Why Celebrate Shivratri?

[Praveen]

Maha Shivratri, the night of the worship of Shiva, occurs on the 14th
night of the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna
(Feb / March) when Hindus offer special prayer to the lord of
destruction.

Here're three reasons to celebrate Shivratri:

1. The absolute formless God, Sadashiv appeared in the form of
"Lingodbhav Moorti" exactly at midnight on Maha Shivratri. That is why
all Shiv devotees keep vigil during the night of Shivratri and do
"Shivlingam abhishekham" (coronation of the phallic idol) at midnight.

Did You Know?
God in his manifestation as Vishnu made his appearance as Krishna at
Gokul at midnight, 180 days after Shivratri, commonly known as
Janmashtami. Thus, the circle of one year is divided into two by these
two auspicious days of the Hindu Calendar.

2. Lord Shiva was married to Devi Parvati on Shivratri. Remember Shiva
minus Parvati is pure Nirgun Brahman. With his illusive power, (Maya,
Parvati) He becomes the "Sagun Brahman" for the purpose of the pious
devotion of his devotees.

3. It is also believed that on Shivratri, Lord Shiva became
Neelkantham by swallowing the deadly poison that came up from the
ocean during the churning of "Kshir Sagar". The poison was so deadly
that even a drop in His stomach, which represents the universe, would
have annihilated the entire world. Hence, He held it in His neck,
which turned blue due to the effect of poison. Shivratri is therefore
also a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for protecting us from
annihilation.

The 14th shloka of Shivmahimna Stotra says: "O three eyed Lord, when
the poison came up through the churning of the Ocean by the gods and
demons, they were all aghast with fear as if the untimely end of all
creation was imminent. In your kindness, you drank all the poison that
still makes your throat blue. O Lord, even this blue mark does but
increase your glory. What is apparently a blemish becomes an ornament
in one intent on ridding the world of fear."

Part 2: Maha Shivratri: The Night of Shiva

Maha Shivratri, the night of the worship of Shiva, occurs on the 14th
night of the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna.
It falls on a moonless February night, when Hindus offer special
prayer to the lord of destruction. Shivratri (Sanskrit 'ratri' =
night) is the night when he is said to have performed the Tandava
Nritya or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and
destruction. The festival is observed for one day and one night only.

Origin Of Shivratri
According to the Puranas, during the great mythical churning of the
ocean called Samudra Manthan, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean.
The gods and the demons were terrified as it could destroy the entire
world. When they ran to Shiva for help, he in order to protect the
world, drank the deadly poison but held it in his throat instead of
swallowing it. This turned his throat blue, and since then he came to
be known as Nilkantha, the blue-throated one. Shivratri celebrates
this event by which Shiva saved the world.

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.

Shiva Rituals
On the day of Shivratri, a three-tiered platform is built around a
fire. The topmost plank represents swargaloka (heaven), the middle one
antarikshaloka (space) and the bottom one bhuloka (earth). Eleven urns
or kalash, are kept on the swargaloka plank symbolising the eleven
manifestations of the Rudra Shiva. These are decorated with bilva
(woodapple leaves) and mango leaves atop a coconut representing the
head of Shiva. The uncut shank of the coconut symbolises his tangled
hair and the three spots on the fruit Shiva's three eyes.

Bathing The Phallus
The phallus symbol representing Shiva is called the lingam. It is
usually made of granite, soapstone, quartz, marble or metal, and has a
yoni or vagina as its base representing the union of the male and
female sexual organs. Devotees circumambulate the lingam and worship
it throughout the night. It is bathed every three hours with the five
sacred offerings of a cow, called the panchagavya - milk, sour milk,
urine, butter and dung. Then the five foods of immortality - milk,
clarified butter, curd, honey and sugar are placed before the lingam.
Dhatura and jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed to be sacred
to Shiva and thus offered to him.

"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 is broken only the next morning, after the nightlong
worship. In Kashmir, the festival is held for 15 days. The 13th day is
observed as a day of fast followed by a family feast.

Part 3: The Stories Of Shiva

There are a number of mythological tales and legends surrounding Lord
Shiva. Here're a few popular ones:

The Ganges Comes Down To Earth
A legend from the Ramayana speaks of King Bhagirath who once meditated
before Lord Brahma for a thousand years for the salvation of the souls
of his ancestors. Pleased with his devotion Brahma granted him a wish.
He requested the Lord to send the river Ganges down to earth from
heaven so that she could flow over his ancestors' ashes and wash their
curse away and allow them to go to heaven. Brahma granted his wish but
asked him to pray to Shiva, for he alone could support the weight of
her descent. Accordingly he prayed to Shiva and he allowed the Ganges
to descend on his head, and after meandering through his thick matted
locks, the holy river reached the earth. This story is re-enacted by
bathing the linga.

The Tiger & The Leaves
Once a hunter while chasing a deer wandered into a dense forest and
found himself on the banks of river Kolidum when he heard the growl of
a tiger. To protect himself from the beast he climbed up a tree
nearby. The tiger pitched itself on the ground below the tree
fostering no intention to leave. The hunter stayed up in the tree all
night and to keep himself from falling asleep, he gently plucked one
leaf after another from the tree and threw it down. Under the tree was
a Shiva Linga and the tree blessedly turned out to be a bilva tree.
Unknowingly the man had pleased the deity with bilva leaves. At
sunrise, the hunter looked down to find the tiger gone, and in its
place stood Lord Shiva. He prostrated before the Lord and attained
salvation from the cycle of birth and death.

Why Shiva Is Worshipped In His Phallic Form
According to another legend, once Brahma and Vishnu, two other deities
of the holy Trinity, had an argument as to their supremacy. Brahma
being the Creator declared himself to be more revered, while Vishnu,
the Preserver, pronounced that he commanded more respect. Just then a
colossal lingam, known as Jyotirlinga, blanketed in flames, appeared
before them. Both Brahma and Vishnu were awestruck by its rapidly
increasing size. They forgot their quarrel and decided to determine
its size. Vishnu assuming the form of a boar went to the netherworld
and Brahma as a swan flew to the skies. But both of them failed to
accomplish the self- assumed tasks. Then, Shiva appeared out of the
lingam and stated that he was the progenitor of them both and that
henceforth he should be worshipped in his phallic form, the lingam,
and not in his anthropomorphic form.