Each
month there is day known as Sivaratri and once a year there is Mahashivaratri
(maha=great) -- the Great Festival of Shiva. The dates of these occasions
correspond to certain phases of the new moon when it is believed that the mind
(which is adversely affected by the power of the moon) is less susceptible to
low, animalistic forces and thus more tractable to the power of meditation and
prayer.
It
is for this reason that Mahashivaratri is believed to be the one 24-hour period
in the year which is of the greatest benefit. It has been stated in the
scriptures that if a man fasts, stays awake and meditates for the whole of
Mahashivaratri, it will give him his best chance to achieve mastery of the mind
and attain liberation.
Mahashivaratri
always falls on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Phalguna
(February-March), and is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva.
(Mahashivaratri in 2020 falls on Friday, February 21st). On this day devotees
sing Shiva bhajans, recite verses from scriptures, offer prayers in the morning
and evening, and some observe fasting throughout the day. People visit Shiva
Temples and in the case of Arunachala, premier Shiva site of South India,
circumambulation of Arunachala Hill is observed by many.
The
name Shiva signifies a quality that means 'Auspicious' or 'The Auspicious One'.
To a few, Shiva is Paramatman, Brahman, the Absolute, but many more prefer to
see Shiva as a personal God given to compassion for his worshippers, and the
dispenser of both spiritual and material blessings. Related to the Absolute
concept is Shiva as Yoganath, the Lord of Yoga, wherein he becomes teacher,
path and goal. As such he is the Adi Guru or Highest Guru of sannyasins who
have renounced the world to attain the Absolute.
One
of the early traditions, is Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurti; the
South-Facing Guru. In this form, seated on a low platform, with one leg hanging
down in front, he communicated the Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Wisdom to the
four Kumaras who appeared early in creation. The Guru spoke no words but taught
them by the transmission of mind-to-mind, and its purpose was to show that man
can realise the Absolute when the human mind is in complete equipoise with the
Cosmic Mind.
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| Dakshinamurti |
While
almost all other festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivaratri is
celebrated at night: and night stands for all that is evil; ignorance,
darkness, sin, violence, treachery, falsehood, and misfortune. Mythology says
that Shiva appeared to save the world from Tamoguna (darkness and ignorance).
There
are a number of legends connected with the origin of Shivaratri. One such
legend is that Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati were married on this day.
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| Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati Marriage |
Our
own Arunachala legend, proclaims it to be the day Lord Shiva appeared as a
luminous Jyotilingam before Brahma and Vishnu.
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| Lingodbhavamurti (Ellora) |
On
Mahashivaratri, Lord Shiva is Lingodbhavamurti, the pillar of fire that spans
all, with no beginning and no end. The devout believe that they are on their
way to oneness with Shiva, that they will join with the Supreme after hours of
darkness spent in fasting and prayer. The worship of Lingodbhavamurti is with
the leaves of the bilva, gathered from quince trees. The lingam is showered,
unceasingly, with basketfuls of these, and other flowers, (just as the hunter
in the below legend once did).
And
it is believed that on the day of Mahashivaratri, all twelve Jyotirlingams of
India manifested.
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| 12 Jyotilingams |
Shiva Purana legend about the Hunter
and the Lingam:-
“In
ancient times, a Bheel (forest inhabitant) named Gurudruha trudged through a
forest to hunt deer. At night, without having sighted a single animal, he
climbed a Bilva (Aegle marmelos) tree on the banks of a lake. Later at night, a
doe arrived to drink water. Gurudruha aimed his bow and arrow at her. While
aiming, he unknowingly dropped some Bilva leaves and his drinking water below
on a Shivalingam that happened to be under the tree. The deer then requested
him to allow her to entrust her fawns to her husband, after which she would
return. After much haggling he agreed.
While
awaiting her return, he stayed awake by aimlessly plucking leaves and dropping
them below. Again they fell on the Shivalingam. Thus he unknowingly performed
its puja (worship) while remaining awake all night. Finally the doe returned
with her family, She informed him that along with her, he'd have to kill her
family too. As he aimed, some more leaves fluttered down on the Shivalingam.
The
collective punya (spiritual merit) accrued from the puja performed unknowingly,
eradicated all his sins. This purified his heart. Repenting his flawed life of
sin, he set the deer free. As he sat repenting, Lord Shiva manifested in front
of him and granted him a boon, "You shall be born in a town known as
Shrungver, as a man named Gruha. Lord Vishnu will grace your home as Lord Rama
and redeem you." (This event is described in the Ramayana.) Shiva also
blessed the deer, which attained a better destiny.”
Another
legend of Mahashivaratri traces the origin of this festival to the churning of
the Ocean of Milk by devas (gods) and asuras (demons). It is said that when
both gods and demons were churning the Ocean of Milk to obtain amrita (water of
immortal life), they came across many unusual substances, including the deadly
poison Kalakuta. As soon as they touched the poison, it exploded into poisonous
fumes that threatened to envelope the entire Universe with darkness.
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| Churning the Ocean |
When
the destruction of the Universe seemed inevitable, the gods ran for assistance from
Brahma and Vishnu, but neither was able to help. At last they ran to Lord
Shiva, who raised his trident and condensed the fumes. In order to save the
creation, Shiva swallowed the poison without spilling a single drop. The poison
left a dark blue mark on Shiva's throat. The gods praised and worshipped Shiva
for saving the Universe.
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| Lord Shiva drinking the poison |
The
Ocean of Milk represents the ideal world that is full of peace and happiness
for all human beings. Churning the Ocean of Milk signifies the human activity
in the world. The amrita symbolizes happiness and the poison represents human
greed and selfishness. Shiva symbolizes the atman (self), and worship of Shiva
denotes meditation and contemplation by an individual on his or her own self.
Thus
the only way to achieve peace and happiness is by worshipping Shiva at night,
that is, by meditating on one's own self during the night when the individual
is free from the distractions of the physical world. When the individual
attains self-knowledge, he or she can live in the world without being affected
by anger, greed, and selfishness, the three enemies of one's soul.
Mahashivaratri symbolizes the worship of the atman within.
At
Suruttapalli (located in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh), there is a
unique Temple. It is at this place that Lord Shiva is depicted drinking the
poison (karma) of the world with Goddess Parvati holding his head in her lap so
that the poison does not spill back out into the world. It is thought that by
going there and in particular by performing puja there, that bad effects of
karma may be averted.
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| Lord at Surattapalli |
Because
at Suruttapalli Lord Dakshinamurti (Jupiter) can be found in the rare form in
which his Shakti is present, it is believed that this symbolises that the
Goddess is present to take hold of the pain and suffering of devotees and
expiate their bad karma.
On
the night of Mahashivaratri one can devote oneself to the chanting of the Vedic
Rudram, or the five-syllable mantra of Shiva - Om Namah Shivaya - and on
meditating on Him, thereby remembering one's ultimate goal, which is God
Realization, the purpose of human birth. By ascending to the top of Arunachala
within oneself, and trying to experience the presence of the God Shiva within
as one's very own self, and simultaneously as the Universal Self permeating the
entire universe, one draws close to Lord Shiva on this night.
On
this day it is easy to please Lord Shiva by fasting and prayer. The main prayer
is usually conducted during the night. Every three hours the devotee worships
Lord Shiva in the form of a Shiva Lingam and bathing the Lingam with milk,
ghee, honey, curd, rose water, etc. Lord Shiva is also greatly pleased by the
offering of Bilva leaves. This worship is replicated in the worship at the
Arunachaleswarar Temple which will take place tonight:
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| Invitation and Schedule |
1st Kala Puja Night (21st February) 7.30 p.m.
2nd Kala Puja Night (21st February) 11.30 p.m.
3rd Kala Puja Morning (22nd February) 02.30 a.m.
4th Kala Puja Morning (22nd February) 04.30 a.m.
Midnight
21st-22nd February Special Pooja and Alankaram to Sri Lingodbhava Moorthi.
All Are Invited
To
find out more about the signifiance of Mahashivaratri and learn how it is
celebrated elsewhere in India, go to this link here.
