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Dedication
Samarpaṇam
समर्पणम्
O WHOM SHALL WE DEDICATE MERGING WITH ŚIVA? TO ŚIVA HIMSELF? WELL, ŚIVA IS WITHIN EVERYONE. ACTUALLY, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW HIMSELF FROM US. SO, MERGING WITH ŚIVA TRULY MUST BE DEDICATED TO SADĀŚIVA IN THE form of my satguru, Siva Yogaswami of Sri Lanka, and to all whom I have encountered on the path through this and my many past lives. This dedication honors those mature souls who have guided me into what to do, how to live, think and feel, and those not-so-evolved souls who have taught me by their example, words and actions how not to live for a productive, joyous life. Yes, “All are our teachers: some teach us what to do, others teach us what not to do.” The decision as to which of these two paths to follow is ours and ours alone. It is to all who have influenced my life that Merging with Śiva is dedicated, especially to my satguru, 161st preceptor of the Nandinātha Sampradāya’s Kailāsa Paramparā. He and his mystical followers lived the extraordinary story of unfoldment you are about to read. ¶In this birth I have experienced a rare time on Earth. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. All in a few decades, the age of the farmer merged into the age of the technician, then into the age of space exploration, and now the information age. We have seen religion give way to science and now science giving way to religion—just a little, but it’s a good omen. Hopefully, a new breed of souls will mature on this planet who, inspired by the eternal Vedic truths, will blend the best of science with the best of religion. §