Śivarātri
Śivarātri · śiva-rātri, “the night of Śiva”
Caṇḍa has other meanings too: see all meanings of Caṇḍa.
Śivarātri means “the night of Śiva“. Its greatest form is Mahāśivarātri, which falls on Māgha Kṛshṇa Caturdaśī: the fourteenth day of the kṛshṇa paksha (dark fortnight, when the moon wanes) in the month of Māgha. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa calls it the single holiest night of the whole year for Śaivas, the devotees of Bhagavān Śiva. The Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 193) and the Garuḍa Purāṇa (Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 124) place it on the Kṛshṇa Caturdaśī that falls between Māgha and Phālguṇa, and say that the vrata gives both bhukti (worldly enjoyment) and mukti (moksha).
On this night Śiva is present in every Śivaliṅga in the form easiest to reach. The Pañcāksharī mantra, “Namaḥ Śivāya”, carries extra power. Even pūjā done by accident, such as bilva leaves falling on a liṅga, water splashed on it without meaning to, or staying awake all night, brings the full merit of pūjā done on purpose, and carries the devotee to Kailāsa.
The Sacred Night
In the Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Śivarātri means Māgha Kṛshṇa Caturdaśī, the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha. It is also called Mahāśivarātri. The Kālacakra teaching in Chapter 33 shows that of all the nights of the year, this tithi (lunar day) belongs most of all to Śiva.
According to the Kedāra Khaṇḍa, on this night:
- Śiva is present to the fullest degree in every Śivaliṅga everywhere.
- The line between ordinary awareness and divine grace is thinner than at any other time.
- Even pūjā done by accident, such as bilva leaves falling on a liṅga, water splashing on it, or staying awake near it, carries full spiritual merit.
- People who hear Śiva-kathā (stories of Śiva) or Śiva-śāstra (teachings about Śiva), even by chance, on this night receive saṃskāras (inner impressions) that lead to moksha.
When it is kept
In Chapter 193 of the Agni Purāṇa, Agni-deva begins: “Now I shall tell the Śivarātri vrata, which gives bhukti and mukti. Hear it with a one-pointed mind.” The Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 193) says Śivarātri falls on the Kṛshṇa Caturdaśī that occurs midway between Māgha and Phālguna, that is, the caturdaśī of the Phālguna kṛshṇa paksha. Those who have desires (kāmavān) should keep upavāsa (fasting) on that day. The night that follows, Śivarātri itself, is spent in jāgaraṇa (wakefulness) with the pūjā of Śiva.
The Garuḍa Purāṇa (Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 124) begins with Parameśvara himself telling the vrata to Pārvatī Devī. It says Śivarātri falls on the Kṛshṇa Caturdaśī of the month that lies between Māgha and Phālguṇa. One who keeps upavāsa and jāgaraṇa on this night and worships Śiva receives from Parameśvara “bhukti here and mukti there”.
The Usual Vrata
A vrata is a sacred vow or observance. The Śivarātri vrata includes:
- Upavāsa: fasting through the day and night of Caturdaśī
- Jāgaraṇa: staying awake the whole night
- Caturkāla Pūjā: pūjā of the Śivaliṅga in the four watches of the night: at dusk, at midnight, in the third watch and at dawn
- Offering bilva-patra: the bilva leaf is the most sacred leaf for Śiva. Its three leaflets stand for the three aspects of Śiva, the three guṇas (qualities of nature) and the three worlds.
- Pañcāksharī japa: repeating “Namaḥ Śivāya” without a break
- Abhisheka: bathing the liṅga with water, milk, curd, honey, ghee and pañcāmṛta (a mixture of five sacred foods)
The Agni Purāṇa says the vrata joins three forms of worship of Śiva:
- Upavāsa (fasting), which purifies the body and mind
- Rātri-jāgaraṇa (the night-long vigil), which keeps watch against the darkness of avidyā (ignorance)
- Śiva-pūjā, the direct calling and worship of Maheśvara
The Sankalpa and Prārthanā in the Agni Purāṇa
When taking up the vrata, the worshipper declares, in the words of the Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 193):
“I keep upavāsa on this caturdaśī and perform Śivarātri-vrata. Bound by the vrata, I keep vigil at night and perform Śiva’s pūjā. I invoke Śiva who bestows bhoga and moksha. O Śiva! You are like a ship that crosses the ocean of naraka. Namaskāra to you. You are the giver of praja, rājya, and all things. You are Maṃgalamaya and Śāntasvarūpa. Namaskāra to you. You are the giver of saubhāgya, ārogya, vidyā, dhana, and svarga. Grant me dharma, dhana, kāma-bhogādika. Make me sampanna with guṇa, kīrti, and sukha. Grant me svarga and moksha.”
The Vidhi in the Garuḍa Purāṇa
Dīkshā and sankalpa
The Garuḍa Purāṇa (Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 124) says the vrata begins on Trayodaśī, the day before. The devotee takes dīkshā (initiation into the vrata), worships Śiva, and makes this sankalpa:
Prātar deva caturdaśyāṃ jāgarishyāmy ahaṃ niśi |
pūjāṃ dānaṃ tapo homaṃ karishyāmy ātma-śaktitaḥ ||
caturdaśyāṃ nirāhāro bhūtvā śambhu-pare’hani |
bhokshye’haṃ bhukti-mukty-arthaṃ śaraṇaṃ me bhaviśvara ||
It means: “On the morning of Caturdaśī I shall remain awake through the night. I shall perform pūjā, dāna, tapas and homa according to my ability. On Caturdaśī I shall fast and worship Śambhu; the next day I shall break the fast, all for bhukti and mukti. O Bhaveśvara, be my refuge.”
The pūjā vidhi
On Śivarātri itself, the Garuḍa Purāṇa gives these steps:
- Bathe Parameśvara in pañcāmṛta: milk, yoghurt, ghee, honey and sugar.
- Worship with the mūla-mantra: “Oṃ namo namaḥ Śivāya”.
- Perform homa with a caru (cooked offering) made of yoghurt, sesame and rice, and offer the pūrṇāhuti (final offering).
- Arrange gīta-vādya (music) and harikathā (stories of Bhagavān Vishṇu) through the whole night.
- At ardha-rātri (midnight), in the tṛtīya-yāma (third watch) and in the caturtha-yāma (fourth watch), perform a short pūjā of Śiva with japa of the mūla-mantra.
- At dawn, offer the kshamā-stuti (prayer for pardon) to Śiva:
Avighnena vrataṃ deva tvat-prasādān mayārcitam |
kshamasva jagatāṃ nātha trailokya-adhipate hara ||
It means: “O Deva, may this vrata that I have worshipped through your grace go on without obstacle. O Nātha of the worlds, O Hara, overlord of the three worlds, forgive me.”
- Feed a thoughtful, contemplative brāhmaṇa until he is satisfied, and honour him with vastra (cloth), chatra (umbrella) and other gifts.
- Offer the final prayer:
Devādideva bhūteśa lokānugraha kāraka |
yan mayā śraddhayā dattaṃ prīyatāṃ tena me prabhuḥ ||
It means: “O Deva of devas, Bhūteśa, who bring grace to the worlds, let Prabhu Śiva be pleased with what I have given with faith.”
The twelve-year sankalpa
At the end of Śivarātri, many devotees take a dvādaśa-vārshika saṅkalpa, a vow of twelve years: to keep jāgaraṇa and the pūjā of Śiva on every Caturdaśī of every month for twelve years. The Garuḍa Purāṇa says this gives the one who keeps it:
- sampadas (prosperity), kīrti (fame), putrāḥ (sons) and adhikāra-prāpti (a high position)
- at the end of life, Śivaloka
- for one who also gives dīpa-dāna (the gift of lamps) and feeds twelve brāhmaṇas at the end of the year, svargaloka
Pūjā Done by Accident
What makes the Kedāra Khaṇḍa‘s teaching special is its firm claim that on this night Śiva counts even actions done without intention as true pūjā. Its example is the hunter Caṇḍa. He sat in a bilva tree all night, watching for animals to kill. Without any religious purpose, he carried out every part of the Śivarātri pūjā: bilva leaves fell, water fell, and he stayed awake. As soon as dawn came on Caturdaśī, Śiva’s messengers arrived and carried him to Kailāsa.
This teaching makes Śivarātri the easiest of all Śaiva observances to keep. It needs no learning of a brāhmaṇa, no skill in ritual, no qualification of varṇa and no earlier practice. The day itself does the work, if one is simply near Śiva’s liṅga and awake.
Sundarasena in the Agni Purāṇa
The Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 193) tells of a hunter named Sundarasena, called a vyādha (hunter). He was a man of pāpa (sin) by nature. Yet through the power of the Śivarātri vrata, even though he did not keep it on purpose, he became puṇyavān, a person of great merit.
This account shows the great power of Śivarātri. Even one who fasts without meaning to, because of his circumstances, and who keeps vigil without meaning to on Śivarātri night, receives the full phala (fruit) of the vrata. One who keeps it with bhakti (devotion), saṅkalpa and pūjā receives far greater fruit.
Sundarasena in the Garuḍa Purāṇa
The Garuḍa Purāṇa (Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 124) calls Sundarasena a nishāda (hunter) king. On Śivarātri night, entirely without intention and because of circumstances he could not control, he kept upavāsa and jāgaraṇa, offered bilva-patra, bathed the liṅga with water and touched the Śivaliṅga. When he died, he was freed and taken to Kailāsa together with his dogs.
The Garuḍa Purāṇa then asks: if pūjā done without saṅkalpa gives such a result, what need is there to speak of those who keep this vrata knowingly and with devotion?
Śivarātri and the Kālacakra
Śivarātri falls on the fourteenth tithi (Caturdaśī) of the dark fortnight. In the Kālacakra (the wheel of time, which gives each tithi to a deva), this tithi belongs to Śiva. Śiva also rules the thirteenth tithi (Pradosha). He is given two tithis in a row, at the darkest point of the month. This reflects his place as the supreme deva of dissolution, of darkness, and of the moment just before renewal.
The Agni Purāṇa says that the night of Śivarātri is the most Śiva-filled moment of the whole lunar year. Śiva is most easily reached by his devotees on this night, and the worship done then goes to the root of the bond between the ātmā and Parameśvara.
The Caturdaśī tithi is joined with Śiva across the Purāṇas. The Varāha Purāṇa (Chapter 33) likewise names Caturdaśī as the tithi dear to Rudra. The Agni Purāṇa (Chapter 192) describes the monthly Śiva-Caturdaśī vrata, with upavāsa and the pūjā of Śiva on every caturdaśī of the year. The yearly Śivarātri is the highest point of that monthly discipline, the night on which all devotees of Śiva come together in single-minded worship. The Agni Purāṇa also gives, in other chapters, a full account of the forms of Śiva, his pūjā-vidhi and his five faces.
The Vāmana Purāṇa also names the monthly Śivarātri. In Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 28, Sanatkumāra tells Mārkaṇḍeya of the Caturmukha liṅga on the northern bank of the Sarasvatī in Kurukshetra, the Maheśvara liṅga worshipped at the beginning of creation. Bowing to it with śraddhā and bhakti removes all pāpa (sin). Likewise, in the Dvāpara, one who worships Śaṅkara in his own āśrama is freed from the faults of varṇa-saṅkara born of rajoguṇa. And if one worships that Svāmī on every kṛshṇa paksha caturdaśī, the māsa-śivarātri (monthly Śivarātri), the pāpas that come from eating forbidden food are destroyed.
Origin in the Liṅgodbhava: The Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā
The Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa tells how Śivarātri began. Brahmā and Vishṇu were quarrelling over who was greater. Śiva settled the quarrel by appearing as an endless pillar of fire. This is the Liṅgodbhava, “the appearance of the liṅga”. Afterwards, Brahmā and Vishṇu worshipped Śiva with full devotion and surrender. Śiva declared that the night of their pūjā, Māgha Kṛshṇa Caturdaśī, would be Śivarātri for all time.
The date on which Śiva first appeared as the pillar, at Aruṇācala, is recorded separately as Mārgaśīrsha Pūrṇimā (the full moon of Mārgaśīrsha), with the Ārdrā nakshatra (lunar mansion) in the sky.
In this saṃhitā Śiva declares the merit of Śivarātri. One who keeps the full vrata, with the day-long fast and pūjā in the four praharas (watches) of the night, gains merit equal to a whole year of Śiva-pūjā. The pūjā in four watches matches the pattern given in the Kedāra Khaṇḍa. So both sources agree on the caturkāla (four-watch) pattern, though the Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā traces the observance back to the first pūjā of Brahmā and Vishṇu after the Liṅgodbhava.
In the Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā tradition the pārthiva liṅga, a liṅga made of clay, is given special importance for Śivarātri. This lets every devotee in the Kali Yuga keep the festival, whether or not a temple is nearby.
The Four Yāmas in the Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā (Chapters 38 to 39)
The Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa gives more detail on the Śivarātri observance, with stress on the caturyāma pūjā (worship in four watches). It says the four yāmas of the night go with four different upacāras (offerings):
- First yāma (dusk to the entry of midnight): bathing the liṅga with water and offering bilva.
- Second yāma (the first half of the night): anointing the liṅga with pañcāmṛta (milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar).
- Third yāma (midnight): offering flowers, especially white flowers, and bilva-patra.
- Fourth yāma (before dawn): abhisheka with sandalwood water, and the final japa and stotra.
The pūjā of each yāma has its own merit. Doing all four yāmas in order is the complete Śivarātri vrata. The pārthiva liṅga is the form the Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā names for Śivarātri worship in the Kali Yuga, so that the full four-yāma pūjā is open to every devotee, even one with no permanent temple or installed liṅga.
The Story of Gurudruha: The Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā (Chapters 38 to 40)
The Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa has its own story of Śivarātri pūjā done by accident, similar to the story of Caṇḍa in the Kedāra Khaṇḍa. It is the story of Gurudruha, a kirāta (forest hunter). On a Śivarātri night Gurudruha climbed a bilva tree while hunting deer. During the night, bilva leaves fell from his movements onto a Śivaliṅga at the foot of the tree. He stayed awake watching for animals, and he went without food. At each watch, water from his body fell on the liṅga. So all four yāmas (watches) of the Śivarātri pūjā were completed without his knowing.
Chapter 40 of the Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā shows that the four-yāma pūjā is completed by the bilva leaves, the water and the wakefulness of Gurudruha across the four watches of the night. Done with no knowledge and no intention, they were the complete vrata in the eyes of Śiva.
Śiva gave Gurudruha his highest grace. He revealed that Gurudruha would be Guha, the boatman of Śṛṅgaverapura who would carry Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa across the Gaṅgā at the start of their years in the forest. Śiva also gave him the vara (boon) that Rāma himself would come to Guha’s home. The Śivaliṅga at the foot of the bilva tree became the Vyādheśvara liṅga on Mount Arbuda (Mount Abu).
This story teaches the same thing as the story of Caṇḍa in the Kedāra Khaṇḍa. Śivarātri pūjā done by accident, by a person with no religious background, no knowledge of the vrata and no wish to worship, brings the full spiritual merit of pūjā done on purpose.
Sources
- Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 33
- Śiva Purāṇa, Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā, Chapter 24
- Śiva Purāṇa, Koṭi Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapters 38 to 40
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 192–193
- Garuḍa Purāṇa, Ācāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 124 (Adhyāya 124)
- Varāha Purāṇa, Chapter 33
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 28