Ever wondered why weeds, leaves and poisonous fruits are offered to lord shiva on the occasion of Shivratri?
Shivratri is the auspicious occasion of the wedding of lord shiva with Goddess Parvati, and a widely celebrated festival in India, almost every Hindu household either fasts on this day or celebrates it by worshipping the shiva ling. It is a popular belief from very ancient times that lord shiva loves certain fruits and flowers which are not even liked by any other deity. Devotees form long queues outside shiva temples since early mornings to offer Dhatura,
Aakda flowers
mango leaves,
marigold flowers
coconut,
charanamrut(a mix of milk, curd, honey, tulsi leaves, water from the holy ganga, chironji Dana).
Now I invite you to think if you’ve ever made this concoction for your garden? As an organic gardener this time of the year I make this exact recipe for pest and fungus control in plants and to boost my soil’s immunity.
Shivratri also marks the beginning of the change of season in India, if you are an observant person you’ll notice it gets warmer on this day, shivratri marks the beginning of summers, this is also a time where we see piles of natural bio waste like plants decaying and leaves shedding, this bio waste is cleaned by colonies of ants, other insects, subsequently broken into bits by various micro and macro organisms like fungus and bacteria that we do not get to see from our naked eyes, these fungus and bacteria play a significant role in breaking the dry compost for nutritional needs of various trees, plants, herbs and shrubs, making soil rich in humus and providing necessary nutrients. It is because of this process that we get to see new blooms, new leaves and flowers. If fungus and bacteria stay put beyond their seasonal needs, they’ll finish breaking everything down. In order to control these macro and micro organisms from spreading, this combination of shiva prasadi is offered to lord Shiva which ultimately mixes with soil providing it the requisite immunity.
Happy Shivratri!
