A look at the curved, oval, iconic representation of Shiva Lingam placed
on a globular base, which is found in the Sanctum Sanctorum
(Garbhagraha) of all Shiva temples, has given rise to diverse
explanations, without comprehending the scientific truths revealed by
the ancient Hindu sages. The practice of worshipping Shiva Lingam as the
holy symbol of Lord Shiva exists since time immemorial and crosses all
boundaries. Read on to know some mind-blowing theories…
Shiva Lingam was worshipped all across the globe
The
worship of Shiva Lingam was not confined to India and Sri Lanka only.
Lingam was referred to ‘Prayapas’ by the Romans who introduced the
worship of Shiva Lingam to European countries. The statutes of Shiva
Lingams were found in the archeological findings in Babylon, a city of
ancient Mesopotamia. Further, the archeological findings in
Harappa-Mohanjo-daro yielded numerous Shiva Lingam statutes, which
disclose the existence of a highly evolved culture long before the
Aryan’s immigration
The configuration of Shiva Linga
Shiva
Lingam consists of three parts. The bottom part which is four-sided
remains underground, the middle part which is eight-sided remains on a
pedestal. The top part, which is actually worshipped, is round. The
height of the round part is one-third of its circumference. The three
parts symbolize Brahma at the bottom, Vishnu in the middle and Shiva on
the top. The pedestal is provided with a passage for draining away the
water that is poured on the top
The concept
Since Lord Shiva is described as having no form, it is ridiculous to
maintain that Lingam represents a phallus. This is the reason why Swami
Vivekananda described Shiva Lingam as the symbol of the Eternal Brahman,
when a German Orientalist, Gusta Oppert traced it to phallicism. Swami
Vivekananda cited Atharva Veda that the worship of Shiva Lingam was sung
in praise of sacrificial post – a description of the beginningless and
endless of the Eternal Brahman and refuted it as an imaginary invention.
Kinds of Shivalinga
The
Lingam is shaped like an egg and represents the ‘Brahmanda’ or the
cosmic egg. There are two types of Shiva Lingam. One is a black
meteorite egg-shaped stone. It is said that such a stone is installed at
Kabba in Mecca. The other one is man-made and is solidified mercury.
Solidifying mercury is an ancient Vedic science. Shiva Lingam represents
the totality of the Cosmos and the Cosmos, in turn, being represented
as a Cosmic Egg.
Six Kinds of Shiva linga
1. Daiva-lingas are those installed and worshipped by the gods and other
celestial beings, and thus named after them. They continue to exist in
the present day and on earth, but their origin is traditionally ascribed
to the gods.
2. Asura-lingas are those installed by the class of the
wicked titans (known as asuras) but were pious and zealous devotees of
Shiva (like Ravana);
3. Arsha-lingas were installed and worshipped by
sages of yore (like Agastya)
4. Purana-lingas are those which have been celebrated as installed at
the very distinct past by mythical personages.
5. Manusha-lingas are
those that have been caused to be made by human patrons (rulers,
chieftans, wealthy folk etc) in historical times and
6. Svayambhu-lingas
are the forms which Shiva assumed to manifest himself
4.
Purana-lingas are those which have been celebrated as installed at the
very distinct past by mythical personages. 5. Manusha-lingas are those
that have been caused to be made by human patrons (rulers, chieftans,
wealthy folk etc) in historical times and 6. Svayambhu-lingas are the
forms which Shiva assumed to manifest himself.
The
Lingam is shaped like an egg and represents the ‘Brahmanda’ or the
cosmic egg. There are two types of Shiva Lingam. One is a black
meteorite egg-shaped stone. It is said that such a stone is installed at
Kabba in Mecca. The other one is man-made and is solidified mercury.
Solidifying mercury is an ancient Vedic science. Shiva Lingam represents
the totality of the Cosmos and the Cosmos, in turn, being represented
as a Cosmic Egg.
Since
Lord Shiva is described as having no form, it is ridiculous to maintain
that Lingam represents a phallus. This is the reason why Swami
Vivekananda described Shiva Lingam as the symbol of the Eternal Brahman,
when a German Orientalist, Gusta Oppert traced it to phallicism. Swami
Vivekananda cited Atharva Veda that the worship of Shiva Lingam was sung
in praise of sacrificial post – a description of the beginningless and
endless of the Eternal Brahman and refuted it as an imaginary invention.
The
Lingam symbolizes both the creative and destructive power of Lord Shiva
and great sanctity is attached to it by the devotees. This does not mean
others should give a false meaning to the image of Shiva Lingam. It is
unfortunate for some critics to have an imaginary invention on the image
of Shiva Lingam as a male organ and viewed with obscenity, but had
conveniently forgotten how a phallus could have appeared from the base.
Ancient Shiva Linga in Ireland
In County
Meath, Ireland, on the Hill of Tara sits a mysterious stone known as
the Lia Fáil (Stone of Destiny). According to The Annals of the Four
Masters, an ancient document written by Franciscan Monks between
1632-1636 AD, this stone was brought to Ireland by the Tuatha Dé Danann -
supernaturally gifted people. Some speculate it was they who brought
the power to make bronze to Ireland. They were the main deities of
pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.
The Tuatha Dé Danann, meaning the children of the goddess Danu, are said
to have ruled Ireland from 1897 B.C. to 1700 B.C. having arrived from
the coast on ships. The Christian monks viewed the stone as a pagan
stone idol symbolic of fertility. This stone was so important that it
was used for the coronation of all Irish Kings up until 500 AD. The
goddess Danu in European tradition was a river goddess. In some Irish
texts her father is said to be Dagda (the good god), a father figure in
Irish tradition
The Vedic Connections
The Vedic tradition also has a goddess Danu, the daughter of Daksha,
wife of Kasyapa Muni, who was a goddess of the rivers. The word Danu in
Sanskrit means 'flowing water'. As the daughter of Daksha, her sister
Sati was married to Lord Shiva. To practitioners of Vedic tradition the
Lia Fáil matches very closely to the Shiva Linga. Eventually the Tuatha
Dé Danann were defeated in battle. According to legend, they were
allowed to stay in Ireland only under the ground as the 'Aes sidhe' -
people of the fairy mounds
The
Lingam is shaped like an egg and represents the ‘Brahmanda’ or the
cosmic egg. There are two types of Shiva Lingam. One is a black
meteorite egg-shaped stone. It is said that such a stone is installed at
Kabba in Mecca. The other one is man-made and is solidified mercury.
Solidifying mercury is an ancient Vedic science. Shiva Lingam represents
the totality of the Cosmos and the Cosmos, in turn, being represented
as a Cosmic Egg.
The
Lingam is shaped like an egg and represents the ‘Brahmanda’ or the
cosmic egg. There are two types of Shiva Lingam. One is a black
meteorite egg-shaped stone. It is said that such a stone is installed at
Kabba in Mecca. The other one is man-made and is solidified mercury.
Solidifying mercury is an ancient Vedic science. Shiva Lingam represents
the totality of the Cosmos and the Cosmos, in turn, being represented
as a Cosmic Egg.
The
Lingam is shaped like an egg and represents the ‘Brahmanda’ or the
cosmic egg. There are two types of Shiva Lingam. One is a black
meteorite egg-shaped stone. It is said that such a stone is installed at
Kabba in Mecca. The other one is man-made and is solidified mercury.
Solidifying mercury is an ancient Vedic science. Shiva Lingam represents
the totality of the Cosmos and the Cosmos, in turn, being represented
as a Cosmic Egg.
The
Lingam is shaped like an egg and represents the ‘Brahmanda’ or the
cosmic egg. There are two types of Shiva Lingam. One is a black
meteorite egg-shaped stone. It is said that such a stone is installed at
Kabba in Mecca. The other one is man-made and is solidified mercury.
Solidifying mercury is an ancient Vedic science. Shiva Lingam represents
the totality of the Cosmos and the Cosmos, in turn, being represented
as a Cosmic Egg.
The
Lingam symbolizes both the creative and destructive power of Lord Shiva
and great sanctity is attached to it by the devotees. This does not mean
others should give a false meaning to the image of Shiva Lingam. It is
unfortunate for some critics to have an imaginary invention on the image
of Shiva Lingam as a male organ and viewed with obscenity, but had
conveniently forgotten how a phallus could have appeared from the base.
The
Tuatha Dé Danann, meaning the children of the goddess Danu, are said to
have ruled Ireland from 1897 B.C. to 1700 B.C. having arrived from the
coast on ships. The Christian monks viewed the stone as a pagan stone
idol symbolic of fertility. This stone was so important that it was used
for the coronation of all Irish Kings up until 500 AD. The goddess Danu
in European tradition was a river goddess. In some Irish texts her
father is said to be Dagda (the good god), a father figure in Irish
tradition.
The
Lingam symbolizes both the creative and destructive power of Lord Shiva
and great sanctity is attached to it by the devotees. This does not mean
others should give a false meaning to the image of Shiva Lingam. It is
unfortunate for some critics to have an imaginary invention on the image
of Shiva Lingam as a male organ and viewed with obscenity, but had
conveniently forgotten how a phallus could have appeared from the base.
Ancient Shiva Lingas Found throughout Vietnam
Vietnam
was the home to a vibrant Vedic civilization. Many spectacular temples
and sculptures still remain to this day .Throughout Vietnam many ancient
Shiva Lingas have been found, dating back thousands of years. This is
further proof of the vast extent of Vedic culture throughout the world
5,000 year old Shivalinga found at Harappa
In 1940,
archaeologist M.S. Vats discovered three Shiva Lingas at Harappa, dating
more than 5,000 years old. This rare archival photo shows that ancient
Shiva Linga as it was being excavated from the Harappa site
Shivalinga in Africa
There is
Shiva in Kailasha and there is Shiva in Kashi and now in Africa too. The
discovery of a Shiva idol in South Africa is the proof that 6000 years
ago Africans used to worship him. Archeologists have found 6000 year old
Shivalinga in a cave named Sudwara in South Africa and it is made of
hard granite stone. The archeologists are amazed that how the Shivalinga
survived there for so long
Statue of Lord Shiva’s sacred bull found in Indonesia
Archaeologists
have found a statue of Nandi, the sacred bull that carried the Hindu
god Shiva, among the ruins of what is believed to be an ancient temple
at an excavation site in Yogyakarta in Indonesia. The head of the
excavation team from the Yogyakarta Antiquities and Relics Conservation
Agency said, “The statue is exquisite. The sculpture is carved
differently from other statues of Nandi. This one is not depicted as fat
Other findings
Previous
discoveries at the site, which is located on the Indonesian Islamic
University campus, include a statue of Ganesha, Shiva’s divine son; a
linga , the symbol of worship for Shiva; and a yoni , a Hindu symbol for
divine passage or birth. The head of the excavation team said that
archeologists were working under the assumption that the pillars had not
been destroyed by a volcanic mudflow hundreds of years ago, but had
instead been removed by people
Lord Shiva and Roman God Neptune
Notice
the trident on this statue of Neptune, typical of Shiva. The trident was
always an emblem of Lord Shiva. Neptune is also seen here standing on
an entity in which case Shiva is also seen at times standing on the
being of ignorance, illusion, or maya, showing that he is not affected
by the power of the illusory energy. Also here, Neptune's hand is raised
in a calming gesture, and when Shiva's hand is raised it signifies
abhaya or giving blessings and represents sthiti, or preservation and
protection.
Notice
the trident on this statue of Neptune, typical of Shiva. The trident was
always an emblem of Lord Shiva. Neptune is also seen here standing on
an entity in which case Shiva is also seen at times standing on the
being of ignorance, illusion, or maya, showing that he is not affected
by the power of the illusory energy. Also here, Neptune's hand is raised
in a calming gesture, and when Shiva's hand is raised it signifies
abhaya or giving blessings and represents sthiti, or preservation and
protection
