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Who does not know about Mahashivratri? But there will be some people who keep fast on Shivratri but they do not know why Mahashivratri is celebrated? The name of India is popular all over the world due to its religious civilizations.

Many festivals related to religion are celebrated in India. In India, many such festivals have been celebrated, which are celebrated only by certain religions, then there are many such festivals which the whole country celebrates. One such festival is Mahashivratri.

Mahashivratri is a festival associated with Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva has been accepted in different forms across the country. The festival of Mahashivratri is celebrated with great pomp all over the country but do you know ‘why is Mahashivratri celebrated?’ If not, then today’s post is going to be very useful for you. Today we will get all the information from the beginning of Mahashivratri to Mahashivratri Puja Vidhi.

What is MahaShivratri

Mahashivratri is a Hindu festival associated with Mahadev Shiva. Shivratri also means ‘Night of Shiva’. Different beliefs are prevalent all over the country regarding Shivratri. Lord Shiva is worshipped on this day and many Jagrans take place across the country.

Many devotees come to the temples of Lord Shiva on the day of Mahashivratri and in some temples, the number of devotees on this day is thousands of lakhs.

All days of the week are considered good for the worship of Lord Shiva, but worshipping Shiva on Monday has a special significance. Maybe you will not remember but every month there is a Shivratri. According to the Indian months, the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha is considered as Shivaratri. On the other hand, Mahashivratri is celebrated on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha coming in the month of Falgun . Great worship of Lord Shiva is done on this day.

Why is Lord Shiva called Mahadev?

Although many gods are recognized in India, according to Indian texts, some gods have been considered paramount, of which Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva are prominent. These three deities are also called Tridev. But in all these deities, the place of Lord Shiva is completely different, especially that is why he is called Mahadev, not Dev.

Lord Shiva has been accepted in many different forms across the country. Somewhere Shiva is known as Neelkanth, and somewhere Shiva is worshipped as Nataraja.

Many famous temples and pilgrimages of India such as Amarnath and Kailashnath are based on Lord Shiva, where thousands of people visit every year. Lord Shiva has a lot of recognition in Indian civilization and the festival associated with him is Mahashivratri. Mahashivratri is considered to be the biggest festival of Lord Shiva.

Why is Mahashivratri celebrated?

Different beliefs of Mahashivratri have been considered in different texts. It is said that in the beginning there was an only a formless form of Lord Shiva. According to Indian texts, Lord Shiva came in a corporeal form from the formless at midnight on the Chaturdashi of the Krishna Paksha of Falgun month.

According to this belief, Lord Shiva had appeared in his giant form Agniling on this day. According to some Hindu beliefs, the universe was created from this day itself. It is believed that on this day Lord Shiva had appeared in the form of a linga with radiance like millions of suns.

According to Indian belief, on the Chaturdashi of the Krishna Paksha of Falgun month, the Sun and the Moon remain closer. This day is considered to be the meeting of the cold moon and the sun of Raudra Shiva. Therefore this Chaturdashi is celebrated as Mahashivratri .

It is said that on this day Lord Shiva comes in his Rudra avatar and consumes the world with his third eye. The Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha of Falgun month is considered to be the wedding day of Parvati and Shiva.

Mahashivratri story

There are crores of devotees of Mahadev in India. It is quite interesting that even today’s youth considers Mahadev the most. It is said that Lord Shiva gets victory over his enemies on Mahashivratri. People of different sects see Lord Shiva from different angles. People engrossed in the world consider Lord Shiva to be the destroyer of enemies and according to them, on this day Lord Shiva wins over his enemies.

The devotees of Lord Shiva celebrate the day of Mahashivratri with great enthusiasm. Some people get Jagran done on this day and some people get Lord Shiva worshipped. On the other hand, people of some sects also consume intoxicants like hookah and alcohol on this day. Mahashivratri is considered to be the darkest day of the month. It is said that on this day Lord Shiva destroys evil forces and destroys their empire.

Spiritual Significance of Mahashivratri

The more worldly people believe in Lord Shiva than the people who follow the spiritual path. Lord Shiva is considered a wise man before a destroyer. According to the yogic tradition, Shiva is not the giver but the Adi Guru who first received knowledge and transmitted that knowledge.

The day he touched the zenith of knowledge and became stable and that day is celebrated as Shivratri.

Apart from this, recluse people also consider Lord Shiva to be a recluse who is away from worldly life. According to the belief of some people, Lord Shiva is a true form and this whole world is only illusionary. Through special worship, all of us can get away from this illusion and attain the true form and can meet in Shiva.

In the yogic tradition, Lord Shiva is considered a learned and recluse. This tradition believes in peace. Because of this, Mahashivratri is also very special spiritually.

Stories based on Mahashivratri

Like every Indian festival, there are many beliefs about Mahashivratri. Many stories of ancient texts are associated with Mahashivratri. The most popular story about Mahashivratri is believed to be the birth of Shiva. According to many texts, Lord Shiva appeared for the first time on the day of Mahashivaratri. On this day he appeared in his best form in the form of Agnilinga which had neither beginning nor end.

A legend also says that on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha of Falgun month, Shivling appeared at 64 places simultaneously. Till now we have knowledge only about 12 of these which we all know by the name of Jyotirlinga. Mahashivratri is also celebrated as the marriage of Shiva. It is said that on this day Shiva left his dispassion and married Shakti and started his worldly life.

When is Mahashivratri celebrated?

Like most Indian festivals, Mahashivratri is celebrated according to the Indian months. Although Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha of every Indian month is considered as Shivaratri, Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha of Falgun month is celebrated as Mahashivratri.

The date of Mahashivratri varies every year according to the English months. In the year 2020, the festival of Mahashivratri was celebrated on 21Feb and in 2021 it will be celebrated on Tuesday, 1 March.

Mahashivaratri ritual

Different beliefs are prevalent in different places about Mahashivratri and because of this, Mahashivratri is celebrated in many ways. On this day Shiva devotees take bath in the holy rivers like Ganga and Yamuna at sunrise. Clean and pure clothes are worn after bath. After this, Lord Shiva is worshipped in homes and temples through various mantras and chants. Shivling is bathed with milk and water.

Talking about the complete worship method of every Shivratri, first of all, Shivling is bathed with holy water or milk. After bathing, vermilion is applied to the Shivling. After this, fruits are offered on Shivling. After this, offerings are made to food and incense. Some people also offer money on Shivling.

After this, a lamp is lit as a symbol of knowledge in front of the Shivling from a spiritual point of view. After this, betel leaves are offered on the Paan Shivling, about which there are many special beliefs.

Mahashivratri is considered the night of awakening. On Mahashivratri, great worship and aarti of Shiva are done at night. On this day, Shiva and Parvati are imaginatively married at night and a procession is taken out. In some sects, there is a belief in dancing, singing and celebrating this night, so they organize fairs and Jagrans.

What did you learn today ?

Every day some festival is celebrated in India and it is not possible to have complete information about all the festivals. But we must have information about some special festival and for this purpose, we have written today’s article ‘Why Mahashivratri is celebrated and importance of Mahashivratri ‘.

In today’s article, we have learned about the reason for Mahashivratri and the mythological story associated with it and its importance. If you have any doubts about this article or you want that there should be some improvement in it, then you can write low comments for this.

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