Shivratri is the time when Shiva takes a rest. Shiva rests for one 'prahar' (three hours) of the night. This 'prahar' is referred to as the Shivratri. When Lord Shiva takes rest, the function of 'Shivtatva' (Shiva Principle) ceases, i.e. Lord Shiva goes into a meditative state. Shiva's meditative state is the time when He is engrossed in His own spiritual practice. During that time, the 'Shivtatva' does not accept any tamogun (most base of the 3 elements in us - sattva, raja & tama) or any halahal (venom churned from the ocean) coming from the Universe. As a result, the ratio of halahal or the pressure of the negative energies increases. For protection from this pressure, things like 'bilva patra', white flowers, 'rudraksha' beads etc are offered to Lord Shiva. These things attract the 'Shivtatva' from the atmosphere, thus providing protection from the increasing effect of the negative energies. The Earth is a gross object. Gross objects have very low velocities i.e. they require more time to cover a specific distance in space. Gods on the other hand, are subtle hence they are capable of traversing space within a few seconds. That is why one year on the earth is equivalent to just one day of heaven.

Some unique attributes

1. Physical attributes

a. Ganga : Just as the sun is the focal point of the solar system and the soul that of the body, the focal point of divine consciousness (chaitanya) in every object and pure particles (pavitrakas) is ga-aum. The flow from which ga-aum originates is gan gaha = Ganga. Ga-aum flows from Shiva's head. This is called the descent of the Ganga from Shiva's head. Since the river Ganga has a fraction of the principle of the spiritual Ganga, no matter how polluted it becomes, its purity is perpetually retained. Hence, when compared to any other water in the world, the water from the Ganga is the purest. This is realised not only by those who can perceive the subtle dimension but also by scientific researchers.

b. Moon : Shiva adorns the chandra (moon) on His forehead. The point where the three frequencies - affection (mamata), mercifulness (kshamashilata) and motherly love (vatsalya) originate is referred to as the chandra (moon). Thus, one can conclude that chandrama (the moon principle) is the state in which the three attributes of affection, mercifulness and motherly love are present.

c. Third eye : Shankar is three-eyed, i.e. He can perceive events of the past, present and future.According to the science of Yoga the third eye means the Sushumna nadi (channel).

d. Serpent : One of the Names of Lord Shankar is Bhujanga-patihari. Bhujang means a serpent or pure particles (pavitrakas), pati means the nurturer and hari means one with a garland around His neck. Bhujangapatihari thus means the One who nurtures pure particles and wears them like a garland. Various serpents represent groups of pure particles. Though externally they appear like serpents, internally they are a kind of ladder. To make spiritual progress one has to climb up holding onto the tail of the serpent. Lord Shankar adorns serpents at nine points on His body - one on the head, one around the neck, one on each arm, one on each wrist, one around the waist and one on each thigh. This implies that His body is comprised of pure particles or that serpents of pure particles play all over the body of Lord Shankar who has the universe as His form.

2. Spiritual attributes

a. One performing severe austerities and the great yogi

Shiva is always seated in a bandha or a mudra. His temperature rises due to heat generated by performing severe austerities; Hence, He uses the Ganga, the moon and serpents which endow a cooling effect and lives on the snow-clad Kailas mountain.

b. Short tempered

If someone disturbs His meditation the radiance generated by spiritual practice will be suddenly expelled and whoever is in front of Him will not be able to tolerate it, and gets destroyed. This is referred to as being 'reduced to ashes by Shankar's opening of the third eye'.

c. One who is willing to undergo any distress for the sake of imparting happiness to others

The poison generated during the churning of the celestial ocean (samudramanthan) was burning the entire Universe but no deity came forward to accept it. At that time Shiva drank that poison and saved the world from destruction.

d. One who has both, deities and demons, as His worshippers

Neither did demons like Banasur, Ravan, etc. worship Lord Vishnu nor did Lord Vishnu bestow any boon upon any demon. However, they worshipped Lord Shiva who blessed them.

e. Master of the spirits

Since Lord Shiva is the master of spirits, His worshippers are generally not possessed by them.

Shiva devotee beaten to death by Mugling police

MUGLING: A youth has been beaten to death by police in Chandibhangyang- 9 of Chitwan district, sources confirmed. Rabin Gurung, 18, was hit to death by the police personnel deployed in the Area Police Office, Mugling on Sunday night, said locals. Gurung was thrashed badly by the police after they found him obstructing the vehicular movement at Panchkilo, along the Mugling-Narayanghat road stretch, by hanging a rope across the road.  On the eve of Mahashivaratri, Gurung along with other youths were blocking the road to collect money from drivers, to celebrate Mahashivaratri festival. On the Mahashivaratri festival, kids and youths pull ropes and block roads as the part of the festival. Vehicles are allowed to go after they give money to kids. During the period of Maoist insurgency, one Biraj Gurung was killed by a staff of Nepal Army (NA) in the Mugling- Narayanghat road stretch, on the day of Mahashivaratri for obstructing the vehicular flow.


source: the himalyan times

New Year Celebrations Around The World

New Year is one of the most universally celebrated festivities around the world, regardless of countries, culture, traditions, or religions. Muslim countries, Chinese communities, Hindu worshipers, all have their own way to observe the holiday.

New Year 2012 in Singapore
In Singapore, the celebrations of New Year all boils down to party on the New Year Eve, with venues such as discotheque and beach parties are most eminent. New Year day itself is quiet rest day, after the actions of party the night before.

New Year 2012 in India
India country celebrates the New Year by partying with family and friends. All the discotheques, amusement parks, night clubs and even movie houses are crowded by people in all ages. The thought behind these gathering is to provide goodbye to former year and greet the New Year abundantly. People in the parties are noticed in vivid new dresses particularly chosen for the event. Usually, Indian party holds a festive idea. Be it a unique dress code or a color code – theme dressing enhances the mood of New Year’s Eve.

New Year 2012 in Lebanon
In Lebanon, Lebanese celebrate New Year season in their personal means. Some of them buy new clothes before the New Year arrive. Several cards with wishes and greetings for the New Year are obtainable in the markets. Gifts are exchanged with the families and loved ones. Some people embellish their homes to mark the New Year’s arrival. Friends and families are gathered and once the time strikes at twelve midnight, people greet each other and rejoice it with music and lavish feasts.

New Year 2012 in United Arab Emirates
Every people in UAE celebrate the New Year. However, the UAE leaders have their personal means of celebrating this holiday. The variety starts once the Big Ben’s bell sounds. Dubai’s leader socialites go to the dinner at the Black-Tie Gala that held at the harbor patio in Le Meridien Mina Seyahi. As having an amazing dinner they can view the wonderful firecrackers.

New Year 2012 in Jordan
People in Jordan celebrate the New Year at their houses. January 1 is their public holiday. People choose to enjoy and relax at their homes after meeting deadlines and working hard through the whole year. Some people crowd the bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Countdown parties are also held in expensive hotels. Young people are drinking and dancing in the disco till dawn.

New Year 2012 in Malaysia
Celebration of New Year in Malaysia take place in hotels, discotheques, nightclubs, restaurants, as well as in the homes of people, with a touch of party cosmopolitan. Some people go to the churches, temples, and shrines to pray for the better New Year. New Year in Malaysia is celebrated by Malays, Chinese, Indians and other communities with equal zeal.

New Year 2012 in Pakistan
Celebration of New Year in Pakistan is spotted by a diverse due to the difference and distinct background. Different provinces and regions of this country have their diverse reasons to rejoice the season and their means of celebrating it might vary as well. People in the mountain hill like the mountainous Chitral region watch this season as the collect time of walnuts and grapes.

New Year 2012 in Philippines
Additionally, midnight mass or media noche is one of the significant New Year traditions in the Philippines. Also, firecrackers are very famous in this place and have a big role in the New Year practice in Philippines. Skies is lit with divers sort of firecrackers which signifies prosperity and happiness all through the year. In the Philippines fireworks are recognized as “paputok”.

New Year 2012 in Japan
The Japanese New Year is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year. As such, New Year’s Day in Japan is one of the most important annual festivals and has been celebrated for centuries with its own unique customs. Due to the importance of the holiday and the preparations required, the preceding days are quite busy, particularly the New Year’s Eve, known as ?misoka.

Happy New Year 2012 !

Deepawali Also Known As Tihar

Deepawali which literally means ‘the row of lamps’ is celebrated as the festival lights. This festival is also called ‘Tihar’, which lasts for five consecutive days and is observed in honor of Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and good luck. It is the most friendly of festivals observed throughout Nepal and also India. Laxmi, the Goddess of prosperity and good fortune is invited into evry homne. All people enjoyu five days of feasting and family gatherings. It also heralds the advent of autumn in Nepal.

Laxmi puja is observed on the auspicious occasion of Deepawali. This is the third day of Tihar when the sacred cow is worshipped with great honor. Hindus worship and regard cow as their holy mother. So we worship the holy cow in the morning with garlands of flowers and apply red Tika on her foreheads. This ceremony is solemnized with reverence in the morning hours of Deepawali. This tradition was initiated by the people of Ayodhyaya to express their boundless joy when lord Rama returned after his fourteen years’ exile.

A few days before Tihar, preparations are seen in full swing for cleaning and whitewashing to add new look to houses and buildings. During this festival houses, shops, offices, factories, and mills are brightly decorated with lights and traditional lamps. It is a time of lights and tinsel decorations. This type of illumination is done for three consecutive days, beginning from the first day of Tihar. But special light arrangements are done on the day of Laxmi Puja. Flickering oil-traditional lamps lighten all courtyards, doorways, roof-tops, verandas and windows. People stroll around in new clothes and buy sweets and gifts. In this way, this festival gives a glimpse of a traditional Christmas.

After the illumination in the evening the main part of Laxmi puja is performed during the night. An illumination and well-decorated house attracts the attention of the Goddess of prosperity. It is believed that the Goddess of wealth is ritually invited to enter the house and offer blessing to its occupants. For this purpose a ritualistic drawing is made of purified cow dung plaster to guide the way for Laxmi in  front of main door. From the drawing a trail of plaster or rice and red vermillion leads into the house and the room where Laxmi is worshiped with utmost devotion and dedication. A beautifully decorated image of the Goddess Laxmi is placed before the family treasure box or safe which contains the valuables. Prayers are offered to make them multiply. Throughout the whole night the earthen lamps filled with ghee or pure mustard oil, are kept burning at the place where the Goddess of wealth is worshipped. Everybody tries his level best to welcome and please the goddess of prosperity. She loves light and sacred cowrie (conch) shells. Children love to play with fireworks during the Tihar and especially on Laxmi puja day. However, as fire crackers could be dangerous and harmful they are banned in Nepal these days.

All monetary transactions are forbidden on this auspicious occasion. The only exception is the giving of small coins and food (sel roti)- to small groups of Bhailo singers. Groupes of singers go door to door singing and dancing and asking for money. This is a timebound tradition. Girls are supposed to ask for money on this solemn occasion. Boys turn comes next day, which is called Dheunsi.

The last day of the Tihar is celebrated by sisters worshipping their brothers. This is called bhai Tika. All sisters honor and worship their brothers for blessings and wish them success in all their ventures.

The pleasant post-monsoon period when the sky is clearest, the air is cleanest and the rice is ready for harvesting, the Nepalese people indulge in the biggest festival of the year, Dashain. Dashain is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese of all caste and creed throughout the country...

The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight ending on the day of the full moon. Thorough out the kingdom of Nepal the goddess Durga in all her manifestations are worshiped with innumerable pujas, abundant offerings and thousands of animal sacrifices for the ritual holy bathing, thus drenching the goddess for days in blood. The first day of Dasain is called Ghatasthapana, which means establishing of the holy water vessel, which represents the goddess Durga. Barley seeds are planted in it.

 

The seventh day or Phulapati is the offering of flowers and leaves, carried by runners from Gorkha the ancestral home of the Shah Kings of Nepal, and received by the king in Kathmandu.. The eighth day is called the 'Maha Asthami'. The fervour of worship and sacrifice to Durga and Kali increases. On this day many orthodox Hindus will be fasting. Sacrifices are held in almost every house through out the day. The night of the eighth day is called 'Kal Ratri', the dark night. Hundreds of goats, sheep and buffaloes are sacrificed at the mother goddess temples. In the darkness of the night Durga temples, army barracks, and old palaces all over Nepal hold sacrifices for the mother goddess...
The tenth day is the 'Dashami'. On this day we take tika and jamara from the elders and receive their blessing.people visit their elder's home and get tika from them while younger ones come to the home to receive blessing from elders. The importance of Dasain also lies in the fact that on this day family members from far off and distant relatives come for a visit as well as to receive tika from the head of the family. This function continues for four days.

How safe are Kathmandu Valley’s high-rise buildings?

In the aftermath of Sunday’s 6.8 earthquake, metropolis residents, who have witnessed an increasing number of high-rise apartments and large commercial complexes lately, seems to have woken up to ringing alarm bells.
Despite an unprecedented building boom in the latest times, the safety aspect has still remained as a questionable matter. Officials of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) say failure to make construction guidelines stricter is dampening the process of building a safe city.
Loopholes in laws and negligence from the government in revising the faulty regulations is leading to construction of buildings out of blue while giving two hoots about safety. Although the law requires permission from DUDBC for building construction, the legal loophole has made the matter worse, say officials.

How to keep safe should an earthquake strike

SEP 22 -
The earthquake on Sunday evening, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, was the strongest to hit Nepal in nearly eight decades. This has indeed helped raise public awareness on earthquakes but not altogether. Because Kathmandu was significantly far from the epicentre and the earthquake was a moderate one, a catastrophe was averted.
Nepal is part of the South Asian sub-continent land mass which not in the distant past on the geological clock collided with the Eurasian land mass (Asian-European mainland). This collision caused the formation of the Himalayas, youngest of Mountain ranges, some 60 million years ago. The sub-continental Indian plate is moving northward at a rate faster than the Eurasian plate is moving in same direction. This has caused the Himalayas to gather height in recent history and also increased pressure between the two giant plates.
Because a great deal of energy is building up with the plate movement, it may release massive amount of energy anytime causing a massive earthquake. However, I don’t totally agree with the theory that a major earthquake of 8 or greater magnitude hits Nepal every eight decades or so. If we are talking of one similar to that of 1934, they occur about once in three centuries.
Earthquakes indeed have cycles and it is sure that Nepal is highly prone to earthquakes and a large-scale, devastating one is likely in future. There is need for a change in the paradigm in building construction if we are to stay safe.
Everyone must try to reduce vulnerability to the disaster and prepare for survival. Even in vulnerable buildings, you must find safe spots. If you are on an upper floor, do not run to the stairs. They are usually not tied to the building’s foundation and are the first to go. This is usually where most bodies are found.
Unless you are located near the exit on the ground floor and have a yard outside, do not try to leave the building. As everything happens in a few seconds, one has no time to escape. You have to train yourself on how to reach the safest place you can in just a few seconds. When the temblor stops, make sure the staircase is okay, then you can go out. Then switch off the electricity line. That’s how you can save yourself.

(As told by the divisional chief of the National Seismological Centre )

Earthquake damages 79 VDCs of Sindhupalchowk

SINDHUPALCHOWK, SEP 20 -
Sunday’s earthquake has caused damage to all 79 VDCs of Sindhupalchowk district.
The largest number of houses damaged were in Syaule VDC where nine houses collapsed in Ward No.6 and 8, and altogether 85 houses were damaged either whole or part in the district, the District Police Office said.
A primary school has been damaged in Helambu VDC and reports on other damages of houses have been pouring in, said the police. But no human loss has been reported yet in the district.
Numbers of applications for relief packages have been filed from the persons with damaged houses, according to the police.
Source: www.ekantipur.com

रमेश खरेल जता जता सरुवा हुन्छन...........

रमेश खरेल जता जता सरुवा हुन्छन, त्यो ठाउँमा सुशासन भएको पायीएको छ। अहिले उनी पर्साका एसपी छन। तर गृहमन्त्री बिजय कुमार गछयादारले आफ्नो नातेदार एसपी दिलीप चौधरीलाई त्यहा सरुवा गरेर, रमेश खरेललाई त्यहा बाट पनि निकाल्न लागेका छन भन्ने हल्ला आएको छ। चोरी पैठारीमा संलग्न समूह दसैंका लागि तस्करीको लाइनको तयारी गर्न थालेका छन् । खरेललाई बिदा गरी दसैंको बेला लाइन मिलाउन सके करोडौं कमाइ हुने आसमा संगठित समूह सक्रिय छन् । उनको सरुवाको हल्लाले राजनीतिक दलका अधिकांश स्थानीय नेता, चोरी पैठारी/निकासीमा संलग्न व्यवसायीमा खुसीको सञ्चार ल्याएको छ । दैनिक उपभोग्य वस्तुको अत्यधिक माग हुने दसैँदेखि छठको अवधि चोरी पैठारी गर्नेले उच्च कमाई गर्ने बेला हो । यसैले दसैंअघि नै उनलाई बिदा गराउने प्रयास दलका स्थानीय नेता र अवैध व्यवसायी समूहले गरिरहेको छ । खरेललाई बिदा गर्न ५ करोड रुपैयाँ संकलन गरी राजधानीमा डेरा जमाएर बसेको समूह उनको सरुवाका लागि लविङ गरिरहेको सम्बद्ध स्रोतले बताएको छ । तर गृह मन्त्रालयबाट यत्तिकै सरुवा गर्दा विवादमा परिने भन्दै दसैंअघि बढुवा गरी वीरगन्जबाट हटाउने आश्वासन पाएको सम्बद्ध स्रोतले बताएको छ । के हामी जनता यस्तो कुक्रित्यलाई हेरेरै बस्ने हो त? खोइ हामीले रमेश खरेल जस्ले काठमाडौं देखी हरेक ठाउमा असल कार्य गरेर चोर, घुस्याहा, डाँका देखी नेताहरुका तारो बनेका उनलाई साथ दिन सकेको? रमेश खरेलको साथमा Uniting Nepal छ र हामी उनी माथि हुने हरेक ज्यादातीको खुलेर बिरोध गर्ने छौ। के तपाईंहरु हाम्रो साथमा हुनु हुन्छ? खबरदार गृहमन्त्री बिजय कुमार गछयादारज्यु, जनताको मौनताको धेरै फाईदा लिन नखोज्नुस्। राम्रो काम गर्नुस् र सम्मान बटुल्नुस्, नत्र जनकार्बाहीमा पर्नु होला। प्रधानमन्त्रीले गृहमन्त्री पद बाल्मिकी बन्ने मौका दिएका हुन, उही पहिले कै ... जस्तो बन्नको लागि होइन।