Samagri (Materials Needed)
शिवलिंग दूध, दही, घी, शहद, शक्कर (पंचामृत हेतु) गंगाजल, बेल पत्र, धतूरा भांग, आक के फूल भस्म, चंदन सफेद वस्त्र दीपक (चारों प्रहर हेतु), घी, धूप फल, मिठाई
Shivalinga Milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar (for panchamrit) Ganga jal, bel patra, dhatura Bhang, akand flowers Bhasma, sandalwood paste White clothes Diyas (for all four prahars), ghee, dhoop Fruits, sweets
Step-by-Step Vidhi
1. Observe a day-long fast (nirjala or phalahari, per capacity) from sunrise. 2. Visit a Shiva temple or set up a home altar with a Shivalinga. 3. Perform abhishek across the night in four prahars (watches), each with a different substance — water in the first, curd in the second, ghee in the third, and honey in the fourth — chanting "Om Namah Shivaya" or the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra continuously. 4. Offer bel patra, dhatura and akand flowers after each abhishek, along with bhasma and chandan. 5. Maintain a jagran (night vigil), reciting the Shiv Chalisa, Shiva Tandava Stotram or Rudram, and stay awake through the night in devotion. 6. Break the fast the next morning after sunrise with prasad.
Auspicious Timing & Mantras
Performed through the night of Phalguna/Magha Krishna Chaturdashi (the night regarded as most sacred to Shiva), across all four prahars with specific timings published in the year's Panchang. Believed to grant liberation from the cycle of birth and death and remove all obstacles.