In the month of Chaitra, the bengali community celebrates 'Neel Shasthi'. This festival celebrates the marriage of Lord Shiva with Devi Parvati by offering puja to the Shiva Linga. This puja is exclusively done by the married women folk to seek the blessings of the Lord for their family especially children.
Neel Puja is the worship of Lord Shiva who is blue throated. There is one best known episode in Hindu mythology. It also appears in Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana which explains the origin of ‘amrita’ nectar of immortality. In the battle between Gods andv Demons or nectar of immortality the samudra manthan (churning of the ocean) released lethal poison known as ‘Halahala’ emitted from the mouth of the Serpent King Vasuki. This terrified the gods and the demons because the poison was so powerful that it could destroy all the creation. Then Lord Shiva drank the poison and held it in His throat in an act to protect his creation. This made Lord Shiva’s throat blue for the poisonous effect of the ‘halahala’. This incarnation of Lord Shiva is known as ‘Neel Kantha’.
Being inspired by such elevated story of sacrifice of our Supreme Father we worship Lord Neel Kantha so that we can devote ourselves in the path of sacrifice and accept theresponsibility of the well being of society.
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