The Festival of Shiv: Day 4-Maha Shivratri and is Shiv Time Bound?

Photo courtesy the kindness and seva of the creators of the book What Is Hinduism? and the editors of Hinduism Today.

There is always much contention throughout the Hindu world as to when Maha Shivratri...the big night of Shiv should be celebrated...it's generally cool in India but once you start traversing those longitudes and those hours a counting well things start to get all neither here nor there and this guru says this...this body says that and all kinda ah things! :)

Here on UCP-Universal Collective Prayer if we look back at the origins of this blog...participating in a global candle/deeya lighting event(read blog's description above for details) in unison with people all over the world well we'd say we'd wish Maha Shivratri could take place at exactly the same time world over! But it's meant to be at night you see and then there is all this business with Mr. Sun you see ...Suryanarayana if you wish to use the Hindi/Hindu terms for him.

If you ask us at UCP we'd say check the time it is in India and then minus the 12 hours and you'd get what time it should be here in Trinidad for instance...if it is to be held in India from 6 PM to 6 AM Fri 12 Feb into Sat 13 Feb 2010 then well shouldn't the time then be 6 AM to 6 PM on Fri 12 Feb 2010 to celebrate it in Trinidad? But of course that's not night in Trinidad so what do you do? You either celebrate it on the Thursday night or the Friday night I guess. Dunno? Wish I could ask Shiv himself! :)

"Shiv when would you like your big night to be celebrated here on the island? Technically I'm out of the celebs as my dad left the mortal coil you know and the mourning period and all but for others on the island when Shiv when?"

But guess what the great thing is Shiv himself is not time bound! :) Since when can Mr. Suryanarayan tell Shiv what to do anyway! LOL! He is dancing all over the cosmos after all and is also the cosmos so to be honest can't we just all worship Shiv whenever we so Shiv willing please!:)

You know it! And let's continue to engage in UCP-Universal Collective Prayer...however we can wing it! :)

But if you're not convinced about this Shiv business as yet from your own inward journeys...you're still not...Shivoham, Shivoham. Well keep searching this Maha Shivratri in whatever time zone and location you may reside...Om Namah Shivay!;)

'In the ignorant state (i.e. without Self-Realization), one considers oneself separate from Shiva and recites ‘Om Namah Shivay’ (I bow to Shiva), but after Self-Realization, one comes into a constant awareness of being the Soul, which is separate from the body. So instead of bowing to Lord Shiva, he experiences the state of, ‘Shivoham, Shivoham’ meaning, “I am Shiva, I am Shiva.” I am the Soul and not the body. There remains no distinction between Shiva and myself. Shiva is my true Self and when I realize this, I become Shiva.' As referenced from this site