MahaShivaratri 18 February 2004

[Guest guest]

Namaste Friends,

 

For anyone interested: the festival of Maharatri falls on 18

February. There is a lovely picture of Shiva and Pavarti holding

baby Ganesha at:

 

http://www.koausa.org/Festivals/Shivratri/article2.html

 

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Also from the same website:

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Mahashivaratri (the great night of Shiva) falls on the fourteenth

day of the dark fortnight of Phalguna (February- March), and is

dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva. This festival is purely

religious in nature and universally observed by all Hindus. On this

day devotees sing bhajans in honor of Shiva, recite Sanskrit shlokas

(verses) from scriptures, offer prayers in the morning and evening,

and some observe fasting throughout the day. People visit nearby

temples of Shiva and offer prayers in large crowds. The prayers and

worship continue late into the night when the devotees offer

coconut, Bilva leaves, fruits, and specially prepared sacred food to

Shiva and his divine consort Parvati. Offering Bilva leaves to Shiva

on Shivaratri is considered very auspicious by his devotees.

The origin of Shivaratri is attributed to several stories in Hindu

mythology. One very popular story traces the origin of this festival

to the churning of the Ocean of Milk by devas (gods) and asuras

(demons). It is said that when both gods and demons were churning

the Ocean of Milk to obtain amrita (water of immortal life), they

came across many unusual substances, including the deadly poison

Kalakuta. As soon as they touched the poison, it exploded into

poisonous fumes that threatened to envelope the entire universe by

darkness. When the destruction of the universe seemed inevitable,

the gods ran for assistance from Brahma and Vishnu, but neither was

able to help. At last they ran to Lord Shiva, who raised his trident

and condensed the fumes. In order to save the creation, Shiva

swallowed the poison without spilling a single drop. The poison left

a dark blue mark on Shiva's throat. The gods praised and worshipped

Shiva for saving the universe.

 

The philosophical essence of the above myth is as follows: gods and

demons symbolize all kinds of individuals (both good and bad) in the

world. The Ocean of Milk represents the ideal world that is full of

peace and happiness for all human beings. Churning the Ocean of Milk

signifies the human activity in the world. The amrita symbolizes

happiness and the poison represents human greed and selfishness.

Shiva symbolizes the atman (self), the spiritual essence of an

individual. Worship of Shiva denotes meditation and contemplation by

an individual on his or her own self.

 

The above story is symbolic of the fact that individuals perform

actions in the world in order to achieve happiness. In this process

a person is usually overpowered by greed and selfishness, ruining

his or her efforts for obtaining peace and happiness. Thus the only

way to achieve peace and happiness is by worshipping Shiva at night,

that is, by meditating on one's own self during the night when the

individual is free from the distractions of the physical world. When

the individual attains self-knowledge, he or she can live in the

world without being affected by anger, greed, and selfishness, the

three enemies of one's soul. Shlce Shivaratri symbolizes the worship

of the atman within, this festival is celebrated as a purely

religious festival by all Hindus, as stated earlier.

 

Another story in Hindu mythology also emphasizes the auspiciousness

of Shivaratri: On the day of Shivaratri, a hunter, who had killed

many birds in a forest, was chased by a hungry lion. The hunter

climbed a Bilva tree to save himself from the lion's attack. The

lion waited throughout the entire night at the bottom of the tree

for its prey. In order to stay awake to avoid falling from the tree,

the hunter kept plucking the leaves of the Bilva tree and dropping

them below. The leaves fell on a Shiva Linga that happened to be

located at the bottom of the tree. Shiva was pleased by the offering

of the Bilva leaves by the hunter, although inadvertently, and saved

the hunter in spite of all the sin the hunter had committed by

killing the birds. This story emphasizes the auspiciousness of

worshipping Shiva with Bilva leaves on Shivaratri.

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Text from: http://www.koausa.org/Festivals/Shivratri/article2.html