The Mysterious Parabrahman

Unmanifest Reality, Ultimate Reality, The Self, The Self-God, The Truth, The Mystery, The Secret. These are some words that gurus who give their sermons in English use to refer to Parabrahman.

In the Nataraja temple of Chidambaram, there is a shrine that is called the 'Chidambaram Rahasiyam.' Chidambara Rahasiyam translates to the secret of Chidambaram. This shrine is to the left of the main Lord Nataraja Shrine. If you were to stand infront of the Chidambara Rahasiyam shrine a carved stone lattice with little openings will obstruct your view of the shrine. After the priests shows the main aarati flame to Lord Natarja, he will bring the flame to the Chidambara Rahasiyam shrine and direct your attention to it. He will then say, "Look closely, see The Secret of Chidambaram. Look closely." He will show the flame for a few more seconds in the shrine to light it to allow devotees to catch sight of The Secret.

After the worship the priest will often ask devotees what they saw in the shrine. Devotess have testified to seeing the form of Lord Shiva or a sight like a clear star lit night sky or flashes of light among other things. What is actually in the shrine of Chidambara Rahasiyam is a curtain of bilva leaves made of gold.