Mahashivaratri — a night of wakefulness and awakening

When you say “Shiva”, it’s not about religion. Today, the world is divided in terms of which religion you belong to. Because of this, if you utter something, it looks like you belong to some ‘party’. This is not religion; this is the science of inner evolution. You don’t have to worship Shiva. I don’t. I am worshipful towards everything, but I’ve never said a prayer in my life. When I say “Shiva”, whatever I wish to know is here for me. It is because of this that I walk through life with such ease — just Shiva. You must know the strength of that. Don’t get lost in your logical mind. This is a way of stepping beyond the boundaries that human beings are supposed to stay within.

We are vagabonds who will not go by the rules set by nature. Nature has set some laws for human beings — they have to be within that. Breaking the laws of physical nature is a spiritual process. In this sense, we are outlaws, and Shiva is the ultimate outlaw. You cannot worship Shiva, but you may join the gang.

So, what makes Mahashivaratri significant? There are 12 Shivaratris in a year. The 14th day of every month, the day before the no-moon, is called Shivaratri. The one that appears in the lunar month of Magha, around February-March, is called Mahashivaratri. On this day, there is a natural upsurge of energies, and you can experience this if you keep your spine erect.

It is my wish and blessing that you make use of this wonderful gift that nature offers us on this day. I hope all of you ride this upsurge and know the beauty and ecstasy of what it means when we say “Shiva”.

(Inner Voice comprises contributions

from our readers The views expressed are personal)