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II
Maha Shivaratri
II
Maha Shivaratri,
the night of the worship of Shiva, occurs on the 14th night of
the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna. It
falls on a moonless February night, when Hindus offer special
prayer to the lord of destruction. Shivaratri (Sanskrit 'ratri'
= night) is the night when he is said to have performed the
Tandava Nritya or the dance of primordial creation, preservation
and destruction. The festival is observed for one day and one
night only.
Shivaratri, one of India's biggest festivals, honors, the power
of Shiva Linga. Long ago a hunter killed too many animals and
birds to carry them all home before dark, so he spent the night
terrified and hungry up a tree. It was the night when there was
no moon in the month of phalgun (February / March) - a sacred
night to Shiva. The hunter's constant trembling caused petals
and dew to fall from the tree on to a linga beneath, and the god
was pleased. When the hunter home and died on the following day.
Shiva decreed that, since the man had worshipped the linga on
the night of Shivaratri, he was fit to spend his after life on
mount kailash.
Shiva the “Great God”
“It is probable that, long before the arrival of the Aryans, the
‘great god’ (‘Mahadeva’ or ‘Maheshvara’) was wor-shipped in
India.” Mount Kailas in the Himalayas is the abode of Shiva.
“The Ganges came down from the heavens because Shiva bore on the
matted locks of his head the forceful impact of her falling
torrents.”
“He creates and destroys, he sustains the world, he at times
obscures by his power of illusion (maya), or offers grace to the
suffering world. These are the fivefold activities of Siva,
symbolised by the five faces of the god (Pancanana). He sees the
past, the present and the future by means of his three eyes (Trilocana).
To save the earth, he drank the poison and his throat became
dark-blue (Nilakantha). A moon’s crescent round or above his
central eye (Candrasekhara), clad like an ascetic with a
tiger-skin, he holds a trident (Pinaka) in his hand; he rides
the bull Nandi. Some of his images represent him as a four-armed
person-age, two of the hands holding a battle-axe (khadga) and a
deer, the two other hands in poses signifying assurance of
safety and liberality; in some other representations, he carries
a bow, a thunderbolt, an axe, a skull-capped staff, a drum.”
Shiva’s family is composed of his wife Uma (Sakti) and their two
sons Ganesh and Kartikeya (Subrahmanya). Their respective mounts
are the bull, the lion, the mouse and the peacock.
Shiva Linga
The stone in its spherical form untouched by the sculptor, is
the form nearest to the formless. And the sexual union of male
and female is the farthest the human mind can reach to express
the creative action of God. This action, as God Himself, remains
a mystery to man. All that man can do is to look at nature and
see how a new being comes into existence. Since nature is the
work of God, it is logical to conclude that both the male and
the female principles must be found in God Himself, the sexes
being only a manifestation of God’s nature. At the level of
symbolism, the Shiva Linga or the stone with the semi-spherical
top, makes a positive contribution in man’s effort to express
the Divine Mystery.
Shiva Rituals
On the day of Shivaratri, a three-tiered platform is built
around a fire. The topmost plank represents swargaloka (heaven),
the middle one antarikshaloka (space) and the bottom one bhuloka
(earth). Eleven urns or kalash, are kept on the swargaloka plank
symbolising the eleven manifestations of the Rudra Shiva. These
are decorated with bilva (woodapple leaves) and mango leaves
atop a coconut representing the head of Shiva. The uncut shank
of the coconut symbolizes his tangled hair and the three spots
on the fruit Shiva's three eyes.
The Festivity
People observe a strict fast on
this day. Some devotees do not even take a drop of water and
they keep vigil all night. The Shiva Lingam is worshipped
throughout the night by washing it every three hours with milk,
curd, honey, rose water, etc., whilst the chanting of the Mantra
"Om Namah Shivaya" continues. Offerings of Bel leaves are made
to the Lingam as Bel leaves are considered very sacred and it is
said that Goddess Lakshmi resides in them.
Prayers for Maha
Shivaratri
Legends behind
Shivaratri
-
Once Lord
Vishnu and Lord Bramaha argued over each other’s prowess.
However, Lord Shiva challenged both of them. He appeared as
a flaming Linga and challenged the duo to measure the
gigantic Linga (phallic symbol of Lord Shiva). Lord Bramaha,
who took the form of a swan, and Lord Vishnu who became a
boar and went to Netherland, were both unable to measure the
Shivalinga. Then Lord Shiva came out of the Linga and
declared himself the most powerful. Maha Shivaratri
therefore means the grand night of Shiva. The devotees of
Shiva fast during this day and pray to the lord throughout
the night. This legend goes to prove the supremacy of
Mahadev over other Hindu Gods.
-
King Daksha,
opposed Sati's marriage with Shiva. At a yagna (holy
sacrifice) the king ignored Shiva’s presence and thereby
insulted the latter publicly. Sati was so angered by this
that she jumped into the sacrificial fire and ended her
life. Lord Shiva unleashed his fury at the death of his wife
by performing the violent dance, Taandav. He wiped out
Daksha’s kingdom, undertook rigorous penance and retired to
the Himalayas. The Gods, who feared that the severity of
Shiva’s penance might bring an end to the world, revived
Sati in the new avatar of Parvati. Shiva-Parvati married and
this reunion is celebrated on Maha Shivaratri.
Twelve
Jyotirlingas
The Shiva Linga is the most common object of worship all
over India. But twelve such stones are considered more
important and are known as Jyotirlinga. They are situated in
the following places:
Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh
Rameshwar in Tamil Nadu
Bhimashankar in Daminyal near Pune in
Maharashtra
Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain in Madhya
Pradesh
Somanath in Saurashtra
Nageshwar in Dwarka
Mallika1 in Uttar Pradesh,
Kedarnath in the Himalayas,
Dhushmeshwar in Ellora near Aurangabad
Trimbakeshwar near Nashik
Vishvanath in Benares and
Vaidyanath in Parli in Marathvada.
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