In the Indian culture, at one time, there used to be 365 festivals in a year. Almost every one of these festivals is connected to the lunisolar calendar. The solar system is working like a potter’s wheel to generate this body. Who we are and the way we are structured physically is the consequence of the way the planetary system is made. If you are sensitive, for different days of the month, there are different things happening in nature, and whatever is happening in nature is also happening in this body. In this tradition, what is happening in the solar system on a given day has been very keenly observed, and accordingly, we have crafted different kinds of celebrations for each day.
The fourteenth day of every lunar month, or the day before the new moon, is known as Shivratri. Among the 12 or 13 Shivratris that occur in a calendar year, Maha Shivratri, the one that occurs in February-March, is the most significant. Planet Earth is spinning with a certain precision. It is not simply rotating on its axis – there is always a wobble. That wobble creates a certain situation on the planet where, on the night of Maha Shivratri, there is a natural upsurge of energy in the Northern Hemisphere.
On this day, every life-form experiences a certain upsurge of energies within themselves. This upsurge of energies can be truly made use of only by those creatures who have their spine erect. Our fortune of being human is that we are the only species here that graduated to the level of an erect spine. If you look at the evolutionary development of various species, you will notice that moving from invertebrate to vertebrate is one significant step. Another significant step in the evolutionary process is the spine moving from a horizontal position to a vertical position. The true development of the brain happened only after the spine became vertical.
The Puranas say blessed are those whose spines are erect because they can move their energies upward effortlessly. All evolution in a human being is fundamentally an upward movement of energy. By making use of this natural upsurge on the nightlong festival of Maha Shivratri, we can move one step closer to the Divine. The raising of energies takes place even if there is no sadhana in a person’s life, but especially for people who are into some kind of Yogic sadhana, keeping the body in a vertical position – in other words, not sleeping on this night – is very important.
When everything is being pulled up on Maha Shivratri, if your spine takes a horizontal position, it will cause imbalances in your system. This is why the culture told you not to sleep on Maha Shivratri. If you can stay awake and be conscious, you will benefit most. But if that is not possible, somehow stay awake – at least watch a movie in a cinema theatre, play cards with your friends or run around on the street. Do whatever, but do not put your spine into a horizontal position.
This is why, at Isha, we celebrate Maha Shivratri as a nightlong festival. If you just ask people to sit for a few hours, they will not. They have to be entertained. So, on that night, we have a celebration from 6:00 in the evening to 6:00 in the morning – twelve hours of non-stop music, dance, meditations and various other things – so that everyone stays alert.
When there is a big wave of energy, if you know how to ride it, it will be a great joy. If you do not know how to ride the wave, you will get crushed by it. An expert wave rider’s dream is to ride a tsunami. But the word tsunami would strike terror in most people’s minds. There is a little bit of a tsunami happening within you on Maha Shivratri. It is my intention, wish and blessing that you must ride this upsurge towards your well-being and to become an exuberant and ecstatic human being.
Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service. He is also the founder of the world’s largest people’s movement, Conscious Planet – Save Soil, which has touched over 4 billion people. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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