Description of Shiva's Worship

Brahma said

Next I will tell you an excellent method of puja. Rishis and all gods, listen; it gives happiness and everything wished for. One should rise at the brahma muhurta and remember Samba Shiva. With joined hands and lowered head one prays: "Arise, lord of the gods. Wake, you who stand in my heart. Arise, Uma's lord. Get up and bring all that is auspicious to the whole universe. I know dharma, but I have no inclination toward it. I know adharma, but I do not refrain from it. Mahadeva, you are based in my heart, and I do whatever you engage me in." Having faithfully said these words, one remembers the guru's feet. To relieve himself, one goes out toward the south. With earth and water he cleans and purifies the body, washes hands and feet and cleans the teeth. The teeth are cleaned before the lord of the day rises. With cupped hands the mouth is rinsed sixteen times. Gods and rishis, devoutly and attentively, the teeth must not be cleaned on the first tithi of the month, the sixth, the ninth and Sunday. At a convenient time one bathes in a river or at home. A man must never bathe against the norms of time and place. On Sundays, ancestral rite days, at sankranti, during an eclipse, when great gifts are made at a holy place, on a fasting day and at a time of ritual impurity, one must not bathe in hot water. At holy places and the like, a man devoutly bathes facing the sun. Oil is applied to the limbs only after considering the right order of weekdays. There is no fault in using fragrant oil daily, but one should avoid ancestral rite days, eclipses, fasting days and the first day of a fortnight. Unless there is an eclipse, there is no fault in mustard oil. By time and place one follows the norms and bathes facing north or east. One should never bathe in a garment worn by another. Thinking of the gods, one bathes in a pure garment. At night there is no harm in wearing another's clothes, but they must be taken off and washed when bathing. To satisfy gods, rishis and ancestors, one offers water oblations. Then one puts on a washed garment and rinses the mouth again.

Supreme among brahmanas, he then goes to a pure place smeared with cow dung and prepares an auspicious seat, perhaps of pure wood or a place completely spread with something. A colourful seat gives every fruit desired. Having chosen what is fit, it can be spread with deerskin. Seated there, an intelligent person draws the Tripundra with ash. The Tripundra makes japa, austerity and gifts successful. If ash is unavailable, the mark can be made with water. Having drawn the Tripundra so, a man wears rudraksha. After his own rites he worships Shiva. With mantras he rinses his mouth three times again, or once, saying that this is a drop of Ganga water. For worshipping Shiva, cooked food and water are brought there. As he is able, all the other articles are placed nearby. Having patiently arranged the place, there is a vessel for arghya and another for fragrant water and unbroken rice. The vessel full of offerings is placed on the right shoulder, the guru remembered and his permission taken. Properly, the resolve is taken and the desires stated. Then, full of great devotion, one worships Shiva and his family. A gesture is shown and, with vermilion and other articles, the remover of obstacles is worshipped with Siddhi and Buddhi. Having worshipped him, one bows again. He gives gains a hundred thousand times greater. He is addressed by his names in the dative case, beginning with Pranava and ending with "namah." Asking forgiveness, one worships the god who is his brother, with great devotion, and bows again. At the gate Mahodara always stands as doorkeeper. Having worshipped him, Girija Sati is worshipped next. Then Shiva is worshipped with many sandalwood pastes, saffron, incense, lamps and different food offerings. One goes up to Shiva and bows. In the house there may be a lingam of clay, gold, silver, another metal, mercury or something else. One bows again and worships it with great devotion; when it is worshipped, everyone else is worshipped.

If the lingam is of clay, it must be established properly by the norms. At home one always follows the rules in every way. With life invoked in the image, the purification against bhutas is done. In Shiva's temple the guardians of the directions are established and worshipped. At home Shiva is always worshipped with the root mantra. There are no rules about worshipping gatekeepers. At home the lingam is worshipped because everything is established in it. At worship the god can be worshipped with his various limbs and family members, but there are no rules about this. The worshipper arranges his own seat near Shiva, faces north and rinses his mouth again. He washes his hands and does pranayama ten times with the root mantra. Before starting the worship he shows the five gestures with his hands. The worship begins only after showing the gestures. The lamp is shown and the guru is bowed to. One sits comfortably in the lotus, bhadra, uttana or paryanka posture and performs the rites. The cake used in the puja is a ball that carries one across; but if the worship is in one's own house, this rule is not binding. Then the excellent lingam is washed with the arghya vessel. With an attentive mind one gathers all the articles for the puja. Then with mantras one invokes the god. "Parvati's supreme lord sits on Kailasa's summit. Shambhu's form is the one described before. He is without qualities, yet the qualities are his form. He has five faces and ten arms, three eyes, and a bull on his banner. He is fair as camphor, his limbs divine, with matted hair and the moon on his crest, an upper garment of tiger skin, clad in the auspicious hide of an elephant, Vasuki and others twined round his body. He wields the Pinaka and other weapons. The eight siddhis dance constantly before him. His worshippers and devotees cry 'Victory, victory.' His energy cannot be withstood, he cannot be looked upon. The gods serve him. He is the refuge of all beings, with a pleasant lotus face. The Vedas and sacred texts sing of him, and Vishnu and Brahma always praise him. Shiva is devoted to his devotees; he is bliss. I invoke him." Having meditated so, one pictures a seat for Samba Shiva. In order, the dative case is used for everything. Foot water and arghya are offered to Shankara. Then rinsing water is given to Shambhu, the supreme self. Then one cheerfully bathes Shankara with the five things, with the right Vedic mantras addressed to him by name in the dative case. All the articles are offered with devotion, so all desired things are offered to Shankara. Then Shiva is bathed with water. Attentively one offers excellent fragrances, sandalwood and unguents. With fragrant water one pictures a continuous stream being poured, with Vedic mantras or the six-syllable mantra eleven times. Then the image is wiped with cloth. Rinsing water and a garment are offered. With many mantras sesame, barley, wheat, mudga and gram are offered to Shiva. Flowers are offered to the five-faced great-souled one: meditating on each face, one offers what is fit and what one wishes, lotuses, shatapatras, conch flowers, kusha flowers, dhaturas, mandara flowers from trees, and tulasi leaves. Bilva leaves are special. The puja is done with great devotion. Shankara is affectionate to devotees. If nothing else is available, bilva leaves are offered to Shiva; every kind of worship is accomplished by offering bilva leaves. With great joy powdered fragrances and excellent fragrant oils are offered, then incense, guggula and aguru. A ghee lamp is offered to Shankara. Then, reciting mantras, arghya is again devoutly offered. With devoted feeling the face is wiped with cloth. "Shankara, give me beauty. Give me fame. Give me pleasures. Give me pleasure and liberation as fruits. Please accept this arghya. I bow to you." Next many auspicious food offerings are made to Shiva. Without delay the mouth is lovingly rinsed. With all accompaniments betel leaf is offered to Shiva. With a five-wick lamp the lamp-waving is done: the lamp is shown four times at the feet, twice at the navel, once at the face and seven times over the whole body. Then, with mantras, meditation is done. A man chants mantras as many times as his knowledge allows. An intelligent person does japa according to the path the guru has taught. Using many hymns he praises Vrishadhvaja. Then he slowly circles Shiva, and by the norms bows full length. After this, with devotion, he offers a handful of flowers. "This is for Shankara, for Paresha, to please Shiva. I have done this puja knowingly and unknowingly. Shankara, favour me and give me all the fruits. Lord, as long as my breath exists, my mind is always sunk in you. Gouri's lord, Bhutanatha, knowing this, be pleased with me. Those who stumble on the ground are held up by the ground alone. Lord, those who offend you find refuge in you." Saying many such words he offers the flowers. He bows several times and says, "Lord of the gods, Lord, with your family return to your abode. Lord, please come again when it is time for puja. Full of love, depart now." So one should beg Shankara, who is affectionate to devotees, many times. Having done the dismissal in the heart, the water is sprinkled on the head. Sages, so I have told you all about worshipping Shiva. It gives pleasure and liberation. Worthy ones, what else do you wish to hear?