Shri Shiva Manasa Puja
A Hymn Attributed to Adi Shankaracharya

The Mental Worship of Lord Shiva

Recited by the music ensemble in Gurudev Siddha Peeth.

Singing the devotional hymn Shri Shiva Manasa Puja, and absorbing one’s mind in its meaning, offers a powerful way to evoke the presence of Lord Shiva.

This hymn is attributed to the eighth-century spiritual Master Adi Shankaracharya and has been sung in Siddha Yoga Ashrams since Baba Muktananda introduced it to the daily schedule in the 1960s, along with the recitation of Shri Shiva Mahimna Stotram. Verses 4 and 5 of Shri Shiva Manasa Puja are also regularly recited by Siddha Yogis as they begin their offering of seva, dedicating their actions in service to the Guru and God.

In Shri Shiva Manasa Puja, the outer act of worship is internalized, with the beauty, fragrance, and sweetness of the offerings created by the unlimited resources of the worshipper’s imagination. By becoming absorbed in the mental worship of Shiva, the worshipper comes to recognize that the one they worship is present within them as their own Self.

This hymn can also serve as a model for establishing your own practice of mental worship. Mental worship of the Guru, or your chosen deity, helps to focus and purify your mind and to unite your awareness with the object of your devotion.