LORD SHIVA AND PRADOSHA / SIVARATRI VRAT OR FASTS

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LORD SHIVA AND PRADOSHA / SIVARATRI VRAT OR FASTS

How God and the Gods Help Us

Visiting a Hindu temple, receiving the Shakti from the majestic Gods of our

religion, can all together change the life of an individual. It alters the

flow of the pranas or life currents within his body. Shakti coming from the

great temples of our Gods can change the patterns of karma dating back many

past lives, clearing and clarifying conditions that were created hundreds of

years ago and are but seeds now, waiting to manifest in the future.

If a temple or shrine is not available for worship, then it is possible to

establish a communication with the Deity through visualization. Take for

example, Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed governor of nature, dharma, science

and knowledge. Worship of Lord Ganesha is immediate; to think of His form is to

contact Him. Close your eyes for a second visualize

normal"> His murthi or form. According to Vedas, to worship of Lord Vishnu in

the Morning and Lord Shiva in the evening Especially during Pradosha Kaala is

highly beneficial to the Sadhaka. When the 12th tithi (Dwaadashi) in Krishna

Paksha or Shukla Paksha ends before midnight.

When the 6th tithi (Shashti) ends before 1.5 Prahara (one Prahara is equal to ¼

duration of night) of night or 3rd (Tritiya) Tithi ends before 1 Prahara of

Night, it is called Pradosha. But generally people observe Pradosha Vrata on

every Trayodashi tithi (i.e. 13th Lunar day falling in Krishna and Shukla

Pakshas) during Sandhya Kaala (ie. During or after sunset).

The Lord of 13th Trayodashi Tithi is Kaama Deva whereas the Lord of the

succeeding Tithi i.e. 14th Chaturdashi is Lord Rudra (Shiva) himself. The 14th

day of the dark half of every month – is called Sivaratri or Masa – sivaratri.

The one in the month of Magh (Feb-Mar) is called Mahasivaratri, since it is the

greatest of all.

The origin of Mahasivaratri When Brahma and Vishnu were disputing each other’s

greatness to establish their own supremacy, a huge Linga or pillar of fire

appeared suddenly that who ever finds the starting or ending point of this

Linga would be the greatest of all. Neither of them succeeded and was hence

obliged to accept the greatness of Siva who had manifested as that pillar of

light. This was the origin of Sivalinga and Mahasivarati.

10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times New Roman">It is also attributed as being

the day of marriage of Siva with Parvati.

The other example of the Siva’s Greatness Siva Mahadeva, drank the halahala

posion that emerged out of the milky ocean (ksirasagara) when it was being

churned by devas and the danavas (gods and demons), and thus saved the worlds

from destruction.

This vrata is open to all human beings. The basic disciplines to be kept up on

this day are: 1. Ahimasa (non-injury) · 2. Satya (speaking the truth)

· 3. Brahmacarya (continence) · 4. Daya

(compassion)

· 5. Ksama (forgiveness) · 6. Anasuyata (absence of jealousy).

become visible in the sky.

jointly with the hope of being free from, miseries or for gaining material prosperity.

PRADOSHA VRATA By SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

ALL THINGS in this vast creation function upon definite cosmic laws or laws of

God. There is always a beautiful system and sound rationale governing every

phenomenon and process, mundane or mystical.

Just as the gross elements and physical forces operate differently under

different states and conditions, so also the subtler and higher forces respond

and react in the inner mystic planes, and in the purely spiritual processes

like meditation, prayer, worship, etc.

Therefore, you will find definite injunctions for performing certain types of

worship in the morning, certain other injunctions for the midday prayers, and

still others for the evening worship.

Again, some observances are performed during certain phases of the moon, some

when a particular star is in the ascendant, or at the time of a particular

conjunction of planets.

The Pradosha worship is to be done in the evening twilight on the thirteenth day

of each lunar fortnight. It is the worship of Lord Siva for victory and success

in all undertakings, and the fulfillment of all your heart's cherished desires.

Pradosha is the worship of Lord Siva and Parvati when they both are in an

extremely propitious mood. Repeatedly worsted in war by the demons, the gods

approached Lord Siva to bless them with a leader for their celestial hosts.

They came to the Lord at twilight on the thirteenth day of the lunar fortnight

and found Him in the blissful company of His consort, Parvati. Hymned and

glorified by them, Siva immediately granted their prayer’s. Hence, the

importance of the period.

The Skanda Purana relates how Sandilya Muni prescribed this Vrata to a Brahmin

lady. She came to the sage with two boys, her son, Suchivrata, and an orphan

prince, Dharmagupta, whose father was slain in battle and the kingdom overrun

by enemies.

Acting upon the advice of the sage, the woman and the boys performed the Vrata

with great devotion. After four months, that is, in the eighth Pradosha,

Suchivrata obtained a pot of nectar and drank the divine ambrosia. Prince

Dharmagupta won the hand of a celestial princess and, as ordered by Lord Siva,

with the help of the celestial king himself, his enemies were slain and his

kingdom restored to him. Then Dharmagupta attained the Lord's supreme abode.

One who takes this Vrata fasts on that day, and keeps vigil at night after the

fast is over. Bathing an hour before sunset, the worshipper first performs a

preliminary worship of Lord Siva, together with all the others of His divine

family, namely, Parvati, Ganesha, Skanda and Nandi. After the worship of

Ganesha, Lord Siva is invoked in the special kalasha placed on a square mandala

with a lotus drawn in it and spread over with darbha grass. After the formal

worship has been completed, a Pradosha story is read and heard by the devotees.

This is followed by the recitation of the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra 108 times. In

the end the sacred kalasha water is partaken of, the sacred ash is applied to

the forehead, and the

water which was used to bathe the Lord, is drunk. A gift of a pot, a cloth and

an image of the Lord are given to a Brahmin to conclude the worship.

A very important point to be remembered in this connection is that during this

auspicious period all the hosts of celestial beings and gods come down from the

heavens and attend the worship in their subtle forms. This adds immensely to the

sanctity of the worship.

The mere sight of the Deity in a temple during this period will destroy all sins

and bestow bountiful blessings and Grace upon the fortunate beholder. Even a

single bael leaf offered to the Lord at this unique, auspicious moment equals a

hundred Mahapujas. It is usual to have special additional lights in the shrine

during the Pradosha.

To light even a single wick at this juncture is highly meritorious and

productive of untold benefits, spiritual as well as material. Most fortunate

and blessed is the person who performs the Pradosha Vrata, for upon him Lord

Siva showers His choicest Grace and blessings in a very short time.

Here is the Yogic interpretation of the Pradosha:

According to the Siva-Raja Yoga, concentration is directed towards the central

point in the middle of the eyebrows, where the spiritual light can be perceived

by the Yogi who turns the vision inwards. The Yogi passes through various

stages, all of which are subdivisions of the four states of waking, dreaming,

deep sleep, and the Super conscious State or Samadhi. Each one of these states

is further sub-divided into four states, for example, the waking-dreaming,

waking-sleep, waking-fourth, and waking-waking. It will be seen that when the

states are sub-divided in this way, the first three states comprise a total of

twelve sub-states. The thirteenth is the fourth waking. There is correspondence

between this and the thirteenth day of the lunar fortnight, either bright or dark.

Those who worship Mother Shakti have certain beliefs of their own, one of which

is that the Goddess that is worshipped acquires one ray on each of the days of

the bright fortnight, starting from the first day.

Thus, on the full moon night, the Goddess would have received fifteen rays and

would be ready for the final form of worship intended to benefit the devout

worshipper in all ways. The moon is believed to have a direct influence on the

mind. Incidentally, the word mati means both the moon and the mind. According

to Siva-Raja Yoga there are two channels through which the Prana flows. These

are the Ida and the Pingala, ruled respectively by the moon and the sun.

Midway between these two there is a third, known as Sushumna. The Yogi is asked

to start the practice of Yoga when the breath is passing through the lunar

channel. This coincides with the flow of the breath through the left nostril.

If, however, at the time of practice the flow is through the right nostril, the

Yogi is asked to perform a special exercise by which to change the flow to the

left.

When the Yogi concentrates on the point between the eyebrows, he transcends,

stage by stage, the first twelve sub-states. The current of breath continues

flowing through the lunar channel. The "moon" is gaining more and more

strength. When the thirteenth day is reached, the spiritual power of the Yogi

has correspondingly increased, and he is in a condition to see the lights,

which appear in the nerve center in between the eyebrows.

In inverse proportion to the increase in concentration is the duration of the

Yogi's breath. At the start of the practice, the breath will occupy a space of

16 fingers (inches approximately).

The moment the concentration has led him from the waking to the Dream State, the

length of the breath becomes only 12 fingers. In this way, when he reaches the

thirteenth stage, only 4 fingers of breath would remain. As this breath now

circulates only within the nostril, no breath is noticeable at the tip of the

nose. From that moment the light is fixed permanently at the center between the

eyebrows, and the Yogi would have realized the object of his practice. Let me

now describe the actual process of Siva-Raja Yoga. The Yogi sits in utter

darkness, with the head and body erect, eyes open, and the gaze directed to the

center of the eyebrows.

He utters the Mantra in his mind and, without restraining his breath,

concentrates his gaze at the middle of the eyebrows, ever on the thought of the

appearance of the lights. The deep concentration resulting thereby yields the

following fruits, in order.

First, he overcomes the distractions of his mind. He reaches a stage wherein he

seems to hear somebody talking somewhere in the distance. The words are not

distinct, but a sort of murmur is heard. Nevertheless, since his mind is

elsewhere, he pays no attention to it. In fact, the sound comes from nowhere

outside.

It is one's own mind that produces these sounds. The mind is actually

functioning in its form as sound. Soon afterwards, this sound ceases, and he

begins to see all sorts of visions, in the same manner as we see pictures in a

movie. It appears (as if in a dream) that he is passing through hills of

varying degrees of beauty, through seas and lakes of all sorts of colors and

shapes, and through clouds of different hues. The clouds appear dark and thick

at first and thin out gradually.

These are scenes, which are very pleasant to witness. But they are only

thought-forms; imagery created by the mind as it is functioning as a form. It

is in this stage that the Yogi may hear musical notes as well—of the flute,

violin, cymbals or any other instrument.

The Yogi then passes through an entirely different experience. He suddenly

awakens from a deep sleep. He does not remember when he got into the Sleep

State, but he is conscious of the sudden awakening. The truth is that he had

not slept at all. His mind became a complete blank; he lost consciousness of

the workings of the mind, which was nonetheless still active all the time. When

he regained consciousness, he suddenly felt his awareness once again.

He is now tempted to examine himself to ascertain if his posture is still erect

and if his eyes are still fixed between his eyebrows. Finding no change in

these he realizes that the temporary loss of consciousness was only a stage

which he passed through in his Yoga.

Next comes the stage when he feels as if something of the nature of a hot nail

is pricking him at the center of his eyebrows. In the earlier period of his

practice there will only be this sensation, but as he advances, this is

followed by the appearance of the lights. Even then there are various stages

which have to be passed before the lights get their proper shape.

At first a yellow and a red light appear the red being in the center and two

yellow flame-like lights on either side. After a few days, all these colors

pass away and he begins to see a steady light of the shape and color of the

moon.

As his practice advances, this grows brighter and brighter, and the whole room

in which the Yogi sits is gradually illumined, starting with the intensity of

twilight until it becomes a flood of bright light.

Yet in this state nothing that is in the room is seen; other things which are

not there, begin to appear. They come and go with amazing rapidity, and reveal

many things to him. Thus far, we have dwelt upon only the first four stages of

the entire series of sixteen stages, which have to be passed through by the

Siva-Raja Yogi before he finally attains union with Lord Siva. The details of

the experiences at each stage vary from man to man, as also from day to day.

But, in the main, these are the stages:

At first, the Yogi is aware of what transpires about him. He is in the waking

part of the waking state. Then the pictures come in the dream part of his

waking state. The feeling of overpowering sleep occurs in the deep sleep part

of the waking state. The appearance of the light occurs in the fourth part of

the waking stage.

The dream and the deep sleep states also have their four sub-divisions, which

have to be passed. When the Yogi comes to the thirteenth stage, he is in the

waking part of the fourth state. The vision of Lord Siva in the form of

self-consciousness now begins. The form of the Lord appears before him as

though coming out of the lights, which began at stage four of the sixteen

stages. From this stage onwards the mind loses its sense of separate activity.

It becomes deeply absorbed in the Self within.

On the thirteenth lunar day nature assists the worshipper in waking up from his

mental deep sleep and in becoming aware of the fourth state. The Yogi who

practices his Yoga on the Pradosha day gets these experiences of Lord Siva

quite readily.

Similar to the above is the significance of the worship of Lord Ganesha on the

fourth day of the lunar fortnight. This corresponds to the fourth part of the

waking state, when the lights are first seen.

On the eighth day or the Ashtami, Mother Durga is adored. This corresponds to

the fourth part of the Dream State.

Ekadashi or the eleventh day corresponds to the deep sleep part of the deep

Sleep State. In this state there is complete unawareness of the mind. This is

the most favorable moment for a direct contact with God, the indweller. If we

fast and pray on this day, we can reduce our bodily activities to the minimum

and can have the vision of the Lord who resides in our heart.

The five alphabets (Panchaksara) of AUM Nama Sivaaya represent:

1. Esaana 2. Tatpurusha 3. Aghora 4. Vaama 5. Satyojaat.

Lord Shiva has 5 faces- 2 faces on the left. 2 on the right and 1 in the middle

Dakshineshwara It is the extreme right face, which is showering love and

compassion upon the created beings.

Ishaana- the face next to the right- is responsible for controlling all the

jeevas, individual beings, with meticulous care.

Kalyaanasundaram- the supreme controller which controls all the individual’s desire for action.

Vaamadeva- face on the extreme left: it is terrible- Rudra, Rudraatirudra or

Rudropirudrah- one who teaches others by making them shed tears.

Kaalaagni – the face next to extreme left- this also subjects people to

excruciating torture, but there also the main purpose is to teach them to

promote their welfare.

The Two faces of Vaamadeva and Kaalaagni are controlled by the central face- Kalyaanasundaram

There are 12 MAIN Jyothir Lingas of Lord Siva in India. Most of them are located

in Northern parts of India.

1. Sri Soma Naath- in Sourashtra, located in Prabhas Patan, VERAVAL.

2. Sri Mallikaarjuna –This is in Srisailam –on the banks of the Krishna River.

3. Sri Mahakaaleshwara – This is in Ujjain in Madya Pradesh.

4. Sri Omkaareshwara This is in Malwa on the banks of the river Narmada. M.P.

5. Sri Vaidhyanaatha- in Santhaal Paragna. This place is also known as Chinta Bhoomi.

6. Sri Bheemsankara- It is east of Mumbai and North of Pune on the banks of the

river Bheema. It is located 120 kms from Nasik.

7. Sri Rameshwaram – located in Ram Naath district of Tamil Nadu.

8. Sri Naageshwara- located in Dwarka near the Gomati River.

9. Sri Vishwanaatha- in Varanasi “also known as Kaashi”

10. Sri Trayambakeshwara- in Nasik district on the banks of the river Goutami

in Maharashtra.

11. SRI Kedaareshwara- in Himalayas on the banks of the river Mandaakini in BADRINATH.

12. Sri Ghusameshwara- near Berut village which is 12 km away from Daulatabad station in Nizmaabad

Karma Yoga leads to detachment from desires and action done devotedly and whole

heartily, without attachment to its results. Victory or defeat does not disturb

him as it is willed by the Supreme and Universal Spirit.

Whatever happens, the individual accepts without attachment or aversion and has

love even for his enemy. Devoted each to his own duty, man attains perfection.

Lord Shiva’s has presence in 5 more temples in South India. These temples

represent the five elements “Panch Bhootha” of Prithvi, Jala, Tapas, and Vaayu,

Aakash (Nether

These Temples are: PRITHVI KSHETRA: this is located in kaanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)

This is know as Ekaambareshwara temple, here the Swayambhu Linga of Lord Shiva

is of Natural Mud from the Earth- which is now covered with Kavacha for

preforming Poojas and Abhisheka (bathing purpose).

Apa Kshetra (Jala Khetra): This is in Thiruvaanaikaavu near Trichirappally or

Trichy in Tamil Nadu. This is near Srirangam temple. The Swayambhu Shiva Linga

is below the bhoomi level and the Linga is surrounded always by water.

Agni Kshetra (Tejas Kshetra): This is located in the Thiruvanna Malai of North

Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. Here Lord Shiva is present in the form of Agni

(fire).

Vaayu Kshetra: This is in Kaalhasthi, which is located in Chitoor district of

Andhra Pradesh near the famous Tirupati temple. This is also known as Dakshina

Kalisha. In this temple presence of Lord Shiva Vaayu as it can seen that the

Jyothi (light) emitting from the Diya (lamp) always vibrates or dances due to

presence of wind inside the temple. This temple is famous for conducting Poojas

to reduce the bad effects of Kalsarpa yoga and for Rahu Shanti also.

Aakasha Kshetra: This is in Chidambaram located in South Arcot District of Tamil

Nadu. Here its is believed that the Lord Shiva used to dance in the form of

Nataraja in many happier moods. The various poses used in his dances are used

as basis for famous dances in India like Bharatanatyam, Kutchipudi, etc.

One should perform 'SIVARATRI KALA SHIVA POOJA’ to get rid of all sorts of

afflictions. Poverty, miseries, calamities, adversities, grief, debt and

diseases.

Pradosh means Trayodashi, Tithis falling in the evening of both Shukla and

Krishna Paksha. When the above coincides with Saturday it is known as ‘SHANT

PRADOSH.

It is said that on this day all Gods and goddesses assemble at Mount Kailesh to

worship Lord Shiva. This bestows all kinds of wealth and comforts to Sadhaka

Bathing an hour before sunset the worshipper first performs a preliminary

worship of Lord Shiva together with all the others of the divine family,

namely, Pravati, Ganesha, Skanda and Nandi.

After the Ganesha worship, Lord Shiva is invoked in the special Kalasha placed

on a square Mandala with drawn lotus spread with Darbha grass. After formal

worship has been completed, the SIVARATRI story is read. (OR SHIVA PURANA IS

READ)

This is followed by the recitation of the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra 108 times.

AUM TRYAMBAKAM, YAJAAMAHE, SUGANDHIM PUSTIVARDHANAM, URVAARUKAMIVA, BANDHANAAN,

MRITYOR, MUKSHEEYA, MAAMRITAAT.

In the end the sacred kalasha water is taken, the sacred ash is applied to the

forehead and the sacred water, which is used to bathe the Lord, is drunk as

prashad.

A gift of a pot, a cloth and an image of god have to be given to a Brahmin or in

charity to conclude the worship. Even a single BILVA leaf (leaf taken from the

wood-apple tree) offered to the Lord at this unique auspicious moment equals a

100’S OF Mahapujas.

HAVE SPECIAL ADDITIONAL LIGHTS IN THE SHRINE DURING THE SIVARATRI.

To light even a single Diva at this time is very meritorious and productive of

untold benefits, material as well as spiritual.

This is the most favorable moment for a direct contact with god. When we fast

and pray on that day, we can reduce our bodily activities to the minimum and

can have the vision of the lord who resides in our heart.

When we analyze the rationale of our holy days, we discover that our ancients

took particular care to effect a synthesis of Yoga- Karma, Janana and Bhakti.

On Astami days (8th day) meals should only be taken at night after worship of

Durga. Astami the 8th lunar day which falls on Monday, Chaturdasi the 14th

lunar day in the dark half are sure to bring success for the person.

On the 11th day in the bright and dark lunar fortnights, food during the day is

forbidden. Meals should be taken at night after the worship of Lord VISHNU.

On all Mondays and the 13th day in the bright or dark half fortnights, food

shall be taken at nights after following Shiva's Pooja.

In all this rites, the Brahmin or poor people shall be feed according to one's

ability for the completion of the sacred rites.

HOW TO OBSERVE THE SIVARATRI FAST OR VRAT On the Sivaratri day the person should

wake up early in the morning and shall perform his daily routine of taking the

bath and pooja. Then he should go to the temple of Lord Shiva for worship.

THE WORSHIP ON SIVRATRI DAY

Every 3 hours of the period on the day or night the devotee shall worship with

great devotion the Linga shall be worship. Lord Shiva shall always be

worshipped with the five materials on the outset. These articles of worship

shall be separately offered with their respective mantras. After offering the

materials the dhara of steady water shall be poured over the Linga. The

worshipper shall worship Lord with both Nirguna and Saguna, by the steady

pouring of the dhara of the water, with the reciting of

the 108 mantras. The worship of Shiva shall be performed with Sandal- paste,

with unbroken rice grains and black Lotus and Karavira flowers shall be offered

with reciting of the 8 names of Lord Shiva.

AUM NAMAH BHAVA, AUM NAMAH SARVA, AUM NAMAH RUDRA, AUM NAMAH PASUPATI, AUM NAMAH

UGRA, AUM NAMAH MAHAT, AUM NAMAH BHIMA, AUM NAMAH ISANA.

Then the dhoop of incense and diva shall be made and offered. Cooked rice and

half a coconut and Pan shall be offered. The food offering shall be made

thereafter. At the end of the first 3-hour period the ritualistic farewell

shall be performed.

Samkalpa rites shall be performed duly as before.

Or the Samkalpa shall be performed once for all the four 3-hour periods. Worship

shall be performed as before. Jaladhara shall be offered. The devotee shall

worship Shiva with gingerly seeds, barley grains and lotus flowers. leaves of

the Bilva tree. The Arghya

Roman'"> shall be offered with citron fruit.

The Naivedya shall consist of milk pudding. And the repetition of the mantra

shall be twice as that of the previous one. Other rites shall be performed as

before till the end of the second 3-hour period of the time. In the 3rd period

of the 3-hour period the worship the worship shall be done as before. But

instead of barley, wheat grain shall be used and the Sunflower shall be

offered.

normal">Incenses and Divas shall be of various types. The Naivedya shall consist

of fried pies and various vegetable dishes. The Arti shall be performed as part

of the worship, with Camphor. The Agrhya shall consist of the Pomegranate. The

Japa should be repeated 3 times then the pervious.

When the 4th PERIOD comes the 3-hour period, the ritualistic dismissal of the

pervious worship shall be performed. The worship shall be performed duly with

due ritualistic gestures. The devotee shall worship Lord Shiva with black gram,

green gram, Priyangu grains or any of the 7 cereals, the flowers of Sankhi and

the Bilva. The Naivedya shall be offered with different sweets or cooked black

grains and rice in order to propitiate Sada-Shiva.

Arghya shall be offered to Shiva with Banana or with different type of fruits.

Perform the mantras Japa twice the number of the previous puja. Till day- break

the devotee shall pass the time with songs and prayers.

When the sunrises the person shall take his bath and then worship Lord Shiva.

The Jal-dhara shall be performed of the deity. And the flowers should be

offered with the mantras. By performing this Vrat, the Lord Siva, the destroyer

of all miseries grants all desired benefits, pleasures and salvation.th lunar

day only one meal should be taken and complete fast shall be observed on the 14

On the Sivratri day after performing the routine, the devotee shall go to the

temple of Shiva and perform the worship. Yantra puja should be done in the

middle of the mystical diagram Lingatobhadra and

Sarvatobhadra shall be delineated.

Gauritilaka, Lingatobhandra and Sarvatobhandra are the circular diagrams of

particular type depicting the positions of the deities to be invoked therein

for offering worship and propitiation. As in the Prajapatya rite, auspicious

water-pots shall be placed wrapped in cloth, with a coconut above and the

Daksina placed in. The pots shall be carefully placed at the sides of the

altar. In middle either a discus or a gold-pot shall be placed. U

Roman">ma shall be placed on the left and Siva on the right.

The devotee shall worship the idol at night. He shall keep awake during the

night performing worship in the different 3-hour periods and singing songs of

prayer with devotion. After performing the worship thus in accordance with the

injunctions he shall propitiate the lord. He shall worship again in the morning

and perform Homa duly. O Rudra, this Vrat is performed by me according to my

ability. O lord, if it is deficient in any respect let it become perfect by

your COMMAND.

 

 

 

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