The significance of Maha Shivaratri

Chennai

Shiva is the meditative aspect of the entire Universe. He has no form but is in every form, so full of compassion. In Tamil there is a saying ‘Anbe Shivan, Shivan Anbe’. This means Shiva is love and love is Shiva. The devotees, in order to bring balance in the rajas (the primordial guna which brings forth activity) and tamas (The primordial guna which brings forth inertia), and to uplift sattva (The primordial guna which gets the tasks accomplished), observe fast on this day. They keep awake at night and Shiva lingam is worshipped throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey, rose water, etc. This is done along with chanting of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. Bel leaves considered sacred to Lord Shiva are offered.  Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva are sung. The traditional  rituals are done to bring auspicious energy on the Earth and enrich the space within. However, the devotion plays the utmost role.  The whole creation is the dance of Shiva; whole creation is the dance of consciousness, one consciousness, and one seed. The one seed, one consciousness danced and manifested into a million species in the world. So this infinite creation is the dance of Shiva — Shiva tandav.

Someone once asked why Shivaratri (night of Shiva) and not Shiva din (day of Shiva). Ratri means – that which gives relief from  the three types of problems. They are shanti, shanti, shanti: Peace to the body, to the mind and to the soul — adhyatmik, adhibhoutik and adidaivik. Three types of peace are needed; one is material peace. If there is disturbance around you, you cannot stay peaceful. You need peace in environment and peace in the body, mind. Third thing is peace in the soul.   

Shivaratri is transcendental, divine consciousness which brings solace to all layers of consciousness.  

The writer is the founder of Art of Living Foundation  and can  be reached at www.artofliving.org