mahashiv ratri pan. em. si. bhatt mahashivratri ka vrat falgun krishn trayodshi ko hota hai. kuch log chaturdashi ke din bhi is vrat ko karte hain. tinon bhuvnon ki apar sundri tatha shilvti gaura ko ardhangini banane vale shiv preton v pishachon se ghire rahte hain. unka rup bara ajib hai. sharir par masanon ki bhasm, gale men sarpon ka har, kanth men vish, jataon men jagat tarini pavan ganga tatha mathe par pralyankar jvala hai. bail ko vahan ke rup men svikar karne vale shiv amangal rup hone par bhi bhakton ka mangal karte hain, aur shri -sanpatti pradan karte hain.
kal ke kal aur devon ke dev mahadev ke is vrat ka vishesh mahatva hai. is vrat ko brahman, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, nar-nari, balk-vriddh har koi kar sakta hai. vrat vidhi : is din pratah kal snan dhyan se nivritt hokar anashan vrat rakhna chahiye. patra-pushp tatha sundar vastron se mandap taiyar karke sarvatobhadra ki vedi par kalash ki sthapna ke sath-sath gauri shankar ki svarn murti aur nandi ki chandi ki murti rakhni chahiye. yadi is murti ka niyojan n ho sake to shuddh mitti se shivling bana lena chahiye. dudh, dahi, ghi, shahad, kamalagatta, dhatura, belapatra adi ka prasad shiv ji ko arpit karke puja karni chahie.
rat ko jagaran karke brahmanon se shiv stuti ka path karana chahiye. is jagaran men shivji ki char arti ka vidhan jaruri hai. is avasar par shiv puran ka path manglkari hai. dusre din pratah, jau, til-khir tatha belapatron ka havan karke brahmanon ko bhojan karakar vrat ka paran karna chahiye. is vidhi-vidhan tatha svachch bhav se jo bhi yah vrat rakhta hai, bhagvan shiv prasann hokar use apar sukh sanpda pradan karte hain. bhagvan shankar par charhaya gaya naivedya khana nishiddh hai. aisi manyata hai ki jo is naivedya ko kha leta hai, vah narak ke dukhon ka bhog karta hai. is kasht ke nivaran ke liye shiv ki murti ke pas shaligram ki murti ka rahna anivarya hai.
yadi shiv ki murti ke pas shaligram ho to naivedya rakhne ka koi dosh nahin hota. mana jata hai ki srishti ke praranbh men isi din madhya ratri men bhagvan shankar ka brahm se rudra ke rup men avataran hua tha. pralay ki bela men bhi isi din pradosh ke samay bhagvan shiv tandav karte hue brahmand ko tisre netra ki jvala se samapt kar dete hain. isliye ise mahashivratri athva kalratri kaha gaya hai. rakhne ka koi dosh nahin hota. vrat katha : kisi ganv men ek brahman parivar rahta tha. brahman ka larka chandrasen dusht pravritti ka tha. bare hone par bhi uski is nich pravritti men koi antar nahin aya balki usmen dino-din barhottari hoti gai.
yah buri sangat men parakar chori-chakari tatha jue ityadi men ulajh gaya. chandrasen ki man bete ki harkton se parichit hote hue bhi apne pati ko kuch nahin batati thi. vah uske har dosh ko chipa liya karti thi. iska prabhav yah para ki chandrasen kusangti ke gart men dubta chala gaya. ek din brahman apne yajman ke yahan puja karake laut raha tha to usne marg men do larkon ko sone ki anguthi ke liye larte dekha. ek kah raha tha ki yah anguthi chandra sen se mainne jiti hai. dusre ka tark tha ki anguthi mainne jiti hai. yah sab dekh-sunakar brahman bahut dukhi hua. usne donon larkon ko samjha-bujhakar anguthi le li. ghar akar brahman ne patni se chandrasen ke bare men pucha.
uttar men usne kaha - ''yahin to khel raha tha abhi? ''jabki hakikat yah thi ki chandrasen pichle panch dinon se ghar nahin aya tha. brahman aise ghar men kshanabhar bhi nahin rahna chahta tha, jahan juari chor beta rah raha ho tatha uski man uske avgunon par hamesha parda dalti rahi ho. apne ghar se kuch churane ke liye chandrasen ja hi raha tha ki doston ne uske pita ki narajgi us par jahir kar di. vah ulte panv bhag nikla. rasten men ek mandir ke pas kirtan ho raha tha. bhukha chandrasen kirtan mandli men baith gaya. us din shivratri thi. bhakton ne shankar par tarh-tarah ka bhog charha rakha tha. chandrasen isi bhog samagri ko urane ki tak men lag gaya.
kirtan karte-karte bhaktagan dhire-dhire so gaye. tab chandrasen ne mauke ka labh uthakar bhog ki chori ki aur bhag nikla. mandir se bahar niklte hi kisi bhakt ki ankh khul gai. usne chandrasen ko bhagte dekh chor-chor kahakar shor macha diya. logon ne uska picha kiya. bhukha chandrasen bhag n saka aur dande ke prahar se chot khakar girte hi uski mrityu ho gai. ab mritak chandrasen ko lene shankar ji ke gan tatha yamdut ek sath vahan a pahunche. yamduton ke anusar chandrasen narak ka adhikari tha kyonki usne pap hi pap kiye the, lekin shiv ke ganon ke anusar chandra sen svarg ka adhikari tha kyonki vah shivabhakt tha.
chandrasen ne pichle panch dinon se bhukhe rahakar vrat tatha shivratri ka jagaran kiya tha. chandrasen ne shiv par charha hua naivedya nahin khaya tha. vah to naivedya khane se purva hi pran tyag chuka tha isliye bhi shiv ke ganon ke anusar vah svarg ka adhikari tha. aisa bhagvan shankar ke anugrah se hi hua tha. atah yamduton ko khali hath lautna para. is prakar chandrasen ko bhagvan shiv ke satsang matra se hi moksh mil gaya.