The word Shiva means that which is not. That which is, is existence and creation. That which is not is Shiva.
There are many gods in Hinduism. It is generally said to be 330 crores-that’s 3.3 billion. The crux of the issue is to see God in everything. The God or Bramman is one and seen as many life forms-countless forms, which is in a way saying the all-pervading almighty is formless. However, for simple minds keeping things and ideas simple is easier to comprehend. Hence, there are selected few that are seen in temples.
In every month there is a Shivarathri or the night of Shiva – on the day before the new moon. But once a year -in February/March-this night is called “Maha” Shivarathri – the Great Night of Shiva.
Light always comes from a source that is burning itself out. It has a beginning and an end. It is always from a limited source. Darkness has no source. It is a source unto itself. It is all-pervading, everywhere, omnipresent.
The Maha Shivarathri is mentioned in several Puranas, particularly the Skanda Purana, Linga Purana and Padma Purana. Different legends describe the significance of Maha Shivarathri. According to one legend in the Shaivism tradition, this is the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance of creation, preservation and destruction. According to another legend, this is the night when Shiva and Parvati got married. According to the marriage of Shiva and Shakthi Shivrathri is the amalgamation of two strong forces in the universe -Shiva and Goddess Shakti. Shiva is known as the God of death and Goddess Shakti as a power who vanquishes evil and also as the Mother Goddess- the creative force.
In Sri Lanka the belief that is generally followed is found in the Shiva Purana: “Once upon a time Brahma and Vishnu were fighting among themselves that who is superior among the two. Other Gods were terrified and so they went to Lord Shiva to intervene in the war. To make them realise the futility of their fight, Shiva took the form of a massive cosmic pillar that spread across the length of the entire cosmos.
“By seeing the magnitude, both the Gods (Vishnu and Brahma) decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. So, for this Brahma assumed the form of a swan and went one way on the other hand Vishnu assumed as Varaha and went in the opposite direction. But the cosmic pillar of light has no end and they searched and searched but couldn’t find the ends. Ignore the Gods involved in the dispute-it is about the unfathomable nature of the God Supreme or the Brahman. The concept could easily transcend religious boundaries- the day is set aside to realise the concept of almighty and all-pervasive God.
The metaphoric story above is also interpreted as the victory of real knowledge over ignorance. That the Brahman or the “Force” transcends the entire universe and all dimensions- from Space/time dimension to 11 or even more dimensions that humanity has known so far.
Importance of Maha Shivarathri
Stories apart, why this day and night are held with such importance in the yogic tradition is because of the possibilities it presents to a spiritual seeker.
Modern science has gone through many phases and arrived at a point today where they are out to prove to you that everything that you know as life, everything that you know as matter and existence, everything that you know as the cosmos and galaxies, is just one energy which manifests itself in millions of ways. Which is what Hinduism is all about.
“That which is not” means, if you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see lots of creation. If your vision is really looking for big things, you will see the biggest presence in the existence is a vast emptiness
Spiritual leader Sadhguru Vasudev also provides a different perspective:
“Shivarathri is the darkest day of the month. Celebrating Shivarathri every month, and the particular day, Maha Shivarathri, almost seems like a celebration of darkness. Any logical mind would resist darkness and naturally opt for light. But the word “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” “That which is,” is existence and creation. “That which is not” is Shiva.
“That which is not” means, if you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see lots of creation. If your vision is really looking for big things, you will see the biggest presence in the existence is a vast emptiness. A few spots which we call galaxies are generally much noticed, but the vast emptiness that holds them does not come into everybody’s notice. This vastness, this unbounded emptiness, is what is referred to as Shiva.
“Generally, when people are seeking well-being, we talk of the divine as light. Light is a brief happening in your mind. Light is not eternal, it is always a limited possibility because it happens and it ends. But darkness is all-enveloping, everywhere. The immature minds in the world have always described darkness as the devil. But when you describe the divine as all-pervading, you are obviously referring to the divine as darkness, because only darkness is all-pervading. It is everywhere. It does not need any support from anything,” he says.
“Light always comes from a source that is burning itself out. It has a beginning and an end. It is always from a limited source. Darkness has no source. It is a source unto itself. It is all-pervading, everywhere, omnipresent. So when we say Shiva, it is this vast emptiness of existence. It is in the lap of this vast emptiness that all creation has happened. It is that lap of emptiness that we refer to as the Shiva,” he says
Maha Shivarathri is an opportunity and a possibility to bring yourself to that experience of the vast emptiness within every human being, which is the source of all creation.
Theological interpretations apart in the day-to-day life these religious observances gives hope to mankind and help the seeker as a stepping stone towards the greater realization.