Lord of the entire creation, ghostly Mahadev… On Mahashivratri, by the grace of Bholenath, you will get the light of enlightenment.

I am not able to finish the article to sanctify my pen on the supreme festival of Lord Ashutosh Bhole Bhandari, the God of Gods, Mahadev, Bhootbhavan, Vyomkesh, the ultimate welfare giver of living beings. Shivratri is one of the most sacred festivals of Hindus. Shiva is the master of the entire creation. It is the ghostly Lord Shankar who provides existence on this earth to all the living beings (humans, animals, birds, gods, demons) of this living world. He is the beginning and He is the end. Bhoot does not only mean ghostly spirits, but the basic meaning of Bhoot, which has arisen on this earth, i.e. every living being composed of Panchabhut is a ghost. Bhavanah means the one who follows them and does their welfare.

There are many stories behind celebrating this festival of Baba Vishwanath. Mahashivratri has been described in detail in Shiva Purana. Rudra Samhita (Parvati section) of Shiva Purana describes the marriage celebration of Lord Shiva with Parvati. This festival, which comes after Basant Panchami, is celebrated at the time of extremely beautiful and pleasing nature. Here Shiva is also considered a celebration of the union of consciousness and energy (Shakti). If we look at the spiritual aspect of Shivratri, then Shiva means welfare and night means rest or darkness. This festival of Mahashivratri is also seen as a symbol of eradicating the darkness of ignorance and moving towards the light of enlightenment.

The second mythological story behind celebrating Mahashivratri is related to the churning of the ocean and Vishpan. At the time of Samudra Manthan, when poison called Halahal came out of the ocean, none of the Suras and Asuras were ready to accept it. At such a time, Lord Shiva drank this Halahal and created his name Neelkanth. Due to this kindness also, as a mark of gratitude, devotees observe this fast and celebrate the festival of Shivratri. There is a rule to keep fast on Mahashivratri, which means, we should control our senses. By staying awake at night we learn the lesson of awakening from ignorance. Offering Bel Patra on Shivalinga means victory over the three Gunas.

Author- Ashok Suri