Changing Datta Puja to Shiva Puja

[Guest guest]

Jaya Guru Datta,

 

Here is a way to change the simplified Datta Puja into Shiva Puja, developed by

comparing several pujas.

 

Caveat: This is the work of a buffoon, not a scholar. These are simply best

guesses based on comparing several pujas. I am completely unqualified to have

undertaken this task. If this is any good, it is Appaji's grace alone. If it

is terrible, my ego is to blame. Criticisms and suggestions are welcome, as

long as they are explained in simple, understandable terms, since I don't know

enough to understand anything complicated.

 

Here goes:

 

Puja starts out the same way. The first change is in the sankalpa, which

should now read:

 

Asyaam shubha tithou Shri Shiva prasaada

Siddhyartham mama chintita sakaleshtartha

Siddhyartham Shri Shiva poojam karishye

 

Then the next change comes at the Dattatreya Prarthana.

The complex version is to chant the following-- I don't know the tune ( and even

if I did, I wouldn't know how to communicate it by e-mail.)

OM OM (repeat 15 times) dhyaayet nityaM maheshaM rajatagiri nibhiM chaaru

chandraavata.nsam .ratnaakalpoj jvalaa.ngaM parashumR^igavaraa bheeti hastaM

prasannam ..padmaasiinaM samantaat stutamamaragaNyeH vyaaghrakR^itiM vasaanam

..vishvaadyaM vishvavandyaM nikhila bhaya haraM pa.ncha vaktraM trinetram ..

shrii saambasadaashivaaya namaH .

shrii sadaashivaM dhyaayaami

 

or you can repeat OM 15 times and just say

 

shrii saambasadaashivaaya namaH .

shrii sadaashivaM dhyaayaami

 

(This came from the Shiva Puja I sent a few minutes ago.)

 

As you continue, substitute Shri Shivaya Namaha for Shri Dattatreyaya namaha

 

This will take you up to Nama Puja, where you can substitute the Shiva Namavali

or, if you are ambitious, the Shiva Sahasranama for the 108 names of Datta.

 

Continue substituting Shri Shivaya Namaha for Shri Dattatreyaya namaha

 

When you get to the Praarthanaa, or final prayer, substitute this sloka for the

the slokas that precede the bhajan Dattatreya Atreya Putra:

 

nagendra Haaraaya Trilochanaya

Bhasmangaraagaya Maheshwaraya

Nityaaya Suddhaaya Digambaraya

Tasmai Nakaaraya Namashivaya

 

Shivam Shantam Jagannaatam

Lokaanugrahakaarakam

Shivamekapadam Nityam

Shikaaraya Namonamaha

 

That was the prayer for Shiva on Monday from the book Datta Jyoti published by the Ashram.

 

Substitute your favorite Shiva bhajan for Dattatreya Atreya Putra

 

Substitute Shri Shiva for Shri Dattatreya in the next two mantras

 

For the final four lines, substitute Maheshwareti for Shiveti. Here's why:

 

The translation reads 'I pray to Lord Dattatreya who is called by the name of

Shiva, God and Allah.'

 

It appears that Datta is implied, (probably by Prabhussa since Prabhu means

Lord), as the word Dattatreya is not in the sloka, so in this case Shiva would

be implied-- therefore to say that Lord Shiva is called by the name of Shiva is

redundant. I am assuming that since both Shiva and Maheshwara end in "a", the

grammar would work the same way.

 

Hoping you have a meaningful Shivaratri.

 

Sri Guru Datta,

 

mahesh