M A H A S H I V A R A T R I Magha, Chaturthi (Krishna paksha) By Malini Bisen Hinduism as a faith and way of life. It is many sided, bound by a common search for truth and has a large pantheon of gods and goddesses. Hinduism grew by a process of acceptance and assimilation. Hinduism is a monotheistic religion, believing in the Supreme Being from who emanates everything. The various manifestations of this Being are worshipped in visible forms to enable people to concentrate on the abstract Being. Swami Vivekananda also laid emphasis on the fact that for the purpose of concentration and worship the presence of a physical form is an absolute necessity. Shiva - the word meaning auspicious - is one of the Hindu Trinity, comprising of Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the Preserver and Shiva or Mahesh, the Destroyer and Re-Producer of life. Time is invisible and formless. Therefore Mahakala Shiva, as per the Vedas, manifested himself as "LINGUM" to make mankind aware of the presence of Eternal Time. That day when Shiva manifested himself in the form of "Lingum" was the fourth day of the dark night in the month of Magha i.e. February-March. This is confirmed by Rishi Markendeya in the sloka: - "That night, when the many-splendor Shiva-Lingum dazzled the world with its appearance, was the night of the MahaShivaratri- the night of the great Shiva". This MahaShivaratri festival continues to be celebrated since then. Maharshi Narada advised mankind to fast on this day and pray to the All- Powerful Shiva so that in all His kindness He pardons all the sins that are committed in the past three lives. For Children s camp August 2003, K.Raghunandan 1
Lord Shiva is portrayed as an ascetic, sitting on a tiger skin, a bunch of poisonous snakes coiled round his blue neck, his hair and his body. He received the waters of the sacred river Ganga that rushed down from heaven with an unimaginable force and ferocity in the coil of his hair on his head to save the world from total annihilation and released the water slowly on the plains to flow. Lord Shiva has a third eye in the center of his forehead along with a crescent moon. His most powerful weapon is the Trishul, the trident. His favorite mount is the sacred bull, Nandi who is also worshipped. His abode is on the high majestic Kailasa mountain where he resides with his celestial consort goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Shiva-Lingum, which symbolizes the power behind the creation. As Nataraja, the master of the art of dancing, he is depicted in sculptures in bronze and images in metal. In fact, the entire world of art revolves round Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. Thus this MahaShivaratri festival is in honor of Lord Shiva. Devotees observe fast the whole day and keep vigil throughout the night. After fasting the whole day devotees bathe with the water that is boiled with black sesame seeds to wash away bodily impurities. Then putting on new clothes they wash the Lingum with milk and perform religious rites, put haldi-kumkum on the lingum and a garland of white and pink lotus flowers. Bel leaves are placed in front of the Lingum and "Aarthi" and "bhajans" are sung to invoke his blessings. The aroma of the lighted agarbattis seem to float in the air and from temples are heard the chinning of the bells and the sound of melodious devotional songs. All this surely must reach Mount Kailasa and wake Him up from his deep meditation to bless mankind. Our ancient religious scriptures specially Linga Puraana abound with stories of Lord Shiva's kindness and kind-heartedness in giving boons to His devotees. For Children s camp August 2003, K.Raghunandan 2
This festival of Maha Shivaratri is held in great esteem in most of the regions in India but especially in Ujjaini in Madhya Pradesh. In Ujjaini in the famous temple of Mahakaleshwara Shiva's Lingum is worshipped with the performance of all the religious rites and rituals. The story goes that a powerful demon that lived on Ratnamala mountain attacked Avanti - the name of the present-day Ujjain in those days - and killed a Brahmin sage by putting him in fire. The angry Lord Shiva opened his third eye and burnt the demon to ashes. On that very spot of land where Lord Shiva opened his third eye and killed the demon appeared the Shiva-Lingum. A majestic temple was built on that ground. The mention of this temple is found in `Adi-Brahma Puraana' and its detailed description in the `Gyana- Samhita'. The illustrious king Vikramaditya during the time he was the ruler of Ujjaini, visited the Mahakaleshwara temple every morning, after his bath. He bowed before the Shiva-Lingum in all humility and prayed to Lord Shiva to mercifully grant prosperity and happiness to his subjects and peace to the land over which he ruled. He placed one hundred and eleven Bel leaves one by one on the Shiva lingum and while placing each leaf he praised Lord Shankar by reciting the a shloka. In Kashmir, since the majority of Kashmiri Pandits are followers of Shiva, this MahaShivaratri festival is observed for fifteen continuous days. The thirteenth day of this festival in Kashmir is known by the name of HERATH, which is celebrated with indescribable zest and joy. The Kashmiris believe that the marriage of Shiva and Parvati was celebrated on the day of Herath. In West Bengal Shivaratri has become almost a folk festival. Young unmarried girls observe day-long fast, keep awake the whole night, sing devotional songs and pray to Lord Shankar to give them good and virtuous husbands. For Children s camp August 2003, K.Raghunandan 3
In Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh devotees of Shiva take holy bath at Sangam - the confluence of the three sacred rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati- with faith that all their sins in the past and present be washed away so that they can go to heaven after death. Magha Meal fair is also held in Allahabad. In Maharashtra on this day of Shivaratri every temple of Lord Shiva resounds with Vedic mantras and shlokas. These are recited during the Lord Shiva's "Abhishekha" which is the ritual bath given to the Shiva- Lingum. Fasting is observed, night vigil is kept, and alms, food and sweets are distributed amongst the poor. In our country there are twelve "JYOTIRLINGAS" of Lord Shiva at twelve places that are sacred to the Hindus. It is believed that all these twelve Jyotirlingas are "Swayambhus" meaning that they sprung up by themselves at these places and afterwards only temples were built. Every Hindu believes that at least once in one s lifetime one must visit these twelve Jyotirlingas and then one will be absolved of all the sinful acts one may have committed. These twelve Jyotirlingas are: - 1. Somnath in Kathiawar. 2. Shri-Shailya-Mallikarjun in the South. 3. Mahakaleshwara in Ujjain. 4. Omkarnath on the bank of river Yamuna. 5. Parali-Vaidyanath in Marathwada. 6. Bhimashankar on the bank of Bhima River. 7. Rameshwara in Tamil Nadu. 8. Naganath in Marathwada. 9. Ghrusneshwar at Daulatabad. 10. Kashi-Vishveshwar in Varanasi (Kashi). 11. Kedarnath in Uttar Pradesh. 12. Trimbakeshwar in Nasik (Maharashtra). Lord Shiva is known by many names like Shankar, Mahesh, Bholenath, Neelakanth, Shambhu Kailasheshwar, Umanath, Nataraja and others. He is the most sought-after deity amongst the Hindus and pray to him as the god of immense kind-heartedness who they believe grants all their wishes. Around him are weaved many interesting stories that reveal His magnanimous heart. In addition, these stories and legends also enrich the Indian culture and art. For Children s camp August 2003, K.Raghunandan 4 The article is provided by Malini Bisen.
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