Maha Shivratri is like this big Hindu festival that happens every year where people honor Lord Shiva. Shiva is one of the main gods in Hinduism and is known for being the destroyer and changer within the Trimurti. It is like the three aspects of the divine – the creator, preserver, and destroyer.So it’s a really important festival for followers of Shiva where they celebrate him and his role in the religion.
Mahashivratri meaning
So Maha Shivratri is this really important Hindu festival where people worship Lord Shiva.It’s meant to be like the “Great Night of Shiva” when his energies are strongest and easiest to connect with. Folks celebrate because it’s seen as a way to get Shiva’s blessings and clear away all your bad karma from past lives.People really believe that on this specific night, Shiva’s powers are most accessible and he’s willing to help remove the negative effects of your past actions.It’s considered a very auspicious occasion for receiving Shiva’s gifts and purifying yourself from the consequences of your karma.
Story of Mahashivratri
There are the following famous stories of Mahashivratri;
Shiv Shakti Vivah
So one of the big stories about Maha Shivratri is that it’s the day when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. People celebrate this marriage because it represents the mind and soul being in harmony with each other.It also represents the masculine and feminine forces balancing out in the whole universe. Bringing together all those different parts is pretty cool!
Samudra Manthan
According to this story, the gods and demons were churning the ocean to get some immortal nectar. But while they were doing that, a pot of poison popped out too. And man, this poison was no joke. It was so toxic it could have destroyed the whole universe.Thankfully Lord Shiva stepped in and drank it all down to save everyone. But just inhaling that stuff was enough to turn his throat blue.His wife Parvati touched his neck to try and help but it was already discolored. That’s why they call Shiva “Neelkanth”. It means the guy with the blue throat.The Maha Shivratri festival is all about commemorating how Shiva saved everything by gobbling up that poison for us
