According to the Shiv Purana, Mahashivratri symbolizes the divine wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is a sacred union of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati that symbolize the victory of devotion and love. Devi Parvati is deeply devoted to Lord Shiva – she did severe penance (Tapa) to win his heart and got married to Lord Shiva. He was extremely satisfied by her unwavering dedication & accepted her as his consort.

All the dietes & universe rejoiced as they were united in a divine wedding. This divine event is celebrated as Mahashivratri. It is also called as the Divine night of devotion, the divine night of meditation, and spiritual awakening. It honors the eternal bond of Shiva and Shakti.

One of the legends also mentions about the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva on this auspicious night. The Shiva’s Tandava, this dance symbolizes the everlasting cycle of creation, conservation and demolition. Lord Shiva performed this dance to maintain the cosmic balance. He did Tandava after the demolition of demon Tripura –  signifies the triumph of good over evil.

Another enchanting tale is of the churning of ocean (Samudra Manthan) by the Gods and Demons to get the elixir of immortality (Amrit). During such occurrence, ‘Halahala’ – the deathly poison emerged. Its emergence was threatening as it was slowly engulfing the whole universe in darkness.

At this crucial time, Lord Shiva drank the poison to save the universe. He kpet this poison in his neck. That’s why he is also adorned with the title of “Neelkantha” as his neck turned blue due to poison. Mahashivratri celebrates the transition from darkness to light and honors Shiva as the savior of the universe.

The Shiva Linga has extreme importance in Hinduism. The Linga (Shiva Lingam) signifies the limitless power and aura of Lord Shiva. It transcends into an infinite power beyond any form (formless or Nirakaara). It’s vast, shapeless and infinite.

According to the ancient scriptures, once Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma had a conflict over supremacy, then Lord Shiva appeared in between them as a formless ray of light (known as Jyotirlinga). Shiva instructed them both to find the source and the end of that beam of light. He also promised to declare the winner whoever will find the origin or end of that light.  Lord Brahma took the form of a swan & flew upwards. On the other hand, Lord Vishnu turned himself into a boar and tried looking for the other end by going downwards. After relentless search, Lord Brahma lied & declared to have found the end of light with flower Ketki as the proof.  Later, he repented & punished for his lie. Finally, they both realised that Lord SHiva himself is infinite & all pervading.

Shiva Linga is considered as a source of infinite power. It was the first time on the 14th day of the Phalgun month that Lord Shiva exhibited himself in the form of the Linga. From then, this day is celebrated as Mahashivratri as it is considered to be very auspicious.

The great King Sagar (ancestor of Lord Ram) performed the AshwamedhaYajna for 99 times sucessfully. He sent his horse to take another round of the earth so that he could complete his 100th round of sacrifice. Lord Indra, the king of God, was jealous of his success and he notoriously captured the sacrificial horse. Lord Indra also hide this horse  in the hermitage of Kapila Muni. The ministers of Kind Sagar sent 60,000 princes from Ayodhya to look for the horse. After searching for long time, they found the horse in Kapila Muni’s hermitage and they mistook him as a thief. Displeased by such behavior, Kapila Muni burnt them into ashes.

Hearing about this, one of the grandchildren of King Sagar, Bhagirath begged Kapila Muni for a solution. To which he said that only the waters of Ganga could bring back them to life. King Bhagirath kept meditating after leaving his kingdom for more than 1000 years. Pleased by Bhagirath’s devotion, Devi Ganga agreed to come on earth. But the earth was not capable of sustaining the pressure of heavy streamflow of Ganga River, She requested Bhagirath that only Lord Shiva can sustain her in his hairlocks and then she can calmly descends on earth.

So, King Bhagirath meticulously started praying to Lord Shiva to sustain River Ganga in his hairs before she descends to earth. Lord Shiva instantly laid down his hair so that Ganga could flow through it. That is how the holy waters of the river washed away the ashes of those 60,000 princes and released them from the curse so that they could go to the heavens. On this day of MahaShivratri, devotees offers ceremonial bathing of the Shiva Linga. Devotees also take a holy deep in the waters of Ganga as it is considered as one of the attributes of Lord Shiva.

One of the legends explains the conversation between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. When Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva about his favorite day, Lord Shiva joyously replied saying that he likes it when it’s the full moon night. This happens to be on the 14th day of the Phalgun month. From that day onwards, all the devotees indulge in celebrating the Mahashivratri.

Lord Shiva loves Bel Patra, Bhasma & Rudraksha. He specifies the use of ‘Bel’ leaves for his worship. To him, the leaves of Bel is more precious than any jewels in the world. Furthermore, Lord Shiva explains the correct way to worship him which includes the process of using milk, curd, clarified butter and honey to bathe him. The ritual should continue till the next morning and the devotee must feed the Brahmins in the morning and then break his fast. His words spread through Goddess Parvati and since then people around the world are seen to celebrate his glory by fasting, performing the ceremonial bath and also by offering a lot of Bel leaves.

Mahashivratri is not just a festival but a celebration of power of Shiva who gave his all to save the world. It encapsulates within it the essence of harmony and victory. May we be inspired to fill our lives with goodness, positivity and calm. Let’s embrace oneness and keep the spirit of Mahashivratri alive by following the path of spiritual awakening.