March 2nd, 2008
“Sivaratri”
OM…OM…OM…
Sai Ram
With Pranams at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan,
THE TRUE CELEBRATION OF SIVARATRI IS TO EXPERIENCE THE LIGHT WITHIN US
The Sivaratri festival falls on the 6th of March starting at 6PM and ending the next morning at 6AM. The celebration includes bhajans (songs of devotion) that continue throughout the night. That is what we call Akhanda bhajan and it is the usual way of celebration. I take this occasion to share with you a few of the thoughts concerning Sivaratri as given by Baba during His discourses earlier on.
Sivaratri has two words: Shiva and Ratri. Sivam means ‘that which is auspicious and sacred’. What is it that is auspicious? The auspiciousness lies in knowing the light within. The second word ratri means ‘night’. The night is dark—ratri is darkness. Though there is darkness outside, there is brilliant light within one’s own heart. There is light within the heart, there is darkness outside.
Sivaratri therefore is very auspicious, special and highly sacred. The realisation of the light within, the experience of the light of wisdom is the true celebration of Sivaratri. So to know the light within everyone, the light of virtue, awareness and Self-knowledge is Sivaratri, as explained by Bhagavan.
the numerological interpretation of SivaratrI
Second, there are three letters: Si, Va, Ra. The three letters according to numerology stand for the number eleven. Five plus four plus two is eleven. Si stands for ‘five’, Va stands for ‘four’, Ra stands for ‘two’. That is the numerological interpretation of Sivaratri. What are we to understand by the number eleven? This is the second point which I want to share with you. These points are all connected to Bhagavan’s discourses.
We have five senses of perception and five senses of action. The five senses of action are called karmendriyas. The hands, the legs, the body are these senses of action. There are five senses of perception—jnanendriyas. The senses of vision, hearing, touch, etc., are jnanendriyas. So there are five senses of perception and five senses of action, jnanendriya and karmendriya. Five plus five is ten. But there is one extra, what is it? It is the mind. Five plus five plus one is eleven.
The mind is the boss. Without the mind, the senses of perception cannot perceive. Without the mind, the senses of action are action-less. So it is the mind, the manager of the team, that is in control. The manager may manage efficiently or the manager may mismanage. We know mismanagement of the mind because we are all the best examples of that! (Laughter) Yes. Nobody can say, “My mind is perfect and excellent”, unless he is bogus incarnate. It is not that simple—no! Therefore my friends, the mind controls five senses of perception and five senses of action. The mind is the controller.
A meaningful celebration is very necessary
Just as I prepare my students for the examination, we are preparing with prescriptions and correct answers for the ensuing examination being held on the day of Sivaratri. I believe that with awareness and understanding of the subject, we will celebrate it meaningfully. A meaningful celebration is very necessary, or else it becomes a mechanical exercise. It is better that we don’t do that kind of celebration.
We live in this age of rationality and reasoning science, of technology and nano-technology, and yet we still speak of rituals! Well, we are out-of-date or outdated. I don’t mean that we should stop performing rituals, no. But we should do them with full awareness and knowledge of their significance. Therefore, this is the third point.
jagarana should result in awakening THE inner consciousness
The fourth point is that the celebration of Sivaratri includes the observance of a nocturnal vigil. This means that one keeps awake throughout the night. Many people follow this as a ritual. How do they do it? They see two cinema shows and then they attend the third show by which time the sun is rising. So, the nocturnal vigil is observed.
“Ritual”. How can they claim that? If just keeping awake was important, yes, they were awake; if not at home, then at the theatre. And there are others who observe the nocturnal vigil in another style. They go to a casino or club and play cards throughout the night. But why bother with one night? They can spend many nights there! I am not joking about these things.
Baba Himself said:
Preethitho Pekadinantha Agarana Avuna?
With all your liking, if you play cards, can you call it that a nocturnal vigil?
No. So what do we mean by jagarana, the vigil where we are awake throughout the night?
There are two meanings here. Externally, we are awake, singing His glory. Externally, we are awake, participating in akhanda bhajan. Throughout the night as we sing, at least there will be a couple of moments when we are able to concentrate fully and completely. At least, here and there, we may develop some kind of concentration. We may have that feeling of ecstasy; we may have blissful moments. So, that is the external part of it.
The internal part of it, the inner depth of it, is different. Usually people sleep at night, but on this night we are expected to be awake. We are expected to observe the vigil, jagarana. Should I forcefully stop myself from going to sleep? What is the purpose of that? The point is sleep means forgetfulness and indifference. The instincts and emotions are subdued. Sleep involves the silencing of the mind or passivity of indriyas (senses). Sound sleep means this. But we are asked to be awake. We are asked to observe the nocturnal vigil. What is meant by that?
The meaning is as given in Bhagavad Gita (the famous Indian scripture, also known as “The Song of God”): Sleep indicates slumber, laziness, passivity or inactivity. But there are others who do not observe jagarana. They are asleep and inactive, whereas you are alert and awake. Why? To see the others who are also awake like you? No! Or is it to declare to everybody that you were awake all night? As if humanity is benefited by that! No!
I am awake to my inner Self. I am aware and alert to my inner consciousness. So when all others sleep in a forgetful lost state, the man who is awake is alert and aware of his inner consciousness. That’s what is meant by the nocturnal vigil. I think I am clear.
upavasa means ‘living close to god’
Sivaratri includes another ritual which we call upavasa (fasting). People fast at night. A few days back when I met one group, a young man asked me questions about fasting. He repeatedly asked me about it, and apparently was not satisfied with any reason I gave.
He went on insisting, “Tell me about the role of fasting in spirituality? Tell me why I should fast? Tell me how many times should I fast? Tell me how much will it benefit me?”
I was patient enough trying to answer all his questions. At last, I thought it was high time that I gave a final suitable reply! (Laughter)
What I said was, “By fasting you save food for others to eat. (Laughter) By fasting you will be quite slim, trim, and will have a good physique. You will not have the problem of obesity as most people have today. You won’t need to go jogging or do any exercises. The digestion will also improve. But by fasting, you are not helping yourself spiritually and you are not helping the community. This kind of fasting has nothing to do with religion or spirituality.”
Then he was very serious. “No, fasting is something more than that. What do you say it is?”
“I am happy that you have asked this question.”
So then I told him. The word for fasting in Sanskrit is upavasa. The real meaning of upa is ‘near’, vasa means ‘living.’ So, it means ‘living close to or near God’. That is upavasa.
He said, “I fast! I don’t eat!”
“All right, don’t eat. It’s your problem.”
So the real upavasa, the real fasting means spending time in constant contemplation of the Divine, in being near and dear to Him. You are close to God by reading the scripture, doing some service, chanting His glorified Name, or participating in bhajans.
‘Close to God’ does not mean one has to run to the temple and sit there throughout the night. The body may be in the temple but the mind is in the market. That cannot be upavasa. No. So upavasa means you are close to God by thought, word and deed—you think of Him, speak about Him, and are totally involved in His activity.
So, my friends, jagarana (nocturnal vigil) and upavasa (fasting) are the two austerities, the strict observances of the devotees during Sivaratri night.
God is installed in your heart
Who is Siva? (The third of the trinity of deities - Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) What does He do? How does He help me? Where is He? If Siva is in Benaras where there is a very good temple, all of us can travel on the Varanasi express, meet Him there, and come back. If Siva is to be found in a particular place, we can go there and come back.
So, we should first know where Siva is. Where is He? Nobody can give you the address of Siva. The postal department doesn’t know either (Laughter), and He has no email address! So, what is the address of Siva? My friends, Baba very clearly tells us the address:
Eeswara hreddese thisthathi.
Siva is installed in your heart.
Eeswara is installed in your heart. God is seated in your heart. Thus no reservation or journey is necessary. No pushing and pulling to get there, nothing. Be calm, sit and relax; see Him within yourself. Eeswara hriddese Arjuna thisthathi, this is what Krishna said to Arjuna; and Baba gave us the address of Siva—He is within your heart. Now we can understand where Siva is.
Siva is the life principle
How do I know that He is there? I am told “Siva is in my heart.” But how do I know that He is there? That is another question to be answered. I cannot leave the answer to everybody’s imagination or hallucination. We should know how to identify that Siva is within us.
Baba gives the answer: if Siva is not in you, you will be savam. Savam means ‘dead body’. With Siva, you are Sivam (auspicious). Without Siva, it is savam (inauspicious). So, how do I know that I have Siva in me? Look at a dead body and you will soon know that Siva is in you. (Laughter)
Therefore, my friends, Siva is the life principle. Sivam is ‘life, energy, dynamism’. So, Siva is present within everybody. Consequently we are alive, living. That’s what Baba said.
knowledge of the self is the highest form of knowledge
Now we come to the other aspect. Is Siva necessary? Very necessary! Nobody will say “I don’t need Siva.” You need Him because you want to live, because Sivam is the life force within you. Without Sivam, as I said, it is savam or ‘dead body’.
Life is present in us but we don’t realise its value until it is half-way gone. But how am I benefited by Siva, besides life? I want something extra.
Baba says, “You will develop the sense of discrimination and Self-awareness. The knowledge of the Self is obtained by the grace of Siva.”
Jnanam Maheswaradh iccheth.
Jnana (wisdom) is in the hands of Siva.
By His grace, you will develop this wisdom.
So, I should have that wisdom. Nobody would say, “I don’t want knowledge or wisdom”. Of all the forms of knowledge, it is knowledge of the Self that is the highest and greatest, and which has to be solicited and acquired. Without knowledge of the Self, all my other knowledge is useless. With knowledge of the Self, all other forms are useful.
How can I say that? With one and zero, it is ten; one and two zeros, a hundred; one and three zeros, it is a thousand. Without one, four zeros or five zeros are just zero. Similarly, Atma vidya (knowledge of the Self) is one that we must first acquire for other forms of knowledge and information to be useful. First, we must have knowledge of the Self. Again, that is in the hands of God (Jnanam Maheswaradh iccheth). So, this is another aspect of Sivaratri.
The Moon is the presiding deity of the mind
The next aspect: ratri, as I said, is ‘night’. Night is associated with the moon, just as the day is associated with the sun. Sunrise and sunset is daytime; moonrise and moonlight is night time. So the Sivaratri celebration is at night for that is the time of the moon.
Baba explains clearly the significance of the moon here. The Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. The Sun is the presiding deity of the eye. So Sivaratri means we think about our mind. We want to have knowledge of the mind; its nature and its behaviour have to be investigated and studied. How do we study this? What will be gained by studying? We like to evaluate first before starting on a project … what do I get…why should I go…how long will I stay there?
But our ancients, the sages and seers (particularly Bhagavan of this age), answer our demands and questions in unequivocal and non-confusing terms. After listening to Baba, if anyone is still confused, there is something wrong with him. (Laughter) Swami’s message, put in a simple lucid style, is very well understood from the kindergarten child to an old person whose feet are almost in the grave.
Now what does He say? The Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. (Latin ‘luna’ = moon. Lunacy is traditionally linked to the time of the full moon). Because the moon is the presiding deity of the mind, during Sivaratri we should meditate, contemplate and be very earnest, honest and sincere to see that mind is withdrawn.
In the first fifteen nights, the moon is bright so the nights are not dark. In the last fifteen nights, the moon loses its light and the nights become darker. So there is a bright phase of the moon and a dark phase. In the first phase, we have the full moon day and in the second phase, the no moon day, when it is completely dark.
Baba explains it this way: the second half of every month is the dark period. The first half is the bright period. The moon has sixteen aspects of brilliance. In the second half of every month, it loses one aspect of brilliance each day. By the time we reach Sivaratri, only one aspect of brilliance of moon is left. The full moon is now reduced to a thin line with only a single aspect of brilliance. It is seen as a streak, a hair line. What about the personality of the full moon now? What does Baba say about that?
The mind is the dictator
When the moon is active, it means you are under the total control of your mind. The mind is the dictator like General Musharraf, or Hitler, or Mussolini. (Laughter) You can take the worst of dictators and compare the human mind to that. The mind says, “Come on! Praise him, insult him, fight him, and finish him off! Throw him out of power!” These are the terrible goings-on in the mind. Everybody’s mind!
No one can claim that they are immune. Somebody might state, “I am not such a cheap fellow to accept what the mind says. My mind wouldn’t act like that, like a lunatic!” But we have seen enough of life to know otherwise.
The mind goes on dictating. Mind is the master; and that mind makes me a slave. Therefore, I see and hear whatever I want to, and go wherever I want to, however objectionable, prohibited or degrading it might be. I do nonsensical things. Why? Because the mind goes on riding my life; it takes me for a ride.
spiritual aspirants should work for the withdrawal of the mind
To think “I know” is the mind in action; to say, “I do not know” is again the field of the mind. The mind takes many different roles. Baba said that the attempt of every spiritual aspirant is to work for the withdrawal of the mind.
During Sivaratri, by constant contemplation and concentration on God, the mind is withdrawn. The night is completely dark. The last streak of brilliance of the moon (the mind) has gone. It is now amanaska, the non-existent mind. The mind is totally withdrawn, pacified, silenced, and then disappears — ‘never mind’. (Laughter)
when the mind is withdrawn, consciousness will take over
Now, once the mind loses the control, then who will be there? How am I to act? How am I to live? This is a problem. Well, once the mind is withdrawn, the master will take over. When mind, the dictator, is removed, the president, the supreme authority, will take over. Who is the president?
It is consciousness, the Atma or spirit. Then I will be guided by my consciousness and directed by my Divine Self. I will be the actor, once the mind is withdrawn. Until the stage curtain is removed, you cannot see the drama. Similarly, unless the curtain of mind goes, the master cannot take over.
Unless I make my mind empty, I cannot listen properly to what you might be telling me. Suppose you are talking, and I am thinking, “I already know that”, or I think of something to contradict you, or I am thinking about how to grade what you say. I don’t learn anything.
The mind should be empty to learn anything. Similarly, when the mind is withdrawn, the consciousness or spirit will take over. That is the meaning of Sivaratri. Sivaratri symbolises the withdrawal of the mind, where the mind becomes totally inactive and silenced.
knowledge of the self is forever auspicious
Then what else does Baba say about Sivaratri? Siva has another name—Sankara. What is the meaning of Sankara? Kara means ‘bestower’, ‘giver’; san means ‘that which is good’. Sankara is ‘the bestower or giver of all that is good in life’. Sankara gives you all that is good and auspicious.
What is auspicious? All that we consider in life is not auspicious. A thing can be auspicious, but later it becomes inauspicious. A simple example is deliciously cooked food. After three days, it smells and is inedible.
Baba gives one example. It so happened that it was a rainy day. A rich man died on that day and the body was taken along the streets for cremation. There was a heavy downpour of rain and the people carrying the body asked a shopkeeper for permission to leave the body in the shop until the rain stopped.
He said, “What nonsense you are talking! If you want to keep the body in my shop, I will see to it that you join him!” (Laughter)
“Sir, he is a rich man.”
“No, I am sorry”.
On the same day, a person was going to the temple and he was wearing new footwear. As you know, we risk losing our footwear when visiting the temple. Losing footwear is an indication that you have gone to the temple! Otherwise, nobody believes you went there. (Laughter)
The person said to the shopkeeper, “Sir, I bought these chappals (footwear) only an hour ago. I am going to the temple. I might lose them and it is raining, too. May I keep them in your shop?”
“Welcome, sir!” (Laughter)
Now this is an example given by Baba. So what is our conclusion? Chappals are more auspicious and more valuable than the dead body of a rich man! (Laughter)
So what is it that is eternally auspicious and can never be inauspicious, and remains sacred forever and ever? It is knowledge of the Self, consciousness. That is auspicious because it is non-dual, most precious, and highly sacred. Sankara gives you the knowledge of the Self, the experience of the most auspicious of the auspicious.
desires create bondage
Then there is another name for Lord Siva, Kamahari. Kama means ‘desire’, hari means ‘who will make you desire-less’. Kamahari is ‘the one who will make you desire-less’. He will slowly remove all your desires. But in our case, we lose desires out of frustration. We might think that if desires are never fulfilled, there is no point in having desires. This is not desire-less-ness! Desire-less-ness out of frustration or depression is not a worthwhile achievement. Desire-less-ness should be an attainment born not from frustration, but out of awareness.
What is meant by being desire-less, born out of awareness? I can be desire-less out of frustration, as most of us know. What is the difference between the two?
One can be desire-less, born out of awareness, when once it is clearly understood that desire is the bondage. We don’t need any iron chain to put us in bondage. No. Desire is the bondage. It is the strongest chain from which you cannot escape. Why? One desire leads to other desires; they in turn lead to ever more desires. The more desires we have, the more we are in bondage. We are chained by our desires.
When I understand this, I will work towards that goal of desire-less-ness. I will make every effort to be desire-less by understanding the futility of the desire. This is desire-less-ness born out of awareness.
fulfilment OF desire makes you egoistic
Baba calls Siva, Kamahari, ‘the one who will make you desire-less’. Why should He make me desire-less when I have so many desires? Why? There is an advantage in having so many desires if they lead to success. So, why should I be desire-less?
The point is this: when a desire is fulfilled, you become proud. “I achieved the first class; I got a gold medal”. So what? Every year, one fellow or the other gets the gold medal. When a desire is fulfilled, you are proud; when a desire is not fulfilled, you are disappointed. So desire has two aspects—fulfilment makes you egoistic, while failure makes you frustrated. In both cases, you are spoilt.
Take this example. If Swami gives vibhuthi (sacred ash) to anybody, if Swami looks at anybody, that person won’t keep quiet about it. You know, one lady rang up. (I think she was from Texas.)
“Mr. Anil Kumar, you know me?”
I said, “Why should I know you? Why?” I hear from many people. Is this one different?
She said, “I got fourteen interviews from Bhagavan.”
I said, “Why, did you count them?”
She said, “I know, I know, I had fourteen.”
Please wait for another round of fourteen. The moment you count, it means fourteen times (multiply) the ego; twenty interviews means twenty times the ego. Many interviews had (and all counted)…ah-ha, ego to the maximum! (Laughter) Now Mount Everest is low in comparison to your ego! So the interviews have not helped you because you have become egoistic and proud.
simplicity is the hallmark of an enlightened person
A man was showing off some gifts that Swami had given him. Swami has given you life, don’t you understand that? He has given you the body, the five elements. He has given you a nice family. He has given you good health and wealth to meet your demands. He has given all those things, so why do you think about what He has given to someone else? So what?
The man wanted something to publicise, to show that he is unique. He wanted everybody to know that he is special. Nonsense! A gift should make you simpler. It should make you more humble.
“Baba, what is it that I have done to deserve this? Why have you given this to me? I should work for my deservedness. By talking to me, You show me that I should be more disciplined and devoted. I should be more spiritual, so then I can feel, “Oh God, I deserve. I deserve.”
So any gift from Swami, any special treatment given by Swami to anyone of us, should make us more humble, simple, and more approachable. We should feel very ordinary, NOT someone special because of it. You don’t find Mother Teresa walking like this. (Anil Kumar gives an imitation of an arrogant walk) (Laughter) One interview is enough to make us all walk like that!
Do you think that you are better than Mother Teresa? I don’t think so. Or for example, take Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (a 19th century Bengali saint)? How simple was He? He had the innocence of a child. Therefore, the hallmark and surest sign of a realised soul or a man of enlightenment is simplicity, humility, ordinariness. It is the surest sign of a spiritual man. Publicity, vanity, grandeur, pomp and show, ego, all are indicators of a non-spiritual, irreligious, stupid man.
desire-less-ness will make you happy
Therefore my friends, we have to be desire-less. Why?
You might say to Swami, “I have come here with a problem, but You have not attended to it. A tragedy happened in my family, but You never said, “Don’t worry, I am here.” Instead of consoling me, You also cancelled Your usual darshan (public appearance of Swami). So that makes me feel very bad.”
So that is what happens when a desire goes unfulfilled. We are spoilt and made unhappy through having desires. Therefore, we should say, “All right I have no desire. If You come to me—good. If You don’t come to me—that is Your will and I am also happy.”
Desire-less-ness will make you happy; desires can only bring misery. So Kamahari makes you free from all desire.
freedom from desire is THE conquest of death
Then Siva has another name, Mrityunjaya (Victory over death). According to the Sanathana Dharma, the ancient scriptures of this land, the cause for birth and rebirth is desire. You are born again and again because of desire. When there is no more desire, you don’t have to be born again.
Any simple desire, “I want to be that.” Take the next chance (life). “I could not get it this time.” Take the next chance; you may get it.
So, “I don’t want anything.” Then you don’t have to be born with this physical body, that’s all. If you don’t want to be born again, which is immortality or nirvana, then you should be desire-less. So, one should conquer death. Conquering death means what? Conquering desire. So once desires are removed or gone, you become mrityunjaya. Mrityu means ‘death’, jaya means ‘to conquer’. Mrityunjaya means you have conquered death. How can one conquer death?
A desire-less person can conquer death. Why? He doesn’t have to be born again. Once one is born, he has to die. Birth, growth and death go together. Therefore, in order to conquer death, one has to be free from desire.
So my friends, we know the meaning for these words: Siva—auspiciousness, Sankara—the bestower of all good, Kamahari—the one who will make you free from all desire, and Mrityunjaya—the one who will help you to conquer death.
the universal vastness of God
Then the fifth name of Siva is Digambara. It has two meanings—one in the spiritual sense and one in the literal sense. The literal meaning is to be nude. Nudity is digambara, but that’s not the meaning that Baba gives us. You don’t need to do any sadhana (spiritual practice) for that. (Laughter) It is easy to be in that state. (Laughter) Animals and trees are nude, but that does not give them a place in heaven. So nudity is not digambara, though it’s the literal meaning.
The exact meaning of dig is ‘poles’ and of ambara is ‘sky’. So there are the four poles of the earth--north, south, east, and west, holding up the sky like an umbrella. The poles encompass every direction and the sky is vast. So, the universal vastness of God is the meaning of digambara, in the spiritual sense.
siva is above worldly pleasures
Then Siva has another name, Pannagadhara or Nagabhushana. Naga or pannaga means a snake. Siva wears snakes round His neck. Why? Doesn’t He have jewels? Why snakes? But even with snakes round His neck, He still smiles. The mention of a snake will make all of us run out from this hall. The mention of a snake will make us all frightened; but here is Lord Siva with snakes adorning His neck, smiling:
Nandi Vahana Naga Bhushana
Nirupama Guna Sadhana
Natana Manohara Nilakanta Sai
Neeraja Dala Nayana
Ganga Jatadhara Gouri Shanakara
Girija Manoramana
Salutations to Lord Shiva, who holds Ganga in His matted hair.
He is the Lord of Gauri, the immortal One, and is the Divine Dancer
Who has Nandi as His vehicle,
He who is adorned with serpents around His blue neck
Is the repository of incomparable qualities.
So here, snakes are the jewels for Nagabhushana and He is still smiling. What is meant by that? Snakes are the sensual worldly pleasures which are ready to bite. But we should be above sensual pleasures, in a state of bliss. Don’t let us be bitten by these poisonous snakes. Just as Siva is above the snakes of sensual pleasures and worldly affairs, we can also rise above worldly pleasure. That is Nagabhushana or Pannagadhara.
Contemplation on god removes animal qualities
Then another name of Siva is Nandivahana
Nandi Vahana Naga Bhushana,
Nirupama Guna Sadhana
Siva has Nandi, the bull, as His chariot. The bull represents the animalistic, bestial nature. But when the Lord sits on that bull, which is full of animal traits, it becomes an object of worship.
In every Siva temple, we find Nandi in front of the Sivalinga (symbol of Siva in the form of a short cylindrical pillar with a rounded top). The bull in front of Siva is adored. “Hari Om, Shambo Shankara”. (Om to the beneficent Lord, the bestower of good.)
The same bull in the field is whipped by farmers. But with the recitation of Siva’s name, Nandi becomes an object of worship, and receives all adoration and respect. We all have animal features. But when we repeat Siva’s name, Nandivahana, and He makes use of us as His chariot, we will be more respected, honoured and free from animal characteristics.
Nandivahana, Nagabhushana, Digambara, Kamahaari, Mrityunjaya, Shankara… Siva!
The Creator and creation exist together
Then there is another name for Siva, Arthanariswara. Artha (half) and nari (woman). Half of Siva’s body is feminine, half of His body is masculine. Have you met anybody like that? Can you imagine anyone like that? Would you feel like worshipping a personality that is half masculine, half feminine? No, we cannot do it.
Femininity, womanhood, represents Prakrithi or Nature. Masculinity or manhood represents Divinity, the Creator. The Creator with the creation is Arthanariswara. Without the Creator, creation cannot take place. You cannot have the Creator here and creation elsewhere. No, no, no! Matter and energy exist together.
“Sir, energy maybe here, and matter over there.” Impossible! Similarly, the masculinity of Divinity and the femininity of Nature exist together. That is Arthanariswara. It is just as we have the positive and negative in electricity—a successful failure at the moment! (Laughter) (There was a power failure during this satsang.)
Divinity is changeless
And then, what does Siva possess? What is His property? Not the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank (WB). Siva’s property is Vibhuti.
Vibhuthi Sundara Sai Ram
Bhasma Bhushithanga Sai Chandrashekara
Full of grandeur and beauty Sai Ram
Sai ornamented with vibhuthi all over His body,
Sai with the crescent of the Moon in His hair.
Bhasma Bhushithanga (Sai with vibhuthi all over His body) is one of the bhajan songs. Why vibhuthi (ash)? Why doesn’t He have swarna (gold) or rajatha (silver) or vajra (diamonds)?
Vibhuthi has two meanings here. Vibhuthi means effulgence, radiance, brilliance, mystery, power, energy. The whole universe is the vibhuthi of God. So, vibhuthi sundara means that God is full of grandeur and beauty. The universe is the proof of His vibhuthi.
The second meaning of vibhuthi is ‘anything that is burnt and reduced to ash.’ Let it be a paper or wood, or even the human body. Ash remains as ash. If ash is burnt, it still continues to be ash. Therefore, changelessness is a quality of vibhuthi.
What is it that does not change? Divinity! Everything else is changeable. Prakrithi is changeable, but Purusha, the Divine, is unchangeable. So when Baba gives you vibhuthi, the meaning is to think of that eternity, of that changeless Divinity.
Somebody asked, “Why doesn’t Baba materialise a pumpkin? Why vibhuthi? ” Well, He can materialise a pumpkin, but it will not remain with you forever. After a couple of days, it’s gone, whereas vibhuthi will remain with you forever and ever. We have to understand that.
Siva is found in the burial ground—the final destination
All right, where does Siva live? According to the epics and mythology, he is at the burial ground. Why can’t He move about in cities, like Los Angeles or New York or Paris? Well, the place where He is to be found shows us that the burial ground is our ultimate final destination. (Laughter) All flights ultimately land there, whatever the company or plane you choose!
truth, auspiciousness, enthusiasm and life are divine qualities
And then Lord Siva has four faces. The four faces represent Utsaham (bubbling enthusiasm), Mangalam (that which is auspicious), Sivam (full of life principle), and Satyam (Truth). So we should have Truth, auspiciousness, and enthusiasm.
Who would say, “I don’t want to be enthusiastic?” One has to be enthusiastic, dynamic. Life can be a matter of celebration, enjoyable and beautiful, if we are enthusiastic.
Siva will REMOVE BESTIAL qualities
Siva wears the skin of an elephant around His waist. What does it mean? How and when can the skin be obtained? You cannot take my skin while I am living. So, the skin must be removed after the animal is killed. Siva wears the skin of an elephant after it has been killed—the symbolic meaning being that the animalistic traits, the inertia, dullness, gluttony, inactivity and laziness (the tamasic quality), have been killed.
Why are some people dull? Animal qualities! Of course many animals would feel insulted if I say so (Laughter) because some animals are very active. Let me not insult all animals.
Therefore, to indicate that Siva will remove all bestiality, He wears the skin of an elephant. (Someone asks a question if it is a tiger skin, not elephant?) In some books it is written as a tiger skin, in some others it is elephant; but here it represents the animal.
God is the celestial dancer
Siva has three eyes, trinetra. Why three eyes? We have two eyes; the third eye is here (pointing to the forehead). Why does Siva have the third eye? It means the past, present, and future. God knows our past, He knows our present and He also knows our future.
Siva, the Celestial Dancer
And then, how does Siva move about? He doesn’t walk slowly as we do in the Mandir (temple). No, no, no. All Siva bhajans are full of activity; no song is slow. Tak tak, tak tak! (Anil Kumar sings with gusto:)
Siva Siva Shirdi Purishwara,
Shambo Murahara ,
Samba Sada Siva.
Siva, Siva, Shirdi Spirit,
The bestower of good,
The great and good Siva.
Siva songs are like that.
Kailasa Vasa Mahadeva,
Jagadeeswara Hara Mahadeva
The Supreme Lord in His abode,
The Supreme Lord of the world
With these lively songs, you feel transcendent, as if transported to the other world! Siva does not walk; Siva dances! Why should He dance?
It is the dance of creation. He dances to make creation interesting, beautiful and holy. How beautiful it is when the peacock dances! It is so nice to watch. We cannot estimate the beauty when God dances. Siva thandava is the Cosmic Dance. His is the Divine dance which represents the beauty of the entire universe.
the Siva family is an ideal family
The wife of Siva, His consort, is Parvati. One interpretation of Parvati is that she is half of Shiva—Ardhanariswara. A second interpretation is that she lives in Kailsa, paradise. The husband, Siva, is in the burial ground, while Parvati is in paradise. (Laughter) What a perfect harmony, you see? (Laughter) Total unity!
She is not only there, but she has costly jewels--all gold jewels. And Siva? He is Digambara—nude, nothing to wear. See the polarity. Not only that, He has the bull as his chariot, while she has the lion as her chariot.
Some people say, “Sir, my wife doesn’t agree with me.” (Parvati is not listening to Siva!) The wife says, “My husband doesn’t listen to me.” (Siva is not listening to Parvati!) Why do you and I bother about it? Not listening is a law of nature! (Laughter) Listening is extraordinary! (Laughter) But Siva is managing, so why can’t you and I manage? We have managed so far, a few more years, after all. Why should we worry?
So, their addresses are different and their styles of functioning are different. They have two children. One is Ganesha, the other is Subramanya. Let us see if the sons are compatible. They are not. Ganesha has the head of an elephant; his mother has the lion as the chariot. But if the elephant dreams of the lion, it dies. So the mother’s chariot is her son’s enemy. Parvati also has the problem that her son, Ganesha, doesn’t listen to her. (Laughter)
How about Subramanya? His chariot is the peacock, and his father Siva has snakes around His neck. The snakes and peacock are not friends. They don’t live in harmony together. But is Siva in a perfect state of harmony? No. He has fire near His third eye and water on His head. Water and fire don’t go together either.
Yet, the Siva family is an ideal family. (Laughter) It is an ideal family, where both the sons don’t agree; also, husband and wife don’t agree. But still they agree to disagree. (Laughter) That is the paradox—that is the irony of it. If the whole of life is uniform, then there is no beauty. Contradiction and conflict makes life a little bit more interesting. We can go to God for the solutions. (Laughter) These are all a part of Divine sport (leela).
we offer tears of joy to Lord Siva
We also worship Siva with special leaves, the bilva (Wood Apple) leaf. The bilva leaf has three leaflets, the central leaf and two lateral leaves. This is offered to Siva. The three leaves stand for the three gunas (qualities), the trigunas: sathwic (piousness), rajasic (the emotional and passionate aspect), and tamasic (inertia).
On Sivaratri, abhisheka (pouring water over the lingam) is performed. Water is poured on the Siva lingam. Why? Though we do it externally, the inner meaning is that we should offer our tears of joy to the Lord. That is the meaning of abhisheka. Throughout the night, as we sing His glory, we offer tears of joy to Lord Siva. So Sivaratri is associated with abhisheka, and with the worship of Siva with the bilva leaf.
siva is THE divine principle of eternity
The final point is this: In English we say, Mr. David, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Anil Kumar. ‘Mister’ is the prefix to every name in English. But in Sanathana Dharma, it is Sri Anil Kumar, Sri Lakhi and so on. In the place of ‘Mister’, we add ‘Sri’. For instance, there was Sri Rama or Sri Krishna. ‘Sri’ is the prefix. What is the meaning of ‘Sri’?
‘Sri’ means ‘that which is Divine in you’. Everything else is human, perishable, changeable, and ultimately lost. But Sri, the Divinity, will stay forever. We can say Sri Rama or Sri Krishna, but not Sri Siva, because Siva is not a person.
Rama is a person, Krishna is a person. They are Avatar Incarnations; but Siva is not an Avatar. So we don’t say Sri Siva or Sri Sankara. Siva is an ideology and Sivam is a concept, a Divine principle. ‘Sri’ is not added because it already indicates the principle of eternity and immortality.
Linga is a God form that we worship
Linga is a God form that we worship, and Om is the expression of God through sound. As Baba said, “The lingam that I am bringing out is only an indication, a symbol, to let you know that there is such a lingam in every one of you.”
Baba explains that the legs, hands, and neck are all anga (limbs of the body). The limbs all together are sanga (functional); and because of the life principle from God (linga), we are able to work and move (janga). So, anga (the limbs which are together) are sanga (functional) and there is janga (movement) because of linga, the Atmic principle.
My friends, I have shared these points connected with the celebration of Sivaratri to the extent my memory has permitted.
May this Sivaratri, this holy day, bring blessings to everybody, helping us to go along the spiritual path with inner enjoyment. May this Sivaratri be a wonderful blessing to you and your family!
Jai Sai Ram! (Applause)
Asato Maa Sad Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir Gamaya
Mrtyormaa Amrtam Gamaya
Om Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti