12th February 2010

Om Namah Shivāya

Blessed Soul and Adorable Self,

MahāShivaRātri is among the most auspicious evening of the soli-lunar calendar remembered for the celebration of singular expanse of light on the dark night of fourteenth day of the descending moon. Lord Shiva expanded his spiritual heart along the ellipsoidal dimensions in a triumph of his control over matter. It is the night symbolizing extension of the light of the causal body or the spiritual heart.

Lord Shiva is known as the ultimate Guru of mysticism. He beholds the mastery over the mystical meanings of all mantra, where mantra is considered to be partitions of the mind. MahāShivaRātri being celebrated largely on 12th February evening is hailed by the mystics as a very important night to bring about mastery over mantra through deep meditation. For seekers and devotees, this night is one of getting back on with the daily meditation routine and an auspicious time to revive the persistent practice hereafter.

Rishi Patanjali’s Yoga philosophy beckons on meditators through a beautiful terse verse: VītarāgaVishayam Vā Chittam. Herein the verse implies that meditating on the wisdom-embodied yogi or Guru, one can stabilize the heart for superior depth in meditation. Tantra philosophy introduces a frequently used verse for the meditators to embrace, which translates as:

At the root of meditation is the form of Guru (who taught the meditation through initiation)
At the root of worship are the feet of the Guru
At the root of mantra are the choicest words of the Guru
At the root of liberation is the grace of the Guru

The verse hails the gift of the Guru, whose blessings seem intangible when they are bestowed, but reveal tangibly as grace over time. MahāShivaRātri is that night when the power of all mantra can be felt through deep meditation by invoking Shiva. Most mantra begin with Om, which is regarded as the primordial sound that partitions into multiple syllables. Shiva reveals through his non-iconic light body known as lingam. The supra-form of a lingam implies hidden grace. A Guru’s lilā (playful pastimes) is difficult to comprehend or fathom! Shiva is like infinite even though expanding from a small perceptible spiritual heart. Similarly, Guru’s blessings which only begin at initiation fructify manifold with practice.

On this MahāShivaRātri occasion, when we practice austerities and invoke the Guru of all mysticism, you are reminded of the immense possibilities from your initiation into extraordinary meditation practices of the ancient masters of light. Kindly, make your every possible effort to revive your personal meditation practice or take it to another height remembering your lineage of the masters.

The Guru of the Gods (in the solar system), Jupiter is currently posited in Aquarius. The word Kumbha means a pitcher, wherein wine of the mystic is stored. And is also the Sanskrit name for Aquarius. The zodiac Aquarius is hailed for imparting mystical character. This yoga of Jupiter’s transit will happen through April 2010. Usually Jupiter spends over a year in each zodiac. However, in this cycle, Jupiter is spending only four and half months in Aquarius and only until 30th April 2010, and hence the period until April end is precious.

These months are the rare period to take in your Guru’s blessings and gift of mystical revelations. The Sanskrit literature aptly puts Gurubhakti in terms like: Even if the Guru directly does not deliver, the devotion to the Guru makes way for deliverance!

With my holiest blessings and divine encouragement on the occasion of MahāShivaRātri,

Swami Vidyadhishananda