Q: If one dies on Maha Shivaratri or any other auspicious day, does the soul have direct entry into heaven?🔗

I think I have already answered this question. Dying at an auspicious time such as Shivaratri or during a period such as Dakshinayanam, Uttarayanam (Sun moving South or North) and all these things, are psychological beliefs. When Krishna says uttarayanam, He means 'when your energy moves upwards'. That is what uttarayanam is. When you are totally at ease with yourself, it is uttarayanam. It has no reference to the Sun moving North.

The idea of a fast pass into heaven is psychological and there is no such thing. Places like Disney World offer a discount on Tuesdays and Wednesdays because they do not get too much of a crowd. So on some days they have special offers and discounts. There is no special offer or discount in heaven. It depends purely on the quality of your life.

There is no heaven except in religious dictionaries. Heaven is not a geographical space. It is a space in your mind. If you reach awareness, you will be in bliss and you will be in heaven.

The word Shiva means auspiciousness that occurs spontaneously. It is uncaused, naturally occurring divine auspiciousness. Ratri also means intensity, and not just 'night' as we normally understand it. Shivaratri or Maha Shivaratri is the time when this uncaused auspiciousness is at its peak. The Divine will answer sincere prayers offered with deep awareness, be they for the good of the Universe.

Certain planetary configurations make some days especially conducive to meditation and identification with the Divine. That does not mean prayers will not be answered on other days or that anything that you intend casually on such a special occasion will automatically be fulfilled. In my hometown Tiruvannamalai, there is a festival at the temple every month of the year. This was a method that our ancients developed to keep awareness of the Divine within us all the time.

There is a beautiful story of an enlightened Master. This Master was lying down in a temple with his feet pointed towards the altar, the deity. The priest was annoyed and shouted, telling him to shift his feet away from God. The Master replied weakly that he was too tired and asked the priest to turn his body around to whichever direction in which God was not present. The priest roughly pulled him up by his feet and turned him around. To his amazement wherever he dropped the Master's feet, a shivalinga (Shiva's form) appeared. The priest fell at the Master's feet and apologized for his lack of awareness.

God is everywhere all the time. There is no night and no place in which He is not present. His presence is not the problem. Your presence is the problem. Can you bring your mind to the present, to be present? So, do not worry about shivaratri and vaikunta ekadasi and such things. As far as the Divine is concerned, everyday is shivaratri and vaikunta ekadasi, as long as you are present!