Sanatan Jyoti - Bharat Sevashram Sangha

ETERNAL LIGHT ♦ SANATAN JYOTI ♦ 2013Significance of Shivaratriby Sucheta SadhukhanSivaratri is celebrated on the moonless night of the month of Phalguna inHindu calendar, which is the fourteenth day in the krishnapaksha. On this dayspiritual practices are considered to be especially auspicious and beneficial.It is mentioned in Puranas that Shiva himself tells Parvati that this day isparticularly dear to him. Those who perform the prescribed austerities on thisday will be freed from all sins. One popular story from the Puranas goes likethis: There was once a poor hunter from Varanasi. He lived with his wife anda child in a small hut. He would go to the forest and hunt to feed his family.One particular day, he caught many small animals and birds, which he putinto a sack. Encouraged by the catch, he wandered deeper into the forest insearch of more animals. Soon darkness set in and he turned to go home. Hewas a little worried as the forest was full with dangerous animals. He did notlike the idea of spending the night there. Soon it became very dark. Unable tofind his way back, the hunter climbed a tree to be safe from the wild animals.Attracted by his scent, animals gathered under the tree. Throughout the nightthe animals kept prowling beneath the tree. The hunter kept crying andpraying throughout the night. He plucked leaves from the tree, whichhappened to be a bilva tree, and dropped them on the ground. Unknown tohim, there was a Shivalinga at the foot of the tree; and so, although he wasunaware of it, by dropping the sacred bilva leaves, he was making a sacredoffering to the Shivalinga. His tears also fell on the Shivalinga. That nighthappened to be Shivaratri. So the hunter had unknowingly kept a night-longvigil and worshipped Shiva.The story above is a metaphor. It has a great meaning. It is a story of ourconsciousness rising from Muladhara chakra which is our lowest chakra toAgya chakra. Just as the hunter sought to kill wild animals, the spiritualseeker tries to overcome lust, anger, greed, jealousy and hatred. The jungle44BHARAT SEVASHRAM SANGHA OF NORTH AMERICA, CHICAGO