Mahashivaratri Festival

Mahashivaratri Festival

or the The Night of

Shiva is celebrated with

devotion and religious

fervor in honor of Lord

Shiva, one of the deities

of Hindu Trinity.

Shivaratri falls on the

moonless 14th night of

the new moon in the

Hindu month of Phalgun, which corresponds to the

month of February - March in English Calendar.

Celebrating the festival of Shivaratri devotees observe

day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva

Lingam to appease Lord Shiva.

Legends of Mahashivratri There are various interesting legends related to the

festival of Maha Shivaratri. According to one of the

most popular legends, Shivaratri marks the wedding day

of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Some believe that it was on

the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva

performed the Tandava, the dance of the primal

creation, preservation and destruction. Another popular

Shivratri legend stated in Linga Purana states that it was

on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the

form of a Linga. Hence the day is considered to be

extremely auspicious by Shiva devotees and they

celebrate it as Mahashivaratri - the grand night of

Shiva.

Traditions and Customs of Shivaratri

Various traditions and customs related to Shivaratri

Festival are dutifully followed by the worshippers of

Lord Shiva. Devotees observe strict fast in honor of

Shiva, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk some

do not consume even a drop of water. Devotees strongly

believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the

auspicious day of Shivaratri, absolves a person of sins

and liberates him from the cycle of birth and death.

Shivaratri is considered especially auspicious for

women. While married women pray for the well being

of their husbands unmarried women pray for a husband

like Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the ideal husband.

To mark the Shivratri festival, devotees wake up early

and take a ritual bath, preferably in river Ganga. After

wearing fresh new clothes devotees visit the nearest

Shiva temple to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum

with milk, honey, water etc.

On Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva continues all

through the day and night. Every three hours priests

perform ritual pooja of Shivalingam by bathing it with

milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the

chanting of Om Namah Shivaya and ringing of temple

bells. Nightlong vigil or jaagran is also observed in

Shiva temples where large number of devotees spend

the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise

of Lord Shiva. It is only on the following morning that

devotee break their fast by partaking prasad offered to

the deity.

Marriage of Shiva and

Shakti

The legend of marriage of

Shiva and Shakti is one

the most important

legends related to the

festival of

Mahashivaratri. The story

tells us how Lord Shiva

got married a second time

to Shakti, his divine

consort. According to

legend of Shiva and Shakti, the day Lord Shiva got

married to Parvati is celebrated as Shivaratri - the Night

of Lord Shiva.

The Legend

Legend goes that once Lord Shiva and his wife Sati or

Shakti were returning from sage Agastyas ashram after

listening to Ram Katha or story of Ram. On their way

through a forest, Shiva saw Lord Rama searching for

his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the

King of Lanka. Lord Shiva bowed his head in reverence

to Lord Rama. Sati was surprised by Lord Shivas

behavior and inquired why he was paying obeisance to

a mere mortal. Shiva informed Sati that Rama was an

incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sati, however, was not

satisfied with the reply and Lord asked her to go and

verify the truth for herself.

Using her power to change forms, Sati took the form of

Sita appeared before Rama. Lord Rama immediately

recognized the true identity of the Goddess and asked,

"Devi, why are you alone, where's Shiva?" At this, Sati

realized the truth about Lord Ram. But, Sita was like a

mother to Lord Shiva and since Sati took the form of

Sita her status had changed. From that time, Shiva

detached himself from her as a wife. Sati was sad with

the change of attitude of Lord Shiva but she stayed on at

Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.

Later, Satis father Daksha organised a yagna, but did

not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation with

Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted to

attend the Yagna, went even though Lord Shiva did not

appreciate the idea. To hre great anguish, Daksha

ignored her presence and did not even offer Prasad for

Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound

grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated

herself.

Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard

the news of Satis immolation. Carrying the body of

Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava or the

dance of destruction and wiped out the kingdom of

Daksha. Everybody was terrified as Shivas Tandava

had the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to

calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12

pieces and threw them on earth. It is said that wherever

the pieces of Shaktis body fell, there emerged a Shakti

Peetha, including the Kamaroopa Kamakhya in Assam

and the Vindhyavasini in UP.

Lord Siva was now alone undertook rigorous penance

and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as

Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She performed

penance to break Shivas meditation and win his

attention. It is said that Parvati, who found it hard to

break Shivas meditation seeked help of Kamadeva -

the God of Love and Passion. Kaamadeva asked Parvati

to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced,

Kaamadeva shot his arrow of passion at Shiva breaking

his penance. Shiva became extremely infuriated and

opening his third eye that reduced Kaamadeva to ashes.

It was only after Kamadevas wife Ratis pleading that

Lord Shiva agreed to revive Kaamadeva.

Later, Parvati undertook severe penance to win over

Shiva. Through her devotion and persuasion by sages

devas, Parvati, also known as Uma, was finally able to

lure Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism.

Their marriage was solemnized a day before Amavasya

in the month of Phalgun. This day of union of God

Shiva and Parvati is celebrated as Mahashivratri every

year.

Another Version of the Legend

According to another version of the legend, Goddess

Parvati performed tapas and prayers on the auspicious

moonless night of Shivaratri to ward off any evil that

may befall her husband. Since then, womenfolk began

the custom of praying for the well being of their

husbands and sons on Shivaratri day. Unmarried women

pray for a husband like Shiva, who is considered to be

the ideal husband.

Mahashivaratri Legends Marriage of Shiva and Shakti | Samudra

Manthan | Legend of

Shivaratri Pooja

Shivaratri Pooja has been

given tremendous

significance in Hindu

mythology. It is said that

ritual worship of Lord

Shiva on a Shivaratri day

pleases Lord Shiva the

most. Devotees further

believe that by pleasing

Lord Shankara on the

auspicious Shivaratri day, a person is absolved of past

sins and is blessed with Moksha or salvation.

Merits of Shivaratri Puja According to Shiva Purana, sincere worship of Lord

Shiva yields merits including spiritual growth for the

devotees. It also provides extensive details on the right

way to perform Shivratri Puja.

Shiva Purana further says that performing abhisheka of

Shiva Linga with six different dravyas including milk,

yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water while chanting

Sri Rudram, Chamakam and Dasa Shanthi pleases Lord

Shiva the most. According to the mythology, each of

these dravya used in the abhisheka blesses a unique

quality:

Milk is for the blessing of purity and piousness.

Yogurt is for prosperity and progeny.

Honey is for sweet speech.

Ghee is for victory.

Sugar is for happiness.

Water is for purity.

Besides, worship of Lord Shiva on Shivratri is also

considered to be extremely beneficial for women.

While, married women pray to Shiva for the well being

of their husbands and sons, unmarried women pray for a

husband like Shiva, who is considered to be the ideal

husband.

Getting Ready for Shivratri Puja

To perform the worship of Lord Shiva on Shivratri,

devotees wake up early and take a ritual bath, preferably

in the holy waters of river Ganga. This is followed by

worship to Sun God, Vishnu and Shiva in accordance

with the purification rite observed on all-important

Hindu festivals. Devotees then wear fresh new clothes

and pay a visit to the nearest Shiva temple. As a

tradition, devotees observe a fast on a Shivaratri day.

Some do not consume even a drop of water.

Legend of Shiva L