Essay on Mahashivratri / Mahashivratri Essay in English

Mahashivratri Essay in English

Our country India is a country of festivals. People of all religions celebrate their respective festivals here with great enthusiasm. Many gods and goddesses are worshiped in the Hindu religion. Hindus celebrate many festivals of different gods and goddesses. According to the Hindu calendar, the last month from the 12 months of the year is the month of Phalguna. That’s why Falgun month has special importance in Hinduism. This month is considered auspicious like Magha month. That’s why bathing and donating in this month gives auspicious results. In the month of Falgun, apart from Lord Shankar, there is a law to worship Mother Sita, Shri Krishna, Mother Lakshmi and Chandra Dev. According to Panchang, this year Falgun month is starting from 6th February 2023, Monday and ending on 7th March 2023, Tuesday. From Mahashivratri, Phulaira Duj, Amalaki Ekadashi, Vijaya Ekadashi to Holi festival is being celebrated in Falgun month.One of the main festivals of Hindus is-Mahashivratri. In this post we will discuss about this very important Hindu festival mahashivratri.  Mahashivratri is celebrated as the manifestation of Lord Shiva, the main deity of Hinduism.

 

Where is Mahashivratri Celebrated? :

Mahashivratri is celebrated with great pomp in different parts of India. There are a large number of Shiva followers in central India. Shiva devotees worship Lord Shiva in the Mahakaleshwar temple here. From South India, Mahashivratri is celebrated in all the temples of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Karnatakaand , Tamil Nadu. Kashmiri Brahmins celebrate this day as the marriage of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. Mahashivratri is celebrated. Kashmiri Brahmins celebrate this day as the marriage of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. Here the celebration of Mahashivratri starts three to four days before, which lasts till two days after Mahashivratri. Along with India, the festival of Maha shivratri is also celebrated in Bangladesh, Nepal etc. Bangladeshi Hindus celebrate this festival on this day in Chandranath Dham (Chittagong). Similarly, a crowd of Shiva devotees throngs the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal on this day.

When Does Mahashivratri Come ? :

It is believed that the creation started on this day. On Maha shivratri, Lord Shiva appeared as Lord Rudra from the body of Prajapita Brahma. Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Jyotirlinga i.e. in the form of Shivalinga of fire. According to mythology, the marriage of Lord Shankar and Goddess Parvati took place on the day of Mahashivratri. According to the Hindu calendar, this festival is celebrated on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha of Phagun month.

Difference Between Shivratri and Mahashivratri:

In fact, in colloquial language, people call Mahashivratri as Shivratri. But there is a difference between the two. Shivratri comes 12 times in a year. The 14th day of Krishna Paksha of every month i.e. one day before Amavasya is known as Shivratri. The most important festival of Mahashivratri is celebrated on the Shivratri of Phagun month.

Story of Mahashivratri :

According to mythology, when the gods churned the ocean with the aim of obtaining immortal nectar, along with the nectar in the churning of the ocean, Halahal poison also came out, seeing which everyone was horrified. This Halahal poison was so powerful that it could destroy the entire creation. Then the deities prayed to Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva kept Halahal poison in his throat. Due to keeping it in their throat, his throat turned blue due to the effect of poison, hence Lord Shiva is also called ‘Neelkanth’. Lord Shiva suffered a lot due to the effect of this poison. Then the divine doctors advised the gods that Lord Shiva should be kept awake for the whole night. Then the deities organized dance, music etc. to keep Lord Shiva awake for the whole night and for his enjoyment. Pleased with his devotion, Lord Shiva granted him a boon. This entire incident is celebrated in the name of Shivratri.

It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared for the first time on the day of Mahashivaratri. Shiva’s manifestation was in the form of Jyotirlinga i.e. Shivalinga of fire. Such a Shivling which had neither beginning nor end. It is said that in order to locate the Shivling, Brahmaji in the form of a swan was trying to see the topmost part of the Shivling but he could not succeed. He could not even reach the topmost part of the Shivling. On the other hand, Lord Vishnu also took the form of Varah and was looking for the support of Shivling but he also could not find the support.

According to mythological beliefs, wherever Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Shivling, they are known as Jyotirlinga. It is believed that Shivling appeared at 64 different places on the day of Mahashivratri, out of which we know the names of 12 places, so we worship 12 Jyotiling. These are the twelve Jyotirlingas: –

Somnath (Gujarat), Mallikarjuna (Andhra Pradesh), Mahakaleshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Bhimashankar (Maharashtra), Baba Vishwanath (Uttar Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Vaidyanath (Jharkhand) ), Nageswara (Gujarat), Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) and Ghushmeshwara (Maharashtra).

To experience Lord Shiva’s eternal linga of fire, Shiva followers light a lamp pillar in the Mahakaleshwar temple (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh) on the day of Mahashivratri. According to the Vedas and Puranas, the marriage of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati took place on the day of Mahashivratri. The devotees of Shiva keep their adorable Jagran all night on this day. Shiva devotees celebrate the marriage of Lord Shiva on this day. It is believed that Shakti was married to Lord Shiva on Mahashivaratri. On this day Lord Shiva left the life of recluse and entered the life of a householder. Shiva, who was a recluse, became a householder. It is believed that this is also one of the reasons behind celebrating Holi festival 15 days after Shivratri. Lord Shiva renounced the life of recluse and entered the life of a householder. That’s why Shiva devotees celebrate Shiva marriage with great enthusiasm on this day. On Mahashivratri, the followers of Shiva worship Lord Shiva by keeping him awake throughout the night.

Mahashivratri 2023 :

Like every year, in the year 2023 too, Mahashivratri will be celebrated on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha of Phalgun month i.e. on February 18 and February 19, 2023. According to the Hindu Panchang, it will start on February 18, 2023 at 8.02 pm and end on February 19 at 4.18 pm. This year Shani Pradosh is coinciding on Mahashivratri. Pradosh’s fast comes twice every month. This time due to Mahashivratri being on Saturday, the importance of this day increases more. To get rid of Shani Dosh, Lord Shiva should be anointed with black sesame on this day. According to the Vedas, there is a law to worship Mahashivratri in the four hours of the night. During this, Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati are worshipped. Shiva devotees worship Lord Shiva through fasting and worship to get the desired results.

Importance of Fasting on Mahashivratri :

The fast of Mahashivratri is of utmost importance. This day is considered very important for the devotee of Shiva. As such, Shivratri fast is observed on the Chaturdashi of every month. But on the day of Mahashivratri, those who keep fast after worshiping Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati, have a happy married life.

According to mythology, Mother Parvati had obtained Lord Shiva as her husband by doing penance for years. Similarly, with the desire to get a life partner like Shiva, unmarried girls fast on this day. On the other hand, married women want to get the boon of unbroken good fortune from Lord Shiva by observing this fast.

It is believed that by worshiping on the day of Mahashivratri, the devotees get many types of fruits. On this day, by anointing Lord Shiva with milk and water, all the pains of the devotees go away and they get freedom from all kinds of fear and the blessings of Lord Shiva remain on them.

How to Worship on Mahashivratri? :

On this day, chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’, Shiva should be anointed. On this day, recitation of Shiv Tandav Strot and Shiv Chalisa should also be done. All the wishes of the devotees are fulfilled by reciting the miraculous Shiva Tandav Stotra.

On the day of Mahashivratri, one should worship Lord Shiva by getting up early in the morning, taking bath etc. Wear clean clothes and bathe Lord Shiva with Panchamrit. Go to Lord Shankar’s temple and anoint him. Light a lamp near the Shivling and apply sandalwood tilak. Offer Belpatra, Dhatura, fruits, sweets to Lord Shiva. During this chant Om Namah Shivay, Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya, Om Namah Shivay Rudraya Shambhavay Bhavanipataye Namo Namah etc.

It is worth noting here that Tulsi leaves, turmeric and Champa and Ketaki flowers are not offered to Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva is an innocent god. Through many stories, we come to know that Lord Shiva gets pleased very quickly with a little worship.

It is mentioned in the Puranas that by worshiping Lord Shiva along with the deities, the demons also obtained many powerful boons. Lord Shiva gives desired results to all his devotees. So let’s worship Lord Shiva on this Mahashivratri and get his blessings by pleasing Lord Bholenath. “Om Namah Shivay”