Mahāśivarātri
महाशिवरात्रि
Tonight initiates the commencement of the sacred celebration marking the divine union and marriage of Śiva and Śaktī. According to the North Indian calendar, the great night of Śiva descends upon us on the caturdaśī tithi of kṛṣṇa pakṣa during the month of Phalguna.
Śiva, revered as Adiyogi, the primordial Yogi, embodies that mode of consciousness responsible for the inhalation—the withdrawal and destruction of this temporary reality of life—that which leads us from darkness to light, from illusion to realization and ultimately awakens us from this dream.
Legend has it that on this night, Lord Śiva bestowed upon Goddess Pārvatī the sacred wisdom of yoga, symbolizing the eternal union between the masculine and feminine energies, the dynamic interplay of creation and dissolution.
‘Shivam shāntam advaitam chatrutham manyante sa Ātmā sa vigyeyaha.’
“The peaceful, the blissful, the undivided is thought to be the fourth state of consciousness; that is the Self. This is to be known.”
Tonight, devotees converge in homage to the Lord and immerse themselves in great tapasyā (austerity), harnessing the heightened spiritual energies that permeate this sacred night. As we surrender to the sanctity of Mahāśivarātri, let us wholeheartedly embrace the profound teachings of Lord Śiva, transcending the limitations of the temporal world, and awakening to the eternal bliss of our true nature.
Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya | ॐ नमः शिवाय