“You are not a separate being worshipping Shiva. You are
Shiva experiencing himself. The journey is not toward something else; it is
back to yourself”

Everything in this universe, seen and unseen, is made of one
energy. This is not just a spiritual idea but a fundamental truth that
underlies existence. In Hindu thought, this energy is often called Shiva,
the ultimate reality that exists before creation and after dissolution. When
nothing remains, what is left is Shiva. Just as anything burned to its final
form turns to ash, and that ash is Shiva, everything ultimately returns to its
source.

The Illusion of Separateness: The Role of Ego

If everything is one, why do we feel separate? Why do we
experience ourselves as individuals distinct from the rest of the universe? The
answer lies in ego, which creates the illusion of individuality. But
even ego is made of the same one energy—it is simply a temporary formation, a
wave in the infinite ocean.

A drop of water, when separated from the ocean, appears
distinct. Yet, when it merges back, it was never truly separate in the first
place. Similarly, our sense of self exists only until we dissolve back into the
whole. This is why unknowingly, we feel an innate pull toward spirituality—it
is the call of the infinite within us, reminding us of our true nature, the
energy within us (the drop) is always seeking to merge back into its original
source (the ocean).

The Power of Maya: Forgetting the Truth

Understanding this truth is not difficult. The real
challenge is remembering it. The force that makes us forget is called Maya,
the illusion that makes the world appear as a collection of separate things
rather than one unified whole. Even those who realize the truth can be pulled
back into illusion by Maya.

It is like dreaming—while in the dream, everything feels
real. But the moment you wake up, you realize it was just an illusion. Our
daily lives are much the same. The experience of separation is temporary;
ultimate reality is oneness.

Why Did Shiva Create All of This?

If there is only one energy, why did it create the universe?
Why did it create Maya and the illusion of separateness? The simplest answer
is: because that is its nature.

Imagine yourself alone in an empty space for eternity. What
would you do? You would eventually create, explore, and express. Just as a
child plays without reason, Shiva plays through creation. This is called Lila,
the divine play. The universe is not born out of need but out of pure
expression.

For this play to feel real, Shiva created Maya—the illusion
of separation. If everything was obviously one at all times, there would be no
experience, no journey, no discovery. The game is designed so that we forget,
search, struggle, and finally remember that we were never separate at all.

Waking Up from the Illusion

The purpose of spirituality is not to attain something new
but to remember what we already are. When we remove the illusion of ego
and Maya, we realize that we are, and have always been, Shiva.

This realization does not mean rejecting the world but
seeing it for what it truly is—a dance of the One Energy, playing as the many.