The Shiva Mahimna Stotra is considered the most powerful of all stutis offered to Lord Shiva. According to legend, a king named Chitrartha had a beautiful garden in which grew fragrant and wild flowers. These flowers were used by the king in his worship of Lord Shiva.
A gandharva (celestial singer) named Pushpadanta, fascinated by the beautiful flowers, began to steal them everyday, because of which king Chitraratha could not offer flowers to the Lord. He tried very hard to capture the thief, but in vain, because gandharvas have the divine power of invisibility.
Finally the king spread the Shiva Nirmaalya in his garden . Shiva Nirmaalya consists of the bilva leaves, flowers, and prasad which have been used in worshipping Lord Shiva . The Shiva Nirmaalya is believed to be exceptionally holy.
The thief Pushpadanta, not knowing this, walked on the Shiva Nirmaalya, and by that he incurred the wrath of Lord Shiva and lost the divine power of invisibility . In remorse and regret, he then composed a prayer to Lord Shiva, extolling the greatness of the Lord and praying for forgiveness and benevolence. Pleased by Pushpadanta’s prayers and penance, Lord Shiva restored to him his power of invisibility. Since then this stotram is considered to be very potent in the worship of Lord Shiva.
It is recorded that the sage of Dakshineswar, Thakur Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa went into a samadhi state by reciting just a few verses of this great stotram.
The Shiva Mahimna stotram is usually recited by devouts on Shivaratri.
Om Namoh Shivaaya!
