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23-01-2017, 06:59 PM
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Knower
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 118
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How to worship Lord Shiva
Hello everyone. I'm new here. I need to start worshipping Shiva (Ganesha too) but I'm a newbie. I cannot find anything about hinduism in the country I live so I think altars will not work, right? I mean I can't find Ganges Water, no hindu beads and no idols. Would a printed picture also work instead of an idol? Because many people say they are not as effective. Sure I can order idols, ganges water and beads from ebay but many of them don't ship here and are expensive. Please help me!
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24-01-2017, 02:00 AM
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Guide
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 537
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Where are you, if you don't mind me asking? Sounds odd that you can't get stuff shipped there.
A picture is fine, or even a stone. Any stone, if worshiped enough, will automatically turn into a spatika (natural) lingam. Since you have acess to the internet, you can download a simple puja to follow.
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24-01-2017, 05:02 AM
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Master
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 10,861
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LoGronn
Hello everyone. I'm new here. I need to start worshipping Shiva (Ganesha too) but I'm a newbie. I cannot find anything about hinduism in the country I live so I think altars will not work, right? I mean I can't find Ganges Water, no hindu beads and no idols. Would a printed picture also work instead of an idol? Because many people say they are not as effective. Sure I can order idols, ganges water and beads from ebay but many of them don't ship here and are expensive. Please help me!
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Namaste.
Shiva is a deity worshiped through the heart, so if you see a nice picture on Google Images you really like and it resonates with something inside, print it off, frame it, hang it somewhere you'll be reminded of it and light a candle/incense to it every now and then and just be in that space...that feeling of worship and love...I have quite a few nice pictures of Shiva hanging in my prayer place.
Sure there are proper procedures and things the scriptures tell us to do, but if that isn't evoking any devotional feelings, why do it?
In fact, anything, ANYTHING will work as an 'idol' if you associate it with Shiva whilst praying to it - it's the whole reason why Shiva Lingam was invented.
You can 'pretend' that tap water is Ganges water and it will be...your faith and devotion makes it so.
Anything you associate with Shiva becomes a murthy - I have been known to place nautilus shells, sunflowers etc on my altar because they remind me of the Fibonnaci sequence and the Golden ratio, which, in turn reminds me of Shiva..
So, if you cannot get anything and it is impossible, you make your own, write your own rules and 'make do'...as long as the bhava (devotional feeling) is there.
There is also a good book on the subject (if available) - Lord Siva and His Worship - Swami Sivananda. It goes through everything on the subject.
All the best with it.
Aum Namah Shivaya
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24-01-2017, 07:35 AM
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Master
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 10,861
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Oh joy! I just found a free PDF version of "Lord Siva and His Worship" to save you/anybody some money in getting the book on ebay:
http://www.dlshq.org/download/lordsiva.pdf
HAR HAR MAHADEV!
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24-01-2017, 09:04 AM
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Master
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 10,861
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There is also what is known as Shiva Manasa Puja. If you can't do worship physically for whatever reason, you do it in your mind. It's great doing it mentally because you get to offer anything then, even yourself.
It's like a form of meditation where you keep Shiva in your mind or heart in any form that is most appealing to you (Ishta Devata) and offer oblations mentally through visualisation.
You can chant certain mantras as you do it and combine mantras with certain mental practices of worship.
You don't have to say any mantras really, just "I offer this to you because I want you to be satisfied and happy with me and I'd like to get to know you better".
Shiva is known as Asutosha, He is easily pleased with anything you do, as long as it is done with Him in mind.
Aum Namah Shivaya
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24-01-2017, 03:19 PM
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Knower
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 118
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinayaka
Where are you, if you don't mind me asking? Sounds odd that you can't get stuff shipped there.
A picture is fine, or even a stone. Any stone, if worshiped enough, will automatically turn into a spatika (natural) lingam. Since you have acess to the internet, you can download a simple puja to follow.
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Seriously, they barely ship here and when they do it feels more like a robbery. Not to mention the currency in this country. And no I don't mind you asking, since you've answered my question. I live in Turkey. The currency sucks. 1 Euro = 4.05 Turkish Liras and 1 Dollar = 3.76 Turkish Liras at the moment. And It's getting worse. I would not mind paying it's for Shiva after all but... I just don't know. I wanted to Shiva to guide me and help me to obtain the idols. And I saw a dream, A figure (probably Shiva) and I were talking by the front gates of my University. He was showing me a hologramic screen, it was a website and he was telling me that they sell cheap idols. That was weird. Thank you for your answer Vinayaka.
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24-01-2017, 04:29 PM
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Knower
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 118
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Necromancer
Namaste.
Shiva is a deity worshiped through the heart, so if you see a nice picture on Google Images you really like and it resonates with something inside, print it off, frame it, hang it somewhere you'll be reminded of it and light a candle/incense to it every now and then and just be in that space...that feeling of worship and love...I have quite a few nice pictures of Shiva hanging in my prayer place.
Sure there are proper procedures and things the scriptures tell us to do, but if that isn't evoking any devotional feelings, why do it?
In fact, anything, ANYTHING will work as an 'idol' if you associate it with Shiva whilst praying to it - it's the whole reason why Shiva Lingam was invented.
You can 'pretend' that tap water is Ganges water and it will be...your faith and devotion makes it so.
Anything you associate with Shiva becomes a murthy - I have been known to place nautilus shells, sunflowers etc on my altar because they remind me of the Fibonnaci sequence and the Golden ratio, which, in turn reminds me of Shiva..
So, if you cannot get anything and it is impossible, you make your own, write your own rules and 'make do'...as long as the bhava (devotional feeling) is there.
There is also a good book on the subject (if available) - Lord Siva and His Worship - Swami Sivananda. It goes through everything on the subject.
All the best with it.
Aum Namah Shivaya
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Thanks for your answers The Necromancer. I'll print a picture and start worshipping tomorrow with an idol of my preference.
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24-01-2017, 07:16 PM
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Guide
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 537
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LoGronn
Seriously, they barely ship here and when they do it feels more like a robbery. Not to mention the currency in this country. And no I don't mind you asking, since you've answered my question. I live in Turkey. The currency sucks. 1 Euro = 4.05 Turkish Liras and 1 Dollar = 3.76 Turkish Liras at the moment. And It's getting worse. I would not mind paying it's for Shiva after all but... I just don't know. I wanted to Shiva to guide me and help me to obtain the idols. And I saw a dream, A figure (probably Shiva) and I were talking by the front gates of my University. He was showing me a hologramic screen, it was a website and he was telling me that they sell cheap idols. That was weird. Thank you for your answer Vinayaka.
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There is also a lot of free stuff on-line. Himalayan Academy, a Saiva based publisher has all their stuff free on line. The books 'What is Hinduism?' is a starter for general Hinduism, and a bit deeper book is 'Dancing with Siva'.
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24-01-2017, 07:21 PM
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Knower
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 118
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinayaka
There is also a lot of free stuff on-line. Himalayan Academy, a Saiva based publisher has all their stuff free on line. The books 'What is Hinduism?' is a starter for general Hinduism, and a bit deeper book is 'Dancing with Siva'.
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I was going to read the Vedas, they were in my e-reader. But then it got broken. But yeah I think starting with more basic stuff like your recommendation is better.
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24-01-2017, 10:24 PM
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Guide
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 537
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LoGronn
I was going to read the Vedas, they were in my e-reader. But then it got broken. But yeah I think starting with more basic stuff like your recommendation is better.
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The Vedas are probably the last place to start. They are really metaphoric and complex to read. The translations also vary a lot because of this.
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