Maha Shiva Ratri

Mahashivratri: The Night of Shiva.

It's Story, Significance & Spiritual Meaning:

Har Har Mahadev!

This powerful chant means Mahadev resides in all of us. On Mahashivratri, this eternal truth is celebrated by millions across the world, as the cosmos itself feels the blessings of Shiva.

The Sacred Night: Legend of Mahashivratri

On the 14th night before the new moon of the Phalgun month, a transformative event occurred in the ancient lore of Hindu Dharma: Lord Shiva married the Daughter of the Mountain, Parvati. This night became known as Mahashivratri, the great night of Shiva.

This was the night when the ascetic, the great yogi who cared for none, embraced the life of a householder for the second time, showing that both renunciation and worldly responsibilities are valid paths for spiritual growth.

The celestial wedding of Shiva and Parvati brought together all beings of the universe. Devas, Asuras, Ganas, Yakshas, and Nagas, beings from all realms and walks of life, celebrated this cosmic union, for Shiva is not just a god of one domain or one class. He chose no sides. He is everyone’s Mahadev, the God of gods, the god of all. Equal to a human, animal, plant, or any living being.

Why Is Mahashivratri Unique?

Every deity has a special day: Janmashtami for Krishna, Ram Navami for Rama, and Ganesh Chaturthi for Ganesha. But Mahashivratri is different. Shiva has no beginning or end. He is Adi, the first, the source, the conqueror of time (Mahakal). Legends say his birth is unknown; he is not self-appointed nor created, but ever-present, God of the people, destroyer who also protects.

The Perfect Husband and the Adi Yugal

For generations, elders advise: if you wish for the perfect husband, pray for one like Shiva. Why? Because as a husband, none could surpass him. Shiva and Parvati are called the Adi Yugal, the first couple. They completed each other.

Shiva respected Parvati’s individuality, sometimes even praising her as greater than himself, though knowing the truth in his humble silence. She was his strength (Shakti) and he, her wisdom. Together, they journeyed through the joys and struggles of spiritual life, always as equals. It is said they were the first to marry following the rituals we know today, with Brahma himself as their priest.

How Mahashivratri is Celebrated

Mahashivratri is best observed with a fast, broken during the darkest hour of the night. This darkness itself is a symbol of Shiva, who evokes the mysteries of the unknown.

Legend tells that during this auspicious night, Shiva took the form of the Lingam in Adi Shakti's yoni. The Lingam represents the union and completeness of Purush (consciousness/Shiva) and Prakriti (energy/Shakti). Some traditions say the cosmic wedding took two days and nights; thus, devotees stay awake, singing or listening to Shiva Purana stories, and break their fast at dawn.

Worshipping Shiva is simple. He does not require elaborate rituals or costly offerings. Chanting his mantras can happen any time, anywhere. Dhatura and Akanda flowers, wild and readily found, are among his favourites. His garland is made of Rudraksha, a fruit that is poisonous and useless to humans, but gladly accepted by Shiva. Bel leaves, always offered in a sacred trio, represent Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva himself.

Ashes, snakes, and offerings humans might shun are accepted by him with grace: Shiva is Lord of the rejected and the wild. He loves simplicity, including a bowl of rice kheer or seasonal fruits, annam offered by Annapurna herself.

Shiva tells his devotees, “Call me in trouble, you do not need to praise me daily or flatter me with rituals. I am there for you.” Simple faith is his commandment.

Who is Mahadev?

Shiva is Adi, the beginning, and Anta, the end. He exists beyond time, beyond praise and ritual, beyond all duality. Known by countless names, Mahakal, Nageshwar, Somnath, Jateshwar, Shiva, Mahadev. He is formless, the embodiment of the infinite force.

Other Festivals Celebrating Shiva

Neel Sasthi: Commemorates the day Shiva drank the poison churned from the cosmic ocean to save all beings, turning his neck blue, becoming Neelkanth.

The Universal Lesson

Mahashivratri is a reminder that divine love, equality, and simplicity are the essence of spiritual life. Shiva belongs to all gods and demons, women and men, wild and tame, powerful and humble. He is the ultimate liberator, the destroyer and protector, the yogi and the householder.

Om Namah Shivaya!

Salutations to the auspicious one who resides in all.

Har Har Mahadev!

Let that great power, Shiva, awaken within us all.

Mewari Miniature painting of the Lord's Marriage

Etched In Stone

This historical short story is a fictitious account of Ashoka, the Mauryan Emperor and his first wife Devi, who finds no place in Magadhan History. There is another fiction about her in the blog as well. This story stemmed from a merge of two ideas, one was to mention the cave inscription found in Saru Maru that mentions Asoka spending some days there with his lover (presumed to be Devi), the other idea of how if words did not immortalise a lot of battles and achievements, the names of many great men would be lost in time. The prince stood on the edge of the cliff, looking at the horizon. Dawn arrived as the birds started leaving their nests, wings fluttering, eager to discover the world. He looked up at them, the thought of once again going back to exploring the length and breadth of his state making him feel a little restless as he eyed his healing wounds. He was left to die; his enemies wished so. Yet by some miracle of fate, as if his purposes were yet to be fulfilled, here he was ...

The Idea of Independence

Independence is not merely about a free country, a flag, a democracy or a monarchy as the power seat of a region. It is a feeling and a choice. Entitlement to one’s own opinion and rights. Often, a reason to reform. Independence is about individuality and mass. As we grow up, we often write essays on “My Inspiration.” The word inspiration is, in reality, deeper than we understand at that young age and is more often than not merged with our childhood ideas of an ideal man, an idol, or someone who helps us, namely, our own teachers or parents. Some of the students even mug up essays that tell the tales of the lives of Swami Vivekananda or Mahatma Gandhi. But it takes us years, or even perhaps a lifetime, to be mature enough to know and understand the true meaning of inspiration and idol. When we do, it is then that we choose ones that appeal to our morals, thoughts and souls. I remember Independence Day as a child. Every 15 th of August used to be about our locality dressed up in a ...

Bijolia: Her Home

Journey to Bijolia: Lost Kingdoms and Timeless Temples of Mewar Bijoliya translates to a stop between two cities. Nestled in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district, Bijolia sits 55km from Bundi and 105km from Chittorgarh on the well-travelled Bundi-Chittorgarh road. Once part of Mewar, this seemingly sleepy town guards a rich and layered past: it was ruled from the 11th to the 13th century by the Punwars (or Parmar Rajputs) before falling under the Chauhan dynasty, who shifted the region’s capital to Bhilwara and constructed the imposing fort there. After a brief Chauhan rule, Bijolia was reclaimed by Rana Kumbha and became an integral part of the Mewar kingdom, with the Parmars serving as local Raos, representatives and stewards of the royal house. Despite its history and the famed Bijolia inscriptions (a treasure for historians), Bijolia has never found a seat on Rajasthan’s primary tourist circuit, especially if you’re venturing out by public transport or private car. While a handful of...

Nawab E Bengal

Background: Nawab Alivardi Khan was ruling Bengal at the peak of Nawabi rule, expanding his strong empire. He had successfully suppressed the Marathas and had given a strong message to the British East India Company’s rising influence at Calcutta. Highly aware of the British Colonial policies across the globe, Nawab Alivardi Khan was strict with his policies and stronghold over Murshidabad, the then capital of Bengal (including present-day Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bangladesh). He had two daughters and no sons. Amina Begum was the elder one, followed by Ghaseti Begum. Amina had three sons with her husband and courtier, Ahmed Khan. The second son, Mirza Mohammad, fondly called Siraj-Ud-Daulah (light of the country)by his grandfather, was born in 1733C.E. He was his grandfather’s favourite because he was born while he won over the Marathas. Alivardi Khan never let the “fortune child” of the family out of his sight. Siraj grew up accompanying...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes (1538 - 1597)

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, and Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja. Udai Singh II was the son of Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons and 2 5 wives, apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jalore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir, as her father, Akshayraj Rao, was a friend and ally of his father, Rana Sanga. Saj...

Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap

“Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap jald hi Sony Entertainment Television par” “Maa, see here, another Historical!” I smiled, waving at the TV. “About whom?” She frowned, knowing it would mean one more 30-minute slot to take over the TV. As if Mahabharat was not enough! “Rana Pratap Singh!” I said gleefully. “They are not showing who will play it, though.” The last Historical I truly loved was Veer Shivaji, which ended suddenly. Two days later…. “Bharat ka veer putra Maharana Pratap Sattais May se Sony Entertainment Television par” 27 th May 2013: “Dhola maru Dharti ro… laal ayo re….” His brown eyes, that red tika, that run through the sands of Jaisalmer … I was already in love with Kunwar Pratap. Having read the history, I knew Dheerbai’s sweet talks were purposeful, but so what? One needs talent to make the enemy dance to your tunes. And Jaivanta Bai ji. Wow! That aura of grace, I was always a fan of Rajsree ji. And one episode gave me three favourites together, F...

The Kaali Effect

The shopping mall echoed with a noise. The buzz grew silent. Fear crept in. Until somebody shouted, " It's just a Balloon!" The buzz grew again, the shopping continued, the romantic couples continued their walks, and the food court filled up with the aroma of the orders... A few decades back, people used to laugh carefree at a balloon bursting or a tyre booming in the streets or in various crowded areas. Now, in the back of everyone's head, a loud noise always brings the same thoughts... Another year, another city, another crowded place, Several innocent lives. They don't spare religious places either. For the sake of mankind? Religion? Politics? Power? They only know. Who are they? Nobody knows. It is said that the demon Kaali, who ushered in KaliYug, decided to reside in a few things. Addiction, Wealth, Desire, and Anger are some such things he resides in. This is KaliYug, where an innocent child's balloon makes adults fear the extremes. What is dharma here?...

The Buddhist Empress of India

Many historians believe that although Devi was the first wife of Asoka, his Buddhist queen, Asandhimitra, was not the same person. However, some also theorise based on Buddhist and Jain stories that they were in fact the same person, and the reason for that is that they don't seem to appear in the timeline together. Devi disappears when Asandhimitra arrives at the scene rather abruptly to do her charitable work. Hence, I personally believe they were one and the same. This story, however, is a retelling of folklore and not history. Please do not consider this piece of fiction as history. The whole village of Vidisha Nagari was buzzing with activity. Every home was being cleaned, and cooking preparations were underway. The youngest prince of Magadha was coming to a halt at their village on his way to Ujjain. Great unrest was reported at Ujjain, and the youngest prince, as the general of this region, was being sent by the emperor to solve the issue. The villagers were scared as the wh...

The Garuda Cannon of Krishna Chandra

Maharaja Krishna Chandra was an influential king in Nadia, Bengal, who formed his capital at Krishnanagar. During the preparation of the Battle of Plassey that sealed the deal for British Colonisation in Bengal in 1757, Krishna Chandra was under the Mughals of Delhi, who did not support Bengal Subah Nawab Siraj Ud Daulah in his attack against the British in Calcutta. As a result, he too was vocal against Siraj and supported the British. Siraj ordered for him to be imprisoned for not paying his due taxes to the Nawab, and he found freedom only after Robert Clive and Mir Jafar ousted Siraj by betraying him. Once Krishna Chandra was back in his state, the Mughal emperor, who was now reduced to a puppet of the British, by suggestion of Robert Clive, gifted the king a token of appreciation for his support, a cannon, which the Raja named the Garuda Cannon. What was so special about the cannon? This is the only cannon found in any museum with an inscription in Bengali scripture. Most cannons ...

Asuras are not Demons

Demons in the Abrahamic religion are not the same as Asuras of Hinduism. Originally deities of Iranian origin, they were seen in the tribal context as no different from Devas but as counterparts to maintain balance. In early epics and Puranas, asura meant a chosen leader of great capacity. Only later, perhaps due to the Iranian link, their image declined. It was with the Brahmanas that the sharp divide appeared: devas as divine, asuras as evil. Puranic myths demonised them mainly to assert the superiority and immortality of devas, while asuras were cast as symbols of the "other." Since Tribes still worshipped them and embraced their power of negativity, being important to balance, they soon became synonymous with tribes, which was not the case mythologically. There are instances of Bali or Ravana being Kshatriya or Brahmin Asuras and competent kings. Indian demonology itself is vast and layered, shaped by surviving tribes, each with unique myths. Celestial, aerial, and terres...

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