During Shivratri, bhajans are widely sung as they are a favorite part of the tradition and festivities. And when hundreds of people join together and sing bhajans, the atmosphere is infected with joy. How does this happen?

When we sing, all of our minds are in one field. The brain has two sides. One is for logical thinking, and the other is for creative activity. So, sometimes you think, and sometimes you sing. Satsang is the combination of both.

Bhajan means sharing and here’s all you need to know to decode this mystery.

• Mantras are like electricity. When you sing in satsang, the electricity produced by this enters our body. This mantra or electricity increases the energy levels in the body.
• Mantra and knowledge have a deep effect on our consciousness; they energize us and elevates the consciousness.
• Song is a quality of the ether element (akash). Singing and chanting make the ether element vibrant. Sound enriches and enlivens the ether element. It is believed that this element sustains the mind. Thus, making you happier and more joyous.
• When we sing bhajans, the sound energy gets absorbed by every atom of our body. Just as a microphone absorbs sound and converts it into electricity, the body absorbs sound and converts it into consciousness.
• Singing bhajans brings serenity. Singing is simply merging into the sound, floating on its waves with a sense of contentment and meditation.

Bhajans

Shivoham Shivoham (Bhanu Didi)

Shivoham Shivoham (Chitra Roy)

Om Namah Shivaya (Rishi Nityapragya)

Om Namah Shivaya (Chitra Roy)

Shiv Shambho Shambho
‘Shambho’ means, ‘sambodhan’ (greeting - hello, hi); it means ‘wonderful’. ‘Bho’ means ‘thou’, ‘sham’ means ‘that which brings such a pleasant benevolence in life, peace in life – joy in life’, Shambho means beautiful consciousness.

Deva Manohara

Top 5 Art of Living Shiv Bhajans

Jai Jai Shiva Shambo

Har Har Bole Shankara

Dam Dam Damroo Baje

Shiva Om

Mantras & chants

Shiva Lingashtakam

Shiva Lingashtakam is a very sacred and powerful Lord Shiva mantra. It is believed that any Shiva devotee who chants this holy octet of the Shiva Lingam with great devotion will get moksha and reach the abode of Lord Shiva (Shiva Lok).

Q. Could you tell us something about chanting? When I chant, something deep within me awakens, I don’t know what.

Gurudev: These chants are very, very old. Sound vibrations remain in space, in the ether, for a long, long time. They don’t die or disappear because sound is energy and energy can never be destroyed. So the sound energy remains in the consciousness and the air. When we sing these ancient chants, it penetrates deep into our consciousness. That’s why Gregorian chants, Vedic chants, and the mantras help in a subtle way to resonate each layer of our consciousness.

Our consciousness is very old, maybe 20,000 to 30,000 or even a million years old. And the sound, Om Namah Shivaya, is being chanted since then. So when the same sound vibration, whatever the tune, strikes you, a frequency, similar to the tuning fork, starts vibrating in your system. When we chant ancient mantras, the deepest layer of our consciousness starts vibrating too.

Rudram chanting

Sri Rudram is a very powerful Vedic hymn from the ancient Yajur Veda. It is a very powerful chant and an important one too. Every homam done will have certain sections of Rudram. The main quality of Rudram chant is that it destroys all the evils and bad qualities.

Shri Rudrashtakam Stotram of Lord Shiva

Shri Rudrashtakam Stotram is composed in devotion of Lord Shiva.

Shiva Shadakshara Stotram

This beautiful Shiva Stotram plays homage to Lord Shiva. It is said that listening to this stotram fills one with positivity and energy.

Hope you enjoy this special selection of Shiva bhajans. You’d like to listen and meditate to these chants and bhajans during the live celebrations with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar!

To watch LIVE webcast of Mahashivratri celebrations with Gurudev on February 21st, click here.

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To know more about this special day, visit here.