His Holiness Maunatapasvi Sri. Jadeya Shantalingeshwar Swamiji
The power of knowledge destroys ignorance; The power of light dissipates darkness; The power of truth is foe of all untruth; The sharana's experience of God is the sole cure of worldliness; Lord Kudala Sangamadeva This Vachana was composed by Vishwaguru Basaveshwara of the 12th century A.D., the crest jewel of the Veerashaiva Dharma. With these words as the firm foundation of spirit, imparting the power of knowledge and truth and, thereby spreading light into this world to elevate people onto the divine path of Sharanas to experience God is His Holiness Sri Jadé Shantalingeshwar Swamiji. Sri Jadé Shantalingeshwar Swamiji has and continues to enshrine God in mind and body for a myriad of people far and wide. With sparkling eyes, a lustrous face, a smiling countenance, a string of holy beads around his neck and prominent lines of Vibuthi on His forehead, He is divinity personified. True and simple as He is, He is a beacon of light transforming devotees' mundane lives into sacred existence. He directs His devotees to see things in their true light, face difficulties with optimism and progress in every sphere. Swamiji practices Mauna i.e. silence and has chosen to remain that way for more than three decades now. Every year, He only speaks on the festival of Ugadi and on New Year’s Eve and communicates through writing when required. In the quest for God and in the struggle to tread the right path many have taken refuge in a Guru. The word 'Guru' is derived from Sanskrit, wherein the syllable 'Gu' denotes darkness referring to the spiritual ignorance mankind is inflicted with and the syllable 'Ru' represents the spiritual knowledge that eradicates this ignorance. It is indeed our great fortune that we have the privilege of Sri Jadé Shantalingeshwar Swamiji as our Guru steering our lives in the appropriate direction. His divine grace and love not only inspire everyone to make living meaningful and beautiful but also guard us from unfavorable forces. Lingayat Dharma postulates the worship of the Shiv Linga in the form of Ishta Linga (miniature version of Shiva Linga) which is worn on the body of a devotee. Although worship of Shiva prevailed before in Veerashaiva Dharma, it was a radical revolution when Lingayat Dharma was first propounded as a philosophy in the 12th century. Upholding non-duality with God through Ishta Linga Pooja, rejecting caste system and sexual discrimination, believing in work as worship, serving the society selflessly, practicing honesty, adopting non violence and ensuring compassion to all living beings and, enforcing dignity of labor and equality for all, form the tenets of Lingayat Dharma. Ishta Linga Pooja that was institutionalized in deed is a form of meditation. It is a process where one invokes the presence of God in his life and in the process develops the self. It connects one with the self and provides intrinsic virtues that enhance an individual to emerge better, stronger and accomplished. When delved deeper in both the worlds – Spirituality and Lingayat dharma, one distinctly sees glaring commonalities between the two concepts. 5