Lord Shiva’s Monday connection: Know its meaning and significance for devotees

New Delhi: Millions of Lord Shiva devotees across the world worship him throughout the year, specifically on the first day of the week – Monday. There’s a deep-rooted historical and mythological significance behind this sacred connection between Lord Shiva and Monday. In Sanatan Dharma, all 7 days of the week are dedicated to one deity or another. It is believed that if devotees worship the Gods and Goddesses on their designated days, then they earn the special blessings of these deities.

Revered as the destroyer within the divine trinity alongside Brahma and Vishnu, Lord Shiva is also known as the god of arts, meditation, and yoga. He is often depicted with a blue throat, a third eye, a crescent moon on his head, a snake on his neck and a trident in his hand. Shiva’s role is not simply destructive but also regenerative, as he destroys to create new beginnings. And here we will explore the reasons behind worshipping Lord Shiva on Monday.

Lord Shiva is known by various names – Bhairav, Hara, Mahadev, Maheshvar, Neelkanth, Nataraja, Pashupati, Rudra, Shankar, Shambhu, Somnath, and Umapati, among others. Sacred texts mention that one can earn his blessings if they worship and pleases Mahadev on Mondays.

Som in Somwar or Monday means Moon, which is present on the head of Lord Shiva. Apart from this, when we say Somwar, ‘Om’ is pronounced. Lord Shiva is also Omkar; hence, this is another connection between the two.

The sacred scriptures say that Chandradev, or the Moon God, worshipped Lord Shiva by observing a fast on Monday. This had immensely pleased Lord Shankar, and he, in turn, blessed Chandradev with a healthy body. This is the reason why Monday is considered special for worshipping Lord Shiva even today.

Chandradev, also known as Somdev, presides over intoxicants as well as the moon. Lord Brahma had banished him to the outer atmosphere for getting the deities drunk. This is why Brahmins, who follow Lord Brahma, refrain from taking stimulants. But Lord Shiv’s bliss is so perfect that Somdev orbits around him. In modern times, Lord Shiva is linked to bhang, but it originally belonged to Somdev.

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Another legend tells that Goddess Parvati had gone through severe penance out of her love for Mahadev and to earn his love. To attain her goal, she had observed a fast for 16 consecutive Mondays. Pleased with her devotion, Lord Shankar accepted Mother Parvati as his consort. This is also one of the significant reasons why Lord Shiva is worshipped on Mondays.

It is always interesting to know the significance and meaning of a particular ritual that a devotee follows. Keep worshipping Mahadev with a pure heart on Mondays if you are one among them. For you, surely there must be no phrase called Monday blues!