Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Celebrating the Shiva Tattva in oneself is called Shivaratri. ‘Ratri’ means night, the time for rest, when everything becomes quiet and peaceful. Shivaratri is not only rest for body, but for mind and ‘Ego’.
Shivratri means ‘The Night of Shiva’ and is observed in honour of Lord Shiva (The meditative aspect of the Universe). According to the legend from Shivapurana, when Shiva was asked by Parvathi what pleases him most, He is supposed to have replied thus: ‘The 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the month of phalgun, is my most favorite day. It is known as Shivratri’.
This day brings deep rest to the mind and the spirit. It is like a new year for a sadhak (seeker). It is considered as an auspicious day for spiritual growth and material attainment.
Mahashivaratri is the day when the Shiva Tattva touches the earth. The consciousness, the aura or the ethereal world which is always ten inches above the material ground, touches the earth element on the day of Mahashivarathri. It is the wedding of the material with the spiritual.
Shiva is the soul (of everything) – there is no difference between the soul and Shiva.
Your true nature is Shiva, and Shiva is peace, infinity, beauty and the non-dual one.
Ratri means ‘to take refuge’. Shivaratri is taking refuge in Shiva (the soul). It is celebrating the Shiva Tatva within oneself.
According to the Shiva Purana (ancient texts praising the divine through divine stories)
when Shiva was asked by Parvati, what pleases him the most, He is supposed to have replied, ‘The 14th night of the new moon, of the month of Phalgun is my favorite day. It is known as Shivaratri’.
Ratri (which translates as night) is that which gives you rest, or peace. Three types of peace are needed:
1. Material peace
2. Mental peace
3. Peace in the soul
If there is disturbance around you, you cannot be peaceful. You need peace in your environment. You also need peace in the body and mind, and you need peace in the soul.
You may have peace in the atmosphere, you may enjoy good health, and you may have peace in the mind to a certain extent, but if the soul is restless, nothing can bring you comfort. So that peace is also essential. Only in the presence of all the three types of peace can there be complete peace. Without one, the other is incomplete.
Shivaratri is taking refuge in the divine consciousness which brings peace and solace to all layers of consciousness. So resting in the Shiva Tattva is Shivaratri.
When the mind, intellect and ego rests in the divine that is the real rest, and the deepest rest (the complete peace). This is why it is very useful for people to meditate on this day.
A Day for Meditation
Shivaratri is like a new year for a saadhak (seeker). It is considered as an auspicious day for spiritual growth and material attainment.
The night on this day, when the constellations are in some particular position, is very auspicious for meditation. And so it is very useful for people to keep awake and meditate on Shivaratri.
In ancient times, people used to say, ‘Okay, if you cannot do it every day, at least one day in a year, on Shivratri day, do meditation and keep awake’.
Wake the Divinity that is deep within you – this is the message. The Divinity is within you, let it wake up!
A Day for Fasting
Many devotees, in order to bring a balance between the three Gunas, i.e., Rajas, Tamas, and Sattva observe fast on the day of Shivaratri. Not eating too much, eating light and doing more meditation on this day helps in fulfillment of desires – this is the ancient belief. Like a sponge in water (a rasagulla in syrup), when mind and body is resting in the Shiva Tattva, small wishes get fulfilled effortlessly. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen on any other day. At any time when your heart is open and your mind is calm, prayers do get answered.
People usually eat very light, some fruits or something and fast. I don’t recommend you fast without anything. Take some fruits or some light easily digestible food and spend the day awake and meditate at night. You don’t need to do meditation all night, just for some time.
A Day for Chanting Sacred Hymns
Shivratri day is celebrated with Rudrabhishekam (singing of the ancient Vedic mantras which are accompanied with a ceremony of washing the Shiva Linga with milk, curd, honey, rose water, etc).
Do you know, when we chant the Vedic mantras, these mantras bring a big change in the environment. It brings purity in the environment, positivity is increased, bad karmas are destroyed and nature celebrates. That is why this Rudrabhishekam has been performed for thousands of years for the well-being of all.
‘Let there be timely rain, let there be a good harvest. Let there be health, wealth, wisdom, and liberation’, with these prayers it is performed.
To strengthen one’s connection to the Divine, Rudrabhishekam is performed.

Significance of Shivalinga

The Shivalinga is a symbolic representation of Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva is manifest all over the Universe. How does one identify or connect to Him? He has no form! There needs to be a sign to identify Him. For this, the ancient seers placed a round or oval stone and identified it with Lord Shiva.
In the ancient age, there was no form of Lord Shiva holding a Trident or anything like that. There was only a Pind (a stone) that was kept and then by chanting mantras, the Divine Consciousness was awakened and manifested in the Pind. This is how the Lord Shiva was worshiped. It was only much later that idols were created.
What is Shivalinga?
Lingam means identification, a symbol through which you can identify what the truth is – what the reality is. What is not visible yet can be identified by one thing – that is lingam. When a baby is born, how do you know whether the baby is male or female? Only through one part of the body can you identify whether this baby is a boy or a girl. That is the reason the genitals is also called lingam.
Similarly, how do you identify the Lord of this Creation? The sign by which you identify both the male and female forms-combining them to form one single symbol to identify the Lord who has no form or identity and who is all-pervading in this Creation-is Shivalinga.
The Shivalinga is very ancient, in fact, it is the most ancient. From the form, you go to the formless through the Shivalinga. It is a symbol that is the representation of the Cosmos and the Creator of the Cosmos, as one. The silent un-manifest and the dynamic manifestation together are represented as Shivalinga. It is not just Shiva, but the completion of the total Supreme Consciousness.
Small things upset you from time to time, and your mind gets caught up in cravings and aversions. On Shivratri, just drop all these and recognize that everything is Lord Shiva and repose in Lord Shiva. We are all a part of Lord Shiva’s divine procession. You must have heard that there are all types of beings and creatures in Lord Shiva’s entourage – the Siddhas (perfected beings), wise sages, intelligent beings, and even fools! Everyone is a part of Lord Shiva’s family. Each one of us is a part of Lord Shiva’s grand entourage. When you have this deep realization, then all of life becomes a celebration.

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