Shri Shiva Manasa Puja
A Hymn by Adi-Shankaracharya

The Mental Worship of Lord Shiva

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 four and five 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 worshiper’s imagination. By absorbing their mind in mental worship of Shiva, the worshiper 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 one’s chosen deity helps to focus and purify the mind and to unite one with the object of one's devotion.

Recited by the music ensemble in Gurudev Siddha Peeth.