Hindu Festivals.

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Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal,

 

Shivaratri

 

 

This falls on the 13th (or 14th) day of the dark half of Phalguna

(February-March). The name means " the night of Shiva " . The ceremonies take place

chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honor of Lord Shiva. Shiva was

married to Parvati on this day.

 

People observe a strict fast on this day. Some devotees do not even take a

drop of water. They keep vigil all night. The Shiva Lingam is worshipped

throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk, curd, honey,

rose water, etc., whilst the chanting of the Mantra “Om Namah Shivayaâ€

continues. Offerings of ‘Bilwa’ leaves are made to the Lingam. Bilva leaves

are very sacred as, it is said, Lakshmi resides in them.

 

Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva, such as the Shiva Mahima Stotra of Pushpadanta

or Ravana's Shiva Tandava Stotra are sung with great fervor and devotion. People

repeat the Panchakshara Mantra, ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. He, who utters the Names

of Shiva during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed

from all sins. He reaches the abode of Shiva and lives there happily. He is

liberated from the wheel of births and deaths. Many pilgrims flock to the places

where there are Shiva temples.

 

The Story of King Chitrabhanu

 

In the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, Bhishma, whilst resting on the bed of

arrows and discoursing on Dharma, refers to the observance of Maha Shivaratri by

King Chitrabhanu. The story goes as follows.

 

Once upon a time King Chitrabhanu of the Ikshvaku dynasty, who ruled over the

whole of Jambudveepa, was observing a fast with his wife, it being the day of

Maha Shivaratri. The sage Ashtavakra came on a visit to the court of the king.

 

The sage asked, " O king! Why are you observing a fast today? "

 

King Chitrabhanu explained why. He had the gift of remembering the incidents

of his previous birth.

 

The king said to the sage: " In my past birth I was a hunter in Varanasi. My

name was Suswara. My livelihood was to kill and sell birds and animals. One day

I was roaming the forests in search of animals. I was overtaken by the darkness

of night. Unable to return home, I climbed a tree for shelter. It happened to be

a bilwa tree. I had shot a deer that day but I had no time to take it home. I

bundled it up and tied it to a branch on the tree. As I was tormented by hunger

and thirst, I kept awake throughout the night. I shed profuse tears when I

thought of my poor wife and children who were starving and anxiously awaiting my

return. To pass away the time that night I engaged myself in plucking the bilwa

leaves and dropping them down onto the ground.

 

" The day dawned. I returned home and sold the deer. I bought some food for

myself and for my family. I was about to break my fast when a stranger came to

me, begging for food. I served him first and then took my food.

 

" At the time of death, I saw two messengers of Lord Shiva. They were sent down

to conduct my soul to the abode of Lord Shiva. I learnt then for the first time

of the great merit I had earned by the unconscious worship of Lord Shiva during

the night of Shivaratri. They told me that there was a Lingam at the bottom of

the tree. The leaves I dropped fell on the Lingam. My tears which I had shed out

of pure sorrow for my family fell onto the Lingam and washed it. And I had

fasted all the day and night. Thus did I unconsciously worship the Lord?

 

" I lived in the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for long ages. I am

now reborn as Chitrabhanu. "

 

Spiritual Significance of the Ritual.

 

The Scriptures record the following dialogue between Sastri and Atmanathan,

giving the inner meaning of the above story.

 

Sastri: It is an allegory. The wild animals that the hunter fought with are

lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the fourfold

mind, consisting of the subconscious mind, the intellect, the ego and the

conscious mind. It is in the mind that these " wild animals " roam about freely.

They must be killed. Our hunter was pursuing them because he was a Yogi. If you

want to be a real Yogi you have to conquer these evil tendencies. Do you

remember the name of the hunter in the story?

 

Atmanathan: Yes, he was called Suswara.

 

Sastri: That's right. It means " melodious " . The hunter had a pleasant

melodious voice. If a person practices Yama and Niyama and is ever conquering

his evil tendencies, he will develop certain external marks of a Yogi. The first

marks are lightness of the body, health, steadiness, clearness of countenance

and a pleasant voice. This stage has been spoken of in detail in the

Swetaswatara Upanishad. The hunter or the Yogi had for many years practiced Yoga

and had reached the first stage. So he is given the name Suswara. Do you

remember where he was born?

 

Atmanathan: Yes, his birthplace is Varanasi.

 

Sastri: Now, the Yogis call the Ajna Chakra by the name Varanasi. This is the

point midway between the eyebrows. It is regarded as the meeting place of the

three nerve currents (Nadis), namely, the Ida, Pingala and the Sushumna. An

aspirant is instructed to concentrate on that point. That helps him to conquer

his desires and evil qualities like anger and so on. It is there that he gets a

vision of the Divine Light within.

 

Atmanathan: Very interesting! But how do you explain his climbing up the bilwa

tree and all the other details of the worship?

 

Sastri: Have you ever seen a billwa leaf?

 

Atmanathan: It has three leaves on one stalk.

 

Sastri: True. The tree represents the spinal column. The leaves are threefold.

They represent the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadis, which are the regions for

the activity of the moon, the sun and fire respectively, or which may be thought

of as the three eyes of Shiva. The climbing of the tree is meant to represent

the ascension of the Kundalini Shakti, the serpentine power, from the lowest

nerve centre called the Muladhara to the Ajna Chakra. That is the work of the

Yogi.

 

Atmanathan: Yes, I have heard of the Kundalini and the various psychic centers

in the body. Please go on further; I am very interested to know more.

 

Sastri: Good. The Yogi was in the waking state when he began his meditation.

He bundled up the birds and the animals he had slain and, tying them on a branch

of the tree, he rested there. That means he had fully conquered his thoughts and

rendered them inactive. He had gone through the steps of Yama, Niyama,

Pratyahara, etc. On the tree he was practicing concentration and meditation.

When he felt sleepy, it means that he was about to lose consciousness and go

into deep sleep. So he determined to keep awake.

 

Atmanathan: That is now clear to me; you certainly do explain it very well.

But why did he weep for his wife and children?

 

Sastri: His wife and children are none other than the world. One who seeks the

Grace of God must become an embodiment of love. He must have an all-embracing

sympathy. His shedding of tears is symbolical of his universal love. In Yoga

also, one cannot have illumination without Divine Grace. Without practicing

universal love, one cannot win that Grace. One must perceive one's own self

everywhere. The preliminary stage is to identify one's own mind with the minds

of all created beings. That is fellow-feeling or sympathy. Then one must rise

above the limitations of the mind and merge it in the Self. That happens only in

the stage of Samadhi, not earlier.

 

Atmanathan: Why did he pluck and drop the bilwa leaves?

 

Sastri: That is mentioned in the story only to show that he had no extraneous

thoughts. He was not even conscious of what he was doing. All his activity was

confined to the three Nadis. The leaves, I have said before, represent the three

Nadis. He was in fact in the second state, namely, the dream state, before he

passed into the deep sleep state.

 

Atmanathan: He kept vigil the whole night, it is said.

 

Sastri: Yes, that means that he passed through the deep sleep state

successfully. The dawning of day symbolises the entrance into the Fourth state

called Turiya or super consciousness.

 

Atmanathan: It is said that he came down and saw the Lingam. What does that

mean?

 

Sastri: That means that in the Turiya state he saw the Shiva Lingam or the

mark of Shiva in the form of the inner lights. In other words, he had the vision

of the Lord. That was an indication to him that he would realise the supreme,

eternal abode of Lord Shiva in course of time.

 

Atmanathan: So it appears from what you say that the sight of the lights is

not the final stage?

 

Sastri: Oh no! That is only one step, albeit a difficult one. Now think of how

the story continues. He goes home and feeds a stranger. A stranger is one whom

you have not seen before. The stranger is no other than the hunter himself,

transformed into a new person. The food was the likes and dislikes which he had

killed the previous night. But he did not consume the whole of it. A little

still remained. That was why he had to be reborn as King Chitrabhanu. Going to

the world of Shiva (Salokya) is not enough to prevent this. There are other

stages besides Salokya. These are Samipya, Sarupya and finally Sayujya. Have you

not heard of Jaya and Vijaya returning from Vaikunta?

 

Atmanathan: Yes, I have understood now.

 

Lord Shiva's Assurance

 

When creation had been completed, Shiva and Parvati went out to live on the

top of Mount Kailas. Parvati asked, " O venerable Lord! Which of the many rituals

observed in Thy honor doth please Thee most? "

 

The Lord replied, " The 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight

during the month of Phalguna, is my most favorite day. It is known as

Shivaratri. My devotees give me greater happiness by mere fasting than by

ceremonial baths and offerings of flowers, sweets and incense.

 

" The devotee observes strict spiritual discipline in the day and worships Me

in four different forms during each of the four successive three-hour periods of

the night. The offering of a few bilwa leaves is more precious to Me than the

precious jewels and flowers. My devotee should bathe Me in milk at the first

period, in curd at the second, in clarified butter at the third, and in honey at

the fourth and last. Next morning, he should feed the Brahmins first and, after

performing the prescribed ceremonies, he can break his fast.

O Parvati! There is no ritual which can compare with this simple routine in

sanctity. "

 

Parvati was deeply impressed by the speech of Lord Shiva. She repeated it to

her friends who in their turn passed it on to the ruling princes on earth. Thus

was the sanctity of Shivaratri broadcasted all over the world.

 

The two great natural forces that afflict man are Rajas (the quality of

passionate activity) and Tamas (that of inertia). The Shivaratri Vrata aims at

the perfect control of these two. The entire day is spent at the Feet of the

Lord. Continuous worship of the Lord necessitates the devotee's constant

presence in the place of worship. Motion is controlled. Evils like lust, anger,

and jealousy, born of Rajas are ignored and subdued. The devotee observes vigil

throughout the night and thus conquers Tamas also. Constant vigilance is imposed

on the mind. Every three hours a round of worship of the Shiva Lingam is

conducted. Shivaratri is a perfect Vrata.

 

The formal worship consists of bathing the Lord. Lord Shiva is considered to

be the Form of Light (which the Shiva Lingam represents). He is burning with the

fire of austerity. He is therefore best propitiated with cool bathing. While

bathing the Lingam the devotee prays: " O Lord! I will bathe Thee with water,

milk, etc. Do Thou kindly bathe me with the milk of wisdom? Do Thou kindly wash

me of all my sins, so that the fire of worldliness which is scorching me may be

put out once for all, so that I may be one with Thee-the One alone without a

second. "

 

At the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, the Shivaratri festival is celebrated in

the following manner.

 

All spiritual aspirants fast the whole day, many of them without taking even a

single drop of water.

A grand homam is performed for the peace and welfare of all.

The whole day is spent in doing the Japa of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ and in

meditation upon the Lord.

At night all assemble in the temple and chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ the whole

night.

During the four quarters of the night the Shiva Lingam is worshipped with

intense devotion.

Sannyas Diksha is also given on this day to sincere seekers on the path.

Offer this inner worship to Lord Shiva daily: " I worship the jewel of my Self,

the Shiva residing in the Lotus of my heart. I bathe Him with the water of my

pure mind brought from the river of faith and devotion. I worship Him with the

fragrant flowers of Samadhi-all this so that I may not be born again in this

world. "

 

Here is another formula for the supreme worship of the Lord: " O Shiva! You are

my Self. My mind is Parvati. My Pranas are your servants. My body is your house.

My actions in this world are your worship. My sleep is Samadhi. My walk is

circumambulation of you. My speech is your prayer. Thus do I offer all that I am

to you.

(By Swamy Sivananda)

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.