The Main Points That will be addressed on the Presentation Today are :

The Spiritual Significance of Maha Shivarathri

What a Lingam is

Legends on Linga worship

Establishment of Linga worship

The Structure of a Lingam

Worship of a Limgam

Naturally occuring Lingam

Symbol of Shiva Rudraksha

Lingam Manifestation

Videos on Swami Giving Out Lingam

• It must be remembered that the chief aim of all saadhana (spiritual striving) is to eliminate the mind, to become A-manaska.

• Then only can maayaa (illusion) be rent asunder and the Reality revealed.

• During the dark fortnight of the month, saadhana has to be done to eliminate each day a fraction of the mind, for, every day, a fraction of the Moon too is being taken out of cognisance.

• On the night of Chathurdhasi, the 14th day, the night of Shiva, only a fraction remains.

• If some special effort is made that night, through more intensive and vigilant saadhana, like puuja or japam or dhyaana (ritual worship, one-pointed repetition & holy names, and meditation), success is ensured.

• Shiva alone has to be meditated upon that night without the mind straying towards thoughts of sleep or food.

• We have not only the Mahaashivaraathri once a year, we have a Shivaraathri every month, dedicated to the worship of Shiva

• Once a year, on Mahaa-Shivaraathri a special spurt of spiritual activity is recommended, so that what is shavam (corpse) can become Shivam (God), by the perpetual awareness of its Divine Indweller.

• One pointed meditation • Recitation of holy names • Ritual worship such as worship and

Shiva Linga Abhishekam is carried out.

• Linga means ‘characteristic” or “symbol”.

• It is the symbol of creation.

• According to Svetasvatara Upanishad, Brahman , the cosmic spirit is eternal, no form, no dimension or characteristic.

• Devotees need a symbol.

• The upright stone is used as the symbol or linga or brahman

• Shiva stood on one foot for several hundred thousand years transforming himself to Aja-Ekapada, one foot Lord.

• This is the axis of the revolving cosmos with no beginning or end.

• It is considered to be the great Shiva Linga.

• According to Mahabharata & Matsya Purana, Linga is the Divine Phallus containing the essence of creation.

• Life is created from it.

• Life ends in it.

• With Yoni-bhaga at the base, linga represents the union of Shiva and Shakti where the cosmic spirit combined with cosmic substance makes existence possible.

• There are many tales.

• Padma Purana – Sage Bhrigu came to Mount Kailas to find Shiva and Parvati in love and refused to acknowledge his presence.

• Sage cursed Shiva that people would worship him without a form as linga trapped in yoni.

• Linga Purana – Vishnu and Brahma came across great fiery pillar that stretched throughout the cosmos.

• “Om” sound came from it.

• Brahma as a swan rose into the sky try to find the summit but failed.

• Vishnu as a boar, gnawed the Earth and tried to reach the base but also failed.

• The pillar was the cosmic linga of Shiva.

• Brahma lied to Vishnu saying he reached the top. He presented the ketaki flower that he supposedly found.

• The Ketaki flower was an accomplice and fell from grace.

• For the lie, Brahma was deprived of temples and festivals.

• Shiva refused offering of ketaki flower with exception of holy nights of Shiva or Shivarathri.

• Primarily, the glowing, flaming linga was a pillar of fire, connecting heaven and earth.

• It had no end and no beginning, but it had direction, upwards, as does the earthly fire.

• In metaphysical terms, it was (is), the vertical axis which both holds apart and joins heaven and earth, dividing and uniting them at the same time, an apt symbol of cosmic integrity. Like the Tree of Life, it is both the foundation and support that ensures equilibrium between heaven and earth.

• Vamana Purana – Shiva insisted that he be worshipped as a linga.

• Taking form of elephant he installed the first linga next to a lake in deodar forest, under a banyan tree.

• Lingas that are not installed by man are called self created or swayambhuva – linga.

• Lingas created by various bhaktas are known as pratishtith- lingas.

• Shiva Lingam is a symbol of Shiva and Shakti.

• It is a rounded, elliptical, aniconic image, usually set on a circular base, or peetham.

• The Peetham represents Parashakti, the manifesting power of God.

• The base represents Brahma.

• The Centrepiece represents Vishnu.

• The top represents Shiva.

• The pedestal is provided with a passage for draining away the water that is poured on top by devotees.

• Lingas are usually of stone (either carved or naturally existing, swavambhu, such as shaped by a swift-flowing river), but may also be of metal, precious gems, crystal, wood, earth or transitory materials such as ice.

• According to the Karana Agama, a transitory Shivalinga may be made of 12 different materials : sand, rice, cooked food, river clay, cow dung, butter, rudraksha beads, ashes, sandalwood, darbha grass, a flower garland, or molasses.

• For example, Arjuna fashioned a lingam of clay when worshipping Shiva.

“Once When Lord Shiva was deep in Meditation and Prayer, The Heat that Radiated from his Physical Form threatened to burn everything, As the God's stood before him in sincere prayer, Shiva started vomiting Fire continuously and after some time from his mouth came the Lingam, This Holy Lingam cooled Shiva's Divine heat and saved the World, That is how it came to be associated with Shiva.”

- Baba

• The worship of a Lingam begins with an “Abhishekam”

• Abhisheka is literally, "wetting around.“

• Abhisheka is the bathing part of a puja that usually is done with sacred water.

• Shivalinga begins with bathing it, first with water mixed with earth, and then with water mixed with the Panchagavya.

• The linga is then smeared with sandalwood paste.

• Next, flowers and leaves are offered especially bel leaves.

• Next comes the arati, followed by the devotee's prayer.

• Shiva is believed to be very hot-tempered: bathing the linga and applying sandalwood paste are believed to soothe him.

• Even by pouring a drop of water on the Shiva Lingam it is believed that one will be relieved of all the difficulties, sorrows and will be blessed with joy and happiness ever after.

• In this context it is interesting to note that in temples where the linga is worshipped, there is often a conical pot, kept hanging over it.

• At the bottom of this vessel is a small hole, from which water drips continuously. The idea is to cool the 'fiery' linga.

• The Vedas speak of the Ashta Murthys’ (forms) of Lord Shiva.

• Sarva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bheema, Pasupathi, Mahadeva, Eashana are the eight Murthys of Shiva.

• Puranas explain the Adhistanas for these eight forms, which are Sarva for earth, Bhava for water, Rudra for fire, Ugra for wind, Bheema for space, Pasupathi for yajamana, Mahadeva for moon and Eashana for Sun.

• The following forms or forces of nature are worshipped in their primal form only without any special idols representing them.

• Sarva :- Bhoomi Linga, Kancheepuram

• Bhava :- Jala Linga, Tiruvanaikoil,

• Rudra :- Agni or Thejo (Divine Light) Linga, Tiruvannamalai

• Ugra :- Vayu Linga, Sri Kalahasti

• Bheema :- Akasha Linga, Chidambaram

• Pasupathi :- Yajamana(Lord) Linga, Kathmandu, Nepal

• Mahadeva :- Chandra Linga, West Bengal

• Eashana :- Surya Linga, Konark Temple, Orissa

• The word Rudraksha is derived from the words “Rudra + Aksha” meaning tears of Rudra.

• Rudrakshas and their effects are mentioned in various Hindu Puranas like Shiva Purana, Devi Purana, Padma Purana and Rudraksha Jabalopanishad.

• According to Shiva Purana, the demon king Tripurasura became all powerful and became the scourge of the Gods.

• To kill him Lord Shiva decided to create a powerful divine weapon, called Aghora-astra, and went into meditation.

• After a long time when he opened his gaze, his eyes smarted and a few tears fell on earth.

• As nothing divine is ever wasted, the tears became seeds and from the seeds the Rudraksha tree was born.

• The three eyes of Lord Shiva represent the Sun, Moon and Fire.

• The Rudrakshas born of the tears of his solar eye are brown in colour and are of twelve types.

• Those born of his lunar eye are fair and of sixteen types.

• The Rudrakshas related to his Fiery eye are black in colour and are of ten types.

• This gives us a total of thirty eight types of Rudrakshas.

• It is believed that Rudrakshas can transform one’s life, attitude and personality.

• It possesses powers that can heal various illnesses and it has been proven scientifically as well.

• It blesses the wearer with peace, health and even help appease planetary afflictions.

• One gets a Rudrkaksha by the grace of Lord Shiva.

• Most common is the 5 face for Kalagni or Shiva Himself.

• Devotee can either wear it or keep at the altar and worship it reciting “Om Namah Shivaya”.

• It blesses the devotee to control the five senses and endows with health, peace and prosperity.

Wearing a Rudraksha for first time?

• Rudrakshas can be worn by all regardless of background, male or female.

• Needs to be energised.

• Choose an auspicious day. Monday are Lord Shiva days and could be chosen.

• Wash Rudraksha with unboiled milk and water.

• Apply sandalwood paste on it.

• Offer Incense and flowers

• Since the rudraksh is cleaned, applying sandal paste to it is usually done for beads or malas that are to be placed on the altar for worship. If they are for wearing, then waving or touching a bit of sandal paste or powder to the beads is fine. This is also a form of offering.

• Chant "Om Namah Shivaya" 108 times . Recite as much as you want.

Do’s and Don’t’s

• Do not touch with bare hands.

• Do not wear them in funerals

• Do not wear them while sleeping

• Do not wear them while passing in Lavatories.

• Do keep them clean regularly by washing them.

• Do not show them off but keep them inside the shirt touching the skin.

• Regularly oil them in olive oil or sandalwood oil.

• Recite the mantra as much as you can.

“The manifestation of the Linga is a part of My Nature. These Pandiths (scholars of spirituality) explain it as reminiscent of an epochal event in the past when Shiva challenged Brahma and Vishnu to gauge the height and depth of the Linga Form He assumed. They failed and had to accept defeat. But, the Linga emerges, as a result of prayer and Grace. You have to recognise in this event a glimpse of Divinity, a sign of infinite Grace. Just as Om is the sound symbol of God, the Linga is the Form symbol or the visible symbol of God, the most meaningful, the simplest and the least endowed with the appendages of attributes. Lingam means, that in which this jagath (world of change) attains laya (mergence or dissolution), Leeyathe. All Forms merge in the Formless at last. Shiva is the Principle of the Destruction of all Names and Forms, of all entities and individuals. So, the Linga is the simplest sign of emergence and mergence.”

• 2 videos on Manifestation of Lingam by Swami.

• Longer video is of 2004 when Swami

explains what the lingam is. • Please Enjoy!!!!

Maha-Shivarathri 2002 Maha-Shivarathri 2004

A Presentation by Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre, Queenstown

A Presentation by Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre, Queenstown