There are 12 Shiva Ratri celebrated on the 14th night of Each Lunar Month. Among these 12, the one celebrated on Marg/Falgun of the Nepali Calendar is called Maha-Shiva-Ratri- the special wedding celebration of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Shivaratri is one of the four evenings known as Kaalratri, Moharatri, and Sukharatri, and is regarded as one of the most significant celebrations in the sacred texts of the Hindus—the Puranas. Lord Shiva, also known as the Mahadev, is the supreme deity. The Shiva Devotees offer Bel-Patra, worship the lingam (symbol of Shiva), observe night-long fasting, and meditate on several ethics during the festival.
Who is Lord Shiva?
Lord Shiva is one of the Trimurti/ Trinity of the Universe, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, in Hindu Mythology. Lord Shiva, also known as Mahadev, Shankar, Neelkantha, Bholenath, etc., is called Devo ka Dev- God of all Gods with the Supreme Power ofthe Universe. Lord Shiva is considered the destroyer as well as the regenerator and creator, both death and life. In the Shiva Puranas, Lord Shiva is considered the Great Yogi or Adi Yogi, regarded both as the fierce God and the most magnanimous, as he’s worshipped by both the Asuras and the Devtas. Similarly, Lord Shiva has 19 avatars, some of them Veeabhadra, Bhairava, Durvasa, and Piplaad.
In modern science, everything that comes from nothing goes back to that nothing. Based on this cosmological philosophy, the nothingness of the grand galaxies seems to be sprinkling like a star, and the rest is all vast space- and that’s Shiva, as said. The vastness of the space is referred to as the womb and the oblivion from where everything is born and taken back within, hence depicting Shiva generating and destroying every matter in the universe over time.
Why is Shiva Ratri Celebrated?