Chandrama manaso Jatah, says the Purusha Sukta (mind arose from the Moon). Moon has sixteen facets. Likewise, the mind has sixteen facets. On Shivaratri night, fifteen of Moon's sixteen facets are invisible, and only one facet can be seen. The mind also is in the same state. If during Shivaratri one meditates on God, one can achieve nearness to the Divine. The supreme sacredness of Shivaratri consists in realising oneness with the Divine through meditation on God. What you deny is indeed the Reality; only Divine exists. The world is unreal. Forgetting the Real, men are lost in the pursuit of the transient. The world must be viewed as the reflected image of the Divine. All acts must be done as an offering to the Divine. True devotees of God should not attach any importance to differences of religion, caste or sect. These are merely differences in name and form. Realising that the sacred Shiva principle is present in everyone, devotees should not look down upon anyone or cause harm to others.

- Divine Discourse, Feb 11, 1983.