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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.

Chinese monks participated on-line in the Pirith ceremonies to commemorate the 65 th anniversary of Sino-Lankan diplomatic relations held in various places in Sri Lanka on February 26.

The Sri Lanka-China Buddhist Friendship Association in collaboration with the Buddhist Association of China conducted a Blessing/Pirith Ceremony at the Abhayagiriya Temple in Anuradhapura, and the Sri Lanka Vidyalaya, Maradana. The Buddhist Association of China had made arrangements for the Venerable Theros from the Lingguang Temple in Beijing and Putuao Temple in Guangdong to join the ceremony online.

The chanting ceremony by the Chinese Buddhist monks was led by the Most Ven. Chang Zhang Thero and Most Ven. Ming Sheng Thero.

After the formal ceremony, the Ambassador and the Embassy Officials were given the rare opportunity to worship the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha.

The Lingguang temple was originally built in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). The temple had been designated a National Key Buddhist Temple of the Han Chinese by the State Council of China in 1983.
Ven. Fa’Xian Thero had spent two years at Abhayagiri Temple early in fifth century AD collecting and translating Sinhala language Buddhist texts. He later produced many records of his visits.

Despite the COVID-19 related restrictions in China, the Sri Lankan Ambassador in China, Dr. Palitha Kohona and four officers from the Embassy also attended the event at the Lingguang Temple, a historic shrine, where one of the two Tooth Relics of the Buddha is kept. The other is in Kandy.

After the formal ceremony, the Ambassador and the Embassy Officials were given the rare opportunity to worship the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha.

The Lingguang temple was originally built in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). The temple had been designated a National Key Buddhist Temple of the Han Chinese by the State Council of China in 1983.

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Nireekshak which serves as a highly advanced Diving Support Vessel (DSV) in the Indian Navy arrived at the port of Trincomalee Monday (28th February 2022), Sri Lanka Navy said.

The visiting ship was welcomed by Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with naval traditions.

The 70.5 m long Diving Support Vessel is commanded by Commander Mohammed Ikram and manned by a crew of 107.

Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of INS Nireekshak called on Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Sanjeewa Dias at the Eastern Naval Headquarters today. Defense Adviser at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, Captain Vikas Sood was also present on this occasion.

During its stay in the island, INS Nireekshak is expected to engage in diving training exercises with Sri Lanka Navy and her crew will take part in several programs organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, with a view to enhancing mutual cooperation between the two navies.

On completion of the diving training exercise the ship is scheduled to leave the island on 08th March 2022 and all proceedings related to the visit of the ship will be carried out adhering to COVID-19 protocols.

Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, who is currently in Rome, is scheduled to meet with His Holiness Pope Francis in the next few days, and the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019 and related investigations will be discussed at the meeting, according to the Catholic church.

Speaking to The Morning, Archdiocese of Colombo Social Communications Director Rev. Fr. Jude Chrishantha Fernando said: “The Cardinal left for Rome last week. Although no specific date has been scheduled yet, he will definitely meet the Pope there. At such a meeting the Pope will inevitably ask for information about the Sri Lankan Catholic church. Therefore, the Easter Sunday terror attacks and investigations into the same will definitely be discussed as it is the most talked about topic these days.”

Noting that certain parties have said that the Archbishop had left for Rome only to discuss issues related to the said terror attacks, he said that this is not such a visit and that cardinals from different parts of the world travel to Rome once a year for a number of purposes.

“Normally all cardinals visit Rome once a year. During such visits, they also visit countries such as France and Germany. They do not go to such countries officially, but if an acquaintance of a cardinal in that country invites, they have a visit to such countries” said Fr. Fernando.

Meanwhile, while claiming that all attempts made by the Catholic church to get justice for Easter Sunday terror attacks within the country have failed, Cardinal Ranjith last month said that they were currently exploring the possibilities to reach out to the international community, including the UN, seeking justice for the said terror attacks.

Speaking at an online meeting, he said: “We have tried our best to get justice from our people within our own context, but all these attempts have failed. Therefore, it does not leave us much room, but to explore the possibilities of going international. That means we will also be going to the UN.”

Pointing out that they, as the Catholic church, have links all over the world, the Archbishop said that they would also try to influence some pertinent and powerful countries that are in contact with the church. In addition, he said that in case they would be reaching out to the international community, such efforts would also be supported by his fellow cardinals around the world.

“Not only going to the UN; we will try to influence some of the more pertinent powerful countries that are in relationship with us, because as the Catholic church, we are an international organisation and we have our links all over the world. Also, at my level as a Cardinal, I have my fellow brothers who are cardinals in different important cities and countries with whom we will be able to do that,” the Cardinal said.

Cardinal Ranjith further said that he did not get into such action so far with the hope that this issue will somehow find a local solution, adding that it has now become apparent to them that nothing is happening. “In fact the legal system operated by the Attorney General does not seem to consider the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Therefore, we are left with no other option, but to go to the international community.”

On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, The Kingsbury Colombo, and Shangri-La Colombo) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured.