Maha Shivratri

About

Maha Shivratri is a festival celebrated by Hindus through out the world. This festival is celebrated in reverence of Lord Shiva. This day is also known as PADMARAJARATHRI. Maha Shivrathri literally means the great night of Shiva.

According to Hindu Calendar, this festival is celebrated on the 13^th/14^th Night of Every Maghaa / Phalguna month. The festival is principally celebrated by offerings o fBael or Bilva/Vilvam leaves to Lord Shiva, all-day fasting and an all-night-long vigil. All through the day the devotees, chant the sacred Panchakshara mantra dedicated to Lord "Om Namah Shivaya". In accordance with scriptural and discipleship traditions, penances are performed in order to gain boons in the practice of Yoga and meditation, in order to reach life's summum bonum steadily and swiftly. A week-long International Mandi Shivratri Fair held at Mandi in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh every year is one of the major tourist attractions in the state.

In Nepal, Pashupatinath Temple is very famous for celebration of Shivratri.

Why Hindus Celebrate Maha Shivrathri

Hindus celebrate Mahashivratri, because – according to Vedic Literatures – there is a legend associated with Samudra Manthan (churning of ocean), a process in which the asuras (demons) and the gods joined hands to churn out amrut(nectar) from the depths of the ocean using a mountain as a churn-dash and a snake as a rope.

The devas'(deities) and the asuras'(demons) counterparts were churning for the nectar of immortality.^[6] Amongst many things that came out of the ocean was a pot of poison. This poison was so potent that it had the power to destroy the whole Universe. The poison could not be discarded;it had to be drunk by one of the devas or asuras. Neither wanted to drink the poison because they all felt that they were too valuable or sacred to drink it. Shiva, upon the request of the gods, came forward, and, with a calm disposition, said that he would drink the Halahala (poison) for “the sake of his family to sustain peace and allow them to find the nectar of immortality.” By drinking the Halahala, Shiva eliminated its destructive capacity.^[6] Shocked by his act, Goddess Parvathi strangled Shiva’s neck, hence managing to stop the Halahala from spreading all over the Universe. The poison remained in Shiva's stomach, however, and was so potent that it changed the color of His neck to blue. For this reason, Lord Shiva is also called Neelkanta. After drinking the poison, Shiva went to the Himalayas to meditate. Realising that the nectar of immortality was found,the asuras tried to steal it from the devas, as they wanted to become more powerful than the devas in order to be able to destroy them. After a “series of divine interventions,” the devas emerged as the winners and received the gift of immortality. By drinking the poison, Shiva sacrificed himself for the safety of his family and humanity. ^[6]

Rituals of Maha Shivratri

Very early morning, Shiva temples are flocked by devotees, young and old, who come to perform the traditional Shivalinga worship (puja) and hence hope for favours from the god. Devotees bathe at sunrise, preferably in the Ganga, or any other holy water source (like the Shiva Sagartank at Khajurao). This is a rite of purification, which is an important part of all Hindu festivals. Wearing clean clothing after the holy bath, worshippers carry pots of water to the temple to bathe the Shivalinga. They offer prayers to the sun, Vishnu and Shiva. Women pray for the well-being of their husbands and sons. An unmarried woman prays for a husband like Shiva, who is considered to be the ideal husband. The temple reverberates with the sound of bells and shouts of “Shankerji ki Jai” meaning 'Hail Shiva'. Devotees circumambulate the ling three or seven times, and then pour water over it. Some also pour milk over it.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Mahashivaratri worship must incorporate six items:

Bathing the Shiv Linga with water, milk and honey. Wood, apple or bel leaves are added to, which represents purification of the soul;

Vermilion paste is applied to the Shiv Linga after bathing it. This represents virtue;

Offering of fruits, which is conducive to longevity and gratification of desires;

Burning incense, yielding wealth;

The lighting of the lamp which is conducive to the attainment of knowledge;

And betel leaves marking satisfaction with worldly pleasures.

Tripundra refers to the three horizontal stripes of holy ash applied to the forehead by worshipers of Lord Shiva. These stripes symbolise spiritual knowledge, purity and penance(spiritual practice of Yoga). They also represent the three eyes of Lord Shiva.^[8]

Wearing a mala (rosary) made from the rudraksha seeds of the rudraksha tree (said to have sprung from the tears of Lord Shiva) when worshipping Lord Shiva is ideal. A rudraksha seed is mahogany-like color, or could sometimes be black. They might also have traces of sacred sandalwood powder, turmeric, kumkum, or holy ash if the rosary is used in worship ceremonies or annointations.