Chapter 74 - Mode of worshipping Śiva (śivapūjā)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The Lord said:

I. I shall describe the (mode of) worshipping Śiva [i.e., śivapūjā]. After having sipped water, and repeated the syllable Oṃ, one should wash the entrance of the temple with water (consecrated by the) mantra of the weapon and worship the guardian deities of the door-ways and of the oblations etc.

2-3. One should worship goddess Sarasvatī (consort.of Lord Brahmā), Lakṣmī (consort of Lord Viṣṇu) and Gaṇa at the threshold, Nandin (attendant of Lord Śiva) and the Ganges on the right and Mahākāla (form of Śiva) and the Yamunā (river) on the left imagining himself as having divine sight, and after having driven the spirits and impediments present in the sky by throwing a consecrated flower.

4. One should kick the earth thrice with the right heels and enter the place of worship after leaping across the threshold holding the left door frame.

5. Having entered (the temple) by placing the right foot (first) and placing the weapons at the threshold, one should worship at its centre (repeating the following): Oṃ, hāṃ, (obeisance) to Brahmā, the presiding deity of the dwelling place.

6. Then he should go to the river Ganges silently carrying pure golden pitchers by means of searching instruments, after having obtained permission from Śiva.

7. One should fill them with waters of the river filtered with the cloth after the repetition of gāyatrī or the hṛdayamantra, and purifying one’s body.

8. The materials for worship such as the perfumes, unbroken rice and flowers etc. should be placed in front of the place and the purification of five material components (of the earth) should be done.

9. Having placed (these materials) on the right side of the deity with a pleasing face and having lifted these showing saṃhāra mudrā (posture of the fingers representing destruction), one should place them on the head with (the repetition of) the mantra.

10-11. One who is desirous of enjoying the fruits of action should meditate upon his soul in the twelve-petalled lotus in the heart by means of showing pāṇikacchapikā (a particular way of showing the fingers)^[1]. As an alternative one should purify the five elements by meditating upon the apertures in the body from the toes of the feet upwards both inside and outside.

12. One who meditates should control his breath and meditate on the energy which pervades the region of the heart, in the letter hum which resembles the fire and which is situated at the centre of the aperture.

13. The breath should then be let out and the fiery image should be led through the heart, neck, palate, the intervening space between the two eye-brows and the seat of the soul in the head (brahmarandhra), with the ending (syllable) phaṭ.

14. Having broken the knots, the life syllable huṃ should be located on the head and the consciousness should be reflected back in the heart by means of the pūraka (filling with air drawn through the nostril).

15. Having placed (the syllable) huṃ on the tuft, one should meditate upon the absolute soul of the form of a speck. Having withheld the breath at a single stretch, one should unite the consciousness with Śambhu (Śiva).

16. After having merged himself with Śiva, by means of drawing his consciousness with the aid of bījamantras and the recaka (exhalation of the breath), (the worshipper) should purify by carrying in the reverse order the luminous point (in the brain) to the point in (the nerve-complex).

17. One should merge the earth, wind, water, fire and sky, one into the other without any deviation in the order. You hear about it now!

18. The principle of earth is hard, of yellowish colour and bears the mark of thunderbolt. Then its destruction is wrought by the subtle mantra of the soul (namely) hauṃ.

19. The entire body from foot to head should be contemplated as a four-sided figure, and the principle of wind should be meditated therein by five stretches of retention of breath.

20. This principle which has been established with the principal syllable hrīṃ should be contemplated as of half-crescent-shaped in a liquid state, white in colour, beautiful and impressed with (the figure of) the lotus.

21. The reverential principle of fire which is causeless and which is the end of men, should be purified by four stretches of retention of breath along with the Rāma mantra.

22. The orb of fire should be conceived as three-sided, red (in colour), marked with (the sign of) svastika and as the form of knowledge and endowed with the principal syllable hūṃ.

23. The principle of water should be purified by means of three stretches of awful minuteness. The orb of wind (principle) (should be conceived) as marked with six dots.

24. It should be meditated as composed of tranquility, black in colour and endowed with the principal syllable of hrīṃ (and purified) by two stretches (of retention of breath). The principle of earth should be purified.

25. (It should be contemplated) as filled in with ether, as of the form of the speck of ether, uniformly circular, spotless like the pure crystal and adorned by the energy of bindu.

26. After having contemplated on the form of the digit that is beyond tranquility by means of the (mantra) hauṃ ending with phaṭ, one should contemplate the pure (thing) by one stretch (of retention of breath)..

27. One should then permeate the lotus or circles such as ādhāra (base), ananta (endless), dharma (righteousness) and jñāna (knowledge) with the shower of ambrosia with the principal mantra.

28. After having contemplated this seat of the heart, one should then invoke the form of essence of Śiva placed inside that (lotus) with twelve petals.

29. Then that form should be permeated everywhere with the divine ambrosia with the mantra of the energy ending with vauṣaṭ and the sakalīkaraṇa (accomplishing) rite should be performed.

30. The sakalīkaraṇa is that by which the mantras for the heart etc. are placed in the different parts of the body such as the heart, arms, and the little fingers of the hand.

31. Having protected the enclosure with the weapon and the outer place with its mantra the mahāmudrā consisting of the energy should be shown below and above that.

32-33. One should worship Śiva in the lotus in the heart from head to foot with the retention of breath and with the flowers of one’s own feeling. One should then offer the clarified butter of ambrosia to the fire of Śiva in the sacred pit of the navel with the mantras of Śiva. One should contemplate the white figure of the form of bindu on the forehead.

34. One of the vessels among the golden pitchers, should be purified by water of nectar got from the speck and by unbroken rice.

35. Having filled the vessel with the six constituents and after having worshipped it, it should be consecrated. After having protected it with the mantra hā one should cover it with the armour.

36. After having made ready the water of offering, one should sprinkle the eight constituents (with water) by (showing) the dhenumudrā (a particular form of intertwining the fingers representing the cow). One should then sprinkle one’s own self on the head with the particles of that water.

37. One should sprinkle water of the weapon on the materials of worship kept there. One should then encircle them with the armour of piṇḍa with the hṛt (mantra).

38-39. After having shown the amṛtā mudrā (formation with fingers denoting non-decay) and putting flower on its seat and a mark on the forehead consecrated by the principal mantra (of the god) a bold man should remain perfectly silent at the time of bathing, worship of the god, (offering) oblation unto fire, eating, practising yoga and repetition of necessary (mantras).

40. The mantra should be purified by pronouncing the nāda (oṃ) at the end. That purified mantra should then be used in the worship along with the gāyatrī (mantra) and the general water of oblation should be offered.

41. After having repeated the brahmapañcaka^[2], (the worshipper) should collect the garland from the liṅga and offer it to Caṇḍa in the north-eastern direction.

42. The purification of the liṅga consists in the washing of the pedestal and the liṅga with the water (consecrated) by the mantra of weapon and hṛdmantra and sprinkle with the water (for washing) from the vessel of arghya.

43. All the celestials should be worshipped for the purification of the self, the materials, the mantra and the liṅga. Hāṃ, Salutations to God Gaṇapati in the north-western direction. One should pay obeisance to the preceptor in the north-east.

44-45. One should worship the goddess of the seat (of the god) in the kūmaśilā (the tortoise form on the stone) as possessing complexion of the tender shoots and the seat of Śiva known as ananta (endless) should be worshipped as seated on the brahmaśilā along with the attendants of the god such as Vicitra-keśa, Kṛta and Tretā who form the seat and shoes as they were of divinity.

46. Then the worshipper should worship righteousness, knowledge, detachment and prosperity, towards the south-east as possessing the hues of camphor, saffron, gold and collyrium respectively.

47-48. At the centre of the lotus-shaped diagram and in its petals in the east etc. one should worship the energy goddesses—Vāmā, Jyeṣṭhā, Raudrī, Kālī, Kālavikariṇī, Balavikaraṇī and Balapramathanī in order as holding the chowries and as conferring boons and offering protection.

49. One should worship (the goddesses)—Hāṃ, (salutations) to Sarvabhūtadamanī, (salutations) to Manonmanī, to Kṣiti, to Śuddhavidyā at the extremities of the petals (of the lotus diagram) as also the seat as spread over the component parts of the universe.

50-51. The lord of white complexion, possessing five faces and ten arms, all-pervasive, bearing the crescent moon and carrying weapons—spear, sword, lance, and staff in the right hands and a drum, citron, blue lotus, a string and a waterlily in the left hands should be located on the lion-seat.

52-54. The image of Śiva possessing thirty-two characteristics (should be installed) at the centre. Hāṃ, haṃ, hāṃ (salutations) to the image of Śiva. After having meditated upon the self-luminant Śiva, the mantra should be led to the spot sacred to Śiva after leaving below the place sacred to Brahmā. Then (the worshipper) having meditated upon that Supreme form of Śiva, effulgent with the splendour of the moon, as a luminous point at the middle of the forehead and being invested with the six constituents, with flowers in folded palms, should deposit (those flowers) on the form of (Goddess) Lakṣmī.

55-57. Oṃ, hāṃ, hauṃ salutations to Śiva. (The deity) should be invoked with the invoking hṛd (mantra). Having established Śiva with the sthāpanī (mudrā)^[3], and placed near (that) should be checked with Niṣṭhurā and Kālakāntī concluding with phaṭ. After having removed obstructions by sending them away and making obeisance by (showing) the liṅgamudrā, it should be covered with the hṛd (mantra). The invocation should follow it. Then standing in front of the image he-should repeat. “Let you be located and firmly established. O lord! I am in your presence.”

58. The (rite of) avaguṇṭhana signifies the presence and supervision of the God and the exhibition of one’s devotion (to the God) from the commencement to the end of the act.

59. After having done the accomplishing act with the six mantras, the (rite of) amṛtīkaraṇa should be performed by mentioning different parts of the body along with the body.

60-61. The worshipper should permeate his heart with the energy of consciousness of Śambhu (Śiva). Similarly, (he should. contemplate) the tuft of hair of Śiva as formed of the eightfold glories. The worshipper should contemplate the invincible energy of God as forming his armour, the unbearable prowess of God which removes all impediments (and the words) salutations, svadhā, svāhā and vauṣaṭ (should be appended) in. order.

62-65. The water for washing the feet should be offered preceded by the recitation of the hṛd (mantra). The water (should be offered) at the lotus feet and the water for the rinsing of the mouth at the face of the image, the respectful offering at the head of the lord along with the dūrvā (grass), flowers and unbroken rice. Having purified the supreme lord with the ten purifications thus, one should worship with the five kinds of services such as the flowers etc. as laid down (in the code books). Having sprinkled and rubbed (the image) with salt, mustard seed etc., it should be slowly bathed with drops of water, flowers, perfumes, milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar successively.

66. The defects in the above materials should be rectified by worshipping with materials along with the recitation of Īśa mantras. Lord Śiva should be bathed with water and fragrance with the principal mantra.

67-68. Having applied the paste of barley, it should be bathed copiously with cold water and also with fragrant water according to one’s ability. Having wiped it dry with a clean cloth, the preliminary offering of water should be given. The hand should not be moved over the head (of the image). The liṅga should never be left without any flower on its head.

69. Having smeared it with sandal etc. and worshipped with flowers with the mantras of Śiva, the vessel for holding the perfumes should be consecrated with the weapons (mantra) and worshipped with the mantras of Śiva.

70. The bell consecrated by the weapon (mantra) should be taken and the incense should be offered. The water for rinsing should be given then (with the repetition of) svadhā at the end and with the hṛd mantra.

71. Having shown light for the idol in the night, then water for rinsing should be offered. After having made obeisance to god and taking his permission, eatables and other articles of enjoyment should be offered.

72. The heart should be worshipped in the south-east, the moon on the north-east, the golden-coloured Śiva together with the tuft and blood on the south-west, Kṛṣṇa and armour on the north-west.

73. These gods having four faces and four arms should be worshipped in the petals in the east etc. along with the divine weapon similar to thunder and fierce teeth.

74. Hauṃ salutations to Śiva at the base, Oṃ hāṃ hūṃ hīṃ hoṃ in the head, hṛṃ to the tuft, haiṃ to the armour, haḥ to the weapons and to one with the attendants.

75-76. Waters for washing the feet, for rinsing the mouth and respectful offering, perfumes, flowers, incense, lamp, food offerings and water for rinsing again, should be given to lord Śiva. Intertwined blades of kuśa and unbroken rice should be placed on the head (of the image) of the lord. Perfumes, betel, piece of cloth for wiping the face and a mirror (should also be -offered to the deity).

77-78. After having repeated the principal (mantra) eight hundred times, the sword of the lord covered by the sheath, protected by the kuśa and flowers and consecrated by hṛd (mantra) along with the unbroken rice and with the udbhava mudrā (a formation made with the fingers indicating generation). O most mysterious! Accept this repetition (of mantra) for our welfare.

79-81. “May there be success for me by this by your presence here”. Having recited this verse at first, the worshipper should offer to Śambhu (Śiva) the waters of respect with the right hand with (the repetition of) the principal mantra. Whatever good or bad that I may do O lord! let it be cast off from me who am in the region of Śiva. Hūṃ kṣaḥ O Śaṅkara, Śiva is the giver, Śiva is the enjoyer, Śiva is all this universe.

82. Śiva is victorious everywhere. I am identical with Śiva. After having repeated these two verses, the japa should be dedicated to the lord.

83. One-tenth (should be dedicated) to the limbs of Śiva. Having offered the waters of respect, one should adore (the deity). After circumambulating (the deity), one should bow to the eight-formed (representing the five elements, sun, moon and yajamāna) deity by prostrating (the eight limbs touching the ground). After salutation (the deity) should be worshipped in a picture or in the fire by meditation etc.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Representing the tortoise.

[2]:

The five mantras of the five brahman forms of Śiva.

[3]:

Formation with the fingers denoting firm establishment.