God, the Source of Good

Shivarathri is a very auspicious day for all. It is the fourteenth day of the lunar fortnight when the moon is waning and the sun is in the sign of Aquarius. The festival is, however, related to the moon rather than the sun. That is the reason why it is called Shivarathri, the night of Shiva. Unlike other nights, this particular night is the night of consecration, of dedication, of illumination.

The mind is intimately associated with the moon. Chandra, the deity of the moon, is the presiding deity of the mind. He loses one sixteenth of his brilliance every day after the full moon day and continues waning until on this night he is left with just one sixteenth of his power. The waned moon may be taken to stand for the mind with all its wild fancies and waywardness reduced after it has been conquered by spiritual discipline. On this night there is just a minute part more to be conquered and that can be done by keeping vigil and dwelling on the glory of God. The vigil that is prescribed is symbolic of the eternal vigil one has to observe, while the rite of fasting is symbolic of divesting the senses of the pleasures for which they crave. The nightlong devotional singing is significant of the life-long consciousness of the Divine Presence that every one should cultivate. The rites and vows laid down for Shivarathri being absent on other nights of the year, their observance on this day comes as a reminder that they are useful.

There are three types of men: the multi-centered, the uni-centered, and the non-centered. The first group, who allow their senses, mind, and intelligence to wander where they will, is a very populous group. So also is the third group, which comprises people who flit from one object to another, hop around from one thing to another in listless flippancy. For earning the concentration and single-centeredness characteristic of the second group, the festival of Shivarathri is very propitious. The devotional singing and the ceaseless flow of the recital of the name of God and reflection on the name of God on this occasion help in the attainment of single-centeredness.

According to numerology, the first three syllables of the word Shivarathri -- si, va, and ra -- connote the numbers five, four, and two and the fourth syllable, thri, means 'three'. Five, four and two make one whole, one composite picture of the eleven rudras. Rudra means the one who makes man weep. The eleven rudras are: the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, and the mind. These, by leading him astray in pursuit of trivial and transitory pleasures, ruin him and make him weep. But the God within, if it is sought and relied upon, sheds its rays on the eleven and makes them meaningful partners in the progress of man towards self-realization. The rays from the God within illumine the intelligence, the illumined intelligence alerts the mind, and the alerted mind gets control of the senses, making the path clear for the person to proceed through knowledge to wisdom.

Another significance of Shivarathri is this: Shiva, or the Eternal Absolute Person, in His desire to attract the world of matter, engages Himself in the thandava, the cosmic dance. The dance is a Divine plan to attract the material creation, For all Divine miracles like those of Rama (He who pleases and delights) and Krishna (He who attracts) are for drawing people to the Divine presence for the purpose of correcting or cleansing them, or for confirming their faith and then leading them on to the discipline of service so that they may merge in ecstasy, in the source of all ecstasy -- a miracle resulting in sublimation, leading to service to society and finally conferring self-realization. The cosmic dance is so fast that fire emanates from Shiva's body because of the heat generated by activity. In order to cool Shiva and comfort him, Paravathi, his consort, places the Ganges on his head, makes the crescent moon rest amidst the coils of his hair, applies cold sandalwood paste all over his body, winds round the joints of his hands and feet cold-blooded snakes, and finally, being herself the daughter of the Himalayas (the mountains with eternal snow), she sits on his lap and becomes a part of him. At this Shiva rises, and both the soul and the world of matter dance together to the immense delight of the Gods and of all creation. This happens, according to the Puranas, on the Shivarathri day.

The significance of this myth lies in the secret taught by it of pleasing the Lord and winning His grace. What a pity that a day of such sanctifying significance is being celebrated through a routine of meaningless and even harmful pastimes. Since a vigil is laid down, some people spend the night witnessing a series of films or in playing cards. Can a person rolling in bed because he does not get sleep claim that he is observing the vow of vigil? Can a stork standing on one foot on the bank of a stream to pick up a fish and gulp it claim that it is practicing meditation? Can a person who refuses to eat his lunch because he has had a quarrel with his wife claim that he is observing a fast? There are no short cuts or tricks possible on the spiritual path.

Shivarathri is celebrated in all Shiva temples. Srisailam is a particularly famous temple of Shiva. There is a fine story told about this festival at Srisailam. At the foot of the Srisailam range of hills there is a village where a boy of nine years named Bala Ramanna attended primary school. He learned from his friends at school that their sisters and brothers-in-law were coming to their homes to attend the Shivarathri celebrations on the Srisailam Hills. Ramanna went home and wanted his mother to send his sister and brother-in-law to the festival also. His mother told him that he had no sister and, therefore, no brother-in-law. But he would not listen. He said he must have a sister and a brother-in-law like his friends. So his mother, just to quiet him, said, "You have a sister and a brother-in-law, but they are in the temple on the Srisailam. Their names are Bhramaramba and Mallikarjuna." She gave him the names by which Shiva and His consort are known -- Bhramaramba meaning 'Bee' and Mallikarjuna meaning the 'White Jasmine'. These names are very apt, because the consort draws inspiration, instruction, and wisdom from the Lord even as the bee draws its sustenance from the jasmine flowers.

When he was told that his sister was in the temple on the Srisailam, Ramanna insisted that he would go and invite his sister and brother-in-law to come home and stay there for some time. He wanted to take some presents for them, but his mother said that they were far too rich and that younger members of the family should not present anything to the elders. The mother sent her son with a neighbor who was going to the temple to see the festival. She gave the neighbor money so that he could get presents for the boy.

Ramanna hastened up the hill and rushed into the temple crying, "Sister...brother-in-law," and fell at the feet of the idol of Bhramaramba. He held the idol in embrace and began dragging it, wanting it to accompany him. He clasped the idol of Mallikarjuna and would not leave it. At last the priests in the temple drove him away as a mad boy.

Then in despair, he climbed a high rock and threatened to jump from that height unless his sister and her husband came with him. Just then he heard a loud voice from the temple, "Brother-inlaw! Ramanna! Don't jump! We are coming with you..." and soon Lord Shiva and His consort presented themselves before him and accompanied him to his cottage in the valley below. The mother and son were so overwhelmed with Divine bliss that they merged in the Divine Phenomenon and were seen no more. This story has added to the sanctity of the shrine of Bhramaramba and Mallikarjuna at Srisailam.

Children in those days and elders too had innocent minds, simple hearts, and high ideals. Nowadays cynicism and disbelief have become rampant. There is a wave of negligence and sloth sweeping over our people. For one word uttered they ascribe ten meanings to it and not one of them is correct. When a subject is mentioned, they start a series of arguments and counter-arguments, and in the dust that is raised the truth is ignored. Their lives are largely artificial and their ideals shallow, so Divinity is beyond their reach.

Bala Ramanna had unadulterated faith, so he was able to dedicate his pure self to the Lord and reach the goal. You must always exalt low things to a higher level by infusing them with higher meaning. Ramanna believed the stone image to be God; he did not bring God down to the level of a stone image. You may worship a picture as God, but you should not assume God is a picture. Wood, stone, or mud may be assumed to be Divine, but Divinity should not be limited to wood, stone or mud.

Have high ideals. Strive to elevate yourselves. Make for the highest goal, God. Whatever the obstacle or opposition, do not be disheartened. Give up the animal in you, stabilize yourselves in human virtues and proceed boldly towards the achievements of Divinity. Do not waver; do not go today to devotion, tomorrow to sensual gratification, and the day after again to devotion. When everything is successful you are all for devotion; when something goes wrong, you are filled with despair; when discipline is enforced, you start holding back; and when love is showered, you come first. This dual attitude must be given up.

The very Divine principle which seekers strive to visualize by means of years of asceticism and renunciation is before you, here and now; realize the good fortune you are endowed with. I have this day, the holy day of Shivarathri, granted pardon for all the errors you have fallen into knowingly or unknowingly up to this time. Have auspicious thoughts, speak auspicious words, and do auspicious deeds. And as a result of this, attain the embodiment of auspiciousness, Shiva Himself.