Lord Shiva Worship Prayers - Lingaashtakam Lyrics With Meanings

Lingaashtakam is recited in the worship of Shiva Linga. It was composed by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya and contains eight hymns, so it is called Ashtakam.   

Shivling is a symbol of consciousness and bliss. It represents ascending energy and light and refers to the union of matter with consciousness.

There is a mythological story that refers to a quarrel between Brahma and Vishnu over who is superior. To resolve their conflict, Lord Shiva created the Shivling and challenged them to find the beginning and end points. It began growing from the netherworld to the sky within moments. Brahma flew into the sky to locate its tip, while Vishnu dived into the ocean to discover its bottom point. Neither of them could find the end. While Vishnu conceded defeat, Brahma was arrogant and falsely claimed to have found the uppermost point. Shiva cursed Brahma, declaring that no one would worship him from that day onward. Later, Brahma sought forgiveness, and Vishnu requested Shiva to pardon him. Thus, Shiva forgave Brahma. Vishnu and Brahma, along with other celestial beings, worshiped the Shivlinga for the first time. That is how the Shivalinga came into being, and the practice of its worship followed from then on.

Now, I am providing the lyrics of Lingashtakam and their meanings.

The capital letters "A," "O," and "E" indicate the length of the syllables where I used them.

Lingaashtakam Lyrics

brahma-muraari suraarchita lingam

nirmala bhaasita shObhita lingam

janmaja dukha vinaashaka lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (1)

Meaning:-

That shivling worshiped by Brahma, Vishnu (the slayer of the demon Mura), and all angels; that which appears pure, holy, and resplendent; that which dispels the miseries acquired even from previous births: I offer my obeisance to that Sadaashiva Lingam.

dEvamuni pravarArchita lingam

kAma dahana karuNAkara lingam

rAvaNa darpa vinAshana lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (2)

Meaning:-

That which gets worshiped with flowers and kumkuma by angels, munis, and brahmins; that which destroys desires and generates compassion and gentleness; that which destroyed the pride and arrogance of Ravana; I offer my obeisance to that sadashiva Lingam.

sarva sugandhi sulEpita lingam

buddhi vivardhana kAraNa lingam

siddha surAsura vandita lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (3)

Meaning:-

That which gets adored with coats of sandal and other fragrant pastes; that which is the seed for growth of wisdom; that which gets revered by enlighten ascetics, sages, and the angels and demons equally; I offer my obeisance to that sadashiva Lingam.

kanaka mahAmaNi bhooshita lingam

phaNi parivEshtita shObhita lingam

dakshasu yajna vinAshana lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (4)

Meaning:-

That Linga which is decorated with gold and diamond jewelry; which shines on being encircled by the serpent king (Vaasuki); that which destroyed the yajna of Daksha {rajapati; I offer my obeisance to that sadashiva Lingam.

kumkuma chandana lEpita lingam

pankaja haara sushObhita lingam

sanchita paapa vinAshana lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (5)

Meaning:-

That Linga which gets worshiped with the paste of kumkuma and chandana, that shines beautifully adorned with lotus garlands, that eradicates accumulated sins; I offer my obeisance to that Sadashiva Lingam. 

dEvagaNArchita sEvita lingam

bhAvairbhakti bhirEvacha lingam

dinakara kOti prabhAkara lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (6)

Meaning:-

That Lingam which is attended by angels, gaNas, and others; that which ignites devotion and emotions, that which spreads radiance similar to that of one crore Suns; I offer my obeisance to that Sadashiva Lingam.

ashtadaLO parivEshtita lingam

sarva samudbhava kAraNa lingam

ashta daridra vinAshana lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (7)

Meaning:-

That which is surrounded by the eight petals (or the eight directions); that which is the reason for all this creation; that which destroys the eight poverties; I offer my obeisance to that sadashiva Lingam.

The Eight Poverties are as follows:

The lack of Food, Clothes, Shelter (home), Wealth (cash, etc.), Education (wisdom), Children (offspring), Friends and Relatives, and Land.

suraguru suravara poojita lingam

suravana pushpa sadArchita lingam

paramapadam paramAtmaka lingam

tat praNamaami sadaashiva lingam || (8)

Meaning:-

That Lingam which is worshiped by the angels, their Guru Brihaspati, and all eminent beings; gets daily worshiped through the offerings of flowers from the Garden of Angels; that which bestows eternal bliss; I offer my obeisance to that Sadashiva Lingam.

Phala Shruti

lingAshtakamidam puNyam

yah paThet sivasannidhou

sivalOka mavApnOti

shivEna sahamOdatE ||

Meaning:-

This is the holy and divine Lingaashtakam. Whoever recites it daily in the presence of Lord Shiva reaches His abode and enjoys a blissful reunion with Him. 

iti lingaashtakam sampoorNam

(Here ends the Lingaashtakam)

Om namO shri shivapArvatayE namah ||

Dhanurmasam | Tiruppavai | Pongal Month

Thiruppavai means penance/ pious observance that includes fasting and prayers for achieving something good.

The word "Thiru" translates to holy. The word "Pavai" refers to the rituals performed by unmarried girls to God to uphold a vow. Pavai is also a genre. It is the melodious singing of songs by the devotee to please God.

One popular religious observance kept by people of Southern India is the Dhanurmasam month, also known as the Pongal Month. During this month, devotees sing Thiruppavai hymns, one each per day, for 30 days and offer the Pongal as Naivedyam to Lord Krishna/ Lord Ranganatha Swamy.

Dhanurmasam is the name of a solar calendar month that falls between the 15/16th of December to 14/15 th of January. It is the Sagittarius month. It is also known as "Margazhi" month in the Tamil Calendar.

Pongal is a recipe prepared during this month by the devotees with rice and split moon dal (cooked well in steam) and then topped with pepper, ginger, cashew nuts, cumin, etc. This Pongal is offered to God as naivedyam after the worship during these 30 days. So, it is known as Pongal Month also.

Now, coming to Tiruppavai, the original ritual was performed by a saint known as Goda Devi to uphold her wish to marry God. She is a Tamil saint born in Sri Villiputtur, Tamil Nadu, in the 8th century CE. She was a priest's daughter and naturally was attached to God from her childhood. She loved her God so dearly that she vowed to marry Him only and performed the ritual of worshiping God in the form of Krishna assuming herself as a cowherd. She created verses, one each per day for 30 days, and sang them melodiously with pure devotion abstaining from all worldly desires. She invited other maids from her village also to join in her worship. She offered flower garlands after testing them herself to assure herself they were fresh and good. In the end, she got married to the Temple God Ranganatha Swamy in Sri Rangam as per the wish of God (who appeared in a dream to her father and ordered him to do so) and transformed into an idol beside him in that temple.

From that period onwards, the devotees started to perform this ritual during the same period every year worshiping Goda Devi as Andal (or as Ranganayaki Taayar) and Lord Ranganatha Swamy.

During this period, we worship Vishnu in the form of Sri Ranganatha Swamy or Krishna and Lakshmi as Andal or vice versa. Each day, we chant one Pasuram from Tiruppavai (chronologically) and offer Pongal as naivedyam to God after the worship. It culminates on the final day as Makar Sankranti.

Tiruppavai Essence

Thiruppavai is a profound expression of Vedic knowledge, summarized in 30 hymns. On the surface, it involves the performance of rituals through the chanting of hymns and observing fasts to attain material benefits, such as enjoying a feast with Krishna or receiving a small drum-like instrument from Him. However, if you delve deeper, you will discover the true treasure: a transcendental spiritual reunion with God. It requires a lot of deep meditation into the meanings of each hymn.

For the time being, I am providing the general layman's perception of the significance of Tiruppavai.

Tiruppavai contains 30 hymns which are to be recited daily during the month of Margazhi (Dhanurmasam) with true devotion to God for attaining some spiritual benefits. It was performed by Andal, a divine saint, more than a millennium ago to marry Lord Krishna (replicating the ritual performed by Radha and other Gopis during the Dwaparayuga). So, if we observe this ritual, we too can attain a reunion with God.

The first five hymns of the Tiruppavai introduce the main theme of the ritual. They emphasize the importance of maintaining purity in both body and mind and of abstaining from all material pleasures during the Margazhi season. Devotees are encouraged to focus on the virtues of God and to sing songs that glorify Him. Offering flowers to God is also an important practice. By engaging in these actions, the sins from both our past and present lives can be eradicated through God's grace. Ultimately, He will grant us the Parai, which represents the eternal blissful reunion with Him.

In the next ten hymns (hymns 6 to 15), Andal emphasizes the awakening of her friends, encouraging them to take a purifying bath, wear clean clothes, gather flowers, and perform the ritual together so that everyone can benefit from it. She inspires each gopika by reminding them of their inherent virtues and urges them to leave their homes to participate in the ritual and enjoy its spiritual rewards. 

 

Andal describes the natural daily life and activities occurring in the surroundings, such as the blossoming flowers, the chirping of birds, the churning of milk, the ringing bells around the necks of the cattle, the echoes of temple bells, and the melodious tunes sung by the sages visiting the temple. She points out to her companions that all of these elements are signs of the approaching dawn and the time for worship.

Hymns 16 to 20 describe her visit to the temple. The temple in this case is supposed to be that of Lord Krishna's house. She approaches the gate along with her companions and requests the guards to open the gates as she, along with her friends, likes to sing the awakening songs to Lord Krishna. She awakens Krishna's father and mother, and brother Balarama along with Krishna. But, She needed to awaken Niladevi before Krishna. So, she awakens her in the stanzas 18 to 20.

The last nine Pasurams (21 to 29) deal with the glorification of Krishna's virtues. In  the 27th pasuram, Goda Devi enlists her desires to feast with him. The 28th and 29th Pasurams describe her ignorance and her surrendrance before Him.

The 30th hymn is a concluding envoie attesting herself as the daughter of the temple priest, Vishnu Chitta, and the assertion that whoever sings these 30 hymns with pure devotion to God will attain Krishna's grace. 

For Tiruppavai Pasurams (with full meanings), you may go to this link and read the hymn you want.

For Makar Sankranthi celebrations (and 4-Day Pongal festivities), you may like to view this post.

Sri Rama Stotram _ Worship Hymns

Sri Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu who took birth in the Raghuvansha to the then King Dasharatha. He came to earth to protect the people from the atrocities of wicked demons like Ravana and others.

His devotees sing in praise of his virtues and valor and seek for his protection from evil forces.

I am providing some of those hymns sung by his devotees along with their meanings in this post.

 

sri Raaghavam Dasharathaatmaja mapramEyam

Seetaapatim raghukulaaanvaya ratnadeepam

aajaanubaahum aravinda daLaayataaksham

Raamam nishaachara vinaashakaram namaami ||

Meaning:-

Hey, Raghu Kula (clan) King Dasharatha's son! The immeasurable and unfathomable One. O Sita's Consort! Descendent of the Raghu Clan and Shining Jewel! One whose arms are long enough to touch his knees, whose eyes are wide like the petals of a lotus, and who is the slayer and destroyer of demons (the night wanderers); I am prostrating before you with folded hands (please protect me).

 

aapadaamapahartaaram daataaram sarvasampadaam

lokaabhiraamam sriraamam bhooyO bhooyO namaamyaham || (1) 

Meaning:-

O Sri Rama! You are the destroyer and remover of all Troubles. You are the giver of all Wealth and Prosperity. You are the beloved of all worlds. I pay my respects to you again and again.

artaanaamaarti hantaaram bhitaanaam bhiti naashanam

dvishataam kaaladandam tam raamachandram namaamyaham || (2)

Meaning:-

One who removes the pains and sufferings from the victims: who dispels the fear from afraid people; one who beats and destroys even the club (staff) of Yama; I pray to that Sri Rama with folded hands.

namah kOdandahastaaya sandhikruta sharaaya cha

khanditaakhiladaityaaya raamaa yaapannivaariNE || (3)

Meaning:-

I bow myself to you Who holds the Bow named Kodanda; the bow that has the arrow inserted in it ready to be released; with the use of which innumerous demons got penetrated and killed! I prostrate before you O Rama, the dispeller of troubles!

raamaaya raamabhadraaya raamachandraaya vEdhasE

raghunaathaaya naathaaya sitaayaah patayE namah || (4)

Meaning:-

Hey Rama! You are the Auspicious One, Beautiful and Pleasant, Supreme Knower! King of the Raghukula Kings! O Consort of Sita! I pay my obeisances to you. 

 

agratah prushtataschaiva paarshvatascha mahaabalou

aakarNapoorNa dhanvaanau rakshEtaam raamalakshmanau || (5)

Meaning:-

Hey, Rama and Lakshmana! Please save us from the front, back, and sideways; guarding us with your fully stretched and ready-to-release Bow and arrows.

sannaddhah kavachee khadgee chaapabaaNadharO yuvaa

gacchhan mamaagratO nityam raamah paatu salakshmaNah || (6)

Meaning:-

Equipped with the armour (kavacha), sword (khadga), along with the bow and arrows (chaapa baaNa), please proceed ahead of me always protecting me O Rama along with Lakshman.

Ganesh Chaturthi Story and Shamantakamani Jewel

The story of Ganesh Chaturthi is an important part of the festival. It is believed that no one should see the moon without reading or hearing the story of Ganesha and Krishna's ShamantakamaNi episode. Otherwise, they will suffer from unnecessary blame and indignity due to Goddess Parvati's curse on the Moon.

So, we should tell the story of Ganesha's attaining his title as "Lord of GaNas", why Parvati curses Moon, and the after-effects of that curse. Lord Krishna was kind enough to turn this curse ineffective for those who read, tell, or remember this story on this day and put some akshata on their heads after performing the Ganesh Puja and hearing the story.

I am sharing this story in a simple format for everyone's benefit.

The Story of Ganesha, Krishna, and Shamantakamani

The whole story of the Ganesh Chauth celebration has many points that emphasize the importance of observing this ritual.

There is the birth of Ganesha, his appointment as Lord of GaNas and Obstacles, the Curse on the Moon, the story of Sri Krishna getting affected by the curse, and his solution in relaxing the powers and effects of the curse. I am telling all these incidents with suitable headings in the following paragraphs.

The Story of Gajasura & Ganesha's Birth

According to an incident from Shiv Purana, the story goes that Lord Shiva granted a boon to a demon Gajaasura (an ardent devotee of Shiva) to reside in his belly and protect him from enemies. When Parvati could not find her consort, Shiva, she approached Brahma, Vishnu, and others for help. Lord Vishnu crafts a plan to save him and all of them reach Gajasura's city. They reach Gajasura's court in disguised forms with musical instruments, decorating the divine Nandi as a bull. The bull dances to their musical performance. Gajasura was pleased and asked them to tell their wish as he wanted to award them. Vishnu asked for Shiva's release after revealing their identities. Gajasura couldn't retreat from his word. So, he allowed Nandi to break open his belly for the release of Shiva on the condition that his head would be provided a worthy status of reverence and kept with Lord Shiva.

Hearing about the news of Lord Shiva's release, Parvati gets joyous and decides to have a bath to get herself ready to welcome him. Before going to bath, she made the figure of a child with the sandalwood paste that she used to apply to her skin while bathing, breathed life into it, and kept the child as a guard at the doors to not allow anybody while bathing.

 When Lord Shiva enters, the boy stops him as he does not know him. Shiva gets enraged beheads the child and enters in. Knowing this, Parvati weeps for the child. Realizing his mistake, Shiva orders his ganas (or troops) to bring the head of Gajasura (whom he had given a boon before Lord Vishnu ordered Nandi to break open his womb for Shiva's release) and joins the head to the body of the child and makes him alive. From that time, Ganesha came to be known as Gajaanan.

Ganesha Becomes Lord of GaNas & Protector From Obstacles

Parvati gets happy and celebrates the occasion inviting all angels, sages, etc. The Devatas and Rishis request Lord Shiva for a Protector who can safeguard them from Obstacles during their daily activities and rituals.

Lord Shiva chooses Ganesha as the head of the ganas and appoints him as the Protector from Obstacles as he wins the test of bathing in all the rivers of the world and returns first to his parents before his brother Kumaraswamy (with the help of the Narayana mantra bestowed to him by Lord Shiva because of his humbleness and respect to his parents).

The Curse on the Moon

 All the angels and the troops celebrate the occasion by offering various kinds of food and fruits to Ganesha. After eating all those offerings, Ganesha returns to his parents and tries to bend down to pay obeisance to them seeking blessings. But due to his heavy belly (after eating so much food offered by so many beings), he experiences much difficulty in bowing to them. 

Witnessing Ganesha's inability to bend his body, the Moon on the head of Lord Shiva breaks into laughter. Immediately the stomach of Ganesha breaks out and he falls down unconscious on the floor with all food scattered out from his belly. Goddess Parvati gets very angry at this with the Moon and curses him, saying that whoever sees him will get a bad name and ill luck thereafter.

Lord Shiva cools Parvati and makes Ganesha alive again using his powers on the advice of Brahma, Vishnu, and others.

Parvati Relaxed Curse, But Krishna Became a Victim of the Curse

 

Later, all people, including sages, approached Parvati and requested her to take back her curse upon the Moon as it is not possible to live in the world without seeing the moon. Parvati realized their problem and said that her curse could not be taken back, but she could relax it. The Curse would be applicable for one day only on this day of Ganesh Chaturthi tithi each year, on which day nobody should witness the moon. They all were pleased and observed the practice as per her instructions.

Later, after many years, Lord Krishna happens to see the moon in the milk while he was churning the cows, on this day of Ganesh Chauth. He becomes worried about this sight and foresees that he is also not spared from being affected by that curse.

It happened that one king Satrajit once pleased Sun God through his prayers and got a golden jewel known as Shamantakamani. It has some magical powers of producing gold of 160 tulas (one Tula is equal to 10 grams) daily for whoever keeps the jewel with him. After possessing it, the king once visited Lord Krishna and revealed the secrets of his possession. Krishna asks him to give it to him. But the king does not agree and returns home. 

After that incident, one day Satrajit's brother happens to wear it and go hunting in the forests where he gets killed by a lion. The lion swallowed the jewel thinking it to be meat. Jambavantha, an immortal vanara in the shape of a bear of the Ramayana period, was roaming around at that time. He sees the dazzling jewel in the belly of the lion and kills it. Jambavantha ties the jewel to the cradle of his small daughter to play with it.

When Satrajit finds his brother missing, he accuses Lord Krishna of killing his brother and stealing the jewel. Krishna realizes that he got this false accusation because of the curse on the Moon as he witnessed the moon in the milk.

 

Krishna's Fight With Jambavantha & Relaxation of the Curse

 

So Krishna immediately goes in search of Satrajit's brother to prove himself innocent and finds the dead body of the person and the body of a lion at some distance. Then following the footprints, he reaches the cave of Jambavantha wherein the jewel was shining brilliantly like a sun tied to the cradle of Jaambavan's daughter. When he snatches the jewel, the child cries and Jambavantha comes there and fights with Sri Krishna fiercely. The battle takes place continuously for 21 days while nobody gives in.  Jambavantha realizes that it must be Sri Rama of the Ramayana period with whom he had requested foolishly for a fight when he was asked to seek a reward for his services. So he realizes his mistake and bows to Sri Krishna and seeks his forgiveness for his sin and returns him the jewel and along with it his daughter also as a gift.

Sri Krishna returns the jewel to King Satrajit after telling him all that had happened. The king feels ashamed for his action and seeks forgiveness from Krishna and gives the jewel to him as a repentance and also requests him to marry his daughter Satyabhama. Lord Krishna accepts Satyabhama but returns back the jewel to keep with Satrajit.

When all the angels, sages, and human beings come to know of these incidents, they reach Sri Krishna and ask for his help in seeking a remedy for saving themselves also from the curse of Goddess Parvati. Then Sri Krishna gets pity on them and tells them to remember this story and read it or hear it from others on this day of Ganesh Chaturthi each year after offering prayers to Ganesha and take the prasadam and then they will not get any bad name on seeing the moon on that day. 

So from that day onwards, everybody began performing Ganesh Pooja and hearing the story of Lord Ganesha and the Shamanthakamani story of Sri Krishna each year on this auspicious day.

Thiruppavai Thaniyan and Meaning of Taniyan

What is Taniyan

A taniyan is a composition glorifying a Guru, an Acharyan, or the author of a spiritual rendition. It is a song or hymn paying respects in cognizance of the reverential intellectual being.

In Tamil literature, according to their grammatical rules, there are prefatory verses/songs known as "Paayirams". These Paayirams are known as Taniyans in the Vaishnava Sampradayam.

Taniyan is composed at the beginning of any divine or literary composition. It has been an obligatory ritual to revere the great seers of divine literature before presenting their works in script form.

The name or title "taniyan" is a Tamil word. It combines the words "tani" and "yaan". Tani means that which stands alone or unique. The suffix of "yan" is an affectionate personification mark.

Thiruppavai Thaniyans

Thiruppavai taniyans are hymns composed in praise and reverence of Sri AandaL who provided us a holy composition of 30 hymns glorifying an observance known as "Paavai' or Vrat by performing which a devotee can attain moksha or reunion with God.

These taniyans were composed by ParAshara Bhattar and Uyyakondar swAmigaL during the 12th century and 9th century AD, respectively.

We sing ParAshara Bhattar's taniyan first and, then, 2 taniyans of Uyyakondar before starting Thiruppavai. In all, three hymns are sung before starting the Dhanurmasam Vrat.

I am presenting the taniyans in order of rendition, the first one from ParAshara Bhattar and the other two taniyans from Uyyakondar.

NeeLAtungastana giritatee suptamudbhOdhya krishNam

paarArthyam svam shruti shata Sirah siddham adhyApayantee|

svOcchishtAyAm sraji nigaLitam yaa balAkritya bhunktE

gOdA tasyai nama idamidam bhooya EvAstu bhooyaha|| (1)

Meaning:

Awakening Krishna who was resting on the breasts of NeeLa, and imparting him the truth of her own (Goda's) dependence on Him as established by the hundreds of hymns from the crowns of Vedas (namely Upanishads, Vedanta, etc.), Goda Devi forcefully enjoys Krishna by binding him with the flower garlands (which she tests herself by wearing them before offering to him).

I pay my respects to such Goda Devi again and again.

Here, Krishna was blissfully sleeping with NeeLa Devi when Goda Devi arrived to offer her services to Him. She reminds him of her dependence on Him (that she is living only to do services to Him) and thus binds Krishna with her love and bhakti.

annavayal puduvai AndAL arangarku 

pannu tiruppAvai palpadiyam innisaiyaal

pAdikoduttAL narpAmAlai poomAlai

choodi koduttALai sollu || (2)

Meaning:

Annavayalai refers to the Swan (annam) and paddy or green (vayal) fields. Puduvai refers to Srivilliputtur where AndAL was born. Goda Devi was born in the beautiful place of Srivilliputtur where there was an abundance of paddy fields and lakes full of swans, She offered a garland of melodious Thiruppavai songs and garlands of flowers to God. Let us pray to her (sollu) and sing her poems.

Goda Devi was born and walked through the green fields of Srivilliputtor like swans. She composed the beautiful Thiruppavai Paasurams and sang them melodiously to God Sri Krishna. She offered Him flower garlands, after wearing them with love, and thus bonded Krishna to marry her. Let us pray to her and sing her songs so that she can lead us to Moksha.

choodi kodutta sudarkodiyE tolpAvai

paadi yaruLavalla palvaLayAi naadi nee 

vEnkadavaRku ennai vidhi enra immAtram

nAm kadavA vaNNamE nalgu || (3)

Meaning:

O AndAL, shining like a flare of lightning, you are the first one to offer garlands adorned by you to God! You composed songs and sang them melodiously like the sounds of beautiful bangles to please God. Just like you obtained Lord Venkata's grace, please take us also to His abode with your graceful guidance.

Goda Devi was the first blessed being to offer garlands worn by her to God. She tested the flower garlands by wearing them on her neck and around her bun (she used to tie her hair into a bun similar to Krishna who used to wear a peacock feather in his tied-up bun). So the embedded hair of Goda used to glow like a lighting spark. Her colorful bangles used to make beautiful sounds while she sang her composed hymns. Lord Venkateswara refers to Lord Krishna as both are the forms of The Supreme God.

So, above are the important taniyans to be recited while performing the Thiruppavai recitation. Even though these taniyans are perhaps intended for the Dhanurmasam Vratam, I sing these three taniyans daily during my everyday worship. These three taniyans and the concluding hymns from Thiruppavai (Paasurams 29 and 30) are performed by me daily. It gives much satisfaction.