Last Updated on August 12, 2024 by Tejaswini
A Shivlingam is the representation of the Bhagwan Shiva, the Paramatma itself.
There was a question on doing Shivlingam puja at home so writing this post. I am detailing the step wise puja that I do everyday in my Dev ghar/ Puja ghar/ home altar. Daily puja are spiritual healing techniques for the body, mind and soul as codified by our ancient Maharishis. Vedpurva Karmakaand, ie ritualistic pujas are necessary in this journey of self transformation.
My home has a separate room for the household deities. My Dad is the oldest member of the family, so he does the basic pujas of these deities. In addition to this, each family member has a small set up for doing personal pujas as per their inclination.
I do puja of the Shivlingam daily.
The Shivlingam is about 2 inches in height as per rule. It is made of Parad/mercury पारद . Mercury is liquid at room temperature and so it is first solidified by processes from the Rasayan shastra. Then the Shivlingam is cast from this solidified Mercury. It is made using the processes from Rasayan Shastra so it is called as a Rasamani lingam. Rasa means ‘essence’ or ‘which is obtained from Rasayan’. And Mani is a ‘jewel’. These are Sanskrit words. Learning Sanskrit helps in understanding the meaning and purpose of these words. The esoteric meaning of Parad in Sanskrit is ‘leading safely across’. Thus the Parad Shivlingam helps one safely cross this sea of Maya and attain Moksh.
I perform all the steps with the mudra, mantra, yantra, visualisations etc as I have been taught from Vedic Karmakaand. But I have simplified it so that I can do this daily in 30mins. Bhagwan Shivah is so kind that he allows this as long as I have that pure intention in my mind. I have written only those steps, mantra and visualisations which can be safely used by everyone. (I have omitted the mudras and yantras completely and also some steps, mantra and visualisations.)
1. First is Asan shuddhi with Ganga water and mantra – ‘Om Pruthvi, tvayaa Dhrutaa lokaa Devi. Tvaam Vishnunaa Dhrutaa. Tvaam cha dhaaraya maam Devi. Pavitraa kuru cha Aasanam.’ I thank Devi Pruthvi supporting me as I sit on it. And I visualise Devi Ganga washing it out, purifying it with her energy. Sanskrit mantra are highly significant in all Hindu traditions/ pujas.
2. In my Dev ghar, the lamp is continuously lit, so I just top up the oil if needed. I recite the Agni Gayatri mantra ‘Om Saptajivhaya vidhmae, havyabhadraya dhimahi, tanno Agnih prachodayat’. I visualise the energy of Agni Dev being absorbed into my eyes.
3. Then I light incense/ dhoop. I light it I intend that the pending karma burn and be converted into fragrant smoke. (I buy one made of natural ingredients which you have to first roll in your palms.)
4. Then I do a basic namaskar to the Shivlingam. I remind myself that He and me are the same but still it is for pure happiness that I am worshipping Him with the Karmakaand. I thank him for this. Gratitude has power when applied to spiritual practice
5. Next is to remove yesterday’s flowers, vastra/ garment etc from the Shivlingam. (The yesterday’ flowers etc are called nirmalya which is disposed in a corner of the garden where no one steps on it. The vastra is washed.)
6. Then I put a drop of ghee on the Shivlingam. (Ghee made from desi cow milk is available where I live. And I also make some ghee at home for the puja purposes.) Ghee is called Pavitraa and symbolises Atmajnyan. I intend for the radiance of Atmajnyan, self knowledge. Spirituality is self discovery.
7. Next is Abhishekam of the Shivlingam, ie pouring liquids on the Lingam. First is a small bowl of Panchamrut. Additional items are used as per festival and inclination. Then finally with Ganga water. (The set up is such that the water etc drains out easily.) As the liquids and their associated mantra are poured over the Shivlingam I visualise them washing over my subtle body, stabilising it in their different ways. This is an important step in the journey of self-transformation.
8. Next I apply essential oils to the Shivlingam. During this step I recite the Mahamrutyunjai mantra. ‘Om trayambakam yajamahe sungandhim pushtivardhanam, uruvarukavima bandhanat mrutyor mukshiya maamurtat.’ I have written a post on the Mahamrutyunjai mantra here, so I visualise this meaning as I do this activity. This helps in the spiritual integration of mind, body, and spirit. (If you know the one essence which he likes the most then use it, else use whichever essential oil you like. I buy separate bottles lotus, jasmine, sandalwood, agarwood etc essential oils).
9. Then I apply Vibhuti to the Shivlingam. Three fingers are used to make the three lines of the Tripundhra. This action is linked to the meaning of the Vibhuti yog from the Bhagwat Gita/ Vedant and the esoteric lesson of the Tripur story. He is the Tripurari.
10. Next is a paste of pure sandalwood, pure camphor, saffron and a few other things which are ground together in Gangajal. I apply this fragrant paste to the entire Shivlingam and cover it fully. (I buy genuine sandalwood sticks from a person I know from the south. I use genuine camphor, Bhimseni kapur. For saffron, ‘Baby’ brand is a better one. The ‘few other things’ are from other states of our nation. Thankfully our Bharat still has genuine materials available.) A general visualization is that I making my own life beautiful as I apply these fragrant substances to the Shivlingam.
11. Then I place a fresh vastra/ garment over the Shivlingam so that its yoni portion is covered. The Shivlingam is draped in a white garment which covers the Yoni portion. You will find this done correctly in the temples of the Dakshin. A general visualisation on the Karmakaand level is that I are adorning the deity with beauty and thus my own life too.
12. Then I place a Rudraksh mala over the Shivlingam. Wrote posts on Rudraksh, so I visualise this same meaning as from these posts. I invite the power of the Rudra into me.
13. Now I offer the flowers, Aegle marmelos – bael leaves, bhang /cannabis leaves, dhatura etc, whatever is available. Each of these items has a meaning, but again the general meaning of making the life beautiful can be applied. (I live in the Himalaya, bhang grows wild in the mountains. Flowers are somewhat scarce. And getting the bael leaves and sugarcane juice from the plains is a task but thankfully He arranges for these supplies.)
14. Then kumkum and Akshata (raw unbroken rice grains). Akshata carry the power of intention and Kumkum is the energy of motion, Rajogun. A general intention to request sense and energy/ Buddhi and Shakti, so as to be able to do the proper karma in life.
15. After all this, I offer Dhoop, incense and the light of the Deep/ lamp. The visualisation that the smoke from the dhoop and the light of the Deep has covered the Shivlingam.
16. Then I offer Naivedyam in a silver bowl. This is Panchamrut to which a few drops of Gangajal is added. On festival days other types of Naivedyam is also offered. (Panchamrut is a mixture of desi cow milk, curds, ghee, honey and khadisakhar – raw cane sugar. I add sugarcane juice if available as per the season.)
17. Then Arti with Bhimseni camphor. While doing the Arti, I recite the Arti aloud and play the Damru, bell etc instruments as per my mood. The various instruments have different esoteric meanings. But a general intention is that I am offering the energy of Sound, Shabda brahma to the Shivlingam. Hindu rituals and ceremonies have deep meaning on the esoteric and energy level.
18. Then do namaskar. (Women kneel down and touch the forehead to the ground. For men it is the sashtang namaskar, the entire body touches the ground.) Here a general visualisation is offering the limited self to the Eternal Self, thus becoming the Eternal Self.
20. After this, I do Dhyan. If I have to rush to office then I recite my mantra 3 times, then sit for a minute to absorb the energy and then get up. Thus this is my morning puja of the Shivlingam inside the Dev ghar.
Then on my way to the office, I read or mentally recite or listen to the other mantra, stotra etc as per my routine. (To be able to do this I use one very specific intention. I will share in my next post.) If possible at midday, I try to get a minute free to do at least 3 mindful repeats of my mantra. Then when I get back in the evening, I do another small puja. And before going to bed there is one small puja and visualisation. Visualisations are required because then you do all these activities mindfully and not just ritualistically
On holidays, festivals and special days I do more elaborate Abhisheks, small homa etc. eg on Mahashivratri, I start my pujas at about 6pm and complete them at about 7am the next morning. I do all these pujas because it gives my mind indescribable happiness and not because I have to. If I am traveling or if I have to leave early in the morning, or I do not have time, then I recite the the Parapuja stotra by Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya once or just my mantra thrice. Even this much gives my mind that same joy.
Karmakaand is endless, so one should be clear on how much is reasonable and stick to that. We are primarily Gruhastashrami people now, the householders. There is no need to add on stuff just because someone else is doing it. If you ever feel burdened by the pujas you are doing, reduce them. Do the bare minimum 10 mins puja in the morning and in the evenings. And the outer pujas do reduce with time. The essence of the pujas enter the mind and the pujas become internal. At this stage one becomes a true vaanprasth, in the pursuit of inner peace.
Ultimately the real puja of the Shivlingam, is just that one single namaskar. Spirituality is the concept of oneness. Just one ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ but with the complete intention that the ‘adored’ Shivlingam, the ‘adoree’ i, Tejaswini and the process of ‘adoration’ are non different. Shivah!
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