Happy Maha Shivratri To All Indians...

Shivaratri is a festival of great significance for Hindus all over the globe. Literally meaning Shiva’s night, it represents the high state of spiritual realization when the world of relativity fades away and perfect peace and calm prevails. On this phenomenal night, the seeker remains fully aware of his identity with Shiva, the source of perennial joy and thus experiences eternal truth, bliss and lasting beauty-Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram. Esoterically, it is the most sacred moment of the union of Jiva, individual soul, and Paramatma, the Supreme Godhead.

The Legends:
According to Hindu mythology, the Shiva Puran, in particular, once two of the Hindu trinity, Brahma and Vishnu, were debating about each other’s prowess. To settle the score, Shiva, the third member of the holy triad, appeared before them as a pillar of fire, a flaming Linga (historically known as Lingotbhava) and challenged them to find its beginning and the end. Awestruck by its magnitude, Brahma and Vishnu decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. While Brahma took the form of a swan and went upwards, Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha - a boar and went towards the nether land.

Neither could find the end. At this point, the central part of the Pillar split open and Shiva revealed himself in His full glory on the 14th day (Chaturdashi) in the dark fortnight of the lunar month of Phalguna. It is this day that is celebrated as Mahashivaratri - the grand night of Shiva. Devotees fast during the day and pray to the Lord throughout the night. It is said that worshipping Lord Shiva on the auspicious Shivaratri night bestows one with happiness and prosperity.

Samudra Manthan:
Another very popular legend linked to Shivaratri explains why people stay awake all night. It relates to Samudra Manthan, churning of the ocean, by the gods and demons, which yielded, besides nectar, a pot of poison also. The poison was toxic enough to wipe out the entire creation. On the advice of Vishnu, the gods approached Shiva who, out of compassion, undertook to swallow the poison. So as to not allow the poison to reach the stomach, Parvati pressed Shiva’s neck and thus, it stayed in His throat, changing the color of the neck. Hence, Lord Shiva is also called Neelakantha (the blue-necked one).
As part of the therapy, the divine physicians advised the gods to keep Shiva awake during the night. Thus, a constant vigil was kept by the gods who took turns performing various dances and playing music to amuse Shiva.

Yet a third legend has it that when Shiva and Parvati decided to live on the top of Mount Kailas, Parvati asked the Lord as to which of the many rituals observed in His honor pleased Him the most. Shiva is said to have replied, "The 14th night of the new moon, in the dark fortnight during the lunar month of Phalgun, is my most favorite day.”
At the end of the Shivaratri puja, one of the favorite prayers with Kashmiri Pundits is that of MAHIMNAPAAR. This is the hymn written by Pushpadanta, extolling the virtues of Shiva as an appeasement after having stolen flowers from the garden of a king named Chitraratha meant for His worship. Legend has it that the author of this most popular prayer in praise of Shiva, popularly known as Shiva Mahimna Stotra, acquired the name Pushpadanta when during his worship of Shiva he offered his teeth (danta) as flowers (pushpa) after he had been denied access to the king’s flower garden.

In recent times, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, one of the famous saints of the 19th century, went into Samadhi just by reciting a few verses from this beautiful hymn.

Here I am reproducing the first two of the forty-three verses from this great Stotra with meaning for the benefit of our readers:
महिम्नः पारं ते परमविदुषो यद्यसदृशी
स्तुतिर्ब्रह्मादीनामपि तदवसन्नास्त्वयि गिरः ।
अथाऽवाच्यः सर्वः स्वमतिपरिणामावधि गृणन्
ममाप्येष स्तोत्रे हर निरपवादः परिकरः॥ १॥
Mahimnah paaram te paramavidushho yadyasadrishii
Stutirbrahmaadiinaamapi tadavasannaastvayi girah
Athaaavaachyah sarvah svamatiparimaanaavadhi grinanh
Mamaapyeshha stotre hara nirapavaadah parikarah (1)
O, Shiva, remover of all types of miseries, what wonder is there, if the prayer to thee, chanted by one who is ignorant about thy greatness, is worthless! Because, even the utterance (speech) of Brahma and other gods is not able to fathom thy merits ( i.e. greatness ). Hence, if persons with very limited intellect like me try to offer thee a prayer, their attempt deserves thy special favor. If it is so, I should not be an exception. Hence, (thinking like this) I begin this prayer.
अतीतः पंथानं तव च महिमा वाङ्मनसयोः
अतद्व्यावृत्त्या यं चकितमभिधत्ते श्रुतिरपि।
स कस्य स्तोतव्यः कतिविधगुणः कस्य विषयः
पदे त्वर्वाचीने पतति न मनः कस्य न वचः॥ २॥
Atiitah panthaanam tava cha mahimaa vaanmanasayoh
Atadvyaavrittyaa yam chakitamabhidhatte shrutirapi
Sa kasya stotavyah katividhagunah kasya vishhayah
Pade tvarvaachiine patati na manah kasya na vachah 2
O, Great God, so great is your majesty that it cannot be reached by speech and mind. Who can praise that which even the Vedas describe with trepidation by merely saying `Neti', `Neti' (not this, not this). Who can praise thy greatness? None can enumerate thy qualities nor can the Absolute be made the object of perception. And even then the thought, mind and speech of every devotee turn eagerly to thy Saguna form.

Shiva, the Auspicious :
Shiva’ means ‘auspicious. Adi Sankara describes Him as the Pure One and interprets the name Shiva to mean "One who purifies everyone by the utterance of His name". For Sankara, Shiva is “eternal, infinite, all pervading, all knowing and all powerful.”

Often portrayed as the supreme ascetic with a passive and composed disposition, Shiva lives a life of great austerity, wears tiger skin, and carries a trident and a ‘Dumroo’, a small drum, symbolizing time. The half-moon over His head and the river Ganga rising from His matted hair are supposed to reduce the effect of poison which He drank to save gods and the mankind.

Always absorbed in meditation, Shiva is also NATARAJ, the cosmic dancer who graphically expresses the rhythmic unity of life. His representation as the Shivalinga symbolizes at its simplest His creative and generative powers. Being of an elliptical shape, the Lingam denotes something which has neither beginning nor an end.

Shiva has made the snowy expanse of the Himalayas, Mount Kailash and the Holy Cave of Amarnath, His home. Kalidasa is right when he describes the Himalayas as “the massed laughter of Shiva”.