The festival of Shiva Ratri is filled with immense significance and value. Each aspect of the festival, right from its name, to when it is celebrated, to how it is celebrated carries an important message. We shall explore these aspects with a series of questions.
 
Why is this festival referred to as Shiva Ratri (Night) and not the Day of Shiva?
Generally light or the day is associated with knowledge, and the darkness or the night (the translation of the word “Ratri”) is associated with ignorance. Therefore, the “night” in Shiva Ratri can be understood to signify the night of ignorance. The saying “Asatomah satgamaya, tamasomah jyothir gamaya, mrityomah amritam gamayah” applies very well here which means “Take me from falsehood into truth, take me from degradation in light, take me from death into immortality”.

Shiva Ratri is named such is because God Shiva’s incarnation happens in the night of ignorance of humanity. It is at the time of degradation of humanity that is his arrival to earth is needed. There is no need for his incarnation when there is peace, purity, love, and happiness in abundance on earth. As the famous saying goes “Yada-Yada Hi Dharmasya, Glanir Bhavati Bharatah” which means that whenever there is extreme irreligiousness and unrighteousness,  God will incarnate to set things right.

 
At what time of the year is Shiva Ratri celebrated and what is the significance of that?
If we further look into the time of the year Shiva Ratri is celebrated, things get clearer. Shiva Ratri is celebrated on the 14th day of the dark half of the month of Phalguni, the last month in the Hindu lunar calendar year.  This is the day before the new moon emerges, i.e. it is the darkest night of the month.

The significance of the darkest night of the month is that God Shiva comes in the depths of the night. He as the sun of knowledge then imparts knowledge which then creates light or the day.  
 
The significance of the last month of the Hindu Lunar calendar year is to indicate that the start of a new “year” or era is upon us. This new era can also be called Satyug [the age of truth], heaven, or Bahist. In this new era, there will be peace and happiness in every home, harmony in relationships, and we will lead a life of complete joy and abundance. Therefore it is as though God Shiva brings for us the gifts of peace and happiness on the palm of His hands.  [What knowledge He provides that leads to inner peace, happiness, and bliss is discussed in the next question.]

All this is illustrated in the figure below of the world cycle of the unlimited “day” and “night” of humanity. Just as the physical sun brings about the day, the Sun of knowledge brings about the day for humanity. This marks the auspicious nature of this festival. The two [bright] quadrants on the right hand side of the circle represent the day and the two [dark] quadrants on the left side of the circle represent the night.


Figure: The world cycle. Dwapur Yuga (Copper age) and Kali-Yuga (Iron age) are referred to as the night and Satyuga (The age of Truth or Golden age) and Treta Yuga (Silver age) are referred to as the day or heaven. God Shiva comes in the depth of the night, towards the end of Kali Yuga, to give His own introduction and impart knowledge and thereby create the Golden age. This age of heaven is not far away; in fact it is up to us to bring about this age by doing yoga with God Shiva. Yoga enables transformation within the self and “When I change, the world will change.”

 
What is the “ignorance” actually referring to and in what state (darkness or light) is humanity currently in?
This ignorance is of that aspect of knowledge which can allow us to experience peace, happiness, and love in our lives. At the present time, human beings do not have the awareness of their true identity as beings of light, sparks of consciousness, whose original nature is peace, purity, happiness, and bliss.

Having forgotten this, humankind is looking for peace, happiness, and love from external sources, material things, and from other people. Rather than coming onto the field of interaction with one another to share peace, happiness, and love that is inherent within, there is the intention to take material things or power leading to greed (the desire to take and hold onto more than what’s needed) and anger (a negative emotion when one does not get what one wants), just to name a few of the five main vices of lust, anger, greed, ego, attachment. The prevalent presence of these vices is an indicator that humankind is currently in the night, i.e. in a state of ignorance.

One might be wondering that in this age of modern science and technology what lack of ignorance could there possibly be. However if we just pause for a minute to gauge the condition of the world, we find corruption, war, and violence rampant in the world, poverty and shortage of food in many parts of the world when there is actually sufficient food to go around, the ailing state of our mother earth and the environment, and on a personal level, stress and psychosomatic diseases that are prevalent in the society of today. We realize that we as humankind have some homework to do.
 
Until now, we have covered the significance of “night” in the name of the festival. This brings us to the second part of the festival name: Who is Shiva?

When introducing someone, while those close to a person can provide a good description, the most accurate introduction of someone would most likely be one given by that person himself/herself. Similarly, while prophets, sages, and saints have tried to give an introduction to the nature of God Shiva, the most accurate introduction will most likely be one given by God Shiva Himself.

So when humanity is in degradation, in the depths of the night, when God Shiva incarnates, He introduces Himself as incorporeal light (Prakash-swaroop), as the Ocean of knowledge,  as the SUPREME SOUL, the One who is the most unique and unparralled; One who is eternally Sat(Truth)-Chit(Conscient being)-Anand, the one who is Satyam (Truth), Shivam (Benefactor), and Sundaram (Beautiful); the One who is ever-pure and ever-peaceful; the One who is the Ocean of Love beyond all comparison; the One who is the Supreme Father of all souls; the One who grants mukti (liberation) and jeevan-mukti (liberation-in-life) to all souls.

All major religions of the world today accept that God is incorporeal and is a being of light.  For example, in Christianity there are several references to God being the light in the Bible; In Islam, God is referred to as “Noor” meaning light; In Hinduism too, the worship of the Shiva Lingam (a cylindrical stone structure) is actually a representation of the oval image of light (See figure below). Note that in a Shiva Temple there is no bodily images that are worshipped, which again points to the fact that Shiva is incorporeal; In Sikhism too He is described as “Ek OmKaar, Nirakaar”, i.e. the form of Om and incorporeal.

On a literal level, there are three literal translations of the term Shiva. One is the benefactor [the One who only brings benefit], the second is the seed [seed which has knowledge of the whole tree of humanity merged within itself], and the third is the point [His form is a point of light, just like a soul is a point of light. However He is the Supreme amongst all souls].  The word in Judaism and Christianity of “Jehovah” is closely related to the word “Shiva”.


Worthwhile to acknowledge is some confusion around the association of Shiva with Shankar, the Hindu deity who is shown meditating on Mount Kailash and associated with the destruction. The detailed discussion of this is beyond the scope of this essay, but Shiva and Shankar are actually referring to two distinct beings: the former being incorporeal, benefactor (Shiva means benefactor), and a resident of the Supreme Abode (Paramdham, or land of Nirvana), whereas the latter possessing a [subtle] bodily form, associated with destruction, and a resident of the subtle region.

How do devotees commemorate this auspicious festival of Shiva Ratri: What are the rituals that generally associated with Shiva Ratri and what is their TRUE significance?
Among some of the main rituals, devotees generally fast throughout the day, stay awake throughout the night, and chant “Om Namo Shivaya”. Also rather peculiarly, poisonous fruits (dhatura and jati), and unpleasant flowers (uck) are offered to God Shiva on this occasion.

If we take a deeper look, we realize that each of these rituals have a hidden meaning behind them.  For example, it is not question of holding a strict fast for just one day; it is a question of fasting from the vices until the end of the night of ignorance. Similarly, it is not a question of just chanting “Om Namo Shivaya”, it is a question of remembering the Supreme Soul Shiva with love having received His true introduction and remembering Him with our mind as we carry out the activities of our day to experience peace, bliss, and love in our lives. This loveful remembrance of the Supreme is referred to as Raja Yoga (the King of all Yogas), which is why God Shiva is also referred to as Yogeshwar (God of Yoga). Also the offering of poisonous fruits and unpleasant flowers signifies sacrificing our vices and negativity to God Shiva.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the festival of Shiva Ratri is the memorial of the auspicious arrival of incorporeal Supreme Soul Shiva to earth, in the depths of the night of human morality. Being the sun of knowledge, He imparts knowledge to bring the day. He tells us that we are all beings of light, children of One God, the Father. Addressing us as “Sweet Children”, He tells us of our inherent qualities of peace, purity, love, happiness, bliss, power, and knowledge.  He tells us to consider ourselves to be souls and make the effort of remembering Him with love. He guarantees that this remembrance will burn away our sins and that this power of yoga will bring about the day for humanity.

Hope you have enjoyed reading the questions and answers in this essay. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or for more details. Further, it is with great pleasure that we would like to invite you to Shiva Ratri Celebrations at the Watertown Free Public Library on 123 Main St. in Watertown on 28th February 2009 from 2:00-4:30pm. Please come and learn more and to experience the greatness, knowledge, love, and blessings of God Shiva. This celebration, organized by the Brahma Kumaris Learning Center for Peace, is provided free of charge as a community service. Similar events will also be held in Rhode Island and New Hampshire on 1st March 2009. See www.bkboston.org for details or contact (617) 926-1230.

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