Lord Shiva: Symbol Of Nature Appreciation

Hindu devotees are all set to celebrate Mahashivaratri tomorrow (Wednesday). It falls in the Nepali month of Falgun. The Pashupatinath temple gets flooded with pilgrims both from Nepal and India who come to pay homage to Lord Shiva. Hindus from all over the world aspire to visit Pashupatinath once in their lifetime and especially during the Mahashivaratri festival. 

Being a person born and raised in Kathmandu, I have observed the festival being celebrated during the last several decades. Observation takes me along memory lane where glimpses of the festival pass by. My earliest memories are of my cousins including me being taken to worship the lord by our grandmother who was a very pious woman. Early morning bath then a trip to Pashupatinath and meal only after the darshan. In our households, rice and daal or daal bhat the standard Nepali meal is not cooked on Shivratri. A fasting meal like roti, fried potato, peanuts and pangra or pangroti are the specialty with curd, sweets like jilebis, halwa and sabudana kheer are the specialties that we used to devour then. 

Tradition 

As time passed by, the tradition continues and Shivratri meals have been constant. Pangroti is specially a delicacy that gets cooked and savoured during festivals which require fasting in most Nepali household. Most Nepali, Hindu, households still have vegetarian food and at least a few members fast on Mahashivratri. The tradition of drawing sadhus from India still continues and the number has increased. Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) plans and prepares for the event several months before the festival. There are certain sects of Naga Sadhus and others who receive funds and lodging food while they are here. 

As the years have passed by, the celebration has become more commercial-driven by the market-led economy. Business communities and vendors now make products that people might want to buy and the streets around the temple are flooded with goods and food to cater to the interests of the pilgrims. This auspicious festival is celebrated each year on the 6th night of the new moon during Krishna Paksha in the month of Falgun. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, Krishna Paksha is the Sanskrit term meaning the phase during the waning moon or the dark fortnight. 

Shivratri is celebrated on a moonless night. Lord Shiva, or Mahadev as he is also known as, is worshipped by the Hindus as the power that combines creation, preservation and destruction among the trinity comprising of Brahma, Bishnu and Mahesh. Shiva is associated with love, protection of nature and earth, and those who are the outcasts like those who manage the cremation sites. Shiva and Parvati, his consorts’ love stories transcendent through centuries and many Hindu youth still fast and pray to have spouses like the symbols of this couple. While Mahashivratri is also worshipped as the wedding of lord Shiva and Parvati, it is believed that that was the night when Lord Shiva performed the tandav nritya that is believed to be the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. 

I remember that one of main issues that people were alerted to be vigilant about was to make sure that the wood in their households was safely guarded. There was a tradition of people coming to steal wood and logs to light fire during the cold evening and for people to huddle around while they worshipped Lord Shiva the whole night. The tradition of lighting fire on Shivratri evening continues. 

Climate change 

One important fact is that Shivratri days and nights are not as cold as they used to be when we were growing up. Climate change and global warming have had an impact. However, even today a few days before the Shivratri festival and on that day, it gets cloudy in Kathmandu with most of the time slight drizzling and rains. There is a cliché in Nepali that this sudden bout of cold and rain is usually to scare pilgrims coming from warmer areas of Nepal and India. 

All Shiva temples in Nepal and India and elsewhere have celebrations before, during and after the Mahashivratri night. For the sadhus and the youth, this is also the time when they have puffs of Ganja and shots of bhang in the temples which is mostly allowed on that day. But it is important to stop using addictive drugs like these which are associated with Lord Shiva and his followers. More important facts that are closely associated with him include the preservation of animals, water, forests and the earth should be promoted. Shiva is clothed with a snake around his neck, Ganges flowing from his hair-jata and wrapped in tiger skin. There are several stories in Hindu Mythology which tell us episodes of how he has protected forests and nature. His befriending Nandi, the bull, and all animals including reptiles is a message the youth now need to adopt to make sure we preserve our earth. 

(Sharma is a senior journalist and women’s rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.com or on X @NamrataSharmaP.)