Among all the Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism, God Shiva is perhaps the most paradoxical, mysterious and powerful God. He is the destroyer of illusions and the one who grants Moksha – liberation from all suffering. He is the ascetic yogi who sits in deep meditation, and the grihastha family man with his wife, Goddess Parvati and their 2 sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya. God Shiva is the most ferocious God, and yet he is innocent, Bhola.
He is full of compassion, too quick to forgive and even quicker to bless his devotees. He is the best dancer, the God beyond time and the one who grants peace in chaos. God Shiva, in short, is the God of extremes and paradoxes. He is also known as the God of rebels, misfits, outcasts, and the odd ones.
God Shiva’s worship is not just about what time you pray, what you offer or which mantra you chant. It goes far beyond the basic rituals and practices. At its core, worshipping God Shiva is all about the transformation within you. It is about becoming a better human being, shedding your ego, having absolute faith in God Shiva and surrendering to something far greater than yourself.
God Shiva does not measure your bhakti (devotion) by the number of lamps you light or how much milk and water you pour on the Shivlinga for the Shiva Abhishek. God Shiva looks into your heart for bhāva (emotions). He measures how pure your emotions and intentions are behind the worship rituals. He sees your truth, your struggles and your surrender. Your pure emotions (bhakti bhav) are the greatest devotion for God Shiva.
In this post, we will explore both –
- How to worship God Shiva (in simple and meaningful ways)
- Truths about Shiva Bhakti (every true Shiva devotee goes through these stages)
How to worship God Shiva
Worshipping God Shiva is not just a religious act. It is a spiritual alignment – a way of tuning your mind, body and soul to the divine energy of the universe. When you approach God Shiva with sincerity and love in your heart, even the simplest offerings become special and sacred for him.
Below are simple and soulful ways to begin or deepen your connection with God Shiva.
When to worship God Shiva?
- Som Pradosh: Pradosh falls on Trayodashi Tithi, that means the 13th day of the lunar cycle (ie, 13th day of waxing or waning moon). When Pradosh falls on Monday, it is considered extra special, and the best time to worship God Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The most auspicious time to worship God Shiva is just before sunset on the day of Som Pradosh.
- Mahashivratri: The Shivratri comes every month, just one day before the Amavasya (new moon day). But the night before the Maghi Amavasya is considered the Mahashivratri. It’s a night for devotees to awaken their inner consciousness and connect with the divine energy of God Shiva. Devotees observe rituals like fasting, staying awake all night, chanting mantras, and offering prayers to God Shiva.
- Shravan month: This is a time when everything comes alive in nature (monsoon time in India), and spiritual energy is at its peak. According to a mythological story, God Shiva consumed the Halahal poison from Samudra manthan (churning of the ocean) during the Shravan month, thus saving the universe from its negative impact. Devotees worship Shiva by offering prayers, chanting mantras, performing Rudrabhishek (anointing the Shiva Linga), and observing rigorous fasts, especially on Shravan Mondays (Shravani Somwar Vrats), for prosperity, success, and a happy marriage.
- Every Monday: Considered highly auspicious for worshipping God Shiva, especially for those seeking peace and blessings.
- Brahma Muhurta (early morning): The early morning time between 4 am to 6 am is considered the purest time as it is spiritually charged. This is the best time to worship God Shiva. Our connection with the spiritual world is the strongest at this time, before the rest of the world wakes up.
What to offer to God Shiva?
God Shiva is also known as ‘Ashutosh’ – which means ‘the one who is easily pleased.’ He can be pleased with the most basic offerings like –
- Bel (Bilva) leaves – sacred to Shiva, offered in groups of 3 leaves.
- White and blue flowers – like blue butterfly pea (gokarna), blue or white lotus and white jasmine. He does not like red or yellow flowers.
- Dhatura fruit – a poisonous fruit offered to God Shiva, represents his power to neutralise poison.
- Water / Milk Abhishek – poured over the Shivlinga to cool and cleanse your aura.
- Bhasma (vibhuti) – sacred ash representing detachment and a reminder of the transient nature of life and death.
What are the Mantras of God Shiva?
The most powerful sound of the universe is “Om”. This sound instantly calms you down and connects you to the universal energy or God Shiva’s energy. And the most powerful and commonly chanted mantra of God Shiva is: “Om Namah Shivay.” Any mantra is always chanted 108 times or in multiples of 108. But if you are a beginner, you may begin with chanting mantras 11 times, 21 times, 51 times and then reach 108 times.
Some of the commonly chanted mantras and stotras of God Shiva are as follows –
- Shiva Panchakshari Mantra (the 5-syllable mantra): “Om Namah Shivay”
- Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra: “Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat.”
- Rudra Mantra: “Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya”
- Shiv Tandav Stotra: You can listen to it here.
- Kaal Bhairav Ashtakam: You can listen to it here.
God Shiva is not a God who asks for many rules and rituals. He looks at your bhakti (devotion), your bhāva (emotions), and your willingness to transform yourself. If you offer even a drop of water with complete love and surrender, he will give you oceans in return.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be real.
Truths about God Shiva worship
Once you begin your external worship and daily rituals like offering water, chanting mantras, visiting Shiva temples and showing up with real devotion, then God Shiva begins his work on your inner world. You will soon realise that true Shiva bhakti or Shiva worship doesn’t stop at the worship rituals. The puja rituals are just designed to understand your sincerity and devotion towards God Shiva. The real magic begins when he starts reshaping your thought patterns, breaks down your ego self, makes you leave your toxic habits, gives you no option but to face your fears, and guides you to ultimate freedom – Moksha (liberation from all the sufferings in life).
The path of Shiva worship is not for the faint-hearted; it requires a lot of courage and grit. Because worshipping God Shiva is not just about what you do outside – it is about what transforms inside you.
Below are 5 truths or stages in worshipping God Shiva that every Shiva bhakt (Shiva devotee) must go through –
He Transmutes Negativity into Positivity
If your life is filled with darkness, pain, loss, confusion, rejection from society, then God Shiva is the only one who can hold it all without any judgment. In the mythological story of Samudra Manthan (massive churning of the ocean), when the Halahal Vish (deadly poison) emerged from the depths of the sea, none of the Gods even dared to go near it. When all the Gods wanted Amrut (elixir of immortality), it was only God Shiva who stepped forward and drank the Halahal Vish (deadly poison) to save the universe from its negative impact. God Shiva drank the poison, held it in his throat, and did not swallow it. His throat then turned a deep blue colour – hence his name ‘NeelKanth.’
This act of God Shiva wasn’t just a divine miracle; it is a symbol of deep transformation. God Shiva teaches us to face the poison (negativity) in our own lives, absorb it with awareness, hold it in our throats, without letting it affect the rest of our body. He teaches us to alchemise the negativity in our lives into positivity and strength. Even a deadly snake – a symbol of fear, finds a sacred place around his neck. He doesn’t reject darkness and pain, but transforms them into light and strength.
If you are battling deep inner or outer negativity, God Shiva worship can act like a spiritual chemotherapy – a painful, intense but healing path at the deepest level. And you will emerge as a stronger and powerful version of yourself.
He is the God of Destruction
Destruction of the old is the first step of transformation into something new.
This is the reason why so many people are afraid to truly worship God Shiva.
God Shiva is the God of absolute truth. He will destroy all the illusions in your life. You cannot be a fake version of yourself if you are worshipping God Shiva, because he will eventually make you face your real self. You cannot lie to yourself or God Shiva. When God Shiva enters your life, he will remove all the fake people and liars around you. He will show you the real faces of everyone around you.
God Shiva is not about holding on. He is about letting go.
This destruction of Maya (illusions around you) is often the most painful step in your path of Shiva worship, but it is also the most essential step for your ultimate spiritual growth. You must have the courage to face the truth if you dare to worship God Shiva. He is not a god who will pamper your ego or sugarcoat your flaws. He is the Rudra (fierce God) and the Mahakaal (God of time). And when you invite him into your life, he will destroy anything that is not aligned with the highest truth, even if it’s something you hold close to your heart. That might mean the collapse of false relationships, loss of jobs, a complete shift in your identity, or a breakdown of toxic patterns and bad habits. But what comes after this destruction is a complete rebirth. If you are ready to burn the old version of yourself and step into your true divine self, then he is the perfect guide.
He Makes You Face Your Deepest Fears
A Shiva Bhakt (Shiva devotee) cannot live in fear.
When you worship God Shiva sincerely, he will create situations in your life where you are forced to face your greatest fears. It might seem like the harshest punishment at first, but it’s a test of your faith and courage. The opposite of faith in good is the fear of bad.
And God Shiva asks you, ‘Do you trust me, or do you trust your fears?’
True freedom lies on the other side of your fears.
God Shiva will take you right to the edge of that cliff and push you down into the abyss. This is the exact moment where you learn to fly. Once you pass the test of faith, you will be so fearless that nothing in the world can touch you. But beware, he won’t allow you to walk around the fire. He will make sure you walk through it. And that is where your inner power and strength awaken.
He Teaches Detachment from everything
Shiva gives you everything you want – but only after you no longer need it.
Detachment doesn’t mean giving up on your dreams and wants. It means knowing what you want and being okay without it. Detachment from your needs means being okay even if your dreams do not manifest in real life. It means still loving and worshipping God Shiva, when everything is happening against your will in your life. This is the hardest test of God Shiva. He will never give you anything that you need, because he wants to teach you that your value does not depend on anything in the external world.
Worshipping God Shiva will purify your desires slowly, until you reach a point where you detach from the world and just focus on yourself and your karma (your work). This kind of detachment is liberating. You stop chasing and start attracting. And when you start surrendering yourself to God Shiva, in that space, miracles happen. God Shiva might even test you by placing your desires just within your reach, and he will watch whether you can walk away from them or give in to the short-term temptations. If you master the detachment, he gives you much more than you ever asked for.
He Grants Emotional Stability
One of the most overlooked aspects of God Shiva is his connection to mental peace and emotional clarity. He wears the crescent moon on his head. And in Vedic astrology, the moon represents the mind and emotions. A troubled or unstable moon in your astrological chart often causes anxiety, mood swings, and depression. But worshipping God Shiva also balances and strengthens your moon (ie, your mind and deep emotions). You start experiencing calmness even in chaos, silence even amidst noise. That’s the power of God Shiva – he brings a calming effect to the racing mind. Thus, worshipping God Shiva helps to overcome all mental health problems like overthinking, emotional sensitivity, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and more.
Are you ready for the path of God Shiva?
The real Shiva bhakti or worship of God Shiva is not easy and not for everyone. It is not about just the incense stick, Monday fasts or Shivlinga Abhishek. It’s about surrender, courage and facing your shadows, your darkness with love. It is about healing your darkness, negativity and stepping into the best version of yourself so that you can hold God Shiva’s light and blessings.
If you are ready to walk the path of God Shiva, truly ready, then he will hold your hand through every fire, every fall, every destruction and every rebirth. God Shiva does not make your life easier; he makes you strong enough to face anything that comes against you.
If this blog touched your heart, I invite you to take the next step in your spiritual journey.
