Praying only to Shiva?

[Alise]

Namaste all,
I haven't been here for so long now... I'm sorry. Anyway, I have question... I know Ganesha is always worshipped first and then Shiva, Can you pray only to Shiva? Is there a particular Shaivite school that does this or can you be in any of shaivite schools to do this?
I released that for me right now praying to Ganesh & Shiva is very confusing, so maybe I should pray only to one of them? I always prayed to one God, especially after I was interested in Judaism. I believe Shiva is supreme & I'm pretty much into Shaiva Siddhanta & I know Hinduism is flexible but I like to have beliefs like other people.

And so sorry for writing this so confusing,

Have a nice day,
~Alice

[Sahasranama]

You do not need to pray elaborately to Ganesha, but at least say Aum Gang Ganapataye Namah before performing any ritual. In formal rituals, it's important to always pray to Ganesha. But it's understandable that if Shiva comes up in your mind during the day, you are not going to pray to Ganesha first in order to think about Shiva. Some people also say a short prayer to Ganesha before starting any important task.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam SA:

I think its fine to just pray to one God, be it Siva, or Vishnu (Krishna) , or Shakti. Of course in some belief systems, like Saiva Siddhanta, Murugan and Ganesha are more like helper Gods than supreme God. The variance is tremendous as you already know. So if your direction is pointed towards the worship of Siva alone, then follow that. Certainly it makes this SD thing simpler.

Aum Namasivaya

[Maya3]

Do what feels right.

Maya

[Sahasranama]

I am not sure whether you mean praying in a ritualistic setting or just praying when it feels right?

[Maya3]

My teachers are not focused on rituals.
Instead we are taught that whatever is in our heart is what will lead us the right way.
If you are leading a public prayer and Puja in a Hindu Temple then proper rituals is important.
But as far as I'm concerned if you pray or do a ritual at your own home altar then you should do what feels right, whatever you can do to feel more focused and not confused is what is correct.

Maya

[Alise]

Namaste,

Thank you everyone.
And if you, Sahasranama, were talking to me - I meant praying when it feels right. Certainly I wouldn't want to leave Ganesha. He is very very special for me. When I was interested in ayurveda, I saw him on the top shelf in one ayurvedic store. So I guess Ganesha was starting reason for me finding Hinduism.

Have a nice day,
~Alice

[sunyata07]

Namaste Alisija,


So I guess Ganesha was starting reason for me finding Hinduism.


I think it is the same with many people who are new to Hinduism. At a recent Sanatana Dharma-related event I attended there were a number of stalls selling various murtis, with Ganesha's idol most prolifically among them. You should have heard the number of non-Hindus who were browsing around the stall stare at the odd head and pot-belly and ask "who's the strange fellow with the elephant-face?". :)

In relation to your post, I'm with the others on this, you don't have to pray to Ganesha directly at all, although it is tradition to invoke him first before puja ceremony or when you're praying for success, as sanctioned and blessed by Mahadeva Himself. I was also very used to the concept of just one God for a long time, so I completely understand your post. It happens to me, too, sometimes but with other Devas outside Saivite tradition which I have mainly been following. As Maya says, do what feels best, what's in your heart. Remember that there are no "rules" in Hinduism that you need to follow, and certainly not when you are dealing with something as personal as bhakti yoga. Any spontaneity in calling Lord Shiva to mind when you want to praise God or ask Him for assistance is a good thing. You need not in any way feel guilty or doing wrong to Sri Ganesha by not praying to him. If it is any help, remember that in Saivite tradition Ganesha is a deva that specialises in bringing devotees closer to his father, Shiva - by going straight to the source, you are just making things simpler. To worship the father is to worship the son.

Om namah Shivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam SA: Some days I will go to temple not intending to pray to anyone in particular. Then on the first circumambulation, and prostrating to each shrine, I'll just get overwhelmed by one of the the 3 enshrined at that temple.. Ganesha, Murugan, or Siva. I have no idea why this happens. But when I get 'nailed' like that, I will go with the flow for the duration of that particular trip to the temple. It seems to me He is telling me who I should be praying to on any particular day. There is no way of predicting this. It just happens. Often it is more convincing on days when I'm not even feeling particularly religious. Tears of bhakti start to flow, and its like "Oh, Yeah, Now I remember all over again why I come here."

Aum Namasivaya

[ScottMalaysia]

I mainly pray to Goddess Mariamman or Durga, but I have pictures of Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati, Radha-Krishna, Seeta-Rama-Lakshman-Hanuman and Murugan on my altar as well. I pray to each God when I say my evening prayers before I go to bed.

[Alise]

Namaste,
Thank you each & every one of you! You are all so amazing people & this helped me so much!

Have a nice day,
~Alice

[Maya3]

Alice,
So glad we could be of help.

Ask anything you want, I'm also somewhat new to this (at least compared to people who were born into it) I learned A LOT on the internet, don't be afraid to ask.

Maya

[realdemigod]

Namaste all,
I haven't been here for so long now... I'm sorry. Anyway, I have question... I know Ganesha is always worshipped first and then Shiva, Can you pray only to Shiva? Is there a particular Shaivite school that does this or can you be in any of shaivite schools to do this?
.
.
.
And so sorry for writing this so confusing,

Have a nice day,
~Alice

Alice,
You can pray to one God be it Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu or Lord Ganesha etc.,. But if you want to pray religiously to Lord Shiva there is a ritual..of course one might say it's applicable only when you visit Lord Shiva in his temple. It's said that one has to take permission from Lord Ganesha before praying to any god and this is the main reason one will find Lord Ganesha in almost every single temple as Lord Ganesha is remover of obstacles. You need to pray to him so that your prayers will reach the deity you want without any hindrance. Incase of Lord Shiva after praying to Lord Ganesha you will have to take permission from Shiva Gana, Nandi, and then you can pray to Lord Shiva. I believe the reason behind praying to Nandi is because he guards the abode of Lord Shiva so one has to take permission to see the Supreme Lord Shiva. There are separate verses to pray to Lord Ganesha and Nandi but you can pray to them normally.

No matter anyone prays to Lord Shiva or not He loves everyone.. as He is the kindest of all. :)

Hara Hara Mahadeva!

[bhargavsai]

Hello,

You can worship Shiva alone without worshiping, as every God is the same Parabrahman. When it feels alright or any moment, you can exclusively think of Lord Shiva alone, pray to him alone.

Hanuman the great bhakta, prayed only to Rama and saw Rama in everything.

But when you start something new like some ritualistic sacrifice, it is better to pray to Ganesha by just reciting his mantra. Because Ganesha signifies the qualities like slow and steady attitude, perseverance and facing fears. These qualities are needed for anyone to overcome the obstacles and have success in the work they start.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam SA:

From a mystical point of view, there is a wall between the worlds, this physical one, and the 'world' of the Devas. Ganesha's wall is lesser in strength, making Him the easiest of all Gods to contact. So we pray to Him first because He is the easiest to contact. Then after that 'permission' we can continue opening more doors.

Aum Namasivaya

[Ramakrishna]

Namaste Alice,

You have been given excellent answers so far. Just from my personal experience, I pray to Lord Ganesha before doing puja, but not when doing 'spontaneous' praying or when I just feel like praying throughout the day.

But lately I have begun the practice of at least reciting the Ganesha mantra "Aum Gam Ganapataye Namaha" before doing any sort of praying. I have found that over the past few months since I began doing this, I feel much more connected and closer to Lord Ganesha and I have been praying directly to Him a lot more lately. This could tie into what Eastern Mindji said in his last post, with Lord Ganesha being the closest deity to this world and the easiest to contact from a mystical point of view.

Of course, not all Hindus believe this, and the best advice could just be what Maya said in post 4: Do what feels right. Perhaps you should just try reciting "Aum Gam Ganapataye Namaha" a few times or even just one time before praying and see how things go from there. Ultimately, you must remember that Hinduism is a very personal and individualized religion, so go with what works with you and what you are most comfortable with.

Jai Sri Krishna

[kd gupta]

I have put Rudra prayers, pl visit
http://vedastra.blogspot.com/2010/11/vedastra-prayers-with-lord-of-life.html

[jasdir]

Namaste all,
I haven't been here for so long now... I'm sorry. Anyway, I have question... I know Ganesha is always worshipped first and then Shiva, Can you pray only to Shiva? Is there a particular Shaivite school that does this or can you be in any of shaivite schools to do this?
I released that for me right now praying to Ganesh & Shiva is very confusing, so maybe I should pray only to one of them? I always prayed to one God, especially after I was interested in Judaism. I believe Shiva is supreme & I'm pretty much into Shaiva Siddhanta & I know Hinduism is flexible but I like to have beliefs like other people.

And so sorry for writing this so confusing,

Have a nice day,
~Alice

Why Genesha is always worshipped firstly ?

There are 6 chakars (stages) of Prnayams (Yogic breathing), from the bottem of our body to centre between eyes namely:
Rectum, Genrative organ, Navel, heart &Throat,

When a yogi reaches on the first stage inside the body on Rectum (chakra), Presiding Deitie over there is SHRI GANESH JI.

Detitie on 2nd chakra is SHRI BRAHMA JI or Michael
..............3rd.............. SHRI VISHNU JI or Israel
..............4th.............. SHRI SHIVA JI or Gabriel
..............5th.............. SHRI SHAKTI or Maha maya or Mata or Jag janani or Great Mother ether of the universe.

_/\_Jasdir.

[saidevo]

namaste Jasdir.

I hope that no Western Hindu would think that the Hindu TrimUrti and their Shakti devI are the counterparts of the Christian/Islamic angels, when they try to make a comparison using the chakras.

In his book 'Loving GaNesha', Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami exaplains that there are seven lower chakras (mapped to the seven regions of hell) that are below the mUlAdhAra chakra. GaNesha as the adhipati--Lord, of this Chakra seals off the connection to the lower chakras. Unless the lower chakras are firmly closed, no worthwhile yoga practice can be accomplished.
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/lg/lg_ch-07.html

The Satguru explains,

"The modern concept of freedom leads to the darker chakras below the muladhara chakra. Anguish is there."

The tendency of falling victim to the negative powers lower chakras always exists among the occupants of the three realms bhu-bhuva-suvarga--earth, astral world and heavens. Since GaNesha seals off those chakras and averts all vighnams--obstacles, that might arise in the path of the sAdhaka--seeker, he is worshipped as the first God on all occasions by all Hindus.

[jasdir]

The tendency of falling victim to the negative powers lower chakras always exists among the occupants of the three realms bhu-bhuva-suvarga--earth, astral world and heavens. Since GaNesha seals off those chakras and averts all vighnams--obstacles, that might arise in the path of the sAdhaka--seeker, he is worshipped as the first God on all occasions by all Hindus.

This is the path followed by Yogies,

The LAST stage of Bhu(earth) in our pind is "Sahasdalkaval" or "Trikuti" or "Third eye" aslo known as "Shivnater", is the FIRST stage of PREMA BHAKTI (Devotion in love),

More over this path is a very hard physical exersise done through "Prynayams" which needs a long age.

So, Saidevo ji, I have one Q: for you, have you ever practiced "Praynayams" ? Or are you in PURE DEVOTIONAL exersise ?

[saidevo]

namaste Alice.

Prayer--prArthana, is of three kinds:

• As the very terms prayer and prArthana indicate, prayer is a request for fulfilment of a wish/desire. Such prayer is for iShTa-kAmyArtha.

• As our personal wishes are getting more and more fulfilled, we start thinking about others and pray for their welfare. This is prayer for loka-kShemArtha--welfare of the world.

• When our heart is thus expanding with love, we get an ardent desire to experience the universality of the Self in jIvas--souls. Then we pray for AtmArtha--for increased awareness of the Self.

Every Hindu has an iShTa-devata--preferred deity, which is supreme over other deities. However, wise Hindus know that all Godforms are of only Brahman, so he/she should do-stotra--adore, all deities. A Hindu might belong to an exclusive religious sect like Shaivism, VaiShNavism, ShAktism and so on, but most Hindus pray to all deities, cutting across sectoral barriers. The SmArtha sampradAya--tradition, established by Adi Shankara BhagavadpAda, is a convenient atmosphere that gives a Hindu the wisdom to pray to all Gods, chiefly six: Shiva, ViShNu, Shakti, GaNesha, SUrya and Shanmukha. My suggestion for new Western Hindus to follow this sampradAya, as the temples abroad house all deities.

• If we have the wisdom to pray for others, seeking fulfilment of personal wishes, that is, kAmyArtha prArthana, is neither undesirable nor degrading.

• When we do prArthana for loka-kShemam--welfare of the world, our prayers will more and more become storas--eulogies, on God. After all, saguNa-mUrtis--personal Godforms, are running the affairs of the world, so why not adore them?

**********

If you just browse these two wonderful books by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, you will have more than a good idea about the hieararchy of GaNesha, KArthikeya and Shiva:

Loving Ganesha, Hinduism's Endearing Elephant-Faced God
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/lg/

Merging with Siva, Hinduism's Contemporary Metaphysics
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/mws/

As to why GaNesha is worshipped first, check:
KAnchi ParamAchArya satsangham
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=5821

*****

Some simple prayers to GaNesha and Shiva:
You can pray to GaNesha with these simple, general shlokas:

vakra-tuNDa mahA-kAya koTi-sUrya-sama-prabha |
nirvighnaM kuru me deva sarva-kAryeShu sarvadA ||

Hey bhagavAn--God, with a curved trunk--vakra-tuNDa, and a huge body--mahA-kAya,
who shines like--sama-prabha, a crore suns--koTi-sUrya!

Make all my acts and efforts--sarva-kAryeShu, always--sarvada,
be without hurdles or obstacles--nirvighnaM.

Audio link:
http://www.chalo.net/music/video/_lli0S6i_Fw/Vakratunda_Mahakaya.html

*****

gajAnanaM bhUtagaNAdi sevitaM
kapittha jaMbU phalasAra bhakShitaM |
umAsutaM shokavinAsha kAraNaM
namAmi vighneshvara pAda pangkajam ||

He has the face of an elephant--gajAnanaM.
He is worshipped--sevitaM, by all beings--bhUta, and is the head of God Shiva's army of gaNas.
He eats the essence--sAra, of wood-apple--kapittha, and rose-apple--jaMbU fruits.
He is the son--suta, of Goddess UmA.
He removes hurdles and sorrows--vighnas.
Let me offer my prostrations--namaskAram, at God Vigneshvara's lotus feet--pAda pangkajam.

Audio link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z47yQ0wi-4

*****

And here is a great kShama-prArthana--prayer seeking pardon for inadvertent commissions and omissions, to God Shiva:

kara-charaNa kRutaM vAk-kAyajaM karmajaM vA |
shravaNa-nayanajaM vA mAnasaM vA-parAdhaM |
vihitam-avihitaM vA sarvaM-etat-kShamasva |
jaya jaya karuNAbdhe shrI-mahAdeva shambho ||

O God MahAdeva, who is always victorious--jaya-jaya, happy,
and is an ocean of mercy--karuNAbdhe!

Forgive all my faults and wrong deeds--aparAdhaM, done through my hands--kara,
feet--charaNa, speech--vAk, body--kAya, action--karma, ears--shravaNa,
eyes--nayana, and mind--mAnasa.

Audio link:
http://www.hummaa.com/music/song/Karacharana+Kritam+%5Bslokam%5D/127856#

**********

[saidevo]

namaste Jasdir.



So, Saidevo ji, I have one Q: for you, have you ever practiced "Praynayams" ? Or are you in PURE DEVOTIONAL exersise ?


Although I have some experience in prANAyAma and dhyAna--meditation, all that I do by such sAdhana is through my morning sandhya-vandana. Other than what little I do by way of svakarmAnuShThAna--personal religious rigours, I perform some occasional pujas.

There is an intimate connection between prANa--vital force/breath, and chanting mantra. For example, the gAyatrI mantra, chanted with sincerity, gives all the benefits of doing prANAyAma. Moreover, while prANAyAma is only a preliminary part of meditation, gAyatrI mantra can be a full-fledged meditation by itself. Thus, I spend most of my spare time mentally chanting the gAyatrI.

[Sahasranama]

Namaste Saidevo,

Do you only do morning Sandhya? What do you think of the idea of trikala Sandhya, is it practical for someone living in the west?

[saidevo]

namaste Sahasranama.



Do you only do morning Sandhya? What do you think of the idea of trikala Sandhya, is it practical for someone living in the west?


It is difficult to make a good habit as it is to break a bad one. Since I have not done any daily sandhyA-vandanam at all (doing it only at festival times) during my college and office days, I find it difficult to acquire the good habit of doing it trikAla--three times, sandhyA-vandanam, so I rest satisfied with doing only the prAtaH--morning, now. Further, a respected elderly man known to us, who is a devotee of KAnchi ParamAchArya, told me even if a brahmin skips sandhya, he should chant the gAyatrI mantra for at least 108 counts a day.

Most brahmins here just go through the motion of trikAla sandhyA-vandanam, using their own brief versions of it, finishing it in just five minutes. My mind would not accept such a practice, so I do it in full with shraddha--sincereity, with a minimum of ten prANAyamas and 20 gAyatrI mantras, although it takes nearly a half hour. Similarly, I can chant only five gAyatrIs in a minute, doing it the proper way, so it takes me around 22 minutes to chant 108 counts of the mantra.

As for doing the trikAla-sandhya in a western country, I think it depends on the climatic conditions and personal will. KAnchi ParamAchArya advised that if one can't do the mAdhyAniham--afternoon sandhyA, at midnoon, one might do it along with his morning sandhyA. In some industrial houses like the TVS, I was told, they let the brahmin employees to take the recess at the appointed times for doing sandhyA.

One thing is almost certain. If the practice of doing sandhyA-vandanam is not acquired in early age, it would be very difficult to get into the habit after crossing 50 years of age, specially when a man is more interested in study and vichAraNam--spiritual inquiry.

[ritueshwara]

There is a saying in Kannada:
" Devanobba Nama halavu "
You can see all god in Shiva itself. So praying to one godis ok. :)