Maha Shivratri

The name Shiva means to enlighten. And, that’s exactly the essence of Lord Shiva who has several names like Mahadeva, Pashupati, Vishwanath, Nataraja, Bhava, and Bhole Nath. 

Lord Shiva, in the Hindu mythology, is recognized as the destroyer and the creator of the universe. 

What is the difference between Shivratri and Maha Shivratri? 

• Shivratri occurs every month, whereas Maha Shivratri is the great night of Shiva that occurs only once a year.
• The 14th day of every lunar month is known as Shivratri. So, there are twelve Shivratris in a calendar year that occur a day prior to the new moon.
• Maha Shivratri, a special day of spiritual significance, marks Shiva and Parvati's marriage

Meaning of Maha Shivratri?

 ‘Shivratri’ is a combination of two words - Shiva+Ratri, where ‘Shiva’ refers to Lord Shiva and Ratri means ‘night.’ The word “Maha” in Maha Shivratri means “Grand”.

 So, the grand night dedicated to celebrate this deity is called Maha Shivratri.

When is Maha Shivratri Celebrated?  

As per the Hindu calendar, Maha Shivratri is celebrated every year on the new moon day in the month of Maagha. This year it will fall on the 11th of March.

What is the significance of Maha Shivratri?  

Maha Shivratri is considered auspicious and is considered important for the following reasons:

• Liberation from the past sins or bad karmas
• Attainment of moksha-liberation from the cycle of birth and death
• Married women attain marital bliss and prosperous family life
• Unmarried women pray for being blessed with ideal husbands like Lord Shiva

There are Mystical Maha Shivratri Stories  

There are a lot of fascinating stories associated with the history of Maha Shivratri, some of them include: 

Union of Shiva and Shakti: After the demise of Sati, the first wife of Lord Shiva, he went into deep meditation and undertook severe penance. Sati, reincarnated as Shakti, worshipped Lord Shiva with utmost devotion. She was then reunited with Lord Shiva. This union of ShivaShakti as Ardhnareshwar is celebrated as Maha Shivratri.

Samudra Manthan: During the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), a pot of poison emerged out of it. This poison was extremely toxic and had the power to destroy the universe. To save his creation, Lord Shiva drank the poison that turned his throat blue. He then had to stay awake the whole night to save himself from the effects of the poison. The Gods took turns to dance and sing to keep him awake all night. Since then this auspicious night is celebrated as Maha Shivrati – the night when Lord Shiva saved the world.

Story of Lubdhaka: Lubdhaka, a tribal man and a devout worshipper of Lord Shiva went to the deep forest to collect firewood. He lost his way and decided to spend the night in the jungle atop the bilva tree. To stay awake, he plucked the bilva leaves and kept dropping them on the ground while chanting Shiva’s name. By sunrise, he noticed he had dropped thousands of leaves on a Shiva Lingam kept near the tree, that he’d failed to notice at night. Lord Shiva was pleased with his devotion and blessed him. This legend also justifies the popular tradition of offering bilva leaves to Shiva.