The word ‘Mahashivratri’ is originated from three Sanskrit words.
Maha -(Great or supreme), Shiva -(Lord Shiva who is auspicious), Ratri – (Night)
So Mahashivratri means “A Great Night of Lord Shiva” or “A Night Dedicated to Lord Shiva ”.
On this auspicious festival of ‘Mahashivratri’, devotees seek the blessings of Lord Shiva by worshipping the Shiva Lingam with five holy substances (Panchamrita)- First of which is- Milk (purity), Curd- ( prosperity), Honey-(sweetness), Sugar -(bliss), Water -(satisfaction).
Along with this, devotees also offer belpatra, flowers, ash and diyas at the Shivling. On this day, devotees stay awake the whole night and chant “Om Namah Shivaya” and also recite many scriptures.
However, on this day, Vaishnavas worship Lord Shiva to attain complete love and devotion towards Lord Krishna but not to attain the abode of Lord Shiva.
Shivratri -The Divine Union of Shiva and Shakti It is said that on this day Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were married. When Lord Shiva arrived at Goddess Parvati’s house in his ascetic form , Goddess Parvati’s family was extremely frightened to see his fierce form but Goddess Parvati remained calm. She calmly said, “If he is my husband, then I accept him as he is” and thus Goddess Parvati accepted Lord Shiva. It is said that at that very moment Lord Shiva took his most beautiful and divine form which is called Chandrashekhar “adorned by the moon”. Thus the night of their holy union came to be celebrated as Shivaratri.
Vaishnavam Yatha Shambhuh
Srila Prabhupada on Lord Shiva’s Eternal Service
Shiva is the greatest Vaishnava
Prabhupada often quotes Srimad Bhagavatam (12.13.16) and says-
“वैष्णवम्यथा शम्भु”
(Vaishnavam yatha shambhuh) – Lord Shiva is the greatest of the Vaishnavas.
Prabhupada says that Lord Shiva is not an independent God but he is the topmost devotee of Lord Krishna and performs his duties according to Krishna’s will.
As lord Shiva always fully surrendered to Krishna, thus Shiva’s primary role is to help the devotee reach Krishna.
In Srimad Bhagavatam (4.24.44) Lord Shiva himself says:
दर्शनं नो दिदृक्षुणां देहि भागवतार्चितम्।
रूपं प्रियतमं स्वानां सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाञ्जनम् ॥
In this verse Lord Shiva says-
My dear Lord, I wish to see You exactly in the form that Your very dear devotees worship. You have many other forms, but I wish to see Your form that is especially liked by the devotees. Please be merciful upon me and show me that form, for only that form worshiped by the devotees can perfectly satisfy all the demands of the senses.
Prabhupada often says that Lord Shiva is the most merciful and the most compassionate who leads those devotees to Lord Krishna who always worship him with a sincere heart. Lord Shiva sees himself as the servant of Krishna who helps the devotee in his spiritual progress.
वृन्दावनवनि-पते! जय सोम सोम मौले
सनक-सनन्दन-सनातन-नारदेद्य
गोपीश्वर! व्रज-विलासी-युगाङ्घ्रि-पद्मे
प्रेमं प्रयच्छ निरुपाधि नमो नमस्ते
“O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O master of the forest of Vrindavan! O you who wear the moon on your head! O you who are worshiped by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Narada! O Gopeshwar, protector of the pastimes of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan! Please bestow upon me pure, unconditional love for Their lotus feet. I offer my repeated obeisances unto you.”
This shloka expresses prayer to Gopeshwar Mahadev, Lord Shiva in Vrindavan.Here devotees from Vrindavan are praying to lord Shiva to impart unconditional love for the lotus feet of Radha-Krishna who is the protector of the Rasa Lila of Radha and Krishna.
The story of the Daksha Yajna. Once upon a time, King Daksha, the father of Goddess Sati, organized a grand yajna but he decided not to invite Lord Shiva in the ceremony. Lord Shiva, felt insulted.However, Sati, out of love and duty as a wife, decided to attend the yajna alone. When Sati arrived at the yajna, her father Daksha insulted and also criticized her husband Shiva. Sati was unable to tolerate the insult of her husband and she then sacrificed her body in the fire of the yajna. Lord Shiva became very angry after hearing this news.He and his followers immediately rushed to the auspicious spot to disrupt the yagna. An angry Shiva beheaded Daksha In a burst of rage. Later, Lord Shiva realized that his destruction had gone too far, and then he repented.. He also asked for forgiveness from other gods and accepted a goat’s head in place of Daksha’s head. Finally Lord Shiva and Lord Daksha reconciled together. After this Daksha decided to perform another yajna in the honor of Lord Shiva and recognized his supreme position.
Here Prabhupada writes-
In this way, despite his power, Lord Shiva never forgets his position as a servant of Krishna, because he is great Vaishnava and a Vaishnava is always tolerant and lord shiva is known as topmost Vaishnava. when he was being insulted. He was always ready to forgive. It shows his devotion towards Lord Krishna. At the same time, he also plays an important role in the cycle of creation and destruction.
Shloka
The relationship between Lord Shiva and Lord Shri Krishna has been beautifully described in many scriptures and sects, prominent among them are Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavat Purana, Shiva Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana etc. As already mentioned, Lord Shiva is the greatest devotee of Shri Krishna, the best among Vaishnavas and has an important role in maintaining the cosmic balance.
1.Srimad Bhagavad Gita 10.23
रुद्राणां शङ्करश्चास्मि वितेऽश्च यक्षरक्षसाम्।
वसूनां पावकश्चास्मि मेरुः शिखरिणामहम्॥
“Of all the Rudras, I am Lord Śiva; of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, I am the lord of wealth (Kuvera). Of the Vasus, I am fire (Agni), and of mountains, I am Meru.”
Lord Sri Krishna is explaining through the verses of the Bhagavad Gita that he is the essence of all powerful and divine beings in the universe. He says that among the Rudras, the gods of destruction, I am Shiva; among the Yakṣas Rākṣasas, I am Kubera, the god of wealth, among the Vasus; the group of gods representing the natural element, I am Agni; and among the mountains, I am Meru. Thus Lord Sri Krishna is saying that among the most powerful and divine entities, He is the supreme essence.
2.Brahma Samhita – Shiva as an expansion of Krishna
“क्षीरं यथा दधि विकारविशेषयोगात्
सञ्जायते न हि ततः पृथगस्ति हेतोः।
यः शम्भुतामपि तथा समुपैति कार्यात्
गोविन्दमादिपुरुषं तमहं भजामि॥”
In Brahma Samhita, Lord Shiva is described as curd and Lord Krishna as milk.Just as curd is transformed form of milk, In this sense Lord Shiva is supreme personality of Godhead but in another sense, he is not.Because milk can be transformed into curd but curd can not be transformed into milk.So we need to distinguish between two.
3. Padma Purana – Shiva instructs Parvati to worship Krishna
“आराधनानां सर्वेषां विष्णोराराधनं परम्।
तस्मात्परतरं देवी तदीयानां समर्चनम्॥”
“Lord Śiva told the goddess Durgā, ‘My dear Devī, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is topmost. However, above the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the rendering of service to Vaiṣṇavas, who are related to Lord Viṣṇu.’
Through this shloka, the worship of Lord Vishnu is given the highest importance; however, serving Krishna’s devotees (Vaishnavas) is even more pleasing to Lord Krishna.In this, serving and respecting the devotees is also said to be equally valuable.
1.Gopeshwar Mahadev (Vrindavan):
It is situated in Vrindavan.Here lord Shiva is worshipped as Gopeshwar Mahadev and considered as the protector of the divine pastimes of Shri Krishna in Vrindavan.
2.Kameshwar Mahadev (Kamyavan):
Kameshwar Mahadev is one of the famous shiva Lingas in vraja.Among the 12 forests ( Dwadasha Van) of Vraj Mandala kamyavan is the fourth one.The word Kama means -”desires “
It is said that this place fulfills all the prayers and desires of the soul .One should pray to get devotional service from Lord Krishna here.
Similarly, there are many places where Lord Shiva is worshiped as Kshetrapal, like Chakaleshwar Mahadev in Govardhan, Lokhnath Mahadev in Jagannath Puri.
श्रीकृष्णवैष्णवानां तु प्रेमभक्तिविवर्धनः।
कृष्णभक्तिरसः सर्वः रुद्रानुकम्पया॥
(Hari bhakti vilasa 14/221 from Skanda purana)
“Among the Vaishnavas devoted to Lord Krishna, love and devotion increase.
By the mercy of Lord Rudra (Shiva), one attains the nectar of Krishna-bhakti.”
There is really no end to the devotion of Lord Shri Krishna and it is a situation which keeps on increasing and Lord Shiva plays an important role in this process.
It is only by the mercy of Lord Shiva, one can attain the divine nectar of devotion to Krishna .
As devotees of Lord Krishna we should-
▪︎Glorify Lord Shiva as he is the greatest devotee of Shri Krishna.
▪︎Chant Hare Krishna Mahamantra as Lord Shiva instructs and teaches in the scriptures himself.
▪︎Respect Lord Shiva’s devotees, understanding that Krishna deeply loves him.
Srila Prabhupada said, honouring Lord Shiva in a proper way means understanding his deep devotion and connection to Lord Krishna. “One should always respect and worship Lord Shiva as the greatest Vaishnava.”