Maha Shivaratri 2025 | Great Night of Lord Shiva

Maha Shivaratri 2025 | Great Night of Lord Shiva | Rudrabhishekam

Maha Shivaratri—”The Great Night of Lord Shiva”—this year falls on 26^th February, 2024. Lord Shiva is seen as purusha, – “pure consciousness,” while his consort Shakti is seen as Prakriti, – “Mother Nature”. And, it was on this night the pure consciousness with long matted hair and Trishul in one hand and damaru in the other performed His Cosmic Dance – Tandava – the divine dance of creation, preservation and destruction.

Best Wishes for Maha Shivaratri 2025 to all the Devotees of Lord Shiva from PurePrayer. Learn more about the Shivaratri Special Rudrabhishekam Pujas by PurePrayer.

What is Maha Shivaratri?

Maha Shivaratri, a festival dedicated to the worship and adoration of Lord Shiva, falls on the Trayodashi day of Magha Masa during Krishna Paksha. There are many legends about Maha Shiva Ratri. While one says that Lord Shiva and his consort, Shakti, who are complementing forms of one energy, united on this great night, there is another legend that says it was on this night that Lord Shiva consumed the Halahala poison (also known as Kalakut Vish), which was formed while churning the Ksheera Sagar (Milky Ocean). When the toxicity of the deadly poison started spreading and taking lives, Lord Shiva consumed the poison to save the world. The story continues with Lord Shiva’s consort Shakti clasping Lord Shiva’s throat, preventing the poison from entering His stomach. This gave his neck a dark blue tinge and another name: Neela Kantha (The one with a blue neck). For the yogis, Shivarathri symbolises the hours when Lord Shiva became still and merged with Mount Kailash. For them, it is a night of quiet and tranquility.

Significance of Shivarathri

Shivarathri is celebrated throughout India, and there are numerous reasons for this. People celebrate the festival of night to find and maintain balance in their family lives, while the unmarried pray to get married. On this day, people also pray for their spiritual and yogic progress, as Lord Shiva is also known as Adi Guru, who introduced yoga to the world. Seekers of spirituality regard this as a night of awakening, when it is believed that human spiritual energies are at their peak due to the position of our planet Earth at the time. Shivratri is observed as a day of fasting and meditation to cleanse the body and mind. Shivarathri is also a preparation for summer; it occurs around the time when the biting cold of winter departs.

Maha Shivaratri – A day of fasting, awakening, and worship

Performing Rudra Abhishekam, fasting, and jagaran (staying awake all night) are integral parts of the Shivarathri celebrations.

Rudra Abhishekam: Shiva Lingam is worshipped by giving a sacred bath with Panchamrit amidst chants of Sri Rudra and Chamaka. According to the Vedas, Rudra is the ruthless, formidable form of Shiva whose Rudra Tandava (fierce dance) brings about destruction. The Vedas mention Rudrabhishekam as one of the purest forms of worshipping Lord Shiva, and performing Maha Rudrabhishekam during Maha Shivratri is considered incredibly important. The vibrations of Rudra and Chamaka chants are known to create positive vibes and bring home peace, health, and prosperity, along with spiritual progress.

Fasting

On this day, people fast; some follow a liquid diet, while others avoid rice. Fasting, in whatever form it takes, is known to detoxify the body and sharpen the mind. A sharp mind helps with quality meditation and is believed to take us closer to the divine.

Jagaran

Staying awake all night and meditating on Lord Shiva is another integral part of the Shivrathri celebrations. There is a natural influx of energies on the night of Maha Shiva Ratri, and because of their vertical spines, human beings have the potential to utilise this energy to find mental wellbeing and peace. To achieve this, people follow the practice of Jagaran and remain awake all night. Puja and Rudrabhisheka take place from dawn to dawn for the same reason. This period is divided into four parts, and each part is called a Yama (Jama). And so Mahadeva is worshipped with Abhishekam amidst chants of Rudram and Chamakam through the four Yamams.


Shiva and Shivaratri – interesting tidbits
Shiva is considered one of the oldest Gods in Hindu mythology, yet he is ageless, youthful, and handsome. He is incomplete without his consort, Shakti. Shiva, dweller of the land of the dead, is known to live in graveyards and crematoriums, which is why they are called Rudra kshetras. With ashes smeared all over Him, he is believed to liberate souls that have bid goodbye to their physical bodies. Shiva means nothingness – ‘that which is not’. Shiva is said to be the immense darkness and vacuum that holds the universe, and when there is destruction, the tangible universe dissolves into this divine darkness and is recreated from the same dark vacuum. Shiva is believed to control this cycle of creation. Shiva’s third eye is symbolic. It is an inward eye that helps one see things beyond their physical aspect. Having this third inward eye is what completes a soul and helps find inner peace. Lord Shiva adorned the crescent moon on his head and relieved him from a curse. He controlled the force of the Ganga by tying her down in his matted locks. Shiva and Bilvapatra (Bel leaf): This trifoliate leaf is said to be Lord Shiva’s favourite and His worship is incomplete without it. These leaves, which represent the divine trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara), the three eyes of Lord Shiva, are also believed to have the energies of Lord Shiva and are proved to have high medicinal value. It is believed that when devotees worship Lord Shankara with bilva leaves, He grants all their wishes.

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Maha Shivaratri 2025 | Great Night of Lord Shiva