MAHASHIVARATRI: A NIGHT OF LORD SHIVA 🙏🙏

 

The month of Falgun and Chaitra resembles spring coming and along with it comes the greatest Hindu festivals MAHASHIVARATRI.  I very much look forward to this festival as Pashupatinath temple is not less than a heaven itself during this day.  There are lots of arrangements made months prior to this magnificent day. 

Various local youth clubs and Pashupati Area Development Trust and of course the locals are very enthusiastic for the celebration. Not hundreds and thousands of devotes pay homage but lakhs of them pay visit to Pashupatinath temple on this auspicious occasion.

And what I am excited about this festival is that I got to volunteer. And the most interesting part of volunteering is that we are allowed to order and command people (strangers most of them) to follow rules. This one day you get to have the right and authority to scold and raise your voices against the elders. Those elders who would be easily offended if we told them what to do become truly obedient on this day. It might be the influence of Lord Shiva himself or are not in the mood to confront and defend themselves. Or in any means to shout at a bunch of youths trying to maintain a rule to be obeyed.

Volunteering is fun and it's kind of a self satisfaction. To help people and solve their problems (minor obviously) and to see their relief actually is a pleasure. The help may include showing them the correct way, helping the physically disabled to go get a glass of water or arranging the never ending human queue. 

I usually stay at the water distribution kiosk. I don't understand why people throw plastic cups randomly after drinking. There will be a  huge dustbin beside the water jar and I assume people are well aware of the purpose of the dustbin. The same place which was immaculate the day before would be a landfill site the day after. And it's  a scene  to enjoy that devotes actually paid pile of a homage. 

There are many other camps to provide services for the visitors. But the always crowded one is the Health Kiosk. It usually performs the basics of the health check-up like blood pressure, cough and cold, dental care, gastritis and general treatments and medicines that a clinic would provide. I visited one of the health clinics once never to visit again. The services there are free but at a price that you are ought to visit the hospital to check further. As if you are watching a  series and in the middle it charges you to continue further. Even though people check up  there but I doubt even half of them even know the name of the hospital. It's just an advertisement of the new hospital in town after all.

But there are some genuine volunteer hospitals that provides a better health services to the devotees during the festival. 

How are we supposed to forget the marketing stalls?? A variety of products that people are already acquainted with becomes the best time to make a recognition. Incense sticks, new flavoured tea leaves,internet facility, religious books, hand bags,hemp ropes, medicinal herbs and what not. It is always nice to try on products for free and they recognise us as their valuable customer.And most of the samples they distribute for free. I would just wonder why would the company donate their products for free to myriad of visitors. And that was just their marketing strategy. 

The other thing you could enjoy during Shivaratri at Pashupatinath is the Shiva Dhuni. It is a sacred fire offered to Lord Shiva during the night of Shivaratri. It just gives you the blissful vibes of a camping site. People surround the sacred fire and pray for their well being and happiness. Some of the youths entertain themselves with songs accompanied by guitar. Its so very relaxing after a day of hectic  as a volunteer.

But this year it's COVID time. So it would be better if we at the least use a mask. However I seem it impossible to maintain a six feet social distance. So better acquaint yourself with a sanitizer too. 

WHY IS IT CELEBRATED?? 

Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the Lord  Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance. Maha Shivaratri also means "the Great Night of Shiva".

It is a major festival in Hinduism, and this festival is solemn and marks a remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers, fasting, and meditating on ethics and virtues such as honesty, non-injury to others, charity, forgiveness.The ardent devotees keep awake all night. They visit one of the Shiva temples.  

Maha Shivaratri is a National Holiday in Nepal and celebrated widely in temples all over the country, but especially in the Pashupatinath temple. Holy rituals are performed all over the nation. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated as Nepali Army Day amid a ceremony held at Tundikhel. Artists from various classical music and dance forms perform through the night.  

On Maha Shivaratri, married women pray for the well being of their husbands, while unmarried women pray for a husband like Shiva, considered as the ideal husband. 

This is the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance of creation, preservation and destruction.The chanting of hymns, the reading of Shiva scriptures and the chorus of devotees joins this cosmic dance and remembers Shiva's presence everywhere. According to another legend, this is the night when Shiva and Parvati got married.A different legend states that the offering to Shiva icons such as the linga is an annual occasion to get over past sins if any, to restart on a virtuous path.

FINALLY:

This year we are celebrating MAHASHIVARATRI on 27th Falgun,2077. Since the fear for COVID is not over yet it would be unwise if we created an unnecessary human traffic. It would be wise if we visited the temple with some rules and be aware of not creating a massive crowd. HAPPY MAHASHIVARATRI 🙂🙏

BY SANJITA NAPIT