🕉️ Shiva fasting story

🌹 Importance of fasting

Lord Shiva is considered to be the most simple and quick to please among all the gods.
By worshiping him -

👉 All sins are destroyed
👉 Pain and sorrow are removed
👉 Wishes are fulfilled

Shiva fasting is especially observedon Mahashivaratri and Monday.

📖 Vrat Katha (Shivratri incident – ​​Hunter's story)

It is a story of ancient times.
There lived a hunter in a city.
He used to support his family by hunting animals.

Once on Krishna Chaturdashi (Mahashivratri) of Phalgun month, he went to the forest in search of prey,
but he did not find any prey the whole day.

When evening came, he climbed aBel (Bilva) treeand sat down,
under which a Shivalinga was installed.

🌙 Fasted unknowingly

He stayed awake the whole night and waited for the prey.
Due to cold and wakefulness, he kept moving again and again,
due to which the leaves kept falling from his hands.

Those Bel leaves kept falling directly on Shivalinga.

Thus he -
👉 Unknowingly offered Belpatra to Lord Shiva
👉 and also kept vigil throughout the night

which is the main rule of Shivratri fast.

🐘 Feeling of compassion

At night a deer came there with her children.
The hunter raised his bow to kill him.

The deer requested –
👉 “Let me hand over my children, I will return.”

The hunter let him go.

The same sequence happened three times—
each time a different deer came and the hunter released them.

🔱 Shiva's grace

At the end of the night, a feeling of pity and compassion awakened in the hunter's mind.
He did not kill any living being.

Then Lord Shiva appeared, pleased with his devotion (unintentional fasting) and compassion.

He said -

👉 "O hunter! You have unknowingly completed my fast.
I am extremely pleased with you."

Lord Shiva freed him from his sins and granted him salvation.

🪔 Method of worship

• Take bath in the morning and wear clean clothes

• Install Shivalinga or visit the temple

• Offer water, milk, belpatra, dhatura

• Worship by lighting incense sticks

• “om namah shivaaya” mantra ka japa karen

• Keep vigil at night (especially on Shivratri)

📿 Rules of fasting

• Keep fast throughout the day (can eat fruits)

• Follow celibacy and restraint

• Stay away from anger, lies and violence

• Shiva mantra ka japa karen

🌸 Fruits of fasting

• Sins are destroyed.

• The troubles of life are removed

• Desires are fulfilled

• Moksha is attained

• Shiva's grace is received