{"id":2306,"date":"2016-03-07T20:45:22","date_gmt":"2016-03-07T15:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/?p=2306"},"modified":"2016-08-17T16:56:04","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T11:26:04","slug":"mahashivrathri-the-great-night-of-lord-shiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/2016\/03\/07\/mahashivrathri-the-great-night-of-lord-shiva\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahashivrathri \u2013 The Great Night Of Lord Shiva"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MS4#\"
Murdeshwara Temple, Karnataka, India. Photo Credit – Coni H\u00f6rler<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are many myths that surround the festival of Mahashivrathri, but one in particular which is often repeated and remembered\u00a0has to be the story of Samudra Manthan,<\/em> or the \u2018Churning of the Ocean\u2019.\u00a0Infact, this\u00a0myth still bears a close resemblance to the way it is currently celebrated and\u00a0has its origin from the ancient book of the Puranas<\/em>, which when translated means \u2018olden times\u2019. This is also the\u00a0story that\u00a0lent Shiva the name Neelakanta<\/em> which means \u2018the one with the blue throat\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Quest for Amrit<\/strong><\/p>\n

It begins with a quest, The God\u2019s and the demons find out about Amrit,<\/em> the nectar of immortality that lies at the bottom of the Ocean. Consuming this nectar will free them from death and deem them immortal and with this simple wish, they team up as oppositions to\u00a0churn the Ocean. While this activity was underway \u2013 there emerged from the churning plenty of good and also a lot of bad. A poison emerges and it is so powerful and potent that it would engulf the three worlds and destroy everything it touches. This terrified everyone and in a momentary dilemma they all cried out to Lord Shiva, to help prevent this unstoppable destruction. In all his glory, Lord Shiva saves the situation by consuming the poison. \u00a0He holds it in his throat, while his consort Paravathy presses his throat to prevent the poison from moving to the rest of his body. This turns his throat blue and lends him the name –\u00a0Neelakanta<\/em>.<\/p>\n

While Lord Shiva held the poison in his throat, it was also advised as a form of therapy for him to be awake the entire night. To ensure that he didn\u2019t fall into slumber, his devotees sang, danced and worshipped him all through the night to keep him awake. Through this act, Lord Shiva, saved the world from destruction, and henceforth onwards this day is celebrated every year as Mahashivrathri.<\/p>\n

\"MS3\"
Murdeshwara Temple, Karnataka, India. Photo Credit – Coni H\u00f6rler<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Setting the date<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Hindu calendar, Mahashivrathri is usually the 13th<\/sup> or the 14th<\/sup> night of the new moon during the period of Phalghun <\/em>\u2013 this is either during the month of February or March in the English calendar. The auspicious festival is celebrated by Hindus in India and worldwide. There are other myths that also point towards Mahashivrathri as the night Shiva married Paravathi, or the night where he performed the Tadava \u2013the primordial dance of creation, preservation\u00a0and destruction. This is where he depicts his true nature as the Lord of destruction.<\/p>\n

Rituals on Mahashivrathri<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many rituals devotees of Shiva partake in to celebrate the festival of Mahashivrathri. Statues of Shiva or Shivalingams<\/em> are bathed in milk and honey, temples are decorated with much aplomb and plenty of devotees visit the temples during the day and night to offer their prayers and offerings. Many believers observe a day and night long fast, which they break the next morning. Few others stay up all night chanting \u2013 Om Namah Sivaya<\/em> or meditate on the image of Shiva as the Adi Yogi (the first yogi). It is often believed that if Lord Shiva is worshipped with purest of devotion during Mahashivrathri, can not only free us from Karma, but also grant us Moksha. Any abstinence or austerity undertaken during Mahashivrathri is usually blessed and granted to the devotee.<\/p>\n

Shiva, the Adi Yogi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mahadeva, Nataraja, Neelakanta, Bhairava, Bhole Nath or any other avathar that he is known as, Lord Shiva is the most mysterious, powerful and also a fascinating God. For most Yogi\u2019s Lord Shiva is the ultimate Yogi \u2013 the symbol of Prana and the one in perfect Samadhi. A great teacher who represents\u00a0what it means to be detached from the illusions of this world and be perfectly at peace with oneself.<\/p>\n

Om Namah Sivaya <\/em>(I bow to Shiva)<\/p>\n


\nAdithi Mathews is a writer and yoga practitioner currently living in Germany. A former Radio Jockey, TV Journalist and Web Editor, she was introduced to the practise of Yoga at the age of 13, and settled into a more serious practice after she moved to live in Germany. Her thirst to learn, led her to The Sivananda Vedanta Danwantri Ashram in Kerala where she completed her Teachers Training and Advanced Teachers Training Course.\u00a0When she is not writing, practicing or teaching Yoga, she spends her time learning new languages or upgrading her digital marketing skills. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Photography by\u00a0Coni H\u00f6rler<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lord Shiva is known as the Adi Yogi and the Adi Guru \u2013 the first Yogi and the first teacher who expounded the wisdom of Hatha Yoga. What is the significance, the legend and the rituals that surround his great night \u2013 Mahashivrathri? Let\u2019s find out about this from our latest blog article. <\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":20819991,"featured_media":2309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1265445],"tags":[155578459,3054,1722781,2053552,1431519,215066139,4922450,5224532,6834625,178863279],"class_list":["post-2306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yoga-events","tag-adi-yogi","tag-india","tag-indian-festival","tag-indian-rituals","tag-lord-shiva","tag-mahashivrathri","tag-neelakanta","tag-shivrathri","tag-yoga-in-india","tag-yoga-spiritual-practices","col-sm-6"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",150,100,false],"medium":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",300,200,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",740,493,false],"large":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",740,493,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"newspack-article-block-landscape-large":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"newspack-article-block-portrait-large":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",900,600,false],"newspack-article-block-square-large":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"newspack-article-block-landscape-medium":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",800,533,false],"newspack-article-block-portrait-medium":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",600,400,false],"newspack-article-block-square-medium":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",800,533,false],"newspack-article-block-landscape-intermediate":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",600,400,false],"newspack-article-block-portrait-intermediate":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",450,300,false],"newspack-article-block-square-intermediate":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",600,400,false],"newspack-article-block-landscape-small":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",400,267,false],"newspack-article-block-portrait-small":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",300,200,false],"newspack-article-block-square-small":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",400,267,false],"newspack-article-block-landscape-tiny":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",200,133,false],"newspack-article-block-portrait-tiny":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",150,100,false],"newspack-article-block-square-tiny":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",200,133,false],"newspack-article-block-uncropped":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"ippo-archive-featured-image":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",690,460,false],"ippo-carousel-slider-image":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"ippo-sticky-featured-image":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",800,533,false],"ippo-single-featured-image":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",1049,699,false],"jetpack-portfolio-admin-thumb":["https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/ms3.jpg",50,33,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/author\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"Lord Shiva is known as the Adi Yogi and the Adi Guru \u2013 the first Yogi and the first teacher who expounded the wisdom of Hatha Yoga. What is the significance, the legend and the rituals that surround his great night \u2013 Mahashivrathri? Let\u2019s find out about this from our latest blog article.","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfTPB5-Bc","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20819991"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yoga.in\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}