The Night of Lord Shiva

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar


Hindus all over the world celebrated the birthday of Lord Shiva on the night of March 06 this year. This day is called Maha-Shiva Ratri means the great night of Lord Shiva.

Devout Hindus observe Shiva-ratri keeping vigilant, and revering lord Shiva on the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight in the month of Falgun (Feb-March). Devotees visit Shiva shrines on this day and night elsewhere in Nepal. People including the Hindu pilgrims coming from across the southern border en masse visit the Pashupati temple in Kathmandu. Special offerings are made to Lord Pashupati on this night.

Ascetic people called Sadhus arrive at Pashupati about four days before and leave four days after Shiva-ratri. During this period, they stay in the open area set aside for them. They pay homage to Lord Pashupati: one of many forms of Lord Shiva. They sit at a bonfire called dhuni and rub ashes on their naked bodies either to keep them warm and cozy during the chilly climate of Kathmandu at this time of a year, or to emulate Lord Shiva. The Guthi Samsthan provides them with meals, ganza (hashish) to smoke and firewood for making bonfires for about a week. Sadhus believe that Lord Shiva loved to smoke hashish; so, the government not only allows Sadhus to smoke hashish but also provides them with hashish for a weak during the Shiva-ratri days.

Devotees keep awoke the whole night on the Shiva-ratri night meditating and chanting different names of Lord Shiva, usually sitting at the bonfire believing that this will give them the view (darshan) of Lord Shiva. Hindus believe that Lord Shiva appeared from luminous Phallus in a human form and blessed them on this night. Hence, apart from Sadhus, common people also make bonfires in the belief that they, too, will get to see Lord Shiva on this night. Teenagers collect firewood, any other wood or materials suitable for bonfire on this night. Others get peanuts, corn, potatoes and soybeans, and roast these food items on the bonfires and consume them as the blessings from the Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva is omnipotent and omnipresent, and is a super soul, a part of which is prevalent in all living beings. Everything in the universe, including the cosmic objects such as starts, planets, so on, is a part of the super soul. Therefore, Lord Shiva is formless and limitless, represents the entire Hindu universe, and is the source of all sorts of power. Lord Shiva is the light in darkness. He is also past, present and future in one called tri-kal. Lord Shiva is “OUM”, a three-alphabet sound, “O” represents Brahma, the creator, “U” represents Lord Vishnu, the preserver and “M” represents Lord Maheswore, the destroyer. Thus, Lord Shiva also represents birth continuation of life and death.

About two thousands years ago, Hindus began depicting Lord Shiva in the form of Phallus and human, and gave them various names to make it easier for common people to understand Lord Shiva. Phallus represents creation. Devout Hindus believe that Lord Shiva appeared in a human form from a luminous Phallus called Lingam.

Lord Shiva in a human form is popularly depicted as an ascetic with a third eye on forehead. The third eye is a symbol of divine power and sight. In fact, all physical features and belongings of Lord Shiva have deep philosophical meanings. His naked body represents super soul that could not be clothed. The crescent moon and goddess of water called Ganga, he wears on his matted hair symbolize that he is as cool as moon, and as crystal clear and clean as the water of Ganga River. He wears serpents as ornaments around the neck, and the arms. Serpents represent danger and anger. Thus, these ornaments imply that Lord Shiva is fearless and cool even with danger at the neck, and controls anger under his arms. His rubbing of ashes on the body implies that every body is subjected to reduce to ashes.

The trident he carries represents birth, continuation of life and death, and the three main parts of the life cycle. The hand drum called Damaru he holds signals the approaching super soul and power. The tiger skin he wears around his loin represents that Lord Shiva controls emotions ferocious as a tiger. The elephant skin, he sleeps on, symbolizes simplicity and control of ego.

Hindu teachers developed metaphorical rituals to make the divine teachings of Lord Shiva simple for common people to follow. Every ritual has a deep meaning though, most of the people generally perform rituals without knowing much about them.

Lord Shiva has eight forms namely “Bhava”, “Serva”, “Rudra”, “Yugra”, “Bhim”, “Mahadev”, “Isan” and “Pashupati”. The first five forms represent five life-supporting elements such as earth, water, air, fire, and ether, the sixth and seventh depictt the cosmic world; and eight symbolizes super soul.

Pashupati – eighth form of Lord Shiva has several meanings. They are Lord of animals, god with five faces, shepherd of souls of human kinds, master of all living beings, and freedom from darkness.

Lord Pashupati at Deupatan, Kathmandu has six faces. The four faces on the Shiva Lingam in the inner sanctum of the temple, are visible, and are facing four directions. The invisible two faces on the Lingam are: one faces toward the sky represents Yogeswore or Isan, and another faces toward the underworld, and represents Rudra.

Some people interpret the meaning of Pashupati as the lord of animals directly translating the two words such as ‘pashu’ and ‘pass’ that they believe derived from the word ‘Pashupati’. The direct meaning of Pashu is animal. People without wisdom or knowledge are like animals. Pass means enlighten, pashupas means enlightenment in darkness. Pashupati means the lord who disentangles or who transfers people from darkness to light. So, the real meaning of Pashupati is freedom from darkness.

Many Hindu myths describe the origin of Lord Pashupati on the present site in Kathmandu. The myth closet to the truth may be about the origin of ‘Joti lingam” means a luminous Phallus that appeared in this area. It is highly possible that a seepage of natural gas that the Kathmandu Valley possesses must have occurred and caused a natural illumination on this site at that time. Ever since, Nepalis have been worshipping this natural burner as Lord Pashupati.

According to the chronicles called Gopalraj Vamshavali compiled during the period of 1382-1395, Nepalis have began worshipping Lord Pashupati at the present site since the tenth century B.C. Licchavi King Supuspa Dev built the first temple to Lord Pashupati on this site. Since then, kings belonging to various dynasties who ruled Nepal had either rebuilt or renovated this temple several times before bringing it into the current shape. At present, it is a two-tiered pagoda style temple decorated with meticulously carved silver doors, and with gold gilded brass roofs supported by struts decorated with carved figures of various divinities. The lord is in the inner sanctum in the form of a Phallus with six faces. This is one of the oldest Hindu temples in the world. King Ansu Verma adopted Lord Pashupati as a state god, saivinism as the state religion. Since then, Nepal has been a Hindu state until 2007 when the Interim Legislature-parliament declared Nepal a secular state.

Vajracharya were the official priests of the temple until King Pratap Malla replaced them with the South Indian Hindu priests who continue to serve Lord Pashupati even today. A team of priests, storekeepers, and other supporting staff members attend the lord daily. The Passupati guthi provides resources for all the services required. The high incomes coming from the offerings of the devotees go to the private purse of the priests.

On the occasion of Shiva-ratri, priests make special offerings to Lord Pashupati in the inner sanctum of the temple. First, they’ give a purification bath to the Pashupayi-Lingam. To this end, they prepare five clay bowls each filled with the following items: cow milk, yougurt, ghee-home made butter, honey and unpurified sugar called sakkhar. The priest pours one item after another on the Lingam. Thereafter, they give a sesame seed oil message to the Lingam. Then they dressed it up, draw three parallel lines of sandal wood paste on the foreheads of all four faces on the Lingam and decorate tem with silver ornaments. In the end of the special offerings, priests make food offerings called balbhog to the Lingam.

Nepalis worship Lord Pashupati by placing a crown with an image of Lord Buddha on the Phallus twice a year: first on the eighth day of the bright forthnight in Kartik (Oct-Nov), and second on the fourth day of the bright fortnight in Magha (Jan-Feb). On the Shiva-ratri night, Lord Pashupati is worshipped as Lord Macchendranath: one of the incarnations of Lord Buddha.

Tantriks worship Lord Pashupati as Lord Kirti-mukhi Bhairav, and Lord Unmat Bhairav, and offer them animal sacrifice at the southern courtyard of the Pashupati temple on every full moon day. On this occasion, they connect the Bhairavs with the southern face on the Phallus in the inner sanctum of the temple with cotton threads called pashuka made of five different colored yarns; and make offering of animal sacrifice to the Bhairavas according to tantric rituals, directly connecting them with Lord Pashupati in the inner sanctum. In addiiton, Nepalis worship Lord Shiva as Luku Mahadev once a year and offer Him non-vegetarian foods and alcoholic beverages during the ghode jatra festival.

Lord Pashupati is Lord Shiva for Hindus, Lord Macchndranathis for Buddhists Lord Bhairav for Tantriks. They are the symbols of religious harmony in Nepal.