Shiva and ratri (night) – Shiva-ratri implies the evening of Lord Shiva. In the Vedic month of Phalgun (February-March) there is a Maha Shivaratri. This year it falls on fourteenth February. The function happens basically around evening time. This celebration is seen to pay tribute to Lord Shiva, who was hitched to Parvati (Mother Durga/Mother Gauri) on this day. A few lovers watch a strict quick on this day. They remain conscious the entire night. The Shiva linga is adored for the duration of the night by washing it like clockwork with drain, yogurt, ghee, nectar, and so on while droning of the mantra "Om namah shivaya" proceeds. Bilva leaves are offered to the linga. These leaves are extremely sacrosanct (as Tulasi is to Lord Krishna) and Lord Shiva ends up satisfied with that advertising. Numerous psalms extolling Lord Shiva are sung with dedication.
He who expresses the names of Lord Shiva amid Shivaratri with idealize commitment and focus is liberated from all transgressions and he achieves the residence Lord Shiva and dwells joyfully there.
Shivaratri and its observance
Some time ago, the cowherd men of Vrindavana, headed by Nanda Maharaja, wanted to go to Ambikavana to watch the Shivaratri service. The rasa-lila was performed amid the pre-winter, and after that the following enormous service is Holi or the Dolayatra function. Between the Dolayatra function and the rasa-lila service there is one vital service called Shivaratri, which is particularly seen by the Shaivites, or fans of Lord Shiva. Here and there the Vaishnavas additionally watch this function since they acknowledge Lord Shiva as the preeminent Vaishnava. Be that as it may, the capacity of Shivaratri isn't watched consistently by the bhaktas or aficionados of Krishna. The situation being what it is, it is expressed in Srimad-Bhagavatam that Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men "quite a long time ago wanted." This implies they were not frequently watching the Shivaratri work but rather that some time ago they needed to go to Ambikavana just wondering. Ambikavana is some place in the Gujarat territory, and it is said to be arranged on the banks of stream Sarasvati. However we don't discover any Sarasvati stream in the Gujarat region, in spite of the fact that there is a waterway named Sabarmati. In India, all the enormous spots of journey are arranged on decent waterways like the Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Narmada, Godavari and Kaveri. Ambikavana was arranged on the bank of Sarasvati, and Nanda Maharaja and the various cowherd men went there.
They devotedly started to adore the god of Lord Shiva and Ambika. It is the general practice that wherever there is a sanctuary of Lord Shiva, there must be another sanctuary, of Ambika (or Durga), on the grounds that Ambika is the spouse of Lord Shiva and is the most lifted up of virtuous ladies. She doesn't live outside the relationship of her better half. In the wake of achieving Ambikavana, the cowherd men of Vrindavana first showered themselves in the waterway Sarasvati. In the event that one goes to wherever of journey, his first obligation is to scrub down and some of the time to shave his head. That is the principal business. In the wake of scrubbing down, they worshiped the gods and afterward circulated philanthropy in the blessed spots. Ruler Shiva is depicted as midhustama, the best of the benedictors. He is otherwise called Asutosa, which demonstrates that he is immediately fulfilled and immediately enraged. It is said in Bhagavad-gita that less canny people go to the demigods for material beatitudes. In this association, individuals for the most part go to Lord Shiva, and on the grounds that he is dependably immediately fulfilled and offers blessings to his fans without thought, he is called midhustama, or the best of the benedictors. Materialistic people are constantly on edge to get material benefit, however they are not genuine about profound benefit.
Once in a while, obviously, it so happens that Lord Shiva turns into the best benedictor in profound life. It is said that once a poor brahmana worshiped Lord Shiva for an invocation, and Lord Shiva prompted the fan to go to see Sanatana Gosvami. The aficionado went to Sanatana Gosvami and educated him that Lord Shiva had exhorted him to search out the best invocation from him (Sanatana). Sanatana had a touchstone with him, which he kept with the junk. On the demand of the poor brahmana, Sanatana Gosvami gave him the touchstone, and the brahmana was exceptionally cheerful to have it. He now could get as much gold as he wanted basically by touching the touchstone to press. Be that as it may, after he cleared out Sanatana, he thought, "If a touchstone is the best beatitude, why has Sanatana Gosvami kept it with the rubbish?" He along these lines returned and asked Sanatana Gosvami, "Sir, if this is the best blessing, for what reason did you keep it with the trash?" Sanatana Gosvami at that point educated him, "Really, this isn't the best invocation. Be that as it may, are you arranged to take the best beatitude from me?" The brahmana stated, "Truly, sir. Master Shiva has sent me to you for the best blessing." Then Sanatana Gosvami requesting that he toss the touchstone in the water adjacent and afterward return. The poor brahmana did as such, and when he returned, Sanatana Gosvami started him with the Hare Krishna mantra. Therefore by the invocation of Lord Shiva the brahmana got the relationship of the best aficionado of Lord Krishna and was consequently started in the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Hare.
