MAHA SHIVRATRI - The Story of Immortality - Amarkatha Global Cooperation House, London Sunday 3rd March 2024, 3pm-6pm

From 3pm, the doors of GCH flung open in the early springtime sunshine to celebrate the auspicious festival of Shivratri with the theme The Story of Immortality. This year the focus was on Shiva as the Immortal One, and the Temple of Amarnath was recreated, with a deep cave representing the caves high up in the Himalayas where the real Amarnath Shiva lingam of ice is carved out and worshipped. Those who visited were given an ‘immersive’ tour of the cave and a darshan ‘glimpse’ of the Ice Shiva lingam with its symbolic meaning explained, before entering the Raja Yoga exhibition which then reminded each that Shiva is indeed Immortal and the Incorporeal One beyond in the Soul World, and we are also souls and now is the time to make the connection between the soul, through the mind, with Him beyond to experience power and love and peace.

About 700 people came to visit the cave first, with the shrine to Amarnath, then visit the Raja Yoga exhibition before the stage event from 4pm-5pm. Many BKs were on hand to discuss each picture and answer the curious questions of souls who all appeared fascinated with this.
After this journey, people were then led on a set route up to the Auditorium to await the main stage event at 4pm. A pre event video explored the notion we are all one family and Shiv Jayanti has now arrived and it is the time for the world to come into the light from such a long period of darkness.

At 4pm, Master of Ceremonies, Kishore bhai, welcomed those gathered in an overflowing auditorium, and asked who was visiting for the first time. About a third (200) of those present raised their hands. He also expressed how this event would explore the connection with The Immortal One and how this can help us deal with our inner demons and students here often find that this practice brings a lot of peace and well-being in their life.

He introduced the dance drama that would occur and also Sister Manda: as a senior Raja Yoga teacher, who helps each to feel that the spiritual journey is available for all. She is a modern day mystic, who keeps courageous, channelling her own presumptions and to further truth and feel the presence of God. Kishore bhai finished by welcoming two young professional dancers Shreyanshi and Roopanshi who melted everyone’s hearts with a Bharatanatyam style of dance to Shiva Shankar. Through dance form, they re-enacted the ancient story of Shankar relating the story of Immortality to his wife Parvati....she was longing to hear the story to be free from sorrow.

Kishore bhai then left everyone with the question: Why is it such a special story? It is the story of all of us. Our story at this time so sit back and enjoy as it unfolds......

The story of the cycle was then danced in four parts by Sangeetha, Thiru and Amrutha. There was a narration by Sister Kanan. The dance was exquisitely performed and easy to follow as a drama as
so clear and their moves took everyone on the passage from happiness to sorrow and then...the yearning for Home. The arrival of human beings on earth was depicted. Gentle beings full of sweetness and masters of the mind and the world.

And then the descent and journey down to eventual emptiness and taking what and wherever we could....like flawed diamonds with cracks appeared and the earth related back to us our inner state and began to collapse. A world of conflict and sorrow grows stronger every day until it is almost unbearable.....of thunder and lightning in human relationships. 

Having lost all hope and dignity, powers we began to search. We hid in caves, plunged the depths of the oceans, and combed the skies for help...how can we free ourselves from so much suffering. Where is peace and where is God....in each heart came the call... Take us Home....

Sister Manda then arrived on stage at this point to share the spiritual wisdom of Raja Yoga and also to lead everyone into a commentary so they could experience The Immortal One in the Home beyond... Below are the main points:

• Om Shanti reminds us of ourselves. Of who we are and who we have to become again....
• We are identifying with the story of immortality
• This is our story.....This is not just our past, but it is our present and also our future
• Why is it we have been remembering God so much, remembering Shiva, Hanuman, Ram, Vishnu....because when we remember these images, we are reminded of our own original state.
• There was a time when all of us had an elevated consciousness...high, divine, pure. Filled with beauty and truth. We were the masters of our world.
• Do you have the sense that this is who we have been?
• Why are we remembering God and why have we done so for so long...so we can return...and go back there.
• Now is the time.....not only because we want it....but also the world is calling out for us to go back to what we once used to be......we were those divine beings....we were that pure consciousness....in perfect harmony with the world of matter and nature......the world of elements.....as a result of our elevated consciousness we were in harmony with each other. We were the images of divine presence....
• There has to come a time when we experience the fruit of our devotion. ....it is also remembered....there is the understanding and the disinterest in the world and then we are able to experience the reward of our desire. This time has come and do we have the sense that it is finishing...days of suffering and pain are ending.
• We have to take ourselves back, yet also forward, as it is the time when Shiva Himself has to come and awaken our sleeping consciousness.....
• It is the time that our consciousness needs to wake up from the graveyard of being buried in this matter, this body.
• It is time to return. How do we do that?
• To remember I am the essence of peace. I am a soul and whose original nature is that of peace and love and truth. I am also a perfect image of Shiva.
• Shiva means The Benevolent One. The Point of light. It is that Shiva, that one of unconditional pure love that becomes present in our world and when we open our minds to recognize that we are not the
body.....that has a beginning and an end.....our consciousness reawakens.
• Depicted in our short dance drama showed that as we forget we are souls, we begin to take support and
protection from the vices of ego and anger...it is no-ones fault and no one to be blamed. It just had to be
that way.
• That which is new needs to become old.
• How does Shiva, the Benevolent one come....He comes and takes the support of ordinary human bodies. It is
remembered that God comes and gives us a vision of truth....of divinity and purity and ourselves. Are we open to the possibility that our days of bhakti have come to an end?
• Why is there a memory of Shiva in the cave.....does He reside there? If I truly want to understand myself I
need to go into the cave of my own mind and the consciousness of truth. It is there that I will find where I am seated in pure consciousness. God can also be seated with me.
• How incredible that it is what we are searching for is sitting right here within ourselves.
• The only time we have is to make the journey within, into the ‘cave of introversion’ is now and it is easy and also difficult!
• It’s not complicated and why we feel it is hard is because we live in a world of complication.
• Wherever they show a Shiva lingam they show Shankar in Tapasya, Shankar is remembering Shiva. He is shown with a snake around his neck as it is only when we are able to connect with Shiva can we tame the vices.
• The negativity within is the result and outcome of our journey...now is the time that Shiva comes and says awaken...to yourself and to me...I am here for you, with you, by you....open your heart and eyes...let go of
the trappings of safety......Jeevan mukti......the Tapasya of Shankar removes the poison of the vices and then His third eye opens....but this world changes when we are in union with Shiva to such an extent, that our sorrow and suffering ends.
• We have such an awareness of the centre of the forehead...to remind us that this is who we are....this body is a vehicle, this is a tool and finishes...but I the soul never dies...thus the story of immortality.
• Consider the freedom of pain and suffering when you think you are going to die but then you realise you never die. The sense of never dying when we recognise our eternal story. That we come to play our part
here in the physical body. 
• Shiva comes to take me back Home.

Sister Manda then took everyone on this journey in a beautiful meditation commentary and there was
pin drop silence as she concluded it with holding and sharing spiritual Drishti for a minute.

To complete the evening, a beautiful uplifting song and dance of joy was performed concluding with the dancers in meditation with Shiva.

Kishore bhai thanked everyone who supported this wonderful event to celebrate Shiv Ratri and also those who came to experience it. Toli and Blessings were shared with all. People continued to visit the cave of Amarnath and the walk through Raja Yoga Exhibition until 6.30pm when the doors closed