Shiva Panchayatana Puja contd..

Order of Worship

Each of the following orders is in use today. When Ganesha is not worshipped first, the five-fold worship is preceeded by a small Ganesha puja.

vinaayako ravishcaNDii iisho viShNustathaiva ca . anukrameNa puujyante vyutkrame tu mahabbhayam .. 

• [SV] Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, Ambika
• [RS] Ganesha, Shiva, Ambika, Vishnu, Surya
• [GK] Ganesha, Surya, Ambika, Shiva, Vishnu
• [VP] Surya, Ganesha, Ambika, Shiva, Vishnu

 Special Offerings

Deity	Leaf
Ganesha	Durva Grass
Surya	-
Vishnu	Tulasi
Shiva	Bilva
Devi	-

 Samba Sada Shiva Puja

There are various distinct levels of worship in the Shiva panchayatana puja:

• The worship of the five major panchayatana deities
• Followed by the worship the five forms of Shiva (Sadyojata etc)
• Followed by the the worship of Samba Sada Shiva

The five fold worship of Shiva (Sadyojata etc) sometimes takes the form of an explicit puja, such as a pancha-kalasha puja, or pancha-brahmatmaka puja. The former is particularly beautiful as the kalashas used to worship [Samba] Shiva in the puja have been invoked with his own forms. Others perform this five fold worship of Shiva implicitly as part of the Samba Sada Shiva puja.
In either case, the advaitic progression is unmistakeable.
It is interesting to note that the progression of subtely is also reflective of the movement of the kundalini. At first, the worship of the five major deities, is the worship of four-petalled muladhara chakra (Shiva in the center, and the four deities in the four petals). This moves up to the agya chakra with the worship of Shiva with the shakti-panchakshari, in the two-petalled lotus of Shiva-Shakti. This culminates with the worship of samba sada shiva in the sahasrara chakra.

 Five faces of Shiva

The five faces of Shiva, also known as the pancha-brahmatmaka represent both the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva), as well as the three fold progression of Shiva himself (Rudra, Ishwara, Sadashiva).
The ordering from Sadyojata is the reversal of the creation process, and is designed to take the ego-filled seeker to the ultimate source -- purusha, by leading us from the ego, to the mind, to the intellect, to the creative potential to its substratum. As per Shankaracharya's Upadesha Sahasri:

When all the entities in the series commencing with earth (smell) etc, and moving inward are successively negated, the innermost Self is found to be subtler and more pervasive.

This five fold worship taught by the great Acharya is arguably the most important aspect of the Shiva Panchayatana puja. This is often found to be the culmination (central point) of the puja.

Form	Direction	Form	Element	Aspect
Sadyojata	West	Brahma	Earth	Ego
Vamadeva	North	Vishnu	Water	Manas
Aghora	South	Rudra	Fire	Buddhi
Tatpurusha	East	Ishwara	Air	Maya (Prakriti)
Ishana	Above	Sadashiva	Akasha	Atma (Purusha)

 Ashta Murtis

As part of the rudra puja, we generally worship (in some manner) the ashta murtis & their spouses. The 8 forms represent the 5 tattwas, the Sun, the Moon and the Jivatma. The Sun and Moon are the life-givers, and the Jivatma is a reflection of the purusha-atma. Compared to the worship of the five faces, this eight fold worship is grosser.
The worship of the Ashta Murtis brings to mind the story from the Madhaviya Shankara Dig Vijayam where, the Acharya meets Lord Shiva as a chandala accompanied by the four vedas in the form of four dogs.

Sri Sankara, the greatest among saints began to entertain fear, devotion, obedience, fearlessness, pleasure and surprise in his mind as he begain to praise Lord Shiva in eight forms.. 6.40 ..

In our panchayatana puja, we continue to perform the worship of the Ashta murtis, which was performed by the divine sages of old including Adi Shankara himself.

Form	Representing	Shakti	Offspring	Flower
Bhava	Water	Usha	Shukra	Arka
Sharva	Earth	Sukeshi	Angaraka	Champaka
Ishana	Sun	Shiva	Hanuman	Punnaga
Pashupati	Jivatma	Svaha	Skanda	Nandyavartani
Rudra	Fire	Suvarchala	Shani	Patali
Ugra	Air	Diksha	Santana	Brihati
Bhima	Akasha	Dik	Svarga	Karavirani
Maha	Moon	Rohini	Budha	Drona

 Ekadasha Rudras

The Shiva Panchayatana puja can be considered a rudra puja which includes the other major deities. Thus, standard techniques of worshipping Shiva, such as the Rudra-Ekadashini may be used. When this is done, Rudra is invoked in each of his 11 forms in turn. The 11 forms are given differently in various works:

• Mrigavyada, Sharva, Nirriti, Aja Ekapad, Ahirbudhya, Pinaki, Bhava Natha, Maheshwara, Sthanu, Bhava, Kapali
• Kapali, Pingala, Bhima, Virpaksha, Vilohita, Shastha, Ajapada, Ahirbudhnya, Shambhu, Chanda, Bhava
• Mahadeva, Shiva, Rudra, Shankara, Nilalohita, Ishana, Vijaya, Bhima, Deva-deva, Bhava, Kapali
• Aja, Ekapad, Ahirbudhnya, Virupaksha, Revata, Hara, Bahurupa, Tryambaka, Sureshvara, Jayanta, Aparajita

 Atma puja

Of of the most important parts of the panchayatana puja (which is found in most smarta pujas) is the atma puja, where the indwelling self, the witness to all activities, is worshipped. This is done partly as a purificatory process prior to touching the icons into which Ishwara is invoked. It is also done as an explicit reminder of Advaita.
Surprisingly enough, we come across an outline of a puja in the famous astrological work Prashna Marga, which mentions the Atma puja, and follows the general outline of the Shiva panchayatana puja.

cakraM vilikhya caraNau praxaalya tanushodhanam . aatmapuujaam gaNeshaarcaam api kR^itvaa maheshvaram . cakramadhyasthite padme piiThapuujaapurassaram . parivaara nivedyaaDyam pa~ncaaxaryabhamarcayet .. 

After washing the feet, and purifying the body, propitiate Ganesha, and perform the Atma puja. Thereafter, perform the pitha puja, and worship lord Shiva in the center. Worship his family and retinue, and ofter the naivedyam. One should also pay homage with the panchakshari mantra.
This is indeed the panchayatana puja prayoga captured in a single verse. Since Shiva is usually invoked with his wife Uma as "sa-uma maheshwara" or "sa-uma-skanda maheshwara", the panchakshari mantra is often substituted with the shakti-panchakshari mantra, which includes the bija representing Shakti (Uma).

 Nyasa

The mahanyasa was codified by the great sage Bodhayana. The famed Appayya Dikshita is said to have included it in his nitya panchayatana puja. Due to its length (it requires about an hour), it is usually performed only on special occasions like pradosham.
In his grihya sutras, the sage has given a rudra abhisheka vidhi which does find a place in the nitya puja. This includes what is normally called the Rudra laghunyasa, a shodashopachara puja with the sadyojata and vamadeva mantras, and the worship of the five-faces and eight-murtis of Shiva.

 Shodashopachara Puja

Kalpokta shodashopachara pujas, where the sixteen-fold puja of Vishnu, Lakshmi and other deities are augmented with the 16 mantras found in the purusha-sukta and/or sri-sukta are quite common.
There are similar procedures for the worship of Shiva. The shodashopachara puja may be:

• Prefixed with the 1st anuvaka of the Rudra Prashna (which has 15 parts)
• Prefixed with the [Shakti] Panchakshari Mantra
• Prefixed with the Sadyojata mantra (which has 15 parts)

This procedure is not followed for the avahana or udvasana, leaving us with 14 upacharas. Thus, based on tradition, either the first or last parts of the Rudra Anuvaka and Sadyojata mantra are not used in the shodashopachara puja method described here.
There is no standard list of 16 upacharas in vogue today. In practice, few people offer exactly sixteen upacharas. Many practicioners offer around twenty upacharas as part of the shodashopachara puja. In particular, the use of pancha-mukha dipam is often added on to the shodashopachara puja for the panchayatana devatas (for obvious reasons).

 (1) aasana.aavaahanam paadyam arghyam aacamaniiyakam .  (6) snanam vastropaviitaM ca gandha puShpam tathaiva ca .. (11) dhuupam diipam ca naivedyam paaniiya.aacamanam tathaa . (15) taambuulo-dvasanaM ceti hy-upacaaraastu ShoDasha .. 

Here is a list of 32 upacharas:

(1) avahanam, asanam, padyam, arghyam, (5) acamanam, madhuparkam, snanam, vastam, (9) upavitam, abharanam, gandham, axatam, (13) pushpam, dhuupam, dipam, naivedyam (17) tambulam, daxinam, phalam, nirajanam, (21) pushpanjalim, pradaxinam, namaskaram, stotram (25) patram, chaamara, vaahana, nritya, (29) giitam, vaadya, praarthanam, visarjanam. 

The following 16 upacharas are used in the worship of Nataraja (Shiva) at the famed Chidambaram temple

 (1) paadya-arghyaa.acamanIyam ca snAnam vasana bhUShaNe .  (7) gandha puShpa-dhUpa-dIpa mahAnaivedyam eva ca .. (12) tAmbUlam archanam stotram tarpaNam ca namaskriyAm .      prayojayet prapUjAyAm upacArAmstu ShoDasha .. 

 Monthly Vishesha Dravyas (for Shiva)

Month	Dravya	Offering
Chaitra	damanaka	A type of flower
Vishakha	gandha	fragrance
Jyeshtha	triphala	Pukanni flower
Ashadha	kshira	Milk
Shravana	sharkara	Sugar
Bhadra	gudapupa	A kind of sweet
Ashvayuja	anna	Cooked rice
Kartika	dipa	Lamp flame
Margashirsha	ghrita	Butte
pausha	ikshu	Sugaar-cane
Ardra	ajya	Clarified butter
Phalguni	dadhi	Yoghurt

As per the 'dvAdasha-mAsheShu visheSha-dravya-pUjanam' slokas, the substances listed above are particularly auspicious for worshipping Shiva during pournami of each of the twelve months. Thus, for example, the use of dIpa is particularly auspisious during kartika-dipam etc.

 Abhisheka Mantras

As mentioned previously, the Shiva panchayatana puja can be performed in a non-exclusionary way, where the practitioner primarily worships Shiva, but also includes the other sectarian deities. Preferrably, it should be performed in an inclusionary way, where the practitioner worships all the five deities as the expansion of the same divine force. In the Shiva panchayatana puja, all the deities would be seen as an expansion of Shiva himself. Indeed, this is reflected in the very mantras we use in the puja:

namakam chamakam japyam shriisuuktam puruShasuuktakam . brahmasuuktam viShNusuuktam visheShaan rudramantrakaan .. 

The use of the following mantras is lauded in the worship of Rudra: Rudra prashna, Chamakam, Purusha suktam, Shri suktam, Brahma suktam and Vishnu suktam. The list includes the trimurties and also the female principle (i.e. all of creation). The following short suktas addressed to each of the panchayatana devatas is also appropriate.

Brahmanaspati (Ganesha) Suktam

somaanam svaraNam		TA 4.3 gaNaanaantvaa             	TS 2.3.14 saijjanena 			TS 2.3.14 indra eNamadiidharat		TB 2.4.2 praataganim praatarindraM 	TB 2.8.9 pavitram te vitatam 		TA 1.48 

Soura Suktam

khyeSham vaishvaanaraM jyotiH	TS 1.1.4 suuryastvaa purastaatpaatu	TS 1.1.11 suuryasya cakshuraaruham	TS 1.2.4 bhuurasi shreShThii rasmiinaam	TS 3.2.10 suuryo devo diviShadbhyo	TS 3.3.10 suuryo maa devo divyaat		TS 3.2.4 suuryo maa devo devebhyaH	TS 3.5.5 suuryo divodhipatiH		TS 3.4.5 

Vishnu Suktam

viShNornukam viiryaaNi		TS 1.2.13 tadasya priyamabhi		TS 2.4.3 pratadviShNustavate		TS 2.4.3 paromaatrayaa tanuvaa		TS 2.8.3 vicakrame pR^ithiviim		TS 2.4.3 trirdevaH			TS 2.4.3 

Rudra Suktam

pariNo rudrasya		 	TS 4.8.10 stuhishruta.ngartasadam		TS 4.8.10 miiDuShTamashivatama		TS 4.8.10 arhinbibharShi	        	RS 2.33.10 tvamagne rudra	        	TS 1.3.14 aavo raajaanam	        	TS 1.3.14 

Vaak (Devi) Suktam

deviiM vaaca			TB 2.4.6 anantaa				TB 2.8.8 

Sarpa (Subrahmanya) Suktam

namo astu sarpebhyaH   		TS 4.2.8 idam sarpebhyaH   		TB 3.1.1 nighR^ishvairasamaayutaiH   	TA 1.12