Do not look upon Shivarathri as only an annual festival. Deem every night as a Shivarathri (holy night). Whatever and whenever you entertain sacred thoughts and contemplate on God, you have Shivarathri then and there. Shivam means goodness. It calls for the eschewing of egoism... The elimination of the ego makes all the difference between Shivam and Shavam (a corpse).
- Divine Discourse on Shivarathri, 1997. |