Shivarathri

Today is the auspicious day of Shivarathri. What is Sivam? It means auspiciousness. God is the embodiment of Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram (Truth, Auspiciousness and Beauty). All that you see hear and experience should be offered to God.

Offer a trifoliate Bilva leaf to Lord Siva, the three-eyed Lord having a trident in His hand which destroys the sins of three births. People undertake various Sadhanas and different modes of worship on the basis of their own imagination. Whatever may be the Sadhana, one should not give up the resolve. One should have single-pointed attention. One should listen only to the principle of oneness. One should offer ones actions to God. Karmanyevadhikarasthe Ma Phaleshu Kadachana (Action is thy duty, fruit is not thy concern). Whatever you do, let it be pleasing unto God. Sarva Karma Bhagavad Preethyartham (do all actions to please God). Then no sin will accrue to you. There is no easier path than this to experience the Atmic principle.

You may get some thoughts which are like clouds. Do not be carried away by them. Do not pay heed to all and sundry and ruin yourself. You should rise to the level of Divine and not degenerate to the level of demon. In order to rise to the level of divine, Satsang is very essential. One thought, one vision and one action. These three must be unified. Shivarathri is celebrated to recognize the oneness of Divinity. When you do Bhajans tonight, you will have only one thought. You will experience the bliss of Bhajan. It is the non-dual bliss. Why is it prescribed that you should do Bhajans all through the night? Bhajan is done to control the mind and focus it on Divinity.

The message of holy Shivarathri is to spread the ideal and sanctity of this most auspicious day to one and all. The principle of unity is slowly declining among the people of the world. There is strife and discord between even two brothers of the same small family.

In the divine family of Lord Siva, there are only four members, namely, Lord Eashvara, his consort Parvati, and the two sons, Subramanya and Vinayaka. This is an ideal family. There is no difference of opinion whatsoever either between husband and wife or the two brothers. There is perfect accord and harmony in their family. Mother Parvati and Lord Paramesvara wanted to set an example to the whole world in the matter of a most harmonious, perfect and loving relationship between a wife and husband and between brothers. A family is the most important functional unit in the world. If the family is running on sound lines, the world will also run smoothly. If the unity among the family members suffers even to a small extent, the world will face the repercussions. Unity gives strength to the lives of the family members. Therefore, every family should strive for achieving unity and harmonious relationship among its members. Every family should strive to emulate the example of Lord Siva's family. Today, even if there are only two sons in a family, there is no harmony between them. Similar is the case of husband and wife. This is not the position in respect of Lord Siva's family. The vehicles they ride, the circumstances in which they function, the wealth they possess - in fact, in every aspect, the members of this divine family set an example to the whole world.

For example, Lord Siva's vehicle is Nandi, the bull. Mother Parvati's vehicle is Lion. The younger son, Subramanya's vehicle is peacock, whereas the elder son Vinayaka's is the tiny mouse. They move about the whole world on such strange vehicles which are antagonistic in nature but still lead a perfect and harmonious family life.

If you wish to attain happiness, live in happiness. The universal family of Lord Siva, Mother Parvati, Subramanya and Vinayaka are the perfect example for this principle. Cultivate their example. Worship them. But, a caution - you may worship a picture as God, but not God as a picture. Therefore, you worship the Eashwara family by following their example. The message of this holy Shivarathri is to live in unity and harmony with everyone. Particularly, the brothers in a family should never fight; they must be united, like the Pandavas. It is only by their unity, Pandavas could obtain the Divine Grace of Lord Krishna. Anything can be achieved with unity. Take for example, the five fingers in the hand. It is only when the five fingers join together, we can accomplish any task. The Kauravas were one hundred in number, but they were not united for a good cause. Ultimately, what fate had befallen them? Similarly, Vali and Sugriva in Ramayana. They were in fact brothers. Due to some differences, they developed hatred against one another. In the end, Vali met his end in the hands of Rama. The ultimate goal of this Shivarathri is to develop unity among humanity, whatever be the obstacles, whatever be the difficulties and whatever be the provocations. You should never make use of harsh words while speaking to others. Always speak sweetly and softly, with a loving heart.