Hymns and Mantras turn on spirituality; the world looks divine while meditating & chanting his name. He is the God of gods, Lord Shiva. On the 14th day of the waning Moon (Chaturdashi) of Falgun, just the day before the new moon, the darkest night of the year, Shivratri is celebrated as per North Indian Calendar. While as per the South Indian calendar, it comes in the month of Magha. Believers remain awake and offer prayers, perform rituals, and pay devotion to the most graceful & powerful God, Lord Shiva. Mahashivratri is very important to most people who are on the right spiritual journey.
Maha Shivratri Date In This Year, The Holy Festival dedicated to Lord Shiva will be celebrated on March 8, 2024 Friday. It is one of the most significant festivals for Hindus.
Chaturdashi Tithi Begins: 21:57 PM on Mar 08, 2024
Ratri First Prahar Puja: 18:43 PM to 21:44 PM
Ratri Second Prahar Puja: 21:44 PM to 00:45 AM, Mar 09
Ratri Third Prahar Puja: 00:45 AM to 03:46 AM, Mar 09
Ratri Fourth Prahar Puja: 03:46 AM to 06:47 AM, Mar 09
Chaturdashi Tithi Ends: 18:17 PM on Mar 09, 2024
Why is Mahashivratri Celebrated? – Festival Of Devon Ke Dev Mahadev
Do you know Shivratri comes every month? Yes, there is Shivratri in every luni-solar month also known as Masik Shivratri. Cool, but what is Maha Shivratri? Anything Special? In literal sense, Mahashivratri means ‘The Great Night Of Shiva’. It is the night when Lord Shiva performs the heavenly dance of creation, preservation, and destruction. However, it comes in the month of February or March before the arrival of Summer.
The festival of Maha Shivratri is celebrated on a humongous scale in all parts of the country, and wherever Indians live all over the world. And why not? It is the night of Shiva – the easiest of the Holy Trinity to Please.
Lord Shiva – The Main God Of Holy Trinity
As per Hindu beliefs, read the below points about the Trinity Gods:
Generator Of Universe – Lord Brahma
Organizer or Preserver – Lord Vishnu
Destroyer – Lord Shiva
Now, see arrange the first letter of the above three points together. It will be read as ‘GOD’. That’s one of the easiest & impactful ways to describe the Trinity Gods. The hermetic God, with his abode in Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, is believed to be formless, shapeless, and timeless. Talking about Shivalinga, a mystic symbol of Lord Shiva, who is considered the easiest of the Gods to please. And as we all know, his blessings give us enormous strength to fulfill our wishes. The main significance of worshipping Lord Shiva on Maha Shivratri is that one attains salvation.
Also Read, Get Maximum Benefits From The Month Of Mahadev
Maha Shivratri Story: Marriage Of Shiva & Shakti
Maha Shivratri is dedicated to the celebration of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati’s Marriage. This day, devotees keep fast called Shivratri Vratam throughout the day in the name of Shiv Bhakti (Shiv’s Devotion). As per belief, Goddess Parvati wanted to marry Shiva, and every Hindu God knowing this fact wanted the same. But Shiva declined and destroyed this proposal through his Third Eye. Devi Parvati kept hope alive and continued praying for Shiva as she wanted him at any cost. Seeing her indescribable love, Shiva couldn’t deny but nodded for the Marriage. Happiness flooded all over the place, all the Gods & Goddess were invited to be the part of a historic Marriage of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati including Ghosts & Spirits. Such an Overwhelming Story to listen to, read, & to even celebrate! After going through this story, the only words that believers can say are Om Namah Shivaya…
The festival is marking the initiation of a bond between Shiv-Shakti. This is why Mahashivratri is celebrated with great fervour across India.
Invite Lord Shiva’s Blessings In Your Home Through ‘Mahamrutyunjay Yantra’.
Bhang Connection During Mahashivratri – Samudra Manthan
A period when gods and goddesses arrived together just to whip up a drink of immortality ‘Amrita.’ The poison ‘Halahala’ was so poisonous that it can destroy the whole universe including all the Gods & Goddesses. Immediately, the poison came out, the space began to heat up, killing plants and animals. Ready to see the entry of Hero of this Story?
Then comes Lord Shiva, who ended up consuming the entire poison in order to save the universe during Samudra Manthan. But wait, you’ll be surprised to know that Shiva did not Swallow, but kept it in his throat. Because of one of the deadliest poison, his throat started turning blue, causing immense heat. Hence, he is also known as ‘Blue Throated’ or ‘Neelkantha’.
Various efforts were being made in order to cool down Lord Shiva, & ‘Bhang’ was also given to him as act of coolant & lowers down metabolism. This is how ‘Bhang’ is associated with Lord Shiva Life. So, the devotees offer Bhang to appease Lord Shiva on Maha Shivratri.
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Fasting Guide In Shivaratri
Devotees can start their day with early morning Shiva Puja and give ritual baths to the Shiva Lingam. Note, wearing fresh clothes is a must. This goes without saying that keep yourself away from bad thoughts, bad groups, and most importantly ‘bad words’. In short, when you are in Lord Shiva’s lap, just vanish all the evils from your surroundings. On a serious note, feel fortunate to do all these rituals, chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’ or Har Har Mahadev is itself one of the greatest things one can do in this universe. Coming back to the process, staying in Shiva’s temple, chanting different names & right Mantras of Lord Shiva would be the ideal things you can do the whole day.
The significance of this festival is to perform Puja at night and break the fast on the next day after taking a bath. You need to offer fruits, leaves, sweets, and milk to Lord Shiva while performing Puja.
On the occasion of Maha Shivratri, devotees offer ‘Rudrabhishek to the Shivling with water, curd, sugarcane syrup, milk, honey and other things. where they bathe the ‘Shivling’ with different substances and each of them has a specific significance. Offer Datura flower and fruit.
However, the process of performing Rudrabhishek is well defined in Shukla Yajurveda. Mistakes in the process can make it ineffective. Everyone knows that Lord Shiva is Bholenath (one who gets appeased easily) and even Vidhvansak (one who gets angry and destroys everything). Hence, Perform Personalised Rudrabhishek Puja on Shivratri to gain divine blessings of Lord Shiva.
However, Shiva Ratri puja can be performed one time or four times during the night. The whole night can be divided into four quarters to perform Shiva puja four times. The offerings to be made to Lord Shiva during the four quarters of the night are as follows:
| Time | Muhurat | Offerings |
|---|---|---|
| First Quarter | 21:24 to 00:35 | Til (Sesame Seeds), Jav, Lotus, Belvapatra |
| Second Quarter | 21:24 to 00:35 | Fruit of Vijora, Lemon, Kheer |
| Third Quarter | 00:35 to 03:46 | Til, Wheat, Malpua, Pomegranate, Kapur |
| Fourth Quarter | 03:46 to 06:56 | Udadh dhal (white lentils), Jav, Moong, Shankhpushpi leaves, Belva-patra and Pakodas (fries) of Udadh |
Benefits of Worshiping Lord Shiva On Maha Shivaratri:
- One can attain absolute success in his/her without any doubt.
- Lord Shiva is so innocent that whatever you’ll wish from your pure heart & devotion, he will bless.
- One becomes super knowledgeable by lighting a lamp on Mahashivratri.
- If honey, ghee and sugar cane are offered to Lord Shiva, wealth can be gained.
- After Lord Shiva’s bathing with curd, you can buy vehicles.
- Over and above, worshipping Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati with full devotion & faith can definitely give you some unmatchable benefits.
It is believed that wearing Rudraksh on the day of Shivratri provides enhanced benefits. You can buy online authentic Rudraksh here.
This Maha Shivratri, We hope that your life gets loaded with Lord Shiva’s blessings & utmost happiness. To Bolo Har Har Mahadev…
Happy Shivratri!
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With Ganesha’s Grace,
The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team