Maha Shivaratri (‘the Night of Shiva’) falls on the 14th night of the Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Magha (Amanta Calendar) / Phalguna (Purnimanta Calendar). The Sanskrit term, Krishna Paksha means the period of waning Moon, the fortnight when the Moon begins to grow dark, Krishna.
This is a night spent in worshipping and celebrating Bhagwan Shiva. Why at night? And, why Shiva?
Comprehending Shiva
Contrary to the common depiction of Shiva as a fierce and terrifying Bhagwan of destruction, the word Shiva simply means Mangalam, auspicious.
Anything that is auspicious is Shiva. This auspiciousness, which is all-pervading throughout the universe, is a constant presence during the lifetime of this universe, before the creation of the universe and continues to be so even after the dissolution of this world, this solar system, this galaxy and this entire universe.
For, what is auspiciousness, if not the potential that exists to “be”, “becomes” bhava from which comes the name for Shiva as Shambhava, Shambo where the prefix Sham– denotes goodness.
In Indian thought, the universe is always there, in one form or the other, as subtle alone or with gross, as dynamic or at rest. It only keeps moving through countless cycles of Creation, Srishti and dissolution, Pralaya. Thus, this Shiva, the auspiciousness in the universe, is the very life of the universe. Not just as the life we see around us in a very limited perspective of life in humans, animals or plants but as the very essence of matter and life itself.
In making this auspiciousness manifest into matter and life, it is Shakti, the energy in the universe who complements Shiva under different names such as Uma, Sati, Parvati, Durga and Kali.
Looking At Ratri
After looking at what Shiva stands for, let us look at the term Ratri. The word Ratri means “comfort giver”. It is derived from the root “ra, rama” meaning “that which bestows comfort, pleasantness”.
Ratri is that which gives one comfort or rest from the three types of activities namely:
- Kayika or bodily actions
- Vachika or speech
- Manasika or thoughts
- A person is afflicted by three types of agents, namely
- Adhyatmika – psycho-physical aspects pertaining to the self, the Atma
- Adhi Bhauthika – aspects pertaining to the elements of Nature, the Bhuta
- Adhi Daivika – aspects beyond, that pertain to the cosmic, the Divya
During the night, as man sleeps and gets regenerated, all three types of actions are subdued and the mind is completely at rest, free from all types of afflictions.
Hence night is called ratri or the comfort giver. It is a word, like all others in Indian languages, where its very formation implies its meaning and function.
Day and Night – The Natural Rhythm
It is during the ratri or night of any being, that the being gets rejuvenated and refreshed for its next cycle or day!
This is man’s natural rhythm – day and night. Every night, the body gets regenerated and refreshed for the next day.
This creation also resonates with rhythm or a natural heartbeat. Every object in this creation in turn also has its own cycle or rhythm in which it rises to a peak and ebbs to a low. The peak is called its day and the low is called its night or ratri. This keeps going on in cycles with growth during day and dissolution during night.
There is a continuous cycle of dissolution and regeneration going on in the universe. Only if there is dissolution of the old can there be scope for regeneration of the new.
The process of dissolution is called Pralaya. Laya means to merge or dissolve into. Blending and being with the rhythm is Laya just as in music too.
For a human, such dissolution of all senses and the working of the brain happens during deep sleep at night, when consciousness merges with the universal being and bestows the body and mind with a feeling of complete bliss and rest. No wonder, we wake up feeling rejuvenated after a good, deep sleep.
A Night To Rejuvenate
Therefore, from time immemorial our ancestors had set aside a night for regeneration, for feeling serenity which can happen by withdrawing the mind from temptations. Hence it is a night of staying away from temptation of food etc. and of singing, praying and meditating to keep one’s mind focussed and steady to get into a state of rest and bliss.
A state of bliss in which everything gets recycled and rejuvenated which is depicted as Shiva dancing His cosmic Tandava Nritya to destroy and then recreate the cosmos.
Bharat has been rejuvenating itself for millennia by celebrating the night before Amavasya in the month of Magha, roughly around February / March as Maha Shivaratri. As a matter of fact, many Indians observe the night before Amavasya every month as a Shivaratri too.
Shivaratri is an occasion that makes us aware of the need to rest and rejuvenate ourselves completely and periodically. So that we are ever in tune with the ever-changing cosmos with a renewed cosmic connection.
A Night To Celebrate
It is a window to prepare ourselves to accept the new day, the change that has come both inside and outside us, to let go of the past, to make way for the new and the rejuvenation that comes forth. It is a night to be close to Shiva, the all-pervading auspiciousness, to “become”, “be” rested, happy, fresh and revitalised.
It is a celebration to welcome the anticipated change, the rejuvenation.
