February 16, 2007: Why do we celebrate Maha Shivaratri?

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February 16, 2007: Why do we celebrate Maha Shivaratri?

 

In the Vedic perspective, it is considered that to be born human is

a great privilege, and thus living is an ongoing celebration of that

privilege. That is why in the Vedic or Hindu calendar there is some

event to celebrate almost everyday, but there are special ones that

come at specific intervals, and Maha Shivaratri is such an occasion.

 

We must understand, however, that by celebration is not meant the

usual eat, drink and be merry type which focuses on satisfying only

bodily wants. In Sanskrit the term for entertainment is manoranjan.

Mano refers to the mind, and so manoranjan means an entertainment of

the mind, which can only take place by exercising a control over the

demands of the body. That is why, although eating and drinking do

have a place in these festivals, they are enjoined to be of the

sattvic type, and time is also set aside for a period of fasting and

prayers which direct the mind away from bodily cravings.

 

If we look at the world around us, we find that things fall into two

categories: the living and the non-living. If we push our

observations and thinking further, we realise that both the living

and non-living go through a cycle of creation, preservation and

destruction. Thus a tree, for example, begins as a seed in which its

particular characteristics are " hidden " or unmanifested as yet. When

the seed is planted, the tree manifests or is " born " , grows,

matures, declines and dies, leaving another seed with the potential

to manifest as a tree again. Thus we see that there is a linked,

continuous cycle of unmanifested-manifested expressed as creation

(of the tree), its preservation (sustenance through growth, maturity

and decline), and destruction or death.

 

In the Vedic culture, these three functions are symbolized by Brahma

as the Creator, Vishnu as the Sustainer, and Shiva as the Destroyer.

At this stage we must go a little deeper in our analysis to

appreciate that every created object is made up of five natural

components: space, fire, air, water and minerals. Again, such an

object has shape (rupah) and certain characteristics such as colour,

and we also give it a name (nama). It also has a lifespan, that is

it has a beginning and an end – or birth and death. Further, it has

a given function – such as a tree producing fruits – until it dies

or undergoes destruction, which means a disintegration into the

constituent components, from which once again creation takes place

afresh.

 

Thus we see that without these three functions of creation-

sustenance-destruction linked in a continuous cycle, nothing can

exist: this cycle is the very basis of existence in the universe,

applying equally to humans, animals, plants, other

objects/events/situations. Like electricity which is present

everywhere but can manifest as heat, cold, or light, so too are

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva the expression of one fundamental Reality

known as Om-Brahman. We note that destruction also means a renewal

through creation from the five components, implying action and a

dynamic process of perpetual movement, and this aspect is

represented by the Nataraja or Dancing Shiva.

 

Thus we see that there is a logical way of understanding existence,

and that there are fundamental forces and processes at play in the

initiation and control of the universal cycle of creation-sustenance-

destruction. Every aspect of Vedic living – daily rituals including

puja, art, literature, music and dance, festivals and so on – is

fundamentally an acknowledgement and an expression of this

verifiable, observable, universal truth that can be understood

logically. But there's even more: going beyond logic, we can connect

with that truth which is the foundation of our being – connect with

that Inner Silence about which I wrote in my article of last week,

and that's what Maha Shivaratri is essentially about. The technique

of connecting is known as meditation, about which there is nothing

mysterious or mystical as I pointed out. On the contrary, it is a

step-by-step conscious process, well within the reach of everybody.

 

It is common knowledge that often, under a host of circumstances and

situations, we tend to use the expression " leave me in peace " . In

those moments we truly feel … in pieces! What we usually do then is

to bang the door and closet ourselves temporarily, hoping to

gain " peace " – and when we open the door it's back to the usual once

more! Most of us believe that there is really no solution to this

problem, that we must wait after we die to be truly at peace.

 

However, let us take a closer look at our life. We find that there

are three tendencies:

 

* Activity: work, ambition, career, eat-drink, constant running

around.

 

* Inactivity: feeling of bodily tiredness and mental lethargy,

heaviness, desire to sleep, not wanting to do anything.

 

* Harmony: feeling of being at peace, seeking silence, quiet mind,

state of joy.

 

In Vedic culture, these three tendencies are designated,

respectively, as rajas, tamas, sattvic. None of these tendencies are

outside of us, they are innate. Thousands of years ago, our rishis

explored our inner states of being, and came to the conclusion that

the state of joy is our true nature, and showed us the way to reach

this state, the way of conscious meditation.

 

Shiva sitting in meditation, with his eyes closed, symbolizes our

fundamental nature of inner peace and Silence. And to discover this

for ourselves, to reach and live that state, we have to understand

that we are not just a body made of matter. Because we never seem to

have time, always running about, that is why there are such

occasions like Maha Shivaratri – the Great Night of Shiva – when we

fast and spend the night doing prayers to Shiva, reflecting on his

being in meditation and trying also to achieve that state,

effectively disconnecting from the usual hustle-bustle.

 

But why at night? Usually, at night when we sleep our mind is

completely cut off from our senses, in total ignorance – the mental

in the sleep state of tamas. On the other hand, in our waking state,

our five senses – seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching –

ceaselessly pull our minds towards the external world of rajas in a

bid to fulfil our desires. This is the mental in the waking state.

 

In fact, what are we after? Silence, peace, joy, that happiness

symbolized by Shiva meditating. It is when the mental is aware,

conscious and not in tamas or rajas that we are more likely to

attain that happiness. Thus, during that night when we concentrate

on Shiva, he helps us to remove our ignorance and replace it by the

knowledge of our Self as being happiness. And when this light

illumines the mental which is aware and conscious, our life changes

forever. We do not stop our work, our cycle of activity and

inactivity, rest and so on - but we no longer seek refuge or lame

excuses in superficial pleasures which damage our bodies and corrupt

our minds. Instead, we find ourselves making a sincere effort in our

daily life to " take an appointment with ourselves " – to devote time

in meditation, to connect with our centre of Silence and discover

our true nature of happiness infinite.

 

Our rishis never claimed that this was easy, or that it can happen

overnight. We must practise regularly and must persevere in our

efforts. Gradually and imperceptibly almost, we shift from effort to

effortlessness, and equally imperceptibly our quality of life

improves significantly. We are no longer blown about by the winds of

existence remaining, rather, stable even while we are in action –

like a spinning top that does not topple over.

 

And now, science is confirming that conscious meditation leads to

demonstrable changes in a specific region of the brain which

correlates with happiness experiences. This property is known as

neuroplasticity, and is the focus of research by neuroscientists

studying the phenomena of meditation and consciousness. Those who

are interested will find more details in the issue of TIME magazine

of 12 February 2007 in a section on the latest in brain research.

 

Happy Maha Shivaratri. Aum Namashivaya.

 

SOURCE: © 2007 The Mauritius Times. By Dr R Neerunjun Gopee.

URL: http://www.mauritiustimes.com/160207gopee.htm