Rejecting illusions: The true meaning of Shiv and Mahashivratri

Shiv has no connection to the products or images of mind, intellect, memory, or ego. These can't touch Him. So, don't try to imagine Shiv through your mind, intellect, or ego. Don't imagine Shiv in a form accessible to the eyes. Don't try to describe Him in words your ears can hear. If you've given Shiv a form in your mind, you've missed Him. Because all forms are just mental creations. We shape everything based on our own limited perceptions.

- ACHARYA PRASHANT

With Mahashivratri around the corner, many of us find ourselves struggling to discover the actual and deeper meaning of the festival. We wonder: surely there has to be something beyond the rituals and performances. More importantly, it strikes us when we are contemplative: who is Shiv?

Mahashivaratri is the only festival that is celebrated throughout the night traditionally with little music, no colors or decorations, and minimum ostentation and lights. This unique night is the confluence of two streams—the first is that of destruction, of dissolution, and the second is of creation, a new beginning.

Before any new beginning can happen, we need to let go of the old—everything that’s obscure, misleads, and deludes. The lies, the illusions, the beliefs that hold us back— they need to be washed away. That is the true essence of Mahashivratri.

Who is Shiv?

As we gain clarity on the Shiv principle, the misconceptions about Him and the festival smoothly clear away. Adi Shankaracharya’s classic Nirvana Shatakam is a great guide. This text is actually the way Shankaracharya introduced himself to his guru. When he first met his guru, he was barely an adolescent. His guru was known to be very selective about admitting disciples. When the guru saw the young Shankar, he asked, “Who are you?”. Young Shankar’s brilliant reply left the guru speechless, and got him instant admission as a disciple. “I have nothing to say except this: I am Shiv.” This reply is at the heart of the Nirvana Shatakam.