Iam a christian,married fro TamilNadu and iam a BIGGGGGG devotee of Lord shiva. Daily i chant 1)OHM NAMASHIVAYA 2)SHIVATHANDAVA STOTRAM 3)MAHISHASURAMARDINI STOTRAM 4)LINGASHTAKAM 5)VAIDHYANADHA STOTRAM 6)DEVI APRADH KSHAMAPN STOTRA 7)GAYATRI MANTHRA 8)108 Names OF SHIVA I don't have pooja room at home. But, i would love to have one with Hindu Gods pics and idols,especially with Lord Siva, Parvathima,Muruga,Ganapathi and Nandhi and do nithya pooja. I googled a lot, but i didn't get any idea.Finally i ended up here,Please give advice. 1)What are the materials i should buy for a pooja room. 2)What kind of diyas should i buy and how many 3)I love to have a small Linga too, what are the other items i should buy along with Linga( like Nandhi, jaldara, rudraksha..) 4)Are these slokas enough. 5)Nithya Puja Procedure and things to buy for nithya pooja 6)Which Gods pics and idols are must, what should be the length and breadth, i mean the size.. If possible please do post your Pooja Room Pics.
Hi Junitha, Firstly there are no specifications for the no. of pictures you must have in pooja room. With regards to having a Shiva Ling, please google for yourself, because you need to maintain some strict cleanliness and sanctum when having it at home. If you are Ok for this then fine. Many people have it at home, but since you are planning giving you the info. 1)Materials for pooja room should basically be pooja plate ,a small handle for camphor, agarbathi stand,pooja bell, a small tumbler like thing with a spoon for thirtham(hope you can visualise what I mean).Note that all of these items should be made in brass or copper. Dont use the normal vessel/plate that we use in kitchen. Basically kep the pooja vessels only for God, as in you dont use it for your day to day activities in kitchen. 2)Then the important thing, lamp/vilakku/diya can be of silver or copper. There are many designs available. I see that you stay in Chennai. If you go to Mylapore you can get them in Vijaya stores/Sukra jewellery if you want in silver.Many designs are available in these places. You can also find them in many other shops there. 1/2 should be enough. 3)Mentioned above for Shiva ling. 4)Slokas , you can recite as many as you like. It can also be one. The main idea is more about your dedication and concentration rather than the numbers. 5)Nithya pooja can be done by keeping fruits/ sweets . If you are going to do weekly poojas, or poojas on special ocassions, buy a cocunut, 2 betel leaves and nuts, 2 fruits, some flowers in the pooja plate. Next you light some camphor and ring the pooja bell.Please note that you show the prasad(sweet/fruit) firstly and then show the camphor. 6)Size of the photos depends on the space you have in pooja room. No rules for this. I have given the basic info that you requested for. All that matters is your faith in god,the rest are just for human satisfaction.So you dont have to worry so much. Just pray God, and do the pooja as you like also keeping the above instructions in your mind Also ask your husband/MIL if their family has any specific method in doing poojas.Some have some traditions. So if you know that you can follow that as well.
Dear @junithapj, In addition to what @iamsrihere has written, I would like to say, in my opinion: Worshipping Shiva or any God in Hinduism leads you to a way of life that ultimately helps you find the God you worship and enjoy the immense bliss. In order to have harmony with the way of living with your husband (I presume a Hindu) and his family, follow their traditions in worshipping Hindu Gods. If you want to worship Shiva, you can have the photo or Lingam and Vibuthi, and Kumkum, camphor, Agarbathi, Light a Deepam and say the poems -Vinayagar Agaval and Namashivaaya Vazga. If you find it long and difficult to start simply you may start with saying "Om Namashivaya" 108 times, slowly and steadily without any other thought except Shiva. You may find the above two poems in a small booklet form in any leading bookshop/ any Temple book store/ Mylapore shops. As dear @iamsrihere said , it is all about faith, and concentration, more than the formalities and rituals or the number of slokas. All questions regarding puja room, size of photos etc, are according to your convenience of available space, time and facilities. Ensure you spend at least twenty minutes with total devotion. Daily or whenever possible visit a Shiva or Ganapathi or Muruga or Amman temple nearby. May you receive the full Arul of Shiva.
iamsrihere and Surya kala thanku so much for reply.will surely follow that.Members of My husband's family and My mothers family are christians,No hindus here. I created an interest by myself, I don't when and how.Thatz why, i cant ask to anyone else. Yeah, iam going to Shiva temple.
SuryaKala, i can see tht u r praying for baby to Sri Sai baba. Can u plz help me with prayers and fasting u r practising? i have the same problem , married for 7yrs.
You can very well use drinking water. If you have tulsi plant at home, pluck 2-3 leaves and put in the thirtham. This will suffice.
Dear @junithapj, Thanks for your both responses. I am pleasantly surprised that you belong to a Christian family and still was attracted by Shiva worship. In fact one of my DILs is a Roman Catholic Christian. We happily have Lord Jesus and the Cross in our puja and include Him in our Aarthi and my DIL happily joins our Bhajans and Aarthi's and visits to temples. As you know more and more about Shiva, the concept of God, and our relationship with God will become clearer and clearer to you provided you follow your thirst with determination to know the truth. I pray Lord Shiva to take your Self through this journey of finding the absolute Truth. In the meanwhile please remember to ensure that your heart is always filled with love for the entire creation. My thread http://www.indusladies.com/forums/r...168639-praying-shirdi-sai-baba-child-285.html is about my special Thursday prayers to Baba, for all my Sisters and daughters in IL who are trying to have a child (TTC). I pray for others also, as per the request for various other wishes they may have. This I do as a service as it gives me great peace and bliss praying for others. I am a grand mother already and by Baba's grace I have nothing more to seek except the happiness of all in the world. Om Namashivaaya.
