Maha Shivratri is celebrated on the Chaturdashi of Krishna paksha in the Hindu lunar month of Phagun. Coming Monday (March 4) Hindus who worship lord Shiva will celebrate the festival across the nation.
On this day devotees worship him offering Aak crown flowers, water, milk and bhang. Lord Shiva is considered as an ideal husband and to get a husband like him, unmarried girls and women worship Him on this day observing fast. However, there are many legends behind the observance of Maha Shivaratri. Some are:
Marriage of Shiva and Parvati
In some parts of the country, largely in North India, devotees observe this day as the wedding anniversary of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The temples are decorated with festoons and lights and the idols of Lord Shiva and Parvati are taken out in a decorated palanquin as a token of Lord Shiva’s barat.
Lord Shiva becomes Neelkanth
Some believe on the day of Maha Shivaratri, Lord Shiva drank the poison which emerged from Samudra Manthan to save the world. He held the poison in his throat, turning it blue. Thus He gets the name of Neelakantha and since then Maha Shivratri is being celebrated.
Emergence of Shivalinga
Another legend behind the celebration of Maha Shivratri is that once Brahma and Vishnu fought to establish who is superior between the two. The fighting was so horrifying that other gods sought Lord Shiva’s interference to pacify them. Lord Shiva assumed the form of a column of fire. Brahma and Vishnu decided to reach the topmost end of the fire. However, Brahma resorted to a lie that angered Lord Shiva and He cursed him that he would no longer be worshipped by anyone. Since then the day is being celebrated as Maha Shivratri in his honour as he could end the fight between Brahma and Vishnu.
Shivalinga’s discovery by a hunter
Another legend is that a hunter could not find anything to kill for his food in a forest, he decided to spend the night on the branch of a Bel tree to be safe from wild animals. To keep himself awake, the hunter started plucking and throwing the leaves of the tree on the ground, unaware of the fact that the leaves were falling on a Shivalinga beneath the tree. Pleased with the patience of the hunter, Lord Shiva appeared and blessed him with wisdom. It was the night we are now celebrating as Maha Shivratri.
Lord Shiva saves earth from destruction
Another legend is that Goddess Parvati once pleaded Lord Shiva to save the earth when it faced destruction. Lord Shiva agreed to do it but on the condition that the people of the Earth would have to worship him. And from that day onward, the night is being celebrated as Maha Shivaratri.
Shiva’s dance
According to another popular legend, Maha Shivaratri is the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance of creation, preservation and destruction. In fact, 12 Shivratris fall in a year. But the Maha Shivratri is considered to be the most auspicious one.
PNN