108 Names of the Moon: Chandra Ashtottara Shatanamavali #5

glossary
niśiP: at night SB 1.6.9, SB 1.7.35,
niśi: in the dead of night. Madhya 19.210, Antya 7.42
niśi: nocturnal SB 2.7.33
niśi: in the night SB 9.14.30
niśi: the whole night SB 9.14.43
ahaḥ-niśi: day and night Antya 5.49-50
nis Hin. nishā Hin., San. f. night.

We all experience night and day. We may or may not experience the Divine, whatever name we adore and worship s/he with: yet we infer and accept the movement of the earth (which we cannot see) the procession of the stars through the sky, and the phases of the Moon in the night sky. For the man immersed in worldly concerns, all nights are the same. That night is marked by darkness.

The night of darkness is amavasya, the no-moon night. The 15th Tithi of the Krishna Paksha is called Amavasya, which means, “dwelling together,” and refers to exact the conjunction of the Sun and Moon, which occurs at the end of the 15th Tithi of the Krishna Paksha. Amavasya is loosely translated in most texts as new Moon, though that can be a bit misleading if one does not understand that it is the state of the Moon at the end of the Tithi which is being described, and instead erroneously expects the new Moon to be the period when the Moon is first seen emerging from its conjunction with the Sun.

When we look to the activities of the madding crowd, we see they can be Yogi (the meditator) in the morning, the Bhogi (one who consumes food) during the day and Rogi (the one with illness) in the night. The illness of the night is the illness of the mind, forgetting the heart, the atma, we succumb to the mind.

Moon as maker of the night is the maker of endurance, resilience and perseverance. Some say “I am youthful, I can go all night long!” which is little more than indulgence in the senses and indulgence in desire. Youth is determination. For the accomplishment of any aim in life, man needs an unflinching mind, tireless endeavour and determination. These applications of determination are related to self confidence and achievements in work, recreation, spiritual endeavour and reaching to the goals of life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha.

You must tackle this problem, straight from where it starts. Ignorance can be cured only by knowledge; darkness can be destroyed only by light. No amount of argument or threat or persuasion can compel darkness to move away. A flash, that is enough; it is gone. Prepare for that flash of illumination. The light is there already in you but since it is heavily overladen by repressing factors, it cannot reveal itself. “The liberation from night” which happens when the Light is revealed, is called Moksha. Every one has to achieve it, whether he is striving for it now or not. lt is the inevitable end to the struggle, the goal to which all are proceeding.

Please do not be afraid of reaching the goal of Moksha! Do not conceive that stage as a calamity. It is the end of calamity. It is death to all grief; the birth of joy, a joy that knows no decline, the death of grief, grief that will never more be born.

Well, how do you prepare yourself for the stage? must tell you that the answer is in that very word Moksha, itself. It is self-explanatory. ‘Mo’ indicates Moha (Delusion; being deluded by the scintillating, the gaudy, the transitory, the temporary trash); and, ‘Ksha‘ means Kshaya (Decline; disappearance, destruction). It requires you to keep the flights of your mind away from these deluding attractions, and on the straight path towards liberation. (Ventagiri: 19-2-64)

Om nisakaraya namah – Salutations to the maker of the night. Moon as maker of the night is the maker of endurance, resilience and perseverance.