(listen to the audio, view transcript below)
yatra so ‘stamayameti vivasvam-
candramah -prabhritibhih saha sarvaih /
kapi sa vijayate shivaratrih
svaprabhaprasarabhasvararupa //
Where that stage, that place, that abode of your nectarized residence, where astamayameti vivasvam, this functioning of sun stops altogether, sun does not function . . .
JOHN: Sun means here?
SWAMIJI: There is no sunlight there. Sunlight has nothing to do there. Sunlight is not . . . it is subsided sunlight.
JOHN: Sunlight does not mean in terms of pramatri, prameya, pramana?
SWAMIJI: Yes, yes. External meaning of sunlight is sunlight. Internal meaning is when outgoing breath has stopped.
. . . candrama prabhritibhh saha sarvaih, and where the moonlight has also taken its end.
JOHN: Ingoing breath would be.
SWAMIJI: Ingoing breath.
. . . prabhritibhih saha sarvaih, and all notions of thought also have stopped totally, notions of thought.
JOHN: Notions of thought means actual thought themselves or even thinking of . . . ?
ERNIE: Even the seeds.
SWAMIJI: No, all thoughts.
JOACHIM: Any thinking activity.
SWAMIJI: Things other than spirituality, other than Lord Shiva. Those thoughts have also ended and ingoing breath and out coming breath, these also have stopped.
Where these have stopped and all those notions of mind have stopped, that is Shiva ratri. That supreme Shiva ratri, that unique Shiva ratri is glorified, there that Shiva ratri is glorified, the dark half of phalguna month.
Shiva ratri you know?
JOHN: Shiva ratri is night of Shiva that comes in . . .
SWAMIJI: Night of Shiva that is dark half of phalguna, the 14th day of dark half of phaguna month.
JOHN: What does that mean? Means that on the 14th day it’s the darkest night of the . . .
SWAMIJI: Darkest night.
JOHN: . . . of the moon.
SWAMIJI: Yes.
JOHN: Where the moon is just a . . .
SWAMIJI: Just a . . .
JOHN: . . . a sliver?
SWAMIJI: Yes.
That is Shiva ratri outside-Shiva ratri. Inside-Shiva ratri is the rise of cidananada, the rise of God consciousness. Because the rise of God consciousness will never take place unless there is breathing in and out. And that will never take place . . .
JOHN: If there is breathing.
SWAMIJI: Yes, when there is breathing in and out.
. . . and when there are also many notions, thoughts, residing in your mind, that Shiva ratri won't take place. That Shiva ratri takes place only when these three sections end, altogether.
Which sections?
In-going breath, out-coming breath and all thoughts.
DENISE: So that is the real marriage of Shiva and Parvati?
SWAMIJI: Yes.
Svaprabhaprasara bhasvara rupa, and that Shiva ratri is shining with her own glory, with its own glory. It is not perceived by some other foreign light, or some other foreign torch, it is glorified by its own light.
This is one way of his understanding.
He does not say this to Lord Shiva, he says it to his own self that this is glorious Shiva ratri.
(source: Shivastotravali of Utpaladeva Chapter 2 verse 22, revealed by Swami Lakshmajoo,
from the Audio Archives of the
Universal Shaiva Fellowship)
Labels: Shivaratri, Shivastotravali
