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Mahashivratri, or “The Great Event of Shiva,” is a spiritually significant night. Sadhguru discusses why Mahashivratri is observed, as well as how we should take use of this opportunity.
There used to be 365 celebrations in a year in Indian culture. To put it another way, they just wanted a reason to party every day of the year. These 365 
celebrations were attributed to a variety of causes and life objectives. They were intended to commemorate numerous historical events, triumphs, or life activities such as sowing, planting, and harvesting. There was a celebration for every scenario. Mahashivratri, on the other hand, has a distinct meaning.
Mahashivratri is a Hindu holiday dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva; it is the Hindu festival dedicated to the adoration of the great Lord. Maha Shivratri is the Hindu lunar calendar’s 14th day of the dark fortnight of the Magha month (Feb/March).
Mahashivratri, the month of February-March, is the most spiritually significant of the twelve Shivratris that occur in a calendar year. The northern hemisphere of the globe is positioned in such a way on this night that a human being experiences a natural rush of energy. This is a day when nature is urging you to reach your spiritual potential. It is in order to make use of this that we organised a night-long event in this tradition. One of the basics of this nightlong celebration is to stay awake with your spine vertical throughout the night to allow this natural upsurge of energies to find their path.
On this day, it is believed that worshipping Lord Shiva allows one to be free of all sins. On this day, it is also widely believed that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati wedded.
Importance of Mahashivratri
For those who are on the spiritual path, Mahashivratri is extremely important. It is also extremely important for those who are in family circumstances, as well as for the world’s ambitions. Mahashivratri is Shiva’s wedding anniversary, according to those who live in family situations. Those with worldly desires regard that day as Shiva’s victory over all his foes.
For ascetics, though, it is the day when he became one with Mount Kailash. He turned into a mountain, completely motionless. Shiva is not venerated as a God in the yogic tradition, but rather as the Adi Guru, the original Guru from whom the philosophy of Yoga sprang. He got perfectly motionless one day after millennia of meditation. Mahashivratri falls on that day. Ascetics refer to Mahashivratri as the night of stillness because all movement in him ceased and he remained completely motionless.
Customs and Traditions
Shiva Lingam is bathed in milk, water, and honey on this day. Lights and flowers are placed at Shiva temples all around the world. Devotees frequently visit prominent Shiva temples and gift fruits, flowers, and bel (wood apple) leaves. On this day, they keep a fast and may be seen singing various Shiva Mantras seeking his blessings. Furthermore, it is usual for married and unmarried women to fast on Mahashivratri. This is done in order to be blessed with marital joy and a long and happy marriage. Unmarried females desire to marry a guy like Lord Shiva since he is seen to be the perfect spouse.
Spiritual significance
Ratri implies both ‘night’ and ‘to seek sanctuary.’ Shivratri is the night when we seek shelter in Shiva, our inner self. Lord Shiva is revered as the spirit of the universe. Between our soul and Lord Shiva, there is no distinction. Lord Shiva is the essence of our spirit since he represents truth, serenity, beauty, and infinite. It’s the stuff we’re made of.
We discover these greater attributes within ourselves when we worship Lord Shiva. As a result, Mahashivratri is a celebration of the soul or consciousness inside. We seek shelter in the holy mind during Shivratri.
Apart from legends, the importance of this day and night in yogic traditions stems from the opportunities it provides for spiritual seekers. Modern science has gone through many stages and is now attempting to show to you that everything you know as life, everything you know as matter and existence, everything you know as the universe and galaxies is just one energy manifesting itself in millions of different ways.
This scientific truth is a personal experience for every yogi. The term “yogi” refers to someone who has grasped the oneness of all things. I’m not referring to a specific practise or system when I mention “yoga.” Yoga is the desire to know the limitless, the desire to realise the oneness of existence. This is something that a person might encounter on Mahashivratri night.
Spiritual practices
On this auspicious night of Shivratri, Lord Shiva devotees stay awake all night. They meditate, hold poojas, and sing Vedic mantras. These spiritual acts provide us and the rest of the planet serenity and oneness.
Meditation and resignation are the greatest ways to commemorate Mahashivrati. Meditation allows you to reach something beyond your mind and intellect. This encounter transports us to Shiva awareness, the fourth level of consciousness. As a result, surrender means putting confidence in a supernatural force that is looking after us. We find serenity and comfort via meditation and surrender.
Mahashivratri is the celebration and comprehension of Shiva Tattva inside oneself, or seeking shelter in Shiva.
Mahashivratri – The Darkest Night of the Month
The darkest day of the month is Mahashivratri. Shivratri is observed on a monthly basis, and the special day, Mahashivratri, appears to be a festival of darkness. Any rational thinking would naturally choose light over darkness. On the other side, the word “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” Existence and creation are “that which is.” Shiva is “that which is not.” “That which is not” suggests that if you open your eyes and look about, you will witness a lot of creativity if your eyesight is for little things. If you seek for huge objects with your eyes wide open, you will notice that the biggest presence in the universe is a vast nothingness.
A few locations that we name galaxies get a lot of attention, but the immense nothingness that houses them doesn’t get as much attention. Shiva is the name given to this immensity, this boundless nothingness. Modern science also reveals that everything originates from and returns to nothing. Shiva, the immense emptiness or nothingness, is referred to as the great lord, or Mahadeva, in this context.
Every religion and culture on the earth has long talked about the divine’s omnipresence and all-pervading nature. When we consider it, blackness, nothingness, or emptiness is the only thing that can be genuinely all-pervasive, the only thing that can be everywhere.
When individuals seek happiness, we usually refer to the divine as light. We always refer to the divine as darkness when individuals are no longer seeking well-being, when they are looking beyond their lives in terms of dissolving, when the purpose of their devotion and sadhana is disintegration.
Mahashivratri – Significance
In your perspective, light is a fleeting event. Light is never everlasting; it is always a finite possibility since it occurs and then vanishes. The sun, most powerful source of light we know on our planet. You could stop the sun’s brightness with your hand and leave a shadow of darkness behind. However, darkness is all-encompassing and pervasive. Darkness has always been referred to be the devil by the world’s undeveloped minds. When you say the divine is all-pervading, though, you’re clearly referring to the divine as darkness, because only darkness is all-pervading. It’s all around you. It does not require any external assistance.
Light always emanates from a source that is on the verge of extinction. It has a start and a finish. It’s always from a small number of people. There is no source of darkness. It is a self-contained source. It is all-encompassing, pervasive, and ubiquitous. When we mention Shiva, we are referring to the great nothingness of existence. All creation has taken place in the midst of this enormous nothingness. We call it the Shiva because it is a lap of nothingness.
All of the old prayers in Indian tradition were not about rescuing yourself, defending yourself, or improving your life. “Oh Lord, kill me so that I may become like yourself,” has always been the old petition. As a result, when we say Shivratri, the darkest night of the month, we are referring to a chance to dissolve one’s limitations, to feel the unboundedness of the source of creation, which is the seed in every human being.
Energy of Shiva
Shiva is the same force that sustains all of creation. This energy is found throughout the cosmos and in every living entity. The Shiva Tattva is the name for this energy. Shiva Tattva, which is ordinarily 10 inches above the ground, comes into contact with the Earth on Mahashivratri. Our mind, or aura, descends and touches the tangible earth, as Shiva Tattva.
The northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned in such a way on this big Shiva night that a human being experiences a natural upsurge of energy. As a consequence, it’s a day when nature is pushing you to reach your spiritual potential.
Our inner awareness comes alive within our bodies during Mahashivratri. It is customary to observe a specific event by staying awake all night. Keeping awake at night is essentially a symbol of awareness; this night-long custom is to guarantee that this natural upsurge of energy finds its way upwards and that we remain awake with our spine erect.
Being awake all night deprives the Shiva Tattva of opportunity to celebrate, meditate, and relax. Lord Shiva followers and spiritual searchers concentrate and exult in the Shiva energy.
Mahashivratri – A Night of Awakening
Mahashivratri is a chance and a potential to encounter the enormous nothingness that exists within every human being and is the root of all creation. On the one hand, Shiva is known as the destroyer. On the other hand, he is recognised for his kindness. He’s also known as one of the most generous philanthropists.. Many anecdotes regarding Shiva’s compassion abound in yogic lore. His compassion has been shown in a variety of ways that have been both remarkable and astonishing. As a result, Mahashivratri is also a significant night for receiving. It is our prayer and gift that you do not go through this night without experiencing at least a glimpse of the immensity of the void we refer to as Shiva. Allow this night to be a night of awakening for you, not merely a night of wakefulness.
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