According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva married Maa Shakti, his divine consort, for a second time on this night
Our Bureau
Mumbai
Maha Shivratri is one of the most auspicious Hindu festivals which is celebrated by devotees across India. The chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ are heard throughout the nation on this day. To mark this auspicious occasion, Bollywood celebs extended warm wishes and shared glimpses of their celebrations.
Veteran actor Rakesh Roshan, who is following the ritual of Shivratri for last 35 years visited Shiv temple at Panvel with his family. Rakesh Roshan took to Instagram and dropped pictures featuring his wife Pinkie Roshan and sister Sunaina while performing the rituals at the temple.
“Our Shiv Mandir at Panvel performing the auspicious ritual of Shivratri from last 35 yrs. Blessings to all! Om Namah Shivaya,” the actor captioned the post.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu shared a still from her upcoming romantic drama ‘Shakuntalam’ to wish fans on Shivratri.
In the picture, she can be seen dressed in a beautiful white saree and praying. Sharing the post, she wrote, “Om Namah Shivaya! May the blessings of Lord Shiva remain with you throughout your life.”
Mega Star Chiranjeevi dropped Lord Shiva’s picture along with a caption, “Happy #MahaShivaratri !! May the Divine & Eternal Glory of The Adi Yogi Lord Shiva grant peace, prosperity and harmony to all!”
Mahesh Babu took to his Twitter handle and wished fans on this occasion, “Wishing you all a happy #Mahashivratri! May the light always guide you.”
Shraddha Kapoor wrote, “May Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati shower us with their blessings. Happy Mahashivratri.”
‘Gadar 2’ actor Sunny Deol dropped a motion poster of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati. “Wishing you and your family a blessed. Mahashivratri, may Lord Shiva bestow His divine love and blessings upon you all.”
Soha Ali Khan wished fans in Kashmiri style, “Herath Mubarak,” and dropped pictures from the celebrations.
In the picture, Soha is with her husband Kunal Kemmu, daughter Inaaya and Kunal’s parents. Kunal’s father Ravi was seen performing the Kashmiri rituals. Sara Ali Khan shared a couple of pictures from her visit to different Shiva temples.
Sharing the pictures, she wrote, “Jai Bholenath.”
Arjun Rampal further extended the wishes, he wrote, “Om Namah Shivaya. Enjoy his blessing. Jai Shri Mahakal. #HappyMahashivarathri.”
Jackie Shroff wrote, “Har Har Ardhanareshwar!”
This year the festival, also called the ‘Great time of Lord Shiva’, was celebrated on February 18, 2023. It’s celebrated annually in honour of Lord Shiva, who is considered one of the main deities in Hinduism.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva married Maa Shakti, his divine consort, for a second time on this night. It is in celebration of their divine union that the day is celebrated as ‘The Night of Lord Shiva’. While Lord Shiva signifies Purusha – which is mindfulness, Maa Parvati signifies Prakriti – which is nature. The union of this consciousness and energy promotes creation.
Followers and devotees of Lord Shiva observe fast and special puja is performed in several temples across the world on this auspicious day. They also offer milk to the Shivalinga and pray for Moksha.
On Maha Shivratri, actor Ajay Devgn treated fans to “Maha Aarti” sequences from his upcoming directorial ‘Bholaa’.
Taking to Instagram, Ajay shared a couple of pictures of him performing the aarti at the Ganga ghat in Benaras. In one of the images, Ajay is seen flaunting his chiselled abs as he stands in front of the Shivling pouring water and seeking blessings of Lord Shiva along with priests doing Ganga aarti.
In the caption, Ajay described how he felt “spiritual energy” while performing the aarti.
He wrote, “Sometimes a director waits for one, that one unreal, mesmeric frame… and one day it just happens. That was the day I was filming the Maha Aarti sequence at Benaras. I felt an overwhelming magic that can only be experienced and seldom articulated. The spiritual energy of the place and the electrifying aura of the people all came together in one frame!”
He added, “As the crowd chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev’, I felt an unmatchable power of the divine enveloping around me. Today on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, I share frames from my movie Bholaa. Seek the magic and you will see it… Har Har Mahadev.”
