Thread by @gowkinkara

Bedtime story:
During vanavasa, Arjuna did severe pooja and penance to Shiva, and attained lot of Astra, Shastra and vidyas from Shiva. He spent major amount of his time in a day in Shiva aradhana. He would worship Shiva with different flowers, Bel leaves etc. One day, he watches

Bheema, who was working incessantly and doing all chores and thinks, I am the one who is protecting all with the strength of my pooja. Anyone can do the chores and menial work. But it is difficult for all to do Shiva pooja, and a pride filled smile comes on his face. The next day

Krishna comes to visit them, and after all pleasantries, Krishna tells Arjuna, let us go to Kailasa. Happy and excited, Arjuna leaves to Kailasa with Krishna. When they reach Kailasa, at the entrance one Shiva Gana, was cleaning Nirmalya( flowers and leaves offered to bhagawan) +

In huge baskets and another Shiva Gana was carrying a handful of Nirmalya, and clearing Kailasa. Arjuna asks Krishna what this is all about, and Krishna stops the Shiva Gana carrying huge baskets and asks him what that was . The Gana replies, that in Earth, there is a great Shiva

Bhakta called Bheema, and he keeps offering flowers to shiva, and it takes all day to clear the Nirmalya in very huge baskets. Then Krishna asks about the Nirmalya in the other Gana's hand, and he says that this is the pooja offered by Arjuna. Surprised with this, Arjuna asks +

Krishna how this could be possible because Bheema doesn't offer even a petal to Shiva and all he does are chores and menial jobs. Krishna smiles and says, you might have done pooja with all flowers , for a major part of time, but after that Shiva isn't in your mind. But Bheema +

Does pooja ,offers flowers, does pradakshina, gives dhoopa Deepa naivedya to Shiva every second even if he is working. All he thinks about in every shwasa is only about paramatma. Though you have done pooja and tapasya, by installing a Shiva Linga, all you had was pride & vanity+

After you attained Shiva Dhanush. Paramatma gets pleased by humble, non prejudiced Bhakti, and thoughts filled with devotion to him,than the pooja with all the rituals for self gratification. Arjuna then realises his mistake and bends his head in shame and apologises to Krishna +

For his vanity, and thanks him for enlightening him. Krishna has taught us all through this story that though rituals are very essential to induce discipline in us for spiritual elevation, doing rituals & taking pride in them would neither please bhagawan,nor get us realisation+

Manasika pooja hence is given a higher platform. Adishankara says in Shiva Manasa pooja stotram "Aatma is Shiva, Buddhi is Parvati, pranas are your servants, body is temple, all pleasures of senses are pooja samagri,sleep is samadhi, every step walked is pradakshina , all words

Spoken are stotras , everything I do is in devotion to you Oh shiva"
Om namah Shivaya 🙏