Maha Shivratri’s real significance

In India, spirituality has mostly been presented to have some miraculous powers or magic. This was done in ancient times to bring more people towards spirituality so that more people could be united through a common belief system. There is nothing wrong with this logic and it indeed did well for society as more people came together and, due to that, society’s bond got stronger.

The wise people knew that group spirituality is helpful as it helps to have some kind of group therapy to attain peace and bond with one another, whereas others got too carried away with a belief that spirituality holds some magical powers or is a panacea for all problems. Due to illogical logic about spirituality and the way it is presented as easy and enjoyable, to bring many people together, many Indians did not follow true spirituality as practised by Lord Shankarjee and thus could not defend themselves against Western nations. Thus, India remained under Moghul rule for around 750 years and under British rule for around 250 years. No nation has suffered slavery for roughly 1,000 years except India. 

Majority of Indians still hold a belief that spirituality has magical powers and that Indians are superior to others, but the fact is that majority of Indians have to struggle for basic amenities. For example, majority of Indians live in villages, and they have to travel miles to fetch water. India’s new capital, Delhi, old capital, Kolkata, and financial capital, Mumbai, happen to remain the most polluted cities. India ranks 2nd in Aids, 1st in blood pressure-related problems, 1st in cholesterol and cancer-related diseases, and 1st in diabetes-related disorders. Doctor-patient ratio and police population ratio in India remain worst in the world. The problem is that we get so mesmerised by past stories that it does not allow us to comprehend current facts and figures.

So, you see, it's high time we all realise that the so-called spirituality that is mostly preached in India was never & will never be a panacea and if we do not practise true spirituality as followed by Lord Shankarjee, we will continue to top the world with respect to most of the problems.

Maha Shivratri happened to be a night to understand true spirituality and revise it yearly on this very night so that we follow the path of Lord Shankarjee daily and acquire his qualities to have happiness and harmony in life.

So now I will shine light on Maha Shivaratri for those that are celebrating this for the first time. It is celebrated every year either on a day that falls at the end of February, or during the early March days or during the Hindu month of Phalgun. It is believed that Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shankarjee, prayed, meditated & fasted on Maha Shivratri for the well-being of Lord Shankarjee & hoped to ward off any evils that he may experience. Though both men and women celebrate Maha Shivaratri, it is especially an auspicious day for women. Married women pray for the well-being of their husbands and sons, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Lord Shankarjee, who is considered to be the ideal husband.

On Maha Shivaratri, devotees awake at sunrise, bathe in the holy river (like the Ganges River) and wear new clothes. On the day of the festival, people will fast and spend the day focused on Lord Shankarjee, meditating and chanting "Om Namaha Shivaya." Thus, offering their obeisance to Lord Shankarjee, the mind is held in such single-pointed concentration throughout the day. Then they flock to the temples, carrying holy water to bathe in and worship the Shivalingam. This bathing of the Shivalingam symbolises the cleansing of one's soul. Next, the Shivalingam is decorated with flowers and garlands. It is customary to spend the entire night awake practising the same tapa that Lord Shankarjee practises.

Maha Shivaratri is a ritual that goes through four stages: preparation, purification, comprehension, and celebration. Most of us go through the first and last stages, but do not go through the 2nd and 3rd stages, which are essential and which I will share. After the 2nd and 3rd stages, Lord Shankarjee is said to manifest as the inner light of purified consciousness, and then celebration gets performed as the 4th stage. This climax at night represents our overcoming of dark ignorance and reaching the state of purified spiritual knowledge. In this way, we overcome the influence of the mind and senses, as demonstrated by staying awake all night, and enter a state of steady awareness where spiritual awakening occurs. If one can follow this process, then he or she can experience the real meaning of Maha Shivaratri.

As we all know what the 1st stage that’s preparation is about, I will not talk much about it. In short, it starts with emptying your bowels, cleaning your body & mouth then wearing comfortable clothes etc.

The 2nd stage, that is, purification, is about purifying mind and body, which can be done by practising what Lord Shankarjee did. Lord Shankarjee is famous for Tapa and sitting on ashes. It resembles burning our impurities. Many say that tapa helps to burn our desires, but that is not the case. It is about burning our impurities at physical and mental levels. When we fast and perform tapa, our body's digestive organs are least stressed. When we eat, body uses energy to metabolise food, but when we fast, body does not have to metabolise food, thus uses energy to repair and also eat up fat. Many suggest that one must give stress to body before the night of Maha Shivratri to appease Lord Shankarjee. However, it is not right. In fact, we can aid the body with freshly prepared juice of citrus fruits like lime or orange, or have coconut water or watermelon juice, or coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds boiled in water, as it helps to reduce acidity and bloating. Even green tea also helps. Purification is not an easy process. It requires mind and body to be in sync, which can occur when we are relaxed. Those who do not feel the need for such drinks can avoid them. Some have milk or milk products as they think that because milk is offered to Lord Shankarjee it can be consumed, but preferably milk and milk products must be avoided as these are whole foods and make a person feel sleepy. When it comes to performing tapa, it is done to get rid of body’s impurities. It is essential as impurities are obstacles in the path of attaining equanimity. Tapa helps to rewire our brains to their natural state. This is essential because when we grow, we instil many dogmas, fears, or arrogance. We forget how to control our anger. Some wish evil on others and could commit crime. Some get greedy and could engage in unethical acts, and some become hedonistic, thus act immorally. These imbalances affect our minds, and Lord Shankarjee has taught us Tapa to free our minds from these mental prisons as they bring imbalances into our lives. Due to imbalances, there is lack of harmony in our lives, and because of lack of harmony, we cannot live happily or give happiness to others.

Tapa or by practising Patanjali Yog Sutras which was also taught by Lord Shankarjee helps us to balance our mind & sync properly with our body. This helps us to attain energy from nature as body’s 70% energy requirements depend on Air, Water & Sunlight. Attaining proper energy from nature with tapa helps to have harmony & happiness. A happy mind can adapt & adjust well despite difficult surroundings & also with people of different types something Lord Shankarjee inspires us as he lives in a difficult place with different types of people.

The 3rd stage is about comprehension, Tapa helps us to have more comprehension of our mind and we recognise our actions. It helps us to have the ability to think about common grounds to enrich our relationships with ourselves and also with others. This helps to prevent conflicts and frustration, as these are barriers in the path of equanimity and progress. We also develop a fair relationship with nature, making us feel more concerned about taking its care and utilising resources responsibly so that other species can also live in harmony.

Eventually, in the 4th step, we celebrate attaining wisdom and peace, and not for being able to keep fast throughout the day.