Dear Reader,
Today is Maha Shivaratri. It is celebrated by holding an all-day long fast and an all-night vigil. It is believed that all prayers will be granted by Shiva on this day.
I asked my mother, "what is the significance of the all-night long vigil?" and she narrated a story to me.
I was absolutely fascinated by this story. While I heard my mother out, I was reminded of "The Immortals of Meluha". I loved this book and finished it in 2 days. Authored by Amish Tripathi, it is based on the principle that most Indian Gods were human beings once upon a time. So the book does take you through some of the legendary facts about Shiva and leaves you craving for more with the last chapter ending to be continued in Part II of the Trilogy.
Anyway, my objective was not to provide a book review in this post. May be, I'll keep that for another time!!
Om Namah Shivaya
Today is Maha Shivaratri. It is celebrated by holding an all-day long fast and an all-night vigil. It is believed that all prayers will be granted by Shiva on this day.
I asked my mother, "what is the significance of the all-night long vigil?" and she narrated a story to me.
Once upon a time lived a poor tribal man. He would wander in the forest and hunt for survival. One day he went deep inside the forest and was not able to return before nightfall. To worsen his anguish, he was chased by wolves and he ran to save his life. Terrified, he climbed the nearby tree while the pack of wolves lied in wait under the tree. Perched against the tree, as darkness fell, he was afraid of falling asleep and dropping off the tree.
To keep himself awake, he decided to pluck one leaf from the tree and dropping it to the ground while chanting the name of Shiva. At dawn, the wolves left and the hunter realized that he has dropped those leaves onto a Linga under the tree. The tree happened to be a Bilva (wood apple) tree. The unwitting all-night long worship pleased Shiva and the hunter was rewarded by divine bliss.
I was absolutely fascinated by this story. While I heard my mother out, I was reminded of "The Immortals of Meluha". I loved this book and finished it in 2 days. Authored by Amish Tripathi, it is based on the principle that most Indian Gods were human beings once upon a time. So the book does take you through some of the legendary facts about Shiva and leaves you craving for more with the last chapter ending to be continued in Part II of the Trilogy.
Anyway, my objective was not to provide a book review in this post. May be, I'll keep that for another time!!
Om Namah Shivaya
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