Story and Significance of Maha Siva Ratri

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By Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswati (Guruji)

 

Maha Siva Ratri commemorates the day when the great Lingam of Siva

appeared before all the gods and demons.

 

Since the Lingam extended from the netherworlds to the ends of far

galaxies, all the gods and demons were utterly perplexed, as they

could not discover its beginning or end. In a spirit of competition,

Brahma set out to find the top of the Lingam, and Vishnu went to find

the bottom, but however far they traveled, they could not find the

ends of the Lingam.

 

Then Brahma saw a leaf falling down, and he asked the leaf, "From

where have you fallen?" The leaf replied, "I don't know." Brahma

requested the leaf to tell a lie that it had fallen from the top

of the Lingam. When Brahma and Vishnu met again, Vishnu admitted that

he had not found the bottom of the Lingam. Then Brahma told

Vishnu, "Neither have I seen the top of the Lingam, but I have seen

this leaf which has fallen from the top. Therefore, it is equivalent

to seeing the top." Vishnu agreed that he had been defeated.

 

With his divine vision, however, Siva saw that Brahma had lied about

the leaf's falling from the top of his Lingam. Enraged at the lie,

Siva cut off the top head of the five heads of Brahma. Since then,

Brahma came to be known in his four-headed form. Brahma cursed Siva

that he would not be entitled to receive puja in his total form, but

should receive puja only in the form of his Lingam. After all

this had occurred, all the gods and demons prayed to Siva, chanting

the vedic mantras of Rudra Prasna. Pleased with their devotion, Siva

spoke these words of assurance: "If anyone worships me with devotion

at the time of my linga's arising, they will be freed from all the

limitations and bondage of samsara, and they will be absorbed into my

cosmic Lingam, which is ever blissful."

 

This story is from the Linga Purana. The day commemorating this great

occurrence is known as "Maha Siva Ratri," and the time is

called "Lingodbhava Kalam." On this night, everyone worships the

Lingam with vedic, non-vedic, or no mantras, keeping awake all night

in the presence of the Lord. There is also the story of a lascivious

person who worshipped Siva's Lingam in the form of the breast of a

prostitute. That person attained liberation, and the village in

Andhra Pradesh where he lived came to be known as "Achanta," which

means "breast." These stories of Siva as the procreative force and

destroyer of evil are well-known.

 

What is the meaning and moral of this story? Brahma represents the

five-dimensional world, which was its original form. The four

dimensions of time and space are commonly known. The fifth dimension

of total awareness is denied to Brahma, because he violated the

principle of truth by telling a lie. Henceforth, Brahma could only

make creations of limited intelligence. Total truth can only be known

by accepting the Lingam that goes from the depths of the netherworlds

to the heights of space. This feeling is echoed in the Isavasya

Upanishad, where it is said: By avidya (external worship), cross the

bounds of death, and by vidya (internal worship), attain immortality.

Both are needed.

 

The Upanishad warns that if you follow only one way, either internal

or external worship, you will enter a great abyss-like void of

darkness. In this life, only Siva Puja on Maha Siva Ratri can take

you out of the cosmic abyss. Maha Siva Ratri is the day when people

will be lifted from the void and made into "light" beings. Hence, the

Jyotir (light) Linga Pujas are performed.