Mahashivratri.
The great night of Shiva is tomorrow so I thought I’d write something very brief on this night. There are many reasons this night is celebrated with such vigor by Hindus and there are numerous legends associated with the festival, however, a few stand out as the main impetus for this festival.
The festival is thought to be the day the Lord first made an appearance in physical form. It is also thought to be the day Lord Shiva first appeared in the form of the lingam (lingodbhava).
The wedding of Shiv Parvati is thought to have taken on this day, thus it is also the union of Shiva and Shakti (and hence also seen as the day of creation by some).
It is also the day Lord Shiva is said to dance the Tandav in His form as Nataraj, and thus spin the world into creation/dissolution as well as keep it in balance/flow.
Within Shiv Puran Lord Shiva has given descriptions to Parvati on this holy night, and how to observe the Shivratri Vrat, thus giving the worshipper immense blessings, punya, and ultimately moksha.
In a spiritual sense this night is also tremendously potent in that the spiritual vibrations that can be felt on this night and connected with will manifest only on this day. You are connected directly and clearly with the divine.
I have only given very brief points above as there are many online resources on Mahashivratri, some of which are found below.
http://www.hindu-blog.com/2012/02/mahashivratri-on-february-20-2012.html
#festival #hinduism #mahashivratri #shiv #shiva #shivratri #bg sharma
