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Sivaratri

 

Sivaratri, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is celebrated on the moonless

night of the month of Phalguna, which is the fourteenth day in the

krishnapaksha or dark half. In 2004, the festival fell on the 18th of

February. Owing to a special planetary conjunction, spiritual

practices done on this day are considered to be especially auspicious

and beneficial. There is a reference to this in one of the Puranas,

where Shiva himself tells Parvati Devi [the Divine Mother] that this

day is particularly dear to him, and that those who perform the

prescribed austerities on this day will be freed from all sins.

One popular story from the Puranas goes like this: There was once a

poor hunter from Varanasi. His name was Suswara. He lived with his

wife and child in a small hut. Theirs was a hand-to-mouth existence.

Suswara would go to the forest and hunt whatever game came his way,

and thus feed his family. One particular day, he caught many small

animals and birds, which he put into a sack. Encouraged by the catch,

he wandered deeper into the forest in search of more game. Soon

darkness set in and he turned to go home. He was a little worried as

the forest was infested with dangerous animals. He did not like the

idea of spending the night there. Soon it became very dark. Unable to

find his way back, Suswara climbed a tree to be safe from the wild

animals.

Attracted by his scent, animals came lurking under the tree. Hoping to

scare them away, Suswara plucked some twigs from the tree and threw

them at the animals, but to no avail. Throughout the night the

animals kept prowling beneath the tree.

Suswara was unable to get even a wink of sleep. He kept vigil

throughout the night. He plucked leaves from the tree, which happened

to be a bilva tree, and dropped them on the ground. Unknown to

Suswara, there was a Shivalinga at the foot of the tree; and so,

although he was unaware of it, by dropping the sacred bilva leaves,

Suswara was making a sacred offering to the Shivalinga. That night

happened to be Shivaratri. So the hunter had unknowingly kept a

night-long vigil and worshipped Shiva.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Mahashivaratri worship should

incorporate six items: offering bilva leaves to the deity after

giving it a ceremonial bath, which represents purification of the

soul; applying vermilion paste on the linga after bathing it, which

represents virtue; offering food, which is conducive to longevity and

the gratification of desires; lighting incense, which yields wealth;

lighting an oil lamp, which signifies the attainment of knowledge;

and offering betel leaves, which marks satisfaction with worldly

pleasures. These six items form an indispensable part of the

Mahashivaratri worship, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand

temple worship.

Significance of the Rituals

 

The story above is an allegory. Just as the hunter sought to kill wild

animals, the spiritual seeker tries to overcome lust, anger, greed,

infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the mind where all

these negativities roam about. A spiritual aspirant must kill these

"animals" to be free.

The name of the hunter was Suswara, which means "one of melodious

voice." This indicates the purity of intent and speech, which, in

turn, imply a level of mental purity.

The hunter was born in Varanasi. Vara refers to the forehead while

nasi is the nose. The point where both meet is Varanasi, in other

words, the point midway between the eyebrows. This point is also

called the ajna chakra and is regarded as a nexus of the three nadis:

ida, pingala and sushumna. A spiritual aspirant who concentrates his

or her mind on this point gains concentration and gradual control

over his senses. The killing of the animals thus indicates control

over one's vasanas [latent tendencies].

The bilva tree corresponds to the spinal column. The tree's leaves are

special: each stalk has three leaflets. The three leaflets represent

the three nadis mentioned above. The climbing of the tree represents

the ascent of the kundalini shakti from the muladhara to the ajna

chakra.

 

Keeping awake is symbolic of the kind of awareness and oneness of

purpose that a spiritual aspirant needs to reach the goal. He cannot

afford to be slack even for a moment.

Shiva is the Supreme Consciousness that illuminates the three states

of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Offering the threefold bilva

leaves to the Shivalinga heralds the return to a level of

consciousness beyond the three states, which is the fourth state,

turiya. The dawning of that state is consonant with the awakening of

the individual.

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