Significance of Maha Shiv Ratri, Importance of MAHASHIVRATRI. Why 'SHIVA' word is Special

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MAHASHIVRATRI

Shiva is 'shakti' or power; Shiva is the destroyer, the most powerful God of the Hindu Pantheon and one of the Godheads in the Hindu Trinity. Known by many names - Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava, Bhole Nath - Lord Shiva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deities. He is the most important Hindu god for the Shaivism sect, the patron of Yogis and Brahmins, and also the protector of the Vedas, the sacred texts.

Our India celebrates many big festivals of Hindus in the country, Shivaratri is one of them. Shivaratri is a great festival of the combination of Shiva and Shakti. The line of devotees seems to be in the temples, on this day, devotees offer milk, water, bel-leaves to the Shivling. MahaShivRatri:- We have so many nights in our life but they are not as significant and auspicious as the night of Mahashivratri.

Shiva has a trident in the right lower arm, and a crescent moon on his head. He is said to be fair like camphor or like an ice clad mountain. He wears five headed serpents. The five hoods mean the five senses or the five Tathvas, i.e., earth, water, fire, air and sky. They also represent the five Pranas, which hiss in the body like the serpent and also a garland of skulls (The skulls of Brahmas after their time period) as ornaments.

Shiva (Trilochana), is often depicted with a third-eye, with which he burned Desire to ashes, called Triyambakam. Shiva smears his body with ashes. The ashes are said to represent the end of all material existence. The Ganga is one of the major rivers of the country, is said to have made her abode in Shiva's hair.

Shiva forms a Thantric couple with Shakti, the embodiment of energy, dynamism, and the motivating force behind all action and existence in the material universe. Shakti is his transcendent feminine aspect, providing the divine ground of all being.

The Parashu is the weapon of Lord Shiva who gave it to Parashurama, sixth Avatar of Vishnu, whose name means Rama with the axe and also taught him its mastery.

Shiva is the last deity of the Trinity. He is responsible for the dissolution of the Universe. He is the embodiment of Tamas, the centrifugal inertia, the tendency towards dispersion and annihilation. Literally, Shiva is one in whom the Universe 'sleeps' after destruction and before the next cycle of creation. All that is born must die. All that is produced, must disintegrate and be destroyed. This is an inviolable law. The principle that brings about this disintegration, the power behind this destruction, is Shiva. Shiva is much more than that. Disintegration of the Universe ends in the ultimate thinning out, into a boundless void. This boundless void, the substratum of all existence, from which springs out again and again this apparently limitless universe, is Shiva. So, though Shiva is described as responsible for destruction, He is equally responsible for creation and existence. In this sense, Brahma and Vishnu are also Shiva. It is perhaps this identity that is revealed by some of the stories in the Puranas. If one story makes Shiva speak from the womb of the infinite pillar of fire to Brahma and Vishnu that they are his own aspects, other stories make Shiva as being born from the brows of an angry Vishnu or from Brahma who was intensely desiring to beget a son.

Shiva is worshipped both in the anthropomorphic aspect and as the Lingam, the latter being the rule whereas the former is an exception. The most common of His pictures and images shows him a very handsome youth, white as camphor. His limbs besmeared with ashes are strong and smooth. He has three eyes-the third eye being on the forehead between the eyebrows-and four arms, two of the arms holding the Trisula (trident) and Damaru (drum) while the other two are in the Abhaya (protection giving) and Varada (boon-giving) Mudras (poses). He has a crown of long matted hair from which flows the river Ganga. He also wears the crescent moon as a diadem. A tiger-skin and an elephant-skin adorn his body as his garments. There are serpents all over his body forming the necklace, the girdle, the YajnopavIta (sacred thread) as also arm-bracelets. There is also a garland of skulls round his blue neck.

Man, being what he is, cannot help super-imposing his own states on his Gods too! Therefore, it is but natural for him to conceive of Shiva as a man with family. Parvati is His consort. Ganesh and Kumara (also known as Skanda or Subrahmanya) are his sons. Though he has his headquarters in the icy mountains, the Himalayas, he is fond of roaming the earth, especially the burial grounds and cremation sites. All this is in perfect consonance with his nature as the Lord of destruction and dissolution.

During this night the moon’s effect of passion wanes. This gives time for Sadhakas (the Spirituality seekers) to sit under meditation for whole night with the purity of their heart and mind so as to achieve highest form of spirituality. Maha Shivaratri is one of the significant festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva. The day has many legends associated with it. According to most of the legends, the day of Maha Shivaratri is associated with Lord Shiva and many cosmic events related to Him took place on the very same day.

Maha Shivaratri or also simply called as Shivratri festival is one of the great Hindu festivals. This is celebrated annually & according to the Hindu mythology it is considered as the day in which Lord Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati (Sakti). Shiv also called as "Adi" which means first guru (teacher) has Billions of disciples & devotee worshiping him and consider him as their idol. We can also split the word "Shivaratri" as "Shiv" + "Ratri" which means night of Shiva. This day is celebrated on Krishna Pakchha Trayodashi or chaturdashi according to the Hindu calendar in Magh-Falgun (February-March).

As per Puranas (Hindu ancient/mythological literature or stories), this day is the favourite day of Lord Shiva. After end of creation, when Goddess Parvati asked Shiva which is his favourite day, then Shiva said that 14th day of the Krishna Paksha is his favourite day. Then the goddess passed this message among her friends. So, this is considered as the best day to do prayers. It is also believed that on this day Shiv ji perform "Tandava" which is a form of dance. So, any prayer or wishes which is asked on this day is believed to be heard.

Another story about the day is that during "Samundra Manthan"-( churning of the ocean) by Gods & Demons, a poisonous pot was emerged. This poison was so dangerous that if this would have split over the ground that part will have been collapsed. So, to avoid the consequemces Lord Shiva drank it & preserved it in his throat inorder so save the earth. Due to the Poison , throat of Lord Shiva turned bluish

Yet Yetther story is also found reliable. According to another Puranic story, the triads of the Gods namely, Brahma, Bishnu, Mahesh (Shiva) had argument about who was the first one to evolve on this universe. During this Brahma & Bishnu had very intense argument, to which Lord Shiva produced a light (huge column of fire) in between them & asked them to follow the path and find the end of this light to know the supremacy of them. Brahma followed the superior part & Bishnu proceeded Inferior part. But since light doesn't have any definitive limit, they traveled for thousand miles but didn't get the ends. Brahma found "Ketaki" flower who told that she had had offered her flower at the end of the light. So, Brahma made a clever decision to take her flower as a proof that he reached the end. But, Mahesh (Shiva) became angry due to the lie they presented so, he cursed Brahma that no one will ever worship him & he also cursed Ketaki that her flower will not be taken as offerings to the God. This was the 14th day of the dark half of the moon of Falgun. So, this day is also considered to give happiness & prosperity.

People also eats Bhaang (hemp) pakodis, milk, sharbat during this day which is also found in temples. Shivaratriestival is celebrated in many countries. Here are the best places to visit to celebrate & worship on this divine day.

In Ine Indian culture, at one time, there used to be 365 festivals in a year. In other words, they just needed an excuse to celebrate everyday of the year. These 365 festivals were ascribed to different reasons, and for different purposes of life. There were to celebrate various historical events, victories, or certain situations in life like harvesting, planting, and reaping. For every situation there was a festival. But Mahashivratri is of a different significance.

The fourteenth day of every lunar month or the day before the new moon is known as Shivratri. Among all the twelve Shivratris that occur in a calendar year, Mahashivratri, the one that occurs in February-March is of the most spiritual significance. On this night, the northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned in such a way that there is a natural upsurge of energy in a human being. This is a day when nature is pushing one towards one’s spiritual peak. It is to make use of this, that in this tradition, we establish a certain festival which is night-long. One of the fundamentals of this night-long festival is to ensure that – to allow this natural upsurge of energies to find their way – you remain with your spine vertical – you stay awake.

Mahashivratri is very significant for people who are on the spiritual path. It is also very significant for people who are in family situations, and also for the ambitious in the world. People who live in family situations observe Mahashivratri as Shiva’s wedding anniversary. Those with worldly ambitions see that day as the day Shiva conquered all his enemies.

But, for the ascetics, it is the day he became one with Mount Kailash. He became like a mountain – absolutely still. In the yogic tradition, Shiva is not worshipped as a God, but considered as the Adi Guru, the first Guru from whom the knowledge originated. After many millennia in meditation, one day he became absolutely still. That day is Mahashivratri.

All movement in him stopped and he became utterly still, so ascetics see Mahashivratri as the night of stillness.Legends apart, why this day and night are held in such importance in the yogic traditions is because of the possibilities it presents to a spiritual seeker. Modern science has gone through many phases and arrived at a point today where they are out to prove to you that everything that you know as life, everything that you know as matter and existence, everything that you know as the cosmos and galaxies, is just one energy which manifests itself in millions of ways.This scientific fact is an experiential reality in every yogi. The word “yogi” means one who has realized the oneness of the Existence. When I say “yoga,” I am not referring to any one particular practice or system. All longing to know the unbounded, all longing to know the oneness in the Existence is yoga. The night of Mahashivratri offers a person an opportunity to experience this.Shivratri, is the darkest day of the month. Celebrating Shivratri on a monthly basis, and the particular day, Mahashivratri, almost seems like celebration of darkness. Any logical mind would resist darkness and naturally opt for light. But the word “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” , “That which is,” is existence and creation which means , if you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see lots of creation. If your vision is really looking for big things, you will see the biggest presence in the existence is a vast emptiness.

A few spots which we call galaxies are generally much noticed, but the vast emptiness that holds them does not come into everybody’s notice. This vastness, this unbounded emptiness, is what is referred to as Shiva. Today, modern science also proves that everything comes from nothing and goes back to nothing. It is in this context that Shiva, the vast emptiness or nothingness, is referred to as the great lord, or Mahadeva.Every religion, every culture on this planet has always been talking about the omnipresent, all-pervading nature of the divine. If we look at it, the only thing that can be truly all-pervading, the only thing that can be everywhere is darkness, nothingness, or emptiness. Generally, when people are seeking well-being,

we talk of the divine as light. When people are no longer seeking well-being, when they are looking beyond their life in terms of dissolving, if the object of their worship and their sadhana is dissolution, then we always refer to the divine as darkness.Light is a brief happening in your mind. Light is not eternal, it is always a limited possibility because it happens and it ends. The greatest source of light that we know on this planet is the sun. Even the sun’s light, you could stop it with your hand and leave a shadow of darkness behind.But darkness is all-enveloping, everywhere.

The immature minds in the world have always described darkness as the devil. But when you describe the divine as all-pervading, you are obviously referring to the divine as darkness, because only darkness is all-pervading. It is everywhere. It does not need any support from anything. Light always comes from a source that is burning itself out. It has a beginning and an end. It is always from a limited source. Darkness has no source. It is a source unto itself. It is all-pervading, everywhere, omnipresent. So when we say Shiva, it is this vast emptiness of existence. It is in the lap of this vast emptiness that all creation has happened. It is that lap of emptiness that we refer to as the http://Shiva.In Indian culture, all the ancient prayers were not about saving yourself, protecting yourself or doing better in life. All the ancient prayers have always been “Oh lord, destroy me so that I can become like yourself.”When we say Shivratri, which is the darkest night of the month, it is an opportunity for one to dissolve their limitedness, to experience the unboundedness of the source of creation which is the seed in every human being. Mahashivratri is an opportunity and a possibility to bring yourself to that experience of the vast emptiness within every human being, which is the source of all creation.On the one hand, Shiva is known as the destroyer. On the other, he is known as the most compassionate. He is also known to be the greatest of the givers.

Maha Shivaratri is one of the significant festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva. The day has many legends associated with it. According to most of the legends, the day of Maha Shivaratri is associated with Lord Shiva and many cosmic events related to Him took place on the very same day.

Maha Shivaratri Origin | Significance

There are several legends which are associated with Shivaratri. Few of the popular beliefs behind observing Maha Shivaratri are -

•It is believed that during the creation of the universe, Lord Shiva was incarnated as Lord Rudra during the midnight of Maha Shivaratri with the grace of Lord Brahma.

•It is believed that Lord Shiva got married to Goddess Parvati on the very same day. The festival is observed as the convergence of Shiva and Shakti. Hence, for many Shiva devotees, Shivaratri is observed as the marriage anniversary of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

•As per Hinduism, the creation and the destruction of the universe is a cyclic process. When the time comes, Lord Shiva destroys the whole creation with the fire of His third eye while performing the cosmic dance known as Tandava. It is believed that it is the day of Maha Shivaratri when Lord Shiva does the Tandava. Hence, Maha Shivaratri marks the anniversary of cosmic dance performed by Lord Shiva.

•It is believed that during the churning of the great ocean the poison also came out of the sea. It had the power to destroy the whole creation. Lord Shiva drank the poison and saved the whole world from annihilation. Hence, Maha Shivaratri is observed as the thanksgiving to Lord Shiva.

•The day of Maha Shivaratri is considered the most favorite day of Lord Shiva. Hence devotees worship Lord Shiva and observe a day and night long fast to please and to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva on His favorite day.

•Abhishekam i.e. bathing the Shiva Lingam with water, milk and honey

•offering Bel Patra i.e. wood-apple leaves to Shiva Lingam

•offering white flowers to Shiva Lingam

•night long vigil while chanting Shiva Mantra and Storage To nderstand the significance of 3 important Gods of Hinduism I devote one para . The Parabrahmam formed initially from the energy of Goddess Parashakti divided Himself into 33 crores creators of Galaxies As per science 100 crores including small ones . We are interested in 3 nearby galaxies namely milky way ,Andromeda and Triangulum . The creators of these 3 galaxies are Lord Vishnu , Shiva and Brahma respectively . Our earth is part of milky way galaxy and Andromeda galaxy is adjacent to it at an angle . Behind the Andromeda, Triangulum galaxy is situated and it is parallel to milky way .

In the sprawling universe we are identifying objects from the horizontal plane in which the earth is orbiting with Sun as center . This orbiting circle is divided into 12 sectors and from the distant stars group in each sector given a name .This is our land mark to indicate which sector the earth is in its orbit .The earth takes one year to complete one full orbit and it travels each of the 12 sectors in one month .We are interested in 3 sectors namely Sagittarius (Danush ),Rishabam (Taurus ) and Virgo (Makaram).All 3 Galaxies and their creators are almost in the Danush sector (Rasi). The Danush Rasi stars joined by lines look like a bird and Lord vishnu is given this as vahan or mount .In cosmos you look to Danush group of stars for locating Lord Vishnu .That is why when devotees enter vishnu temple they have to look for Garuda first . Similarly for Lord Shiva you look from the Rishaba rasi towards Danush . In Lord Shiva’s temple the Nandi is facing the lingam with the Sun in between .

Now coming to Maha Shivaratrih, the earth is positioned in Mahara rasi during its orbit (Feb-Mar month )and from this position we can see the Andromeda Galaxy and the creator Lord Shiva . In order to see this faint galaxy ,the day before new moon is selected , during which the sky is dark . We still need the crescent moon below which Lord Shiva can be located since Lord Shiva took the moon from the milky way during the churning for Amrit and kept on his head .All this clues are given in story form to locate the creator in the vast sky . You can see the blue haze from the invisible God (Black Hole )and the story of Lord Shiva who saved the universe from the deadly blue poison by swallowing it . The significance of lingam and why water is dripping over I have explained scientifically in another answer .

The other stories of dancing Shiva and marrying Shakti happened when the earth was in the Rishaba rasi (Dec-Jan )during Margahi -Thai month. This story has big scientific and philosophical importance and it is associated with Southern Shiva (Nataraja ) which will follow .Why we are worshiping Lord Shiva when our creator is Lord Vishnu.

The great festival of Hindu, maha Shivratri is the celebration of God Shiva, also known as the destroyer. This is the great festival of Hindu which lies in the month of January or February. It is also one of the great festivals of Hindu which is celebrated in the India and the Nepal. This festival is also known as the birth of Shiva as Janmasthami. God Shiva is very kindness and quick anger. God Shiva is also known as the Mahadev because he is the devo ka dev.

People also celebrates this festival with lots of devotion. According to Hindu epics and mythology, it is said that Shiva is only the God who fulfills their devotee wish very fast. As we know that Shiva lives in the snowy mountains and watches all the activities on the earth. Celebrating maha Shivratri has many reasons that might be for happiness and welfare, or may be for the prosperity of human beings. The great truth about God Shiva is that he is very angry in nature, becomes angry faster. He has kept the source and purity of water in their head ‘s hair that is Ganga.

Ganga is the only river of the world which also shows the priority and identity of India. It has the greater specifications that the water taken or kept from it never becomes damage or bad smelled. It has whole life purity guarantee. And that the great river is living in the head of Shiva by binding also called ‘’jataaa’’. The person comes away and from another country in Nepal at the time of Mahashivratri in the Pashupatinath. The crowd of people and fair in the Pashupatinath have increased the pollution and population of Kathmandu city. The great temple of Hindu as well as of Nepal Pashupatinath have a great importance. On the day of maha Shivratri, there occurred two days fair.

The presentation of the Rishis and Nagababa were smoking the ganja, also known as the food or Prasad of Shivji. The person comes from many parts of India and Nepal to distribute Prasad and feed the different foods to the devotee. They were distributing the Prasad by calling and serving the food, juice, etc. The government of Nepal provides up to 5000 rupees to all the Rishis and Nagababa. People worship it for many reasons.

In the honor of Lord Shiva, a Hindu festival is celebrated every year in Maha Shivratri. In each Looni-solar month of Hindu calendar, 13th night of the month / 14th day, but late winter (February / March, or Phalguna), this year Shivratri is on 4th March. There is a Shivratri in one year and celebrates Shivratri before the arrival of summer season. Means "Great night of Shiva.

In Kashmiri Shaiva religion, the festival is called Sarvarathri or the sound-hearted simple Herath or Herath- The Shivratri of Kashmiris, which is called Shiva faithfuls of the Kashmir region.

History and importance

According to some God yogis realized, Maha Shivratri was the day when Shiva had drunk poisonous negativity to protect the world. Maha Shivratri is mentioned in many Puranas, especially Skanda Purana, Ling Purana and Padma Purana. These medieval age Shaiv texts present various mythological stories related to this festival, but all mention Shiva's symbol like fasting and reverence for Lingam.

The festival has historical roots of the importance of dance tradition. Maha Shivratri has been served as the historic confluence of artists for annual dance festivals in prominent Hindu temples such as Konark, Khajuraho, Pattadkal, Modhera and Chidambaram.

In the Chidambaram temple, this incident is called Natanjali, which means "worship through dance", which is famous for its sculpture, which depicts all dance postures in the ancient Hindu text of performing arts called Natya Shastra. Similarly, in Khajuraho Shiva temples, a major fair and dance festival on Mahashivaratri, in which the Shaiva pilgrims are included, camps around the temple complex around miles, in 1864, was documented by Alexander Cunningham .

Maha Shivratri is celebrated in Annamalai temple situated in Thiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu very much. A large lamp of oil and camphor is lit on the hill during sunset - not to be confused with Kartigai Deepam.

Major Jyotirlingas of India come to Shiva temple, such as Varanasi and Somnath, especially Maha Shivratri. They also work as fairs and sites for special programs.

In Andhra and Telangana, Shivratri Yatra is organized in Malaya Gutta near Kambalpally, near Gundalakamma Kona, Penchalakona, Bhairavakona, Uma Maheshwaram near Railway Koduru. In Varshangal, a temple of 1000 pillars of Rudreshva Swamy is organized in the form of Mahashivaratri.

In Kashmir Shaivism, Maha Shivaratri is celebrated as a daily night. It is also known as "Bhairavotsav" or "Bhairav Utsav" in Tantric texts of Kashmir. People believe that on this day, Shiva is said to appear in the form of flaming or flame.

There are many Shaiv followers in Central India. Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the most revered temples for Ujjain Shiva, where a large gathering of devotees is gathered to pray on the day of Maha Shivratri.

In Punjab, Shobha Yatra will be organized by various Hindu organizations in various cities. This is a grand festival for the Punjabi Hindus.

In Gujarat, Maha Shivratri Mela is organized in Junagadh, where bathing in Damodar Kund is considered sacred. According to the myth, Lord Shiva himself comes to bath in the Damodar Kund.

Introduction : The festival of Mahashivaratri is celebrated on the 14th day of the dark fortnight of the month Magha, as per the Hindu lunar calendar. The Shiva principle is most active on this day of the year.

Table of Contents:

● Meaning of Maha Shivaratri

● Rare knowledge about Lord Shiva received from God

● Functions of Lord Shiva

● Attributes and Functions of Shiva Linga (Pindi)

● Various substances used for the worship of Lord Shiva and chanting

● Ritualistic worship

● Prayer

● Circumbulation

● Summery

Meaning Of Mahashivratri : Maha Shivaratri literally means 'the night (ratri) of the Supreme God principle (Shiva)'.

Lord Shiva takes rest some time during the night. That time of the night, i.e. the time when Lord Shiva is resting is called Mahashivratri. When Lord Shiva is resting, Lord Shiva goes from the meditative state (Dhyan) to the state of meditative union (Samadhi). This state of meditative union of Lord Shiva is His time to do spiritual practice.

When Lord Shiva is resting the work of the Shiva principle stops,.During this time since the Shiva principle is inactive, the overall tama component and restlessness in the universe i.e. the pressure of the distressing energies increases. The effect of these energies is reduced by offering bel leaves, white flowers, rosary of rudraksh etc that attract the Shiva principle from the atmosphere. Basically on this day by offering such items we increase our sattvikta to combat increased negativity around.

Hindus observe a strict fast on this day; some devotees do not partake of even a drop of water. In observance of Maha Shivratri people repeat the Panchakshara mantranamely - ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ through out the night.

Rare Knowledge about Lord Shiva received from God!

Received from a scholar (through Mrs Anjali Gadgil), Brahmattatva (through Mrs Kavita Patil), Shree Durgadevi (through Mr. Ram Honap)

1. Basic color of Lord Shiva’s waves : Waves of Lord Shiva are like ash. Ash represents detachment.

2. Ganga (The Holy water) - The snakes removed the obstacles in the flow of dyan-ganga (river of knowledge) from the tip of Shiva’s head and so are called as ‘Brahman’: Lord Shiva always lives in austerity (does tapasya). The knowledge attained by Lord Shiva flows from the tip of His head in the form of river of knowledge into the universe. The snakes removed the obstacles that obstructed the flow of knowledge. As the snake helped a lot to keep an unobstructed flow of knowledge they are known as ‘Brahman’ (The God principle).

3. Chandra (Moon) - The Universe cannot bear the heat produced due to the process of receiving knowledge. As per the need, the moon spreads cool-waves in the universe and reduces the speed and intensity of the heat waves thus protecting the universe. Due to this reason to balance out the heat in the universe the moon is positioned on the right side of Lord Shiva.

4. Science behind the miracle (phenomenon) of Saints producing Bhasma (Sacred Ash): The Bhasma or Vibhuti that comes out of saints palms also contain the waves of Lord Shiva: ‘Sometimes Bhasma or Vibhuti comes out of palms of few saints, which means at that time saints go into Shivadasha (The state of being one with God (Shiva), the state of pure non-duality. This is the highest spiritual experience) and before going into Shivadasha they pray for Bhasma or Vibhuti to come out of their hands. When they go into the Shivadasha at that time a few layers of their palm get burned and bhasma is formed out of it. New layer of skin is immediately formed to replace the burnt layer of skin. While this is happening the Saints do not feel anything. The Bhasma formed in this way has some power of waves of Lord Shiva. So, that bhasma is called as ‘Shiva-Bhasma’. Nowadays the bhasma is called as ‘Vibhuti’. Bhasma has a divine fragrance and it relieves us from the troubles of distressing energy. (Shri Satya Sai Baba generates Vibhuti from His hands. –Compiler.)

5. Trishul (weapon of Lord Shiva): It has three tips but one main stem. The power of the three tips of Trishul is in the main stem, means that the Trishul is designed according to the principle ‘Many to one.’

6. Rudraksha (Seeds of Rudraksha tree) -Intention of Lord Shiva behind adorning the rudraksha: Lord Shiva is always in the state of Samadhi (A super-conscious state of meditative union with the Absolute (God principle). His work is always done through the subtle. For His work to be carried out in a proper manner He has adorned garland made out of Rudraksha. Due to this while worshipping Lord Shiva Rudraksha is given lot of importance.

Functions of Lord Shiva : The word Shiva (when its syllables are transposed), has its origin in the word'Vash'. Vash means to enlighten; thus, one who enlightens is Shiva. Lord Shiva is absolute, self-radiant and illuminates the universe. Lord Shiva is also called Mahadev or Supreme God, since He possesses all the three principles – Absolute Purity (pavitrya), Absolute Knowledge (gnyana) and Absolute Spiritual Practice (sadhana) – underlying the Creation of the universe.

1) Creation of the universe: Lord Shiva can create the universe merely by His resolve (sankalpa). Shiva-Parvati are called the parents of the world.

2) Master of the universe (Jagadguru): It is said that one must seek knowledge from Lord Shiva and Liberation from Lord Vishnu.

3) Taking one beyond the three components (to thetrigunatit state): Lord Shiva completely destroys spiritual ignorance that is ignorance about spirituality and also ignorance about ones true nature.

Attributes and Functions Of Shiv-linga :

There are several legends which are associated with Shivaratri. Few of the popular beliefs behind observing Maha Shivaratri are -
•It is believed that during the creation of the universe, Lord Shiva was incarnated as Lord Rudra during the midnight of Maha Shivaratri with the grace of Lord Brahma.

Sadhguru : In the Indian culture, at one time, there used to be 365 festivals in a year. In other words, they just needed an excuse to celebrate everyday of the year. These 365 festivals were ascribed to different reasons, and for different purposes of life. There were to celebrate various historical events, victories, or certain situations in life like harvesting, planting, and reaping. For every situation there was a festival. But Mahashivratri is of a different significance.

All movement in him stopped and he became utterly still, so ascetics see Mahashivratri as the night of stillness.Legends apart, why this day and night are held in such importance in the yogic traditions is because of the possibilities it presents to a spiritual seeker. Modern science has gone through many phases and arrived at a point today where they are out to prove to you that everything that you know as life, everything that you know as matter and existence, everything that you know as the cosmos and galaxies, is just one energy which manifests itself in millions of ways.This scientific fact is an experiential reality in every yogi. The word “yogi” means one who has realized the oneness of the Existence. When I say “yoga,” I am not referring to any one particular practice or system. All longing to know the unbounded, all longing to know the oneness in the Existence is yoga. The night of Mahashivratri offers a person an opportunity to experience this.Shivratri, is the darkest day of the month. Celebrating Shivratri on a monthly basis, and the particular day, Mahashivratri, almost seems like celebration of darkness. Any logical mind would resist darkness and naturally opt for light. But the word “Shiva” literally means “that which is not.” “That which is,” is existence and creation which means , if you open your eyes and look around, if your vision is for small things, you will see lots of creation. If your vision is really looking for big things, you will see the biggest presence in the existence is a vast emptiness.

The yogic lore is rife with many stories about Shiva’s compassion. The ways of expression of his compassion have been incredible and astonishing at the same time. So Mahashivratri is a special night for receiving too.