One day of each year, millions observe what is considered the most sacred vortex of time to be blessed in transformation and grace. For thousands of years, yogis, saints, sadhus, and householders in India have observed this moment, the MahaSivratri by staying up all night celebrating Lord Siva.
MahaSivratri is the night of the Eternal Yogi, Lord Siva. This year, MahaSivratri falls on March 2 – 3.
“Si” is the Spirit that we are. “Va” is the Goddess, that of experience. “SiV”a is the awake experience. This is the root understanding to Lord Siva, the male and female within each of us. Likewise, the word “yogi” also refers to the feminine counterpart yogini.
In the spiritual India, most yogis who undergo deep tapas (meditative penance), seldom coming out for months, take a break from their meditative state and come out to bless humanity during this period of MahaSivratri. For one on the path of Yoga, this is the night to experience and actually become the Eternal Yogi.
This day of Mahasivratri is calculated based on the lunar calendar when our consciousness easily condenses into divine awareness during this period. Every month, there is one Sivratri and once a year, the grand MahaSivratri (maha means great) near the new moon period. From the yogic perspective, the moon directly influences the mind and our consciousness. It is during MahaSivratri period when we can easily dissolve our thoughts to surrender our past, especially karmic patterns to the Magic of the Now and rise above in consciousness.
Each month, the new and full Moon energies uniquely shift as the Earth rotates around the Sun. Each day of the orbit of the Moon around Earth holds a specific energy and a wave of consciousness. Each full Moon and new Moon period holds a specific vortex of energy. New moons hold the consciousness of Lord Siva, the Spirit experience and full moons hold the awareness and the mind, the energies of Lord Vishnu.
Mahasivratri also holds the objective of our Yoga practice, to attain the “I Am” experience and to lead a life as a Spirit having a human experience. The objective of Yoga and its meaning has been described as the union of divinity with the human.
In the meditative process, as the mind of thoughts give way to the mindless mind of a single thought that holds the thoughtlessness, we experience bliss. This is the supreme bliss that yogis term as ananda, happiness for no reason and all the reasons. Lord Siva is called “Satchidananda” which mean the experience of being bliss.
Any saint or holy man and woman in any religion or culture have the ability to bless reality through words. They may say, “Go home and you will soon have a baby” and remarkably, these words come true. This is because they are in touch with the higher conscious mind that is in union with Source, the mind state of Turiya. In deeper meditation, as we journey through the states of being awake, dreaming and sleeping, we realize each of this a facet of the mind in levels of consciousness. The yogis dive beneath these layers within to go beyond the mind, the thought patterns and karmic imprints to the state of Turiya, the state of sleepless sleep. In the state of Turiya, the yogis climb into timelessness to intensify the “I Am” experience. In MahaSivratri, the key to celebrating Lord Siva is by staying awake all night long to experience the yogic state of the mind, the Turiya. This higher conscious state of Turiya is the hidden experience that we are to be blessed with during MahaSivratri when staying awake through the night singing, meditating or chanting.
MahaSivratri sets our inner clock to being the timeless awareness. It is the peak of inner realization and grace in the annual journey as our planet travels around the Sun. To celebrate MahaSivratri observing a few yogic insights uplifts us to be unbound by time, karmic patterns and a limited mind. We become the joyful instrument of Source blessed in our daily inner journey to light, to be light.
Preparing for MahaSivratri in a Yogic Manner:
- When approaching MahaSivratri (March 2 – 3), we turn our mind inward and gradually shift our consciousness from the body into the soul. As the moon wanes and dissolves, we dissolve our ego states of ‘me’, ‘mine’ and ‘I’ into the higher consciousness of oneness of that of Lord Siva.
- MahaSivratri is the celebration of the Spirit by the Spirit. Empowered worship of Source is from the intent of wanting to be Source.
- In our inner journey of meditation, these are moments for detox and cleansing of mind and body through a light diet of fruits, nuts, and juice. With puja (prayer and worship) we transform to be Lord Siva.
- Jump into your personal Mother Ganga each morning! By slipping into a cold water bath or shower each morning (even for just a moment), we are dissolving our primal bond to the body and thus are born again. If getting into the cold water shower in the morning is difficult, practice Yoga and through Yoga dissolve into Lord Siva of the five elements and the body becomes easier to surrender into the cold water.
- It is normal for humanity to experience turbulence and upheavals just before MahaSivratri and then after MahaSivratri, the calm and inspired realities that unfold. The mind readily plunges within whenever there is hardship in our external realities. After MahaSivratri is observed and complete, it is normal to witness a huge blessing or blessings in our external reality.
- Light a lamp at least once a day and meditate, chant and pray. If this is not possible, still the mind and visualize the lamp within and experience Source as the joys within the stillness of a mind without thoughts. The stillness of mind is Lord Siva, the experience of being the Self, the soul.
- Pilgrimages to sacred places during this period supports the inner journey. Being aware of each thought and setting the mind alight through mantra chanting creates the inner lamp of awareness that gradually shines 24/7.
- Practice dharma (right action). An effective form of dharma is to feed the hungry while we are fasting. In satisfying another’s hunger, we are divinely fed with the subtle energy of Source. Dharma done during this sacred period magnifies. Dharma done by practicing random acts of kindness take us beyond our own suffering and discomfort in order to enable the realization of Oneness and the essence of Source.
- Climb within each day and go further beyond the mind into the internal vibrant light. Lift your consciousness from the muladhara chakra (root chakra) above to the Guru chakra (above the navel).
- Shift your awareness to the space above to the third eye and watch the vibrant light of the mantra dance. In bringing this light in the third eye to stillness, the mind transcends to the mindless realm of joy that Sages call the sleepless sleep, Turiya.
- On the day/night of MahaSivratri, (March 2 – 3, celebrated in different areas on different days), be the pillar of light, Lord Siva, the Eternal Yogi.
May humanity arise in the awake consciousness of wisdom that enables each of us to be the prophets and masters of higher consciousness. May each of us be instruments of Source and in our breath, the ascendance of collective consciousness.
We are the messengers of peace, love and Oneness of Source!
Nandhi was initiated into a karmic death journey through the direct teachings of his enlightened Siddhar Gurus and Masters in India, traveling in the wilderness and meditating in caves in South India as a sadhu for over two decades. Tapasyogi Kalathi Adiyen Aadi Nandhi represents the wisdom of the liberated. He is a visionary, yogi and a transformational guide who is from the mystical path of the Siddhars of South India. The Siddhar teachings, Tantiram, represent the roots of Yoga, Tantra and Mantra. His core teachings Kalangi Yoga is based on imparting the experience and guidance to attain a life of freedom, purpose, health and inner wisdom through tools of enlightenment: nandhi.com
By Nandhi
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.