Shiv Tattva

On Shivratri, the Shiv Shakti merges into the whole universe. Shiv means your very self, the purest Self, your innermost core. Shiv means good or benevolent. The word ratri in Sanskrit means that which relieves you from three types of agony - ethereal, mental and material. 'Shivratri' literally means the night that infuses the Shiv tattva, or the transcendental principle, to the three instruments: the body, mind and speech.

Shivratri is a night of deep rest. It is the night that takes you into its lap, comforts you and gives rest. When the mind rests on the lap of the Divine, that's real rest. Like the mind, memory and intellect, Shiv is also a tattva, or principle, in us. Shivratri is when the Shiv tattva and Shakti become one. The jagran in Shivratri - staying awake all night - is also about being consciously aware of the inner rest that sleep brings.

When you surpass a certain layer of sleep, samadhi happens. Samadhi is often referred to as Shiv Sayujya, the presence of Shiv, a state of deep rest with alertness that brings freedom from all identities. Kabir Das calls it koti kalpa vishram - a billion years of rest consolidated in a moment. Once out of it, you experience unusual freshness to the mind and senses.


The Divine is beyond the three genders; hence, the Divine is called Ekaling, unigender. That one gender is the Self, Atma. The Self is beyond body, mind or intellect; it is beyond likes and dislikes.

Ekaling is the Lord of the Self. On Shivratri, the Shiv Shakti merges into the whole universe.