Sandhya KathaRāmāyaṇa · Mahābhārata · Purāṇas · Upaniṣads

Mahāśivarātri · the great night of Śiva

Mahāśivarātri stories for children

The night nobody sleeps. Śiva stories are strange and enormous — a column of fire with no ends, a mountain lifted by a demon who then sang for a thousand years.

When it falls

7 March 2027
24 February 2028
12 February 2029

A long night to fill. These are the stories that reward being told slowly, to a child who is fighting to stay awake.

3 stories for this night

Whoever Drinks the Poison FirstBhāgavata Purāṇa · Skandha 8, chapters 5–9 · ages 7+Gods and asuras churn the sea for the drink that ends death. The first thing that comes up is poison.Being written
Neither of Them Found the EndŚiva Purāṇa · Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā — the Liṅgodbhava · ages 8+Two gods argue about who is greater. A column of fire appears with no top and no bottom, and they agree to race for the ends.Being written
Rāvaṇa Lifts the MountainŚiva Purāṇa; Rāmāyaṇa Uttara Kāṇḍa · Rāvaṇānugraha · ages 8+He gets his hands under Kailāsa and starts to lift. Śiva presses down with one toe. Rāvaṇa is trapped for a thousand years — and spends them singing.Being written

Sandhya Katha chooses one story each night against the pañcāṅga, for your child's age, and lays it out to be read aloud. Free, nothing to install.

Open tonight's story