Mahashivaratri - The Great Night of Shiva - Part II

METHOD OF WORSHIP

Mahashivaratri is actually not a festival so we don’t feast as we do in normal festivals. Instead, we fast! From being bhogis or lovers of worldly pleasures as we usually are, we are asked to become yogis or ascetics. We have to fast and do penance to earn the grace of Shiva – the Adi Yogi, the first ascetic. We not only abstain from food until the ritual is completed at 2 am but also from all forms of worldly enjoyments like watching TV, sitting glued to the WhatsApp, playing card games etc.  

Fast can be on fruits and milk or perhaps light foods like vegetable soups. But one should avoid all rice, wheat or pulses. Of course, non-vegetarian foods, garlic and onions are taboo. Fast should be broken only the next morning.

As with all Hindu rituals we are asked to get up early in the morning, two hours before dawn, take a bath and make a vow to fast and meditate the whole day. In the evening before commencing the puja we should take another bath. After bath we should apply vibhuti (ashes) on our chakras starting from the forehead to the navel and on our arms.

Devotees who can’t go to a temple can do the pujas in their own houses. Shiva has to be worshipped in four different forms during each of the four successive three-hour periods of the night known as “praharas”. During the first period he has to be bathed in milk, during the second period in curd, ghee during the third period and honey in the fourth. Of course, water, especially Ganga water is most important in all his pujas. Normally these abhishekams (pouring water or other liquids over the lingam) are done with the chanting of the Rudri which is a famous hymn to Shiva found in the Yajur Veda. Those who do not know the Rudri can also chant the “panchakshari mantra” which is Aum Namashivaya. It is customary to offer him bel or “vilva” leaves during the pujas. These leaves are said to be more precious to him than jewels and flowers. He is supposed to love datura flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. You will find that many of the flowers ascribed to him are medicinal and some are even poisonous. Only white flowers are offered to him never red.

Bel leaves, white flowers and ashes (vibhuti) are all special for Shiva. The esoteric reason is that these three things have the ability to attract positive vibrations so we are asked to apply “vibhuti” on our upper chakras before sitting for puja or meditation. The mantra for Shiva is the five- syllabled mantra — Na-ma-shi-va-ya.

 If there is no temple, we can set up a lingam in our puja room or in some neat and clean place. Place the lingam in a big, deep bowl in which you can do abhishekam. The portion of the yoni through which the water drains out should be facing north towards Kailasa. Keep your seat facing north.

Keep all the puja articles in plates near you. Flowers, bel leaves, Ganga jal, cow’s milk, curd, til ka tel, ghee, honey, panchamrit and whatever food articles you like to offer, like fruits, sweets, cooked rice and payasam etc.

Sit cross legged, close your eyes and start by meditating on Lord Shiva in front of the Shivalinga. Invoke him by chanting the panchakshari mantra ( Aum Namashivaya). Beg him to come and enliven the lingam before starting the puja. First pour water over his feet at the foot of the lingam. Then start the abhishekams or the pouring of liquids over the lingam. We normally start with cow’s milk, then cow’s curd, ghee, honey, gur, fruit juices if you like. At the end wash Him in Ganga jal. Finally pour rose water over Him.  If you don’t have Ganga jal, you can take a copper pot filled with pure water, place both your palms over the mouth, one over the other and say this mantra.

“Gange cha Yamune chaiva, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmade, Sindhu, Kaveri, jalesmin sannidhim kuru”
While reciting the mantra, we should close our eyes and invoke all these holy rivers to come and fill the pot with their sacred waters. This holy water that has been sanctified with the presence of all the holy rivers of Bharat should now be poured reverently over the lingam. Pots used should be of some metal like gold, silver, brass or copper. We never do abhishekam to Shiva in a conch shell. While pouring the water and other things, the panchakshari mantra or Rudri should be constantly chanted.

After this the lingam should be dried with some clean cloth. Some people anoint Him with sandal paste but it is always better to put vibhuti or ashes on Him. Vibhuti can be put in a porous cloth and made into a bundle. This bundle can be patted on top of the lingam thus allowing the vibhuti to fall over the lingam. When He is covered with the vibhuti, some people like to draw three eyes or we can get some silver eyes and place them on the lingam in the correct place.

Then we can place the vastram or some good white cloth over the top of the lingam. The sacred thread should also be put over Him. A rudraksha mala can be placed over the cloth. Flower garlands may also be offered. When He is thus anointed and looking beautiful, we offer incense sticks, ghee lamps and finally naivedyam or different types of food articles.  We can also offer honey in which ground nuts and pepper corns have been soaked. This is one naivedyam that can be eaten by the sadhaks during their whole night vigil. Akshatan or whole rice grains should be offered and finally, we should offer betel leaves.

Then we do the arati - first with a ghee lamp and afterwards with camphor. The arati invocation is “Karpoora gouram, Karunavataram, samsara saram, bhujagendra haram. Sada vasantam hridayaravinde, Bhavam Bhavani manasa smarami.” This should be chanted while waving the arati plate in a clockwise direction in front of the lingam.

Then we do pradakshinam (going round the murti). If that is not possible, we can simply stand in our own place and turn around three times. Then each one takes some bel leaves in their hands and pray to him and offer it to Him. Finally, we should prostrate fully in front of Him and ask Him to forgive us for any mistakes we have made in the puja. 

This puja should be done four times – in each prahara starting at six in the evening.

All the devotees who are present should pour the consecrated water over the lingam to the chanting of mantras and offer bel leaves.

Another thing to do in between pujas is to chant the “Mahamrityunjaya mantra” or Trymbakam mantra and place one bel leaf on top of the lingam very reverentially. This can be done 108 times. Of course, during the night, we can do this chanting continuously, with or without the bel leaf. We can keep count with our malas.

The three stories connected with Mahashivaratri can be read or recounted by someone who knows the stories. These have been given in the previous blog.

The Shiva Purana can be read if there is anyone who can read it.  The Shiva ashtotram and Shiva Sahasranama can also be chanted. Of course, bhajans especially those relating to Shiva can be sung throughout the night. All this will help in keeping a deep, spiritual atmosphere in which all those present will be lifted to a high level of consciousness.

In between we should sit with spine erect and meditate. The whole night should be passed in this way. Following these simple rules one can be sure of getting an upsurge of divine energy.

If for some reason we cannot do these pujas, there is no problem. Simply chant the panchakshari mantra or the Mahamrityunjaya mantra and sit for as long as you can or simply sit with spinal column erect and meditate.

Remember that these occasions have been provided by our rishis in order to elevate our consciousness and unite ourselves with that Supreme consciousness of Shiva.

Loka samastath sukhino bhavantu.

Aum Namashivaya!