Bengaluru: Lakhs of devotees from across India and nearly 50 countries gathered at the Art of Living Foundation International Center on the outskirts of Bengaluru to celebrate Maha Shivaratri in the presence of spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The all-night celebrations, marking the organisation’s 45th year, witnessed large-scale participation both offline and online, with more than one lakh people joining via live webcast from over 120 countries. The ashram premises reverberated with Vedic chants, devotional music and meditation sessions, culminating in a grand Rudra Puja dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Addressing the gathering, Gurudev said Maha Shivaratri signifies the elevation of consciousness beyond the material realm. “Shiva is present in every particle. The very nature of our consciousness is Shiva. To be immersed in Shiva is devotion, and to see Shiva in everyone is service,” he said, adding that participation in Shivaratri with faith and devotion brings inner joy and fulfilment.
The central ritual of the evening was the sacred Rudra Puja, rooted in the ancient Sri Rudram chants. The ceremony is believed to invoke the transformative energy of Lord Shiva, symbolising the dissolution of negativity and the awakening of higher consciousness. Organisers said similar pujas were conducted simultaneously at over 150 locations in India and abroad, including Canada, Dubai and Germany.
A special attraction this year was the darshan of relics believed to be from the original Somnath Jyotirlinga, historically associated with the temple destroyed during the 11th-century invasion by Mahmud of Ghazni. Devotees queued up through the day for a glimpse of the relics, which organisers described as recently discovered.
The event drew participants from countries including Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Malaysia, Thailand, Bulgaria, China and several nations across Europe and the Middle East. Many described the atmosphere as deeply moving and spiritually uplifting.
Ankei, an 80-year-old teacher from the Netherlands visiting the ashram for the first time, said she was overwhelmed when Gurudev arrived for the puja. “It was a very happy and fulfilling moment,” she said. Olga from Russia, associated with the foundation for two decades, described the experience as “coming home” and said she would carry the energy back to her country. Isabelle, also from the Netherlands, praised the devotional ambience and the natural surroundings of the ashram.
Organisers said over three lakh Mahaprasadam meals were served during the day, prepared with more than 15 tonnes of vegetables by thousands of volunteers. The occasion also saw the solemnisation of more than two dozen Vedic weddings and Shashti Purti ceremonies in Gurudev’s presence.
With massive on-ground attendance and extensive global participation online, the Maha Shivaratri celebrations at the Bengaluru ashram once again underscored the international reach of the Art of Living movement.
