The Significance of Shivaratri

God is Omnipresent and All-pervasive. By the very nature of these qualities, He cannot have any form. He is, therefore, formless. But, in order to bless us, He assumes innumerable forms.

Shiva represents the universal power of destruction, which has two facets - the end of physical existence, and the liberation from its subtle bonds (by the destruction of ignorance).  The story of Shiva is the story of God dwelling in human consciousness. He is the Great Yogi, severe and serene in meditation, ever absorbed in superconscious Reality (samadhi). Shiva, the Great God, is the teacher of the four approaches to higher understanding (Yoga, Vedanta, Language, and Music), as well as all the arts and sciences. He is the Supreme Guru (spiritual guide), who teaches always in silence the oneness of one’s higher Self (atman) with the ultimate Reality (Brahman)

Shiva is ever the great Destroyer of Ignorance, endowed with infinite compassion, longing only to burn the miseries of the world, to illumine the world, to reveal within each being the highest Truth.

The conception is that, on Shivaratri, Shiva manifests Himself in the form of a vast Linga (Jyotirlingam). It is interpreted as a Phallic Emblem. There should be no modesty or affected prudery about its meaning. The Linga and Yoni are the symbols of the biological act by which all living creatures are created by nature. There can be no higher and purer symbols of the Universal Parents indispensable for reproducing life. The more one thinks about the divine purpose and the nature of the life principal, the more one is convinced of the purity of the procreative act for perpetuating life or Prana in the Plane of Matter. 

For ages past, the Indian people have been celebrating Shivaratri (the sacred night of Lord Shiva) as a national Parva. The Hindus associate with it several religious and mythological anecdotes, which give it an aura of pious ceremony. On this occasion, the observance of a fast followed by the worship of Lord Shiva during the ‘Yaamas’ (the four quarters of the night) is enjoined.

This story is about a hunter unknowing worshipping Lord Shiva.

“I was a hunter in Varanasi. My name was Suswara. My livelihood was to kill and sell birds and animals. One day I was roaming the forests in search of animals. I was overtaken by the darkness of night. Unable to return home, I climbed a tree for shelter. It happened to be a bael tree. I had shot a deer that day but I had not time to take it home. I bundled it up and tied it to a branch on the tree. As I was tormented by hunger and thirst, I kept awake throughout the night. I shed profuse tears when I thought of my poor wife and children who were starving and anxiously awaiting my return. To pass away the time that night I engaged myself in plucking the bael leaves and dropping them down onto the ground. 

“The day dawned. I returned home and sold the deer. I bought some food for myself and for my family. I was about to break my fast when a stranger came to me, begging for food. I served him first and then took my food.

“At the time of death, I saw two messengers of Lord Shiva. They were sent down to conduct my soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. I learnt then for the first time of the great merit I had earned by the unconscious worship of Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri. They told me that there was a Lingam at the bottom of the tree. The leaves I dropped fell on the Lingam. My tears, which I had shed out of pure sorrow for my family, fell onto the Lingam and washed it. And I had fasted all day and all night. Thus did I unconsciously worship the Lord.

“I lived in the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for long ages.”

The wild animals that the hunter fought with are lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the fourfold mind, consisting of the subconscious mind, the intellect, the ego and the conscious mind. It is in the mind that these “wild animals” roam about freely. 

The Yogis call the Ajna Chakra by the name Varanasi (the birthplace of the hunter). This is the point midway between the eyebrows. It is regarded as the meeting place of the three nerve currents (Nadis), namely, the Ida, Pingala and the Sushumna. An aspirant is instructed to concentrate on that point. That helps him to conquer his desires and evil qualities like anger and so on. It is there that he gets a vision of the Divine Light within.

Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva are sung with great fervour and devotion. People repeat the Maha Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. He who utters the Names of Shiva during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed from all sins. He reaches the abode of Shiva and lives there happily. He is liberated from the wheel of births and deaths.

References:             Hindu Fasts & Festivals ~ by  Swami Sivananda

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