Maha Shivratri(Phalgun. puja.2)
Maha Shivratri Pooja Vidhi
https://youtu.be/DDQYAcrno0A
Maha Shivaratri
Sivaratri.-18th february ,saturday.2023;
Maha Shivratri 2023: Date, Time, Muhurat
Maha Shivratri 2022: Significance
As per Hindu Beliefs, on this auspicious day Lord Shiva reunites with Goddess Parvati at midnight of Shivratri, and thus this day is celebrated with full zeal and zest across the nation.
.
'Maha Shivaratri' is associated with the marriage of Shiva and Shakti.
The
legends signify that this day is the favorite of Lord Shiva and also
throws light on his greatness and the supremacy of Lord Shiva over all
other Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
Maha Shivaratri also celebrates the night when Lord Shiva performed the 'Tandava', the cosmic dance.
According to another legend of Samudra manthan,
Shiva saved the world from the disastrous effects of a poison that
emerged as a by product of the churning of the sea (Samudra manthan), by
consuming the whole of the poison. Shiva could arrest the poison in his
throat by his Yogic powers
and it didn't go down his throat. His neck turned blue due to the
effect of the poison on his throat and henceforth he is also known as
Neela Kantha or
The Blue Throated.
:: Merits of Shivaratri Puja ::
According to SHIVA PURANA, sincere worship of Lord Shiva yields merits including spiritual growth for the devotees.
It also provides extensive details on the right way to perform Shivratri Puja.
Shiva Purana further says that performing abhisheka of Shiva Linga with six different dravyas including milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water while chanting Sri Rudram, Chamakam and Dasa Shanthi pleases Lord Shiva the most.
According to the mythology, each of these dravya used in the abhisheka blesses a unique quality:
• Milk is for the blessing of purity and piousness.
• Yogurt is for prosperity and progeny.
• Honey is for sweet speech.
• Ghee is for victory.
• Sugar is for happiness.
• Water is for purity.
According to SHIVA PURANA, sincere worship of Lord Shiva yields merits including spiritual growth for the devotees.
It also provides extensive details on the right way to perform Shivratri Puja.
Shiva Purana further says that performing abhisheka of Shiva Linga with six different dravyas including milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water while chanting Sri Rudram, Chamakam and Dasa Shanthi pleases Lord Shiva the most.
According to the mythology, each of these dravya used in the abhisheka blesses a unique quality:
• Milk is for the blessing of purity and piousness.
• Yogurt is for prosperity and progeny.
• Honey is for sweet speech.
• Ghee is for victory.
• Sugar is for happiness.
• Water is for purity.
To
perform the worship of Lord Shiva on Shivratri, devotees wake up early
and take a ritual bath, preferably in the holy waters of river Ganga.
This is followed by worship to Sun God, Vishnu and Shiva in accordance
with the purification rite observed on all-important Hindu festivals.
Devotees then wear fresh new clothes and pay a visit to the nearest
Shiva temple. As a tradition, devotees observe a fast on a Shivaratri
day. Some do not consume even a drop of water.
:: Performing Maha Shivaratri Pooja ::
Following the method prescribed in Shiva Purana, priests perform ritual puja of Shiva Linga EVERY THREE HOURS all through the day and night of Shivaratri Festival. During this pooja, chants of Om Namah Shivaya and sounds of bells reverberate in the temple. Following the ABHISHEKA with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water that helps in the purification of the soul a vermilion paste is applied on the Linga as it represents virtue. These six items form an indispensable part of Shivaratri, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship
After this, Bilwa leaves, which have to be a stalk with three leaves, is kept on top of the Shivalinga to cool the hot-tempered deity. BeL or jujube fruit is also offered to Lord Shiva, as it is symbolic of longevity and gratification of desires. Some devotees also offer the auspicious betel leaves to Lord Shiva marking satisfaction with worldly pleasures. Garlanding of Linga with flowers and garlands is also a part of the ritual Shivaratri Puja. Devotees also burn incense sticks as is said to yield wealth. Many also light lamps to symbolize attainment of knowledge. It is said that by offering water, hugging the Linga, lighting the diya and incense and ringing the temple bells, devotees call into focus all their senses, making them acutely aware of themselves and the universe to which they belong.
This ritual worship of Lord Shiva continues through the day and night of Shivaratri. Devotees stay awake and spent the night in Shiva temples by chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ and singing hymns and verses in praise of Lord Shankar. Devotees observing vrat on Shivaratri break it only the next morning by partaking prasad offered to Lord Shiva.
:: Shivaratri Rituals ::
Devotees of Lord Shiva observe the Shivaratri Festival by following the prescribed rituals.
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.
Requirements for Shivratri Puja ::
• An image, picture or idol of Shiva. Or a Shivalingam.
• Bilva Leaves
• Water
• Other normal puja items like lamp etc
:: Prayers for Shivratri ::
You can chant any one or more of the prayers dedicated to Lord Shiva or simply chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya.’
:: Performing Maha Shivaratri Pooja ::
Following the method prescribed in Shiva Purana, priests perform ritual puja of Shiva Linga EVERY THREE HOURS all through the day and night of Shivaratri Festival. During this pooja, chants of Om Namah Shivaya and sounds of bells reverberate in the temple. Following the ABHISHEKA with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water that helps in the purification of the soul a vermilion paste is applied on the Linga as it represents virtue. These six items form an indispensable part of Shivaratri, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship
After this, Bilwa leaves, which have to be a stalk with three leaves, is kept on top of the Shivalinga to cool the hot-tempered deity. BeL or jujube fruit is also offered to Lord Shiva, as it is symbolic of longevity and gratification of desires. Some devotees also offer the auspicious betel leaves to Lord Shiva marking satisfaction with worldly pleasures. Garlanding of Linga with flowers and garlands is also a part of the ritual Shivaratri Puja. Devotees also burn incense sticks as is said to yield wealth. Many also light lamps to symbolize attainment of knowledge. It is said that by offering water, hugging the Linga, lighting the diya and incense and ringing the temple bells, devotees call into focus all their senses, making them acutely aware of themselves and the universe to which they belong.
This ritual worship of Lord Shiva continues through the day and night of Shivaratri. Devotees stay awake and spent the night in Shiva temples by chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ and singing hymns and verses in praise of Lord Shankar. Devotees observing vrat on Shivaratri break it only the next morning by partaking prasad offered to Lord Shiva.
:: Shivaratri Rituals ::
Devotees of Lord Shiva observe the Shivaratri Festival by following the prescribed rituals.
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.
Requirements for Shivratri Puja ::
• An image, picture or idol of Shiva. Or a Shivalingam.
• Bilva Leaves
• Water
• Other normal puja items like lamp etc
:: Prayers for Shivratri ::
You can chant any one or more of the prayers dedicated to Lord Shiva or simply chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya.’
https://youtu.be/PB9wMsX11OM
The Subjective Dimension of Prayer
(how to observe maha sivaratri)
By Swami Chidananda
We will soon be observing the sacred
annual worship of Lord Siva, Mahasivaratri. It is customary to regard
and to speak of Lord Siva in terms of being a destroyer. The three
aspects of the Supreme Being are Brahma the creator, Vishnu the
preserver and Siva the destroyer. They say srishti, sthiti and
layakartas. The term “destroyer” is usually not used by me. I use the
word “dissolver,” because they do not refer to Lord Siva in mythology as
nasakarta or vinasakarta (destroyer) but as layakarta (dissolver). Laya
means subsiding back into the original state. Srishti is emerging into
variegated names and forms, the One becoming the many. Sthiti is
preserving, continuing in time, and laya is merging back into the
original unmanifest state, the nameless, formless unified state.
But, quite apart from this concept of
Lord Siva as dissolver, it is very widely held, especially in North
India, that He is the boongiver. Even though He is the highest of all
gods, devadideva (Lord of lords), Mahadeva (the great God), yet He is
easily pleased. He is very simple and prepared to give anything, to give
anything. And He is also a saviour. He saved Markendaya, His boy
devotee, from death by appearing before him and daring Lord Yama to
touch His devotee. So here, He is not so much the destroyer as He is the
protector and saviour. There are innumerable such instances of His
saving grace.And it does not take much to please Him. Pour some water
over Him, give a bilva leaf and chant His Name once. That is enough. So
one of the terms with which He is referred to is asutosh, very easily
propitiated, easily pleased asutosh mahadev.
But, the most endearing term by which He
is popularly referred to by devotees, in North India especially, is the
term “bhola. ” Bhola means simpleminded, one who has no complication
in his thinking, feeling and acting. He has no complications, no
crookedness, no cleverness. He is simpleminded. They call Him Bhola
Nath. They call Him Bhola Sambhu. Bhola means simple. He believes
whatever He sees. He does not look beyond. Even if a person asks for a
boon with a wrong intention, He does not look to the intention.
If a person has taken His Name, or
performed tapasya, He does not look into either the intention or the
consequences. To anyone who propitiates Him, takes His Name, prays to
Him, does tapasya and p I eases Him, He asks: “What do you want?”
Ravana. did intense tapasya and just to indicate to what extent Lord
Siva is simple, easy to please and prepared to give everything, He gave
him His divine partner, Parvati.
It would indeed be a highly beneficial
thing if everyone would Undertake an anushthana commencing tomorrow and
concluding on Mahasivaratri day. Regularly repeat eleven malas of Om
Namah Sivaya dedicated to the welfare of humanity. If you cannot repeat
eleven at least repeat five, one mala for each letter of the
panchakshara mantra, Om Namah Sivaya. It is very simple, very easy. In
five minutes you can do it. It will not be a purascharana, but it will
be an anushthana. A japa anushthana you can do, and dedicate it to the
welfare of mankind and the peace of the world.
Now, let us consider this ancient
tradition in India, especially religious India, that is, praying for
others, praying for the world, praying for the welfare of mankind, for
the welfare of all creatures, praying for peace on earth, not only for
mankind and all creatures but also for everything that exists, praying
for peace, wishing peace, desiring peace and sending out thoughts of
peace to everything that exists, to all existence: “Peace be unto all
the five elements, earth, water, fire, air and ether.” It is desiring
peace for the grass, herbs, plants and trees. It is desiring peace for
the celestials, for the angelic host, for the gods right up to the
creator, Brahma visvedev santih (peace to all the Gods), brahma santih
(peace to Brahma), santi eva santih (peace for peace itself), wishing
peace for peace itself. Let there be peace to all the Vedas, Vedic
mantras, to everything. This is the ancient tradition.
Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu May all
beings in this universe be happy. Sarvesham svastirbhavatu May
prosperity and welfare be unto all beings. Sarvesham santirbhavatuMay
peace be unto all beings. Sarvesham purnam bhavatuMay plenitude and
fullness be unto all beings. Sarvesham mangalam bhavatuMay
auspiciousness and blessedness be unto all beings. Sarve bhavantu
sukhinahMay all be happy. Sarve santu niramayahMay all be free from
disease, pain and suffering. Sarve bhadrani pasyantu May all behold
that which is auspicious, pleasant, nothing fearful nor unpleasant.
Bhadra is auspicious, blessed, mild, pleasant. Ma kaschid duhkhabhag
bhavetMay not sorrow fall to the lot of anyone. Thus, this has been an
ancient traditionwishing well, wishing peace, happiness, prosperity,
freedom from disease and pain, plenty, fullness, blessedness and
auspiciousness to everyone.
The desirability of such prayer is not
only because the world needs all these things. There is also the
subjective dimension of prayer that has to be considered. The process
has a very important effect upon the one who prays. By wishing for all
that is positive, creative, constructive, good, conducive to welfare,
auspicious and blessed to all that existsall creatures, mankind, the
whole worldit makes us aware that our ancients expected us to make life
an active, dynamic process of constantly working to bring about those
very conditions which we wish for, pray for, intend and want for others.
For, unless our prayer is backed up by suitable action to bring about
these conditions, it has no meaning.
If we wish peace for others and at the
same time we are actively engaged in robbing others of their peace by
disturbing them, agitating them, causing them distress, then we stand as
a living lie. We stand, in terrible contradiction to what we mouth
through such prayers. We say one thing, but we act in another manner. We
succeed in doing something that is contrary to that which we pray for.
It thus becomes a very serious situation, a very undesirable state of
affairs. Every day we say ma kaschid duhkhabhag bhavet May not sorrow
fall to the lot of any being. Therefore, we have to be perpetually
conscious, aware and careful that neither by thought, word nor deed do
we create sorrow for others, grief for others.
Apart from this, that such prayer is an
indication of what we should work, live and act for, of what our great
ancients have placed before us as an ideal for our life and the living
of it, it also has still another aspect. By constantly thinking in such a
positive manner of the happiness, welfare and peace of others, it
brings about a change in our nature. Gradually we become so disposed to
act in such a way, to live in such a way, that we become a centre of
goodwill towards others, a centre of compassion and kindness towards
others, a centre of peace for others. The constant repetition of such
prayer, the constant dwelling upon these thoughts, and the constant
harbouring of these feelings in our heart have a transforming effect
upon our own nature. It tends to gradually make us grow in this quality
of goodwill towards all, of illwill towards none, of compassion and
kindness towards all, of prayerfully ever wanting to live in order to
bring peace, solace, happiness and comfort to everyone.
This constant prayer has this effect,
but only if we pray feelingfully, not mechanically. If, as a matter of
routine, we go on uttering this prayer mechanically with lipservice,
then, of course, we will be deprived of this purifying, elevating and
transforming effect. We will not benefit from it; we will not gain
anything by it, It is only when, every time we pray, we pray with
earnestness, with sincerity, with feeling, in a meaningful manner, then
alone it is a great lifetransforming power, it is a great purifying and
uplifting power.
That is its effect upon the one who
prays. It has this unfailing effect of making us grow into those very
qualities we pray for. This is the subjective dimension of prayer how
it benefits the one who prays. Constantly having these thoughts, these
feelings of goodwill, of kindness, compassion, friendliness, makes us a
wellwisher of humanity, a being filled with loving kindness, with good
thoughts, goodwill and love, wishing and praying for the peace of all.
Then indeed our life mission is being
fulfilled, because we become a centre for radiating around us the
quality which is of God, daivi sampad. Compassion, kindness, peace,
light, joy all belong to God, and we make ourselves a channel for the
manifestation of these Godqualities in this world of His. What greater
blessedness can one have?
What greater privilege than this can one
have? And what greater satisfaction than this can one have in life than
the satisfaction that “I have not lived in vain; I have tried to make
myself a true child of God, make myself a channel for manifesting the
qualities of Him whom I address as father, mother, friend, relative, and
Lord.” That indeed makes life worth living.
It is in this way that we must
understand the incalculable value of prayer for the one who prays. Thus
may prayer transform your life and make it Divine. God bless you all!”
=
The Symbol of Supreme Aspiration
Mahasivaratri Message
By
Sri Swami Sivananda
Blessed children of God !
The
worship of the Lord Siva is a symbol of the supreme aspiration of man
for the attainment of the perfections of which the Lord is the
embodiment.
Renunciation
and establishment in Self-consciousness are the two great features of
Siva. This demonstrates that absolute Self-centredness is achieved
through renunciation. Supreme attainment is the fruit of supreme
abandonment. Siva is represented as one who is ever merged in
Self-consciousness, which means that God is Self-identical, never
different from Himself, never dividing His being into self and non-self.
He is Fullness, the Goal of all, where all can find their wishes and
ambitions supremely satisfied. Siva is, therefore, the ultimate
consummation of life, the perfection of the self or the realisation of
the truth. He is Truth itself, which has to be reached through the means
of the negation of untruth, i.e., renunciation. He is also the
Samharkarta, the destroyer of the universe of duality and multiplicity,
the infolder of everything in the supreme Self.
Sivaratri
is the night during which the aspirant tries to free himself from the
normal animal and human functions, practise perfect self-restraint and
attune himself to the Lord. In other words, the aspirant completely
resigns his personality to the Supreme Siva and discards his lower
nature. He observes ‘Upavasa’, meaning ‘fast’ in the obvious sense and
‘living near’ the Lord, in the esoteric sense. This is coupled with
vigil during the night. Hence, it is a physical as well as a mental
fast. It is denying food to the body as well as to the mind. In short,
it is denying the necessities of the individual, person, which is the
same as transcending oneself, in order to be in the ecstatic
consciousness of the blissful Siva.
This
divine consciousness is not easily generated in a person through
ordinary means. Even as the body and the internal organs are negatively
made to forgo their natural objective food, they should be positively
engaged in the service of the Lord. Otherwise, they will not cease from
their habit of becoming barriers to the ascent to the higher
consciousness. With this end in view, the devotee or the aspirant
performs worship of Siva, physically, verbally and also mentally, so
that no aspect of the lower nature may find a chance to manifest its
normal activity which is obstructive and even directly injurious to the
spiritual aspiration of man. Rudra-Abhisheka with Navaka and Chamaka,
Sahasranama-Archana or Laksha-Archana, Kirtan of the hallowed names of
the Lord, reading of the Purana extolling His glories, fast, vigil, Japa
of His Mantra, meditation on His Swarupa,—all these form the various
methods through which the Sadhaka prevents the dissipation of energy and
mental force and redirects the same, through sublimation, to the
Eternal Source, the Lord, God.
The
human being has his life on this earth for the sake of evolving, by
means of protracted Sadhana into the Divinity that he is essentially.
This truth is brought out in the observance of the Vratas and Niyamas
connected with the Sovereign of this universe, the Creator, the
Almighty. These vows and Pujas are meant to open the eyes of the sleepy
man, now and then, and awaken him to his supreme purpose in life. In the
night of ignorance, the man of the world does not see the daylight of
the Atman. The gross man is turned towards God through repeated
exhortations and persuasions to bring to his mind, at least
occasionally, the knowledge of the fact that God is the only Reality and
that the attainment of Him alone is the meaning of existence. This is
done through advising man to observe disciplinary vows and perform
worship. The intelligent Sadhaka, however, should utilize all His time
in the pursuit of the spiritual Reality and to him, the whole of life is
a continuous Vrata, an unbroken worship, a ceaseless Sivaratri!
Therefore O aspirants, let the observance of Sivaratri be the forerunner
of your intense and constant Sadhana for God-realisation. Let your
entire life be dedicated to Siva! This whole life in this world is
"Ratri" or night for you. Observe vigil during this "night" of the
world, and spend this night in the worship of Siva, who is Brahman.
Remember "Yasyam Jagrati Bhootani Sa Nisha Pashyato Muneh", "That
(worldly life) in which all beings are awake is night to the sage with
spiritual perception." (Gita II, 69).
May the blessings of the Parama-Siva be upon you all! May you all attain Kaivalya!
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