MahaShivaratri

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|OM NAMAH SHIVAAY|

 

|HARA HARA MAHADEVA|

 

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.

 

A Festival Especially For Women

Shivratri is considered especially auspicious for women. Married women

pray for the well being of their husbands and sons, while unmarried

women pray for an ideal husband like Shiva, who is the spouse of Kali,

Parvati and Durga. But generally it is believed that anyone who utters

the name of Shiva during Shivratri with pure devotion is freed from all

sins. He or she reaches the abode of Shiva and is liberated from the

cycle of birth and death.

 

"Om Namah Shivaya!"

All through the day the devotees keep severe fast, chant the sacred

Panchakshara mantra "Om Namah Shivaya", make offerings of flowers and

incense to the Lord amidst ringing of temple bells. They maintain long

vigils during the night, keeping awake to listen to stories, hymns and

songs. The fast <http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa041600a.htm>

is broken only the next morning, after the nightlong worship.