Maha Shivratri And Inner Transformation
It can be a day of transformation if it is a day of contemplation. Otherwise, it can just be another festival. What is so remarkable about Maha Shivratri, the festival that is celebrated on the 14th day of the phalguna month, normally in February or March every year? It is a day of intense faith in Lord Shiva. Maha Shivratri falls on the darkest night of the month, symbolic of the ignorance that we must overcome. We are all living in darkness, oblivious to the truth about life, about the Divine Power we call God, about who we are.
I was 8 when I started my journey with Shiva. Today, 5 decades later, my faith has evolved. My journey has been one of inner transformation. Maha Shivratri was the trigger which touched and transformed me. My faith grew so much, so deep, that my desire, my love and longing for Shiva led me from ‘Om Namah Shivay’ to ‘Shivoham’. What is Om Namah Shivay? It means, ‘O Lord Shiva, O Lord of all Lords, God of all Gods, I bow down to you. O Lord Shiva, you are the creator and the destroyer.’ When our faith is deeply passionate, intense, it grows from belief in Om Namah Shivay to Shivoham Shivoham. Shivoham is the realisation that Shiva is not the God we think Shiva is. Shiva is a Power, a Power that is everywhere —omnipresent; a Power that can do anything — omnipotent; a Power that knows everything — omniscient.
Earlier, I would want to go to Mount Kailash to find Shiva. But when I went on a spiritual quest to find Shiva, I realised the truth that Shiva does not live in Kailash. I realised that Shiva did not live 15000 years ago. This was a myth. The truth is that Shiva is immortal. Shiva is birthless and deathless, beginningless and endless. And year after year, it was the day of Maha Shivratri that created that inner transformation. What is this inner transformation? It is called Enlightenment; it is called spiritual awakening. It is evolving and realising Shivoham from the basic faith of Om Namah Shivay. I used to pray to Shiva in a temple and then I realised Shiva in the temple of my heart. I used to pray to Shiva. Now I pray through Shiva to the Power that is SIP, the Supreme Immortal Power. To some, Shiva is a God who is married to Parvati. He is the father of Ganesha, but these are all mythological stories meant for children in order to build their faith. Maha Shivratri is a festival that is meant for us to evolve. It calls upon us to go through that journey of self-realisation till we each God-realisation, till we realise that Shiva is in every molecule, in every atom of existence. The 5 elements of nature are none other than the power of Shiva. Scientists from the field of Quantum Physics have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2022. Science acknowledges that this world is nothing but energy. In other words, what it means is that the whole world is a manifestation of a Power, of God, of Shiva. But when will this realisation, inner transformation happen?
It all starts on Maha Shivratri, a day when we stay awake for 24 hours. We express our faith with enthusiasm. We surrender with trust; we accept with hope. This is a magical day, a day of faith that will take us to Shiva's gate, a day of faith that will take us on an inward journey, a journey of transformation, a journey of realisation.
If you pray to Shiva, let the prayer transform to love, let the prayer evolve to deep longing, let the prayer become a passion for Shiva, and soon you will realise Shiva within. You will realise you are not the body-mind-ego, you are the Divine Soul, a Spark Of Unique Life. You are not a human being, you are a Power, you are a Shakti. You are Shiva Shakti and Maha Shivratri is that day of inner transformation. Year after year, your faith will evolve, will grow till you get the spark of Enlightenment, of realisation where you will overcome all ignorance and you will realise the truth. And it can all start with Maha Shivratri.
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