This very prayer became well known as the `Shiva Mahimna Stotra’. In this prayer he sung the greatness of the Lord. He then designed a prayer to Lord Shiva for forgiveness. The thief Pushpadanta, not knowing this, walked on the Shiva Nirmalya, and by that he incurred the wrath of Lord Shiva and lost the divine power of invisibility. which have been used in worshipping Lord Shiva. Shiva Nirmalya consists of the Bilva leaves, flowers, etc. Finally the king spread the Shiva Nirmalya in his garden. He tried very hard to capture the thief, but in vain, because the Gandharvas have divine power to remain invisible. One day a Gandharva (Singer in the court of Indra, the Lord of the Heaven) named Pushpadanta being fascinated by the beautiful flowers, began to steal them, as a consequence of which king Chitraratha could not offer flowers to Lord Shiva. These flowers were used every day by the king in worshipping Lord Shiva. There were beautiful flowers in this garden. The legend about the circumstances leading to the composition of this Stotra is as follows:Ī king named Chitraratha had constructed a nice garden. The Shiva Mahimna Stotra is very popular among the devotees of Lord Shiva and is considered one of the best among all Stotras (or Stutis) offered to Lord Shiva.
