Mahashivratri as the name indicates is the night of Hindu God Shiva and the most important day dedicated to Siva in a Hindu lunar calendar. Mahashivratri 2011 date is March 2. Fasting and Vrat is from March 2 sunrise to March 3 sunrise. All pujas are held during the night of March 2 to early hours of March 3, 2011. In US and Canada the day is marked on March 2. In Australia and New Zealand, Mahashivratri is marked on March 3. Shivaratri is observed on the night before Amavasi or no moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun (February – March) as per traditional calendar followed in North India. The corresponding month in other regions is Magh month.
Note - Confusion in 2011 regarding in Shivratri date. Shivratri is observed on Chaturdashi Tithi. In 2011, Chaturdasi Tithi ends early on March 3 in India - before midnight. Therefore Shivratri is observed on March 2. But some communities and Ashram stick to Chaturdasi Tithi and they will be observing Shivratri in India only on March 3.
Unlike other festivals associated with Hinduism, Mahashivratri is a night dedicated largely to prayers and not to celebrations. Of course, when Lord Shiva is worshipped there is bliss all around but that bliss is of self realization.
The popular belief is that Shiva, the formless Brahman, appeared in a form on Mahashivratri day. On the Mahashivratri night Lord Shiva is worshipped in a special form of Linga called ‘Lingodabhavamurti.’ It is a lingam in the form of fire which has neither a beginning nor an end. It must be noted here that ‘linga’ means ‘sign.’ And it is merely an attempt to capture the formless Brahman.
Hindus fast on the day and keep vigil at night. Devotees avoid sleeping on the day as it is believed that Shiva appeared at night in the form of Lingodabhavamurti.
While most of the festivals are celebrated during day time... Deepawali and Mahashivratri are two such festivals that give more significance to night.
For those who arent aware... story of Mahashivratri begins like this:
After the samundra manthan (Churning of the sea, thats another story altogether). Alongwith a lot of other things, came Halahala... a dangerous poison that could finish the entire universe. Before this poison could spread all over, Lord shiva drank whole of it and here's where the story of Mahashivratri begins.
Lord Shiva had to be kept awake that night to prevent the poison from flowing down his throat. Hence all the Devotees spent the night...singing songs in honor of Lord Shiva to keep him awake. This is why Mahashivratri is also a test of the true devotee.
Even to this day, on Mahashivratri people stay awake whole night (Jaagran) and sing Bhajans.
Talking about Bhajans... there is one from the movie Bhairavi --- OM NAMAH SHIVAYA. I had been searching for this song since long and now finally found it on cooltoad.
After I found the song... I wanted the lyrics however nowhere on the net it was available. So finally I wrote the lyrics for anyone searching like me. This song definitely has a soothing effect on the listener.
I had a tough time writing this song because of all the musical notes in between... and doubtlessly its going to be equally difficult to sing those notes unless you are are trained singer.
Lord Shiva and Mahashivratri wallpaper is now a tradition. What is better than having the Lord’s picture as wallpaper on the Desktop while working and fasting on Maha Shivratri day. For this here are 15 of the best ever Shiva Wallpapers and Photos that can be used on your pc.
