The festival of Mahashivratri is a very important day for the devotees of Lord Shiva. The Hindu mythology sees Shiva as the destroyer of evil. This particular event is observed as ‘the night of Shiva’ to worship him and meditate. Also called the ‘great night of Shiva,’ it has tremendous significance in Hinduism. Followers observe fast on the day and make milk offerings to the Shivaling. It is not only considered auspicious to do so, but there is a belief that a person is absolved of his sins if he observes the rituals on this day. He gets liberated from the cycle of birth and death and attains salvation. Mahashivratri 2018 Date & Mahurat: Know The Auspicious Time & Puja Vidhi Of The ‘Great Night Of Shiva’

Significance of the day

There are several mythical legends about the significance of Mahashivratri. One legend states, it is the night when Lord Shiva performs the cosmic dance of creation and destruction. Another one states that it is the night when Lord Shiva drank all the poisonous negativity around to protect the world. The story mentions, during the legendary Sagar Mathan, a pot of poison was discovered in the ocean. Lord Shiva drank all of it and in order to protect him from the harms of the poison and keep him awake, other Gods danced. Although the poison did not harm him, it made his neck turn blue (Neelkanth). A sacred scripture also mentions that the rituals performed by the devotees on this day are most pleasing to the God. Once his wife, Parvati had asked him which ritual performed pleases him and he spoke of the great night of offering him prayers.

The Indian astrology also considers some days favourable over others in a year for meditation. Mahashivratri is one of those days. The time frame is conducive for spiritual growth. So, a lot of spiritual seekers meditate in the name of Lord Shiva and rejoice in the energy. The jagraan or staying up the night tradition is performed with much grandeur in Shiva temples across the country. If not the night, many devotees make a point to visit the temples and make offerings to please the God.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2018 04:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).