Masik Shivratri is celebrated every month, but Maha Shivratri is only celebrated once a year. “Maha” means great, “Shiv” means Lord Shiva, and “Ratri”means night. Thus, Maha Shivratri means the greatest night of Lord Shiva.
Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan has instructed us in Shikshapatri Shlok 23 that we should do darshan when we come across mandirs of Lord Shiva and other deities. In Shlok 79, He has instructed us to observe a fast on Shivratri.
In Vachanamrut Gadhada Madhya 51, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan states, “No one is said to be as powerful as Shiv and Brahma. In fact, they are gurus of even Narad. It is difficult for others to behave as they do – as Brahmaswarup.”
It is said that on this day, Lord Shiva drank the poison that came out of the ocean from the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) between the Devtas and Danavs (demons). Lord Shiva confined the poison in his neck and was given the name “Nilkanth” which means “blue throated one”. Therefore, he saved the world from destruction.
Once, while on Van Vicharan, Shree Nilkanth Varni fasted for many days. At the end of His fast, He was only able to find water. At this time, Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati appeared and offered food to Nilkanth Varni.
As Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan built temples to open the path to Moksha, He installed the murti of Shivji as Siddeshwar Mahadev in Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh. This murti is revered by millions around the world.