Celebrating Mahasivaratri

Several days ago, the monastery celebrated our 2015 Mahasivaratri, Siva's great night. In Dancing With Siva this night is described: Mahasivaratri is the night before the new-moon day in February-March. We observe it both as a discipline and a festivity, keeping a strict fast and all-night vigil, meditating, intoning Siva's 1,008 names, singing His praise, chanting Sri Rudram, bathing the Sivalinga and being near the vairagis as they strive to realize Parasiva.

Our evening started with devotees singing bhajans followed by a Siva homa. The homa was very powerful and concluded with a short parade. Bodhinatha carried the Sivakubha out around the kodimaram and then into the Inner sanctum. We then listened to a Sivaratri talk given by Gurudeva in 1997, after which Bodhinatha gave an inspired talk about merger with Siva. We concluded the night with an abhishekam to the small crystal Lingam which sits before Nataraja as our worship of the formless Parasiva.

Siva is not a friend of fathomers,
Of those who seek a God within their ken,
Or those who dwell in twin-mind's separateness,
Or those who think of Him but now and then.

Unfathomable He, mystery untold,
Unseekable, our God, beyond all mind,
Undivided, separateness' nemesis,
Unthinkably beyond what what souls may find.

How then to fathom such raw Omnitude?
How to draw near That without breadth or length?
Perhaps just trust. Perhaps just be, and see
That He is there as life, as love's mute strength.

Better yet to know what can't be known,
Defiant Truth that flees the grasp of man,
To say, "I searched but was the searched I sought,
With not a separate thing to understand."

Kadavul\

s crystal Lingam'

The evening begins with bhajans

Bodhinatha arrives for the Homa

The monks all chant Sri Ruram with great power

Bodhinatha offers grains to the fire

flowers for offerings

The Sivakumbha is placed on Bodhinatha\

s crown'

An arati in front of the kodimaram, before cracking the coconut against the ground

Back into the temple

The kumbha arrives in the inner sanctum. It is the final item for the abhishekam

Bodhinatha discusses merger and the intricacies of our soul\

s individuation'

The abhishekam begins

for each offering, a new pair of monks enters the sanctum

Aum Namah Sivaya, Sivaya Namah Aum

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