What is Siva Ratri?
Siva Ratri, also written Shivaratri and widely known as Maha Shivratri, means the night of Lord Siva. It falls in the dark fortnight of Phalguna. The Vaishnava calendar for Kurukshetra lists it on Sunday, 7 March 2027.
Significance
Siva Ratri is kept chiefly by the Saivites, who worship Lord Siva. The Bhagavatam calls Lord Siva, also known as Sambhu, the greatest of Vaishnavas, and says he always meditates on Lord Sankarsana, who is an expansion of Krishna.
The Bhagavatam also shows his compassion. When poison rose from the churning of the ocean and frightened the universe, Lord Siva drank it to make all beings happy. A Bhagavatam purport records that on the fourteenth lunar day of this fortnight the cowherd men of Vrindavana, led by Nanda Maharaja, went to Ambikavana to worship Lord Siva and his consort, Ambika. Srila Prabhupada explains why devotees of Krishna keep the day as well, though not as a regular festival:
Sometimes the Vaiṣṇavas also observe this ceremony because they accept Lord Śiva as the foremost Vaiṣṇava.
Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 34
How to observe it
Vaishnavas do not seek a place in Lord Siva's abode. They ask for his blessing to become better devotees of Lord Krishna. You can read his prayers to Lord Sankarsana in Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.17, chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra and offer him your respects as a servant of Krishna. Other calendars may give a different date, because ISKCON follows its own calculation.
Questions
When is Siva Ratri in 2027?
In the Vaishnava calendar for Kurukshetra, Siva Ratri falls on Sunday, 7 March 2027. Other almanacs may list a different date because they calculate the tithi differently.
Do Vaishnavas observe Siva Ratri?
Sometimes, yes. In the Krsna book Srila Prabhupada writes that they accept Lord Siva as the foremost Vaishnava, though devotees of Krishna do not keep the day very regularly.
Who is Lord Siva for Vaishnavas?
The Srimad-Bhagavatam calls Lord Siva, or Sambhu, the greatest of Vaishnavas. He meditates on Lord Sankarsana, and he is called Asutosa because devotion pleases him quickly.
What did Lord Siva do for the universe in the Bhagavatam?
Out of compassion, Lord Siva drank the poison that came from the churning of the ocean, so that all living beings might be happy. The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes this in its Eighth Canto.
Reviewed by ISKCON Kurukshetra · Updated
Key facts
- Date
- Sunday, 7 March 2027
- Honoured as
- The greatest of Vaishnavas (SB 12.13.16)
- Meditates on
- Lord Sankarsana (SB 5.17.16)
- Pastime remembered
- Nanda Maharaja at Ambikavana (SB 10.34)
Seva for this day
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