Shiva is perhaps the most well-known and venerated deity in Hinduism, and he is the one who transmitted tantra to humanity, as recorded in numerous ancient writings. Therefore, his worship is mandatory when beginning the tantric path, as without his blessing or permission, success in tantric practices is not guaranteed.
Practitioners need to chant the seed mantra of Lord Shiva at least 100,000 times to increase their spiritual energy, or tapoval, and thus increase their chances of success. In fact, the Shiva mantra is the most recited Hindu mantra in the world for its multiple benefits, and most practitioners tend to adopt it as their guru mantra, especially those who lack a guru to transmit a specific guru mantra to them.
Another custom among tantric practitioners without a guru is to accept Lord Shiva as their guru, which makes perfect sense since technically the guru is the one who transmits the teachings to the disciple. Therefore, since Lord Shiva is the original author of all tantric teachings, that makes him the absolute guru.
The Shiva ritual is quite simple, like that of other deities, but it requires discipline and strict adherence to the rules of tantra, which we’ve already mentioned in another post. It also lasts a little longer, depending on how many mantras you can chant daily. The practice explained in this post is for beginners and lasts 45 days, because if you chant 21 rosaries (2.268 mantras) daily in 45 days you will reach 100.000 repetitions.
To begin with this practice you will rise early before sunrise, wash, and wait for the ritual time, avoiding touching anyone. Then you should prepare the room where the ritual will be performed. That room should be cleaned and all unnecessary objects should also be removed from there except those that are needed for the ritual.
Starting at eight in the evening, a wooden stool will be placed facing north and covered with a new white tablecloth. A Shivling, an idol or framed photo of Lord Shiva, will be placed to represent Shiva. Directly in front of the idol or photo will be a bronze plate with jasmine, lotus, or other white flowers, along with some fresh fruits.
To the left of the plate, sandalwood incense sticks will be lit, and to the right, a ghee or jasmine oil lamp will be lit. The practitioner will be dressed only in a white cloth tied around the waist and will sit cross-legged on a white cotton mat. They will first pour water into their right palm and pronounce the resolution or sankalpa as follows:
“I (full name), son of (father’s name), am beginning this worship to please Lord Shiva. Therefore, I will recite twenty-one rosaries of his mantra for 45 days starting today.”
The practitioner will then pour the water onto the ground and begin chanting the following mantra using a Rudraksha rosary:
Om Namah Shivay
ॐ नमः शिवाय
(Play the audio to listen to the mantra)
Rudraksha rosary, also known as Shiva’s rosary, that’s why is useful for any type of practice.
After completing the 21 rosaries, the practitioner should pray to Lord Shiva asking him to accept the worship for that day and forgive him for any mistakes he may have committed during the worship. Then he should hang the rosary around his neck and meditate for at least ten minutes. After that he should bow before the altar, and stand up. This act should be performed daily for 45 days without interruption, in the same place, at the same time, and always facing the same direction.
The practitioner should sleep on a mat on the floor in the room where the practice takes place. It is not necessary to repeat the resolution or sankalpa, as it is only performed at the beginning of the ritual. To conclude, all remnants of daily offerings should be placed in a bag in a safe place and immersed in a river or buried in a isolated location the last day of the ritual.
Now, after 45 days of the ritual have concluded, the practitioner should simply recite a rosary to Lord Shiva at the beginning of their subsequent rituals to obtain his blessing without having to perform the entire worship again. Reciting one or more rosaries of Lord Shiva’s mantra before beginning any tantric ritual is highly important and necessary, not only to obtain Lord Shiva’s blessing, but also his protection throughout the ritual.
To conclude, this has been a simple yet effective practice to please Lord Shiva, and we have tried to explain it in detail. However, if you still have any questions, you can ask them using the comments box or by sending us a message through the contact page.
Jai Mata Di 🙏🔱