Meaning Of Shivaratri

Shivaratri : Shiva-ratri. It means auspicious (Shiva) night (Ratri)." "Shivaratri has a variety of meanings. 'Ratri' implies the darkness of night. But 'Shiva-ratri' connotes not darkness but the special sacredness of this night. There is darkness in this night also. But this darkness is invested with auspiciousness.""Shiva-ratri means 'auspicious (Shiva) darkness (ratri). At least on this day, one should chant Shiva's name all through the night." Meaning Of Maha-Shiva-ratri

"If you make the slightest effort to progress along the path of liberation, the Lord will help you a hundred-fold. Shivaratri conveys that hope to you. The moon, which is the presiding deity of the mind of man, wanes until the fourteenth day after full moon. It is just a tiny curve of glimmering glow. The mind should be starved into the condition, so that man becomes free. Spend all the days with Shiva, and the conquest of the mind is easy. Spend the fourteenth day of the waning moon with Shiva, reaching the climax of the spiritual effort on the final day, and success is yours. That is why all Chaturdashis of the dark haif of every month are called Shivaratris, that is why the Chaturdashi of the Magha month is called Mahashivaratri. That is a day of special dedication to Shiva." 

 

Mahashiva-ratri Considered Auspicious?

"Today (26 February 1987) is Shivaratri (night) of Shivam (goodness, godliness. good fortune). It is an auspicious night, because the mind can be made to lose its hold on man by developing the night to prayer. The Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. according to the scriptures. The mind is kindred to the moon as the eyes are to the sun. Shivaratri is prescribed for the fourteenth night of the dark half of the month, the night previous to the New Moon when the moon suffers from total blackout. The moon and the mind. which it rules over, are both drastically reduced even.' month, on the fourteenth night. When that night is devoted to vigilant adoration of God, the remnant of the wayward mind is overcome and victory is ensured. This month's Shivaratri is holier than the rest and so it is called Mahashivaratri. With firm faith and clean heart, the night should be spent in glorifying God. No moment should be wasted in other thoughts." "Today is Shiva-ratri day. You experience the night everyday. These are ordinary nights. They are nights of darkness. But Shiva-ratri is an auspicious night. How is it auspicious? There are sixteen aspects of the mind. The moon is the presiding deity of the mind. Of the sixteen phases of the moon, today, in the fourteenth day of Margashirsha month, fifteen of the phases are absent. On this day, it is possible to get full control of one's mental faculties. Hence, it is considered an auspicious day. Auspiciousness consists in diverting the mind toward God. This calls for getting rid of the inherited animal tendencies in man. This is the occasion to recognise the omnipresence of the Divine in all beings and in all objects. It follows that whomsoever you adore or condemn, you are adoring or condemning God. You must follow the injunction: Help ever, hurt never"The reason is on this Chaturdashi day (14th day after the full moon), the moon which is presiding deity for the mind, has shed fifteen of its sixteen digits. This is an auspicious time for having proximity to God." "Shiva-ratri was regarded as a sacred day by the ancients. Experiencing bliss on that day, they offered it to the world. People should realise the impermanence of worldly pleasures and the transient nature of youth, wealth and progeny. People should turn their minds toward the Eternal Divine.""Shivaratri is an auspicious night. How is it auspicious? It is auspicious when you spend your time in an auspicious way singing the glories of the Lord. The mind has sixteen aspects. The moon is the presiding deity of the mind. Of the sixteen aspects of the moon, fifteen are absent today. If you sing His (God's) glory throughout the night wholeheartedly, even the remaining one aspect can also be merged with the Divine. On this day, it is possible to get full control over the mind by contemplating on God. Hence, it is considered an auspicious night." 

Importance Of Shivaratri

"Among the festival days, Mahashivaratri is of exceptional importance. Today God is in close proximity to man. At midnight (on Shivaratri), Divine vibrations are close to every human heart. At such a time, when people are engaged in holy tasks, they get suffused with the Divine vibrations."