MARCH 11, 2021
The pious occasion of Maha Shivaratri will be celebrated on Thursday, March 11. As the name suggests, the day is marked to celebrate Lord Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, on this day Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. In order to celebrate this auspicious day, many devotees of Lord Shiva observe fast.
Followers eat only one meal a day before Maha Shivaratri and on the day, they observe a full-day fast, which is only broken on the next day. Another ritual that the Shiv bhakts follow is taking a bath in the evening, before performing the puja at night.
Different people observe different types of fasts on the day. Some people keep a fast in which they can consume fruits and coconut water, some prefer not eating anything throughout the day while a couple of people observe Nirjala fast which means that they do not even drink water on the day of Maha Shivaratri.
Apart from fasting, devotees also take a holy dip in the river Ganga on the day. Many believers also perform abhishek on shivling, using things like water, milk, rose water, honey, sandalwood paste, ghee, yogurt, and sugar. Many people also make a paste of all these items and pour it over shivling while chanting various mantras. Along with these items many people also offer different fruits, bilipatra and dhatura flowers.
Here is a look at different muhurats of puja on Maha Shivaratri:
Ratri First Prahar Puja Time – 06:27 PM to 09:29 PM
Ratri Second Prahar Puja Time – 09:29 PM to 12:31 AM, Mar 12
Ratri Third Prahar Puja Time – 12:31 AM to 03:32 AM, Mar 12
Ratri Fourth Prahar Puja Time – 03:32 AM to 06:34 AM, Mar 12
Chaturdashi Tithi Begins – 02:39 PM on Mar 11, 2021
Chaturdashi Tithi Ends – 03:02 PM on Mar 12, 2021
Courtesy/Source: News18
