The Profound Blessings of Maha Sivaratri ~ The Great Night of Lord Siva

Om namo bhagavate rudraya
I offer my reverence to Lord Rudra, who removes sorrow and the cause of sorrow–ignorance

Last Sunday/Monday, February 22nd/23rd, was Maha Sivaratri, or the Great Night of Lord Siva. This is the most auspicious night of the entire year for worshipping Lord Siva, and for performing austerities. These practices are not for the purpose of glorifying some deity; they are designed for our own spiritual benefit, as they purify us and prepare the way for more and more divine energy to shine through our very being.

Maha Sivaratri occurs on a different day each year, because it is based on the lunar calendar, like most Hindu festivals. It comes in the Hindu month of Phalguna (February/March), on the thirteenth night and fourteenth day of the waning phase of the moon, which is right before the new moon (amavasya). According to yogic theory, the moon emits different energies at different times in its cycle, and during the waning phase, the moon’s energies make it easiest to release whatever we need to release. Thus, by doing practices on Sivaratri, we are given a great opportunity to purify any negativity or darkness that is holding us back from embracing our true goals in life.

It is traditional to undertake a special vow during the day and night of Sivaratri, which involves fasting and also staying awake for the entire night. Typically, devotees will go to a Siva temple to participate in worship, chanting of mantras, and singing of devotional songs. While most people benefit from loud music and the company of others to make it through the whole night awake, many “hard-core” yogis will spend the night meditating or silently reciting Siva mantras. Trust me, it’s a lot harder to stay awake when you’re all alone and your eyes are closed!

Over the years, I’ve celebrated Sivaratri in a number of different ways, and each has been special and powerful in its own way. To be truthful, I haven’t always managed to stay up the whole night! But no matter what, it’s been proven to me time and time again that Sivaratri is an incredibly powerful night during which profound blessings abound.

The Sivaratri Pattern of “Churn and Release”

Whenever I’ve been attuned to the hidden world of energy, I’ve noticed a certain “Sivaratri Pattern.” What I’ve experienced is that the unique energy of Sivaratri combined with the difficult austerities involved tend to bring up negativity hidden in my mind, in such a way that it can be released. In the days leading up to Sivaratri, I can feel a growing sense of inner turmoil, as things are being “stirred up” or churned.  Sometimes, interpersonal situations may come to a head, as if relationship karma is being brought to the surface. I find my temper flaring, and it is harder to control my mouth and emotions.

I’ve found that the key is to forget whatever is happening on the surface level, set everything else aside, and just dive deep into the spiritual practice of Maha Sivaratri. As I focus on maintaining my fast, staying awake for hours, and maintaining concentration on mantras or meditation, it feels like I’m going through a fiery purification. In fact, the fasting, waking vigil, and other practices are all designed to keep the energy body wide open so that a divine, purifying energy can enter deeply into the subtle body to cleanse the consciousness from the inside out. This purifying energy does sometimes feel like a painful fire, but its purpose is to burn through all the hidden dross so that spiritual gold can be revealed.

During Sivaratri, there always comes a time, usually around 4 AM, when I seem to hit my energetic “wall” of inner resistance, and my body and mind start screaming at me to stop fasting, stop sitting, stop chanting, stop anything but going immediately to sleep in my nice, warm, comfy bed. But it is now when the greatest Sivaratri blessings are available. When it is truly difficult to keep going, that’s when we make the most progress in developing discipline, willpower, and true concentration, all very important qualities on the spiritual path.

It’s Always Darkest Before Dawn…

It’s always hardest between 4AM and sunrise. There’s a saying that it’s always darkest before dawn. Thanks to Sivaratri, I can personally attest that this is definitely true! One or two hours before dawn, it’s dark outside, and my mind is screaming the hardest for rest. I feel as if I’ve hit my absolute nadir and usually my mind will be churning with negativity. But without fail, in the midst of this mental heaviness, I will suddenly feel the weight starting to lift. I can feel my spirits and my energy starting to rise for some inexplicable reason. If I turn and look outside, what I find is that the sky has become a tiny shade lighter just at that moment, the first herald of the coming sunrise.

As soon as the sky starts to brighten and reach towards the sun, everything shifts, and as the sunlight gets stronger, there is a growing sense of bliss and joyous release. Maybe it’s the knowledge that very soon, I will be reacquainting myself with my beloved bed! No, actually, it’s more profound than that. After maintaining my focus and pushing through my inner wall of resistance during the greatest darkness, dawn is like a huge flood of grace that washes over me, like sunlight streaming through my very being. I feel it on the deepest energetic level of which I’m aware, as it erupts through my body and ignites my heart in a conflagration of fiery bliss. Having made it through the night and having kept my vow, I suddenly feel as if a huge layer of inner darkness has simply vanished, and in its place is a wonderful divine light. It’s remarkably and surprisingly liberating.

There are so many lessons and blessings that come from Sivaratri–greater discipline; profound inner silence; release from negativity both within and without; the knowledge that I am capable of more than I thought I was; and most importantly, the deep, cellular-level awareness that no matter how dark things seem, no matter how exhausted or miserable I may feel, sunrise always comes, and light and freedom are always ready to break over the horizon.