Symbolism behind the blowing of conch

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Symbolism behind the blowing of conch

 

The blowing of conch produces the primordial sound of

Om. The sound of the Om signifies the beginning of

the manifestation. Om is the symbolic representation

of the Consciousness and is ever present.

 

According to a Puranic story, the demon Shankhaasura

defeated the devas and went to the bottom of the

ocean. The devas prayed and appealed to Lord Vishnu

for help. He incarnated as Matsya Avataara - the "fish

incarnation" and killed Shankhaasura. The Lord took

the conch-shaped bone of the demon's head and when he

blow it, the sound of Om emerged. The genesis of

Vedas is also attributed to the blowing of conch by

the Lord. This may explain why Vedas are known as

‘saptha' (sound) and Vedas represents the entire

knowledge enshrined in the sound of Om. The Sanskrit

name for conch is shankha came from Shankaasura. The

conch blown by the Lord is called Paanchajanya. Lord

Krishna in Bhagavad Gita blew the Paanchajanya in the

battlefield during Mahabharata war (Gita Chapter 1,

verse 15). Lord Krishna carries Paanchajanya at all

times and it represents dharma or righteousness. The

blowing of the conch is the reminder that

‘righteousness' one of the four goals (purushaarthas)

of life.

 

The sound of the conch also represents victory call of

good over evil. Traditionally, the blowing of conch

during the beginning of spiritual gathering is done to

bring peace and auspiciousness and also to drown

negative thoughts and noises. In Hindu temples, the

blowing of conch is quite common during group prayers

(aarati) and poojas. In rural villages, the blowing of

conch in the temples are parallel to the ringing of

the bells in the Church. People who could not make it

to the temple were reminded to stop whatever they were

doing, at least for a few seconds, and mentally bow to

the Lord. The conch sound served to briefly elevate

people's minds to a prayerful attitude even in the

middle of their busy daily routine. The conch is

placed at the altar in temples and homes next to the

Lord as a symbol of Truth ( Om - Naada Brahma), the

Vedas, dharma and auspiciousness. Conch is often

used as a vessel to store and deliver sanctified

water to devotees to uplift their minds and spirit.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran