HISTORY OF MAHA SIVARATHRI

Maha Shivratri – History

On the day of Mahashivratri, celebrations take place in all the Shiva temples across India. Devotees bathe at sunrise in any holy water source (like the Ganga or Shiv Sagar tank at Khajuraho). They offer prayers to the Sun, Vishnu and Shiva. The Shivlingam is bathed with the five sacred offerings of a cow, called the panchagavya - milk, sour milk, urine, butter and dung. Thereafter the five foods of immortality - milk, clarified butter, curd, honey and sugar - are placed before the Shivlingam. Dhatura and Jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed to be sacred to Shiva and thus offered at his temple. People also decorate the linga with flowers and garlands and offer incense sticks and fruit. Devotees celebrate the day by observing a fast during the day and offer prayers throughout the night. All through the day, devotees abstain from eating food and break their fast only the next morning, after the nightlong worship. The day is considered especially auspicious for women. Married women pray for the well being of their husbands and sons, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Shiva, who is considered the ideal husband. Hymns in praise of Lord Shiva are sung with great fervor and devotion. People repeat the Panchakshara Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. It is believed that one who utters the name of Shiva during Shivratri with proper devotion is freed from all sins. He reaches the abode of Shiva and lives happily there. He is liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Mahashivratri worship must incorporate six items: the ceremonial offer of cooling bael leaves to the hot-blooded deity, representing purification of the soul; the vermilion paste applied on the linga after bathing it, representing virtue; food offering which is conducive to longevity and gratification of desires; incense, yielding wealth; the lighting of the lamp which is conducive to the attainment of knowledge; and betel leaves marking satisfaction with worldly pleasures. These six items, till today, form an indispensable part of Mahashivratri, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship. By offering water, hugging the linga, lighting the diya and incense, and ringing the temple bells, devotees call into focus all their senses, making them acutely aware of themselves and the universe to which they belong.

Mahaashivratri and Parvati:

There is another possible reason for the origin of the all-night worship. Maha Shivratri being a moonless night, people worship the God who wears the crescent moon as an adornment in his hair, God Shiva. This was probably to ensure that the moon rose the next night. According to one myth, Parvati performed tapas, prayed, and meditated on this day to ward off any evil that may befall Her husband on the moonless night. Another popular belief is that Mahashivratri is actually the celebration to mark the holy union of Lord Shiva and Parvati on this day.

Lord Shiva and Brahma:

According to another legend in the Shiva Purana, once Brahma and Vishnu were fighting over who was the superior of the two. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their fight, Shiva assumed the form of a huge column of fire in between Brahma and Vishnu. Awestruck by its magnitude, they decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. Brahma assumed the form of a swan and went upwards and Vishnu as Varaha went into the earth. Nevertheless, light has no limit and though they searched for thousands of miles, neither could find the end. On his journey upwards, Brahma came across a ketaki flower wafting down slowly.

When asked where she had come from, Ketaki replied that she had been placed at the top of the fiery column as an offering. Unable to find the uppermost limit, Brahma decided to end his search and take the flower as a witness. At this, the angry Shiva revealed HIS true form. He punished Brahma for telling a lie, and cursed him that no one would ever pray to him. The ketaki flower too was banned from being used as an offering for any worship, as she had testified falsely. Since it was on the 14th day in the dark half of the month of Phalguna that Shiva first manifested himself in the form of a linga, the day is especially auspicious and is celebrated as Mahashivratri.

Mahakaleshwar Shiv's Lingum:

In Ujjain in the famous temple of Mahakaleshwar Shiv's Lingum is worshipped with the performance of all the religious rites and rituals. The story goes that a powerful demon who lived on Ratnamal mountain attacked Avanti - the name of the present-day Ujjain in those days - and killed a Brahmin sage by putting him in fire. The angry Lord Shiv opened his third eye and burnt the demon to ashes. On that very spot of land where Lord Shiva opened his third eye and killed the demon appeared the Shiv-Lingum. A majestic temple was built on that ground. The mention of this temple is found in `Adi-Brahma Puran' and its detailed description in the `Gyan-Samhita'. The illustrious king Vikramaditya during the time he was the ruler of Ujjaini, visited the MahaKaleshwar temple every morning, after his bath. He bowed before the Shiv-Lingum in all humility and prayed to Lord Shiv to mercifully grant prosperity and happiness to his subjects and peace to the land over which he ruled. He placed one hundred and eleven Bel leaves one by one on the Shiv lingum and while placing each leaf he praised Lord Shanker by reciting the shlokas.