Maha Shivratri – A celebratory night

Shivratri or the great night of lord Shiva or Maha Shivratri in India is sacred to all the Hindus. It is one of the most celebrated Hindu festivals. It is observed annually in India during the Krishna Paksha of the Hindu month Maagh. Precisely, the celebration begins on the 13th night and continues till 14th day of the month maagh.

There are a horde of devotees awaiting this festive day to perform Maha Shivratri puja. As this day not only lures the ascetics, but also people who live family life. Since, worshiping and observing a mere fast on this holy day cuts off a range of misfortunes and brings in various blessings.

To clear the air on how Maha shivratri came into existence, one must know who Shiva is. Shiva is one of the three major divine Gods, Vishnu and Brahma. Though, all the three deities are one, yet distinct from each other.

What Does the Word Shiva Imply?

Shiva is a holistic formation of universe. It is formed from the word Vash, which is the reverse of the Shiva. Vash has its own significance and it implies enlightenment or to enlighten. As a result, Shiva is the enlightener, the one who proffers spiritual insight and widens intellectual vision. To add more, he would be glowing himself, in turn brightening the universe. Obstructing poverty and bestowing prosperity are his core values.

Lord Shiva has innumerable names, of which Mahadev being prominent and signifying his authoritative nature. He is also called Supreme God and he preserves all the core virtues that connote Absolute Spiritual Practice (Sadhana), Absolute Purity and Absolute Knowledge.

How Maha shivratri came into existence.

There are a plethora of mythological stories in the Puranas that indicates the quintessence and origination of this holy night.

The source belongs to one of the renowned stories in the legends. Lord Indra has always been living a leisureliness life. One fine day or rather a day with a bad fate struck him. Durvasa Rishi, one of the eminent sages, offered Lord Indra a garland. To which, Lord Indra disregarded by hanging it on the tusk of his elephant, Airawat. Spotting such disrespect to his offering, Rishi Durvasa got enraged and cursed him for his impoliteness, citing that he along with his other Gods would be shunned away from luxurious life, and will mislay all the supremacy. As the curse took its course, Indra and other Gods started losing battles with Asuras led by the king of assures, Mahabali. Soon, the superfluity was lost by Indra and shifted to Mahabali.

This was not the limit; Mahabali took over Swarg, and all the Apsaras and threw away Indra along with other Gods. Helpless Indra had no other choice than retreating and rushing to Lord Vishnu. He offered them an opportunity to gain back their powers. However, they would need to churn the ocean Amrita that would help them regain their lost powers. The powerless Gods had no strength or vigor to churn it alone, thus they unified with the assures to do the Samudra Manthan (churn the ocean).

As the churning began, the complete universe started turning blue. The atmosphere started crippling to a limit where no living being can survive. Poisonous fumes chocking everybody started irritating till death, with the emergence of Halahal. To this, everybody ran to Lord Shiva for help. Lord Shiva without being hesitant drank the deleterious poison. Nevertheless, he held the poison in his throat instead of swallowing it, and this turned his throat blue. Therefore, he is also named as Neelkanth. The celebration of Maha Shivratri is followed after this happening, since Lord Shiva protected the universe from collapsing.

Rajnish Nair is a content writer working with Rudra Centre, a reputed firm that specializes in spiritual products such as Rudraksha beads and gemstones etc. He is an instrumentation engineer.