Mahashivaraatri 2010

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According to legend,this day marks the wedding anniversary of Lord

Shiva and Parvati. With the marriage to Parvathi,the devotees had a god

with form or Sagun Brahman. Without Parvathi, Shiva was a Nirgun

Brahman or a formless entity. There is also the belief that Shiva

manifested himself in the form of the Linga on this holy day.

 

The second legend attributes Shivaratri as a form of thanksgiving to

the Lord, for protecting the universe from destruction. During Samudra

Mathana or churning of the ocean, a deadly poison emanated. The poison

was so deadly that even a drop would have destroyed the universe. When

the gods to beseech him for help. Lord Shiva's stomach represents the

universe, so he drank the poison, but held it at his neck, turning it

blue.That is why devotees hail him as Neelakanth.

 

 

Another legend says, on this day of Mahashivaratri, Lord Shiva performed a special dance, the Thandava Nritya

or the cosmic dance of creation,preservati on and destruction. In this

dance, Shiva destroys the old world and creates a new one. His dance

represents the energy flowing through the world giving it the seasons,

day and night and birth and death.

There is a fourth legend associated with Maha Shivaratri. Once, a

hunter was unsuccessfully looking for a prey in the forest. He couldn't

find anything for the whole day. Towards evening, he climbed on a Bael

tree and continued his wait. As he was drinking some water he had

picked up at a stream earlier, a few drops fell on the ground

below. Impatient with his wait, he plucked a few bael leaves and drops

them down as well. Soon, a female deer or doe comes to the spring. When

the hunter takes aim, the deer, having seen him, implores him to wait a

just little bit more so that she can bid farewell to her kids. The

hunter agrees. When the female deer comes back, the male deer

accompanying her asks the hunter to shoot him instead. The foals then

come forward and also plead with the hunter to take their lives

instead. The hunter is moved with their sacrificial nature and unity

and lets them all go. When he alights from the tree, he is pleasantly

surprised to see Lord Shiva there.

Actually, underneath the bael tree, there was a Shiva Lingam nestled

in the thicket there. The hunter had unknowingly worshipped that lingam

by sprinkling water and throwing bael leaves on it. When he had

exhibited compassion to the deer family even in dire hunger, he had

pleased Lord Shiva. As a result, Lord Shiva bestowed wealth and

prosperity on him. From that day, the Shiva lingam is worshipped on

this auspicious day, and hailed as Maha Shivaratri.

Maha Shivaratri Celebrations

The day of Shivaratri begins with great festive and fervor. The

Shiva temples perform special pooja with bael leaves, milk, water,

fruits, etc. Rituals are performed on the lingam every three hours.This

festival is a significant day for Hindu women, the married pray for the

welfare of their husbands and the unmarried seek a husband with the

qualities of Shiva.Celebrations continue through the night with the

followers maintaining a night long vigil by listening to stories about

Shiva and singing His praises. Some of them chant the Panchakshara

Mantra "Om Namoh Shivaya" all night. The next day, in a special

ceremony, worshippers perform abhishekam or ceremonial bath on the

Lingam. Thandai, a drink favored by Shiva, is made from cannabis or

bhang, almonds and milk and served as a delicacy on this festival day.

 

Shivaratri Fast

As per the Shiva Purana, it is believed that fasting through the day

of Shivaratri absolves the devotee of all his sins and liberated from

the cycle of birth and death. Fasting is also a way to harness the rajas guna or the tendency towards passion and tamas guna

or the tendency towards inertia. There are devotees that fast all

through the day and night and there are others that subsist only on

fruits.