FOtography: Mahashivratrimela @ Junagadh

Shivratri mela

Day-2

Mahanagar Palika Dome @ Bhavnath -Junagadh

About Shivratri

Shivratri is the time when Shiva takes a rest. Shiva rests for one 'prahar' (three hours) of the night. This 'prahar' is referred to as the Shivratri. When Deity Shiva takes rest, the function of 'Shivtattva' (Shiva Principle) ceases, i.e. Deity Shiva goes into a meditative state. Shiva's meditative state is the time when He is engrossed in His own spiritual practice. During that time, the 'Shivtattva' does not accept any tamoguṇa (most base of the 3 elements in us – sattva, raja & tama) or any halahal (venom churned from the ocean) coming from the Universe. As a result, the ratio of halahal or the pressure of the negative energies increases. For protection from this pressure, things like 'bilva patra', white flowers, 'rudrāksha' beads etc are offered to Deity Shiva. These things attract the 'Shivtattva' from the atmosphere, thus providing protection from the increasing effect of the negative energies. The Earth is a gross object. Gross objects have very low velocities i.e. they require more time to cover a specific distance in space. Gods on the other hand, are subtle hence they are capable of traversing space within a few seconds. That is why one year on the earth is equivalent to just one day of heaven.