Mahashivratri this year marks the formal end of the Mahakumbh. It is but natural hence that it is sheer celebration. As it is, as per the Vaidic as well as Pauranic traditions, Shiva is all, the beginning, the middle, the end. He is the creator and he is the destroyer. He is everywhere, he is all powerful, and he knows everything.
He is purity itself. He can give up everything, and yet he enjoys everything. He is an ascetic, and yet he, the Natraj, is the inspiration, the muse of all the artists. No wonder, each time the whole world is in trouble, he, the balanced fulcrum of existence, rushes to the rescue.
He can hold the forceful flow of the Ganges. He can drink up the poison. He undertakes all the impossible feats for the betterment and upliftment of all the downtrodden. He can be friends with the serpent as his neckpiece, the mighty Nandi is his trusted vehicle. Why, his 'barati's' are the ghosts, et al, that is, the reject of the rejects!
It is a happy coincidence this year that the Mahashivratri this year coincides with the death anniversary of Veer Sawarkar. He, too, accepted all the dross for sake of the liberation not of his own self, but for the meaningful existence of the entire nation, our free, independent India.
Be it the divine Shiva principle or the beneficent Savarkar sacrifice, both are worth a deep bow and utmost celebration which is actually a deep reverent prayer. Long live our devoted dedication to both!
Pratima@ I read a very interesting interpretation which said that the Shiv-Parvati story would be the world's first love marriage. She, a princess of a mighty kingdom, married an ascetic out of sheer, pure love, right? So this rather creative interpretation.
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