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The festival of 'Mahashivratri' is celebrated as a mark of respect towards Lord
Shiva each year.
The festival of Mahashivratri, which literally means the night of Lord Shiva,
is universally celebrated by Hindus each year. Lord Shiva forms a part of the Hindu
holy Trimurti (trinity of Gods), wherein Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the sustainer
and Shiva is the destroyer.
On this day, people from various parts of the country gather at temples of Lord
Shiva and sing bhajans (holy songs), offer prayers and recite shlokas in the honor
of Lord Shiva.
Occurrence
Mahashivratri is celebrated on the thrathshi or the thirteenth day of the waning
moon in the month of Phagun, which is some time in February or March according to
the English calendar (14-15 days before Holi, the Hindu festival of color). This
year it happens to be on 12th March.
Legends behind the festival
There are several stories about the origins of this festival.
Dance of creation and destruction
A common belief is that on this night, Lord Shiva is said to have performed the
Tandava Nritya or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction.
Lord Shiva is said to have been an excellent dancer. In fact, even today some of
the Indian classical dancers pray to the Lord, before they begin their performance.
Love, Compassion and Mercy
One of the most popular stories behind the origins of this festival is about a hunter
who had gone to the forest to hunt for his family. Just around dusk, after an unsuccessful
and tiring day in the jungle, he noticed a pair of deer. And just when he was about
to kill them, one of the deer spoke to him and begged for mercy. It said that they
had been searching for food throughout the day to feed their young ones. They promised
that after they gave the food to their young ones, they would return back to the
hunter.
The hunter took mercy and agreed to wait for them. As it was nearing nightfall,
fearing predators, the hunter climbed a tree nearby. In order to keep awake all
night, he started plucking leaves from the tree and kept throwing them onto the
ground. But he didn't realize that underneath the tree was a Shivlingam (the phallic
iconic representation of Shiva), on which the leaves were falling. In fact, the
Shivlingam is the center of reverence and worship in all Shaivite (Shiva temples.)
The next day, just when the hunter was about to return home feeling cheated, the
deer appeared with their offspring. They apologized for being late, and told the
hunter that he could kill all of them, as after the death of the parents, the young
ones would not be able to feed or protect themselves from other predators. Hearing
this, the hunter took mercy on the deer family, and he let them go.
Unknowingly, the hunter had offered his prayers to Lord Shiva by not only showering
Him with leaves (while praying Hindus always offer flowers and leaves to the idol
of the Gods), but also fasting for a day and letting the deer family go. By offering
his prayers to Lord Shiva the hunter had gained the virtues of Lord Shiva of mercy,
compassion and love. Thus, it is said that fasting and offering prayers to Lord
Shiva on the Mahashivratri day brings an individual closer to the Lord.
Worshipping the all powerful Lord in the night
Another story traces the origin of the festival to the fact that Lord Shiva saved
the entire human race and the universe from destruction by swallowing poison. It
is believed that the Gods and the demons were churning the Ocean (Sagarmanthan)
to obtain amrit (nectar) to stay immortal. In the process they came across many
unusual substances, including the deadly poison. As soon as they touched the poison,
it exploded into poisonous fumes that threatened to destroy the entire universe.
When the destruction of the universe seemed inevitable, the Gods ran for assistance
to Brahma and Vishnu, but neither was able to help. At last they ran to Lord Shiva,
who swallowed the poison without spilling a single drop. That also explains why
Lord Shiva's throat is blue in colour for which he is also called Neel Kanth (the
one who has a blue throat) or Vishaapaharana Murthy.
Thus the festival is celebrated in honor of the Lord.
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