Advice needed.

[Guest guest]

Sorry. May be this question may sound kidish. But I felt this group

has got more opt people who can clarify my doubts. Can anyone please

explain me, What is the Idea behind Lord.Siva's lingam (Phallic)

Structure? What does the word Siva means?.

Thanks.And OM.

Mahesh.C.V.

[Guest guest]

" Under Tantrik influence, the lingam placed in a yoni base - which means exactly

what it sounds

like - became a frank avowal of the ultimate origin of new life, it was

fertility symbolism at its

best. Educated Hindus tend to be over-apologetic about this aspect, though the

average Hindu

lives in a curious innocence about the nature of the Lingam. This was typically

expressed in

Gandhi's naïve confession that he had to read foreign authors before he realized

that there might

be anything sexual about the lingam.

 

" According to Swami Vivekananda, not just the lingam but also the entire

external image of

Shiva is an elaborate symbolical construct. In his view, Shiva is a

personification of the entire

Vedic fire sacrifice. Thus the ash with which his body is smeared is the ash of

the sacrifice. (Ash

is also what's left when everything is destroyed and it does not decay. So too

with god, what is

left when everything is gone. Shiva covers himself with ash because he is the

only life form in the

Universe who is aware of this truth at every moment.) The white complexion of

Shiva is

indicative of the smoke of the sacrifice. The animals He is associated with

indicate the animals

tied to the sacrificial posts and so on. The Shiva linga, in Vivekananda's view

is actually a feebly

recalled Yupa Stambha, the Cosmic Pillar that is the center and support of the

Universe, The

Axis Mundi, in fact. This yupa stambha is always represented in all fire

sacrifices and it is

permanently installed in temples in the form of the linga. "

http://www.indiayogi.com/content/indgods/shiva1.asp

 

11/29/2002 6:14:05 PM, " talkto02 " <talkto02 wrote:

 

>

>

> Ramakrishna

>

> " talkto02 " <talkto02

> Sat, 30 Nov 2002 00:14:05 -0000

> Subject:[sri Ramakrishna] Advice needed.

>

>

>

> Sorry. May be this question may sound kidish. But I felt this group

> has got more opt people who can clarify my doubts. Can anyone please

> explain me, What is the Idea behind Lord.Siva's lingam (Phallic)

> Structure? What does the word Siva means?.

> Thanks.And OM.

> Mahesh.C.V.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ramakrishna, " talkto02 " <talkto02> wrote:

What is the Idea behind Lord.Siva's lingam (Phallic)

> Structure? What does the word Siva means?.

> Thanks.And OM.

> Mahesh.C.V.

 

Namaste,

 

Sri Ramakrishna said: [Gospel by M, transl. Sw. Nikhilananda - p. 604]

.... " It is the worship of the symbols of fatherhood and Motherhood.

The devotee worshipping the image prays, 'O Lord, please grant that I

may not be born into this world again; that I may not have to pass

again through a mother's womb " .............

======================================================================

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/Vivekananda%202.00/Complete%

20Works.htm

THE PARIS CONGRESS OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS

(Translated from a Paris letter written to the Udbodhana.)

....... " At the Congress, Mr. Gustav Oppert, a German Pandit, read a

paper on the origin of the Shâlagrâma-Shilâ. He traced the origin of

the Shalagrama worship to that of the emblem of the female generative

principle. According to him, the Shiva-Linga is the phallic emblem of

the male and the Shalagrama of the female generative principle. And

thus he wanted to establish that the worship of the Shiva-Linga and

that of the Shalagrama — both are but the component parts of the

worship of Linga and Yoni! The Swami repudiated the above two views

and said that though he had heard of such ridiculous explanations

about the Shiva-Linga, the other theory of the Shalagrama-Shila was

quite new and strange, and seemed groundless to him.

 

The Swami said that the worship of the Shiva-Linga originated from

the famous hymn in the Atharva-Veda Samhitâ sung in praise of the

Yupa-Stambha, the sacrificial post. In that hymn a description is

found of the beginningless and endless Stambha or Skambha, and it is

shown that the said Skambha is put in place of the eternal Brahman.

As afterwards the Yajna (sacrificial) fire, its smoke, ashes, and

flames, the Soma plant, and the ox that used to carry on its back the

wood for the Vedic sacrifice gave place to the conceptions of the

brightness of Shiva's body, his tawny matted-hair, his blue throat,

and the riding on the bull of the Shiva, and so on — just so, the

Yupa-Skambha gave place in time to the Shiva-Linga, and was deified

to the high Devahood of Shri Shankara. In the Atharva-Veda Samhita,

the sacrificial cakes are also extolled along with the attributes of

the Brahman.

 

In the Linga Purâna, the same hymn is expanded in the shape of

stories, meant to establish the glory of the great Stambha and the

superiority of Mahâdeva.

 

Again, there is another fact to be considered. The Buddhists used to

erect memorial topes consecrated to the memory of Buddha; and the

very poor, who were unable to build big monuments, used to express

their devotion to him by dedicating miniature substitutes for them.

Similar instances are still seen in the case of Hindu temples in

Varanasi and other sacred places of India where those, who cannot

afford to build temples, dedicate very small temple-like

constructions instead. So it might be quite probable that during the

period of Buddhistic ascendancy, the rich Hindus, in imitation of the

Buddhists, used to erect something as a memorial resembling their

Skambha, and the poor in a similar manner copied them on a reduced

scale, and afterwards the miniature memorials of the poor Hindus

became a new addition to the Skambha.

 

One of the names of the Buddhist Stupas (memorial topes) is Dhâtu-

garbha, that is, " metal-wombed " . Within the Dhatu-garbha, in small

cases made of stone, shaped like the present Shalagrama, used to be

preserved the ashes, bones, and other remains of the distinguished

Buddhist Bhikshus, along with gold, silver, and other metals. The

Shalagrama-Shilas are natural stones resembling in form these

artificially-cut stone-cases of the Buddhist Dhatu-garbha, and thus

being first worshipped by the Buddhists, gradually got into

Vaishnavism, like many other forms of Buddhistic worship that found

their way into Hinduism. On the banks of the Narmadâ and in Nepal,

the Buddhistic influence lasted longer than in other parts of India;

and the remarkable coincidence that the Narmadeshvara Shiva-Linga,

found on the banks of the Narmadâ and hence so called, and the

Shalagrama-Shilas of Nepal are given preference to by the Hindus to

those found elsewhere in India is a fact that ought to be considered

with respect to this point of contention.

 

The explanation of the Shalagrama-Shila as a phallic emblem was an

imaginary invention and, from the very beginning, beside the mark.

The explanation of the Shiva-Linga as a phallic emblem was brought

forward by the most thoughtless, and was forthcoming in India in her

most degraded times, those of the downfall of Buddhism. The filthiest

Tântrika literature of Buddhism of those times is yet largely found

and practiced in Nepal and Tibet. " ..........

 

============================================================

http://www.thedivinelifesociety.org/download/idolworship.htm#_VPID_22

 

The Siva Linga

The popular belief is that the Siva Lingam represents the phallus or

the virile organ, the emblem of the generative power or principle in

nature. This is not only a serious mistake, but a grave blunder. In

the post-Vedic period, the Linga became symbolical of the generative

power of Lord Siva. Linga is the differentiating mark. It is

certainly not the sex mark. You will find in the Linga Purana:

 

Pradhanam Prakriti Yadahurlingamuttamam

Gandhavarnarasaiheenam Sabda-sparsadi-varjitam

The foremost Lingam which is primary and is devoid of smell, colour,

taste, hearing, touch, etc., is spoken of as Prakriti (Nature).

 

Linga means " Mark " in Sanskrit. It is a symbol which points to an

inference. When you see a big flood in a river, you infer that there

have been heavy rains the previous day. When you see smoke, you infer

that there is fire. This vast world of countless forms is a Linga of

the Omnipotent Lord. The Siva Linga is a symbol of Lord Siva. When

you look at the Linga, your mind is at once elevated and you begin to

think of the Lord.

 

Lord Siva is really formless. He has no form of His own and yet all

forms are His forms. All forms are pervaded by Lord Siva. Every form

is the form or Linga of Lord Siva.

 

There is a mysterious power or indescribable Sakti in the Linga to

induce concentration of the mind. Just as the mind is focussed easily

in crystal gazing, so also it attains one-pointedness when it looks

at the Lingam. That is the reason why the ancient Rishis of India and

the seers have prescribed the Lingam for being installed in the

temples of Lord Siva.

 

Siva Linga speaks to you in the unmistakable language of silence: " I

am one without a second, I am formless. " Pure, pious souls only can

understand this language. A curious, passionate, impure foreigner of

little understanding or intelligence says sarcastically, " Oh! The

Hindus worship the phallus or sex organ. They are ignorant people.

They have no philosophy. " When a foreigner tries to learn Tamil or

Hindustani language, he first tries to pick up some vulgar words.

This is his curiosity nature. Even so, the curious foreigner tries to

find out some defects in the worship of symbol. Linga is only the

outward symbol of the formless being Lord Siva who is the

indivisible, all-pervading, eternal, auspicious, ever-pure, immortal

essence of this vast universe, who is the undying soul seated in the

chambers of your heart, who is your Indweller, innermost Self or

Atman, and who is identical with the Supreme Brahman.

 

Sphatikalinga is also a symbol of Lord Siva. This is prescribed for

Aradhana or worship of Lord Siva. It is made up of quartz. It has no

colour of its own but takes on the colour of the substances which

come in contact with it. It represents the Nirguna Brahman or the

attributeless Supreme Self or formless and attributeless Siva.

 

For a sincere devotee, the Linga is not a block of stone. It is all

radiant Tejas or Chaitanya. The Linga talks to him, makes him shed

profuse tears, produces horripilation and melting of heart, raises

him above body-consciousness and helps to commune with the Lord and

attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Lord Rama worshipped the Siva Linga at

Rameshwar. Ravana, the learned scholar, worshipped the golden Linga.

What a lot of mystic Sakti there should be in the Linga!

 

May you all attain the formless Siva through the worship of the

Linga, the symbol of Lord Siva which helps concentration of mind and

which serves as a prop for the mind to lean upon in the beginning for

the neophytes!

 

======================================================================

 

 

For a liberal education in Hindu Dharma, nothing better need to be

read than the following:

 

Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, by M.

 

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/ [Complete Works of Sw. V.]

 

----------------------------

http://www.thedivinelifesociety.org/download/hinduismbk.htm

---

 

http://kamakoti.org/newlayout/sitemap.html# [Hindu Dharma]

 

------------

 

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/2502/guide_in.htm

http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/d730305.html

http://www.sathyasai.org/discour/2002/d020312.html

--

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

The word Siva means " Auspiciousness "

 

--- talkto02 <talkto02 wrote:

> Sorry. May be this question may sound kidish. But I

> felt this group

> has got more opt people who can clarify my doubts.

> Can anyone please

> explain me, What is the Idea behind Lord.Siva's

> lingam (Phallic)

> Structure? What does the word Siva means?.

> Thanks.And OM.

> Mahesh.C.V.

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Ramakrishna, " sunderh " <sunderh@h...> wrote:

> Ramakrishna, " talkto02 " <talkto02> wrote:

> What is the Idea behind Lord.Siva's lingam >

 

 

For a liberal education in Hindu Dharma, nothing better need to be

> read than the following:

>

 

Namaste,

 

Additional recommended reading:

 

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/online_books.html#Top_of_Page

--------------------------------

 

This is from the on-line lexicon at the above site -

 

Sivalinga: (Sanskrit) " Mark, or sign, of Siva. " The most prevalent

icon of Siva, found in virtually all Siva temples. A rounded,

elliptical, aniconic image, usually set on a circular base, or pitha.

The Sivalinga is the simplest and most ancient symbol of Siva,

especially of Parasiva, God beyond all forms and qualities. The pitha

represents Parashakti, the manifesting power of God. Lingas are

usually of stone (either carved or naturally existing, svayambhu,

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 (6), a transitory Sivalinga may be

made of 12 different materials: sand, rice, cooked food, river clay,

cow dung, butter, rudraksha seeds, ashes, sandalwood, dharba grass, a

flower garland or molasses. See: murti, Saivism, svayambhu Linga.

 

 

Regards

 

Sunder