Shivaratri and Pashupati: Devotional Love or "Something Else"
Shivaratri, one of the important festivals in Hinduism has a great religious value for both men and women devotees. It is believed that women who fasts from a dawn to dusk on this day will get a good spouse whereas honest worshipping of the lord shiva releases them from all the sins and grant them an afterlife with Shiva. This is where the mythical story of king Chitrabhanu and his past life as a hunter Suswara lights significant "truth" for the devotees. It tells about how Suswara unconsciously fasted, and worshipped lord Shiva on the night he gets stuck in a deep forest after hunting a deer for the family. Forced to spend night there he climbs on a Bael tree, cries for his hungry family and as he was hungry himself he cannot sleep and begins plucking and dropping the Bael leaves on the ground. He dies soonafter two messengers of Shiva takes his soul to the lord himself. The messengers lets him know about the lingam at the bottom of the tree. Only then he learns about his unaware worshipping of the Shiva throughout the night of Shivaratri. He realizes how his tears washed the lingam, the Beal leaves touched it before touching the ground and his fasting the whole day and night set him free from all the sins he committed. This also gives a message that only by pronouncing the name of the Shiva will do nothing but if you are deeply devoted and if you are dedicated to the God's words you will get his mercy no matter under what circumstances you are.
The other importance of Shivaratri can be heard from the old people. Shivaratri is the means to welcome new season. It is said that the fire we lit on the auspicious night of Shivaratri bids farewell to the winter season or chases it behind. It is an indication also of the new and positive beginning.
Every year on the day, devotees gathers in the Shiva temples. Almost all the Shiva temples are packed and the devotees enjoy, sing and dance the whole day. In Nepal, devotees flock around the Pashupati Nath and other Shiva temples in order to perform their puja. As Pashupati Nath is one of the four sacred dhams for the Hindu followers, people not only from Nepal but also from India and other places visit the place on the day. Yogis, jogis and Rishimunis occupy a space at Pashupati from about a week and sometimes a month.
I was very keen to know about it more so I visited Pashupati on that day (last Monday) to find out about the values people give to the festival, but had to return back in distress. Things seemed good unless I myself visited the temple and saw things for myself. The place was so crowded and unmanaged. There were more than five thousand secutiry personels and hundreds of volunteers for providing the service but most of them were just resting and watching the crowd pushing eachother and some even giving deliberate troubles to the lady devotees. People were pushing and pressing each others like trying to get into a safe place to protect self from some disaster. People were even crossing directly from the river in order to save themselves from any harm.
Somehow I managed getting in. The place didn't seem like a temple to me. I was confused about where to go and who to talk so I walked accross the bridge towards the ladder to Guheshwori. There I could see many youths hovering around jogis who were selling weeds of marijuana. These were not the ones, there were many such groups all around. Such youths were laughing and talking to the jogis while they were filling cigerattes with marijuana. Some years back, Pashupati Ksetra Vikas Kosh used to distribute marijuana to such jogis as a prasad of the God but as they have stopped doing so now, these jogis have started to bring it from India and sell it to the youths here. Many youths visit Pashupati just for the cause. I asked many of them about the Shivaratri, none of them knew about what was the main cause behind celebrating it. "We are not here for the worshipping, and who bothers standing in such a long line just to worship Shiva!" a huge laugh surrounded the atmosphere along with one of the youth's answer. On asking jogis about selling marijuana, they questioned me back saying what I thought of it. They also said they were the true devotees of the God, and by selling these marijuana, they were providing God's blessing to everyone who buys it.I just walked around to see the other side of the river, many people were still out there, some seemed tired, some angry and some calm and quiet. It was difficult to understand whether this once regarded as the festival of "true devotees" turned into something that has not only lessened the value of it but also started making people suspicious of faith and its worth. There was a rumor about a fight between a crowd and the police. I even heard that the man lost his wallet and saw girls being harrassed in the crowd. Shivaratri for some became kalratri due to these unwanted incidents inside the temple premise.
Shivaratri carries not only religious importance but other social, economical, and cultural significance. Shivaratri helps many petty businessmen and vendor shop holders by increasing their incomes and it also makes people come close with a similar faith. But despite this, there is also bad consequences arising every year. The festival is not only selling drugs freely to the youngsters but also bringing chaos among people, especially women/girls. Such holy places like temple hasn't been gender friendly on the one hand and on the other hand it's also increasing crime. There is an immediate need of looking for the means to minimize it and it is not only the responsibility of the government and security forces but also the people like us.
