Rouse Yourself Awake Tonight

Shivaratri is taking refuge in Shiva. And Shiva is peace, infinity, beauty and the non-dual one. You take refuge in Shiva for your true nature is Shiva as he is the meditative aspect of the entire Universe. 
    Albert Einstein proved that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another. That energy, which changes from one form to another, is called Shiva. 
    Shiva is that blissful and innocent consciousness which exists in every atom of the universe and also in us. Celebrating the Shiva tattva in oneself is called Shivaratri. ‘Ratri’ means night, the time for rest and comfort. When all activities stop and everything becomes quiet and peaceful, the body goes to sleep. Shivaratri is a rest not only for the body, but also for the mind, intellect and ego. 
    Paradoxically, ‘Shiva Tattva’ also means to be awakened. Shivaratri is thus an occasion to awaken from all sorts of slumber. It is not a night to be slept through but one to remain awake in. It signifies being aware of everything you have and being grateful for it. Be grateful for the happiness which has led to growth and also for sadness which gives depth to life. This is the right way of observing Shivaratri. 
    The meaning of Kailasa, the abode of Shiva, is celebration. Whether in sanyasa or samsara, you cannot escape Shiva for wherever there is celebration there is Shiva. Feeling his presence all the time is the essence of Shivaratri. That is the real sanyasa. No worship is complete without offering something to the deity. Shiva is very simple; he is innocent, hence he is called Bholanath. One just needs to offer bel-patra to him. There’s a deep message here. Bel-patra offerings signify the surrender of all three aspects of one's nature – tamas, rajas and sattva. You have to surrender the positives and negatives of your life to Shiva and become carefree. 
The greatest offering is yourself. To do so is the key to happiness in life. After all, why do you get sad? It is mainly because you are not able to achieve something in life. At such times you should surrender everything to the all-knowing God. The greatest power is in surrender to the Divine. It is like a drop owning the ocean. If a drop remains separate, it will perish. But when it becomes the ocean, it is eternal. 
    Shivam, Shantam, Advaitam: Shiva means your very Self, your innermost core, the purest Self. Shanta is quiet, peaceful, very innocent. Advaita is non-dual, where there is only One. So, Shiva means good and benevolent and Ratri means that which gives rest, which takes you into its lap and gives comfort. 
    Shivaratri is a rest which is so deep that the mind rests with the Divine. 
    Any meditation we do on this day has a manifold effect, for this is the day when spirit touches the earth. If you meditate on Shivaratri then the power of meditation is 100 times more. So, that which is always, nitya and which is, shashwat, that is Shiva Tattva. 
    It's said beautifully in the shloka: "Namamishamishaan nirvana rupam, vibhumvyapakam brahma vedaswaroopam." 
    Shivaratri is the transcendental, divine peace which brings solace to all layers of existence. Resting in Shiva Tattva is called Shivaratri. There are certain days and time frames in a year that enhance one's mental and spiritual faculties. In such times whatever one wishes, materialises. Shivaratri is one such precious day. 
    Shivaratri is taking refuge in Shiva. And Shiva is peace, infinity, beauty and the non-dual one. You take refuge in Shiva for your true nature is Shiva as he is the meditative aspect of the entire Universe. 
    Albert Einstein proved that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another. That energy, which changes from one form to another, is called Shiva. 
    Shiva is that blissful and innocent consciousness which exists in every atom of the universe and also in us. Celebrating the Shiva tattva in oneself is called Shivaratri. ‘Ratri’ means night, the time for rest and comfort. When all activities stop and everything becomes quiet and peaceful, the body goes to sleep. Shivaratri is a rest not only for the body, but also for the mind, intellect and ego. 
    Paradoxically, ‘Shiva Tattva’ also means to be awakened. Shivaratri is thus an occasion to awaken from all sorts of slumber. It is not a night to be slept through but one to remain awake in. It signifies being aware of everything you have and being grateful for it. Be grateful for the happiness which has led to growth and also for sadness which gives depth to life. This is the right way of observing Shivaratri. 
    The meaning of Kailasa, the abode of Shiva, is celebration. Whether in sanyasa or samsara, you cannot escape Shiva for wherever there is celebration there is Shiva. Feeling his presence all the time is the essence of Shivaratri. That is the real sanyasa. No worship is complete without offering something to the deity. Shiva is very simple; he is innocent, hence he is called Bholanath. One just needs to offer bel-patra to him. There’s a deep message here. Bel-patra offerings signify the surrender of all three aspects of one's nature – tamas, rajas and sattva. You have to surrender the positives and negatives of your life to Shiva and become carefree. 
    The greatest offering is yourself. To do so is the key to happiness in life. After all, why do you get sad? It is mainly because you are not able to achieve something in life. At such times you should surrender everything to the all-knowing God. The greatest power is in surrender to the Divine. It is like a drop owning the ocean. If a drop remains separate, it will perish. But when it becomes the ocean, it is eternal. 
    Shivam, Shantam, Advaitam: Shiva means your very Self, your innermost core, the purest Self. Shanta is quiet, peaceful, very innocent. Advaita is non-dual, where there is only One. So, Shiva means good and benevolent and Ratri means that which gives rest, which takes you into its lap and gives comfort. 
    Shivaratri is a rest which is so deep that the mind rests with the Divine. 
    Any meditation we do on this day has a manifold effect, for this is the day when spirit touches the earth. If you meditate on Shivaratri then the power of meditation is 100 times more. So, that which is always, nitya and which is, shashwat, that is Shiva Tattva. 
    It's said beautifully in the shloka: "Namamishamishaan nirvana rupam, vibhumvyapakam brahma vedaswaroopam." 
    Shivaratri is the transcendental, divine peace which brings solace to all layers of existence. Resting in Shiva Tattva is called Shivaratri. There are certain days and time frames in a year that enhance one's mental and spiritual faculties. In such times whatever one wishes, materialises. Shivaratri is one such precious day. 

Attachment And Liberation.......Mind or Soul

Liberation is not escapism. Escapism is running away from dharma or duty. It is natural detachment , without effort, while performing dharma with detachment  like the son or a flowing river. No object on earth can make us happy or sad. We become perpetually self-sufficient.

The nature our soul is liberation. It takes the subtle body through many births and deaths, but never get contaminated. It is soul. Every thought, word and action brings attachment. Every meeting is with expectation. Every design is expected to bring result. Results are bond to happen. That’s the nature of action. Attachment to result and expectation causes bondage. We suffer. The moment we shift from expectation to pure action, we become liberated.

All attachments, relationships and expectations are bondage. The guru can be bondage. Disciples can be bondage. Body mind and intellect are bondage. Thus, life is full of visible and unseen bondages. This makes liberation even more difficult.

The best way to transcend bondage is through higher awareness. It is like graduating to higher class in school. Awareness levels keep changing; we became aware of things we ware not aware of earlier. Clarity improves and dependency reduces. Habits change. When a habit is replaced with deep, pregnant silence of spirituality, we are liberated. Need for action is formed out samskaras.

When samskaras reduce, actions reduce, too. But we fill the space with more samskaras. We are afraid to die. The birth-death cycle has become our habit because of repetition over lifetimes. Anything can blind us and keep us away from liberation. Our identification such as name, shape, nationality, religion and everything else make death painful. Even a mirror can prevent a smooth exit. A mirror re-establishes   our physical image into our psyche so much that when the soul departs the body, it feels lost. It stays on. It refuses to transcend. So if you look deeply, you can see that many things hinder our progress. In that situation still you are able to translate your knowledge into wisdom and experience wisdom, which nullifies the push of samskaras, then life become easier-transit become effortless.

Nothing is either good or bad. There are no dos and don’ts. These are all created by our mind. What is right for us is the exhaustion of our karmas, whatever it takes. Whatever is right for the soul is to stay as the soul, without the baggage of karmas and the push of many rebirths. Right and wrong are relative and they also shift modes time after time. Nothing is permanent in terrestrial existence. If we can fully understand fundamental truth, we are relatively better off.

Liberation needs serious practice. We cannot suppress karmas and get there. We have to grow with awareness and detach because we do not need it.

When the world was speaking about “have” and “have-nots”, India always had a third segment –the truly liberated masters who had everything but wanted nothing. They lived in plenty with no need of any terrestrial object. Terrestrial love is temporary and often conditional. Soul is liberated and unconditional. That is the shift that we are taking about here: the shift from our limited mind to unlimited soul.