Important Festivals of India for the Year 2008
Marriage of
Shiva and Shakti
 The
legend of marriage of Shiva
and Shakti is one the most important legends
related to the festival of Mahashivaratri.
The story tells us how Lord Shiva
got married a second time to Shakti, his divine consort.
According to legend of Shiva and Shakti, the day Lord
Shiva got married to Parvati is celebrated as Shivaratri
- the Night of
Lord Shiva.
The Legend
Legend goes that once Lord Shiva and his wife Sati or
Shakti were returning from sage Agastya’s ashram
after listening to Ram Katha or story of Ram. On their
way through a forest, Shiva saw Lord Rama searching
for his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by Ravana,
the King of Lanka. Lord Shiva bowed his head in reverence
to Lord Rama. Sati was surprised by Lord Shiva’s
behavior and inquired why he was paying obeisance to
a mere mortal. Shiva informed Sati that Rama was an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Sati, however, was not satisfied
with the reply and Lord asked her to go and verify the
truth for herself.
Using her power to change forms, Sati took the form
of Sita appeared before Rama. Lord Rama immediately
recognized the true identity of the Goddess and asked,
"Devi, why are you alone, where's Shiva?"
At this, Sati realized the truth about Lord Ram. But,
Sita was like a mother to Lord Shiva and since Sati
took the form of Sita her status had changed. From that
time, Shiva detached himself from her as a wife. Sati
was sad with the change of attitude of Lord Shiva but
she stayed on at Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.
Later, Sati’s father Daksha organised a yagna,
but did not invite Sati or Shiva as he had an altercation
with Shiva in the court of Brahma. But, Sati who wanted
to attend the Yagna, went even though Lord Shiva did
not appreciate the idea. To hre great anguish, Daksha
ignored her presence and did not even offer Prasad for
Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and was struck with profound
grief. She jumped into the yagna fire and immolated
herself.
Lord Shiva became extremely furious when he heard the
news of Sati’s immolation. Carrying the body of
Sati, Shiva began to perform Rudra Tandava or the dance
of destruction and wiped out the kingdom of Daksha.
Everybody was terrified as Shiva’s Tandava had
the power to destroy the entire universe. In order to
calm Lord Shiva, Vishnu severed Sati's body into 12
pieces and threw them on earth. It is said that wherever
the pieces of Shakti’s body fell, there emerged
a Shakti Peetha, including the Kamaroopa Kamakhya in
Assam and the Vindhyavasini in UP.
Lord Siva was now alone undertook rigorous penance
and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as
Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She performed
penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his
attention. It is said that Parvati, who found it hard
to break Shiva’s meditation seeked help of Kamadeva
- the God of Love and Passion. Kaamadeva asked Parvati
to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced, Kaamadeva
shot his arrow of passion at Shiva breaking his penance.
Shiva became extremely infuriated and opening his third
eye that reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. It was only after
Kamadeva’s wife Rati’s pleading that Lord
Shiva agreed to revive Kaamadeva.
Later, Parvati undertook severe penance to win over
Shiva. Through her devotion and persuasion by sages
devas, Parvati, also known as Uma, was finally able
to lure Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism.
Their marriage was solemnized a day before Amavasya
in the month of Phalgun. This day of union of God Shiva
and Parvati is celebrated as Mahashivratri every year.
Another Version of the Legend
According to another version of the legend, Goddess
Parvati performed tapas and prayers on the auspicious
moonless night of Shivaratri to ward off any evil that
may befall her husband. Since then, womenfolk began
the custom of praying for the well being of their husbands
and sons on Shivaratri day. Unmarried women pray for
a husband like Shiva, who is considered to be the ideal
husband.
Shivaratri Rituals
Devotees of Lord Shiva observe the Shivaratri Festival
by following the prescribed rituals with sincerity and
devotion. All through the day, devotees abstain from
eating food and break their fast only the next morning,
after the nightlong worship. Ritual baths of Shivalinga
in the numerous Shiva temples by Shiva worshipper, mainly
women, is another significant feature of Shivratri customs
and traditions. Devotees strongly believe that ritual
worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri
absolves them of past sins and they are blessed with
Moksha.
Rituals Observed on a Shivaratri Morning
As a tradition devotees wake up early in the morning
of the Mahashivratri day and take a ritual sunrise bath,
preferably in the holy waters of river Ganga. They also
offer prayers to the Sun God, Vishnu and Shiva as a
part of a purification rite observed on all-important
Hindu festivals. After wearing fresh new clothes devotees
visit the nearest Shiva Temple to give the customary
bath to the Shivalinga.
On a Shivratri day, Shiva temples are thronged by devotees,
mainly women, who come to perform the traditional Shivalinga
pooja and seek blessings from the god. At times there
is so much rush in the temples that devotees have to
wait for their turn to observe pooja. At their turn
for worship, devotees circumambulate the Shivalinga,
three or seven times, and then pour water over it. Some
also pour milk. Sounds of bell and shouts of ‘Shankarji
ki Jai’ or (Hail Shiva) reverberate in the temple
premises.
Ritual Bath of Shivalinga
Following the rituals prescribed in the Shiva Purana,
every three hours, Shivalingam is given a special bath
with milk, yoghurt, honey, sandalwood paste and rose
water. Puja, meditation and chanting of ‘Om Namah
Shivaya’ accompany the ritual bath. Following the
bath, vermilion paste is applied on the linga. Traditionally,
leaves of a forest tree Aegle marmelos (bilwa, maredu,
wood apple) are used for Shiva puja. Thereafter, Bilwa
leaves, which have to be a stalk with three leaves,
is kept on top of the Shivalinga. Ber or jujube fruit
is a special offering to the god on this day. Beetle
leaves are also offered by some. Some also offer bilwa
leaves in the belief that the Goddess Lakshmi resides
in them. Others believe it is offered for its cooling
effects on the hot-tempered deity. Many devotees also
decorate the linga with flowers and garlands and offer
incense sticks and fruit.
Significance of Puja Items
According to the Shiva Purana, there is a special significance
of the six essential puja items used in the Shiva worship.
Bathing of Shivalinga with water, milk and honey and
wood apple or bel leaves added to it, represents purification
of the soul.
The vermilion paste applied on the linga after the ritual
bath represents virtue.
Offering of fruits symbolizes longevity and gratification
of desires.
Burning of incense sticks yields wealth.
The lighting of the lamp symbolizes attainment of knowledge.
Offering of betel leaves marks satisfaction with worldly
pleasures.
All-Night Shiva Worship
Worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the night
on Shivaratri Festival. Devotees stay awake all night
and spend the night in Shiva temples in worship of Lord
Shiva. Singing of hymns and verses in praise and devotion
of Lord Shiva besides the intense chanting of Om Namah
Shivay, the mantra that is said free people from all
their sins, continue through the night on Shivaratri.
Special worship of Shiva by priests continues through
the nightlong prayer vigil. During this ritual worship,
Lord Shiva is offered special food made from the fruits
of the season, root vegetables and coconuts. Those observing
the Shivaratri Fast break their fast the next morning
by consuming the prasad offered to Shiva.
Samudra Manthan
This very popular Shivaratri legend from Puranas explains
why people stay awake all night on Shivaratri. Besides,
it also tells us why Lord Shiva is also known as Neelakantha.
Legend Behind Samudra Manthan
Once Indra - the King of Gods, while riding on an elephant
came across Durvasa Muni who offered him a special garland.
Indra accepted the garland but put in on the trunk of
the elephant. The elephant was irritated by the smell
and it threw the garland on the floor. This enraged
the sage as the garland was a dwelling of Sri (fortune)
and was to be treated as prasada. Durvasa Muni cursed
Indra and all devas to be bereft of all strength, energy,
and fortune.
In battles that followed this incident, devas were
defeated and asuras (demons) led by Bali gained control
of the universe. Devas sought help from Lord Vishnu
who advised them to treat asuras in a diplomatic manner.
Devas formed an alliance with asuras to jointly churn
the ocean for the nectar of immortality and to share
it among them. Lord Vishu told Devas that we would arrange
that they alone obtain the nectar.
The Churning of the Ocean
The churning of the milk - ocean was an elaborate process.
Mount Mandara was used as churning rod and Vasuki, the
King of Serpents, became the churning rope. Lord Vishnu
himself had to intercede in so many ways to aid the
Devas. All kinds of herbs were cast into the ocean and
many great beings and objects were produced from the
ocean and were divided between asuras and gods. It is
said that following things emerged from the Samudra
Manthan:
Sura or Varuni - Goddess and creator of wine
Apsaras - various divine nymphs
Kaustubha - a rare diamond said to be the most valuable
jewel in the world
Uchhaishravas - the divine white horse
Kalpavriksha - the wish-granting tree
Kamadhenu - the wish fulfilling cow
Airavata - the white elephant
Lakshmi - the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth. Vishnu
and Her were reunited after having been separated for
many ages.
Haalaa-Hala - the Poison
During the Sagar Manthan by the gods and demons, haalaa-hala,
a pot of poison also came out of the ocean. This terrified
the Gods and demons as the poison was so toxic that
it effects would have wiped out the entire creation.
On the advice of Lord Vishnu, Gods approached Lord Shiva
for help and protection as only he could swallow it
without being affected. On the request of gods and out
of compassion for living beings, Lord Shiva drank the
poison. However, Parvati - Lord Shiva’s consort
pressed his neck so that the poison does not reach his
stomach. Thus, it stayed in his throat neither going
up nor going down and Shiva remained unharmed. The poison
was so potent that it changed the color of Lord Mahadeva’s
neck to blue. For this reason, Lord Shiva is also called
Neelakantha (the blue-necked one) where ‘Neela’
means blue and ‘Kantha’ means neck or throat.
As part of the therapy, doctors advised gods to keep
Lord Shiva awake during the night. Thus, Gods kept a
vigil in contemplation of Lord Shiva. To amuse Shiva
and to keep him awake, the gods took turn performing
various dances and playing music. As the day broke out,
Lord Shiva, pleased with their devotion blessed them
all. Shivaratri is the celebration of this event by
which Shiva saved the world. Since then, on this day
and night - devotees fast, keep vigil, sing glories
of Lord and meditate.
Churning Out Divine Nectar
At last, Dhanvantari - the Divine Physician appeared
with a pot of Amrita (nectar of immortality) in his
skilful hands. Fierce fighting ensued between devas
and asuras for the nectar. To protect the nectar from
asuras, devas hid the pot of nectar at four places on
the earth - Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and
Nasik. At each of these places, a drop of the nectar
spilled from the pot and since then, it is believed
that these places acquired mystical power. Grand Kumbh
Mela is celebrated at the four places after every 12
year for this reason.
Eventually, Lord Vishnu took the form of a beautiful
woman, Mohini. While her beauty bewildered the asuras,
Mohini seized the nectar and returned it to the Devas,
who drank it immediately.
Legend of Shiva Linga
The legend of Shiva Linga or Lingodbhavamurthy is deeply
related to Mahashivaratri.
The legend narrates the story of vain search by Brahma
and Vishnu to discover the Aadi (beginning) and the
Antha (end) of Lord Shiva. The legend thus proves the
supremacy of Lord Mahadeva over other Hindu Gods and
explains why the lingam is believed to be one of the
most potent emblems in Hindu ideals. The story is stated
in the three of the puranas - the Kurma Purana, the
Vayu Purana and Shiva Purana
The Legend
According to Puranas, once the other two of the triads
of Hindu Gods, Brahma and Vishnu were fighting over
each other’s prowess. Horrified at the intensity
of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene.
To make them realize the futility of their fight, Lord
Shiva assumed the form of a flaming Linga in between
Brahma and Vishnu and challenged both of them by asking
them to measure the gigantic Linga (phallic symbol of
Lord Shiva).
Awestruck by its magnitude, Brahma and Vishnu decided
to find one end each to establish supremacy over the
other. Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and went
upwards while Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha
- a boar and went into the earth towards nether land.
Both searched for thousands of miles but neither could
find the end.
On his journey upward, Brahma came across Ketaki flower.
Exhausted and bewildered with his search to find the
uppermost limit of fiery column, Brahma made Ketaki
assent to lie that he had seen the top of the column
where the flower had previously resided. Accompanied
by his accomplice, Brahma confronted Vishnu and asserted
that he had indeed discovered the origin of the cosmic
column.
At this point, the central part of the pillar split
open and Shiva revealed himself in his full glory. Overawed,
both Brahma and Vishnu bowed before him accepted lord
Shiva’s supremacy. Lord Shiva also explained to
Brahma and Vishnu that both of them were born out of
him and that the three were then separated out into
three different aspects of divinity.
However, Lord Shiva was angry with Brahma for making
a false claim. The Lord cursed Brahma that no one would
ever pray to him. (This legend explains why there is
hardly any Brahma temple of significance in India.)
Lord Shiva also punished the Ketaki flower for testifying
falsely and banned her from being used as an offering
for any worship.
Since it was on the 14th day in the dark fortnight
of the month of Phalguna that Shiva first manifested
himself in the form of a Linga, the day is extremely
auspicious and is celebrated as Mahashivaratri
- the grand night of Shiva. To celebrate the occasion,
devotees of Lord Shiva fast during the day and pray
to the Lord throughout the night. It is said that worshipping
of Lord Shiva on Shivaratri bestows one with happiness
and prosperity.
The Legend of Lubdhaka
The legend of Lubdhaka is deeply related to Mahashivaratri
and explains the popular custom of all-night worship
of Lord Shiva on the festival. As a tradition devotees
recite the legend of Lubdhaka while they observe fast
in worship of Lord Shiva on Mahashivaratri.
And, it is only after observing an all night fast that
devotees eat the prasad offered to Shiva.
There is yet another version of this legend, which
is popular as the legend of King Chitrabhanu. This legend
has been narrated by Bhishma in Shanti Parva of the
Mahabharata and has been discussed later in this article.
Story of Lubdhaka
Story goes that Lubdhaka - a poor tribal man and a devout
worshipper of Lord Shiva once went into the deep forests
to collect firewood. As the darkness engulfed the jungle,
Lubdhaka lost his way and could not find his way home.
He became extremely terrified as deep growls of animals
began to fill the jungle. Seeking protection till daybreak,
Lubdhaka climbed the nearest bel tree and sought safety
and shelter in its branches. Since Lubdhaka was perched
on the branch of a tree he was afraid that if he dozed
he might fall off from the tree. To keep himself awake
all night, Lubdhaka decided to pluck one leaf from the
bheel tree and drop it while chanting the name of Shiva.
By sunrise, the devout tribal realized that he had dropped
thousands of leaves on to a Shiva Lingam, which he had
not seen in the darkness. Lubdhaka’s all night
worship pleased Lord Shiva and by his divine grace tigers
and other wild animals went away. Thus, Lubdhaka not
only survived but was also rewarded with divine bliss.
According to Puranas, ever since that day, the story
of the tribal Lubdhaka has been recited every year on
the night of Mahashivaratri.
This popular legend also form the basis of the popular
custom of offering bhel (Aegle marmelos) leaves to Lord
Shiva on Shivaratri.
Different Version of the Legend - Story of King Chitrabhanu
Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, talks about the legend
of King Chitrabhanu observing the festival. The story,
as told by Bhishma while resting on the bed of arrows
and discoursing on Dharma, says that once King Chitrabhanu
of the Ikshvaku dynasty who ruled over the whole of
Jambudvipa was observing a fast with his wife, it being
the day of Maha Shivaratri. The sage Ashtavakra came
on a visit to the court of the king and inquired the
king about reasons for keeping a fast.
Answering the sage’s query, King Chitrabhanu who
had the gift of remembering the incidents from his previous
birth said that in the past birth he was a hunter in
Varanasi and his name was Suswara. His livelihood was
to kill and sell birds and animals. One day while he
was roaming through the woods in search of animals,
he was overtaken by the darkness of the night. To seek
shelter from wild animals, Suswarna seeked shelter in
the branches of nearest tree, which happened to a bael.
Suswarna has also shot a deer that day but had no time
to take it to home. So he bundled it up and tied it
to a branch on the tree. Hunger and thirst tormented
Suswarna and kept him awake all night. Feeling sad that
his poor wife and children were starving and must be
anxiously waiting for his return, Suswarna began to
shed profuse tears. To pass away time, Suswarna engaged
himself in plucking bael leaves and dropping them down
onto the ground.
Having passed the night thus, next morning, Suswarna
sold the deer and bought some food for himself and his
family. But, the moment he was about to break his fast,
a stranger came to him begging for food. Humbly, Suswarna
served food to stranger first and then had his own.
Later, at the time of his death, Suswarna saw two messengers
of Lord Shiva who were sent down to conduct his soul
to the abode of Lord Shiva. It was then that Suswarna
learnt for the great merit he had earned by the unconscious
worship of Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri.
The divine messengers told Suswarna that there was a
Lingam at the bottom of the tree on which he spent the
night. The leaves he dropped therefore fell on the Lingam.
While his tears, which he had shed out of sorrow for
his family, fell on the lingam and washed it. Besides,
he had observed a fast all day and all night. Thus,
Suswarna had unconsciously worshiped the Lord Shiva.
Concluding the story, the King said that he lived in
the abode of the Lord and enjoyed divine bliss for long
ages. Now, he has reborn as Chitrabhanu.
The Legend of Ganga
The legend of Ganga’s descent from the heavens
into the earth has been narrated in the Hindu mythological
epic of Ramayana. The legend explains the popular custom
of giving bath to Shiv Linga on Shivaratri festival.
The Legend
Once King Sagar - the ruler of Ayodhya and an ancestor
of Lord Rama successfully performed the Ashwamedha Yagya
for 99 times. Each time, he sent the horse around the
earth it returned to the kingdom unchallenged. However,
Indra - the King of God’s became jealous of King
Sagar’s success. So when King Sagar performed the
sacrifice of the 100th time, Indra kidnapped and hid
the Yagya horse in the hermitage of Kapila Muni
In search of the horse, sixty thousand princes from
Ayodhya reached Kapil Muni’s hermitage. They mistook
the sage to be the abductor and attacked him. An enraged
Kapila Muni burnt the 60,000 princes to ashes. On hearing
about the plight of his father and uncles, King Bhagiratha
- one of the grandchildren of King Sagar requested Kapila
Muni to grant a solution to the problem. Kapila Muni
advised that the waters of the river Ganga would miraculously
bring back the dead princes to life.
King Bhagirath left his kingdom and began to mediate
for the salvation of the souls of his ancestors. It
is said that Bhagirath observed a penance to Brahma
for a thousand years, requesting Ganga to come down
to earth from heaven and wash over his ancestor's ashes
to release them from a curse and allow them to go to
heaven. Pleased with the devotion, Brahma granted Bhagirath’s
wish but told him to pray to Lord Shiva, as he alone
could sustain the weight of her descent.
Accordingly, Lord Shiva held out his thick matted hair
to catch the river as she descended. The meandering
through Shiva’s lock softened Ganga’s journey
to the earth and the holy waters of river Ganga thus
washed away the ashes of Bhagirath’s ancestors.
A modified version of the legend says, what reached
the earth were just sprinkles from Lord Shiva’s
hair. The Ganga, thus, became an attribute of Shiva.
This manifestation of Shiva is known as Gangadhara.
The legend is re-enacted by devotees of Lord Shiva
as they give a bath to the linga during worship. And
for this reason, many devotees prefer to take a dip
in the holy water of river Ganga on a Shivaratri day.
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