Har Har Mahadev | Significance of Har Har Mahadev Chant

Learn about Lord Shiva and the significance of the chant - Har Har Mahadev

One of the popular chants in Hinduism is the ‘Har Har Mahadev’. It is called at the time of worshipping Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is one of the trinity. It is said it is very easy to please Lord Shiva. You need not do any rituals or poojas to please him. Anybody can get a boon from Him by praying with all their heart.

Rich or poor all can take God’s name through this chant. The chant is found in the ancient veda - Rigveda. The chant has different meanings. In the time of sorrow or suffering the devotees can chant ‘Har Har Mahadev’ to help them overcome their sufferings.

Har Har Mahadev | Image Resource : clipartkey.com

Lord Shiva is called the Lord of divine energy, meditation, destruction, time, yoga and art. He is also called ‘God of gods’ and ‘the greatest God’. Lord Shiva is also called ‘The Destroyer’. Worshipping Lord Shiva brings wealth, health, prosperity and calmness of the mind.

Har Har Mahadev meaning

The chant Har Har Mahadev is a chant related to Lord Shiva. ‘Har’ in Sanskrit means take away or destruction. ‘Mahadev’ means - Lord Shiva. So the chant Har Har Mahadev meaning is - Elimination of all distress, sorrows, obstacles of the devotees by Lord Shiva.

There is another meaning of the chant Har Har Mahadev. In this the word ‘Har’ means everyone

and so the meaning of the chant is everyone is Mahadev Shiva.

How to worship Lord Shiva?

Monday has been dedicated to Lord Shiva. The devotees should visit the temple and offer prayers on this day. The devotees can offer milk, flowers, fruits and water to the Lord.

You can even offer sandalwood to Lord Shiva. It is said to bring a peaceful and happy life as sandalwood has a cooling effect.

You can do an aarti in the temple. One of the aartis is the ‘Har Har Mahadev’ aarti. It is a belief that this aarti benefits not only those who recite it but also those who hear it. You can even listen to this aarti everyday to overcome your sorrow.

If you recite this aarti regularly you can overcome all the obstacles in life. It helps to eliminate all sins and brings peace of mind. It helps to bring positive thoughts and helps to overcome evils like ego, anger and lust.

Festivals

The main festival celebrated in the honour of Lord Shiva are as follows:

It is said that there is Shiva in each galaxy and so there are innumerable Shivas and only one ‘Mahadev’. The festival of Shiv Ratri comes every month and the festival of Maha Shiv Ratri comes only once in a year.

Shivratri

Shivratri is celebrated because Shiva married Parvati on this day. Devotees can offer fruit, flowers, milk and water in the temples. The festival signifies overcoming darkness and ignorance.

Another reason is that when the deities and the demons churned the sea for ‘Amrut’ (ambrosia) first a pot of poison was found. Lord Shiva consumed this poison to save the deities. The poison reached his throat and turned him blue. This day is celebrated as Shivratri.

Another reason is that Goddess Ganga descended on earth with full force. Lord Shiva caught her in his hair locks and turned it into many streams. This avoided destruction on earth. Shiva Lingams are bathed on this night in honour of Lord Shiva.

Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri is celebrated because it is the day Lord Shiva performs the heavenly dance. This night is celebrated as ‘The Great night of Shiva’. You can pray to Lord Shiva on these days and fast, say the ‘Har Har Mahadev’ chant and meditate. Some of the devotees wake up all night and some go for a pilgrimage to the shrines.

Fasting on this day helps to detoxify the body. Devotees usually meditate on this day. You should consume fruits which can be easily digested. Fasting on Maha Shivratri day is followed by many.

Meditation on the Mahashivratri night is important as it is a very auspicious night. The position of the constellations are very good for meditation. Devotees wake up all night and meditate on this night.

Pooja is held in the temples on this day. It is called Maahshivratri pooja or Rudra pooja. It is done in honour of Lord Shiva. The pooja brings positivity and purity. Many devotees visit the temples on this day.

On this day devotees offer ‘Bel Patra’ (leaves of the Bilva tree) to Lord Shiva. The ‘Bel Patra’ has a trifoliate formation which represents the trinity. Another reason is that the ‘Bel Patra’ represents the three eyes of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is very fond of these leaves. Offering ‘Bel Patra’ on this auspicious day brings peace and happiness.

Kartik Poornima

Another festiva is called Kartik Poornima. Lord Shiva destroyed the demon Tripurasura on this day. The demon had defeated the gods and conquered the whole world. He has also created three cities in space. Lord Shiva destroyed the three cities created by the demon with a single arrow. The festival is celebrated by lighting lamps and diyas in the temples throughout the night and worshipping Lord Shiva.

This day is also called ‘Dev Diwali’ - Diwali of Gods.

Kumbh Mela

One of the most popular festivals is the Kumbh Mela. The festival is celebrated by taking bath in the Ganga river. It is believed that by doing this one can cleanse off all the sins. Prayers are offered too. The ‘Nagas’ who are devotees of Lord Shiva get the first priority to take the dip in the Ganga river.

As per the story when the deities and the demons churned the sea for the pot of ‘Amrut’ (ambrosia) a few drops fell on four places on earth. The word ‘Kumbh’ comes from this pot. Kumbh Mela means meeting around the water of immortality.

Kumbh Mela is held in one of the four places: Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik and Prayagraj. Haridwar is located on river Ganga, Ujjain is located on river Shipra, Nashik is located on river Godavari and Paayag is located at the ‘Triveni Sangam’ where the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet. The venue for the Kumbh Mela is decided by the position of the sun, moon and jupiter.