Maha Shivratri

 

Maha Shivratri- the great night of Mahavis, a major Hindu festival dedicated yearly to the worship of Lord Shiva. The festival is celebrated by Hindus throughout India and all over the world on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Phalguna (February/March) For the Kashmiri Pandits, Maha Shivratri is the most important religious festival and is called Herath; traditionally it used to be celebrated over a period of 23 days! Maha Shivratri puja is performed in temples as a group puja, which may also include Rudra Abhishek. This article attempts to answer a number of questions related to this important festival: What are the main legends associated with Shivratri? How is Shivratri puja carried out? What is the spiritual significance of Shivratri? How can Shivratri be related to modern science? How can participation in Shivratri Puja and related activities be beneficial to ordinary people like us? 

Legends of Maha Shivratri

There are a number of legends associated with the festival of Maha Shivratri. According to one of the most popular legends, this day marks the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati (Shakti). According to another legend, it was the night of Shivratri when Lord Shiva performed the Tandava Nritya (dance). This is the divine vigorous dance performed by Lord Shiva that is the source of cycle of creation, preservation, and dissolution. Shivratri is also observed as the day when Lord Shiva saved the universe by drinking the poison that resulted from the churning of Ocean of Milk - Samund ra Manthan-carried out by devas (gods) and asuras (demons) to create Amrit - the nectar of immortality. Another story signifies the auspiciousness of

 

Shivratri. It is said that one day after a hunter in  Varanasi had killed small birds and animals he was chased by wild animals. To save himself, the hunter climbed a tree that happened to be a Bilva tree. The animals kept prowling beneath the tree. To prevent himself from falling asleep and falling down, he kept on plucking the leaves of the Bilva tree and dropping them down while the water container that he was carrying continued dripping. This saved the hunter from the animals. It so happened that the night was Shivratri and the Bilva pluckings and water drops actually kept on falling on a Shiva Lingam that happened to be at the bottom of the tree. The story illustrates the auspiciousness of worshipping Shiva Lingam with Bilva leaves and water on Maha Shivratri even if done inadvertently.

Maha Shivratri puja

Maha Shivratri is marked by expression of intense devotion to Lord Shiva through participation in a special group puja (worship) carried out in temples and homes. Shivratri Puja can have variations across communities and regions but there are also common elements. Shiva Purana prescribes that such puja include bathing Shiva Lingam with water, milk and honey, applying vermilion paste on the lingam, offering Bilva leaves to the deity, offering food, burning incense, lighting a lamp, and offering betel leaves. All this is done along with the chanting of Shiva mantra "Om Namah Shivaya!" and other Vedic mantras, and ringing of bells. Kalash Puja-worship of Kalasha (a pot of water) representing the Goddess - is also a common part of the puja. Rudra Abhishek - the constant chanting of mantras while milk continues dripping on the Shiva Lingam- is another common addition to the puja. Many people also fast on this day; the fast is broken only after completion of the puja.

A notable flavour of the Maha Shivratri Puja is the one carried out by Kashmiri Pandits. The main focus of this puja is the worship of both Shiva and Shakti (represented by Parvati). It is called Vatuk Puja since it worships Datuk - collection of various decorated utensils filled with walnuts symbolising Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and other gods and deities. Vatuk Puja is strongly influenced by Kashmir Shaivism - an important type of non-dualistic philosophy - that has originated from Kashmir. 

Spiritual significance of Maha Shivratri.

It is easy to get lost in the details of how Maha Shivratri is observed and the details of the rituals carried out on this day. All this could also be seen as just part of the traditions and prescriptions of the Hindu religion. But is it connected in any manner of the deeper spiritual quests of human beings such as knowing the real nature of reality and the purpose of human life? The answer is a strong 'yes' - what may look to be mere rituals have a strong connection with knowledge of the self, offered by Vedantic and other scriptures. This knowledge about the self has been corroborated by seers, yogis and mystics over thousands of years through their direct spiritual experiences. The knowledge, like any true science, can be verified by individuals if the prescribed methods are followed to gain access. Shiva and Shakti are central to this knowledge. Let us have a quick overview of this knowledge to appreciate the spiritual significance of Maha Shivratri. 

 

Cosmic consciousness is the ultimate undifferentiated reality. We refer to cosmic consciousness as Param Shiva (or Shiva) and Shiva. Lingam as its symbolic representation. Its energy aspect is Shakti that it uses to project out and manifest as the universe-creation as well as to withdraw back to itself-dissolution (Pralaya). The entire universe including all living and non-living objects of cosmic consciousness with its outward aspect (Shakti).

We, like other living beings or even non-living objects, are manifestations of cosmic consciousness (Shiva) but we do not normally realise it. Besides the body, we also have consciousness (local consciousness) or self-awareness. But other living beings too have awareness to varying degrees. However, what makes us (human beings) different from all other forms of creation is our potential to taste, attain, even to realise our true nature of cosmic consciousness with awareness. Maha Shivratri provides us an occasion and the Shivratri Puja provides us with a vehicle to get ourselves closer to cosmic consciousness.

 

Maha Shivratri and Modern Science has made great strides in the last century. Among the major breakthroughs are the theories of relativity dealing with the macrocosm - and the theory of quantum physics- dealing with the microcosm. One would have thought that it is just a question of time before science can explain the nature of reality in all aspects without taking recourse to spiritual concepts such as the concept of cosmic consciousness. However, strange phenomena such as 'non-locality' or 'entanglement' encountered in quantum physics has made scientists start taking note of the spiritual science of the East for possible answers. The entanglement phenomenon says that subatomic particles such as electrons or photons once separated will continue to be influenced by each other instantaneously for no apparent reason, over anytime or any distance.

Over the last fifty years mounting peer-reviewed and published evidence has been collected to suggest that the underlying reality of all existence is what the spirituality literature calls cosmic consciousness, other terms used by scientists for this concept include holographic universe', 'morphic resonance', 'akashic field'. Cosmic consciousness explains all unexplained scientific phenomena in physics and neurophysiology as well as phenomena that had previously been considered outside the province of scientific understanding such as telepathy, precognition, mystical feelings of oneness with the universe, etc. A realisation is dawning in the modern science that the concept of cosmic consciousness and other related age-old knowledge of spirituality will become the new science. Maha Shivratri celebrates this dawning new science!

Maha Shivratri for Us ordinary people

OK, let us see what we can take away from the above discussion and how we can benefit from Maha Shivratri Puja and related activities. We can agree that Maha Shivratri worships Lord Shiva in various forms that are actually representations of deeper truths that even have scientific backing. But most of us are not into spirituality in a big way and are not even that much inclined to delve into the mysteries of modern science. When we participate in all that is offered as worship of Shiva on Maha Shivratri including the group puja or Rudra Abishek, will we benefit in any mundane sense such as getting the feeling of happiness or peace of mind? The answer to this question is in the affirmative, it will benefit us but we need to participate with all the devotion that we can muster.

The spiritual knowledge that our scriptures, seers, and mystics provide is not only knowledge about the nature of reality but also knowledge - methodology/ technology for making progress to realising our true nature of cosmic consciousness and in the process provides us with benefits that material wealth and goods cannot. For most of these benefits we need not be spiritual scholars or scientists. The slokas recited and the other rituals carried out create powerful spiritual energy and vibrations. Thus we benefit from participation even if we do not understand the shlokas or other parts of the puja. The atmosphere that gets created in group puja itself is soothing and medicine for the soul. So let us utilise the opportunity of worshipping Lord Shiva provided by the festival of Maha Shivratr

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Courtesy: Vijay Vaishnavi  Koshur Samachar 2016, February