On Saturday 26th August 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the touchdown point of the Chandrayaan-3 moon lander will be renamed as ‘Shiv Shakti Point’. He made the announcement at the ISRO Telemetry Tracking & Command Network Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru. At the same time, the crash landing site of Chandryaan-2’s moon lander has been renamed as ‘Tiranga Point.’
After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, ‘Vikram’, touched down on the lunar South Pole on Wednesday, 23rd August 2023 evening, making India the first country to achieve this feat.
India also became only the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to successfully conduct a lunar landing mission. After the landing of the Vikram lander, the Pragyan rover rolled out of it, which will visit the surrounding areas to study.
#WATCH | The spot where Chandrayaan-3’s moon lander landed, that point will be known as ‘Shivshakti’, announces Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ISRO Telemetry Tracking & Command Network Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/1zCeP9du8I
— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2023
Moon has a very important place in the Hindu Dharma. The crescent moon seen on Lord Shiva’s head is often seen as an ornament worn by the supreme Hindu deity Shiva. As the Chandrayaan-3’s landing point gets renamed as the ‘Shiv Shakti Point’, it becomes essential to know about the Dharmik significance of the moon and the association of the moon god (Chandra) with Lord Shiva.
According to Hindu Dharamik scriptures, the crescent moon – Chandra gracing Lord Shiva’s head enhances His profound spiritual presence. Each possession belonging to Lord Shiva holds deep significance. Numerous legends within Vedic literature delve into the artefacts held by the trio Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva and other deities.
The twenty-seven constellations meaning Nakshatras are Prajapati Daksha’s daughters. These 27 daughters were married to Chandra. However, Chandra bestowed his affection and focus solely upon Rohini, disregarding the rest 26. Upon learning of this unfavourable treatment towards his daughters, Daksha cursed Chandra that his luminance would diminish and gradually wane.
Filled with fear over the curse, Chandra promptly sought counsel from Lord Brahma, who directed him to approach Lord Shiva. After listening to Chandra’s plea, Lord Shiva told him that the curse could not be nullified as Daksha being a Prajapati had all the right to direct the fate of his subjects including Chandra.
On the other hand, the absence of the moon disrupted the equilibrium of nature, as countless lives relied on its gentle, moonlit presence. In such a situation, Lord Shiva had to find some way out so that lives are saved and Daksha’s curse also remains intact. Therefore, bestowing his blessings upon Chandra, Shiva proclaimed: “Throughout Krishnapaksha, your light shall wane, and during Shuklapaksha, your glow shall wax, ensuring contentment for all.”
Subsequently, Shiva personally adorned the Crescent Moon, embodying the Moon’s essence, upon His head to enhance the moon’s splendour for a fortnight. This act initiated the cycle of waxing and waning of the Moon. Lord Shiva transcends the constraints of time, as exemplified by His regulation of the Moon’s waxing and waning; a manifestation of Lord Shiva’s time-controlling power.
According to Hindu scriptures, it is from this incident that Chandra is seen waning during the Krishna paksha which is from the full moon to the new moon and increasing during the Shukla paksha which is from the new moon to the full moon. This motion of the moon forms the basis of the Hindu calendars. Shukla means bright. Krishna means dark. Paksha means fortnight.
The Moon God holds dominion over the realm of the mind. Lord Shiva, who governs even the Lunar deity, is the source of all meditative energies bestowed upon individuals. This influence originates from Shiva’s own meditation and detachment from the material realm. However, this disposition does not indicate indifference; he readily bestows blessings upon those who endeavour to cultivate and govern their minds.
Such has been the significance of the moon in relation to Lord Shiva. By naming the landing point of the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander the ‘Shiv Shakti Point’, the government of India has revered the civilisational notions of India in the right spirit.
