Shiva Ratri Explained

[Guest guest]

[Extracted the essence from several websites for the

benefit of readers like de_spell_2000. The write-up is

not mine, and as such, I take no credit for the same

save minor modifications to give it a more general

meaning]

 

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. On this day devotees sing bhajans in honor

of Shiva, recite Sanskrit shlokas (verses) from

scriptures, offer prayers in the morning and evening,

and observe fasting throughout the day and night. The

most important and effective mantra used is "Om Namah

Shivaya" meaning I bow down before Lord Shiva. Om, the

all-encompassing syllable, is traditionally prefixed

before all the mantras.

 

People visit nearby temples of Shiva and offer

prayers. 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 and were directed 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.

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Thanks! That gave us a clearer picture of what takes place during

shiva ratri. Hari Om!