THE MEANING OF THE SHIVA LINGA & RUDRAKSHI
(Compiled for a Discourse by NRS for a Discourse at Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville, USA)
Mahanarayana Upanishad being a Mantra Upanishad includes the following mantras for meditation:
sadyojātaṁ prapadyāmi sadyojātāya vai namo namaḥ .
bhave bhave nātibhave bhavasva mām . bhavodbhavāya namaḥ
I take refuge in Sadyojāta. Verily I salute Sadyojāta again and again! O Sadyojāta, do not consign me to repeated birth; lead me beyond birth, into the state of bliss and liberation. I bow down to Him who is the source of trans migratory existence.
These and the succeeding 4 formulas of salutation and prayer are called Pañca-brahma-mantras, directed to Supreme Being is employed in the worship and meditation of Mahādeva Linga visualized as having five faces turned towards the four quarters and up.
These are also prescribed for japa by a person who desires divine illumination.
The term Sadyojāta literally means “he who is born today”. The Lord described here is the embodiment of all knowledge. His westward face is supposed to be responsible for the evolution of the universe from the unevolved condition.
When this face is pratyag-vṛtti (out-turned), the cycle of birth and death begins to turn and sustains creation. When it is prāg-vṛtti (in-turned) Mahādeva grants Release.
That aspect of Mahādeva, which is responsible for Saṁsāra is called Sadyojāta. The worshipper who has realized the limitations and miseries of the world, therefore, prays to Sadyojāta:
May He not consign me any more to the round of birth and death, but lift me out of it and set me on the path of Release. He who binds the jīva with His delusive power alone can give him Release, and the helpless bound Soul has nothing with him to buy his release except humility, self-surrender, self-abnegation and continuous aspiration implied in the word namaḥ.
vāmadevāya namo jyeṣṭhāya namaḥ śreṣṭhāya namo rudrāya
namaḥ kālāya namaḥ kalavikaraṇāya namo balavikaraṇāya namo
balāya namo balapramathāya namaḥ sarvabhūtadamanāya namo
manonmanāya namaḥ
Salutation to Vāma deva! Salutation to Jyeṣṭhā! Salutation to Śreṣṭha! Salutation to Rudra! Salutation to Kāla! Salutation to Kala- vikaraṇa! Salutation to Balavikarana! Salutation to Bala! Salutation to Balapramathana! Salutation to Sarvabhūta-damana! Salutation to Manon- mana! These eleven salutations are subjoined to eleven Divine Names describing the northward face of Mahādeva.
The Names in their numerical older of occurrence are now interpreted:
1. The beautiful and shining One or (taking the sense of generous for Vāma) the generous God.
2. The Eldest, existing before creation.
3. The most worthy and excellent.
4. He who causes creatures to weep at the time of dissolution.
5. He who is the Power of time responsible for the evolution of Nature.
6. He who causes changes in the evolution of the universe beginning with Prakṛti.
7. He who is the producer of varieties and degrees of strength.
8. He who is the source of all strength.
9. He who suppresses all power at the time of retraction.
10 The Ruler of all the created beings.
11. He who is the kindler of the light of the soul.
aghorebhyo ghoraghoratarebhyaḥ / sarvataḥ sarva sarvebhyo namaste astu rudrarūpebhyaḥ .
Now, O Sarva, my salutations be at all times and all places to Thy Rudra forms, benign, terrific, more terrific and destructive.
Uttering this mantra, one salutes Mahādeva’s southward face and the aspect called Aghora Śiva or Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Rudra is the Supreme Lord dwelling in all created beings. He is endowed with many forms that are either Sāttvika, Rājasa or Tāmasa called here respectively as Aghora, ghora and ghoratara.
tatpuruṣāya vidmahe mahādevāya dhīmahi tanno rudraḥ prachodayat!
May we know or realize the Supreme Person. For that, may we meditate upon Mahādeva and to that meditation may Rudra impel us. /Śiva Gāyatrī/
Here this Gāyatrī is reproduced to worship and meditate upon the eastward face of Mahādeva.
īśānaḥ sarva vidyānām īśvaraḥ sarva bhūtānāṁ brahmādhipatir-brahmaṇo' adhipatirbrahmā śivo me astu sadāśivom
May the Supreme who is the luster of all knowledge, controller of all created beings, the preserver of the Vedas and the one overlord of Hiraṇyagarbha, be benign to me! I am the Sadāśiva described thus and denoted by Prāṇava.
This is the mantra prescribed for the worship and meditation of Mahādeva as ūrdhva-vaktraṃ, i. e., with upturned face. The expression sadāśivom stands for Sadāśiva Om. This mantra is also referring to the Supreme Lord. Sadashiva is explained as sarvada niravadyaha.
The Chāṇḍogya III 19 1 describes that the whole universe was hatched out of a golden egg, which lay a complete year before it brought forth offspring.
The spherical dome of the heavens above, appearing to us capping the earth on which we live, may be likened to an enormous semi-section of an egg containing the world.
Perhaps this golden egg landed itself to be fancied as the visible symbol of the limitless all-inclusive Divine Reality into which the manifold universe was believed to be reabsorbed at the end.
The Liṅga which is worshipped by the devotee of Śiva is but a handy replica or a convenient diminutive form of the universal semi-spherical emblem of the Unlimited.
Pancha Bhoota Sthalam refers to five temples dedicated to Shiva, each representing a manifestation of the five prime elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air, and aether. Pancha indicates "five," Bhoota means "elements," and Sthala means "place." The temples are located in South India, four in Tamil Nadu and one in Andhra Pradesh. The five elements are believed to be enshrined in the five lingams of the temples, with each lingam named based on the element represented. Amazingly, all these 5 temples are located on the longitudes 78 - 79° E, with very minute differences.
Śiva Liṅga may be carved out of stone, naturally found as stalagmite, or shaped out of gold, metal and the like. The Liṅga therefore, is a symbol concealing a truth behind. This word LINGA occurring in various compound names above are to be interpreted in the light of the tradition behind the word!
Please go through David Frawley says:
“The Shiva Linga is part of a vast nature symbolism of ascending cosmic energy and consciousness. Such ascending forms pervade the whole of nature and include mountains, fire, trees, standing stones, pyramids, Sun, Moon, lightning, and even the mantra OM.
We find such cosmic dualities as Shiva and Shakti in the yin and yang of Taoism and many other traditions. These are often related to ancient traditions of standing stones, pyramids, pillars and obelisks on the Shiva side. On the Shakti side we have sacred flowers, grottos, caves, rivers, springs, lakes or sacred circles.
The sexual reductionism of the Shiva Linga by modern Western scholars and their often-graphic images involved, particularly those trained in Freudian psychology, is part of their deep-seated sexual obsessions overall, which are almost pathological. They see sex organs everywhere as if there were no deeper meaning to anything else.
While the Yoga and Shaivite traditions recognize seven chakras from the root chakra below to the thousand petal lotus above, modern psychologists remain trapped in the lower two chakras and their sexual connotations, which is only their outer functions.
The Supreme Shiva (Parashiva) is the supreme light of Consciousness, our inner Self (Paramatman) that is eternal and infinite. The Supreme Shakti (Parashakti) is the power of Consciousness (Chit-Shakti) which is the ultimate origin of all creation.
All this can be found by studying Shaivite and Shakti texts from the Saundarya Lahiri of Shankaracharya to the many works of Kashmir Shaivism and the vast practice of Sri Vidya. Please learn about the cosmic powers within us and how they can lead us to the Supreme Transcendent!
Shiva Mahadeva is the Supreme Yogi. From him arises the knowledge of meditation, mantra, prana and asana. He takes us to the highest Samadhi and our inmost Self beyond body and mind."
What are the benefits of reciting Sri Rudram?
Found in Krishna Yajurveda, Sri Rudram is truly considered the gem of the Vedas, the whole force it produces, the set of perfect vibrations it generates and the deep concept of "divinity in humanity". . The benefits of Sri Rudram recitation can be widely classified into two categories which are:
1) Physical; 2) Divine
The following verse explains the importance of Sri Rudram:
Vidyasu Shrutirutkrushta Rudrakadasini Shruthau |
Tatra Panchakshari Tasyam Shiva and Ithyakshara Ddayam ||
"Vedas are supreme in all sources of knowledge (educations) Sri Rudram is the best in Vedas. Panchakshari Mantra (Namah Shivaya) is superior in Rudram and the two letters 'Shiva' are supreme in the Panchakshakshari mantra itself! "
As the meditation shloka at the beginning of Sri Rudram suggest, "Dhyayet Epsita Siddhaya", (I meditate on Lord Shiva to fulfill all my desires) has the ability to fulfill all the secular desires of a man who chants it. Studying the utmost devotion and its deep meaning and educating the man who sees this world as the manifestation of the divine soul and recognizes the divinity in all living things (living and non-living) in the path of redemption and achievement. The ultimate goal of every man according to the Sanatana Dharma.
Gaurishankar Rudraksha, गौरीशंकर रुद्राक्ष is the symbol of the divine unity of Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati expressing union and bond. You are blessed with emotional success and unity with partners. Gauri Shankar Rudraksha is principally available in two varieties which are Java Indonesian Rudraksh & Nepali Rudraksh. Nepal Gauri Shankar beads are bigger in size and more developed and heavier with thorny surface and deeply etched Mukhi lines. The Java Indonesian beads are comparatively smaller with smooth surface and visual Mukhi lines.
Shiva and Shakti are indistinguishable. They are one. They are the universe. Shiva isn't masculine. Shakti isn't feminine. At the core of their mutual penetration the supreme consciousness opens.
May all well-wishers be blessed! May all the people be happy!
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