SHIVARATRI

 Shivaratri is the auspicious night which is observed by Hindu devotees to worship and honour Lord Shiva. It falls on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Falgun (February). Thousands of pilgrims visit Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu and take bathe in the holy river Bagmati just near the temple. Some people take fast on that day and others sit up for the whole night around burning fire to worship Lord Shiva. This being a great festival of the Hindus, a great number of pilgrims from different parts of Nepal and India pour in Kathmandu to pay homage to Lord Pashupatinath. Lots of arrangements are made by Government of Nepal and various charitable organisations to provide all possible facilities to the pilgrims including health care, accommodation, food distribution and other supplies. 

The Pashupati Nath- temple is one of the holiest of Hindu shrines and is also a very popular and  impressive temple. The elaborate workmanship of the temple, solid silver doorways in all four sides of this temple and its glittering gold plated roof of the temple are all really worth-watching for all.

There are several stories and mythological anecdotes associated with the origin of this wonderful mela or fair known as Shivaratri festival. Some of them are highly symbolical and fascinating and quite close to logical sense, the main purpose of these stories being aimed at explaining the significance of Shiva Ratri symbolically. As for an example, here goes this story:

One hunter named Chanda was once chased by a wild animal and, therefore, climbed up a tree near by to save his life. He had to keep awake whole night for the fear of the animal who was waiting on the ground. While staying in the tree, he inadvertently kept on tearing leaves from the twig. All the leaves he tore out unconsciously were falling on a lingam which was installed exactly under the same tree. That particular night happened to be Shivaratri night and that the tree was margosa or bilva, a favourite tree of Lord Shiva. Next morning when he got down and  hurried back home, he found his wife waitng for him without sleeping for the whole night. Thus their keeping awake all night and fasting brought great fortunes to them as blessing of Shiva. Since then people started fasting and not sleeping for the whole night on that particular day.

The fourteenth day of the dark fortnight is from various points of view a perfect point –free from prejudice. To put it in another words, it is a kind of spiritual night from where one can equally visualize both sides of one’s soul. It is like saying one can have the thorough view of the day and the night both at the same time from that particular  point. Chaturdasi, the midnight of the dark fortnight of this month, is considered as a divine point of self-realisation. Once one makes a little effort on this auspicious day to reach this point, he is believed to enable himself well enough to control his mind and gain good grace of god. This is the reason why in Nepalese  religion, culture this day is  regarded as a choicest day of lord Shiva and popularly called Shiva Ratri day. On this auspicious day all the Hindus are advised to keep themselves awake all the night praying and making offerings to lord Shiva. There is very popular saying that those who got off bed early that night must be sinful souls. As elderly people would say, even the dogs who are intelligent wont’ touch the food that day. 

Now a little bit about Nandi Bell, the vehicle of Lord Shiva. One might raise a question: why shiva is so fond of the bull, such a dull creature? Why Shiva is so fond of the bull, such a dull creature? According to the Hindu tradition, every individual is an expression of the principle of the creative plesure (Ananda). The most refined and truest form of creative pleasure is the creative lust (Kama). Lord Shiva typifies the divine principle of Kama being the master of the bull, the innocent one, Nandi itself means producer of the creative pleasure, though in the matter form. Nandi is also said to be the symbol of the entire bovine race for whom Lord Shiva always had sympathy and love. Hence Shiva’s another popular name is Pashupati Nath-meaning the Lord of all animals. So to say, the protector of all the weak and innocent creature. This is one of the very strong reasons why all the hindus worship this very linga-form of Shiva. As a matter of fact during the entire celebration of Shiva Ratri, lingam becomes central attraction of the entire activities of the ceremonial worship.

The main message of this Shiva Ratri for all the Hindus is that one should gradually learn to control the mind and finally stay away from it because the mind is the root cause of the entire woes and agonies. The restless nature of man’s mind is nothing but Maya (illusion) that has nothing special of spiritual value to offer to us. So it does deserve our good care. A great saint rightly says: “on Shiva Ratri day our mind should not be allowed to run on any thing but into shiva lingam-which is the perfect point to realize oneself with god.”