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Can non-Hindus worship Lord Shiva?

Specifically:

  1. Can they chant his name?
  2. Can they listen to the chanting once in a while?

I thought it's okay for anyone to listen to and pray even though they are not Hindu, but I'm afraid that it would make Lord Shiva displeased.

Can anyone cite a scriptural opinion on this?

Say No To Censorship
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Aurelia Zhuang
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    Welcome to Hinduism.SE! Personal advice questions are not allowed on this site, so I'm closing your question for the time being. If you want to edit your question and make it more general, like "Are non-Hindus allowed to worship Hindu gods?", that may be more acceptable. – Keshav Srinivasan Jan 09 '16 at 16:56
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    Vedas, Varna System are eternal and applies to all 7 billion people on earth. Lord Shiva is not only God for Hindus but He is God for every species on this planet. He is called as PASHUPATINATH (Lord of Animals). Religion has nothing to do with Gods. Knowledgeable Hindu saints accept other Gods. Theoretically there is only one God called as BRAHMAN by common name. All 33 types of Gods in Hinduism are different aspects of Him. Some Hindus worship Shiva as Supreme while some others worship Vishnu and Devi as Supreme. Name doesn't matter here. (1/2) – The Destroyer Jan 10 '16 at 04:43
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    Hinduism is not Original name of this Religion. Moreover, Hinduism is not a religion. See here origin of word HINDU. It is called as SANATANA DHARMA (eternal Righteousness) or simply DHARMA (Righteousness). Vedas are essence of Sanatana Dharma. If you live outside India and you don't know methods to worship Shiva, just chant his five syllable mantra "OM NAMAH SHIVAYA" 108 times during mornings. This is enough. Else, just chant his name SHIVA when you are free. This works like charm. (2/2) – The Destroyer Jan 10 '16 at 04:49
  • Please edit your question, such as " Can non-Hindu worship Hindu Gods?" as Keshav said, – The Destroyer Jan 10 '16 at 04:55
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    God is never displeased with anyone when His name is chanted. In fact, He is only pleased. A mother is not displeased with her baby child when he first tries to call her, even if it is mispronounced. Indeed, she is even more pleased with the baby who mispronounces than the older child that pronounces correctly. – Swami Vishwananda Jan 10 '16 at 10:56
  • There were no Religions at the time (starting of Kaliyuga: 5000 years ago) when Hindu Scriptures were written. So, you won't find any scripture saying Non- Hindus can worship Shiva or other Hindu Gods. Indeed, the word "Hindu" has no presence in Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. Hindu was given by outsiders. – The Destroyer Jan 10 '16 at 13:48
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    God is One. Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti (The Truth is One, the sages call it in various names). It doesn't matter whether you call Him Allah, Jehova, Jesus, VIshnu or Shiva. All praise goes to the same eternal One, who is the in dweller of heart and lover of His Devotees. Thus there is no need to assume that Lord Shiva (or any other God) will exclude you as non-Hindu or non-Christian. All religions are One and all Gods are One. He is in fact the creator of all religions. This is the view of modern saints such as Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Sivananda, Sai Baba, etc. – Sai Jan 11 '16 at 01:42
  • Yes you may. Just make sure you chant his name only and do not add seed sounds like "om" etc. namah sivaaya is sufficient. –  Jan 11 '16 at 03:28
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    @moonstar2001 Chanting Om or Om Shiva is also good. "...No evil, My son, befalls a man who does good." (Gita 6.40). "Even the most sinful man, if he worships Me with unswerving devotion, must be regarded as righteous; for he has formed the right resolution." (Gita 9.30). – Swami Vishwananda Jan 11 '16 at 04:49
  • Swami Vivekananda observed that in Sri Lanka, a non Hindu who chants the name of Shiva (I think he said three times), becomes a Hindu. – Swami Vishwananda Jan 11 '16 at 04:53
  • @SwamiVishwananda Swamiji, namaste. AFAIK Om (and all other beejaksharas) requires formal initiation from a guru. My response was based on that. Thank you. –  Jan 11 '16 at 08:19
  • @moonstar2001 The mantra imparted at initiation by a true guru carries a certain power to the disciple - no doubt. There are other certain bija mantras that should not be done unless given by a competent teacher. There are certain mantras that should not be done unless learned from a competent person because the pronunciation must be exact. But Om is not one of them. Om is not a word, not a mantra. Om is Brahman. As Swami Vivekananda has said Om is not a word, it is God Himself. – Swami Vishwananda Jan 12 '16 at 05:36

1 Answers1

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To answer the title question:

Can a non-Hindu worship a Hindu deity?

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavada Gita that he is equally disposed to all living beings and is partial to none.

Shloka:

समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रिय: |

ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या€मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ||

Translation:

I am equally disposed to all living entities; there is neither a friend or foe to Me; but those who with loving sentiments render devotional service unto Me, such persons are in Me and I am in them.

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-09-29.html

Amit Saxena
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