This Saturday and Sunday, Kathmandu has seen a good amount of rain. The winter season is concluding and spring will take over. Hence, change of the season could be the prime reason for this rain. Nevertheless, the great festival to worship Lord Shiva – Mahashivaratri — falls this year on 7th March, and the rain might have welcomed the festival of high energy! The famous notion that it always rains around the time of Mahashivaratri proved right this year as well. It may be due to the fact that the winter season is likely to end soon for this year. Daytime in Kathmandu is becoming hotter day by day and this rain will bring more heat into the city.
The day before the new moon every month is called Shivaratri. That makes a total of 12 Shivaratris in a calendar year. The particular Shivaratri that falls in the month of February-March is known as Mahashivaratri, which is widely celebrated by Hindus especially in Nepal and India. According to Hindu gurus, there will be a natural upsurge and origination of positive energy in every worshipper at the night of Mahashivaratri.
Worshippers are advised to stay awake throughout the night of Mahashivaratri, and sit still making their spines vertical. The special worship of the great Lord Shiva in this particular manner and time will bring leaps of energy into the worshipper’s body.
It is also supported by scientific studies. Since the night of Mahashivaratri is the longest night of the year, strong and positive rays are propagating in the atmosphere. Eventually, one will get them on this particular night.
Now, let’s talk about Shiva for a while. According to history of Hindu religion, Shiva is the Adi Guru. He was the first guru to practice and teach yoga to his disciples. Yoga is quite different from religion itself.
So that many foreigners who don’t follow Hindu religion also practice yoga first practiced by Shiva. On the night of first-ever Mahashivaratri, Shiva had performed Tandav dance which is famous among his followers till now.
Shivaratri has always been my favorite festival thanks to the gigantic and larger than life figure of Lord Shiva. I always put Shiva ahead of any of our 33 crore gods. Shiva is a mysterious person in a positive way. I think he is the God of all gods. I celebrate Mahashivaratri by making myself holy for the day and night of Mahashivaratri and visit Pashupatinath and worship there.