[On Śivarātri, both darkness and light are mixed. The night sky, black with clouds, symbolizes the human form, while the lightning that shines intermittently indicates the nature of Nārāyaṇa. The Veda says that Nārāyaṇa and Śiva are one and the same (Śivaśca Nārāyaṇaḥ…). If only the nature of Nārāyaṇa is revealed, the world would stop functioning, because all human beings would abandon their duties and surround Lord Nārāyaṇa. Consequently, worldly balance would be lost. Moreover, people would gather around Nārāyaṇa seeking selfish benefits, thereby falling in their spiritual path since one must progress without selfishness in spirituality. Testing the firm faith of devotees would also be impossible if Nārāyaṇa’s nature were fully exposed because then every human being would display faith, leaving no way to