Next Sundaynight februari 26. will be a good night for meditation. All over India, on the moonless night, the Maha Shivratri is celebrated. This is the night when Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction.
Devotees of Shiva fast during the day and maintain a long vigil during the night. In temples all across the country, bells ring, sacred texts are chanted and traditional offerings of leaves and milk are made to the Shiva lingam, the phallic symbol of the god.
There is a legend behind Shiva’s phallic form. It is believed that once Brahma and Vishnu, the two pillars of the holy Trinity, were having an argument as to who was supreme. Brahma declared himself to be the Creator of all and thus more revered. Vishnu claimed that since he was the Creator and the Destroyer, he commanded more respect. At that moment a huge lingam (a phallic shaped sacred stone) ablaze with flames appeared from nowhere.
Both the Gods were so overwhelmed by its constantly increasing size, they forgot their quarrel and decided to discover its true size. Vishnu took the form of a boar and went to search for its base in the netherworld while Brahma ascended to the skies as a swan. Neither could ascertain the size of the linga. Just then, Shiva appeared out of the lingam and proclaimed that he was the progenitor of both of them. He asserted he was the Creator, Preserver and the Destroyer. He demanded that thereafter he be worshipped in his phallic form, the lingam.
On the day of Shivratri, the lingam is bathed with the five sacred offerings of a cow, called the panchagavya – milk, sour milk, urine, butter and dung. Thereafter the five foods of immortality – milk, clarified butter, curd, honey and sugar – are placed before the lingam. Dhatura and jati, though poisonous fruits, are believed to be sacred to Shiva and thus offered at his temple. Eleven is considered to be the sacred number of the Lord.
Devotees keep a fast (vrat) on Shivratri and observe strict rules, to gain good karma. Special celebrations are held at important Shiva temples at Chidambaram, Kalahasi, Khajuraho and Varanasi. Worship of Shiva is said to release the worshipper from the cycle of birth and rebirth.
There are many stories associated with Shivaratri and its origins. [LINK] and [LINK]