MAHASHIVARATRI
what's the importance of mahashivaratri
Mahashivaratri or the great night of shiva has immense spiritual and cultural importance
it is about honoring lord shiva and seeking his divine blessings and guidance in life
celebrating the shiva tattva in shivaratri is taking refuge in shiva. shiva is peace, infinity, beauty and the non-dual one
albert einstein proved that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another. the energy that changes forms is called shiva
the greatest offering to god is yourself. to offer one’s self is the key to happiness in life
at times, when you feel nothing goes right in life, you should surrender your everything to the almighty god. the greatest power is in the surrender to the divine
shivam shantam advaitam – shivam means your very self, your innermost core, the purest self
shantam – is quiet, peaceful and very innocent
advaitam – is non dual where there is only one
shivaratri is taking refuge in lord shiva ( the soul ). it is celebrating the shiva tatva within oneself
it is not only rest for the body through discipline and fast and prayers on this day but also for the mind and the ego
when the mind, intellect and ego rest in the divine space, that is the real rest and the deepest rest- complete peace
https://isha.sadhguru.org/mahashivratri/significance-of-mahashivratri/
legendary stories related to mahashivaratri
hindu sacred scriptures describes a number of popular legends related to the festival of mahashivaratri
these legends explain the importance of this day and also depict the greatness of lord shiva
***some legends suggests that this festival is said to be the night when the lord shiva performed the tandava nrityam, the celestial dance of creation, preservation and destruction
***according to hindu mythology, the holy river ganga descended from the heavens.
on this divine night of mahashivratri, lord shiva held out his thick matted hair to hold the ganges and softened ganga’s journey towards the earth. therefore devotees celebrate this day by offering the holy ganga water on shivalinga
***according to mythological story, it marks the day when lord shiva married goddess parvati. the story says that observing a day long fast and worshipping lord shiva with great vigor can destroy all bad karmas and bring miraculous changes to the life of the devotee
***according to shaivites, shivratri is celebrated to express gratitude to lord shiva who saved the world from the poison – (haalahal) that emerged from the khshirsagar (sea ) during the samudra manthan
it is believed that the merciful lord shiva drank the poison and stored it in his throat which made his throat turn blue – due to which he was called by another name neelkantha
as a form of therapy, the devas suggested lord shiva to stay awake throughout the night. hence it is believed that the night vigil is linked with mahashivratri
***a story from shiv purana narrates that one goddess parvati asked lord shiva how his devotees can please him through what rituals
to this lord shiva replied that he would be most happy that on the 14th night of the new moon, during the month of phalgun which is his favorite day when devotees offer gangajal and bel leaves and these leaves and water are the most precious to him than any other offering
goddess parvati narrated this to her friends which spread all over the creation like wildfire and hence shiv devotees celebrate mahashivaratri through fast and offerings of leaves and gangajal
how mahashivaratri is celebrated
in general, hindus across the country celebrate mahashivaratri with early morning rituals at shiva temples or at home which include special invocations and abhishekams on shiv lingams with panchamrit namely-milk,curd,ghee,honey and sugar followed by bhasma and chandan and then cleaned by water
it is followed by observing a fast, chantings and prayers throughout the day
having a jaagran meaning staying awake at night, which includes chanting prayers, listening to religious sermons, singing devotional songs and so on..
social gatherings and participating in charitable actions are the other features done during mahashivaratri throughout india
importance of bel ( bilva leaves ) during mahashivaratri
the significance of offering bilva leaves or belpata to lord shiva has several legends and beliefs associated with it
***one of the popular legends goes back to ancient times where once a hunter unknowingly shot an arrow at the bilva tree.
the tree was house to a family of serpents and the serpent king was injured. the serpent king pleaded to lord shiva for help and lord shiva healed his wounds
since then, the bilva tree has been associated with lord shiva and it’s leaves have been offered as a mark of devotion and respect
*** in hinduism, the bilva leaf is associated with the three eyes of lord shiva, the three main gods of hinduism ( brahma, vishnu, mahesh ) and the Three gunas of nature ( sattva, rajas and tamas )
its offerings is believed to be an act of invoking his blessings and seeking divine wisdom
it represents surrendering the ego and the three aspects of human nature, to seek oneness with the divine
bilva leaf are to be offered in a group of three leaves. this leaf is trifoliate which signifies the holy trinity-brahma, vishnu and mahesh
*** according to skanda purana, the bel tree grew from the sweat droplets of goddess parvati which fell on the mandrachal mountains
from there the bel tree emerged and hence, it is believed that the goddess resides in this tree in all her forms
she resides as girija in the roots of the tree, as maheshwari in its trunk, as dakshayani in its branches, parvati in its leaves, katyayani in its fruit and as gauri in it’s flowers
therefore as parvati resides in her various forms in this tree, shiva is extremely fond of it’s leaves
*** according to sri bilva shtakam, bel tree grew from the breast of goddess lakshmi.
hence those who offer one leaf of bilva to lord shiva is possibly equal to the spiritual bliss attained by offering of a saligrama stone to a brahman
bel (bilva) leaves medicinal importance
the bilva leaves is considered to have medicinal properties and is used in traditional ayurvedic medicine for various ailments.
all the parts of the tree are used to treat digestive diorders, fever and respiratory problems.
therefore offering bilva leaves to lord shiva is believed to be a way of seeking blessings for good health and well being and help cure illness and diseases
hence this was the importance of mahashivratri and the bilva leaves
Do watch my other blog
https://reflectwithsmitha.com/7-ways-why-we-should-completely-surrender-to-god/
i am no expert in any field be it mythology or spiritual or any religious expert but trying to impart knowledge to my readers through reading and contemplating many books and through spiritual content articles for the benefits of my readers
until next time, keep smiling
much love … stay happy … stay blessed … always
SMITHA
Discover more from REFLECT WITH SMITHA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
