Maha Shivratri

On the 14th day of the dark half of Magh the great night of Shiva is celebrated. On this day the devotees of Shiva observe fast.

 

Why We Celebrate Maha Shivratri (Most Accepted Story)

 

Once a hunter set out for a hunt. He came near a pond, and for the purpose of hunting he climbed a "bel" tree (sacred to Shiva). Sitting on a branch he waited for game. But since the leaves obstructed his vision, he began to pluck a few leaves, which by chance fell on a Shiva Linga ("pindi"), which happened to be under that tree. Then a herd of deer came to drink water. The hunter took aim at a hind (female deer). But as she noticed the movement of the hunter, she cried out, "Please, wait a moment, before you shoot let me go home and meet my young ones for the last time. Afterwards you may take my life at your pleasure."

 

The hunter gave the hind permission to go home, and remained sitting on the tree waiting for her to return. Waiting the whole night, he was forced to observe fast. On the Shiva Linga he had inadvertently offered the "bel" leaves. With his mouth he uttered the name of Shiva, thus he fulfilled the conditions needed for the observance of the Maha Shiva Ratra vow. So without knowing how, his heart was changed and he was filled with sentiments of mercy.

 

Before dawn the mother deer came back with the entire herd. "Now you may take my life at your pleasure," she said. Seeing the hind's honesty the hunter's heart was further softened, and he completely gave up his thought of killing the hind. Shankar was so pleased that immediately making all of them sit in a plane he took them to heaven. Both the hind and the hunter can be seen at night in the sky among the stars in the constellation of Orion ("Mrugshirsh nakshatra").

 

Shiva the "Great God"

 

"It is probable that, long before the arrival of the Aryans, the 'great god' ('Mahadeva' or 'Maheshvara') was worshipped in India." Mount Kailas in the Himalayas is the abode of Shiva. "The Ganges came down from the heavens because Shiva bore on the matted locks of his head the forceful impact of her falling torrents."

 

"He creates and destroys, he sustains the world, he at times obscures by his power of illusion (maya), or offers grace to the suffering world. These are the fivefold activities of Siva, symbolized by the five faces of the god (Pancanana). He sees the past, the present and the future by means of his three eyes (Trilocana). To save the earth, he drank the poison and his throat became dark-blue (Nilakantha)­. A moon's crescent round or above his central eye (Candrasekhara)­, clad like an ascetic with a tiger-skin, he holds a trident (Pinaka) in his hand; he rides the bull Nandi. Some of his images represent him as a four-armed person-age, two of the hands holding a battle-axe (khadga) and a deer, the two other hands in poses signifying assurance of safety and liberality; in some other representations, he carries a bow, a thunderbolt, an axe, a skull-capped staff, a drum."

 

Shiva's family is composed of his wife Uma (Sakti) and their two sons Ganesh and Kartikeya (Subrahmanya)­. Their respective mounts are the bull, the lion, the mouse and the peacock.

 

Shiva Linga

 

At the level of symbolism, the Shiva Linga or the stone with the semi-spherical top, makes a positive contribution in man's effort to express the Divine Mystery.

 

Nilakantha

 

The demons and the celestials agreed to churn the ocean of milk. Mount Sumeru was the churning staff, the snake Vasuki the churning rope. They wanted to get ambrosia. But when they were about to get the desired nectar, poison came from the mouth of the snake. Frightened the gods and the demons ran away. They had recourse to Shiva, the Great God. Shiva out of compassion swallowed the deadly poison, which remained as a blue stain on his throat. Hence the name Nilakantha. Saved from the danger the Devas and Asuras resumed churning the ocean and shared the ambrosia that was obtained.

 

Twelve Jyotirlingas

 

The Shiva Linga is the most common object of worship all over India. But twelve such lingas are considered more important and are known as Jyotirlinga. They are situated in the following places:

 

1. Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh

2. Rameshwar in Tamil Nadu

3. Bhimashankar in Daminyal near Pune in Maharashtra

4. Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh

5. Somanath in Saurashtra

6. Nageshwar in Dwarka

7. Mallika1 in Uttar Pradesh,

8. Kedarnath in the Himalayas,

9. Dhushmeshwar in Ellora near Aurangabad

10. Trimbakeshwar near Nashik

11. Vishvanath in Benares and

12. Vaidyanath in Parli in Marathvada.

 

What is Shivaratri?

 

Shivaratri means the night of Siva. On this day Siva descends onto the earth plane to give blessings to the devotees. A midnight vigil with prayers and chanting with the mantra Om Nama Sivaya, with an abikshem to the Siva Linga, takes place all over India. The night of Shivaratri, usually coincides with the New Moon by a few hours and is an important phenomenon. You sit in vigil and look for Siva's Grace to transcend your mind, ego, maya and karma.

 

Miracles happen during this time even if you observe the vigil unconsciously. There is the story of a hunter who accidentally spilled some water on a Siva Linga during this time and as a result he became enlightened. A mouse was drinking the butter oil of a lamp. During this process the mouse ended up kindling the dying wick of the lamp. The lamp started burning bright. Both these instances took place by accident, yet they took place on the Shivaratri night. Because of this the hunter and the mouse were liberated by Siva.

 

Even if you have not done any meditation or penance, pour some water, milk and juice on a Siva Linga. You will be liberated.

 

Shivaratri at Arunachala

 

Siva becomes a mountain at Thiruvanamallai. The mountain itself is called Arunachala which means the mountain of fire. Thiruvanamallai mountain has the unique quality to smash the small "I" consciousness of people and put them in the realm of the bigger "I". This is the reason why Saint Ramana Maharishi sat at the foothill of Arunachala just inquiring "who am I?". He himself declared that the mountain has tremendous power to still the mind and kill the human ego.

 

On Shivaratri day the mountain comes alive. On this day we have planned a midnight ceremony for the mountain following which we will get a piece of the rock for the sponsors of this ceremony. A ritual will be performed at the temple followed by a ritual for the mountain.