Hari Aum.
The auspicious spiritual day (or rather night) of Maha Shivaratri occurs in two days time according to the Vedic lunar calendar. For spiritual seekers, this is one of the most important days in the year. This night is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion by yogis all over the globe.
In 2017, I was fortunate enough to be at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh to attend the celebration and it was a truly beautiful experience. The Vishvanath temple (In Sanskrit, 'vishva' means 'world' or 'cosmos' and 'nath' means 'lord' or 'master'-- this term is used to describe Lord Shiva) at the Ashram is one of the most wonderful temples I have visited (and I have been to many both in India and outside!).
The temple contains all the main deities of the Vedic tradition including Shiva, Krishna and the Divine Mother. At the end of the morning arati (spiritual ceremony), a set of (automatic!) drums begin to beat and the deep booming sound reverberates all over the Ashram. This usually coincides with the time when the morning homam (adjacent to the main shrine is a room kept especially for the performance of the sacred fire ceremony) is completed. There is a very beautiful spiritual atmosphere created by the combination of the rhythmic chanting of mantras, lighting of lamps, burning of incense and the beating of the drums.
For Shivaratri, the temple is usually covered and filled with numerous flower garlands (typically marigold; the orange colour represents the fire of tapas, of spiritual austerity). Numerous clay lamps are lit and placed in and around the temple.
The residents of the ashram (sannyasis/nuns/monks), and visting householders and others, who attend the Shivaratri celebration stay awake all night in worship of Shiva. Every 2 hours or so, a puja is conducted overnight. The Shiva linga (abstract representation of Lord Shiva) is bathed in various materials (including milk, yoghurt, ghee/clarified butter and honey) symbolising the offering of our entire being to Him. The great panchakshara mantra of Lord Shiva, namely 'Om Namah Shivaya' is chanted many times, and various bhajans (or devotional songs) are sung throughout the night.
People often maintain a fast (to varying degrees depending upon their constitution and health-- some abstaining from all food and drink, while others drink water only or have fruit alone) during the daytime and overnight. The next morning, once the celebrations have been completed, the fast is broken. In our Puranas, it is said that it is particularly easy to please Lord Shiva and obtain His blessing by worshipping Him on this auspicious occasion.
Please see the link below for a very nice description by my Guru, Sivananda, of the significance of this night and the method of worship performed by devotees:
Why, one might ask, is Shiva in such a particularly good mood on this auspicious day? One of His famous names is 'Ashutosha' meaning 'One who is easily pleased' (indicating His compassionate nature). He is said to always be easy to please (as long as one is sincere about conquest of one's lower nature and adheres to dharma of course!). But, Shivaratri is the night when the benevolent aspect of Lord Shiva is at its peak-- why is this?
Well, the answer lies in an ancient legend described in the Puranas (especially the Shiva Purana) and I will narrate this now. (I will describe the story here as faithfully as possible based upon the writings in the Shiva Purana).
The story begins in the Himalayas. In Puranic legend, it is said that this mountain range is ruled by a divinity (an aspect of the Supreme Being) known as King Himavan (In Sanskrit, 'hima' means 'snow' and this name means 'One who possesses snow'. He is also called 'Himaraja' meaning the 'King of snow'. The word 'Himalaya' in Sanskrit, means the 'abode of snow').
This noble King and his wife, Queen Menavati were ardent devotees of Shiva and the Divine Mother. In time, they had two divine daughters-- the first was the Goddess Ganga, She who had the power to purify all who came into contact with her.
The second daughter, was an avatar of none other than the Divine Mother Shakti or Durga Herself. She was named 'Parvati', meaning 'daughter of the mountain' (The Sanskrit word 'Parvata' means 'mountain'). She was a reincarnation of Sati, the previous wife of Lord Shiva.
After Sati's departure, Shiva had retired to the snowy peak of Mount Kailas within the Himalayas and plunged deep into meditation. In the meantime, a negative energy (asura or demonic energy) known as Tarakasura had manifested. According to a boon that he had obtained, he could only be defeated by a son born of Durga and Shiva.
However, as Shiva had now adopted the life of an ascetic, and as His consort, Shakti, was no longer manifest and united with Him, there appeared to be no prospect at all of any son being born to Them. Tarakasura, therefore, gleefully enjoyed tormenting and enslaving beings all over the universe, feeling sure that he would face no danger from the Divine.
Filled with great sorrow and distress, the devas (demi-gods) and other celestials then turned to the Divine Mother. They worshipped Her ardently and prayed to Her to take on an avatar to relieve their distress. Queen Menaka was a great devotee of the Mother and requested Her to be born as her daughter and She agreed.
And so, Durga was born as the daughter of the mountain and came to be known as Parvati. When She manifested, nature became very tranquil and there was a great sense of peace and bliss everywhere. Her parents celebrated with much delight and gave away many gifts away in charity.
As She grew up into a little girl, She played with Her toys and engaged in games with other children. Her parents, filled with great love for Her, almost seemed to forget that She was none other than the Divine Mother. They treated Her as their own greatly beloved child.
One day, the divine sage, Narada, who was well-versed in a range of subjects (both material and spiritual) paid a visit to the Mountain King.
After welcoming him with great affection and offering him food and drink, King Himavan asked the sage if he would kindly take a look at the palm of his daughter, Parvati, and predict Her future. The sage was known to be an expert in a number of mystical subjects including astrology and palm-reading. Narada agreed and smilingly took the hand of Parvati and studied it carefully.
He then made the following pronouncement: "Your daughter, O King, will lead a most blessed life. She will be a source of bliss to all. She shall bring glory to your home. She is filled with countless virtues."
"There is, however, an uncommon line indicating the nature of Her husband. He shall be a yogi, free of desire, and indifferent to honour. He will not have a mother or father. He will wear the attire of an ascetic and His manner shall not be sociable."
Upon hearing these words describing the future husband of Parvati, Her parents became very upset and anxious. However, She, knowing that these words indicated Shiva Himself, was filled with tremendous joy.
Narada then reassured Himavan that there was no cause for alarm. Parvati, he said, was destined to marry Shiva. The mountain King then asked how Shiva could be expected to marry anyone when He lived the life of a monastic in the mountain. Furthermore, He had sworn never to marry anyone except Sati, who had left Her body years ago.
How then, he asked, could He possibly be a suitable husband for Parvati? Narada then reminded Himavan that his daughter was none other than Durga Herself-- She had taken on an avatar as Sati in the past, and had now manifested as Parvati.
She would occupy a seat at the side of Shiva for eternity, said Narada, declaring that the love between them would be truly matchless. Hearing these words, Parvati, bent Her head in apparent shyness, and smiled to Herself, while Her parents listened in astonishment.
Himavan and Menaka then bade the sage an affectionate farewell and the King rejoiced greatly. When Parvati grew up, She had a dream of a sage advising Her to perform spiritual austerities to obtain Shiva as Her husband. Her father, too, had a similar dream in which a sage had advised him to support his daughter in Her penance.
In the meantime, Her mother, Menaka, had been feeling that the words of Narada could not possibly be true. She wanted her beloved daughter to have a charming and handsome husband from a noble family. She wanted a conventional home and life for her child and did not at all like the idea of Parvati suffering any hardship while attempting to attain Shiva (the thought of this made her tearful). She, therefore, told Himavan that they should seek a suitable bridegroom for their daughter, who was highly auspicious in every way.
Hearing of her mother's wishes, Parvati told her of the dream that She had had. When Menaka told Himavan of this and brought him to Parvati, he told them both that he too had received the same advice in his dream-- he was to support Parvati in her wish to attain Shiva!
With this in mind, the noble mountain King made his way to the steep, snowy mountain peak where Shiva was immersed in meditation upon the nameless, formless, abstract Brahman. After waiting respectfully for Him to emerge from His meditation, he venerated Him and declared his wish to serve Him.
Shiva smilingly stated that He wished to remain completely alone and undisturbed in meditation. The mountain King should ensure that nobody approached the desolate area where He lived. He still felt tormented by His separation from Sati and meditation upon His true nature as Brahman eased this feeling. All He wanted to do, therefore, was meditate.
To be continued....
Om Sri Durgayai Namah.
Om Namah Shivaya.
Om Namo Narayana.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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