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Celebrating the Eternal Divinity
The picturesque “Guru Paduka Vanam” at The Art of Living’s International Center, Bengaluru welcomed a large number of people for the annual Maha Shivaratri celebrations on February 17. Thousands of people from every walk of life attended the festivities. Internationals from 61 countries also participated in the celebrations.
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The Significance of Shivaratri
Hundreds gathered to hear Sri Sri elaborate on the significance of Shivaratri. He said, “Shivaratri is the day of Lord Shiva. Shiva is the Lord of meditation and therefore the Lord of awakening. Shivaratri is thus an occasion to awaken one’s self from all sorts of slumber. It signifies being aware of everything you have and being grateful about it. Be grateful for the happiness which leads to growth, and also for sadness which gives a depth to life."
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Settling the Mind
People prepare to participate in an ancient Vedic puja, Rudrabhishekham, by doing rounds of the Nadi Shodhan pranayama - a breathing technique that calms the mind and unblocks the energy channels in the body.
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Invoking Ancient Chants
The celebrations comprised ancient prayer ceremonies and satsangs (music and meditation). A major draw is the Rudrabhishekham, a sacred puja performed by Vedic priests. Explains Sri Sri, "When we chant Vedic mantras, they bring a big change in the environment. That is why this Rudrabhishekham has been performed for thousands of years - for the well-being of all.”
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Glorifying the Many Forms of Lord Shiva
A special yoga dance was also performed to signify Nataraja, the eternal cosmic dancer form of Lord Shiva.
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Showering Blessings
Hundreds of people waited patiently to meet Sri Sri after the satsang and the puja. The atmosphere was replete with songs. The darshan line went well into the night and concluded with Sri Sri conducting a special meditation at midnight.