SIGNIFICANCE OF SIVARATHREE by Swami Siva Yogananda

Maha means great. Siva is Pure Consciousness and Rathree is night. So Maha Sivarathree refers to the great night when all of us are expected to attain pure consciousness by directing our concentration and energies on Lord Siva and awakening the spiritual centres in ourselves.

In the composition of the Master entitled, “Mannil Vaazhvu” Guru Swamigal says, “Inban arullay naadum jeevan Sivan avaan yenrarinthehn” which means, “I have realized that the soul that seeks the Lord’s grace will become like the Lord Himself,.”

The Sivarathree night is so important as it is dominated by the moon which is considered the deity of the mind. The moon exerts a gravitational pull on all water bodies and hence it causes high tides and low tides in the ocean.

Therefore, the moon also impacts on the fluid around the brain and hence the impact on the mind in its ability to concentrate, contemplate and meditate. During full moon the impact is 100% and during new moon the impact is minimal. Maha Sivarathree falls on the dark phase of the moon when the moon does not impact on the mind and the mind therefore has the ability to achieve optimum outcomes in concentration, contemplation and meditation on Lord Siva and subsequently moving beyond the mind to enjoy phenomenal experience with the Supreme Lord.

To enjoy the bliss and exstacy of spiritual experience on the night of Maha Sivarathree one has to purge and purify the mind, body and soul for at least 14 days prior to this Great night. This can be achieved by fasting, renouncing all bad habits and practising intensive sadhana more especially chanting the divine name, Om Nama Sivaya and sitting in Dhynana or meditation. During the dark fortnight of the month daily sadhana must be done to eliminate each day a fraction of the impurities of the mind and for every day a fraction of the moon too is taken out of cognizance.

On the night of Chathurdasi, the 14 th day, the night of Maha Sivarathree a conscious and concerted effort in engaging with intensive sadhana (chanting Om Nama Sivaya and meditation) is required. Lord Siva alone must be meditated upon on this night without the mind straying towards food and sleep. One will experience a surge of energy and experience blissful peace.

For a fridge, airconditioning or stove to operate we need to give it power. When the power stops the operation of these appliances stops. For a car to move we need to give it fuel. When the fuel runs out the car stops. But when you look at the universe it operates continuously. Nobody gives it any power or fuel. The planets move continuously. The earth moves continuously.

Scientifically it is the central fugal force that makes this possible. Spiritually we refer to the Sakthi or the power of Siva that makes this possible. Tonight the power of Siva or central fugal force is so high we will seldom experience this intensity of power.

Therefore, we have to keep our spines upright and our chakras in alignment to trap the maximum amount of this energy. We stay awake the entire night on Maha Sivarathree to concentrate, contemplate and meditate on the Supreme Sivaperumaan. Chanting the Divine name of Siva and moving into the exstacy of spiritual experience connects you to His awesome energy.

We have chakras or spinning discs of energy in our bodies. The main chakras being mooladhara, swadhistana manipura, anahata, vishudhi, agnya and sahasara. The Supreme Lord Siva is in the Sahasara chakra on top of the head. Kundilini Sakthi is housed in the mooladahara chakra in the perineal region.

The Kundilini Sakthi which is your life force has a strong longing and yearning to gravitate upwards to reach the Sahasara chakra. It is like the lover desperately wanting to get to the beloved. In many people’s lives the Kundilini remains dormant. But those who do intensive sadhana awaken the Kundilini Sakthi and enable it to gravitate through all the chakras to reach the sahasara chakra.

The kundalini sakthi then experiences a state of oneness or synergy with Siva in the sahasara chakra. Spiritual aspirants who make a concerted effort to purify and purge themselves and do intensive sadhana including daily meditation will be able to reach this divine state where their individual energy or inner life force is in oneness with the Supreme Lord on the night of Maha Sivarathree.

The Siva that activates the entire universe is also the Siva that is working within you. Guru Swamigal says that He is merged in your mind and dances in your intellect. His energy flows through your hands to enable you to do the things that you do. He is an integral part of your life. But why aren’t we able to see or experience the supreme Siva.

On a clear day you will be able to see the sun and experience the light. But if there are dark clouds across the sky neither would you be able to see the sun or experience the sunlight. It is the light that enables the eyes to see perfectly. Without light sight is not possible. The Supreme Siva is an amazing Effulgence inside. We are unable to experience the inner Light or Effulgence because of the cloudiness we create inside. Your ego, your negative emotions, fear, pride, inner suffering and lack of forgiveness are responsible for the cloudiness within you.

You must be alive in your human body. Instead of being overwhelmed in the problems and challenges of life. You need to move into a new spiritual paradigm from your ego, body and mind centerdness to inner soul consciousness. Look at what your soul needs and not what your body and mind needs.

The three clear messages that Guru Swamigal gives us are that we need to purify and purge ourselves. When the mind is pure it becomes a playground for the Lord. In the Song, “Yengum niraintha Siva Dheyvam” Guru Swamigal says, ’Paal pohnra manatthin wulleh kananthu vilaiyaadum Dheyvam’ meaning that the Lord plays in the mind which is pure as milk.

Secondly, we need to gravitate towards God and live in an elevated consciousness of God. In the divine composition “Saivam vallarka vanthehn jnaana thanggam”, Guru Swamigal says, “Nittham nittay saathitthaal jnaana thanggam, avan mutthu pohl thohnriduvaan jnaana thanggam” which means ‘If you practice meditation daily, Oh Golden Wisdom, Siva appears like a pearl to you.’

The third message we need to take note of is to experience God you must not have a mind chatter, mind dialogue or mind commentaries. Guru Swamigal in the hymn, “Summa Irupavathu sugum. Sugamer agamugam” says “To remain in silence is joy and a pleasant happening. “This silence Guru Swamigal is referring to is one in which there is no mind chatter, dialogue or commentaries.

That joy is an expression of our inner contentment. We have to experience His Divine vision and rejoice in the chambers of our hearts. This joy lies in the merging and moving in the great Effulgence of Sivaperumaan.

When you look at your mind you can see how your mind is oscillating from the dead past to the unborn future and you are never living in the present. You can see how much your mind is engaging in commentaries. Its engaging in dialogues. Your mind is constantly judging people and situations.

It is for this reason that we cannot move into an enlightened state. We cannot see everything as it really is, the truth. We are trapped by the mind generating identities and attachments and therefore we are not experiencing expansive consciousness. Mind must only be used for operating the daily activities of life and not engage in commentaries and dialogues.

Life is very limiting when we live within the realm of the mind. But when we stop judging, reduce our mental commentaries and dialogues we will enjoy expanded consciousness and even reach limitless fields where we experience infinite possibilities. We will become connected with everything in life, experience everything and move into states of enlightenment and experience freedom, joy and happiness.

On the sacred and auspicious night of Maha Sivarathree may your life resonate at a high level of consciousness, may you experience Siva’s awesome energy and may you experience magic, miracles and syncronicities through the grace of the Supreme Sivaperumaan. May the blessings of Guru Swamigal and the grace of Lord Siva be abundantly showered upon you and your family.

Om Nama Sivaya.

Swami Siva Yogananda.