bharat men prachlit tyauharon, anushthanon v dharmik kriyaklapon ka vivechan karen to yah spasht ho jata hai ki ye n keval adhyatm ki drishti se upyogi hain varan vyavharik drishti se bhi mahatvapurn hain. shivratri vrat iska apvad nahin hai. yahan shivratri vrat ko is kasauti par rakhne ka prayas kiya gaya hai. shivratri vrat men upvas v ratri jagaran ka vishesh mahatva mana gaya hai. upvas ka arth hai ahar n grahan karna. ahar kya hai? shastron men ahar ko vyapak arth men liya gaya hai. jo kuch sanchit kiya jata hai, ahar hai. is prakar man, buddhi athva indriyon ke dvara jo kuch ham grahan karte hain ahar hai. atah is ahar ko grahan n karna hi upvas hai, upvas vyakti ki antarik evan bahri shuddhi karta hai. yah atmik shuddhi pradan karta hai. atmachakshuon ko prakashonmukh karta hai. upvas vyakti men atmashakti ka sanchar karta hai, man v sharir ko kantiyukt banata hai.
upvas ke chikitsakiya mahatva se to ham bhalibhanti parichit hi hain. prakritik chikitsa paddhati v ayurved ka yah mahatvapurn adhar hai. upvas ‘up’ v ‘vas’ do shabdon se milakar bana hai. up shabd ka arth hai nikat tatha vas ka arth hai nivas. is prakar upvas ka arth hai shiv ke nikat vas karna. ahar ke tyag v bhakti se shiv ke samip nivas sanbhav hota hai. shivratri ka dusra mahatvapurn anushthan ratrikalin bhakti v jagaran hai. bhakti ka arth hai prem, shraddha v samarpan bhav se prabhu ki vandna. bhakti se shiv ko prapt kiya ja sakta hai. bhakti men shraddha v samarpan bhav hone se vyakti apne apko ahankar ke bandhan men ghira hua pata hai. ahankar agyanta ka vah parda hai jo vyakti ko param lakshya moksh ya mukti se dur karta hai, ahankar vyakti ko vinash ki or unmukh karta hai tatha moksh ya mukti se dur karta hai. bhakti v gyan ek-dusre se bhinn ya ek dusre ke viruddh nahin hain.
gyan prapti ki avashyak shart bhakti hai aur bhakti se gyan prapti svatah ho jati hai, is tarah gyan prapti bina bhakti ke sanbhav nahin hai. bhakti ka samay ratri men hona bhi vishesh mahatva rakhta hai. din men hamara man v indriyan parmatma se dur bhog-vilas ki or unmukh hoti hain, moh ke chakravyuh men fans jati hain. vyakti sansarik bandhnon men jakar jata hai. ratri bandhnon se mukt rahne ka sarvottam samay hai. yahi karan hai ki din ko nitya srishti ka tatha ratri ko nitya pralay ka pratik mana gaya hai. ratri men hamara man v indriyan bhog-vilas ko chorakar atma ki or, anek ko chorakar ek ki or, shiv ki or unmukh hoti hai. shivratri ke pujan men nam smaran, bhasm lepan, rudraksh, bilva patra tatha jalabhishek ka vishesh mahatva mana hai, inse shiv prasann hote hain, vyakti mrityu ke bad shivlok ko prapt hota hai.
nam smaran shiv ko prasann karke abhisht ki prapti ka sarvopyukt v achuk sadhan hai, yon to bhagvan shiv ke anek nam hain lekin svayan bhagvan ke shabdon men mera shiv nam uÿamoÿam hai. vahi parabrahm hai evan tarak hai, isse bhinn koi tarak nahin hai’’. ‘shiv ‘shi’ tatha ‘va’ do aksharon se milakar bana hai. ‘shi’ ka arth hai, papon ka nash karne vala tatha ‘va’ ka arth hai mukti dene vala. is prakar shiv smaran se papon ka nash hokar mukti prapt hoti hai. ‘shi’ ka dusra arth hai mangal aur ‘va’ ka arth hai data, is prakar shiv nam smaran mangal pradata hai. nirantar nam smaran se antahkaran ki shuddhi hoti hai. vyakti men apurva atmashakti ka sanchar hota hai. vah galat karya, akarmanyata se dur ho jata hai tatha gita ke nishkam karm ki or unmukh ho jata hai jisse use apne uddeshyon ki safal prapti ho jati hai. shastron men vidhan hai ki jis devta ki puja ki jae usi ka svarup dharan karna chahie.
is prakar shiv pujan men bhasm lepan, tripund v rudraksh ko dharan karna avashyak mana gaya hai, inse bhagvan shiv prasann hote hain, papon ka nash hota hai, aishvarya ki prapti hoti hai tatha mukti sanbhav hoti hai. bhasm lepan jahan vyakti ko nirantar is bat ka dhyan dilata hai ki uska ant avashyambhavi hai atah use nirantar aise karyon men laga rahna chahie jo use janm mrityu ke chakra se mukt karen v mokshadayak ho, vahin iska vyavharik drishti se bhi mahatva hai. bhasm kitanu mukt safai ka uÿam sadhan hai. iske lepan se sharir ki shuddhi hoti hai jalyukt bhasm lepan se sharir ki garmi bahar niklti hai tatha sharir ko thandak milti hai jisse mastishk v sharir samyavastha men a jate hain. tripund bhi shiv bhakt ke lie avashyak hai. tripund men tin ekhaen hoti hanai. pratyek rekha nau-nau devtaon ka pratinidhitva karti hai. tripund manglkari hai, sankalp ka pratik hai. sankalp v kam se mukti ‘dhyan’ ke lie parmavashyak hai.
rudraksh dharan karne ka bhi vishesh mahatva hai, rudraksh dharan karne se jahan prabhu ki prapti adi adhyatmik uddeshyon ki prapti hoti hai vahin kai vyavharik v chikitsakiya uddeshyon ki prapti bhi hoti hai. rudraksh dharan karne se jivan men santulit vichar kshamata rahti hai. rudraksh ‘rudra’ v ‘aksha’ do shabdon se milakar bana hai. rudra gatishilta ka dyotak hai. is prakar rudraksh ke dharan karne se mansik rogiyon, raktachap v hriday ke rogiyon ko labh pahunchta hai. rudraksh dharan karne vale vyakti ko mans, madira adi ke sevan ka nishedh kaha gaya hai. shivling par jal charhane ka vishesh mahatmya hai. shiv puran men ullekh hai ki jo manushya shivling ko vidhipurvak snan karakar us sthan se jal ka tin bar achaman karte hain unke sharirik, vachik, mansik tinon prakar ke pap shighra nasht ho jate hain. bhagvan shiv ko jalabhishek sarvadhik priya hai. isse bhole jaldi prasann hote hain. jal ka arth pran bhi hota hai.
shivling par jal charhane ka arth hai parmatma men apne pranon ko urelna arthat parmatma se atma ka sammilan. bhagvan shiv par bilva patra charhane ka vishesh fal hai. isse bhagvan prasann hote hain, papon ka nash hota hai, samriddhi v svasthya ki prapti hoti hai. bilva patra satva, raj v tam gunon men samanvay ka pratik hai. bilva patra ko kali mirch ke sath sevan karne se madhumeh men labh milta hai. nasha utarne men bhi yah labhkari hai. shivratri ka krishn paksh men hona bhi vishesh mahatva rakhta hai. chandrama se niklne vali tarangen (kirnen) manushya ke mansik santulan ko prabhavit karti hain. yahi karan hai ki pagal vyakti ka pagalapan purnima ko barh jata hai.
is tarah krishn paksh mansik ekagrata ko barhane men sahayak hai. mansik ekagrata se jap v dhyan men sahayta milti hai. shivratri ka vrat chaturdashi ko aranbh hokar amavasya ko purn hota hai. amavasya ko sanhar ka tatha jiv aur parmatma ke sammilan ka pratik mana jata hai, upasak chaturdashi ko moh, sansarik bandhnon v kam ka sanhar karne ka prayas karta hai aur amavasya ke din purn sanhar kar pata hai tatha uska v shiv (parmatma) ka sammilan ho pata hai.