Debunking the Myths of Mahashivratri: Awakening The Shiva Tattva Within

Someone asked me, ‘Who is Shiva?’ I asked in return, ‘What is not Shiva?’ Is Shiva some ‘body’? Is he a form? Is he someone sitting up there? No. These are just myths. Shiva is a principle (Tattva) from where everything has come, everything is sustained in, and everything dissolves into. He is the space and the consciousness from which there is no way of stepping out, because he is the summum bonum of the whole creation. Where speech and mind cannot enter, cannot touch, that is Shiv Tattva. All of nature is within Shiv Tattva. To understand the depth of Mahashivratri, we must move beyond the myths and recognise the underlying non-dual nature of Brahman.

Myth: Shiva was a man, a yogi who lived thousands of years ago

Never limit Shiva to time. That is why he is called Mahakaal, the time of times and the cause of all causes. Shiva doesn’t have a body; he was never a person who walked on the planet. To symbolise the unfathomable, the infinite divinity, and to make it comprehensible for children and others, the ancient seers created a form. For the simple seeker to fall in love with the Divine, the form was created so one could relate to the infinite within the finite.

In fact, there is no form to Shiva; he was never born, nor does he have any attributes. Just as the sky is everywhere and everything is contained within it, the Shiva Tattva is present in every particle of the universe. His body is present in the whole universe; he is that principle, that energy, that consciousness. His body is depicted in blue because blue signifies the sky — the all-pervading infinity having no limits or shape.

Even Kailash is not just a mountain where Shiva lived at some point in time; Kailash means the place where there is only celebration and joy. When the Shiva Tattva dawns in you, your life becomes only a celebration, and that is the true Kailash.

Myth: On Mahashivratri, you have to stay physically awake

In the olden days, people would stay awake to see how they could win over sleep. However, physical wakefulness is only the beginning. Today, people stay awake worrying or watching movies, but true Jagran in Shivratri is not just forcing oneself to be awake or singing bhajans aloud the whole night, but is the awakening of the inner Self. When you meet

the Shiva Tattva, your lost and sleepy consciousness awakens again and begins to manifest the light.

In the past, these methods were in accordance with nature; farmers would stay awake because there was no harvest or sowing to be done during this time. Today, our bodies are often too weak to stay awake all night without sleeping through the next day. True Shivratri can happen any day if you keep waking up to the light of your own soul. Shivratri is the night to celebrate the wakefulness of one universal consciousness without falling into the unconscious sleep state. Breaking the pattern of unconscious sleep gives you a glimpse that you are not a mechanical apparatus but a legend in the creation.

Myth: Shiva is associated with destruction

The Divine is beyond gender and is called Ekalinga, or one gender. What is that one gender? It is the Self, the Atma. Beyond the body, mind, intellect, and beyond likes and dislikes, that Self is only one.

Linga simply means identification or a sign; divinity is beyond these peripheral differences. While Shiva is associated with destruction, it is really about transformation. Change for the better can only happen when something is destroyed. This is why he is called ‘Shankara’ — the one who gives peace and does good. ‘Sham’ means one who gives peace, and ‘kara’ means the one who does that. The whole world, moving in an auspicious rhythm of innocence and intelligence, is Shiva.

Myth: Shivratri is just a ritual or entertainment

Some take Shivratri only as a ritual, while others make it entertainment. In both cases, they miss the main point: meditative awareness. Shivratri should be the bridge between this material world and the ethereal world within you. This cannot happen with too much external engagement, show, or noise. It has to be an inward journey — a place of inner connectivity, not a performance.

It is the night when the Shiva Tattva and the Shakti (energy) become one. Realisation is to be conscious of this omnipresent principle in its depth, yet to be awake to its non-dual glory in one’s awareness. It is as if a wave is being skilfully conscious of the vastness of the ocean.

Myth: The five faces of Shiva

Actually, Shiva has no face, yet he has five aspects or ‘faces’ represented through the five elements: fire, water, air, earth, and ether. The lord of each element is given a beautiful name to describe these modes of consciousness. Sadyojata means that which is born every moment — fresh, alive, and new. Vam Dev represents the most beautiful aspect, and Aghora is that aspect where there is no fear, depicting a beauty that is stunning.

Shiva is also called Virupaksh, the formless eye. If you close your eyes, you are able to see and know something without using the five senses; that aspect of consciousness is Virupaksh. He is also Tat Purusha, the spirit that lives in the town called the body. Our body is like a township, a great architectural design with channels of supply, a drainage system, and complex cellular activities. Pura means city, and Purusha means the one who lives in that city. This spirit, which lives in this Pura, is the one consciousness manifesting as the entire creation.

Myth: Shiva requires specific physical offerings

Many feel they must offer water, flowers, or bel patra/leaves to please Shiva. While we keep these traditions alive to pass them to the next generation, Shiva accepts everything - be it thorns, flowers, or leaves; what is truly wanted is devotion. The highest state of knowledge is to realise: Atmaatvam Girijaamati - O Shiva, You are my Atma (Self). This body is your home, and whatever I do is all your worship.

By chanting Om Namah Shivaya, the waves of that sound begin to flow through every particle of your body. You realise that, like the mind, memory, and intellect, Shiva is a Tattva within us. This realisation brings you the deepest rest with alertness, bringing freedom from all identities.

Shivratri is taking refuge in the divine consciousness, resting in the Shiva Tattva. Join

the Mahashivratri celebrations on February 15, 2026 at the Art of Living International Center for an immersive experience of meditation and devotion.