Maha Shivratri is one of the most important festivals for Indians. It is believed to mark the day when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati and became a householder from a hermit, muniwar.
It is also believed that
on Maha Shivratri, Lord Shiva became Neelkantha or the blue-throated one by willfully swallowing the deadly poison
that came up during the Sagar Manthan,
the churning of Kshir Sagar or the
milky ocean. The poison was so deadly that even if a drop reached His stomach,
which represents the universe, it would have annihilated the entire world.
Hence, He held it in His neck, which turned blue due to the effect of poison. Maha Shivratri is therefore also a day of
thanksgiving to Lord Shiva for
protecting mankind from annihilation.
One other story associated with Maha Shivratri is that once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu had a bout as to who among the two was superior. As the
fight aggravated, a burning pillar or lingam
appeared between the two of them. A voice from the lingam resonated that the one who is able to find the end of the lingam would be judged as the superior
of the two. So, Lord Brahma went
towards the upper end of the lingam
and Lord Vishnu towards the lower
end. But neither of them was able to find the end of the burning pillar. After
a while, Lord Vishnu realized that
the lingam had no end and he stopped
searching for it and admitted defeat. Lord
Brahma, however, decided to lie that He had found the end of the lingam and He brought the Ketaki flower to testify His lie. At
this, the all-knowing Lord Shiva
became extremely outraged. He cursed Lord
Brahma that He would never be worshipped on Earth. This legend explains
that Lord Shiva is the superior of
all the Gods and that He is the beginning Adi
of everything and He has no end, He is Ananta.
It is believed that it was the day of Shivratri
when Lord Shiva manifested Himself
first time in the form of a lingam.
Legends are many but the fervor is impeccable.
An immensely special day. Har Har
Mahadev.
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