Mrutyunjayaaya rudraaya neelakantaaya shambhave,
Amriteshaaya sarvaaya mahadevaaya te namaha
Ratri means to surrender and Shivratri denotes surrendering at the feet of Lord Shiv. Lord Shiv is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe. He is referred to as shunya (void). Before the manifestation of the universe there was complete void (nothingness), and from there the universe emanated in various forms, including earth, sun, moon, mountains, trees, rivers, animals and human beings.
We should surrender at the feet of Lord Shiv and repeat his name or panchakshri mantra (Om Namah Shivaya) or meditate upon him or do bhakti, puja, havan.
In Shiv Puran, Lord Shiv has said that whoever does jap of his name during Shivratri or meditates or does shravan of his glories, bhajans, prayers, etc., will attain moksha. In Shiv Puran, Parvati asks Lord Shiv as to from where this universe emanates, and in what it merges back, and beyond this creation and destruction, who is that brahman that is eternal?
Lord Shiv replies, “Oh Devi! This universe emanates from nothing (shunya), imperceptible and merges back into the same after its lifespan is over. That which existed before the creation of the universe and that which remains even after its destruction is the eternal brahman. And this eternal brahman is none other than me.”
“Oh Devi, this entire knowledge of creation, destruction and brahman is present in human body as the physical body is nothing but a micro cosmos and all that which exists in macro cosmos exists in micro cosmos as well.” Yatha pindande, tatha brahmande, is the scriptural proof. Scriptures also say that anything which doesn’t exist in macro cosmos, doesn’t exist in micro cosmos.
Lord Shiv continues to tell Devi Parvati that the secret of peace, happiness, prosperity, harmony and salvation lies in this brahm gyan (knowledge of brahman). Those who know brahman in its true state, they themselves become brahman as “knowing is becoming”.
When asked by Devi Parvati as to how an ordinary jiva can become “Shiv”, Lord Shiv says that under the darkness of ignorance, the soul gets tied to the worldly maya and becomes an ordinary jiva. The same jiva, under the light of gyana (knowledge of self), becomes Shiv. The difference between jiva and Shiv is the difference between ignorance and knowledge.
Jiva, under ignorance, contracts itself and limits to the physical body consciousness and engrosses itself in the subjects of ego, senses, intellect, buddhi and gets bound to karma. Pursuing these karmas, it enjoys and suffers the results of karmas and gets caught in the vicious cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
When jiva gets tired of travelling in various bodies, including that of a human and when it controls its ego, senses, intellect and surrenders at Lord Shiv’s feet then he reveals his true self. Realising his true self, the jiva becomes Shiv and attains moksha. Once a jiva realises his “Shiv” state then he sees the same consciousness in all beings and objects. He sees nothing other than Lord Shiv. For him, the whole universe becomes one solid block of consciousness and he enjoys the bliss of Lord Shiv’s sat chit anand state eternally, thereafter.
