MAHASIVARATHRI

MAHASIVARATHRI

Mahasivarathri is one of the greatest festivals dedicated to Lord Siva and celebrated all over India with religious fervour and gusto.  It usually falls on the 13 the night of the waning moon and the 14th day of the month of Magha according to the lunar calendar. The festivals are celebrated over three to ten days  according to convenience. The Hindu calendar has a ‘masa sivarathri’ every month but the main festival is described as ‘ Mahasivarathri’. Literally Mahasivarathri means the great night of Lord Siva. It falls on 24th February, 2017 this year. Devotees spend the day in prayers, fasting and meditation. They meditate on the ideal qualities of the Lord, his  virtues like self-restraint, honesty, non injury to others and forgiveness! Actual origin date of this ancient Hindu festival is unknown.

A few legends are associated with the celebration of Mahasivarathri. When the ocean was churned by the Devas and the demons with the Meru mountain at the center and Vasuki, the king of snakes as the rope, terrible and all destructive poison came out! The Devas prayed to Lord Siva to save them! Sympathizing with their trouble, Lord Siva converted the poison into a ball and gulped it down! But he stopped it in his throat so that the other worlds in his stomach should not suffer! His neck became blue on account of the effect of the poison! Thus Lord Siva came to be called ‘Neelakanta’. It is believed that Mahasivarathri is the day on which this event took place.

There is another version of the legend where the creator Brahma and the protector Lord Vishnu go in different directions to find out the origin of Lord Siva in the form of brilliant jyoti or effulgent light! They are unable to find the beginning or the end! But Brahma the creator lies and is cursed that none would offer prayers to him! That is probably why we do not have temples dedicated to Lord Brahma whereas plenty of them are found for Lord Siva and Vishnu! Mahasivarathri is considered as the day when this happened ages ago! In certain temples the Divine wedding between Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati is celebrated very grandly!

Siva temples all over India and abroad celebrate Mahashivaratri with great devotion! In America Hindu temples vie with one another in celebrating the sacred day!  Throughout the night chanting of ‘Mahanyasam and Sri Rudram’ are conducted to propitiate the Lord. Abhishekams are performed continuously during every section of the night!  There is hectic activity at night and the public throng to temples to offer worship and participate in the deliberations of the temples. People do ‘jagaran’, which means they keep themselves awake through the entire night! Not only Sri Rudram', but many other Siva sthutis are chanted and there is an ambience of spiritual fervour in every temple of Siva during Mahasivarathri.

In all the temples where the 'Jyothirlingas’ are situated there are special pujas and abhishekams.In the South, at Tiruvannamalai, Madurai, Rameswaram, and Kanchipuram Mahasivarathri is celebrated grandly! In Andhrapradesh we have the most famous Srisaila kshetra presided over by Lord Mallikarjuna and his consort Goddess Bhramaramba! The Sivaratri celebrations at Srisailam are a feast for the eye! In the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt and Sri Sarada Mutt of Sringeri in Karnataka too Sivaratri is celebrated on a grand scale! In Varanasi which is the holiest of the shrines of Lord Siva the scale of celebrations is indescribable,highly pious and spiritual! Let us participate in the holy celebrations of Mahasivarathri and be eligible for the grace and blessings of Lord Siva!!!