Importance of Shivratri

A person should only have one goal in life and that is God realization. Every action, thought, words, all our sense organs with gyan indriyas, karma indriyas should only be engrossed in God realization. Time and again, our Rishis have emphasized the importance of important Muhurat,yog,nakshatras and we should take the benefit of such profound knowledge passed on to us by our great seers.

Lord Shiva is not only the Destroyer but also the power behind creation, causing a constant cycle of destruction and creation in order to bring about necessary good. The Shakti who works in conjunction with Lord Shiva is called Adhya Shakti or Maa Parvati. Together, Parvati, who is a manifestation of the feminine aspect of the Divine known as Shakti (the creative and energetic potency), and Shiva, who is a manifestation of the masculine aspect, represent the dynamic union that sparks creation. Shivratri is the night of Union of the two.

Shiva who is very powerful cannot be understood even by Devtas let alone mere mortals like us.He is the founder of Tantra Sadhna and it is a fact that whatever sadhnas has been passed on by Him during certain auspicious period, they have the potential to generate tremendous impact in the universe and one should make an effort to practice those sadhnas. Shivratri is the most auspicious period to please Shiv and Parvati as it the period of divine love and convergence of Shiv and Shakti. Many sadhnas are recommended under Tantra Sadhna which should be performed on this night. It is better if one could perform these sadhnas in sacred places such as Kashi, Ujjain,Kamakhya Peeth. I have always spent Shivratri with my Guruji whether it was at Kashi, Ujjain, Delhi and during every Shivratri, I have received new direction,new energy,sadhnas,prayogs and new powers. I still reminisce those moments and keep them alive in my heart.

In Tantra, we say “ Yah Shiva,Sah Guru” or “Yah Guru sah Shiva”, meaning both Guru and Shiva are one and the same Tattva in essence but in physical form, even though they appear to be different, it is through a Guru that Shiva’s grace works.Hence, it is very important to be with your Guru at least  on the night of Shivratri and receive His blessings. It is more conducive to do sadhnas at night during Shivratri. Each prahar at night (division/intervals of nights) have different types of sadhnas that could be done to please Shiva. In Kashi, you will see that the priests will perform different types of Shringar with different flowers and items in each prahar at night. In Ujjain, rudra abhishek and puja is performed with different mantras during each of these prahars. I have spent several such Shivratri at Ujjain with my Guruji. My disciples too have done several such sadhnas with me at Ujjain such as laghu rudra,ati rudra, maha rudra abhishek during Shivratri. Ujjain is my favorite sadhna destination and I have performed several austere tantric sadhnas there. It is at Ujjain that I have received the blessings of Trijata Aghori Babaji along with Sandeepani Rishi.

Siddha places, tithis,siddha yogi and gurus, they are all inter-connected. Hence, one can use Shivratri to do sadhnas of siddha yogis and gurus and try to connect with them. Make an effort to receive their blessings, ask for directions in life or just protection for yourself.

Shiv signifies Lok Kalyan (welfare of all beings) and the marriage of Shiv and Parvati was only for Lok Kalyan. A sadhak can only be successful in his spiritual life when he is whole heartedly committed to Lok Kalyan and doing good to others.

It is very hard to become Shiv, very hard to attain success in Tantra sadhnas. The Path of Tantra is not for the faint hearted. It is for the brave souls, those who are willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves. By sacrifice, it doesn’t mean to kill oneself. That’s for the cowards. One should be finely in tune with Shiv Bhavna, the essence of Shiv, which is Lok Kalyan and only then will your life be successful, divine and you will achieve perfection.

What is it that we can’t achieve if there is Shiv,Parvati, Guru, an auspicious period such as Shivratri. The only reason we don’t see success in our life is because we have drifted away from this path and we fail to realize the importance of these important events such as Shivratri. We are so distracted with everything else that lose such opportunities and while away our time.

It takes little by little drops of water for a pitcher, river or an ocean to fill. It takes drops of divine nectar to fill so our life can be sweet and immortal and we can experience the awakening of Kundalini and finally the awakening of Sahasraar Chakra. We cannot expect to attain our goals or see success in spiritual life without this nectar in our life. I hope you all make full use of this auspicious period of Shivrati. My blessings to you all.

Significance of Vasant Panchami

 

Maa Saraswati has been extolled in several scriptures, Ved and Purans. We often hear that Lakshmi and Saraswati are “rivals” and how one is superior than the other. However, the truth is that Lakshmi is Chanchala (impermanent,always moving) and it is only with Maa Saraswati’s blessings that one can gain the wisdom and knowledge to preserve Lakshmi (wealth here) in their life.

Hence, one should make an effort to understand the deeper secrets behind Maa Saraswati from a learned Guru. We all aspire to be successful in life but success depends on several factors such as our Karmas. Our karmas are influenced by 3 main qualities, Sattva,Rajas and Tamas gunas. Our Shastras say “Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya”, i.e Lead me from Darkness to light and this is only possible with the blessings of Maa Saraswati.

One of the key elements in attaining success is how we make an impact on others and inspire them. We express our personalities to the outer world through our thoughts and speech. Our thoughts are expressed through words and it is our ability to communicate with others that determine the level of impact we make on them. Our words and the manner in which we interact with others is a key element in determining how we inspire them and become successful in life. Maa Saraswati’s blessings give one mastery over speech and communication. With her blessings, our speech and words can produce the desired effect on the world and inspire others.

Most of the successful leaders have one trait in common which is their ability to speak and convince others. We see politicians who are great orators inspiring millions of people worldwide. Similarly, a   singer can entrall an audience and evoke emotions of ecstasy, sorrow, melody all at the same time through the power of speech and words. Such is the power of Maa Saraswati’s blessing.

Even sounds produce effects and different types of sound produce different effect. A crying sound has a different effect as compared to laughter. With the help of words, sound and mantra sadhnas, we can please or attract deities to give us desired results. Hence, we need the grace of Maa Saraswati if we want success in life. All the 10 mahavidyas have some element of Maa Saraswati in them and the highest category of tantriks or Mahavidya sadhaks will always have Saraswati siddhis.

Vasant Panchami is a very powerful occasion and personally I have learnt several sadhanas on Maa Saraswati under the tutelage of my gurudev, Swami Nikhileshwaranandji. As per my Guruji, the meaning of Vasant is “Bas- Ant(a)”, meaning end of all sorrows, miseries, problems and difficulties in life. Vasant Panchami heralds the arrival of spring season, symbolizing growth, prosperity, renewal from the dry, cold winters, new beginnings and regeneration. A true sadhak should use this day to discard all shortcomings in their lives and start afresh.

Vasant Panchami is the day of knowledge, wisdom, literature, arts and music. On this day, people also worship Kamadeva and Rati who awaken the earth (and its people) and thus the world blooms anew. Hence, it is an auspicious day for Akarshan (attraction) siddhi sadhnas. It is also the day for Apasara,Brahma and Lakshmi Siddhi. Performing sadhnas on this auspicious day is very beneficial for those looking to get married, married couples who are either on the verge of divorce or looking for renewed marital bliss in their relationships. In short, it is a very auspicious day for practicing sadhnas and opening doors for new opportunities in life.