The annual great night of meditation is upon us. Join us for a live online fellowship on the occasion of MahāŚivarātri. Receive blessings via the online blessing line (for those joining via video) and an inspirational message from our Himalayan siddha monk and living saint, His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda, featuring specially selected audio-visual content.
This auspicious evening is determined when the duration of the fourteenth waning lunar day of the current soli-lunar month includes midnight local time. Thus MahāŚivarātri is celebrated on the night of 28th February 2022 coinciding with soli-lunar month of Māgha-kr̥ṣṇa-caturdaśi in California.
Meditating on this auspicious evening and through the night is a practice of alertness meant to supersede the daytime awake state as a memorable experience. In such a vigilant state there exists the possibility of understanding the play of time and timelessness.
This night is dedicated to the Lord of Time, Śiva – who is also known as the Mahākāleśwara. The great Lord Śiva is said to be dancing while sounding his drumbeat to the tune of dissolution. Through his dance of death, he is urging us not to waste time and reminding us that time is most precious. He beckons us to utilize the time mindfully before death.
Lord Śiva is said to be lingotbhava – or emerging out of a lingam thereby manifesting from a ellipsoidal symbol of time capsule. The lingam is also a symbol of life burgeoning and blossoming in time. The Sanskrit heritage points to the entry of Śivatattwa (essential principle of Śiva) into the earthly waters in the form of an elongated cylindrical-ellipsoidal asteroid which then gave rise to the nucleotide bases upon reacting with water. During this Fellowship, His Holiness will reveal some of the riveting mysteries through the selected audio-visual clips during his message about the significance of this night.
We will be streaming via live video on Zoom from Santa Barbara, California. You will gain access to the Zoom Fellowship through your Eventbrite account page. In order to receive support for technical issues while logging in, you must log in early and not wait until the last minute to register.
All participants are required to join with their video turned on if they wish to receive blessings from His Holiness, unless there is a technical difficulty that has been communicated to staff in advance.
Login 10 minutes ahead of the fellowship start time so you have time to adjust your webcam and other settings. We strongly urge your video presence as per our format, as His Holiness will be calling the name of the family upon seeing each participant on video.
When registering, your will be prompted to include the full first and last name spelled out for those in your immediate household who will be present and joining you on camera for the blessing.
Registration is free, with options to donate. We deeply appreciate your love donations.
If you would like to participate or invite others to participate please email events@vps92644.inmotionhosting.com.
