MAHA SHIVRATRI
Maha Shivratri is an importance festival for Hindus who worship Lord
Shiva. In the year 2020 the Maha Shivratri will come in the month of February.
Why we are celebrating Mahashivratri?
Maha Shivratri is devoted to Lord Shiva. According to Hindu
mythologies, on the day the devotees fast and offer the phrase of Lord Shiva
throughout night. Maha Shivratri means “the Great Night of Lord Shiva”. Another
important reason is Lord Shiva got married to the Goddess Parvathi. So, we are
celebrating the festival of Maha Shivratri.
Another Reason for celebrating The Maha Shivratri:
In ancient times, Maha Shivratri was celebrated by the religion “Shaivism” part of Hinduism. Maha Shivratri is celebrated during night times and the devotees are
chanting sacred mantras to get blessings from Lord Shiva. Puranas contains legacies describing the stories
about the Maha Shivratri. According to one legend, during the Samudra Manthan, poison emerged from the ocean. This terrified the gods and demons as
the poison was capable of destroying the entire world, and they ran to get help
from Lord Shiva. To protect the world from its evil effects, Lord Shiva drank
the deadly poison but held it in his throat instead of swallowing it. This made
his throat turn blue and he was given the name ‘Neelakandha’ the blue-throated
one. Maha Shivratri is the celebration of this event by which Lord
Shiva saved the world.
According to
other legacy, Hindu Gods, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were fighting over who
was the superior of the two. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, Devas
asked Lord Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their
fight, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a huge column of fire in between Lord
Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Awestruck (filled with) by its magnitude; they decided
to find one end each to establish supremacy (power) over the other. Lord Brahma
assumed the form of a swan and went upwards and Lord Vishnu as Varaha (Avatar
of Hindu god Lord Vishnu) went into the earth. But light has no limit and
though they searched for thousands of miles, neither could find the end. On his
journey upwards, Lord Brahma came across a Ketaki flower wafting down slowly.
When asked where she had come from, the Ketaki replied that she had been placed
at the top of the fiery column as an offering. Unable to find the upper most
limits, Lord Brahma decided to end his search and take the flowers as a witness.
Maha Shivratri is considered
as an important for the devotion of Lord Shiva. Thousands of devotees fast on
Maha Shivratri. As mentioned in the Puranas devotees, who involve in the
fasting, they will be fully blessed with Lord Shiva. Fasting on Maha Shivratri
commence in the morning and ends in the next morning. During fasting the
devotees even don’t drink a single drop of water.
Do’s and Don’ts do while fasting:
1.
Avoid taking a
food made up of pulse and wheat.
2.
Take bath and be
clean before fasting.
3.
Devotees advised
to take easily digestible food.
4.
Devotees observe
fasting for whole day until next morning.
Maha Shivratri Puja Along With Fasting:
Spends the whole day for the
devotion of Lord Shiva. Visits nearby
Lord Shiva temple and performs poojas at home.
Benefits of fasting on the day of Maha Shivratri:
- Purifies one’s soul.
- Overcomes the obstacles and misfortunes.
- Abundance of Wealth and prosperity.
- Brings peace in
life.
