Mahadev & Maha Shivratri
Chandra, the moon-god, disobeyed his father-in-law, Daksha Prajapati. Daksha had given him 27 wives and told him that he should love all wives equally. Chandra, however, preferred only one of them,Rohini. An angry Daksha, therefore cursed Chandra, that he would suffer from the wasting disease. Each day, his luster would wane and eventually he would disappear forever. As a result, the Chandra started to wane. A terrified Chandra did not know what to do. Being a Deva, a sky-god, he turned to his king, Indra, and begged him for help. "The only person you can turn to is Shiva," said Indra, "because he is not a Deva. He is a Maha-Deva, greater than all gods put together."
Chandra went to Prabhas khetra, performed penance of Mahamrtunjaya mantra and prayed to Lord Shiva, at the end of which Lord Shiva appeared before him. He gave Chandra the boon that in a month, he would grow for fifteen days in one half and in the other half he would keep loosing one Kala (shade) per day and decrease in size. Shiva picked Chandra up and gently placed him on his forehead. Instantly, the moon began to wax once again. Daksha had caused Chandra to degenerate; Shiva had helped him regenerate. Chandra realized why Indra had addressed Shiva as Maha-deva. Chandra established the festival of Shiva-ratri each month, at the tail end of the waning half of the lunar month. And once a year, he established the Maha-Shiva-ratri, to mark the end of the winter months and the waxing of the summer seasons
MahaMrityunJaya Mantra
Aum Haum Joom Sah Aum Bhur Bhuvah Swaha
Aum Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushti-vardhanam |
Urva - rukamiva Bandhanan
Mrtyor - muksheeya Maamritat ||
Aum Swaha Bhuvah Bhuh Aum Sah Joom Haum Aum
Meaning: ("We worship The Three-Eyed Lord Shiva who is naturally fragrant, immensely merciful and who is the Protector of the devotees. Worshipping him may we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality just as the ripe cucumber easily separates itself from the binding stalk i.e. "By your Grace, Let me be in the state of salvation (Moksha) and be saved from the clutches of fearful death and calamities".
Legends behind the celebration of Maha- Shivratri
According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri is the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati.
According to a legend, Parvati performed tapas, and prayed and Parvati meditated on this day to ward off any evil that may befall her husband on the moonless night. Since then, Mahashivaratri is believed to be an auspicious occasion for women to pray for the well-being of their husbands and sons. An unmarried woman prays for a husband like Shiva, who is considered to be the ideal husband.
It is also believed that Lord Shiva performed 'Tandava', the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction on this auspicious night of Shivratri.
According to another popular legend, described in Linga Purana, it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga for the first time. Since then, the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by the devotees of Shiva and they celebrate it as Maha Shivaratri - the grand night of Shiva.
The Celebration Of Mahashivratri
Maha Shivaratri is celebrated with great devotion , in honor of Lord Shiva. The festival falls on the moonless, 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun (in the month of February - March, according to English Calendar). On the festival of Maha Shivaratri, devotees observe day and night fast and worship Shiva Lingam, to appease Lord Shiva.
Shiva devotees observe strict fast on Maha Shivaratri, with many people having only fruits and milk and some not even consuming a drop of water. Worshippers dutifully follow all the traditions and customs related to Shivaratri festival, as they strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva, on the auspicious day, releases a person of his sins and also liberates him from the cycle of birth and death
On Maha Shivratri, devotees wake up early in the morning and take a bath, if possible in river Ganga. After wearing fresh clothes, they visit the nearest Shiva temple, to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum (with milk, honey, water etc). Sandlewood paste Belpatra, fruits, flowers are offered to Lord Shiva. The worship continues the whole day and whole night. Jaagran (nightlong vigil) might also be observed in Lord Shiva temples, where a large number of devotees sing hymns and devotional songs, in praise of Lord Shiva. In the morning, devotees break their fast by partaking the prasad offered to Lord Shiva, after the aarti, the night before. Shivalingm abhishek is done while chanting 'Shiva-mahimna stotra", Rudra-ashtadhyayi, Om Namah Shivaya, Mahamriyunjaya mantra, Shiva pnchakshara stotra, Shiva sahtranaam stotram etc.
comment:
p_commentcount