Shivling or Shiva lingam connects a devotee with the Supreme Being – Lord Shiva. The lingam is the symbol of Lord Shiva and the lingam puja helps the devotee in understanding Lord Shiva. The Lord cannot be described but still we say he is without a beginning and an end and is without a form. It is difficult for a devotee to understand this formless nature. Therefore Lord Shiva appeared in the form of Jyotirlinga before Brahma and Vishnu. The Lingam thus is a symbol of Lord Shiva. Each Lingam puja, step by step, takes the devotee to the eternal truth – that he/she is part of the Supreme Being.
Worshipping Shivling at Home
Before starting the Puja, the devotee takes a bath and wear freshly washed clothes. Hymns praising Lord Shiva or the mantra ‘om namaha shivayaa’ are repeated to create a mood for worship. Then, the devotee sits in front of the lingam and blows conch or ring bells. This indicates the beginning of the Puja.
First it is the panchamrit abhishek - the libation of five holy liquids over the lingam. The libation
can consist of any five of the following – water from river
After the panchamrit abhishek, the lingam is cleaned with water from
Next, sweets, coconut and fruits are offered to the Lord. Camphor and incense are lit and ‘arati’ is conducted. Some devotees fan the lingam and sing praises of the lord.
Finally, ringing of bells or blowing of conch indicates the end of Puja. White ash (vibhuti) is rubbed on the forehead and it is also distributed. Fruits, sweets and coconut are distributed as ‘prasad.’
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73 comments:
Its a good descrition of the puja.
Thank you.It is a very simple n informative explanation of the Puja.
thank you.
Thank you fo thr simple and clear explanation.
wat 1 shd do of those 5 libation, flowers, fruits etc, ??
i mean woh sab parey parey kharab ho jayenge...sm1 told me to pour that libation at pipal tree...is that ryt ??
Thanks a lot!
WOW, GREAT EXPLANATION , THANKYOU SO MUCH,,,, FROM ABHINAV KAUL
WOW, GREAT EXPLANATION, THANKYOU SO MUCH
can anybody tell me why my problem not going away.its been 2 years and i have still problem sleeping, driving car im always nervous, unhappy, etc.
Om Namah Shivay
Jai Shree Sai Baba
Jai Shree Krishna
Meditation is the answer to all the problems. Sometimes the problems in our mind is exaggerated.
Please try meditation, or simply try observing your breath with eyes closed when you are having problems sleeping.
Are we allowed to eat the prasadam offered to Lord Shiva ? ........ sarvshresth@gmail.com
though the description of the puja is clear and simply, i feel that we shoulod live like decent human beings ,having love for all.There should be no discrimination between rich and poor or any living thing who are all part of the ONE GOD,but humans fail to realize this.The religion of love is the quickest connection with GOD
To the person who can't sleep, etc-get medical help, maybe even psychological. Depending upon the root cause of the problem, maybe a psychiatric doctor will both prescribe medicines and give psychological therapy. Always go to the best doctor available . Go to a homeopathic, or ayurvedic physician or accupuncturist, if one is recommended. Meditation can be an answer but not necessarily the only solution for you. Learn the right technique for you from an expert teacher.
All the best.
I have a doubt.One of my elder member of my family told me not to do abhisheka to any of the deity at home. One has to keep the home just like temple(pure).This is not possible as female memebrs are also at home and during the time of periods chances of impurity is there at home. Though I am very much interested in siva pooja at home with abhisheka I did't started.
your explanation is not clear, i think u forget something! wat is the lingam really???
dear Anonymous, by suggesting that you do not know what a lingam is you have made it clear that you are not a Hindu and therefore you should have no interest in this puja....
it was really helpful
the rituals is clear but many pandits opinion differs when giving jal. i have been told that when giving jal... the following:- water, milk and then water again.. is this wright? and the white ash.. i always smear the ash on the lingham.. again is this wright or wrong? Any comments would be great...
"dear Anonymous, by suggesting that you do not know what a lingam is you have made it clear that you are not a Hindu and therefore you should have no interest in this puja...."
sooo, just because you aren't hindu means you can't seek to gain knowledge of hinduism and its practices...and maybe that knowledge may help you in your own life?????
I'm quite surprised Bilva(Bel)leaves are not offered in Linga puja???
plz suggest me...if i can keep lingam in tulsi n do all the puja there???
lingam is associated with Shiva and tulsi with Vishnu so you are worshiping both the deities together....usually it is not practiced but....i would suggest there is no problem....
Thanks Harish
thanks harish.....
also suggest me if there is no problem then thr will be no harm also???coz im a srong beliver of shiv ji.. n also i pour jal on tulsi ji in morning...but till now i havent kept lingam anywhr in my house..was litl confuse to whr to keep it???
pls advise ...
usually people avoid keeping shivalingam at home as mentioned in this article....it needs to be poured water constantly...so if you don't have one... don't buy it instead keeping a picture of shivji.... Harish
but my mother in law already bought it...n now we both r confused abt the situation...
also suggest if once or twice pouring water on lingam will do????
K....if that is the case keep it in your puja room and worship it daily....as such there is no problem...the real problem is in the mind...if u r a true devotee of Shiva there is no problem...just make sure that don't leave it to get dust...keep it in the puja room and take care daily during puja time....Harish
thank u so much harish for your suggestion n advise...will take care of all these things..
Dear Sir,
Can you advise me what time I should start the Puja of shivlinga ? Now a days I am always doing puja and abhishek between 3 to 7 pm because I am working in the first shift. So it is almost 2 pm when I come back to home. Kindly advise me whether I am doing correct or not please.
There is no problem. The ideal time to do puja is morning or evening. But a true devotee can approach Shiva at anytime. He is Bholenath and he is Mahadev...he receives his devotees all the time....
Hi Abhilash,
Thank you once again for this wonderful blog page.
I am shiji s kumar, will you explain how to do lakshmi pooja and i also want 'Sarvamangala Mangalye'
Is it possible to give these explanations?
Thanking you
Shiji
We have already published how to perform lakshmi puja....We will surely publish about others in near future.
Dear Sir
Thank you very much for advise for shivling puja.
Joshi and family.
can women do such pooja at home is she eligible..
Aum Nama Shivaya......... Shivji the omnipresent loves and likes all pujas .......actually there is no specific pattern that need to be followed...whatever you do and worship do it from your pure and sincere mind...thats the real puja of Lord Shiva... He will bless you all. No need to fear him unless you are doing something against natures will and moralty........Do worship the Lord of Lords (Mahadeva , Sarveswara, Devadeva) and attain moksha.........Aum Nama Shivaya
Swamy Rishikeswara
Women are eligible to conduct all pujas....don't shy away...go ahead and perform the pujas you want
Thankyou, it really didnt help
thanks a lot
Thank you very nicely explained
It is traditional that Sri Rudram Chamakam is chanted while performing Shiva abhishekam. "Aum NamaH Shivaya" is the bija (seed) mantram of Shiva worship, representing the essence of the Rudram, but those who are versed in scripture should take joy in offering the fullness of praise contained in the entire Vedic hymn...
when it comes to shivji, there are no hard and fast rules that you should strictly perform a procedure to worship him... He is known as Bhola-Shankar 'cause He unlike most of other Gods can be appeased with just sincere mind and pure heart... you dont even need to take a bath(okay so it doesnt mean that you do all untidy things and perform puja) to worship Him...
and for the person who wants to know 'lingam'... it's a form of Shivji... read the first para...
should we perform the pooja everyday or on monday's
There is this place i go to quite often,its a cliff 700 feet above see level facing the sleepy blue ocean. Since im a person who spends most of my time in air conditioned office, cars, home i feel real good when i go to this peaceful cliff. Im a natureist and when im here i stay in a thatched hut which has a huge shivling in the yard. I WISH to do pooja and decorate this holy stone according to my imagination. I would also like to ask you if there is a position in which the lingam should be kept, as in in which direction the yooni should face? Will there be a problem if i have a pond of water filled with green flowers around the stone? And i have heard about a snake who lives around and seen a white cat which frequently visit my room especially when im not around. So i would like some honest answers from you to cherish this place and make it mine:) boom bholánaath 'Halmo'
Halmo,
You should face east or north while doing the shiv lingam puja, and the water from the base should be positioned to flow east or north also (not towards you, but depending on which you chose) So I face east and the water flows to my left which is North.
There are videos on youtube with Shiva lingam puja which will show you how to decorate it nicely.
The tripundra (3 lines) with white ash bhasma/vibhuti is normal then some also put a dot in the center of that with red powder sindoor/kumkum on top of turmeric (haldi).. also if you can obtain bel leaves and most flowers to decorate, and even a rudraksh mala is fine.
Hare krishna
Can you tell me whether this lingam pooja should be performed by only vegitarian`s or even non-vegitarians can do it??
we need not b vegiterians only,as we know,d story of baktha kanappa(devotee),he was uneducated & a hunter.he offered meat to lord shiva,with devotion,.with his pure love lordshiva was moved & ate wht he kept,,,hi but we shldnt do tht,as our bhakti& love,may b far less thn him,so am just saying,tht we neednt b vegiees only,but before gng to temple,just dont eat non-veg,tht;s it,
Thanks& regards
siri.
hi everyone, my name is sam i m in canada toronto.
i born to muslim family but my all friends r hindu, i been one time in mandir s well i found lots of peace. s from my heart i converted as hindu, but i did not declared to my parents n i dont want to tell them s well. i m looking for guide n pls pray for me s well.
Pls contact me at
donthink59@yahoo.com
Love u all & proud to b hindu.
The way u presented pooja was very simple to do for common people.
Nature has made human beings purely vegetarian. Our digestive system is such that it cannot be digest the meat easily. So human beings should never have meat in their meal. In the scriptures, it has been recommended for devotees (Bhaktas) to always take sentient food (Saatvik Bhojan) only. The food is of three types. (i) Sentient (Saatvik) food, (ii) Mutative (Raajsik) food and (iii) Static (Taamsik) food. Sentient food is good for biological, psychic and causal or spiritual bodies. Mutative food may be good for biological and psychic bodies, but not good for causal body. Mutative food may be avoided in regular diet. The third type of food the ‘Static’ one that is neither good for biological body, nor good for psychic and the causal bodies. HENCE IT MUST NOT BE TAKEN ON ANY OCCATION.
Those who have devoted themselves to the higher pursuits of spirituality have to be purely sentient (Saatvik) in their diets. In scriptures, such people have been advised even not to have cup of tea and coffee instead milk can be taken. Tea and coffee causes stimulation. Sentient foods include -milk, milk products, flour of wheat, gram flour, rice; vegetables and pulses with less spices, without garlic and onion. Sumptuous food with so much spices is mutative. Eggs, meat, garlic, onion, mushrooms, junk foods are static (Tamsik) in nature. Static foods cause infections and diseases in the body easily. Wine, smoking is highly static and injurious to health. Hence static food must be avoided.
S.R.Rajta
Hi All
Since this is a blog related to Lord Shiva and Shiva Linga Puja, I have to say few words with humility and due respect to all.
One of the inquisitors in the blog has asked: “what Lingam is? ” and to my surprise, the reply given is –
“Dear Anonymous, by suggesting that you do not know what a lingam is you have made it clear that you are not a Hindu and therefore you should have no interest in this puja....”
So much discrimination in the name of Lord Sadashiva! For me, it is a matter of surprise - ‘Hindus’ have this type of mentality! Rather, there is need is to explain every aspect to the querying persons related to our Gods and ‘Avtaars’ and their worships, properly and happily, if asked earnestly and inquisitively. We should take it interestingly to explain about the gods (Bhagvaano ke Baare mein) of this great religion, meditation process and types of worships we have.
Lord Sadashiva 7500 years back never discriminated on any ground,- be it Religion or Racial Lineage, rather, His motive was “Aatam Mokshaartham Jagat Hitaaicha”. In the prehistoric era, He had worked for the assimilation of Aryans, Non-Aryans, Mongolians and Dravidian races and for achieving the targeted goal, He had to marry three women of different races. He (Lord Sadashiva) was a man of very open mind and no little and ignominious thought stands before Him.. Lord Sadashiva never allowed His follower (Ganas) to discriminate on any ground. This is not a hidden fact.
For detail, kindly read the book: ‘Namah Shivaya Shantaya’ authored by Shri Shri Anandamurti Ji. The writer unfolds various untold, unrecorded, unexplored and very very interesting aspects related to primitive history and Lord Sadashiva, Phallic worshipping (Linga Puja), Shiva Linga worshipping and the worships of gods and goddesses of this great religion (formerly – Vaedik /Arsha and Shaiva Cults).
Very interesting book. All must read.
I think my humble views are not taken otherwise. I am a very straight forward person.
Thanks
THNK....U IT WAS A GREAT EXPLANATION!! :)
I read one post here where a person is imagining that he is performing a shiva pooja on the shivalinga. That is a wonderful imagination. In these fast forward times when you leave home at 6:00 am or even erlier and by the time you get back it is late, the best time to do shiva puja, I have found is while you are driving. If you can listen to music/or talk radio, you can surely listen to this stotram that you can either get on the internet or in some Indian grocery stores that sell also CD's and DVD's. It is called SHIV MANAS PUJA. It is really an imaginary puja of shivji where you have nothing to physically offer except your mind and your ears for listening. It is a great way where you can say that I imagine Shivji in a great gold and precious stones laded temple giving the Linga a bath of Gangajal and offering the most fragrant flowers, chandan lep, dancing with music played by kinnaras and gandharvas and then offering the most wonderfully cooked pakwaans and finally offering a tambul (like the paan people eat in northern India after a good meal) and then offering the resting/sleeping. In my immediate next post I am pasting the lyrics of the Shiv Manas Pooja with meaning, that has been obtained from 'Scribd' so that credit goes to Scribd or the person who placed this information there.
I would like every one of you to enjoy this Pooja!!!
Ratnaih kalpitamaasanam himajalaih snaanam cha divyaambaram
Naanaaratnavibhuushhitam mrigamadaamodaankitam chandanam.
Jaatiichampakabilvapatrarachitam pushhpam cha dhuupam tathaa
Deepam deva dayaanidhe pashupate hritkalpitam grihyataam.h .. 1
I have imagined a throne of precious stones for you, cool water for you to bathe in, divine robes adorned with many jewels, sandalwood paste mixed with musk to anoint your body, jasmine and champaka flowers and bilva leaves, rare incense, and a shining flame. Accept all these which I have imagined in my heart for you, o merciful God.
Sauvarne navaratnakhandarachite paatre ghritam paayasam
Bhakshyam pajnchavidham payodadhiyutam rambhaaphalam paanakam.
Shaakaanaamayutam jalam ruchikaram karpuurakhandojjvalam
Taambuulam manasaa mayaa virachitam bhaktyaa prabho sviikuru .. 2
Sweet rice in a golden bowl inlaid with the nine jewels, the five kinds of food made from milk and curd, bananas, vegetables, sweet water scented with camphor, and betel leaves - I have prepared all these in my mind with devotion. O lord, please accept them.
Chhatram chaamarayoryugam vyajanakam chaadarshakam nirmalam
Veenaabherimridangakaahalakalaa giitam cha nrityam tathaa .
Saashhtaangam pranatih stutirbahuvidhaa hyetatsamastam mayaa Sankalpena
samarpitam tava vibho puujaam grihaana prabho .. 3
A canopy, two yak-tail whisks, a fan and a spotless mirror, a viinaa, kettledrums, a mridangA and a great drum, songs and dancing, full prostrations, and many kinds of hymns - all this I offer you in my imagination. O almighty lord, accept this as my worship of you.
Aatmaa tvam girijaa matih sahacharaah praanaah shariiram griham
Poojaa te vishhayopabhogarachanaa nidraa samaadhisthitih .
Sajnchaarah padayoh pradakshinavidhih stotraani sarvaa giro
Yadyatkarma karomi tattadakhilam shambho tavaaraadhanam.h .. 4
You are my self; Paarvatii is my reason. My five praanaas are your attendants, my body is your house, and all the pleasures of my senses are objects to use for your worship. My sleep is your state of samaadhii. Wherever I walk I am walking around you, everything I say is in praise of you, everything I do is in devotion to you, o benevolent lord!
Karacharana kritam vaakkaayajam karmajam vaa .
Shravananayanajam vaa maanasam vaaparaadham.
Vihitamavihitam vaa sarvametatkshamasva .
Jaya jaya karunaabdhe shriimahaadevashambho .. 5
Whatever sins i have committed with my hands, feet, voice, body, actions, ears, eyes, or mind, whether prohibited by the scriptures or not, please forgive them all. Hail! Hail! O ocean of compassion! O great god! O benevolent lord! .. 5
Hello, I m from India,Gujarat.I m preparing one website base on kundalini energy.I found some interesting stuff on your page,can i use them on my website.
@ rsvan..i am not sure what you mean by interesting stuff. If you use some content of our blog please do link back and mention the source
Very good article on Shiva Pooja.
One small correction,Pancha Amrita is the comination of - Water,Honey,Cow's Milk,Cow's Ghee and Cow's Yogurt.
Performing this Shiva pooja for 11 continous Mondays specifically in Rahu Kaala (7:30 AM to 9 AM) would remove even the Brahmana Saapa ! As everyone knew,the other best time to worship Shiva is during Pradosha.This is the suggested remedy for Brahmana Saapa.Please make a note that Sri Rama did the same in Rameshwaram !!!
Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram !
Om Namaha Sivaaya Namah Aghoreeshwaraya !
what do you mean by "libation"? where do you pour the 5 liquids? on the lingam? how often is worshippng the lingam done? every day? any particular time of the day? also, is there truth to saying that owning shiva lingam puts extra strain on a person's life? thanx, jaz
It is very greatly prescribed about the Pooja. This has helped me a lot. Thanks
From Vishwanath More
can i recite shiva mantra and shiva mahamrityunjaya mantra at the time of sive pooja at home?
Great stuff............I liked it.
I have a query regarding Shivalinga
I have a Shivalinga at my home and it is kept in Tulsi pot. I water the Shivalinga everyday.
Is it okay to keep Shivalinga in Tulsi pot
Thanks
Naresh
@Naresh, yes you can keep it.
Experts pls comment. how far is it true , for rahu mahadasha Monday vrat is effective and even Shivling water abhishek nullifies rahu dosha. As my Rahu mahadasha has began and m horrified with what all I have heard of mahadasha effects!
good description!!! thank
We have been married 19 years but are still childless.We have performed the kala sap shanti pooja in tramkeshwar- nashik but still no luck . Kindly advise if any ritual/prayer that can help us.I conceive but within 3 months the child dies in stomach.People say it is black magic but I do not know. I suffer from hypothyroid problem
I am no expert but from what I have researched, Rahu afflictions are also lessened by prayers to Durga Maa, such as Chandi path etc or other simpler methods may be done, also prayers to Venkateshwara / Balaji may help.
For the kal sarp issue, please consult a qualified jyotish. Until this is done maybe you can acquire a kal sarp yantra to be worshipped and also do Santan Gopal stotra "Devakisutam Govindam Vasudevam Jagatpatim, Dehime Tanayam Krishna twam-aham Sharanagatah" and Garbha Raksha stotras which can be found on celextel.org. Please do all of these things with faith.
You may e-mail me at chetankgossai@hotmail.com and I will try to get you in contact with my Guruji or someone who can help.
plz go to sri kaalahasteeshwara temple at tirupathi,Andhra pradesh.It is famous temple for solving all types of doshas(dosh) by performing pujas to lord shiva in this temple. Trust me guys ,if you have any doshas or any problems then go to kaalahasti temple.thank you.
very good & simple description of puja
can anybody help me with the correct sequence to pour water on Lord Shiva family? does it starts from Ganesh ji?plz give me the sequence if any?
Or is it okay to pray in any sequence?
For the childless couple: It is very disheartening not to get something when we desire it, & the same is true of children. I believe that there is a right time for everything, but it may not be when we think it is. I know people who did the Sanyaan Govind Mantra for 5 years, before they conceived naturally without any medical interventions. You must do the MAntra with full belief, & a positive mind. I believe our doubt creates the biggest block. Also, a question. Can one eat 1 regular Satvic meal on Monday fast beside the phalahaar? How many times can one eat salt on Monday fast?
NAMASTE, THE PROCEDURE IS SIMPLE AND QUITE INFORMATIVE. OM NAMAH SIVAYA
the linga that is with me is made by one of my friend, he made parada linga by some samskara, he told not to put water on it as it become black by oxidation, but in puja it is said to put sandle paste and water to make it cool, please clear it
hi
any one can guide please exact
direction of shiva lingam at home
and nandi and turtle
kindly explain simple and if possible with picture
my email is shivam96@yahoo.com
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