Dear Editor,
The Hindu festival of MahaShivratri or Shivratri was observed last Sunday in Guyana. The President, the Attorney General, Ministers, and other government officials showed appreciation by visiting Mandirs. Guyanese Hindus in the diaspora and other Hindus around the globe, including in India, also observed the festival last Sunday. It is a night festival, but Hindus worshipped during the day and the evening as was the case in Guyana also. This writer observed the festival at an ashram in Mysuru, southern India where I am visiting to lecture on the Indian diaspora at several universities.
Hindus from India transplanted Shivratri and other festivals in Guyana and other countries to where they migrated and established communities or clusters. From Guyana and the Caribbean, Hindus transplanted the festivals to where they have settled as in North America, UK, etc. There are over a hundred Indo Caribbean temples or mandirs in USA with the bulk of them in Queens, New York, and Florida where most Guyanese are settled. There is over a million Guyanese in USA that trace their roots to Guyana. Wherever Indo Caribbeans have settled, they have established temples, masjids, and churches. Many American states and almost all of the major cities have at least one Guyanese or Indo Caribbean temple. Temples in USA and Canada were packed to capacity on Shivratri night. Many Guyanese also worshipped Sunday morning as in Guyana. Service started Sunday morning, continuing through the evening and the Monday morning as was also the case in India.
Shivaratri obtains its name from the word rath which means night. Shivaratri is propitiating Lord Shiva in the evening, but puja is also performed the following morning before sunrise and even on Sunday morning of Shivratri. Shivratri is among the most auspicious festival for Hindus. It is called Mahashivratri or the Great Night of Lord Shiva and is observed annually on a day/night as per the moon in the month of February/March. This is not to suggest that Shiva is worshipped only on this day as the Lord can be worshipped on any day/night but an auspicious day has been set aside annually for the exclusive worshipping of Shiva, who Hindus consider as the fountain of all cosmic energy and power.
Lord Shiva, reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, is a very important for Hindus. He is known as the Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Protector and Preserver) and Shiva. Shiva is also the consort of Goddess Parvati (Mother of the Universe) and father of Lord Ganesh (who showers abundant knowledge upon devotees). For every God, there is a corresponding Goddess. But all of the Gods are reincarnation, meaning there is only one God in Hinduism.
On Shivratri, Hindus tend to fast and flock to Mandirs with pandits presiding over service amidst bhajan and kirtan singing or spiritual songs sung in Hindi or Sanskrit or Awadhi or a dialect.
All of the Guyanese and other Caribbean and Asian Hindu temples in the New York metro area conducted puja in the evening and were jam packed with worshippers. Puja included offering jaal and performing elaborate oblations. A long line of devotees waited to perform oblations and make offerings to the Murthi of Lord Shiva. Many devotees kept vigil all Sunday night singing praises and offering supplications to the Lord. They were led in prayer by st least one Pandit.
Shivratri worshipping in Guyana and USA is similar with that in India and in Trinidad, Suriname and other parts of the Caribbean with people making offerings to Shiva’s Lingham, an emblem through which the lord is propitiated. Devotees offered jaal (specially prepared milk and/or water with various spices, curd, honey, and other ingredients) and bael leaves in the day or at midnight followed by Aartee. Agarbatie and havan were also lit. Prasad (mohanbhog, fruit) was also offered. The pandits explained that Shiva is worshipped to ward off dangers and evils assailing mankind. Devotees pray with utmost reverence (bhakti) to the lord. Prayers included chanting Om Namah Shivaaya.
The scripture says that anyone who fasts on Shivratri prostrating to Shiva would gain salvation. Just by attending temple or thinking of the Lord, devotees are rewarded with blessings, gaining longevity of life, success, and prosperity. At the conclusion of rituals and ceremonies, attendees were treated to sumptuous dinner and prasad.