Thoughts on Mahashivaratri

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Please provide some thoughts on Mahashivaratri

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Śiva (Lord Śiva) + rātri (night), so Śiva-rātri means the night of Lord Śiva !!

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Parvati Devi asked,

“O adorable lord, which of the many rituals observed in your honour pleases you the most.”

Lord Śiva replied,

“the fourteenth night of the new moon in the dark fortnight during the month of Phalgun, is my favorite day. It is called Maha Śiva-rātri. My devotees give me great joy and happiness by mere fasting than by ceremonial baths and offerings of flower, sweets and incense.”

Understanding that Lord Śiva is

our special prayers to Lord Śiva to bless us with THE BEST in the world !!

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And this blessings will relate to our discussion with Kṛṣṇa in CENTER, with below verse

Śiva ratri vrtam Kṛṣṇa catur-dasyantu phalgune
vaiṣṇaver api tat karyam Śrī Kṛṣṇa pritaye sada

Hari bhakti vilasa 14/187 from Gautamiya tantra

On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Phalguna (February-March), for the pleasure of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, a Vaiṣṇava should always take a vow to fast.

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And a pastime goes like this …


Once a poor brāhmaṇa worshiped Lord Śiva for a benediction, and Lord Śiva advised the devotee to go to see Sanātana Gosvāmī.

The devotee went to Sanātana Gosvāmī and informed him that Lord Śiva had advised him to seek out the best benediction from him (Sanātana).

Sanātana had a touchstone with him, which he kept with the garbage.

On the request of the poor brāhmaṇa, Sanātana Gosvāmī gave him the touchstone, and the brāhmaṇa was very happy to have it. He now could get as much gold as he desired simply by touching the touchstone to iron.

But after he left Sanātana, he thought,

“If a touchstone is the best benediction, why has Sanātana Gosvāmī kept it with the garbage?”

He therefore returned and asked Sanātana Gosvāmč,

“Sir, if this is the best benediction, why did you keep it with the garbage?”

Sanātana Gosvāmč then informed him,

“Actually, this is not the best benediction. But are you prepared to take the best benediction from me?”

The brāhmaṇa said,

“Yes, sir. Lord Śiva has sent me to you for the best benediction.”

Then Sanātana Gosvāmč asked him to throw the touchstone in the water nearby and then come back.

The poor brāhmaṇa did so, and when he returned, Sanātana Gosvāmī initiated him with the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Thus by the benediction of Lord Śiva the brāhmaṇa got the association of the best devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and was thus initiated in the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare !!

Above pastime is an excerpt from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport to mīḍhuṣṭama, the best of the benedictors (SB 4.7.6)

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Some more content, worth reading, is well gathered at

https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Category:Siva

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