Happy Maha-Shivaratri

Kailashnath Mahadev Wishes all of the members a very Shubh Maha-Shivaratri.

Mahashivaratri :
‘The Night of Shiva’ is celebrated with devotion and religious fervor in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu Trinity.


How To Worship :


worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the day and night. Every three hours priests perform ritual pooja of Shivalingam by bathing it with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the chanting of “Om Namah Shivaya’ and ringing of temple bells. Nightlong vigil or jaagran is also observed in Shiva temples where large number of devotees spend the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. It is only on the following morning that devotee break their fast by partaking prasad offered to the deity.


Story Behind Shivaratri :


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


Customs Behind shivaratri


Devotees observe strict fast in honor of Shiva, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk some do not consume even a drop of water. Devotees strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri, absolves a person of sins and liberates him from the cycle of birth and death. Shivaratri is considered especially auspicious for women. While married women pray for the well being of their husbands unmarried women pray for a husband like Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the ideal husband. 


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new WORLD TALLEST STATUE OF SHIVA from nepal.wmv

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Shivratri is the time when Shiva takes a rest.
Shiva rests for one 'prahar' (three hours) of the night..
This 'prahar' is referred to as the Shivratri.
When Lord Shiva takes rest, the function of
'Shivtatva' (Shiva Principle) ceases,
i.e. Lord Shiva goes into a meditative state.



Shiva's meditative state is the time when
He is engrossed in His own spiritual practice.
During that time,
the 'Shivtatva' does not accept any tamogun
(most base of the 3 elements in us - sattva, raja & tama)
or
any halahal (venom churned from the ocean)
coming from the Universe.
As a result,
the ratio of halahal or the pressure
of the negative energies increases.
For protection from this pressure, things like
'bilva patra', white flowers, 'rudraksha' beads etc
are offered to Lord Shiva.

These things attract the 'Shivtatva' from the atmosphere,
thus providing protection from the increasing
effect of the negative energies.
The Earth is a gross object.
Gross objects have very low velocities
i.e. they require more time to cover a specific distance in space.
Gods on the other hand, are subtle hence they
are capable of traversing space within a few seconds.
That is why one year on the earth
is equivalent to just one day of heaven.

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Mahashivaratri

Mahashivaratri Festival

Mahashivaratri Festival or the ‘The Night of Shiva’ is celebrated with devotion and religious fervor in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu Trinity. Shivaratri falls on the moonless 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun, which corresponds to the month of February - March in English Calendar. Celebrating the festival of Shivaratri devotees observe day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva Lingam to appease Lord Shiva.

Legends of MahashivratriThere are various interesting legends related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri. According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Some believe that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction. Another popular Shivratri legend stated in Linga Purana states that it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga. Hence the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by Shiva devotees and they celebrate it as Mahashivaratri - the grand night of Shiva.

Traditions and Customs of ShivaratriVarious traditions and customs related to Shivaratri Festival are dutifully followed by the worshippers of Lord Shiva. Devotees observe strict fast in honor of Shiva, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk some do not consume even a drop of water. Devotees strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri, absolves a person of sins and liberates him from the cycle of birth and death. Shivaratri is considered especially auspicious for women. While married women pray for the well being of their husbands unmarried women pray for a husband like Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the ideal husband.

To mark the Shivratri festival, devotees wake up early and take a ritual bath, preferably in river Ganga. After wearing fresh new clothes devotees visit the nearest Shiva temple to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum with milk, honey, water etc.

On Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the day and night. Every three hours priests perform ritual pooja of Shivalingam by bathing it with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the chanting of “Om Namah Shivaya’ and ringing of temple bells. Nightlong vigil or jaagran is also observed in Shiva temples where large number of devotees spend the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. It is only on the following morning that devotee break their fast by partaking prasad offered to the deity.

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