BhavAnI nAma Sahasra Stutih : 923

[Guest guest]

[923] SAligrAmasilAsucih : Who is worshipped as the holy stone

called SAligrAma.

 

SAligrAma is a kind of sacred stone said to be typical of Visnu as

the Phallus is of Siva. SAligrAma is one of the five deities

worshipped together as VisnupancAyatana PUja just as Phallus [siva

Linga] is one of the five deities worshipped as SivapancAyatana. In

this PancAyatana worship Visnu-Laksmi is the presiding deity in the

former case and Siva-PArvati in the latter case. The worship is

largely of an external and ritual character, the object of which is

to strengthen the mental concept of the deities in the universal

oneness of the Supreme Self.

 

Pandit Raghunath Kokiloo, a learned scholar of Kashmir and an ardent

devotee of SArikA Bhagavati gave an etymological interpretation of

SAligrAma as under :

Sa= Sankarsana meaning Visnu

Li= Linga meaning Siva

Ga= Ganesa meaning Ganapati

Ra= Ravi meaning SUrya

Ma= MAyA meaning JaganmAtA

 

The combined meaning of SAligrAmasilAsucih therefore will be : the

holy stone that constitutes Visnu, Siva, Ganapati, Surya and

JaganmAtA, all the pancadevatA. Therefore, as the learned Pandit

expressed, all the five devatas are considered to have been

worshipped by worshipping the SAligrAma stone alone. In SAkta

tradition JaganmAtA Laksmi, the Mother of the universe, is

worshipped thus as the stone.

 

Another version with special reference to Kashmir is given as

follows : After the Satisar was empited of its enormous water, the

Daitya Jalodbhava was killed. But there remained a small lake near

the center of Srinagar. The Daityas, surviving Jalodbhava, continued

to cause pestilence to the people. The gate through which they came

up lay in the lake. According to SArikA MAhAtmya, DurgA took the

form of SArikA bird and bringing a SAligrAma stone in its beak from

the Mount Meru, dropped at the place close to the opening of this

hell. A hill grew up. She took Her place on the hill. This hill was

named " HAriparvat " . Probably the stone called SArikA saila is

SAligrAma worshipped as JAganmAtA SArika, geometrical lines on it

representing Sri Cakra.

 

 

Further Commentaries see link :

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/sadhana/Commentaries.html