What is a Shiva Linga

Shiva linga though many people in their ignorance consider it as a phallus worship or union of male-female etc. these ideas are absurd. A linga means leenam artham gamayathi, that which points out to the hidden truth, and shiva means auspiciousness. A shiva linga is a pointer to the Truth. Truth is the most auspicious. In many place the linga is in the form of a ellipse. But there are temples where the ling is in the form of a circle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon or an octagon. And there is a temple in south tamilnadu (neat pudukkottai / arandangi), Avudayarkoil, the swami is called Atmanatheswara who has no form, Arupa. This is a temple built by Sri Manikkavacakar. Leave this alone, one of the jyothirlinga, Kedar has the linga in the form of a small mountain.

The shiva linga which is baneswara is the one which is brought from the river narmada. This is a naturally formed linga because of the rolling of the stone, in a small water fall. And the other lingas are either made from a stone from narmada of any good stone, like marble, crystal etc. Otherwise there is no "upadhi", attribute difference between a baneswara and any other iswara. But, there is an important difference, for a baneswara there is no prana-prathishta, establishing of vital-air (deity) through sacred chants required and for the other including a linga made from the narmada stone.

There are different types of lingas that are worshipped. The results are attributed to be different for each. Linga made of crystal, is a special form for the Brahmins. Others include narmadeswar linga, linga made from a metal gold, silver etc. There is a special linga made of mercury amalgamation which is considered to be good. There is one called hariharatma linga which is one found in a shaligrama stone. A shaligrama stone is like a bana linga which is found in the gantaki river flowing in Nepal. Inside this, when a shaligrama is bigger, there is a shivalinga form stone which is considered very sacred. We can make linga from clay or cow dung also.

It is also to be understood here, that when someone calls a shivalinga a Swayambhu, it does not mean, swayam bhavati iti, that which came automatically / naturally, except in the mythological stories. But, that for which the one who installed it in the first place is not known.

Securely insecure

This happened years back. When I was in virakth ashram. I had gone from rishikesh to Delhi to purchase some books. It had to be purchased from different locations. I bought some books from old delhi, near university. These were books from chaukamba, and I had to buy some sets of the sankya karika book for my neighbor, Other than a couple of books for other.

Then I went to Rohini, to buy books from Parimal Publishers. The man who is the owner stays there, a very nice gentleman. I had gone there to buy a book on Sanskrit grammar, for my friend. In the shelf he had a copy of Advaitasiddhi. And offered the book for half the price rs. 350 /= and the cost price was rs. 400/=. Confused, me too. He told me that the new reviced price for the new edition is rs. 700 /=. But, still I didn’t have enough money on me. I had only rs. 150 /=. He was ready to trust me for the rest of the money, and asked me to send it later. After carefully calculating the money I have in rishikesh, I took and promised the man that on my return to rishikesh will immediately send him the money.

After this I came to the place of my stay. When I checked all the books, the sankhya karika book was the same book, which my neighbor didn’t want. The seller, had mistakenly given me the book. The next day in the morning, before going to rishikesh, went to old delhi. The seller didn’t have the book I want, and that is the reason he had changed the books, on his own (like when we ask for a medicine the chemists offer us the same medicine composition of a different company). He gave me the money rs. 300 /=. I kept it in my pocket and took a bus to I.S.B.T. (inter state bus terminal) to take a bus to rishikesh. When the conductor asked for the money, I put my hands in the upper pocket where I had kept the money. Surprice, the money is gone, I probably lost it to a pick-pocket. Fortunately I had some money in another pocket with which I paid for the ticket.

Now, along with the bus started my mind also started to work. Now, I had to send the money for the publisher, as I had promised ( I keep up my word, as a rule) and I have to return this lot money to the neighbor. It was little more that that 300/= I had lost. I was trying to set the tally proper, by adjusting the account again and again. During those times, I didn’t have any money, as I had once told earlier, I was only into studies and had no time for any extra-curricular, like maintaining contact with devotees or going for the bandaras (feast with some money). My mind worked overdrive, and suddenly in muzzafarnagar, close to a field, there was a burst. It was the tire of the bus. With this my mind also came to a halt. That was the last time I thought so much about money, and with this breakdown I stopped to think anymore about the money. When I came back, I send the money to the publisher as promised, told the neighbors the truth, and promised them to return their money, when I have some.

Bhagawata : Tatparya

When I was in south, happened to listen to one of the famous Bhagawatakara (bhagawatist J). In his speech spoke about the importance that should be given to the bhagawatakara etc. when I heard this I thought, in the Brahma Sutra bhagawan vyasa and Bhagawan Bhashyakara during the discussion of the importance of bhagawata matha as a siddhanta to be greater than that of the Vedanta, which both duly negate. So, in this case, if one needs to give them that importance, we should understand the importance that should be accorded to the Vedantins.

But, there is another important point which I want to discuss here. I though am a devotee, and ardent at that. Do not prescribe to the staple dosage of bhagawata as a story, the way these people present it. This essentially negates the idea of the puranas being an aid for moksha for the less qualified people. And personally, these stories are no less dramatized for greater effect, playing with the emotions of people, which one receives when one watches the heart wrenching last portion of Shankarabharanam movie. Though there is a bhavana which is associated with the story, when one says Krishna stole butter or the dress of the Gopis one feels odd, to see the thief as a God or God as a thief.

What is the tatparya, real purport of this, then? Butter is Navaneetham in Sanskrit. (And there is a text called Kaivalya Navaneetham, both in Sanskrit and Tamil, a Vedanta treatise.) Navaneetham, means, Nava – new and Neetham – taken to. On is taken to a new level of understanding. Krishna gives them (us) the essence of the Scriptures, which is the realization. That is not correctly understood by the people, who collect the knowledge / preach without understanding (like collecting the butter or selling it).

What about the dress stealing episode. Dress is something which is the symbol of duality, separation. When one feels the other to be different he / she feel insecure without any cover. And this cover maybe a dress, a wall or a boundary, though an imagined one. So, Krishna removes this veil of ignorance.

Also see : When Shuka brahma rishi comes out of the womb and runs into the forest thereafter in his birthday suit (naked) who is followed by His father Sri Vyasa, with his dress on. The apsaras, celestial damsels who are bathing skimply dressed did not feel any shyness when the son goes through that area, but when the father is seen in the near about, they feel shy. And, the famous biblical story of Adam and Eve also shows this very same idea.