Explainer: Maha Shivarathri 2022

Maha Shivaratri, “The Great Night of Shiva”, is arguably the most significant event in India’s spiritual calendar.

The fourteenth day of every lunar month, or the day before the new moon, is known as ‘Shivaratri’.

But, among all the twelve Shivaratris that occur in a calendar year, Maha Shivaratri, the one that occurs in February to March, is of the most spiritual significance.

Hindus around the world observe the day through prayer and meditation that takes place at three-hour intervals throughout the night.

A night of spiritual awakening

“On this night, the northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned in such a way that there is a natural upsurge of energy in a human being,” explains world-renowned yogi Sadhguru.

“This is a day when nature is pushing one towards one’s spiritual peak.

“To allow this natural upsurge of energies to find their way, one of the fundamentals of this nightlong festival is to ensure that you remain awake with your spine vertical throughout the night.”

It is also very significant for families because Maha Shivaratri also marks Shiva’s wedding anniversary, to the Goddess Shakti or Parvati in her human form.

Ambitious people see Maha Shivarathri as the day Shiva conquered all his enemies.

Shiva: The father and inventor of yoga

Lord Shiva is also known as the deity that invented yoga as a spiritual practice.

Yoga stems from a deep understanding of the mechanics of the body, and uses yogic postures, or yogasanas, to enable the system to sustain higher levels of energy.

Also of significance on this day, is that Shiva became one with Mount Kailash while in deep meditiation.

“He became like a mountain – absolutely still. In the yogic tradition, Shiva is not worshipped as a God, but considered as the Adi Guru, the first Guru from whom the science of Yoga originated,” said Sadhguru.

“After many millennia in meditation, one day he became absolutely still. That day is Maha Shivaratri. All movement in him stopped and he became utterly still, so ascetics see Maha Shivaratri as the night of stillness.”

Snakes and the linga

Mysticism and snakes cannot be separated, and this is particularly in the case in India. There are no temples that exist without a Linga or snake statues.

In yoga, a coiled-up snake symbolises kundalini.

Kundalini is a form of divine feminine energy believed to be located at the base of the spine, or in the muladhara (Chakra). It is also believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess.

There is a belief that when celestial beings, (those with consciousness and capability superior to human nature) entered this dimension of existence, they always took the form of a snake.

The Linga is the primary symbol of Shiva, who is know as both a creator and destroyer of worlds.

The word linga means “the form.” Hindu’s believe when creation began to happen, the first form that it took was that of an ellipsoid.

“Creation always started as an ellipsoid or a linga, and then became many things. We know from our experience that if you go into deep states of meditativeness, before a point of absolute dissolution comes, once again the energy takes the form of an ellipsoid or a linga.

“So, the first form is linga and the final form is linga. The in-between space is creation and what is beyond is Shiva,” concluded Sadhguru.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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