/listen-download album Presence, track 3 “Dancing Shiva.”
The Mantra Discussed
Shiva is a most important Name for Deity in the home country that we call “India.” There are many temples and shrines devoted to Shiva, and many people there are Shiva devotees. Shiva means many things to people brought up in the Hindu faith. What can Shiva mean to us, who lack this upbringing?
Let us explore the kind of Qualities that Shiva devotees attribute to Shiva, when applied to the in-dwelling Shiva. These include –
- a refuge or safe place and space, where we feel at ease, untroubled, confident, and open to share good things with others, and building this safety
- the release of painful thoughts, intentions, attitudes, so they may dissipate and dissolve, and no longer trouble us
- the vitality, energy and health of our body, and caring for it.
- the harmony, rhythm, dynamic motion of the Dance of life, that releases tension and guides action
- enjoying the simplicity of our lives, and appreciating all the good things we have
- directing our desires and motives down healthy and wholesome paths
- spiritual insight, that ability we have to see into the core of the troubles that beset us, and so come to a radical and lasting solution
- wisdom and knowing about spiritual practice and the healing process
- Perceiving all these pursuits as (part of) the Goal in our life, and our spiritual practice and healing
- Perceiving and valuing the beauty, serenity, spirituality, stability, purity of these pursuits
- The revelation of such spiritual wisdom, and then practising it.
(Adapted from Shiva websites written by Shiva devotees.)
When singing a mantra about Shiva, we can choose one of these Qualities of Shiva that best suits our situation, and focus on it.
Shambho (sometimes mis-spelled as Shambo) = Shambhu is another important Name for Deity. The word shambhu is made of two shorter words -
- śam (sham) शम् means : happiness, health, well being, inner peace
- bhū : means bringing, becoming and being.
In our mantra, Shiva is combined with Shambho. This suggests how we can return to Shiva, and what we need to do for the Qualities of Shiva to come to us, in our daily lives. Indeed, Shambho is a Name that is related to Shiva, goes with Shiva, and Shambho helps tell us how Shiva works in our daily life. This gives us the following interpretation -
- Shiva Shambho can mean “bringing, becoming and being the Qualities of Shiva into our daily lives, and
- Shiva Shambho can mean “the happiness, health and peace of these important Qualities of Shiva.”
In addition, Shambho is the genitive form of the noun Shambhu. This gives similar emphasis. The Qualities of Shiva are generated by bringing, becoming, and being these Qualities into our daily lives, in a conscious and purposeful way. Putting Shambhu into the genitive case reminds us to generate these Qualities of Shiva, in our daily spiritual practice.
More details of how we use the eight different cases in Sanskrit (and Pali) are at –
https://easysanskrit.wordpress.com/tag/eight-noun-cases/
Generating these important Qualities of Shiva is easier said than done. We need something else to help us in this important endeavour. So our mantra also includes the word jaya.
jaya can mean “success”. Wishing ourselves success in cultivating these important Qualities of Shiva and Shambho.
This is most important. All too often these Qualities are not strong and robust for us, and do not receive the necessary attention and priority that they deserve in our lives. We need to encourage ourselves to persist in our spiritual practice, with diligence.
All too often the drudgery of life and other defilements can block our access to these important Qualities of Deity. The following tactic can help us. We allow these Qualities to suddenly spring forth, or we suddenly put our attention onto them. In a sense, to catch the hindering and obstructing defilements off-guard. This is the momentary experience of enlightenment, when the door rapidly re-opens for us, and we are back in the Presence of Deity. Before the defilements can stop us.
Thus Sacred Earth use two different ways of singing this mantra. First, each word follows the previous in regular progression. Second time around, the mantra pauses on Shiva, and seems to conclude with Shiva. Then suddenly, Shambho springs up in the song. In a delightful way.
ॐ Om.
Om is not really a word, but rather a primordial and universal sound of healing. Reciting om is a special meditation, and the full meaning of om is best realised by reciting it.
As a sound, om is like a bridge between the busy-ness of daily life and the quiet focus of meditation. It’s a good way to begin Kirtan, and often the Kirtan musicians begin their concert by inviting everyone to join them in chanting the om mantra. Many of our mantras begin with om.
For more translated Sanskrit mantras :
click onto the + at the top of this webpage, then click again onto the +
My introductory webpages “Mantras Translated A - C”
discuss how to gain the full benefit of these mantra writeups.
click onto the + at the top of this webpage, then click again onto the +
My introductory webpages “Mantras Translated A - C”
discuss how to gain the full benefit of these mantra writeups.
