Question about Lingam worship and problems it may cause

November 9, 2006

HARI OM.

This question is directed to all the learned members. I am hearing some interesting tidbit about Shiva Lingam worship and some problems that may happen. I work with a S. Indian woman from AP who is about age 30, married, and has a 16 month old child. She has mentioned that she recently had to submerge in a lake a "manushya lingam" (manmade - the material I'm not sure) the type with yoni base attached because her daughter was strangely getting sicker and sicker everyday. Her practice was to chant the Namakam & Chamakam everyday while doing abhishek.

She mentioned that she had also known of others who received some painful event or something similar to her experience after doing lingam worship. Her remarks to me were that since Lord Shiva is very temperamental, and her worship was less than perfect, that's what happened to her. She also said it ceased immediatley as soon as she submerged it in a lake here in America on advice from her mother. I told her that I felt that the lingam, being man made, may have had some type of "dosham" (fault) & that's why it may have been happening. Or maybe, she was missprouncing Namakam/Chamakam which is a Vedic Hymn. I have been wracking my brain about this & trying to discover the reason why this has happened. Being a Vaishnava, i know all about Salagram Silas, deity specifications, etc., etc, and that some people are really afraid of them. I know they can cause problems for some, etc. But hearing this about lingams really troubles me. I have heretofore always thought of

lingams as nonly very sacred, but really quite benign. I am starting to feel really conflicted about this

Can someone please give any advice?

JANARDANA DASA

Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited.

November 9, 2006

Lingams need to be worshipped. A simple watering with an om namah shivaya is suffiicient. It's important to make the committment to stand by Nilakantha in separating awareness from avidya to vidya. Thus a simple teaspoon of water on the lingam and a few words of devotion is all that's necessary. Otherwise, the lingams get 'hot.'

November 9, 2006

Dear Janardana Dasa ji,

Am not an expert on ANYTHING,but atleast i know that he is bholenath

(benevolent) maybe he was burning their bad karma *fast* ?.

He is NEVER angry on his devotees.

One of the legends of SRI KAALAHASTI

Once a great devotee named Kannappa. He was a hunter. His earlier

name was Tinnappa. He daily offered the raw and fresh flesh of the

animals he hunted to Lord Shiva. He was not in the habit of eating

food without offering it to the Lord. Not only that. He also tasted

the flesh before he offered it to the Lord to ascertain the quality of

it. Lord shiva one day wanted to put Kannappa (Tinnappa) to test. So

He made one of the eyes on the Linga shed tears continuously. Tinnappa

thought that the eye was either diseased or injured by some

miscreants. He could not control the dripping from the eye by any

means. Without a second thought he plucked out his eyeball with the

help of an arrow and fixed it on the diseased eye of the Linga.

Dropping of tears was promptly controlled. But soon water started

dripping from the second eye also. Guided by the first experiment, he

attempted to pluck out his second eyeball. If the second eyeball were

plucked out he would become totally blind, and so could not locate the

watering eye. In his own wisdom he put one of his toes on the diseased

eye and his arrow on the eye to pluck out the eyeball.

Pleased with Tinna's devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before him and

blessed that he would stay nearer to the Linga forever and ever. He

also restored his lost eye. At that very moment the Lord called him

'Bhakta Kannappa' meaning the devotee who gave his eyes. An idol of

Kannappa was installed near the Linga. Poojas and offerings are first

made to Kannappa and then to the Lord. Atop the hill there is a shrine

dedicated to Bhakta Kannappa. There is another temple for Brahma. The

Goddess here is known as Gnana Prasunamba, as She bestows Gnana or the

Knowledge of the Self on the true devotees.

My 2 paise

regards

Raghuvir

, Janardana Dasa

<lightdweller wrote:

>

> HARI OM.

>

> This question is directed to all the learned members. I am hearing

some interesting tidbit about Shiva Lingam worship and some problems

that may happen. I work with a S. Indian woman from AP who is about

age 30, married, and has a 16 month old child. She has mentioned that

she recently had to submerge in a lake a "manushya lingam" (manmade -

the material I'm not sure) the type with yoni base attached because

her daughter was strangely getting sicker and sicker everyday. Her

practice was to chant the Namakam & Chamakam everyday while doing

abhishek.

>

> She mentioned that she had also known of others who received some

painful event or something similar to her experience after doing

lingam worship. Her remarks to me were that since Lord Shiva is very

temperamental, and her worship was less than perfect, that's what

happened to her. She also said it ceased immediatley as soon as she

submerged it in a lake here in America on advice from her mother. I

told her that I felt that the lingam, being man made, may have had

some type of "dosham" (fault) & that's why it may have been happening.

Or maybe, she was missprouncing Namakam/Chamakam which is a Vedic

Hymn. I have been wracking my brain about this & trying to discover

the reason why this has happened. Being a Vaishnava, i know all about

Salagram Silas, deity specifications, etc., etc, and that some people

are really afraid of them. I know they can cause problems for some,

etc. But hearing this about lingams really troubles me. I have

heretofore always thought of

> lingams as nonly very sacred, but really quite benign. I am

starting to feel really conflicted about this

>

> Can someone please give any advice?

>

> JANARDANA DASA

>

> Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited.

>

November 9, 2006

Shakti, Shiva or Vishnu the different names for One Brahman .Shiva is

always a dasa for his devotee .He is Father,Mother, Friend and Guide

for the devotee. If we mispronounce the word father while addressing

our father, does he gets angry. It is we who conceive that Shiva gets

angry. He is beyond anger joy and and all passions. Hence he is

Kamavairi-one who vanquished Kama.Just see how Kannappa worshipped

Shiva.How Shabari made offerings to Rama.Hence there is nothing to

worry on a mistake while chanting mantra which is not done

purposely.

, Janardana Dasa

<lightdweller wrote:

>

> HARI OM.

>

> This question is directed to all the learned members. I am hearing

some interesting tidbit about Shiva Lingam worship and some problems

that may happen. I work with a S. Indian woman from AP who is about

age 30, married, and has a 16 month old child. She has mentioned

that she recently had to submerge in a lake a "manushya lingam"

(manmade - the material I'm not sure) the type with yoni base

attached because her daughter was strangely getting sicker and sicker

everyday. Her practice was to chant the Namakam & Chamakam everyday

while doing abhishek.

>

> She mentioned that she had also known of others who received some

painful event or something similar to her experience after doing

lingam worship. Her remarks to me were that since Lord Shiva is very

temperamental, and her worship was less than perfect, that's what

happened to her. She also said it ceased immediatley as soon as she

submerged it in a lake here in America on advice from her mother. I

told her that I felt that the lingam, being man made, may have had

some type of "dosham" (fault) & that's why it may have been

happening. Or maybe, she was missprouncing Namakam/Chamakam which is

a Vedic Hymn. I have been wracking my brain about this & trying to

discover the reason why this has happened. Being a Vaishnava, i know

all about Salagram Silas, deity specifications, etc., etc, and that

some people are really afraid of them. I know they can cause problems

for some, etc. But hearing this about lingams really troubles me. I

have heretofore always thought of

> lingams as nonly very sacred, but really quite benign. I am

starting to feel really conflicted about this

>

> Can someone please give any advice?

>

> JANARDANA DASA

>

> Access over 1 million songs - Music Unlimited.

>

November 9, 2006

i don't feel that this should be a conflict at all for you or the

woman involved, you can't take the divine in a hindu context as the

one who solely benefits those who worship that entity, you have to

look at the deva more as one who solely acts to benefit those who

worship him, there is a subtle difference here but it is very

important to consider this aspect of the divine, as a shakta, i

worship nirriti/dhumavati to awaken the wisdom inherent in painful

experiences, she is among the dasha mahavidya and in the devi

mahatmaya it is quite clearly stated toward the end of the text that

she is both the bringer of fortune (lakshmi) and misfortune

(alakshmi), she is simultaneously the healer and the inflicter and

thus she trancsends the duality of negative and positive, karma isn't

such a simple thing to understand, it is possible that this sickness

increased because shri shankara, being a manifestation of the

omnipotent adi para brahman, knew it would cause his devotee to

falsely associate the sickness, a transitory state of being, with the

lingam/yoni structure, a symbol of transcendental reality, since maya

is what we alll know it to be, delusion and the creative principle are

inextricably linked and function as one entity, and it is possible

that even if the rudra namakam and chamakam were pronounced properly,

maybe the need for the lingam to be submerged in that lake at that

moment, with that intention that was felt, those confusions and other

aspects of delusion weighing on the mind in the the way that they

were, that breeze that was in the air, that beam of sunlight, every

specificity may have been essential, it was possibly the only way for

the sickness to have been cured, things that we may find insignificant

may in fact be the most potent cure in his eyes, but no one can know

the reason why this is what it is, only those manifestations of adi

para shakti that carry and fully embody the transcendental,

non-dualistic principle of brahman can be said to be omnipotent, it is

possible that the fact that she was getting sick at this point in her

life was a blessing since there was ssome negative karma that had to

be atoned for that would have manifested in a more terrible form if it

were not taken care of at this point in her life, no one but shri

shankara and shri uma devi can be the judge of this, and one

interesting point that should be noted, from a shakta perspective,

according to the scholar ajit mukherjee, lingam worship takes on a

completely different meaning, the fact that the yoni is the base of

the lingam is very important, it is not the lingam conquering the

yoni, but on the contrary the lingam rises from the yoni, and is

subsequent to it, in that it owes it's existence to the parvati yoni,

despite the fact that we only hear about shiva's lingam, it means

nothing without parvati's yoni, but on the contrary, the goddess can

be and often is conceived of as an autonomous entity in and of

herself, dhumavati being the ultimate testiment to that fact, but the

deva is nothing without his shakti, in fact, shiva becomes shava, the

'i' in his name signifying his shakti, and shava, meaning corpse in

sanskrit, this is why such devi forms as kali and ugra tara put her

foot on his chest and dance upon him, asserting her dominance over him

yet simultaneously miraculously reviving him from the dead, just some

food for thought...

Om Shrim Hrim Klim Sauh Hsauh Parashaktyai Aim Svaha!

November 15, 2006

, Janardana Dasa

<lightdweller wrote:

>

> HARI OM.

>

> This question is directed to all the learned members. I am

hearing some interesting tidbit about Shiva Lingam worship and some

problems that may happen. I work with a S. Indian woman from AP who

is about age 30, married, and has a 16 month old child. She has

mentioned that she recently had to submerge in a lake a "manushya

lingam" (manmade - the material I'm not sure) the type with yoni

base attached because her daughter was strangely getting sicker and

sicker everyday. Her practice was to chant the Namakam & Chamakam

everyday while doing abhishek.

>

> She mentioned that she had also known of others who received

some painful event or something similar to her experience after

doing lingam worship. Her remarks to me were that since Lord Shiva

is very temperamental, and her worship was less than perfect, that's

what happened to her. She also said it ceased immediatley as soon

as she submerged it in a lake here in America on advice from her

mother. I told her that I felt that the lingam, being man made, may

have had some type of "dosham" (fault) & that's why it may have been

happening. Or maybe, she was missprouncing Namakam/Chamakam which

is a Vedic Hymn. I have been wracking my brain about this & trying

to discover the reason why this has happened. Being a Vaishnava, i

know all about Salagram Silas, deity specifications, etc., etc, and

that some people are really afraid of them. I know they can cause

problems for some, etc. But hearing this about lingams really

troubles me. I have heretofore always thought of

> lingams as nonly very sacred, but really quite benign. I am

starting to feel really conflicted about this

>

> Can someone please give any advice?

>

> JANARDANA DASA

I received this via email with regards to this message. This person

is not sure whether its alright to post it on the group. Thought

that the post might be deemed a bit controversial by some. Anway our

group have always been controversial. We are full of controversy. So

what's new? Issues that are not controversial becomes controversial

and vice verse. Soooooooo I say post it! This person prefer to

remain anonymous.

"Sri Rudram protects the chanter, among other things, from

disturbances to do the puja/chanting, in this particular case,

abishekam of Lingam.

"Her remarks to me were that since Lord Shiva is very temperamental,

and her worship was less than perfect, that's what happened to her.

She also said it ceased immediatley as soon as she submerged it in a

lake here in America on advice from her mother."

On the contrary, Shiva is not temperamental, but HE is easy to

please - especially through Sri Rudram.

Sri Rudram being a chant for one of the most ugra rupams of Shiva,

it is mandatory that the worshipper must be calm and not even a hint

of anger/irritation must be present. Even a slight anger/misgiving

will be deemed as a request for action from HIS army of ganas.

16 months old children do what they are best at - causing mischief.

Put everything above together, and the answer will be evident.

It is the best that the woman heeded her mother's advise -

appropriately disposing of the lingam precludes the need for

protecting the woman from the disturbances to the puja. The event

reduced the karma of the baby....HE is benevolent :-)

If the person who chants Sri Rudram remembers that negative emotions

do not do well with the chanting, will be better.

November 15, 2006

Dear Janardana,

Dont be afraid of the linga worship. Remember to

worship Shakti first before you worship any linga or

recite prayers to Lord Shiva, then problems will not

arise. Worship of Shiva who is of the quality of Tamas

can only be controlled by Shakti who is Sattva.

Blessings

Brahma Rishi Bharadwaj

--- NMadasamy <nmadasamy (AT) nmadasamy (DOT) com> wrote:

> , Janardana

> Dasa

> <lightdweller wrote:

> >

> > HARI OM.

> >

> > This question is directed to all the learned

> members. I am

> hearing some interesting tidbit about Shiva Lingam

> worship and some

> problems that may happen. I work with a S. Indian

> woman from AP who

> is about age 30, married, and has a 16 month old

> child. She has

> mentioned that she recently had to submerge in a

> lake a "manushya

> lingam" (manmade - the material I'm not sure) the

> type with yoni

> base attached because her daughter was strangely

> getting sicker and

> sicker everyday. Her practice was to chant the

> Namakam & Chamakam

> everyday while doing abhishek.

> >

> > She mentioned that she had also known of others

> who received

> some painful event or something similar to her

> experience after

> doing lingam worship. Her remarks to me were that

> since Lord Shiva

> is very temperamental, and her worship was less than

> perfect, that's

> what happened to her. She also said it ceased

> immediatley as soon

> as she submerged it in a lake here in America on

> advice from her

> mother. I told her that I felt that the lingam,

> being man made, may

> have had some type of "dosham" (fault) & that's why

> it may have been

> happening. Or maybe, she was missprouncing

> Namakam/Chamakam which

> is a Vedic Hymn. I have been wracking my brain

> about this & trying

> to discover the reason why this has happened. Being

> a Vaishnava, i

> know all about Salagram Silas, deity specifications,

> etc., etc, and

> that some people are really afraid of them. I know

> they can cause

> problems for some, etc. But hearing this about

> lingams really

> troubles me. I have heretofore always thought of

> > lingams as nonly very sacred, but really quite

> benign. I am

> starting to feel really conflicted about this

> >

> > Can someone please give any advice?

> >

> > JANARDANA DASA

>

> I received this via email with regards to this

> message. This person

> is not sure whether its alright to post it on the

> group. Thought

> that the post might be deemed a bit controversial by

> some. Anway our

> group have always been controversial. We are full of

> controversy. So

> what's new? Issues that are not controversial

> becomes controversial

> and vice verse. Soooooooo I say post it! This person

> prefer to

> remain anonymous.

>

> "Sri Rudram protects the chanter, among other

> things, from

> disturbances to do the puja/chanting, in this

> particular case,

> abishekam of Lingam.

>

> "Her remarks to me were that since Lord Shiva is

> very temperamental,

> and her worship was less than perfect, that's what

> happened to her.

> She also said it ceased immediatley as soon as she

> submerged it in a

> lake here in America on advice from her mother."

>

> On the contrary, Shiva is not temperamental, but HE

> is easy to

> please - especially through Sri Rudram.

>

> Sri Rudram being a chant for one of the most ugra

> rupams of Shiva,

> it is mandatory that the worshipper must be calm and

> not even a hint

> of anger/irritation must be present. Even a slight

> anger/misgiving

> will be deemed as a request for action from HIS army

> of ganas.

>

> 16 months old children do what they are best at -

> causing mischief.

>

> Put everything above together, and the answer will

> be evident.

>

> It is the best that the woman heeded her mother's

> advise -

> appropriately disposing of the lingam precludes the

> need for

> protecting the woman from the disturbances to the

> puja. The event

> reduced the karma of the baby....HE is benevolent

> :-)

>

> If the person who chants Sri Rudram remembers that

> negative emotions

> do not do well with the chanting, will be better.

>

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