Gita-God-Hinduism

Here is the text from Skanda Purana on the significance of Shiva ratri.  Skanda Purana >>> Book 6 - Nāgara-khaṇḍa >> Section 1 - Tīrtha-māhātmya >> Chapter 266 - Greatness of Śivarātri sūta uvāca | śivarātriṃ samāsādya yastasya puruṣo dvijāḥ | kuryājjāgaraṇaṃ rātrau nirāhāraḥ sthitaḥ śuciḥ || 6 ||  sarvaliṃgodbhavaṃ caiva phalaṃ darśanasaṃbhavam | jāyate nātra saṃdeha ityuvāca haraḥ svayam || 7 || ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | śivarātrirmahābhāga kasminkāle tu sā bhavet | vidhyānaṃ caiva māhātmyaṃ sarvaṃ no vistarādvada || 8 || sūta uvāca ||  māghasya kṛṣṇapakṣe yā tithiścaiva caturdaśī | tasyā rātriḥ samākhyātā śivarātrisamudbhavā || 9 || tasyāṃ sarveṣu liṃgeṣu sadā saṃkramate haraḥ | viśeṣātsarvapuṇyeṣu khyāteyaṃ maṃkaṇeśvare || 10 || 6-7. O Brāhmaṇas, at the advent of Śiyarātri a man should observe fast and remain pure. He should also keep awake during the night. Hara himself says that there is no doubt that he will have the benefit resulting from a visit to all th...

Bharata, the word sends a chill in many "Hindus" because it carries the energies of centuries that were blessed by many greats. "Bharata" is not merely a landmass because there are many landmasses. "Bharata" is lot more than geographical space. The word Bharata has a profound and deep symbolic meaning attached to it. The word "bharata" invokes centuries of cultural, historical and spiritual heritage of ancient "India". It encapsulates the ethos, the identities, and the essence of an ancient civilization that has flourished for millennia. There are many connotations to the word Bharata.  The widely accepted, the more popular and the simplistic version links "bharata" to King Bharata from "itihAsa" and "purANa": the land that was ruled by Bharata came to be known as Bharatavarsha. However, "bharata" has lot more to it than just the association with the King Bharata, because names are given for a rea...