Hindu Festivals (6A)

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Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

 

6a.Shivaratri

 

( “Shiva bound is Jiva; Jiva liberated is Shiva.†– Sri Ramakrishna)

 

" As the different rivers, taking their start from different mountains, running

straight or crooked, at last come unto the ocean, so, O Shiva, the different

paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear,

crooked or straight, all lead unto Thee. " Shiva Mahimnah-stotra

Also read : What is Supreme Worship?

What is Shivaratri? The Puranas contain many stories and legends describing

the origin of this festival. According to one, during the churning of the ocean

by the gods and the asuras, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean. This

terrified the gods and demons as the poison was capable of destroying the entire

world, and they ran to Shiva for help. To protect the world from its evil

effects, Shiva drank the deadly poison but held it in his throat instead of

swallowing it. This made his throat turn blue, and he was given the name

Neelakantha, the blue-throated one. Shivaratri is the celebration of this event

by which Shiva saved the world.

Spiritual Significance of the Story of Samudra Manthan The ocean is compared

to the human mind and the process of churning to meditation. In the hours of

meditation, the sadhaka or spiritual aspirant churns his own mind. There is a

constant war between the devas and the asuras, that is, between the good and the

bad tendencies (samskaras) accumulated in the sub-conscious mind. During the

process of churning of the mind, both good and bad tendencies surface to the

conscious mind. Spiritual aspirants pay and seek the blessings of Shiva (who is

none other than their own divine Self) to digest all these poisons without

getting affected by them. Then alone will they be able to manifest their divine

nature and obtain the pot of nectar – Amruta Kumbha – that is immortality.

Aspects of Shiva Shiva has two aspects, the Unmanifest and the manifest. The

transcendental, eternal infinite field of all energies (Shakti) as the source of

creation is the Unmanifest Shiva.

Upanishads describe ‘SHIVAM SHANTAM ADVAITAM CHATURTHAM MANYATE SA ATMA SA

VIGYAYAHA’. The Shiva, which is tranquil, unified and non-dual beyond the

three realms is verily the ATMAN, which must be known and experienced in our

consciousness.

The manifest aspect of Lord Shiva is SHAMBHU, SHANKAR and MAHADEV as one of

the lords of TRINITY, who dissolves the precious state to enable new creation of

Brahma. He is the fountainhead of all esoteric knowledge of yoga, Tantra and

occult traditions. He is associated with cosmic dance of NATRAJ – TANDAV.

Lord Shiva – NATARAJA - is the master of dance. Shiva’s dance indicates a

continuous process of creation, preservation and destruction. The Damaru (drum)

represents the principle of shabda (sound) and hence akasha (ether), which

proceeds immediately from the Atman and is responsible for further creation or

evolution. Fire represents pralayagni, the fire that destroys the world at the

time of dissolution of the world. Thus Damaru and fire represent the continuous

cycle of creation, preservation and destruction. The other two hands indicate

that one who takes refuge at the feet of the Lord will have nothing to fear. The

Apasmara-purusha on which Shiva is standing symbolizes ignorance, which makes us

lose our balance and consciousness. He is trampled upon by the Lord for the good

of the devotees.

Swami Vivekananda on the Origin of the Shivalinga Swami Vivekananda said that

“the worship of the Shiva-Linga originated from the famous hymn in the

Atharva-Veda Samhita sung in praise of the Yupa-Stambha, the sacrificial post.

In that hymn a description is found of the beginningless and endless Stambha or

Skambha, and it is shown that the said Skambha is put in place of the eternal

Brahman. As afterwards the Yajna (sacrificial) fire, its smoke, ashes, and

flames, the Soma plant, and the ox that used to carry on its back the wood for

the Vedic sacrifice gave place to the conception of the brightness of Shiva's

body, his tawny matted-hair, his blue throat, and the riding on the bull of the

Shiva, and so on--just so, the Yupa-Skambha gave place in time to the

Shiva-Linga, and was deified to the high Devahood of Shri Shankara. In the

Atharva-Veda Samhita, the sacrificial cakes are also extolled along with the

attributes of the Brahman.â€

Shiva is the sublime aspect of God. The Shivalinga, is the most popular emblem

of the Lord. The word “linga†means 'sign, mark, or symbol'. Shiva is the

Absolute, transcendental Reality which is beyond all qualities and yet the

substratum of all phenomenon or relative universe, his Shakti. The Shivalinga

emblem is used to facilitate the ritualistic worship of the transcendental

Reality.

Spiritual Significance of Worship All worship and spiritual disciplines are

for the purpose of the purification of the mind so that we can apprehend the

divine Consciousness within us and others. This mental purification is achieved

by spiritual disciplines (tapasys) such as study, meditation, repetition of the

divine name (mantra) which burn up the mental impurities that cover the Atman

which is of the nature of Infinite Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. It is our

divine birthright. Purification of the mind is achieved through purity in

thoughts, words, actions, relationships and connections. Sri Ramakrishna

compares the mind to white linen. It will take the colour of whichever dye it

comes in contact. When it is dipped in blue dye, it becomes blue, when dipped in

red dye it becomes red. Likewise, if the mind is “dipped in holy and pure

thoughts†by meditating on the Divine, it becomes pure and holy; if it is

dipped in worldliness, it becomes impure and does not reflect the divine truth

within. Thoughts are the seeds of all our speech and actions.

Shiva and His Shakti (maya) are one and the same. This world is the relative

aspect of Shiva. His maya Shakti deludes us and binds us in worldliness. We

forget our blissful divine nature and behave like miserable beings. When Shiva

is propitiated with worship and devotion, he becomes gracious and frees us from

the clutches of his maya. He grants us the divine virtues of renunciation,

discrimination, dispassion to worldly attractions, devotion to the Supreme

Being, compassion to all beings, fearlessness, strength to practise spiritual

disciplines for the control and purification of the mind.

On the night of Shivaratri, devotees observe vigil and spend their time in

worship, japa, meditation, singing hymns and bhajans etc. and thus try to unite

their minds with the Divine Lord.

Significance of Fasting on Shivratri The Sanskrit word for fasting is

Upavasa. “Upa†means near, close by; “vasa†means to stay or abide in,

thus “upavasa†means keeping the mind close to God by meditating and

contemplating on His divine qualities so that the mind imbibes the divine

qualities. This requires an alert and concentrated mind. Thus, when we abstain

from eating and drinking, the body feels light and the mind is alert. However,

if necessary one may take some fruits and milk. The important thing is to keep

the mind on the Lord and not on the stomach.

Furthermore, fasting is also a great instrument for self-disciplining the

mind, body and the senses and developing the will-power. It helps one to endure

hardships, to persevere under difficulties and not give up.

According to Hindu philosophy, the word “ahara†means whatever we “take

inâ€. It includes all that we take in through the fives senses and not only

food. Pure “ahara†really means talking in pure perceptions through all the

sense organs. Therefore, true fasting means disciplining all the senses so that

the mind can be elevated for higher contemplation.

 

Shiva Manas Puja (Mental Worship of Shiva)

 

This hymn is unique in its completeness of mental worship of lord Shiva. He is

installed in the Consciousness of the devotee who offers entire range of worship

ceremonies. As a result he feels that his soul (Atman) is verily Shiva, his

intelligence is Divine Mother Parvati, His body is the temple, all enjoyments

are His worship, every utterance is His prayer (hymn) and every action performed

is a step in the process of unifying with Lord Shiva. The fourth verse is given

below:

atmaa tvam girijaa matih sahacharaah praanaah shariiram griham puja te

vishayopabhogarachanaa nidraa samaadhisthitih .

sanchaarah padayoh pradakshinavidhih stotraani sarvaa giro yadyadkarma karomi

tattadakhilam shambho tavaaraadhanam.

You are my Self; Divine Mother Parvati is my reason. My five pranas are Your

attendants, my body is Your house, and all that I take in through my five senses

are objects to use for Your worship (as oblations poured in to the fire of your

divine consciousness dwelling in my body). My sleep is Your state of samadhi.

Wherever I walk I am circumambulating around You. All my speech are hymns of

praise of You, everything I do is in devotion to You, O benevolent Lord!

 

“Real Worshipâ€

 

Swami Vivekananda’s Address at the Rameswaram Temple

 

It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony, in the pure and

sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming

into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The prayers of those that are

pure in mind and body will be answered by Shiva, and those that are impure and

yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end. External worship is

only a symbol of internal worship; but internal worship and purity are the real

things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail. Therefore you must

all try to remember this.

People have become so degraded in this Kali Yuga that they think they can do

anything, and then they can go to a holy place, and their sins will be forgiven.

If a man goes with an impure mind into a temple, he adds to the sins that he had

already, and goes home a worse man than when he left it. Tirtha (place of

pilgrimage) is a place which is full of holy things and holy men. But if holy

people live in a certain place, and if there is no temple there, even that is a

Tirtha. If unholy people live in a place where there may be a hundred temples,

the Tirtha has vanished from that place. And it is most difficult to live in a

Tirtha; for if sin is committed in any ordinary place it can easily be removed,

but sin committed in a Tirtha cannot be removed. This is the gist of all

worship--to be pure and to do good to others.

He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really

worships Shiva; and if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is but

preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Shiva in him,

without thinking of his caste, or creed, or race, or anything, with him Shiva is

more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.

A rich man had a garden and two gardeners. One of these gardeners was very

lazy and did not work; but when the owner came to the garden, the lazy man would

get up and fold his arms and say, " How beautiful is the face of my master " , and

dance before him. The other gardener would not talk much, but would work hard,

and produce all sorts of fruits and vegetables which he would carry on his head

to his master who lived a long way off. Of these two gardeners, which would be

the more beloved of his master? Shiva is that master, and this world is His

garden, and there are two sorts of gardeners here; the one who is lazy,

hypocritical, and does nothing, only talking about Shiva's beautiful eyes and

nose and other features; and the other, who is taking care of Shiva's children,

all those that are poor and weak, all animals, and all His creation. Which of

these would be the more beloved of Shiva? Certainly he that serves His children.

He who wants to serve the father must serve the children first. He who wants to

serve Shiva must serve His children--must serve all creatures in this world

first. It is said in the Shastra that those who serve the servants of God are

His greatest servants. So you will bear this in mind.

Let me tell you again that you must be pure and help any one who comes to you,

as much as lies in your power. And this is good Karma. By the power of this, the

heart becomes pure (Chitta-shuddhi), and then Shiva who is residing in every one

will become manifest. He is always in the heart of every one. If there is dirt

and dust on a mirror, we cannot see our image. So ignorance and wickedness are

the dirt and dust that are on the mirror of our hearts. Selfishness is the chief

sin, thinking of ourselves first. He who thinks, " I will eat first, I will have

more money than others, and I will possess everything " , he who thinks, " I will

get to heaven before others, I will get Mukti before others " is the selfish man.

The unselfish man says, " I will be last, I do not care to go to heaven, I will

even go to hell if by doing so I can help my brothers. " This unselfishness is

the test of religion. He who has more of this unselfishness is more spiritual

and nearer to Shiva. Whether he is learned or ignorant, he is nearer to Shiva

than anybody else, whether he knows it or not. And if a man is selfish, even

though he has visited all the temples, seen all the places of pilgrimage, and

painted himself like a leopard, he is still further off from Shiva.

(By Swamy Tadananda)

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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