Health Tips Parenting And Daily Health Fitness Updates
Every festival has its own importance and is unique in its own way. Mahashivratri is among the sacred Hindu festival which is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy. Numbers of special rituals are performed on the day of Mahashivratri. The dedicated devotee crosses every limit and tries to pray to Lord Shiva for a better and blessed life. Lord Shiva is one of the main and important deities of Hinduism and all his devotee consider as the supreme god. Lord Shiva and his day, “Mahashivratri” is considered one of the auspicious days in the Hindu religion. The most powerful try of deities in the Hindu religion is Lord Brahma who is considered to be the creator of the world, Lord Vishnu as the preservers and Lord Shiva is considered to be the destroyer. He can destroy everything which is created in his Nataraja form. This is proof that everything which is created will be destroyed one day. On the day of Mahashivratri, everyone prays Lord Shiva and wishes for their wellbeing. Everyone performs different rituals to make him happy and show how much everyone loves Lord Shiva. Following is an overview of Mahashivratri and all the rituals people perform on this day.
Related: Indian Festival Lohri: Tradition and Rituals of Celebration
Significance
Since every festival is having its own importance, Mahashivratri is something very special. On this important day, Lord Shiva promises to be the protector and remain calm. It is considered that Lord Shiva is generally very innocent but once he gets angry, he turns out to be the destroyer and destroys everything that comes on his way with his anger. But on this special day, he blesses everyone with freedom from all the sadness and darkness. Shiva is not a person but energy on which each and every particle and creation rests. He is present in every creation and is known as Shiva Tattva and saves the whole universe.
Ratri in Shivratri means “night” or to take refuge in our spirit, it is the time when we celebrate the soul and calmness within ourselves. Mahashivratri means a lot who achieve access to mystical realms, they experience the Ananda Tandava. In fact, on this day one should actually give some time to meditation. On this day our consciousness comes alive with our body. Mahashivratri is a very spiritual day. Shiva is a symbol of our soul and Tattva and to meet the actual peace you should definitely meditate on this auspicious day of Mahashivratri. It is the day which nobody should miss without fasting and praying to Lord Shiva.
Related: 8 Safety Tips to Enjoy Every Colour of Holi With Your Child
Dates
It is observed that Mahashivratri generally falls just before the occurrence of the new moon. So it is also decided according to the position of the moon also that when Mahashivratri will fall on a particular day. Shivratri is celebrated according to the Indian Calendar. It is celebrated on the 13th or 14th day of the Krishna paksha of Falgun (Indian month) whereas, according to English calendars, it falls in the month of February or March. So Mahashivratri is celebrated according to various factors and the dates and position of all the astrology things matter a lot while deciding the timing and dates for Mahashivratri. Thus Mahashivratri does not occur on permanent dates and varies every year.
Related: Top 5 ways to celebrate green Diwali
Special rituals
Since Mahashivratri is a very important festival for the devotees of great Lord Shiva, it is celebrated with great enthusiasm by them. They perform very special rituals and visit different temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are a number of special rituals meant for Mahashivratri which are performed by the devotee of Lord Shiva. Following are some of the rituals performed by the devotees of Lord Shiva:
1. Rudrabhisheka is one of the main and special rituals of Mahashivratri. This special ritual is mainly performed at night in various temples where the people bathe Lord Shiva with milk. They perform puja and pray to Lord Shiva for a better life ahead and for his best blessings. Sweets and parshad are also distributed between his devotees.
2. All the Lord Shiva devotees fast the whole day and do not eat anything other than fruits and milk without any additives. Only natural and vegan eatables are consumed by the Lord Shiva devotee on this day.
3. Married women have different special rituals marked and perform them on this auspicious day. They perform these special rituals for the well-being and for the good health of their husbands. They perform special pujas to pray to Lord Shiva and to gain his blessings.
4. In fact many spiritual experts advise meditating on this day any number of times and for any duration. It is advised to chant “Om Namah Shivaya” while meditating. It is observed that all the spirits are active on this day.
Conclusion
Mahashivratri is also considered the wedding night of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar once said “Every Mahashivratri is meant to wake up every particle of your body. This festival is a wake-up call to move away from conflicts and move towards reality, beauty, peace, and benevolence the ethereal qualities of Shiva”. Mahashivratri is something that no Hindu can celebrate without any joy and enthusiasm. The great temples like Badrinath celebrate this festival with large arrangements and with great enthusiasm. Lord Shiva is the creator and he is the only destroyer and he means a lot to the people who belong to Hinduism. Many special rituals are performed to impress the almighty, Lord Shiva, and to gain his blessings. The devotee fasts for the whole day and eats only vegan eatables. Many separate rituals are performed by married women for the well-being of their husbands. In fact, Mahashivratri doesn’t have permanent dates every year and depends upon various factors. It always falls in Krishna paksha on the 13th or 14th day of Falgun. It is always decided according to the Indian calendar. The position of the moon also matters a lot in deciding the duration of Mahashivratri. All across India, every temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is decorated and this festival is celebrated all the joys.
