Maha Shivratri means "Night of Lord Shiv"....This is celebrated a day before the no moon day every year durning Feb to March. Bilva Patra. or Bael Leaves has to be offered to Shiv on this day. This festival is not much about of food.. on the contrary, its an all day fast..and in the evening, offer prayers to Shiv and then break your fast by eating fruits ... and sweets ... and stay wide awake the whole night... and not sleep until next day evening lights are turned on.
There is actually a folklore associated with this festival .. There was a hunter who was in search of food all day along ...in the night he was so frustrated with his hunger pangs, that he made up his mind not to leave the forest until he hunted down an animal. Exhausted, he climbed up a Bilva tree ignorant of the fact that a Shiv linga was placed just below it .. To stay awake, he decided to pluck out leaves and strew them around....The leaves started adorning the Shiv linga below... He continued to do so all night.....
It was morning and the hunter saw a priest draw up and offer prayers to the linga.....He climbed down and prayed for some divine intervention to help him track down his meal....In return, he pledged a part of his body to the lord.....He set out with his bow drawn out and in no time, hunted down an animal. Overjoyed, he offered some portion of his prized catch to the lord. and returned home happily. He continued doing the same for the next few days and then the lord finally decided to put his devotion to test.
On returning that night, the hunter observed blood oozing out of Shiv's eyes...He was shocked...Saddened by the sight, he decided to offer his eye...He used an arrow to gouge his own and thereby give sight to the lord....Alas, he saw blood trickling down the other eye. The hunter, now blinded in one eye, used his foot to mark the lord's second eye and then gouged out his own to put it where his foot was....
Pleased by his love, devotion and selflessness, Shiv appeared there and proclaimed that henceforth, the hunter be known as Kannapa to one and all for sacrificing his own eyes....This hunter in reality was Arjun, son of Kunti....The lord also said that devotees offering Bilva leaves on Maha Shiv Ratri would attain Moksha....Folks who would fast, offer bilva leaves and pray in the evening would be Kananapa's followers....Folks staying up all night would be Shiv's followers...That's how the lord showered his blessings and love on the hunter.....
There are actually numerous reasons why Maha Shiv Ratri is celebrated; I just tried to share the one lore which put me to sleep on numerous nights when I was a kid.
Happy Shiv Ratri to all of you...May the resonance of Om bring peace and harmony to all our lives...
There is actually a folklore associated with this festival .. There was a hunter who was in search of food all day along ...in the night he was so frustrated with his hunger pangs, that he made up his mind not to leave the forest until he hunted down an animal. Exhausted, he climbed up a Bilva tree ignorant of the fact that a Shiv linga was placed just below it .. To stay awake, he decided to pluck out leaves and strew them around....The leaves started adorning the Shiv linga below... He continued to do so all night.....
It was morning and the hunter saw a priest draw up and offer prayers to the linga.....He climbed down and prayed for some divine intervention to help him track down his meal....In return, he pledged a part of his body to the lord.....He set out with his bow drawn out and in no time, hunted down an animal. Overjoyed, he offered some portion of his prized catch to the lord. and returned home happily. He continued doing the same for the next few days and then the lord finally decided to put his devotion to test.
On returning that night, the hunter observed blood oozing out of Shiv's eyes...He was shocked...Saddened by the sight, he decided to offer his eye...He used an arrow to gouge his own and thereby give sight to the lord....Alas, he saw blood trickling down the other eye. The hunter, now blinded in one eye, used his foot to mark the lord's second eye and then gouged out his own to put it where his foot was....
Pleased by his love, devotion and selflessness, Shiv appeared there and proclaimed that henceforth, the hunter be known as Kannapa to one and all for sacrificing his own eyes....This hunter in reality was Arjun, son of Kunti....The lord also said that devotees offering Bilva leaves on Maha Shiv Ratri would attain Moksha....Folks who would fast, offer bilva leaves and pray in the evening would be Kananapa's followers....Folks staying up all night would be Shiv's followers...That's how the lord showered his blessings and love on the hunter.....
There are actually numerous reasons why Maha Shiv Ratri is celebrated; I just tried to share the one lore which put me to sleep on numerous nights when I was a kid.
Happy Shiv Ratri to all of you...May the resonance of Om bring peace and harmony to all our lives...
1 comment:
Very Nice and intresting :) Keep up the good work.
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