The Significance of SHIVARATRI.

Preamble: This write up on the significance of Shivaratri Is extracted from a talk given by this writer (self) on a Shivaratri day at Aluva near Cochin in Kerala in the year 2001 where I was then working as CEO in a Pharma based company.Besides placing it on record as a memoir.I thought it prudent to share my thought on the subject with my collegues of Kavitanjali and other relatives and friends.

On an auapicious day like Shivaratri we will be missing a great chance if we do not seize this opportunity to spend time a little while exploring to gether to understand the significance of Shivaratri.

We all say and we do believe that God is omnipotent,Omnipresent and Omniscient.This being so God necessarily has to be formless ie without form.He takes the different forms only for human mortals like us to be able to meditate upon Him because as we are all aware without a form we are incapable of meditation.

The Shiva Linga is symbolic of both the form and formlessness of the Almighty.It is symbolic of the form since it has a shape and it is symbolic of the formlessness because the shape is such that it has neither a beginning nor an end signifying the Ultimate Reality.

On the midnight of Shivaratri the formless Lord Shiva is believedvto take a form to bless the devotees.When the formless Lord takes a form He is called Lingothbhavamoorthi and appears in this form on the midnight of Shivaratri.

Friends we also say and believe that Bhrahma is the creator,Vishnu the protector and Shiva the destroyer.Does it mean there are three different Deities controlling the three different operations?At mundane level this does appear to be so.However at the metaphisical level one will observe that without protection one cannot have creation and where there is protection there can be no destruction.

However unless there is destruction,there can be no creation.So one can observe that the three activities in fact are inseparable although they appear separate and so are the three Deities one although they appear separate.The nearest analogy that comes to my mind to illustrate the truth of oneness with apparent separation is what the Poet Kalidasa has said in Raghuvamsa to illustrate a word from its meaning.Can any one separate a word from its meaning?The answer is NO and yet are they not separate?

One interesting aspect is the improper comparisons being madeby a number of people between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.This is again a myth which needs to be clarified before proceeding any further.Lord Vishnu in His form as Lord Krishna takes birth on the midnight of the day of Gokulashtami.Exactly 180 days from then falls the midnight of Shivaratriwhen Lord Shiva takes the form of Lingodhbhavamoorthi.Thus between the two auspicious days the entire year is split into two halves and we mortals get protected by both Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva right thro' the
whole year.This being so where is the question of attributing destruction to Lord Shiva and protection to Lord Vishnu?

If in spite of this the role of destruction is assigned to Lord Shiva it only refers to the destruction of the basal qualities in man by the grace of the Almighty.

Lastly when the static formless Ishwara takes the form of Lingodhbhavamoorthi He becomes dynamic and manifests Himself in innumerable forms to fulfill the differnt needs of society.One such form is Lord Nataraja,Lord Shiva in Cosmic Dance.

The Lord who performs the illuminating dance appears in the form of Lingodhbhavamoorthi on the midnight of Shivarathri to shower His Grace on all His devoties.It is hence our duty on this day to observe fasting and meditate upon Him during the day and keep vigil and worship Him at midnight.

The oneness of Lord Shiva with the other innumerable Deities in Hindu Religion is brought out adequately in one of the writeups in sanskrit quoted as under------

"Yam Shaivaha Shive Eti,Brahmethi Vedanthinaha
Boudha Buddha Eti Pramana Patavaha,Dharmethi Naiyayekaha
Arhan Nithyata Jainashasana Rithaha,Karmethi Meemamsakaha
Soyam Vidathathu Vanchithapalam,Thrilokya Natho Harihi."

Translated in English,this will read-----
Whom the Shaivaites call Shiva,Whom people knowledgeable in Vedas call Brahma
Whom Boudhas call Buddah,Whom Nayakas call Dharma,
Whom Jains call Muni,Whom Meemamsakas call Karma,
Whom Vaishnavites call Vishnu,
I salute Him,The Ruler of the Three Worlds who is Shiva and Hari in Himself.

In the Rudra Japa,the Lord is addressed by the Devotees by various names consequent to His different forms in the following stanza in Sanskrit.

"Namosthu They Bhagwan Vishweshwaraya,Maha Devaya,Thripuranthakaya,
ThrikagniKalaya,Kalagni Rudhraya,Neelakantaya,Mrithyunjayaya,Sarveshwaraya
Sada Shivaya,Sriman Maha Devaya Namaha."
Translated in English this will read-------

Salutations to Thee,Oh Lord Shiva,
Taking different forms to bless the mortals like us
And hence called by different names like Vishweshwara,
Mahadeva,Thripuranthaka,Thrikognikala,Kalagni Rudra,Neela Kanta
Mrithyunjaya,Sarweshvara,Sada Shiva and Shreeman Mahadeva."
I bow to Thee over and over again.

May this Almighty bring all Grace,Peace, Health and Prosperity and more importently
Happiness and Contentment to one and all of us both here and elsewhere.

Compiled and Written by BAIYU---------Aluva------Kerala------21 Feb 2001.