Are You Ready For Mahashivratri 2023 Celebrations?

Bhagwan Shiva is one of the trinity and represents the destructive aspect, with Shri Brahma being the Creator and Shri Vishnu being the Nurturer.

This great night of Mahashivratri honours Bhagwan Shiva. This day marks the beauty and power of Bhagwan Shiva. Shivratri is the night of the Adiyogi. Thus, the best time to celebrate this festival is during midnight. Bhagwan Shiva’s ardent devotees celebrate this day with great pomp.

The customs and practices of Mahashivratri have profound spiritual significance. Let's see the rituals and how we can celebrate this Shiva Night to earn His infinite grace!

Fasting is like giving your internal systems (especially the digestion process) a good rest. Fasting will slow down your body system and help you reconnect with your inner wisdom. Fasting will prepare your mind and body for the higher worship of Bhagwan Shiva.

Fasting on Mahashivratri is a purification ritual. This ritual harmonises our body, helps us establish control over our senses and tunes our body to the Bhagwan Shiva tattva present in us.

Fasting on Mahashivratri does not necessarily mean going hungry for the whole day. Especially on Mahashivratri, fasting refers to the 'quality' of the food we take.

But what kinds of foods must we include when we are fasting on Mahashivratri?

1. The food must be light, pure and sattvic in nature.

2. On this day, you may include milk, ghee, yoghurt, vegetables, and fruits. You can also include potatoes, honey, ginger and dates. Potatoes and dates will help you remain grounded while you do your spiritual practices, as fasting is the first step (and very important) of Mahashivratri rituals. You can also include nuts and seeds in your Upavasa meal on this day.

Note - The idea of fasting on Mahashivratri is to eat foods that prepare our body for higher spiritual practices.

Related Article - Know the Origin, Significance and Rituals of Mahashivratri

Mantra chanting is one of the major Shivaratri rituals. Bhagwan Shiva is one, but His names and mantras are many. Mantra chanting helps us develop mental powers, improves our concentration, reduces stress, induces a positive attitude and gives us access to higher spiritual realms.

Simple mantras of Bhagwan Shiva

1. You can read Shiva Sahasranamam.

2. Chant Aum Om Namah Shivay for 108 /1008 / 1080 times. Om Namah Shivay is a Panchakshar stotra. If 1008 times is impossible, then you can chant it as per your capacity.

3. Reading Shiva Purana on this day is also very auspicious on this day.

4. Chant Rudrashtakam (this can be as per your capacity). You can also listen to Rudrashtakam.

5. You can also recite the eight names of Bhagwan Shiva

Note - Do not force yourself to chant mantras beyond your capacity. Shiva mantras are extremely powerful - so whatever mantra you choose, you must try chanting it will complete surrender and awareness.

Before you start chanting your chosen mantra, (if possible) practice Nadi Shodhana or Anulom Vilom Pranayama at least thrice - one round for the Ida nadi, the second round for the Pingala Nadi and the third round for the Maha or Sushumna nadi.

The entire Shiva night is divided into four prahars. Prahar is a measure of time, and each prahar is a fixed period of three hours. The four prahars of the Shivratri make up the twelve hours. Each prahar has its own set of elaborate rituals. However, it may not be possible for all of us to follow these elaborate rituals. But, doing simple rituals can also earn us the constant and divine grace of Bhagwan Shiva.

Four Prahars for Mahashivratri

1. Worship the Shivlinga - Besides fasting and mantra chanting, worshipping the shivling is another important and effective ritual of Mahashivratri. If you have a Shivlinga at home, then you can worship that, or you may also go to the nearby Shiva temple.

2. If you have the Shivlinga in your house, place the ling on the brass or copper plate.

3. First, begin by offering water to the linga. According to Atharva Veda, water is the first door to attain the divine order.

4. Milk is sattvic and has purifying qualities. So after offering the water, you may then start with offering milk. The milk must be raw and preferably cow's milk.

5. After offering the milk, offer some water again to cleanse the linga.

6. After milk and water, you may offer curd, ghee and honey. These can be offered either in the form of a mixture or can be offered individually as well.

7. After offering ghee, honey and curd - again offer water to the linga and cleanse it.

8. Then wipe the ling with the fresh cloth and offer attar (perfume or fragrance), chandan, bhasma, bhang, datura (you can offer both the fruit and flowers) and bilva leaves. Bilva leaves are Bhagwan Shiva's favourite - so you may offer either 21 or 108 bilva leaves. But again, do not be downhearted. It's absolutely not essential to have 21 or 108 bilva leaves- if you do it with the correct 'bhava', even one bilva leaf is enough to please Bhagwan Shiva.

9. In the end, offer rice, black gingerly seeds, lotus leaves, barley, wheat, sunflowers, pomegranate, fried foods, various vegetable dishes, black gram, green gram, seven kinds of cereals, flowers of Shankhpushpi, sweet dishes and cooked rice.

10. In the very end, light a ghee lamp and perform the aarti.

Note - All these offerings are made according to the four prahars. But as mentioned earlier, if worshipping the linga is not possible according to the prahars, then one may offer all of these at once.

Offering these things have special significance on Mahashivratri, but what is more crucial is your concentration, purity and surrender towards Bhagwan Shiva. So while you perform your offering rituals, constantly recite Om Namah Shivay in your heart and mind. The incessant chanting and total surrender are enough to please this Bhagwan Shiva of endless power.

Above were the things that one must try to offer Shiva linga on the night of Mahashivratri. But there are also things one must be careful not to offer to Mahadev

1. Avoid offering turmeric and vermillion to Bhagwan Shiva (on Mahashivratri as well as otherwise).

2. Jalandhar was the demon king, and Tulsi was his wife. Jalandhar was killed, and Tulsi was cheated by Shri Vishnu. Angry, Tulsi cursed Shri Vishnu that he would turn into a stone.

Bhagwan Shiva blessed Tulsi that she will be the Queen of the Trees and will reside in Vaikunth to be with Vishnu. Tulsi later transformed into the Gandaki River but is not used while worshipping Bhagwan Shiva in any of His rituals.

3. Avoid offering broken rice to Bhagwan Shiva.

4. Mahashivratri has different significance for different people. For some, it's his wedding night, while for others - the dark hours of Shivratri mark His ascend into supreme meditation.

The significance of Shivratri depends on how we perceive Bhagwan Shiv and how we wish to worship Him. Methods might vary, and 'Bhavas' may vary even more. But, for all those who worship Bhagwan Shiva wholeheartedly - He cures them of their sins and lifts their souls of karmic burdens.