Dear Readers,
May the Happiness be with you!
Puja Items: Requirements for Shivratri Puja
May the Lord Bless you,
Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 55 714 9983.
May the Happiness be with you!
Maha Shivraatri
On the Occasion of Mahashivratri, I pray to Lord Shiva for your well-beings through out your life.
Maha
Shivratri is the Great Night of Lord Shiva. It is said that on this very day Lord
Shiva get married with Goddess Parvati. So on this auspicious day, eternal union
of Shiva took place with Shakti. Shiva is the representation of primeval energy.
With Shakti, Lord Shiva is creator. As Mahakaal, He is destroyer. On the night
of Mahashivratri Lord Shiva is said to have revealed the Tandava, the dance of
primordial conception, preservation, sustenance and destruction. Lord Shiva has
Various attributes. He is Mahayogi. He is Chandrashekhar. He is originator of
the Ganga. He is the one and only Aghora who understands the Tantra (technique)
of this cosmos. He is Mahadeva. Any devotee, who worships Mahadeva on the eve
of Mahashivaratri with dedication and devotion, lord Shiva becomes happy and
grants his devotee the desired fruits in his life. Therefore on this auspicious
day everyone should worship Lord Shiva with great devotion for getting rid of
problems and obstacle in any walk of life.
• Shivalinga or an image, or idol of Lord Shiva.
• Bilwa (Bael) Leaves
• Vermilion,
• Aguru (holy perfume),
• Vibhuti/Bhasm (sacred ash made using dried cow dung), Rudraaksha
Mala (prayer beads made of the dark berries of Elaeocarpus ganitrus, to chant
Om Namah Shivaya),
• Akshata (uncooked rice)
• Incense sticks,
• Fresh flowers including Dhatura Phool
• Camphor
• Oil/Ghee lamp
• Jal Patra of Bronze, Copper or Brass (Lota or container filled
with holy water)
• For abhishek make available Water (for purity), Milk (for the
blessing of purity and piousness), Yogurt (for prosperity and progeny), Honey
(for sweet speech), Ghee (for victory), and Sugar (for happiness)
• Arrange one Bell.
When and How to do Maha Shivaratri Pooja At Home
• Keep fasting or do Phalaahar and in the evening around 8 PM take
ritual bath, using warm water and seeds of black sesame. It is a popular belief
that by bathing in warm water, with few seeds of black sesame, the body is
purified.
• Wear new clothes.
• Sit on Aasan or woolen blanket
• Purify yourself and around you with Mantra and water.
• Smear bhasma (holy ash) on forehead.
• Wear Rudraksha Mala.
• Light Oil lamp, Dhoop and Incense sticks.
• Do Abhishek of Shivalinga with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar
and water.
These six
items are necessary for abhishek on Shivaratri.
• Apply holy tilak with Bhasma, Sandal paste, vermillion to Lord
Shiva
• Offer Flower Garland.
• Offer Flowers and fruits like Dhatura, Bel leaves etc.
• Thereafter, while making sound from Bell, offer Bilwa leaves to
Lord Shiva (or Linga) and chant mantra with great devotion for at least 108
times - 'Om Namah Shivaya'. 11 Mala (i.e. 11 x 108 = 1188 times) Chanting is
also recommendable. Significance of Jyotirlinga: The
Puranas vociferously sing the praises of the greatness of the Jyotirlingas. By
reciting the name of this, one can eliminate all the sins. The Sadhaka becomes
calm, chaste and pure. He becomes illuminated and enlightened with supreme and
divine knowledge. The names mentioned for the benefits of all:
SAURASHTRA SOMNATHAM CHA SHRISHAILE MALLIKARJUNAM ||
UJJAINYAM MAHAKALOMKARE MAMMALESHWARAM ||
PARLYAM VAIJNATHAM CHA DAKINYAM BHEEM SHANKARAM ||
SETU BANDHE TU RAMESHAM NAGESHAM DARUKA VANE ||
VARANASYA TU VISHWESHAM TRIBAKAM GAUTAMITATE ||
HIMALAYE TU KEDARAM GHURMESHAM CHA SHIVALAYE ||
AETANI JYOTIRLINGANI SAYAM PRATAHA PATHENNARAHA ||
SAPTA JANMA KRITAM PAPAM SMARANEN VINASHYATI ||
One who
recites these 12 names regularly in the morning and evening he washes all the
sins committed in the previous 7 births and attains all the powers
Attributes of Lord Shiva
Cremation ground:
Shiva
sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the controller of death in
the physical world.
Tiger skin:
A tiger
skin symbolises potential energy.
Three eyes:
Lord
Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva, is depicted as having three eyes: the sun is
His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the third eye.
Kundalas (two ear rings):
Two
Kundalas, Alakshya and Niranjan in the ears of the Lord symbolise the Shiva and
Shakti (male and female) or Ardha-Nariswara principle of creation.
A snake (Vasuki Naga):
The snake
is shown curled three times around the neck of the Lord and is looking towards
His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolise the past, present and
future - time in cycles.
Ganga:
Ganga,
symbolically represented on the head of the Lord by a female (Mother Ganga)
with a jet of water emanating from her mouth and falling on the ground, signifies
that the Lord destroys sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity
and peace on the devotees.
Varda Mudra:
Lord
Shiva's right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing and blessing pose, which annihilates
evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in
His devotees.
Half-open eyes:
When the
Lord opens His eyes, a new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them,
the universe dissolves for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes
convey the idea that creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning
no end.
Matted locks:
The three
matted locks on the head of the Lord convey the idea that integration of the
physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga.
The crescent moon:
The
crescent moon is only one of His ornaments.
Nandi:
The bull
is associated with Shiva and said to be His vehicle.
Kamandalu:
A water
pot (Kamandalu) made from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the
ground next to Shiva signifies that, an individual must break away from attachment
to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires in order to
experience the bliss of the Self.
Rudraksha necklace:
Rudra is
another name of Shiva. Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He
uses His cosmic laws firmly - without compromise - to maintain law and order in
the universe.
Snake around the neck:
The
snakes to symbolise the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and
recreates the universe.
Trident (Trisula):
A
three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolises His three fundamental
powers (shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). Damaru
(drum): Damaru symbolises the two utterly dissimilar states of existence, unmanifest
and manifest.
The unclad body covered with ashes:
The
unclad body of Lord Shiva covered the ashes signify that Shiva is the source of
the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena
and is not affected by it.
May the Lord Bless you,
Vinod Khurana
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae
00971 55 714 9983.
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