The Science Behind Shivaratri




Maha Shivaratri literally translates to the great night of Shiva.

 Maha = Great. Ratri = Night. It is a very important timeframe in a year as held at a high esteem by the vedic scholars.

When is Maha Shivaratri observed?

 Astronomically, Maha Shivaratri falls during the transition from 13th (Trayodashi) to the 14th lunar day (Chaturdasi) of month of Phalguna. On this day of the year (and three days before and after Maha Shivaratri), the Sun will be in Aquarius & Moon in Capricorn.

 Maha Shivaratri and Vata 

Around Maha Shivaratri, the Sun and the Moon are aligned in such a way that the Vata component of our body gets activated. The activity is maximum during this time of the year.



Vata is one of the three constituents of the body, the other two being Pitta and Kapha. Anything related to movement in the body has a direct connection with Vata. Accordingly, Vata directly impacts the following –
  • At the physical level (Sthula), Vata impacts the nervous system, and controls all bodily movement.
  • At a cellular level (Sookshma), Vata “moves” nutrients into the body, and at the same time “moves” the wastes out of the cell.
  • In the natural plan (Karana), Vata helps in retrieving information from the memory, and enables cause and effect analysis.


 Such is the importance of Vata. Even a minor imbalance of Vata drastically affects the points mentioned above. In case of a Vata imbalance, the person will experience issues like  lethargy, demotivation, forgetfulness, bad temperament, depressed, aggressive, mood swings and in extreme cases anti-social and suicidal tendencies.

 A key characteristic of Vata is dryness. Most of us would have noticed that during this time of the year, the body becomes very dry more so during the night.

The night of Shivaratri is the best time for us to balance the Vata in ourselves. As Yogis, we identify 5 types of Vata.
  • Prana Vata responsible for inhalation
  • Apana Vata responsible for removal of waste
  • Udana Vata responsible for exhalation
  • Samana Vata responsible for consolidation
  • Vyana Vata responsible for locomotion 


If one performs the Vata Kriya during the week of Maha Shivaratri, or at least on that one day, all the above Vatas as cleansed and lubricated. A person with a balanced and cleanses Vata will exhibit a positive behavior and extrovert, happy, clam and have presence of mind.


Source:The Astrological Magazine

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