Mahashivratri: Special Importance Of This Night

--Dr. Ashok Pandey

India has been a country of fasts and festivals since ancient times. Throughout the year we keep celebrating some festival or the other. Some of these are based on dates and some on seasons. In these, the rituals of fasting, havan etc. continue. But the most important place in Mahashivratri is the fast to please Lord Shiva.
Today is Mahashivratri. Actually, Shivratri falls on the Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha every month. But there comes one day in the year which is called Mahashivratri. That day is of Phalgun Krishna Chaturdashi. This night has a very special connection with Devadhidev Lord Shiva. In this, there is ritual worship of Lord Shiva, fasting and awakening. This is Mahavrat. That's why it was named Mahashivratri. Chaturdashi of Krishna Paksha i.e. the Moon in the form of soul and the Sun in the form of Shiva remain close together.

Soul and Mind become One
On this day both soul and mind become almost together. That is a special time. The worship of God during this period directly transmits solar energy into the human body. If we look at it in another way, Sun and Moon are directly visible planets in the sky and they have a direct impact on humans, animals, birds, weather, earth, climate, etc. Due to the meeting of these two together on the day of Chaturdashi, this night becomes of special importance. Worshiping Shiva on this day gives special results physically, divinely and materially. According to Skanda Purana-
परात् परतरं  नास्ति  शिवरात्रि परात परम् ।
न पूजयति भक्तयेशं रूद्रं त्रिभुवनेश्वरम् ।
जन्तुर्जन्म सहस्रेषु भ्रमते नात्र संशयः ।।
The person who does not worship Mahadev Shiva with devotion on this day will definitely keep wandering around for thousands of years. Be it a worshiper of Sun God, Vishnu or any other deity, one who does not observe fast on Mahashivratri remains deprived of good results.
It is even said in Skanda Purana that a person who worships Lord Shiva properly on Mahashivratri and keeps vigil at night. He never has to drink his mother's milk again. That means he becomes free from the bondage of birth and death.
शिवं  तु पूजयित्वा यो जागर्ति च चतुर्दशीम् ।
 मातुः पयोधर रसं न पिबेत स कदाचन ।।
In fact, this Shivratri of Falgun Krishna Chaturdashi is amazing. This is very special. The person who knows even a little about the concept of time. They come to know that by working at the right time and according to the time calculation, they keep getting what they want to achieve.
The new year cycle begins after the month of Phalgun. Like night is followed by day and day is followed by night, which is an eternal law of nature. Like after rhythm there is creation and after creation there is rhythm. In this way, the creation that arises after the rhythm, the annual cycle repeats on this day after Phalgun Krishna Chaturdashi. With this the soul wants to go to the supreme element Shiva. According to astrology, as mentioned above, on the Chaturdashi day of Krishna Paksha, the Sun and the Moon are almost together. Therefore, at this time, the Moon in the form of life is in sync with the Sun in the form of Shiva. There is yoga together. Therefore, by worshiping Adi Dev Lord Shiva on Phalgun Krishna Chaturdashi, the living being gets the things he wants.

Shivratri Fast

At the core of Shivratri fast are the rituals of fasting, awakening and proper worship. The spiritual meaning of fasting is that on that day we reach the presence of God through our actions. Fasting means living near one's beloved. Lord Shiva is our favorite during Mahashivratri. We become completely close to Shiva through our mind, words, deeds etc. This fast is taken that the soul will reside near Shiva on this day.
According to Devi Purana, one should meditate on Lord Shiva on this day. His mantras should be chanted. One should listen to God's story while taking bath. One should spend all the time with them or doing so. This is the aim of this day's sadhana. Therefore, to get full benefits, the action should also be taken methodically. Therefore, it is very important to keep vigil during Shivratri. Flowers, sandalwood and Bilva leaves are offered to Shiva. By chanting and meditating the name of Shiva, the tendencies of the mind are controlled and in this way the soul gets united with the Supreme Soul Shiva. This coincidence is actually Shiva worship. This is the aim of our life.
In Yoga Shastra also, Shivratri fast means controlling the senses and the instincts of the mind, as well as being close to the Shiva element through knowledge of karma and devotion. If we worship Shiva through Gyan Yoga or Karma Yoga then there is a mixture of devotion in both. Be it devotion based on action or based on knowledge, one definitely gets benefits from both.

It is said in Ishaan Samhita that -Shivratri fast removes all sins. This sacrifice provides liberation. In fact, the purpose of Mahashivratri is the union of the soul with the Supreme Soul. According to one's faith and devotion, during Shivratri on earth, one gets the ritual of worship four times in different ways during the four hours of the night. In the first phase, the Ishan idol of Shiva is bathed with milk, in the second phase with curd, the Aghor idol of Shiva is bathed, in the third phase with ghee, the Balm Dev idol of Shiva is bathed, and in the fourth phase, the Sadyojata idol is bathed with honey and worshiped over them duly. should do .

After immersion in the morning, after listening to the story of the fast, one should end Amavasya by saying - O Shiva, I am daily getting burnt by the torture of the world. May you be pleased with me through this fast. O Lord, please be satisfied and grant me the vision of knowledge.The great poet Kalidas has written about the importance of Shiva and Parvati in the beginning of his immortal poetry Raghuvansh –
वागर्थाविव संपृक्तवौ  वागर्थ प्रतिपत्तये ।
जगतः पितरौ वंदे पार्वती परमेश्वरौ ।।
The way the meaning is combined with the sentence, that is, there is a constant relationship between the sentence and the meaning. Sentence is the gross body, meaning is the subtle life force of that body. In this way, combined in the manner of sentence and meaning, I worship Lord Shiva, the father of the world, and Mother Parvati.
On the day of Chaturdashi, the Moon in the form of soul and the Sun in the form of Shiva become very close. There is a slight difference between them. But after worshiping Shiva on this night, the next day when it is Amavasya, the Moon and the Sun i.e. the soul and Shiva become completely united. There is not the slightest difference between them.
Therefore, by breaking the fast on this day, perfection is achieved. This is the spiritual philosophy of Shivratri.There is a mythological belief that Shiva's place is at the root of the Bilva tree, hence, Belpatra is offered to Lord Shiva on this day. The three leaves of Belpatra have a triple form.
त्रिदलं त्रिगुणाकारं  त्रिनेत्रं च त्रिधायुतं । 
त्रिजन्म पाप संहारिणीं 
विल्व पत्रं शिवार्पणम् ।।
Om Namah Shivay.

(Writer is a renouned Astrologer, Vastu consultant & spritual healer. He is based in Pune)