Mahashivratri

According to the Puranas (Sanskrit: पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" group of important Hindu or Jain and Buddhist religious texts, consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction), during the great mythical churning of the ocean called Samudra Manthan, a pot of poison emerged from the ocean. The gods and the demons were terrified as it could destroy the entire world. When they ran to Lord Shiva for help. He in order to protect the world, drank the deadly poison but held it in his throat instead of swallowing it. This turned his throat blue, and since then he came to be known as 'Nilkantha', the blue-throated one. Shivratri celebrates this event by which Shiva saved the world.

It is the night of the worship of Lord Shiva, occurs on the 14th night of the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna (the twelfth month of the Hindu calendar). It falls on a moonless February night, when Hindus offer special prayer to the lord of destruction. Shivratri (Sanskrit 'ratri' = night) is the night when he is said to have performed the Tandava Nritya or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. The festival is observed for one day and one night only.



The Maha Shivratri celebration includes
various spiritual practices such as repetition of mantra, hymns, satsang,
and meditation that purify the human mind.

The sages have said that by repeating a conscious mantra Om Namah Shivaya (a mantra becomes
conscious or live when received through a guru parampara coming down from
the original Guru, Lord Shiva) with devotion, concentration, and
understanding, the mind becomes free from its negative impressions. Just as
one cleans one's dirty clothes with soap, so also one can clean one's mind
of its negative impressions through a conscious mantra. It can destroy one's
difficulties, impurities or bad karmas of many lifetimes. Such is the power
of a conscious mantra repetition. Just as by pouring water at the root of a
tree, all its branches get nourished, so also by worshipping your own inner
Spirit (called by many names including Ishwar, Shiva, Krishna, Rama,Jesus, Buddha,
Mahavira, Nanak, and Allah) all gods and goddesses are automatically
worshipped. This is the secret of all secrets.

One of the names of Lord Shiva is Asutosh, which means "easily pleased." Let
us pray: "O Asutosh! You are my innermost Spirit. My body is your house. In
every pore of my body, in every blood cell of my body, and in every particle
of my body, you dwell. My actions in this world are your worship. My speech
is your prayer. I am in you and you are in me and everyone. Let my mind be
absorbed in the conscious mantra so that its vibrations of universal love,
wisdom, and peace pass into all beings."

May everyone have a Blessed year!

Happy Mahashivratri!!