Maha Shivratri A Celebratory Night

Shivratri or Maha Shivratri or the great night of lord Shiva, is sacred to all the Hindus. It is one of the
most celebrated Hindu festivals. It is observed annually in India during the Krishna Paksha of the
Hindu month Maagh. Precisely, the celebration begins on the 13th night and continues till 14th day of
the month maagh.
There are a horde of devotees awaiting this festive day to perform Maha Shivratri puja. As this day
not only lures the ascetics, but also people who live family life. Since, worshipping and observing a
mere fast on this holy day cuts off a range of misfortunes and brings in various blessings.
To clear the air on how Maha shivratri came into existence, one must know who Shiva is. Shiva is one
of the three major divine Gods, Vishnu and Brahma. Though, all the three deities are one, yet
distinct from each other.
What does the word Shiva imply?
Shiva is a holistic formation of universe. It is formed from the word Vash, which is the reverse of the
Shiva. Vash has its own significance and it implies enlightenment or to enlighten. As a result, Shiva is
the enlightener, the one who proffers spiritual insight and widens intellectual vision. To add more,
he would be glowing himself, in turn brightening the universe. Obstructing poverty and bestowing
prosperity are his core values.
Lord Shiva has innumerable names, of which Mahadev being prominent and signifying his
authoritative nature. He is also called Supreme God and he preserves all the core virtues that
connote Absolute Spiritual Practice (Sadhana), Absolute Purity and Absolute Knowledge.
How Maha shivratri came into existence
There are a plethora of mythological stories in the Puranas that indicates the quintessence and
origination of this holy night.
The source belongs to one of the renowned stories in the legends. Lord Indra has always been living
a leisureliness life. One fine day or rather a day with a bad fate struck him. Durvasa Rishi, one of the

eminent sages, offered Lord Indra a garland. To which, Lord Indra disregarded by hanging it on the
tusk of his elephant, Airawat. Spotting such disrespect to his offering, Rishi Durvasa got enraged and
cursed him for his impoliteness, citing that he along with his other Gods would be shunned away
from luxurious life, and will mislay all the supremacy. As the curse took its course, Indra and other
Gods started losing battles with Asuras led by the king of asuras, Mahabali. Soon, the superfluity was
lost by Indra and shifted to Mahabali.
This was not the limit; Mahabali took over Swarg, and all the Apsaras and threw away Indra along
with other Gods. Helpless Indra had no other choice than retreating and rushing to Lord Vishnu. He
offered them an opportunity to gain back their powers. However, they would need to churn the
ocean Amrita that would help them regain their lost powers. The powerless Gods had no strength or
vigor to churn it alone, thus they unified with the asuras to do the Samudra Manthan (churn the
ocean).
As the churning began, the complete universe started turning blue. The atmosphere started crippling
to a limit where no living being can survive. Poisonous fumes chocking everybody started irritating
till death, with the emergence of Halahal. To this, everybody ran to Lord Shiva for help. Lord Shiva
without being hesitant drank the deleterious poison. Nevertheless, he held the poison in his throat
instead of swallowing it, and this turned his throat blue. Therefore, he is also named as Neelkanth.
The celebration of Maha Shivratri is followed after this happening, since Lord Shiva protected the
universe from collapsing.