The
Significance of Austerities Observed on the Eve of
Maha Sivaratri, the Great Auspicious Night
Lord
Siva and Parvati Devi are the most loving
parents of all living beings.
The
Significance of Fasting and Maintaining Vigil Throughout the
Night
On
the holy occasion of Maha Sivaratri, millions of people around the
world observe the Maha Sivaratri Vrata (Vow), in which they refrain
from eating any food or sleeping throughout the entire night of Sivaratri.
[In many parts of the US, the Maha Sivaratri Vrata may be observed
starting on Thursday, March 6, going into the morning of the 7th.
Please check with your local temple to find out when to observe the
vow.] Actually, ratri means “night,” so Sivaratri is
the Great Night of Lord Siva, or the Great Auspicious Night. Through
observing this vow, one remains free from desires and emotional or
sensory indulgences for one full day out of the year. In this way,
the body itself becomes a true temple for Lord Siva. It is our desires
which veil the supreme Self and block us from experiencing divine
truth.
Is
it not true that in any place of worship, only the most fragrant
and auspicious items like flowers, sweets, fruits, milk, and honey
are brought before God in the sanctum sanctorum? Any unpleasant or
inauspicious items will not be granted access to the Lord. Similarly,
it is our positive thoughts and divine actions which give fragrance
to our life, thereby bestowing peace and happiness and connecting
us to God. On the other hand, our negative tendencies will lead to
suffering and pain and will prevent us from approaching God.
In
the pursuit of Atma vidya—the knowledge of the supreme Self—one
has to be very vigilant and alert. This is the real significance
and motive behind staying awake throughout the night of Sivaratri.
Only by remaining alert and aware can we guard against being taken
over by the six inner enemies—wrong desire, greed, illusion,
arrogance, jealousy, and anger. These six enemies are ever waiting
to take control of our lives and must be guarded against with the
utmost vigilance. When we are in submission to these dark forces,
then our lives will not be ruled by Divinity.
Amma
performs abhishekam to Lord Siva with sugar; Lord Siva is the
one who
showers us with sweetness and auspiciousness.
Silence
is lost through the intrusion of sounds. In the same way, inner silence,
which is divinity, is lost through the intrusion of the karmendriyas
and jnanendriyas—the organs of action and senses. In the absence
of sound, we are automatically engulfed by silence. Thus, in the
absence of sensory indulgences and physical or mental activities,
we are automatically engulfed by the divine inner silence. Spiritual
practices like meditation or puja (worship) are the true antidote
to sensory indulgences. These holy devotional activities, especially
when performed on Maha Sivaratri, will tame the senses and the mind,
thereby allowing one to be immersed in the sacred lake of absolute
silence and inner purity.
At
the physical level, fasting means to refrain from taking food into
the body. Fasting is very beneficial for the physical health and
also helps in inner purification. It is said that fasting for a single
day will increase the lifespan by seven years. At the level of the
subtle energy body, fasting means to refrain from taking sensory
experiences or worldly thoughts and ideas into the mind. In true
fasting, one replaces all worldly ideas and preoccupations with thoughts
of Sri Parameswara, the supreme Lord. This is known as spiritual
fasting. By chanting stotras, singing bhajans, doing mantra japa
or meditating, one can completely fill one’s entire mind with
the divine vibrations of supreme consciousness.
Both
of these activities—fasting and staying awake throughout the
night—are highly significant. To be truly awake during
the night of Maha Sivaratri means to dwell incessantly on God, to
be on the alert for the coming of Lord, and to experience the highest
divinity within the heart, which is the true sanctum sanctorum within
the temple of the body. This is what brings the highest merit.
Worshipping
Lord Siva Is Supremely Purifying and Grants Every Auspicious
Boon
Abhishekam
is very dear to Lord Siva. He is so pleased with this simple worship
that he immediately bestows every kind of auspicious boon. In an
abhishekam, different holy substances are poured onto a sacred idol,
like a Siva lingam. Yet the highest form of abishekam is to offer
the water of pure love and the milk of absolute selflessness to the
Atma linga, the supreme Self which dwells in the heart.
When
we perform abhishekam physically to a Siva lingam, our devotion and
faith is enhanced, and we form a strong connection to our true inner
divinity. This practice of outward abhishekam contributes to the
development of pure love and the nectar of true knowledge of Atman.
By
performing abhishekam on Sivaratri, hundreds of millions of sins
are completely destroyed and our minds and bodies become so pure.
Negative tendencies are eliminated and we gain control over the mind.
Peace is attained and one becomes free from every type of disease.
Through abhishekam to Lord Siva, selfishness and egoism are reduced
and we become free from all suffering. Therefore, let everyone worship
Lord Siva with faith and devotion on the most sacred occasion of
Maha Sivaratri.
Amma
worships Lord Siva with pure water. Lord Siva's purifying grace
removes every kind of karmic pollution.
Sri
Maha Sivaratri Shatkala Puja – Worshipping God at Six Important
Times
There
are six important times of the day for worshipping Lord Siva, and
in ancient times, people used to perform worship during each of the
six times, each and every day. However, today it is very difficult
to do this because of the demands of modern life. On Maha Sivaratri,
it is very auspicious to perform abhishekam to Lord Siva during any
or all of the six following times:
- Before sunrise (around 4:30
AM)
- Sunrise
- Between sunrise and noon
(around 7:30 AM to 9 AM)
- Noon (12 PM)
- Sunset
- Midnight (12 AM)
When
abhishekam is performed to Lord Siva during all six times with the
chanting of Sri Rudra Namakam and Chamakam, every kind of auspicious
wealth is bestowed and all suffering is completely destroyed.
If
you have a Siva lingam, you can offer milk or pure water to the lingam
while chanting the Siva
Sakti Panchakshari Mantra 108 times. If you just have a picture
of Lord Siva, you can place a new, unused plate or bowl in front
of the picture and offer the water or milk onto the plate. If you
don’t have any lingam or picture, you can just chant the mantra
mentally or out loud as much as you can.
Holy
Bath in the Triveni Sangama
In
the sacred land of India, many people have the wish to take a holy
bath in the Triveni Sangama at least once in their lives. The Triveni
Sangama is a place where the three holiest rivers in India merge
together. Tremendous merit is obtained by bathing in such an auspicious
location. However, there are three actions that become equivalent
to taking such a holy dip when performed together, especially on
the holy occasion of Maha Sivaratri. These three actions are:
Applying
vibhuti to the third eye stimulates the ajna chakra and provides
supreme mental balance and inner peace. Wearing rudraksha seeds gives
auspiciousness and purity to the body, prevents one’s energy
from draining away, and encourages one’s energy to rise through
the sushumna nadi. It is said in the Vedas that one who wears the
holy rudraksha seed mala is verily a form of Lord Siva himself.
All
May Chant the Siva Gayatri Mantra and 24 Sacred Siva Names for
World Peace
Starting
on the night of Maha Sivaratri, all may chant the Siva
Gayatri Mantra 108 times a day for 16 days straight. After
chanting the Siva Gayatri Mantra, recite the 24
sacred names of Lord Siva. Let us all chant together for
the sake of invoking Lord Siva’s most compassionate blessings
for world peace. Those who wish may chant the 24 names every day,
as this will relieve every kind of illness or suffering.
Tender
coconut water is offered fresh from the coconut;
one can see the beautiful natural markings on this
Narmadeswara Siva Lingam.
Special
Maha Partiva Siva Linga Puja Will Be Performed at Penusila
Ashram
For
those who are not at all able to perform abhishekam, and who wish
to have abhishekam performed on their behalf, participation in the Maha
Sivaratri Abhishekam and Homa at Sri Penusila Ashram will
be highly beneficial. The pujas are performed according to all scriptural
guidelines, according to ancient traditions as given by the ancient
sages of India.
This
year, a very special and unique Maha Partiva Siva Linga Puja will
be performed. In preparation for this puja, 1,116 partiva Siva
lingas will be prepared, and abhishekam will be performed to these
Siva lingas together with the chanting of the divinely powerful Sri
Rudram. The abhishekam will invoke Lord Siva’s blessings for
peace, health and happiness of all beings, and those who sponsor
the abhishekam wi ll certainly receive Lord Siva’s abundant
blessings.
During
the preparation of the partiva Siva lingas, soft and pure clay must
be collected from the banks of a holy river while Sri Rudram is being
chanted. The clay must then be dried and filtered, and then Rudrabhishekam
should be performed with the clay itself. Eleven sacred and fragrant
items are then added to the clay, which gives unique divine vibrations
to the clay. Some of these items include kumkum, gorochana, pure
camphor, and different types of sandalwood powder. Sacred water from
the Ganges River is then mixed with the clay, and the clay is molded
by hand into all the Siva lingas, accompanied by the chanting of
sacred Siva mantras.
The
1,116 clay lingas will then be arranged in a special pattern so that
they resemble a Maha Siva Lingam. The pattern also resembles a dipam,
or a damaru, the drum held in Lord Siva’s hand, or Lord Siva
himself in a meditative posture. This Maha Siva Linga composed of
1,116 sanctified clay lingas will then be worshipped in special Vedic
pujas for eleven days starting on Maha Sivaratri. This puja bestows
the abundant grace of Lord Siva. At least once in the life, it would
be very good for each individual to try to perform abhishekam to
such a Maha Siva Lingam and receive the abundant grace of God.
The
Siva Lingam has been beautifully decorated with fragrant
flowers and rudraksha malas after the puja with sacred bilva leaves.
In
Rudrabhishekam, abhishekam is performed while Sri Rudram is chanted.
Sri Rudram is an intensely powerful Vedic hymn in honor of Lord Siva,
also known as Sri Rudra. This Rudram has not come from any person;
it has come all the way from the highest levels of the cosmos. When
we listen to the sacred sounds of Sri Rudram, a divine flood of sound
vibrations comes and carries us back to the highest levels of consciousness.
On
Maha Sivaratri, Rudrabhishekam will be performed in Sri Penusila
Ashram eleven times with eleven different auspicious items. These
include milk, yogurt, ghee, coconut water, sugarcane juice, vibhuti,
Ganges water, cut fruits, sandalwood paste, sugar, and honey.
When
Rudrabhishekam is performed once on one’s behalf, it relieves
one from pain and suffering on the physical and mental levels. When
performed twice, it removes all anticipated and imminent problems.
When performed five times, it reduces the negative effects of the
nine planets and also reduces the pressure we feel from anyone else’s
hatred or negative emotion towards us. When performed seven times,
it grants relief from intense fear, trauma, and agitation, and grants
great courage. When performed nine times, it grants the merit of
conducting the greatest yajnas performed by great people in ancient
times, leading to abundant mental peace and inner wealth.
When
performed eleven times, it bestows complete divine grace and inexhaustible
prosperity. All noble wishes will be fulfilled, one receives the
full grace of Lord Siva, and one is protected from accidents and
untimely death. Ultimately, through the grace of Lord Siva, one will
achieve the highest purpose of human birth and be liberated from
the cycle of birth and death.
On
the most sacred occasion of Maha Sivaratri, let us all worship
Lord Siva with faith and devotion, thereby invoking the auspicious
blessings of the highest light of divinity for world peace
and universal welfare.
~
Hari Om Tat Sat ~
