Wednesday, March 18, 2015
SIGNIFICANCE OF SHIVARATHRI
Shivarathri is a very auspicious day for all. It is the fourteenth day of the
lunar fortnight when the moon is waning and the sun is in the sign of Aquarius.
The festival is, however, related to the moon rather than the sun. That is the
reason why it is called Shivarathri, the night of Shiva. Unlike other nights,
this particular night is the night of consecration, of dedication, of
illumination.
The mind is intimately associated with the moon. Chandra, the deity of the moon,
is the presiding deity of the mind. He loses one sixteenth of his brilliance
every day after the full moon day and continues waning until on this night he is
left with just one sixteenth of his power. The waned moon may be taken to stand
for the mind with all its wild fancies and waywardness reduced after it has been
conquered by spiritual discipline. On this night there is just a minute part
more to be conquered and that can be done by keeping vigil and dwelling on the
glory of God. The vigil that is prescribed is symbolic of the eternal vigil one
has to observe, while the rite of fasting is symbolic of divesting the senses of
the pleasures for which they crave. The nightlong devotional singing is
significant of the life-long consciousness of the Divine Presence that every one
should cultivate. The rites and vows laid down for Shivarathri being absent on
other nights of the year, their observance on this day comes as a reminder that
they are useful.
There are three types of men: the multi-centered, the uni-centered, and the
non-centered. The first group, who allow their senses, mind, and intelligence to
wander where they will, is a very populous group. So also is the third group,
which comprises people who flit from one object to another, hop around from one
thing to another in listless flippancy. For earning the concentration and
single-centeredness characteristic of the second group, the festival of
Shivarathri is very propitious. The devotional singing and the ceaseless flow of
the recital of the name of God and reflection on the name of God on this
occasion help in the attainment of single-centeredness.
You must realize that devotional singing, reflection on the name of God, and
offerings at the lotus feet are not for pleasing or propitiating God, but for
our own spiritual progress. Frequently, people flatter the rich and the powerful
-- especially when they are in their employment or are beholden to them for some
precious help -- in order to induce them to shower gifts on them. But God does
not shower grace on people because they sing His praises. Nor does He come down
upon them because they do not deify Him. Recitation of the Divine attributes
only enables us to dwell on elevating ideals and approximate ourselves more and
more to the Divinity that is our nature. We become what we contemplate. By
constant thought an ideal gets imprinted on our heart. When we fix our thoughts
on the evil that others do, our mind gets polluted by the evil. When, on the
contrary, we fix our mind on the virtues or well being of others, our mind is
cleansed of wrong and entertains only good thoughts. No evil thought can
penetrate the mind of a person wholly given to love and compassion. The thoughts
we indulge in shape our nature; along with others, they affect us too. For
example, when a flash is released to photograph someone, his face is lit; but
so, too, to a certain extent, is the face of the photographer. When a municipal
truck full of refuse passes by, you are affected by the bad smell even though
you may be standing afar. Similarly, a thought may be momentary, it may be
trivial, yet its effect on the mind cannot be avoided. It was because the
ancient sages knew this important truth that they declared, "He who knows
Brahman (God) becomes Brahman." The only way to become Brahman is to be ever
immersed in contemplation of Brahman. With a lump of salt on ones tongue, how
can any one relish the sweetness of honey or fruits? With a lump of candy on the
tongue, how can the taste of salt and savory be known? Immerse your mind in good
thoughts and the world will be good; soak it in bad thoughts and the world will
be bad for you. So, recollect only good; do, think, and plan only good; speak
and act only good. Then as a result you will approximate God, the source of all
good. This is the message of Shivarathri.
According to numerology, the first three syllables of the word Shivarathri --
si, va, and ra -- connote the numbers five, four, and two and the fourth
syllable, thri, means three. Five, four and two make one whole, one composite
picture of the eleven rudras. Rudra means the one who makes man weep. The eleven
rudras are: the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, and the
mind. These, by leading him astray in pursuit of trivial and transitory
pleasures, ruin him and make him weep. But the God within, if it is sought and
relied upon, sheds its rays on the eleven and makes them meaningful partners in
the progress of man towards self-realization. The rays from the God within
illumine the intelligence, the illumined intelligence alerts the mind, and the
alerted mind gets control of the senses, making the path clear for the person to
proceed through knowledge to wisdom.
Another significance of Shivarathri is this: Shiva, or the Eternal Absolute
Person, in His desire to attract the world of matter, engages Himself in the
thandava, the cosmic dance. The dance is a Divine plan to attract the material
creation, For all Divine miracles like those of Rama (He who pleases and
delights) and Krishna (He who attracts) are for drawing people to the Divine
presence for the purpose of correcting or cleansing them, or for confirming
their faith and then leading them on to the discipline of service so that they
may merge in ecstasy, in the source of all ecstasy -- a miracle resulting in
sublimation, leading to service to society and finally conferring
self-realization. The cosmic dance is so fast that fire emanates from Shivas
body because of the heat generated by activity. In order to cool Shiva and
comfort him, Paravathi, his consort, places the Ganges on his head, makes the
crescent moon rest amidst the coils of his hair, applies cold sandalwood paste
all over his body, winds round the joints of his hands and feet cold-blooded
snakes, and finally, being herself the daughter of the Himalayas (the mountains
with eternal snow), she sits on his lap and becomes a part of him. At this Shiva
rises, and both the soul and the world of matter dance together to the immense
delight of the Gods and of all creation. This happens, according to the Puranas,
on the Shivarathri day.
The significance of this myth lies in the secret taught by it of pleasing the
Lord and winning His grace. What a pity that a day of such sanctifying
significance is being celebrated through a routine of meaningless and even
harmful pastimes. Since a vigil is laid down, some people spend the night
witnessing a series of films or in playing cards. Can a person rolling in bed
because he does not get sleep claim that he is observing the vow of vigil? Can a
stork standing on one foot on the bank of a stream to pick up a fish and gulp it
claim that it is practicing meditation? Can a person who refuses to eat his
lunch because he has had a quarrel with his wife claim that he is observing a
fast? There are no short cuts or tricks possible on the spiritual path.
Shivarathri is celebrated in all Shiva temples. Srisailam is a particularly
famous temple of Shiva. There is a fine story told about this festival at
Srisailam. At the foot of the Srisailam range of hills there is a village where
a boy of nine years named Bala Ramanna attended primary school. He learned from
his friends at school that their sisters and brothers-in-law were coming to
their homes to attend the Shivarathri celebrations on the Srisailam Hills.
Ramanna went home and wanted his mother to send his sister and brother-in-law to
the festival also. His mother told him that he had no sister and, therefore, no
brother-in-law. But he would not listen. He said he must have a sister and a
brother-in-law like his friends. So his mother, just to quiet him, said, "You
have a sister and a brother-in-law, but they are in the temple on the Srisailam.
Their names are Bhramaramba and Mallikarjuna." She gave him the names by which
Shiva and His consort are known -- Bhramaramba meaning Bee and Mallikarjuna
meaning the White Jasmine. These names are very apt, because the consort draws
inspiration, instruction, and wisdom from the Lord even as the bee draws its
sustenance from the jasmine flowers.
When he was told that his sister was in the temple on the Srisailam, Ramanna
insisted that he would go and invite his sister and brother-in-law to come home
and stay there for some time. He wanted to take some presents for them, but his
mother said that they were far too rich and that younger members of the family
should not present anything to the elders. The mother sent her son with a
neighbor who was going to the temple to see the festival. She gave the neighbor
money so that he could get presents for the boy.
Ramanna hastened up the hill and rushed into the temple crying,
"Sister...brother-in-law," and fell at the feet of the idol of Bhramaramba. He
held the idol in embrace and began dragging it, wanting it to accompany him. He
clasped the idol of Mallikarjuna and would not leave it. At last the priests in
the temple drove him away as a mad boy.
Then in despair, he climbed a high rock and threatened to jump from that height
unless his sister and her husband came with him. Just then he heard a loud voice
from the temple, "Brother-inlaw! Ramanna! Dont jump! We are coming with you..."
and soon Lord Shiva and His consort presented themselves before him and
accompanied him to his cottage in the valley below. The mother and son were so
overwhelmed with Divine bliss that they merged in the Divine Phenomenon and were
seen no more. This story has added to the sanctity of the shrine of Bhramaramba
and Mallikarjuna at Srisailam.
Children in those days and elders too had innocent minds, simple hearts, and
high ideals. Nowadays cynicism and disbelief have become rampant. There is a
wave of negligence and sloth sweeping over our people. For one word uttered they
ascribe ten meanings to it and not one of them is correct. When a subject is
mentioned, they start a series of arguments and counter-arguments, and in the
dust that is raised the truth is ignored. Their lives are largely artificial and
their ideals shallow, so Divinity is beyond their reach.
Bala Ramanna had unadulterated faith, so he was able to dedicate his pure self
to the Lord and reach the goal. You must always exalt low things to a higher
level by infusing them with higher meaning. Ramanna believed the stone image to
be God; he did not bring God down to the level of a stone image. You may worship
a picture as God, but you should not assume God is a picture. Wood, stone, or
mud may be assumed to be Divine, but Divinity should not be limited to wood,
stone or mud.
Have high ideals. Strive to elevate yourselves. Make for the highest goal, God.
Whatever the obstacle or opposition, do not be disheartened. Give up the animal
in you, stabilize yourselves in human virtues and proceed boldly towards the
achievements of Divinity. Do not waver; do not go today to devotion, tomorrow to
sensual gratification, and the day after again to devotion. When everything is
successful you are all for devotion; when something goes wrong, you are filled
with despair; when discipline is enforced, you start holding back; and when love
is showered, you come first. This dual attitude must be given up.
The very Divine principle which seekers strive to visualize by means of years of
asceticism and renunciation is before you, here and now; realize the good
fortune you are endowed with. I have this day, the holy day of Shivarathri,
granted pardon for all the errors you have fallen into knowingly or unknowingly
up to this time. Have auspicious thoughts, speak auspicious words, and do
auspicious deeds. And as a result of this, attain the embodiment of
auspiciousness, Shiva Himself.
lunar fortnight when the moon is waning and the sun is in the sign of Aquarius.
The festival is, however, related to the moon rather than the sun. That is the
reason why it is called Shivarathri, the night of Shiva. Unlike other nights,
this particular night is the night of consecration, of dedication, of
illumination.
The mind is intimately associated with the moon. Chandra, the deity of the moon,
is the presiding deity of the mind. He loses one sixteenth of his brilliance
every day after the full moon day and continues waning until on this night he is
left with just one sixteenth of his power. The waned moon may be taken to stand
for the mind with all its wild fancies and waywardness reduced after it has been
conquered by spiritual discipline. On this night there is just a minute part
more to be conquered and that can be done by keeping vigil and dwelling on the
glory of God. The vigil that is prescribed is symbolic of the eternal vigil one
has to observe, while the rite of fasting is symbolic of divesting the senses of
the pleasures for which they crave. The nightlong devotional singing is
significant of the life-long consciousness of the Divine Presence that every one
should cultivate. The rites and vows laid down for Shivarathri being absent on
other nights of the year, their observance on this day comes as a reminder that
they are useful.
There are three types of men: the multi-centered, the uni-centered, and the
non-centered. The first group, who allow their senses, mind, and intelligence to
wander where they will, is a very populous group. So also is the third group,
which comprises people who flit from one object to another, hop around from one
thing to another in listless flippancy. For earning the concentration and
single-centeredness characteristic of the second group, the festival of
Shivarathri is very propitious. The devotional singing and the ceaseless flow of
the recital of the name of God and reflection on the name of God on this
occasion help in the attainment of single-centeredness.
You must realize that devotional singing, reflection on the name of God, and
offerings at the lotus feet are not for pleasing or propitiating God, but for
our own spiritual progress. Frequently, people flatter the rich and the powerful
-- especially when they are in their employment or are beholden to them for some
precious help -- in order to induce them to shower gifts on them. But God does
not shower grace on people because they sing His praises. Nor does He come down
upon them because they do not deify Him. Recitation of the Divine attributes
only enables us to dwell on elevating ideals and approximate ourselves more and
more to the Divinity that is our nature. We become what we contemplate. By
constant thought an ideal gets imprinted on our heart. When we fix our thoughts
on the evil that others do, our mind gets polluted by the evil. When, on the
contrary, we fix our mind on the virtues or well being of others, our mind is
cleansed of wrong and entertains only good thoughts. No evil thought can
penetrate the mind of a person wholly given to love and compassion. The thoughts
we indulge in shape our nature; along with others, they affect us too. For
example, when a flash is released to photograph someone, his face is lit; but
so, too, to a certain extent, is the face of the photographer. When a municipal
truck full of refuse passes by, you are affected by the bad smell even though
you may be standing afar. Similarly, a thought may be momentary, it may be
trivial, yet its effect on the mind cannot be avoided. It was because the
ancient sages knew this important truth that they declared, "He who knows
Brahman (God) becomes Brahman." The only way to become Brahman is to be ever
immersed in contemplation of Brahman. With a lump of salt on ones tongue, how
can any one relish the sweetness of honey or fruits? With a lump of candy on the
tongue, how can the taste of salt and savory be known? Immerse your mind in good
thoughts and the world will be good; soak it in bad thoughts and the world will
be bad for you. So, recollect only good; do, think, and plan only good; speak
and act only good. Then as a result you will approximate God, the source of all
good. This is the message of Shivarathri.
According to numerology, the first three syllables of the word Shivarathri --
si, va, and ra -- connote the numbers five, four, and two and the fourth
syllable, thri, means three. Five, four and two make one whole, one composite
picture of the eleven rudras. Rudra means the one who makes man weep. The eleven
rudras are: the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, and the
mind. These, by leading him astray in pursuit of trivial and transitory
pleasures, ruin him and make him weep. But the God within, if it is sought and
relied upon, sheds its rays on the eleven and makes them meaningful partners in
the progress of man towards self-realization. The rays from the God within
illumine the intelligence, the illumined intelligence alerts the mind, and the
alerted mind gets control of the senses, making the path clear for the person to
proceed through knowledge to wisdom.
Another significance of Shivarathri is this: Shiva, or the Eternal Absolute
Person, in His desire to attract the world of matter, engages Himself in the
thandava, the cosmic dance. The dance is a Divine plan to attract the material
creation, For all Divine miracles like those of Rama (He who pleases and
delights) and Krishna (He who attracts) are for drawing people to the Divine
presence for the purpose of correcting or cleansing them, or for confirming
their faith and then leading them on to the discipline of service so that they
may merge in ecstasy, in the source of all ecstasy -- a miracle resulting in
sublimation, leading to service to society and finally conferring
self-realization. The cosmic dance is so fast that fire emanates from Shivas
body because of the heat generated by activity. In order to cool Shiva and
comfort him, Paravathi, his consort, places the Ganges on his head, makes the
crescent moon rest amidst the coils of his hair, applies cold sandalwood paste
all over his body, winds round the joints of his hands and feet cold-blooded
snakes, and finally, being herself the daughter of the Himalayas (the mountains
with eternal snow), she sits on his lap and becomes a part of him. At this Shiva
rises, and both the soul and the world of matter dance together to the immense
delight of the Gods and of all creation. This happens, according to the Puranas,
on the Shivarathri day.
The significance of this myth lies in the secret taught by it of pleasing the
Lord and winning His grace. What a pity that a day of such sanctifying
significance is being celebrated through a routine of meaningless and even
harmful pastimes. Since a vigil is laid down, some people spend the night
witnessing a series of films or in playing cards. Can a person rolling in bed
because he does not get sleep claim that he is observing the vow of vigil? Can a
stork standing on one foot on the bank of a stream to pick up a fish and gulp it
claim that it is practicing meditation? Can a person who refuses to eat his
lunch because he has had a quarrel with his wife claim that he is observing a
fast? There are no short cuts or tricks possible on the spiritual path.
Shivarathri is celebrated in all Shiva temples. Srisailam is a particularly
famous temple of Shiva. There is a fine story told about this festival at
Srisailam. At the foot of the Srisailam range of hills there is a village where
a boy of nine years named Bala Ramanna attended primary school. He learned from
his friends at school that their sisters and brothers-in-law were coming to
their homes to attend the Shivarathri celebrations on the Srisailam Hills.
Ramanna went home and wanted his mother to send his sister and brother-in-law to
the festival also. His mother told him that he had no sister and, therefore, no
brother-in-law. But he would not listen. He said he must have a sister and a
brother-in-law like his friends. So his mother, just to quiet him, said, "You
have a sister and a brother-in-law, but they are in the temple on the Srisailam.
Their names are Bhramaramba and Mallikarjuna." She gave him the names by which
Shiva and His consort are known -- Bhramaramba meaning Bee and Mallikarjuna
meaning the White Jasmine. These names are very apt, because the consort draws
inspiration, instruction, and wisdom from the Lord even as the bee draws its
sustenance from the jasmine flowers.
When he was told that his sister was in the temple on the Srisailam, Ramanna
insisted that he would go and invite his sister and brother-in-law to come home
and stay there for some time. He wanted to take some presents for them, but his
mother said that they were far too rich and that younger members of the family
should not present anything to the elders. The mother sent her son with a
neighbor who was going to the temple to see the festival. She gave the neighbor
money so that he could get presents for the boy.
Ramanna hastened up the hill and rushed into the temple crying,
"Sister...brother-in-law," and fell at the feet of the idol of Bhramaramba. He
held the idol in embrace and began dragging it, wanting it to accompany him. He
clasped the idol of Mallikarjuna and would not leave it. At last the priests in
the temple drove him away as a mad boy.
Then in despair, he climbed a high rock and threatened to jump from that height
unless his sister and her husband came with him. Just then he heard a loud voice
from the temple, "Brother-inlaw! Ramanna! Dont jump! We are coming with you..."
and soon Lord Shiva and His consort presented themselves before him and
accompanied him to his cottage in the valley below. The mother and son were so
overwhelmed with Divine bliss that they merged in the Divine Phenomenon and were
seen no more. This story has added to the sanctity of the shrine of Bhramaramba
and Mallikarjuna at Srisailam.
Children in those days and elders too had innocent minds, simple hearts, and
high ideals. Nowadays cynicism and disbelief have become rampant. There is a
wave of negligence and sloth sweeping over our people. For one word uttered they
ascribe ten meanings to it and not one of them is correct. When a subject is
mentioned, they start a series of arguments and counter-arguments, and in the
dust that is raised the truth is ignored. Their lives are largely artificial and
their ideals shallow, so Divinity is beyond their reach.
Bala Ramanna had unadulterated faith, so he was able to dedicate his pure self
to the Lord and reach the goal. You must always exalt low things to a higher
level by infusing them with higher meaning. Ramanna believed the stone image to
be God; he did not bring God down to the level of a stone image. You may worship
a picture as God, but you should not assume God is a picture. Wood, stone, or
mud may be assumed to be Divine, but Divinity should not be limited to wood,
stone or mud.
Have high ideals. Strive to elevate yourselves. Make for the highest goal, God.
Whatever the obstacle or opposition, do not be disheartened. Give up the animal
in you, stabilize yourselves in human virtues and proceed boldly towards the
achievements of Divinity. Do not waver; do not go today to devotion, tomorrow to
sensual gratification, and the day after again to devotion. When everything is
successful you are all for devotion; when something goes wrong, you are filled
with despair; when discipline is enforced, you start holding back; and when love
is showered, you come first. This dual attitude must be given up.
The very Divine principle which seekers strive to visualize by means of years of
asceticism and renunciation is before you, here and now; realize the good
fortune you are endowed with. I have this day, the holy day of Shivarathri,
granted pardon for all the errors you have fallen into knowingly or unknowingly
up to this time. Have auspicious thoughts, speak auspicious words, and do
auspicious deeds. And as a result of this, attain the embodiment of
auspiciousness, Shiva Himself.
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