Sivaratri ---spiritual significance by Sivananda

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Shivaratri

By

Sri Swami Sivananda

Introduction

The Story of King Chitrabhanu

Spiritual Significance of the Ritual

Introduction

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

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

chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honour 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 Shivaya continues. Offerings of

bael leaves are made to the Lingam. Bael leaves are very sacred as, it is said,

Lakshmi resides in them.

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

or Ravana's Shiva Tandava Stotra are sung with great fervour 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 Jambudvipa, 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

bael 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 bael

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 day and all 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 practised 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 bael

tree and all the other details of the worship?

Sastri: Have you ever seen a bael 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 centres

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 practising 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 practising

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 bael 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 superconsciousness.

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.

 

 

 

Jabali Muni.

 

SarvE bhavanthu sukhinah sarvE santhu niraamayaah

Sarve bhadrANi pasyanthu maa kaschit duhkhabhAg bhavEt.