The Value of Censure and Abuse

In the following excerpt from Silent Whispers — Timeless Talk, Upasni Maharaj makes use of a play on words. Shiva’s consort, the female expression of himself, commonly called Ardhanari, Kali etc., is here called Shivi. Shivi was also a common expression of the day meaning an insult or abuse. Another term Upasni Maharaj uses is “real Nindane.” Commonly a nindane is a gardener, but here, a real Nindane signifies a Perfect Master.
I especially like the last paragraph; it is important to remember that the experience he is speaking about was of a time before he became God-Realized. It reveals how becoming a Perfect Master is a very serious thing demanding great sacrifices.

The Value of Censure and Abuse

“Tukarama, Perfect Master and poet once said, ‘in the mouth of the censurer is a cake of soap which cleanses the quilt.
Abuse and censure are called respectively Shivi and Ninda.
Shivi is the female form of Shiva; Shiva, the third in the trinity of Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver i.e. the Avatar or Christ), and Shiva (the destroyer or the dissolver). The taking away of the false, in essence all that obscures the experience of the Eternal Bliss of God, is the work of Shivi. Therefore whenever an abuse — a shivi — is given by anyone it should just be accepted as a gift and immense good will come to the receiver of the shivi. Of course the shivi causes the receiver to first experience suffering and if the receiver reacts to this suffering and retaliates against the abuser, then the shivi will have no effect and even deepen the experience of the false in the consciousness of the receiver.
Removal of sin is the function of censure. Censure removes papa; which is the fruit of bad action. Papa leads one to the experience of pain. Punya, on the other hand, is created as the result of good action and leads to the experience of happiness. A Nindane is one who performs the act of Ninda; which literally means the removal of all troublesome weeds, plants, etc. (papa) from the cultivated and sown field (punya).
To hire a real Nindane will of course cost you a fee, but fortunately there are many ordinary human beings that indulge in censure free of charge. You should always remain very grateful to them for the service they render to you.
Even though I used to get good things, I began to overlook them and instead seek out bad things and utilize them for my liberation. I used to pass my days in the dirtiest places — such as cremation grounds. I used to treat these places as the abode of God. I relished stale, fermented, thrown away food.
Once while I was wandering around naked I came across a piece of gunny cloth which was all besmeared with shit, vomit and dirt; God knows if it belonged to a patient of cholera. As I took that piece of gunny cloth, someone accosted me and said, ‘That is a dirty patient’s discarded gunny; why are you taking it?’ Without paying any heed at all to that warning, I took the gunny cloth to a canal, washed it, and started using it as if it was a beautiful, costly, silken garment. I never felt any stink in using it.”