What to Offer and What Not to Offer in Mahashivratri?
There is no other occasion as auspicious as Maha Shivratri in Sanatan Hindu Dharma. In the chaos of day-to-day life, we generally lose touch with our inner consciousness, Maha Shivratri is the day to rekindle that. To remember that we are more than this worldly existence.
Maha Shivratri is observed on Chaturdashi Tithi Krishna Paksha day in Phalguna month. As per the lunar cycle, a total of 12 Shiv Ratris occur in a year, and among them, the Mahashivratri is the most auspicious one.
Here is a general suggestion regarding offerings to be made on this day:
What to offer to Lord Shiva on Mahashivratri?
- You should begin by offering water to the Shiv Linga. As per Atharva Veda, the first door to divine order is water.
- Milk, which has sattvic qualities should be offered next.
- Shiva Linga Abhishek with the following: milk for purity, yoghurt for prosperity, honey for sweet speech, sugar for happiness, and ghee for victory are offered along with water to be performed.
- If you are performing puja at all Prahars, you should perform Abhishek water in the 1st Prahar along with til or sesame seeds, lotus and jav.
- In the 2nd Prahar, offer him fruits of vijara, kheer and lemon and perform Abhishek with curd.
- In the 3rd prahar, offer him til, wheat, and kapur and perform abhishek with ghee.
- In the 4th prahar, perform abhishek with honey and offer him udad dal (white lentils), jav, moong and shankhpushpi leaves.
- Next, you can also offer attar or perfume, Bhasma, Chandan, Dhatura and Vibhuti which is a sacred ash made of dried cow dung. “Wearing the sacred ash, the Vibhuti symbolizes the transitory nature of the material world and the eternal presence of the divine within us.”
- When it comes to flowers and leaves, our Gods have their favourites. So, you can also offer Bilva Patra, which is considered the lord’s favourite. You can offer him either 21 or 108 of these. You can also offer garland made of these leaves. You can offer him a garland made of Aank or Dhatura flowers
- Rice, lotus leaves, wheat and sunflowers are some of the things that can be offered.
And remember, the most important aspect of any offering is the sincerity, purity of intention, and heartfelt devotion with which it is made. So, make sure you have these.
Besides making these offerings people perform the following activities to show their devotion:
- On this day, people observe fasts, or partial fasts depending upon their health, consumption of fruits is allowed.
- If possible, take a bath in the Ganges or else get up early in the morning, and take a bath in warm water with sesame seeds as it is believed to purify the body.
- People do meditation, stay awake at night and do prayers.
What not to offer to Lord Shiva on Mahashivratri?
One must be careful and refrain from offering the following things to Lord Shiva:
- You should not offer turmeric and vermillion to Shivling on Shivratri and in general as well,
- As per Shiva Purana, Tulsi should not be used during the puja of Lord Shiva. The reason for that is that Jalandhar who was the king of demons, was killed by Mahadev and Jalandhar’s wife Vrindha reincarnated on earth as Tulsi.
- Offering broken rice is strictly prohibited.
- Do not offer him Kumkum as Mahadev is a recluse and thus puts ash on his forehead.
- Bael patra which is infected.
- Offering milk and curd in a bronze pot. You should always make offerings in a copper pot instead. And make sure your fingers do not touch these items as getting touched by nails can make these inauspicious.
- Haldi, though it is offered to most of the deities, you must refrain from offering it to Mahadev who lives a saintly life and does not indulge in worldly pleasures. Haldi on the other hand enhances beauty and looks.
- Besides, devotees must refrain from consuming non-veg food, alcohol, intoxicants, and strongly spiced food as these are of a tamasic nature and Maha Shiv Ratri is a day of spiritual purification.
The above points are good enough to help you know what to do or not to do during Mahashivratri puja.
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