Mahā Śivarātri: The best night of the year to experience Śiva mantras
🔥 Experience the Power of Sanskrit Chanting this Mahā Śivarātri! 🔥
Esoterically, it is said that during this night the "eye of Śiva" is neither open nor closed. Consciousness rests in a state of balanced awareness suspended between external expression (concealing grace) and internal absorption (revealing grace).
For the aspirant who takes advantage of this time to do special practices, a special dispensation for illumination is given, greatly aiding spiritual progress and sweeping away the dullness due to ignorance of one's own True Nature.
The best mantra for Śivarātri contemplation is the great Auṁ Namaḥ Śivāya*
- Enjoy the Sanskrit sounds training and mantra tutorial below
- Along with an at-home chant experience you can do by yourself (with me!)
*Photo is of Ādi Śankarācārya's triśul in Jośimāṭh. The black is from a thousand years of prayer fires. The colors are caked on from endless layers of anointing from the sacramental substances from the rituals. The black background is from a thousand years of fire soot accumulated on the walls. 😍
Millions of people will be holding an all-night vigil, and you're welcome to "tune in" on the inner planes! Listen for the subtle sounds as people will be meditating, singing praises, and doing japam (repetition of mantra) until the dawn breaks!
On Śivarātri night I'll be sitting with my tānpūrā, singing meditative late night rāgas as a form of nāda yoga. As I have done since my first life-changing Śivarātri in India in February 1998. It was during that period of living at an āśram and chanting several hours per day that I KNEW that sound & mantra was my soul's path!
On Śivarātri night, stay awake and meditate for a while, if you can! And if you can't sleep tonight, and wake up with with that clear bright wakefulness of consciousness, let that be your signal to get up and chant, sing, or meditate!
It is said that holding the vigil helps one move through stagnant, heavy, dull tāmasic forces and patterns, making way for new insights, possibilities, and trajectories in your life. Depending on where you're at in your life, it could be a brilliant, game-changing move (if you're feeling stuck in a pattern that does not resonate with your soul), or not necessary (if you're already quite sāttvik, clear, and in alignment).
Either way, chanting Śiva mantras and listening in to your innermost heart for a good long while on this special night is highly recommended!
Mantra for Mahā Śivarātri Tutorial:
Here's the main Śivarātri mantra for contemplating the spacious - awareness - peace that is your eternal Self (aka Śiva in Sanskrit, since those sounds evoke that embodied experience!)
In proper IAST transliteration (Sanskrit spelling):
Auḿ Namaḥ Śivāya
Notice the dot under the H to indicate the breath comes out.
And the Ś indicating second position hissing sound (back of the palate)
And long ā to indicate that syllable gets chanted twice the length of the shorter vowels
Remember: If you can't spell it, you're probably not attuning to the masterful subtlety of the Sanskrit vibrations!
A wee bit of sanskrit sounds training will set your chant practice 🔥🔥🔥
At-home mantra chanting experience for Mahā Śivarātri:
In this video, Anandra guides us through a gentle vocal warm up and attunement, leading into the sacred Sanskrit Mantra: Auṁ Namaḥ Śivāya (Our reverent salutation to the auspiciousness and peace of our true infinite nature). It’s a full length deep experience with the mantra in traditional Vedic chant style… perfect for an at-home Śivarātri experience!
It's not specifically for Śivarātri night, but it's a nice long and leisurely experience of the most important mantra for Śiva and I know if you do it (chant along and follow my Sanskrit sounds pronunciation instructions for how to pronounce Om Namah Shivaya, you'll get right to that sweet spot!)
Feel feel to reach out if you're tired of fuzzy, dull chanting that doesn't instantly take you into complete absorption/communion.
There's a point at which your attunement becomes so integrated that merely the thought (soundless sound) triggers the whole cascade of neurochemicals unique to your particular mantra, the mantra-brain-cocktail, if you will.
Our highly-acclaimed Sacred Sanskrit Sounds course is for YOU! Or you can get started in the 101 zone... no worries.
Happy Śivarātri!
ALL love to all the chant lovers out there!! IYKYK!
❤️Mahalo,
The Heart of Sound team
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Mahāśivarātri Online Chant Event
We invite you to join with the Heart of Sound community to celebrate Mahāśivarātri, the Great Night of Śiva on March 8!
Mahā Śivarātri is coming up... the great night of Śiva! Do you have plans to stay up and chant / meditate? We've got events + a mantra tutorial for you!
500hr TT graduate Martijn will teach his own composition of the karpūra gauram mantra. After that he will offer a recitation of the Nirvaṇaṣaṭkam by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya for you to meditate and relax.
Our wonderful 500HR Grad Martijn is offering a FREE Online chant experience with his original composition. Sign up for the Śivarātri event here!
Martijn is @yogaofmusic on IG and several 500HR Grads are offering in-person events!
Marla in Rochester NY USA (@rochesterkirtan on IG)
Katey in Dharamsala India (@justicekatey on IG)
And Anandra may do a pop-up event on Kaua'i island (If you're on her Kaua'i Kama'aina chant list you'll get notified!)
Trainees in our 200/500 HR course can count these events with our global partners towards your contact hours. :)
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