How to Worship Lord Shiva

How to Worship Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is considered as the most divine among Hindu gods.Hence he is given the name as “maha dev” i.e. the greatest God.He is said to have no birth and also does not needother divine support for his excellence.Shiva is the one who gives blessing to wishes of the devotees faster than any other gods.It is believed that lord shiva is the father of whole universe. While, his wife “mata parvathi” is considered the mother of whole universe. So they are considered as the universal parents.His son lord Ganesha is considered to be the one eligible for the first worship. So devotees during any form of Hindu puja or rituals offer their prayerto lord Ganesha.Lord Shiva is also called by many other names likeTrinethra = Three eyed one (3rd one in fore head)Neelakanta= Due to blue neck (It is said he consumed poison and stored it in his neck)Jatadhara= As he has long hair.Gangadhara= As river Ganges emerges out of his head.
How to worship lord ShivaLord Shiva is the one who is considered as the god residing in burial grounds indicating his disregard for the worldly pleasures.Unlike other gods, he needs no ornaments or goldfor decoration.Not even a beautiful cloth is required.

Just a plainwhite ash is sufficient to pray him.The way he has become god and his story of emergence can be found in the book Shiva Trilogy.For one to get the desires or wishes blessed he needs to pray with a composed mind and pleasant heart.1. Visit his temple on every Monday with a clean mind and body to pray.2. Recite Maha Mrutunjay mantra for as many times as possible. This is the spell to overcome fatal diseases and untimely death.“Om Tryambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushhtivardhanamUrvarukamiva bandhanan mrityor mukshiya maamritath.”3 . Apply a tilak of vibudhi or basm on the forehead during the temple visit.4. Keep chanting lord as “Om Namah Shivaya” continuously in your route to temple and back.5. Perform worship as abhisekam to shiva linga by bhasma, waterOffer bilwa leaves as they are considered the most favorite to lord shiva. Put them on shiv linga6. Always worship lord Ganesha before praying to lord Shiva. He is supposed to remove any obstacles in the course of prayer and blessings thereon.7.

It will be a good sign to light a deepa or jyoti asit is prayer to lord shakti the other form of goddess parvathi the wife of lord shiva.8. If possible offer jilledu flowers (Madar Tree, Gigantic-Swallow-Wort, Mudar, Aak) for shiva puja.Both bilwa and jilledu are the ones which can be found in the nearby farms or forest. It is more auspicious to get from natural source than buying from a shop.9. If possible visit any one of the jyotirlingams near your place if in India. Like Varanasi, srisailam, nashik, Ujjain etc.10. If the prayer is on Monday carry some prasad to temple. If possible distribute to the people there.Who should worship lord Shiva.1. Those with chronic diseases or disorders to getrid or minimize the suffering. Even the untimely death is prevented by lord Shiva blessing.2.Those desirous of getting a baby by proper carriage if there are repeated abortions before.3. Those willing to achieve spiritual progress andenlightenment.4. Those who wish to achieve high goals in life can worship sada Shiva.5. Shiva god story is quite interesting that he was in love and married.

So he might even bless lovers.6. Those who are having weak or trouble some moon in their vedic astrology chart. In general pundits advice them to wear a pearl gemstone. But praying to god Shiva and goddess parvathi will be more beneficial. Even they may not requireto wear a pearl gemstone.How to worship lord shiva at home1. Do a regular prayer to shiva lingam at home during the early morning and also evenings everyday.2. Wash the shiv linga and apply vibhuti or bhasm.3. Light a deepa, Incense sticks, also known as agarbathi can be light besides.4. Recite “namah shiva” few times.5. On Mondays especially offer milk or any sweet made with milk to the lord.Lord Shiva is one of the most sought after Hindu gods as witnessed by the number of temples in India. He is also said to have incarnated as lord hanuman during ramayan.

By Ranga.NR