1. Science behind the idol

1.1 Colour

‘One comes across varied information regarding Hanuman’s form. His complexion is mostly red and rarely black. A red Hanuman is one smeared with a saffron coloured powder called sindur. Perhaps His black complexion is due to the influence of Saturn (Shani). Hanuman is famous as an incarnation or as a son of Lord Rudra. Since Rudra’s complexion is red, Hanuman too must have derived His complexion from Him. After He acquired a red complexion stories regarding His love for sindur were told.

• Once after bathing Sita made a red spot (tila) with sindur on Her forehead. When Hanuman asked for an explanation Sita replied, “It is because of this that Your Master’s life is prolonged”. When He heard this, Hanuman smeared sindur all over His body !
• Once when Hanuman was proceeding to Lanka with the Dronagiri hills Bharat struck Him with an arrow and wounded His leg. The wound healed with a mixture of sindur and oil. Hence sindur and oil are Hanuman’s favourites.’

1.2 Form

Look at the two figures given below. Decide with which figure you feel more pleasant and then read further.

Figure A	Figure B

At one of our workshops in Mumbai twenty-five out of thirty-six seekers who participated in this experiment gave their answers. The average spiritual level of the seekers was 35%. During a satsang (spiritual meeting) at times the spiritual level of a seeker can even become 40-50%. The spiritual level of an average person is 20% while that of one who has attained the Final Liberation (Moksha) is 100%. If average individuals participate in the experiment, they do not perceive anything. Hence in such experiments everyone does not get spiritual experiences. Only those who have attained a spiritual level of 35% and above and are able to perceive something of the subtle dimension are able to give answers. Sixteen out of twenty-five seekers experienced serenity (shanti) with figure ‘A’ and the rest with figure ‘B’.

Figure ‘A’ depicts the tail of Maruti as the servitor (Dasmaruti) and figure ‘B’ the tail of Maruti as the courageous one (Virmaruti). One must have realised how without even looking at the entire form of Maruti merely by looking at His tail, energy or divine consciousness (chaitanya) in His form is manifested. Energy manifests from Maruti as the courageous one and divine consciousness from Maruti as the servitor since the latter is merged into Lord Rama.

Maruti as the servitor (Dasmaruti) and Maruti as the courageous one (Virmaruti):
Hanuman has two forms namely Maruti as the servitor and Maruti as the courageous one. The servitor form is the one in which Hanuman stands in front of Rama with His hands folded in obeisance, His tail resting on the ground. The stance of Maruti as the courageous one is that of one ready for battle. His tail is upright and His right hand is turned towards His head. Sometimes even a demon crushed under His feet is depicted. To overcome problems of possession, black magic, etc. Maruti as the courageous one is worshipped.

Maruti with five faces (Panchmukhi Maruti):

Panchmukhi Hanuman One finds quite a few idols of the five-faced Maruti. The five faces are of an eagle (garud), a boar (varaha), a hayagriv, a lion and a monkey. The idol has ten arms wielding a flag, a sword, a noose, etc. One explanation for the five faces of a deity is that the deity keeps vigilance and has control over the five directions - north, south, east, west and the upward direction/zenith.

Maruti facing the south (Dakshinmukhi Maruti):
Here the word south (dakshin) has two meanings - one is the south direction and second, the right side.South in context to the direction: Here since Maruti faces the south He is named so. Black magic like jaran, maran, etc. are done primarily in front of this idol of Maruti. Such idols of Maruti are found in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, etc. in Maharashtra and in Basavgudi in the district of Karnataka in India.

South in context to the right side:
This Maruti has His face turned towards the right. What do you feel after looking at the following two figures? First decide with which you experience more energy and only then read the following section.

Figure A

Figure B

At a workshop in Mumbai twelve out of thirty-six seekers gave answers. Nine out of these twelve experienced energy with figure ‘B’ and only 3 experienced energy with figure ‘A’. In figure ‘B’ (facing the right) since the sun channel (surya nadi) of Maruti is active more energy was felt by most seekers looking at it. In figure ‘A’ the moon channel (chandra nadi) of Maruti is operational hence people felt less energy. Just like Ganapati with the trunk towards the right the Maruti facing the right is a powerful deity. He is worshipped to overcome problems due to distressing energy. The sushumna channel (nadi) of Ganapati and Maruti are continuously operational but with the transformation in Their forms the sun or moon channels too become operational to a small extent.

2. Shani (Saturn) and Maruti

‘Although there is close association between Shani and Hanuman prevailing in our society its explanation is equally complicated and incomprehensible.

2.1 Similarities

1. In the verse with a thousand Names of Hanuman (Hanumansahasranam stotra) Shani is one of the Names of Hanuman.
2. In the Surya Sanhita it is said that Hanuman was born on a Saturday (Shanivar).
3. It is given in holy texts that Rudra is one of the ten names of Shani.
4. Just like Shani one occasionally comes across Hanuman with a dark complexion.
5. Since Shani is popular in the Gadhval region Hanuman is also seen sporting an iron whip akin to Shani. As a result unknowingly a relationship between Shani and Hanuman must have been established and Hanuman’s worship on Saturdays and His inclusion in the vowed observance of worshipping Saturday (Shanivarvrat) must have commenced.

2.2 Differences

The differences between Shani and Hanuman are more than their similarities.

1. Shani is the son of the Sun deity hence is born from the tej (absolute fire) element whereas Hanuman is the son of Vayu hence is born from the vayu (absolute air) element.
2. There is discord between Shani and the sun whereas Hanuman is a devotee of the Sun deity. He has learnt all the skills from the Sun deity who has imparted a hundredth portion of His radiance to Him. Due to the conflict between Shani and the Sun deity the latter helped Hanuman, the enemy of His enemy (Shani). At that time the vayu element and energy had not manifested completely in Hanuman.
3. Shani is slow whereas Hanuman is swift like the eagle.
4. Shani is an evil planet while Hanuman is definitely not so.
5. It is said that one should not sell oil on Saturdays yet it is customary to offer oil to Hanuman on that day.

3. Demigods (yakshas) and Maruti

Brave and miraculous are adjectives used to describe the demigods. In the Valmiki Ramayan Hanuman is referred to as the miraculous one. Mahavir (the courageous one) is Hanuman’s popular Name. This indicates the relationship between Hanuman and the worship of the demigods. Hanuman is included in the fifty-two brave ones (virs) by the name of Kapilumbir. In Maharashtra, India in the month of Phalgun of the Hindu lunar calendar people dressed as warriors (virs) dance in a procession on their way to a Maruti temple.’

4. Ganapati and Maruti

Both of Them have a red complexion (like sindur) and both of Them possess the eight supernatural powers (ashtamahasiddhis).

5. Importance of Maruti as described by saints

Saint Ramdas Swami has said “Hanumant is our deity”. He is a symbol of energy, ingenuity and devotion. Hence Samarth Ramdas began worshipping Him. Eleven idols of Maruti installed by Him are famous. In North India too saint Tulsidas erected a number of temples and strengthened the worship of Maruti. Madhvacharya is considered as an incarnation of Maruti. Various other saints have also placed Maruti as the ideal through Their various compositions.

6. Worship

6.1 Objectives

Since the manifest energy in Maruti (70%) is much more in comparison to other deities (10%), Maruti is worshipped in the context of energy for the following reasons.
To overcome distressing energy: To overcome problems due to spirits, black magic, ancestors’ subtle bodies, suffering due to Shani, etc.
To control pleasant energy: If there is any obstacle in the pathway of the activated kundalini (spiritual energy) then to overcome it and channelise it appropriately.

6.2 Ritualistic worship (puja)

Popular worship: In Maharashtra on the full moon day (pournima) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra Hanuman’s birthday (jayanti) is celebrated. In Maharashtra Saturday is considered as an auspicious day for His worship. In the rest of India Saturday and Tuesday both are considered as auspicious days for His worship. On these days people offer Him sindur and oil. In some places coconuts are offered. To make spiritual progress worship of Vamamukhi (facing the left) Maruti or Maruti as the servitor (Dasmaruti) is used. The reasons for offering oil, sindur, leaves of the coral (rui) plant are given in ‘Why are tulsi leaves offered to Vishnu?’.

Influence of Shani and worship of Maruti: The relationship between Shani and Maruti has been explained earlier in point ‘Shani and Maruti’. Hence when there is an influence of Shani, to reduce the resultant/resulting suffering Maruti is worshipped. The ritual should be performed as follows: Take some oil in a cup (vati), put fourteen bengal gram grains (udid) in it and then look at the reflection of one’s face in it. Only then offer it to Maruti. If one is unable to visit the temple due to illness one may worship Maruti in this way. A real oil vendor will never sell oil on Saturday because the distressing energy for which a person is offering oil to Maruti may start troubling the oil vendor itself. Hence instead of buying oil from oil vendors seated outside the temple one should carry oil for the offering, from home.

Maruti Gayatri

आंजनेयाय विद्महे । वायुपुत्राय धीमहि ।
तन्‍नो वीर: प्रचोदयात्‌ ।।

Meaning: We are quite familiar with Maruti, the son of Anjani. We meditate on that Maruti, the son of Vayu. May that courageous Maruti inspire our intellect benevolently.

7. Maruti in our lives

If Maruti is in our breath then Rama [the embodied soul doing spiritual practice (jivatma) or atmaram] is within us.

|| Shri Marutaye namaha ||

1. Birth

Krushna belonged to the royal dynasty while Radha to an ordinary milkman’s family. Like Sita, She too was born out of a resolve (sankalpa).

2. Special features

Radha is the manifest form of devotion unto Krushna. In response to the question ‘How devoted should one be ?’ the Naradbhaktisutra writes ‘Like the gopis (wives of the cowherds) of Vraj (यथा व्रजगोपिकानाम्‌)’. Krushna Himself sent His great friend Uddhav to the gopis to teach him what devotion meant. The incident goes as follows -

Once to display the devotion of the gopis to others Krushna pretended that He had intense headache which did not respond to any medicine. Then He pronounced, ‘Krushna’s pain will vanish with the application of mud beneath anyone’s feet. However the one giving the mud beneath his feet will die. Proclaim this and then bring the mud which someone gives.’ No one was prepared to give the mud from under his feet.
On entering Gokul when Uddhav asked this question to the first gopi that he met, she replied, “If the mud under my feet will relieve Krushna’s headache then I am even prepared to go to hell.”
The devotion of the gopis is an illustration of ultimate devotion. Radha among them was like a jewel in the crown.

3. Futility of misinterpretation of the Radha-Krushna relationship

Radha’s spiritual love (priti), that is devotion unto Krushna has been misinterpreted as love in the Radha-Krushna relationship. Its futility will be realised if one considers Krushna’s age at that time. When Krushna left Gokul permanently He was only seven years old; thus His relationship with Radha was only during the period when He was three to seven years old.

4. The flute

The sound of the flute means the anahat sound. That sound had maddened all the gopis (wives of the cowherds). So one will realise how highly spiritually evolved they were. When leaving Gokul, Krushna gave His flute to Radha and never played it again. Thus He made sure that She constantly got the spiritual experience of Absoluteness (Purnatva) which is superior to anahat sound.

5. Implied meaning

5.1. ‘Water flows from a higher to a lower level. It is called a stream (dhara). When the letters of the word dhara (धारा) are reversed the word becomes radha (राधा). That stream which flows from below upwards is called radhagati. When it reaches the origin, it gets a spiritual experience of being Radha Herself. Acquisition of this state itself is called “blending into zero” or “sainthood”. In other words Radha and Krushna were one and the same. Krushna had Himself assumed Radha’s form to love Himself. Hence although Radha had merged into Krushna, She continued to worship Him for the sake of guiding the other gopis, that is attitudes. One will think that once a gopi reaches the zenith she will see several Radhas. Those following Radha, that is those seekers following the Path of Devotion will see only one Radha because there is no duality in spiritual love, only non-duality.’ - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon

5.2. According to the Tantrik and Vaishnavite sects Rukmini representing the Energy of opulence is one of the two Divine Energies (Shaktis) of Krushna while Radha is the Blissful Energy (Ahladini).

A. The Energy of opulence: ‘When Sudama came to meet Krushna he brought along four handfuls of puffed rice. Even that was borrowed by his wife, from a neighbour. After Krushna had eaten just a pinch of the puffed rice Rukmini snatched it from His hands and said, “We are 16,008 in number. Let us all partake of atleast one grain.” She did this because She knew that if Krushna ate even a pinch, Sudama’s city would turn into gold. So if He were to eat everything then the eight supernatural powers along with the entire wealth from the three regions - earth, nether world and heaven would have to serve Sudama all their lives. So great would be the opulence that he would acquire. Rukmini did this because She was the Energy of opulence rather the deity of wealth, Lakshmi. If a devotee of The Lord has devotion with expectation (sakam) then it is only the Energy of opulence which stops him from acquiring all types of opulence totally.’ - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon. In short, the Energy of opulence helps in endowing a devotee having expectation with some opulence while the Blissful Energy imparts the spiritual experience of Bliss to the devotee without expectation (nishkam).

B. The Blissful Energy: Radha was the Blissful Energy. She never intervened when The Lord endowed someone with riches because Her incarnation was meant for spiritual emotion generated from devotion. Hence that spiritual emotion (bhav) is referred to as Radhabhav. The spiritual emotion of Radha (Radhabhav) or Radha refers to the Adnya chakra.The implied meaning behind this is when a worldly person or a Guru merges into Krushna when carrying out worldly transactions or preaching to disciples respectively they descend to the level of the Adnya chakra.

This stream of spiritual emotion progressing from below upwards in other words is the progress of the devotee towards Self-realisation. Radha being Krushna Himself was a devotee who remained absorbed in Bliss. She certainly does not obstruct someone from being gifted with opulence. Even if God were to endow someone with Bliss She would not stop Him because Her Bliss never declines. The moral behind this is that by giving opulence to others it decreases, Bliss does not.

In reality, internally were Rukmini and Radha distinct from each other? Certainly not. But They behaved according to the mission of Krushna’s incarnation. Though They were merged into Krushna They did not become separate because to become separate one needs to have ego. Since The Lord does not have ego His actions (karmas) are referred to as divine play (lila) and the play of man are called actions because of his ego.

5.3. ‘Radha was first created in the Go region (Golok) and then became Krushna’s lover. Later She was born in Vrundavan to the cowherd (gopa), Vrushbhanu and became the idol of the devotees in Vrajamandal. She married a Vaishya (businessman) youth named Shashan; actually it was only Her replica which married him. Keeping Her image in Her physical body Radha left that body and merged Herself into Krushna’s heart in Her primal form.’

6. The divine play of Lord Krushna (rasalila)

The word rasa (रस) has originated from two sources - (रसानां समूह:) means the collection of nine rasas and (रस: उत्‍पद्यते यस्‍मात्‌) means that from which ras is generated. The rasa dance (rasakrida) is a beautiful event in the lives of Krushna and the gopis (wives of the cowherds). During the dance Krushna endowed them with the spiritual experience of non-duality (advait).

1. Science behind the idol

Idols of Vishnu can be traced from the 2nd to the 8th century.

1.1 Instruments, ornaments, the family and their scientific meaning

Part of the body / family	Instrument / ornament	Name	Complexion	Mission / implied meaning
1. Head	Crown	Kutastha	-	Sattva
2. Ears	Earrings	-	-	The perishable (kshar) and imperishable (akshar) principles
3. Neck	Garland of flowers	Vaijayanti*	Five colours	The Primal Energy (Adya), the Invincible Energy (Ajayashakti)
4. Chest
A.	Footprint of His devotee	-	Flowers of a tuber	Love for devotees
B.	Diamond	Koustubh	Red	Radiance
5. Hand
A. 1.	Conch	Payanchajanya	Of the full moon	Brahman in the form of a word present in the five cosmic elements or the commencement of a war
2.	The posture assuring protection (abhaymudra)			Blessing
B.	Discus**	Sudarshan	Of a thousand suns	The weapon which can be flung or operated from a distance
C.	Mace (placed near the right foot)	Koumodaki	Of Krushna (dark)	The weapon used when the enemy is close, the Primal Knowledge (Adividya), the form of the universal intellect (Mahat principle), the energy destroying ego
D.	Padma (lotus)	-	-	Procreation, creation, Serenity (shanti).
E.	Bow	Sharanhga	-	The Primal Illusion (Adimaya)
6. Family
A. Wife	-	Lakshmi***	Golden	Divine Energy (Shakti)
Wife	-	Pushti	Of the Shirish flower	Divine Energy (Shakti)
B. Serpent	-	Anant	Of a cloud	Pure particles
C. Vehicle	-	Garud	Of a lotus	Vehicle

* An energy. Vaijayanti (वैजयंती) = vai (वै) + jayanti (जयंती). Vai means numerous eras (yugs) and jayanti means chains. The one adorning the necklace of Vaijayanti is the one wearing the chains of the eras around His neck and the one beyond time, that is Lord Vishnu.
** The rotating discus is the Great Illusion. The finger about which it rotates is stationary and represents Brahman. Information on the discus (sudarshan) is given in ‘How did Lord Krushna acquire Sudarshan Chakra?’.
*** The Divine Energy which is constantly engaged in destroying the mind and distressing energy. Lakshmi is seated at His feet. [Parvati is seated on Shiva’s lap. Shiva - Parvati seated together imply the dissolution of duality, that is the state of non-duality (advait).]

1.2 Sheshashayi Vishnu (Padmanabh)

One of the famous forms of Vishnu is that of Sheshashayi Vishnu wherein He reclines on the serpent named Shesh. Lakshmi is seated at His feet. There is a lotus emerging from His navel. Lord Brahma is seated on the lotus and the earth is supported on Shesh’s head. Such is the form of Sheshashayi Vishnu.
The implied meaning of this form is as follows.

1. Shesh: Shesh means the reserve or remnant. After subtraction of one number from another the result is the remainder. When a particle starts disintegrating, that particle which is the most subtle and which cannot disintegrate further means the core of the paramanu (atom), is called Shesh. The three most subtle particles in it are dhan (proton), run (electron) and udasin (neutron). [Shesh can absorb the 108 (narayan) frequencies coming from the region of the stars (nakshatralok) and can also bring about changes in them.]

2. The earth: The earth is made up of minute particles. The existence of every particle is dependent on the serpent (Shesh) within its core. The earth is held on Shesh’s head implies that Shesh is supporting the earth.

3. Vishnu: Vishnu is the radiance from the dhan, run and udasin frequencies from Shesh.

4. Lakshmi: If Vishnu is the form of dhan frequencies then Lakshmi is that of run frequencies. In other words the feminine form of Vishnu is Lakshmi.

5. The lotus: The lotus is a symbol of creation. The energy which emanates from Vishnu’s navel, that is from the Para mode of speech is depicted as a lotus. This energy of creation is not derived from Vishnu alone but from the union of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Vishnu is also named Padmanabh due to the lotus (padma) which springs from His navel (nabhi).
The Sahasrar chakra, the last in the Path of Activation of Spiritual Energy (Kundaliniyoga) is also called Sahasradal. The lotus in Lord Vishnu’s hand symbolises that He can endow the highest spiritual experience from the Path of Yoga.

6. Lord Brahma: The spiritual experience arising from the lotus, that is from the energy of creation is called Brahmadev or Brahma.
The twenty-four Names of Vishnu given under point ‘2. Some other Names’ differ only with respect to the order of the instruments held in the hands of the idols. Otherwise the idols are the same.

In the era gone by, the demonic energies grew enormously in the gross and subtle forms. Gods' efforts to vanquish them were unsuccessful. Then, under orders from Lord Brahma, Lord Datta had to incarnate at various places in various forms and destroy the demons. The day of His incarnation is celebrated as 'Datta Jayanti'. - Lord Ganesh (Through the medium of Bharat Miraje, 8.30 pm on 2.11.2005)

1. Lord Dattatreya - One who provides frequencies of Divine consciousness!

The principle that makes available to an embo-died soul both gross and subtle (i.e. manifest and unmanifest) frequencies of higher or lower Gods and Deities in a shorter time is called Datta or Lord Dattatreya). The very meaning of Datta is the 'One who provides frequencies of Divine consciousness'. - A Scholar (Through the medium of Ms. Anjali Gadgil, 2.54 pm on 7.6.2005)

2. Other Names of Lord Dattatreya

2.1 Avadhut

The One who controls the eight faculties in the body of an embodied soul and shows it the path to the unmanifest dimension through the manifest dimension. Avadhut is a medium that connects both the manifest form of Lord Datta and His unmanifest form. He is a manifest form (the gross manifestation) of the three principles - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv. He is also related to the unmanifest dimension (manifestation of these three principles in the form of light). 'Avadhut' comes alive with the radiance of Lord Dattatreya.

2.2 Digambar

Is the principle which gives company to an embodied soul till it gets Final Liberation in the radiance of the sky, i.e. beyond all the directions.

2.3 Sripad

'Sri' is the never-ending principle of God. The principle that takes an embodied soul to that principle of God or to the Holy Feet of 'Sri' principle is the Datta principle in Sripad.

2.4 Vallabh

The Datta princ-iple in the form of Vallabh protects the Universe from the circular-shaped distressing frequencies that create a fear psychosis, and thus protects the embodied souls. - A Scholar (Through the medium of Ms. Anjali Gadgil, 2.54 pm on 7.6.2005)

3. Function of Lord Dattatreya

Lord Dattatreya bestows His grace on man by giving speed to the journey of his ancestors to the next region and reducing his distress from ancestors. God gives man a chance to get liberated from the debt of ancestors through the ritual that gives speed to ancestors onward journey and through chanting the Name of Dattatreya.
One cannot get rid of the ancestors' debt merely by remembering them off and on, displaying their photos in the house or publishing their photos in newspapers on their death anniversaries. It is only by chanting the Name of Dattatreya that the ancestors get speed to go on their onward journey in true sense. From this we can realise that it is imperative to worship the Deity to get liberated from the ancestors' debt. This also reduces the debt of God on us. - A Devotee of Datta (Through the medium of Ms. Madhura Bhosale, 2.36 pm on 11.5.2005)

4. Worship of Lord Datta (who has one head)

Till the Satya Yuga, the spiritual level of all embodied souls was high and they acquired knowledge on the strength of their own spiritual practice. They possessed the state of 'Soham' (I am He). So Lord Dattatreya was required for the functions of dissolution and imparting knowledge to a very limited extent. Only the Vishnu principle in Him was active that time. As a symbol of this, the idol of Datta had only one head. Thereafter, during the Treta Yuga, the spiritual level of the embodied souls started to come down and they found it difficult to protect themselves and acquire knowledge on their own. To impart more knowledge to them through the subtle dimension, Lord Dattatreya had to bring out the dormant Brahma and Shiv principle in Him. To symbolise this, the three-headed idol of Dattatreya became prevalent.

4.1 The Japamala (rosary) in Lord Datta's hand represents perennial spiritual practice

Brahma of the three-headed Datta has a rosary in His hand. Datta's chanting goes on continuously, without a break. Perennial spiritual practice is the quality of Lord Shiv too. This feature of 'perennial spiritual practice' of both the Deities is found in Lord Dattatreya. Perennial spiritual practice in the present Era means functioning either in a saviour or a destroyer form, as is required.' - A Devotee of Datta (Through the medium of Ms. Madhura Bhosale, 12 noon on 11.5.2005)

4.2 Kamandalu (water-pot with a specific shape carried by ascetics)

Contains water which has the potential to absorb the unmanifest waves emanating from the Lord and to draw a protective sheath in a moment around the three celestial regions for protecting them from the distress of negative energies in the Universe.' - A Scholar (Through the medium of Ms. Anjali Gadgil, at 11.39 am on 8.5.2005)

5. Benefit of chanting Lord Dattatreya's Name

A. The ancestors get speed in their journey to the next region and this makes the atmosphere in the house pleasant.
B. An embodied soul gets energy from Lord Shiv also.
- Lord Ganesh (Through the medium of Bharat Miraje, 8.30 pm on 2.11.2005)

1. Worship of Rama and seekers

1.1 Chanting of ‘Hare Rama’ (हरे राम)

The Kalisantaran Upanishad is a part of the Krushnayajurveda. Its other name is Harinamopanishad. This Upanishad was narrated by Lord Brahma to Sage Narad towards the culmination of the Dvaparyug. In short, it says mere chanting of Lord Narayan’s Name eliminates the ill effects due to the influence of Kali. This mantra consists of sixteen words -

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krushna Hare Krushna Krushna Krushna Hare Hare
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे।
हरे कृष्‍ण हरे कृष्‍ण कृष्‍ण कृष्‍ण हरे हरे ।।

These sixteen words are associated with the sixteen kalas of the embodied soul. Thus it is a mantra which destroys the covering of the embodied soul. Some sects worshipping Lord Krushna chant the second half of the mantra first.’

1.2 Spiritual experiences obtained when chanting the Names Rama and Sree Rama

Chant the Names Rama and Sree Rama each for two minutes and record your spiritual experiences, that is note with which Name you feel pleasant or distressed. Then read the following paragraph. The table below enlists the spiritual experiences of seekers who were attending a workshop on Spirituality, in Mumbai.

Spiritual experience obtained during chanting	Rama	Sree Rama
1. Efforts were necessary (presence of grossness)	8	-
2. Felt serene	1	6
3. Felt like chanting Shrirama instead of Rama	1	-
4. Occurred automatically	1	8
5. Felt distressed	-	5*

* Since the spiritual experience of Bliss or Serenity is new for an average seeker chanting the Name Shrirama can cause him distress.
The majority felt more pleasant when chanting Shrirama rather than Rama. This will clarify the difference between the two Names. Despite this, five individuals experienced distress when chanting Shrirama. To avoid this a seeker is advised not to chant a Name meant for a spiritual level higher than his.
The words in the mantra ‘Shrirama jai Rama jai jai Rama (श्री राम जय राम जय जय राम)’ mean the following -

Shrirama : This is an invocation of Shrirama
Jai Rama : This is in praise of Rama.
Jai jai Rama : Like ‘namaha’ it signifies surrender.

1.3 Differences between various Names

	The male / female family deity (kuladevata)	Rama	Sree Rama
1. At what spiritual level % of the seeker is is it useful?	20-50	50-60	60-80
2. Manifest energy %	10	70	0
3. Mission	Activation of energy	The energy performs a specific function	Conversion of the energy into Shiva

1.4 Spiritual practice of which form of Rama is useful for a seeker at a particular spiritual level %?

Form of Rama	Spiritual level of the seeker %
1. Ramapanchayatan (The five- fold family of Rama)	20-40
2. Rama - Sita and Hanuman	30-50
3. Rama and Sita (Sitarama)	30-50
4. Rama	50-60
5. Shrirama	60-80

1.5 Beneficial to go from many to one

Once the stage of worship of the family deity is completed, the spiritual practice of Rama who is true to His word, devoted to only one wife and who attains the target with just one arrow is useful for many a seeker to go from many to one..

1.6 Ritualistic worship (puja) and celebration of religious festivals

Since Rama is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, He too is worshipped like Vishnu. (Refer ‘Why are tulsi leaves offered to Lord Vishnu?’.) The birth of Shrirama is celebrated on the ninth day (navami) of the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra, at twelve noon.

1.7 Rama and Sita Gayatri

दाशरथाय विद्महे । सीतावराय धीमहि ।
तन्‍नो रामचंद्र: प्रचोदयात्‌ ।।

Meaning: We are quite familiar with Rama, the son of Dasharath. We meditate on Rama, the husband of Sita. May that Rama inspire our intellect benevolently.

जनकात्‍मजाय विद्महे । भूमिपुत्र्यै धीमहि ।
तन्‍नो जानकी प्रचोदयात्‌ ।।

Meaning: We are quite familiar with Sita, the daughter of Janak. We meditate on Sita, the daughter of the Earth. May that Janaki inspire our intellect benevolently.

2. The Ramayan in our lives

If one is disinterested in something one says there is no charm (Rama nahi) in it. From some Names in the Ramayan one will realise how the Ramayan is going on in the day-to-day life of a seeker.
A. Rama: Atmaram is the soul principle.
B. Sita: Adimaya is the Great Illusion. The abduction by Ravan, Her entering the fire were all a part of the play of the Great Illusion. In one’s life too the play of the Great Illusion in the form of happiness and unhappiness continues.
C. Lakshman: Laksha (लक्ष) which means attention and man (मन) meaning mind constitute the name Lakshman (लक्षमण). One’s attention should always be concentrated on the soul.
D. Bharat: The name Bharat (भरत) is derived from bha (भ) meaning radiance and rat (रत) meaning engrossed. A seeker is thus one who is engrossed in the worship of radiance.
E. Shatrughna: The name Shatrughna (शत्रुघ्‍न) is derived from shatru (शत्रु) and ghna (घ्‍न). Shatru means the enemy and ghna the destroyer. The six foes of the soul (shadripu) are one’s enemies.
F. Rama, Sita and Lakshman: Rama means spiritual knowledge, Sita means devotion and Lakshman means detachment.
G. Hanuman: The activated spiritual energy (kundalini).
H. Ravan: The six foes of the soul (shadripu) - desire, anger, greed, attachment, vanity and envy.
I. Kumbhakarna: Laziness
Thus like the Ramayan, the Mahabharat too goes on in one’s day-to-day life !

।। Shrirama jai Rama jai jai Rama ।।

1. Ritualistic worship of God (puja)

1.1 Temple at home

If one does not have a temple at home or if there are no photographs or idols of the family deity and Lord Ganesh then they should be duly brought and installed in a temple at home. The deities should be arranged in the temple in the following manner: Lord Ganapati in the centre with the photographs or the idols of the male family deity and other male deities, e.g. Hanuman, Balkrushna, to His right and the female family deity and other female deities, e.g. Annapurna, to His left. In some pictures the female deity is depicted along with the male deity, e.g. Sitaram, Lakshminarayan, etc. Whenever She is depicted to the left of the male deity She bestows blessings onto devotees along with Her master. The left side symbolises the moon channel (chandranadi) and endows Serenity and Bliss. This is the saviour form of the female deity. In such photographs the male deity is considered as the main one and the picture is placed to the right of Lord Ganapati. In some pictures the female deity is depicted to the right of the male deity. The right side signifies the sun channel (suryanadi). Thus the deity is believed to be very powerful. This is the destroyer form of the female deity. The holy text Kalivilastantra narrates that deity Kali performs a dance on the chest of Lord Shiva. Here the female deity is more prominent than Her male counterpart. To conclude, when the female deity is to the right of the male deity She possesses more energy and should be considered as the principal deity. Hence such a picture is placed to the left of Lord Ganapati. One should keep the picture of the saviour or the destroyer form of the deity for the ritualistic worship as per one’s wish to undertake spiritual practice of that form. If a person having a Guru resides alone then he should keep only his Guru’s picture / photograph in the temple. If there are other family members then the Guru’s picture / photograph should be placed to the right of Lord Ganapati and should be followed by the male family deity’s photograph. Photographs or idols of the female family deity or other female deities should be placed to the left of Ganapati.

If one is not performing any ritualistic worship (puja) presently, then the method of doing so stepwise in the appropriate way is as follows.
A. Everyday the deities and the temple should be wiped with a cloth and two incense sticks should be lit in the morning as wells as in the evening.
B. Removing the previous day’s withered flowers and leaves (nirmalya) the deities should be wiped with a cloth. After offering flowers, incense sticks should be lit and waved in a clockwise motion. Then two wicks should be rolled into one and placed in a lamp containing clarified butter (ghee). The lit lamp should then be moved in a circular motion (arti) in the clockwise direction.
C. The idols should be bathed and the photographs wiped first with a wet and then with a dry cloth. Then sandalwood paste (gandha) should be applied to the deities and unbroken consecrated rice grains (akshata), flowers, turmeric and vermillion (kumkum) should be offered. This should be followed by lighting one incense stick and moving a lit lamp in a clockwise motion (arti). Finally, an offering of food (naivedya) should be made and one should pray for success in one’s spiritual practice.

2. Going to temples or places of worship

2.1 Importance of temples and places of worship

‘द्रष्‍टा दृश्‍यवशात्‌ बद्ध: । दृश्‍याभावात्‌ विमुच्‍ञते ।’ meaning the embodied soul (jiva, drashta) is bound by the view of external objects. In absence of the view it is free; for instance the embodied soul feels like eating a favourite dish so long as the food item is in its view. It is not so at other times. It is exposed to different scenes all the time. Then, when will the scenes cease? If we say that this will happen only during dissolution (pralay) of the universe, then the cessation of scenes will be meaningless as the embodied soul too will be dissolved at that time. According to the Vedanta the origin of external objects lies in the viewer. Then is there no way of liberating the embodied soul? There certainly is. The embodied soul has only one path available to acquire Liberation. It is to place before the viewer such a composite structure of scenes, that his very bondage to them will assist his Liberation. This means that his attitude (vrutti) will transgress from tama to raja and from raja to sattva. Such scenes which will liberate the viewer from the bondage are those of temples or places of worship. Discourses (pravachans and kirtans), singing the glory of the birth and mission of incarnations of The Lord and His divine play as also those of His devotees take place here. Upon hearing (shravan) these, contemplation (manan) occurs leading to intense yearning (nididhyas), culminating in Self-realisation (Atmasakshatkar).’ - H.H. Kane Maharaj, Narayangaon, Pune district, Maharashtra

2.2 How often should one go to the temple or place of worship?

One should go to the temple or place of worship to pay obeisance and should offer prayers atleast once a week in the beginning and everyday later on, so that one’s spiritual practice continues smoothly with the grace of The Lord.

2.3 Circumambulation (pradakshina)

Initially, one should circumambulate once and later on, several times depending on the deity of worship, for instance male deities in even numbers and female deities in odd numbers. Additional information on why cirmcumambulation for male deities such as Ganapati and Hanuman is done in odd numbers like twenty-one and five respectively is provided in Bhaktiyog.

2.4 Repeating (chanting) The Lord’s Name in the temple

Since repeating (chanting) The Lord’s Name occurs at its best in a temple due to the sattvik (sattva predominant) environment one should chant atleast one round of the rosary (mala) there.
If the temple of one’s deity of worship (aradhyadevata) is not in the vicinity, then one should visit the temple of any other male deity instead of one’s male deity of worship or any other female deity instead of one’s female deity of worship and offer obeisance to it with the spiritual emotion that it is the very form of one’s deity of worship.

3. Following family traditions of spiritual practice (kulachar)

One should follow the family traditions of spiritual practice meticulously, for instance if Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratra or any other festival is celebrated in the family then it should be continued. If it is customary to offer ‘oti’ (offering of coconuts and a piece of cloth) at the annual festival of a female deity, the practice should be continued. If the temple of the family deity is far, then one should go and pay obeisance to it at least once a year. If it is in the vicinity then one should pay obeisance to it more often.

4. Obeisance to the village deity (gramadevata)

Some people remember the village deity only once a year during its annual festival and the rest of the year, leave it to the priest or the non-Brahman priest of the temple. This is incorrect. The village deity is responsible for protecting all the villagers. Hence it is important to go to its temple and pay obeisance regularly.

1. Mission and special features

1.1 Vanquisher of obstacles (Vighnaharta)

On account of this attribute, He is worshipped before commencing any function right from a folk dance for entertainment to a wedding and all rituals including house-warming (gruhapravesh). (Refer: 'Meaning of Vighnesh')

1.2 One who eliminates distress caused by distressing energies

30% of people in society and 50% of good seekers are afflicted by distressing energies. An individual experiences physical or psychological distress due to distressing energies or he constantly encounters some or the other obstacle in his life. Distressing energies pose obstacles even in the spiritual practice of seekers and take the benefit of the spiritual practice of seekers. From this it is evident how necessary it is for everyone to give preference to overcome distress due to distressing energies. Information about how distress due to distressing energies like possession, black magic (karani), etc.

1.3 One who augments the vital energy (pranshakti)

Various body functions in man occur due to various types of energies. (Information about these various energies is given in 'Science of Spirituality : Chapter 35 - Pranayam'.) The basic energy of all these energies is the vital energy. Repetition (chanting) of the Name of Lord Ganapati augments the vital energy in our body.

1.4 Presiding deity of knowledge (Vidyapati)

Maharashi Ved Vyas and Ganesh Refer: 'Meaning of Vidyapati'. 'There is an ancient custom of writing, 'Shri Ganeshaya namaha, Shri Sarasvatyai namaha, Shri Gurubhyo namaha', that is obeisance to Lord Ganesh, deity Sarasvati and the Guru, before beginning any writing, for example a letter. Why is this order followed? Knowledge of any subject is first acquired through the intellect and Ganapati is the bestower of intellect. Hence 'Shri Ganeshaya namaha' is written first. Deity Sarasvati's mission is to put into words the knowledge acquired through the intellect. Sarasvati is called "abhinav vagvilasini", the deity of development of speech by Saint Dnyaneshvar and "shabda mul vagdevata", the deity of the origin of words by Saint Samarth Ramdasswami. Hence, deity Sarasvati is second in the order. Since the Guru is the medium of acquisition of knowledge and its transcription into words, He is third in the order.'
Maharshi Vyas wanted an intelligent writer to write the Mahabharat. So He prayed to Lord Ganapati to undertake this task.

1.5 One who converts the language of sound (nadabhasha) into the language of light (prakashbhasha) and vice versa

First repeat (chant) the Names - Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and Ganapati for one or two minutes each and if you see light, assess whether it is faint or bright. Only then read further.
There were 42 seekers at a spiritual meeting (satsang) conducted by the Sanstha. The spiritual experiences obtained by them when doing the above experiment are given in the table below. The average spiritual level of the seekers was 35%. During a spiritual meeting, at times the spiritual level of seekers can even rise upto 40% to 50%. The spiritual level of an average person is 20% while that of one who has attained the Final Liberation (Moksha) is 100%. If average individuals perform the same experiment, they do not perceive anything. Hence everyone does not get spiritual experiences in such experiments. Only those who have attained a spiritual level of more than 35% through spiritual practice and are able to perceive something from the spiritual dimension can perceive this.

Spiritual Experiences
Name of which deity?	Those seeing faint light	Those seeing bright light	Total number of those seeing light	Those unable to see light	Total
1. Brahma	7	4	11	31	42
2. Vishnu	8	1	9	33	42
3. Mahesh	7	3	10	32	42
4. Ganapati	8	12	20	22	42

From the above table, one will realise that a greater number of seekers got the spiritual experience of seeing light by repeating (chanting) the Name of Ganapati than with the Names of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. This will also clarify why Ganapati is referred to as one who converts the language of sound into that of light.
Since Ganapati can comprehend the language of sound which we speak, He is a deity who is easily appeased. Ganapati is the deity who converts the language of sound into that of light and vice versa. Most of the other deities can understand only the language of light. Some examples with regard to this are given in the table ahead.

Deity	Ability to comprehend the language of light (%)	Ability to comprehend the language of sound (%)
1. Brahma	98	2
2. Vishnu	80	20
3. Mahesh	80	20
4. Divine Energy (Shakti)	70	30
5. Ganapati	60	40

1.6 One granting an embodied soul (jiva) the permission to take birth

Maha (the embodied soul taking birth) is born with the permission of Ganapati.

1.7 Worshipped by all sects

A sect is 'one which considers only its deity of worship (upasyadevata) to be supreme and believes that it alone is responsible for the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe; it does not believe in other deities'. Despite the existence of several sects, every sect performs the ritualistic worship of LordGanesh. The Shaiva sect considers Ganapati to be the son of Lord Shiva and His main attendant (gan) whereas in the Vaishnav sect He has various forms like Aniruddha, Vasudev, etc. The Shakta (Divine Energy) sect is of two types - Dakshinmargi and Vamamargi, both of which worship Lord Ganesh. In this sect, Lord Ganesh is portrayed along with His consort as Shaktiganapati or Lakshmiganapati as well as worshipped in the feminine form too. Lord Ganesh is worshipped by the Jain sect too. Charumati, the daughter of Emperor Ashok who professed Buddhism, built a Ganesh temple in NepaL. Literature on Lord Ganesh mentions that the idol of Lord Ganesh installed in that temple, popularly known as 'Heramb', is seated on a throne and has five heads and ten arms.

1.8 Deity praised by saints

Although saints following different paths of spiritual practice may worship various deities yet all of Them have earnestly prayed to and sung the praises of Lord Ganesh. LordGanesh is highly venerable to all saints. Marathi literature authored by saints has described the worldly and spiritual nature of Lord Ganesh in a beautiful manner. The great saint, Shri Dnyaneshvar has offered His humble obeisance unto LordGanesh, 'O Lord Ganesh, You alone enlighten our intellect (implied meaning).' Saint Eknath has offered obeisance unto LordGanesh at the very beginning in His commentary on the holy text, Bhagvat, 'Though the universe has originated from the Omkar, Lord you existed even before. You are the master of knowledge in vedas, vedants and different sciences in the universe. Of all those worthy of salutation, you are the Supreme.You are the master of all and everything lies within you (implied meaning).' It is said that Saint Tukaram Maharaj had invited Lord Viththal and Lord Ganesh for a meal, both at the same time. Saint Namdev has said, 'O Lambodar, (another name of Lord Ganesh) with your trunk, you vanquish all obstacles (implied meaning).' Saint Tulsidas too has sung praises of Lord Ganesh at the commencement of His 'Ramacharitamanas'.

1.9 Expert in music and dance

Omkar is the manifestation of Brahman in the form of sound. Lord Ganesh is also referred to as 'Shriganesh whose form is of the nature of Omkar.' Numerous verses in the Shriganesh Varadstotra clearly illustrate the relationship of Lord Ganesh with music. The devotional songs (abhang) composed by Saint Dnyaneshvar, Saint Namdev, Samarth Ramdasswami and others also illustrate the close relationship of Lord Ganesh with music. One also comes across idols of Lord Ganesh in dance postures. This idol of Ganapati has a golden complexion with eight arms and His left leg rests on a lotus while the right leg is in mid-air. Sage Madhva has sung praises of the treasure of dance postures possessed by Lord Ganesh,'O Lord Ganesh, You are the vanquisher of all obstacles, the compassionate One, the One praised in all the three worlds and the Master of dance and music (implied meaning).' The poet Moropant has excellently portrayed the beautiful and attractive form of Lord Ganesh through his masterly and imaginative exposition of words while narrating that the dance performed by Lord Ganesh puts to shame even celestial singers (gandharva) and celestial dancers (apsara).

1.10 Principle, ability and manifest energy

Principle : 70% (Isham = 100%)
Ability : Creation 10%, sustenance 70% and dissolution 20%
Manifest energy : 10%

2. Retinue

2.1 Family members

According to the Purans, Shiva is the father, Parvati the mother and Skand is the brother of Ganapati. Shiva and Parvati are His parents implies that the Ganesh frequencies are generated by the confluence of the radiant (tej) frequencies of Shiva and Minakshi.

2.2 Vehicle (vahan)

The word vahan (वाहन) is derived from the root, vru-vaha (वृ-वह) which means, to transport. The vehicle of deities changes according to their mission. The vehicle mostly used by Ganapati is the rat. But He has other vehicles as well. A (आ) + vahan (वाहन) = avahan (आवाहन) which means, to invoke. A deity does not manifest itself without invocation, that is without an invitation. (However, if a devotee is in distress then it rushes to his rescue even without invocation.) Thus when a deity is invoked to carry out a mission, the vehicle should complement that mission, for instance, a lion for a battle. The vehicle of Heramb Ganapati is the lion while that of Mayureshvar Ganapati is the peacock. The table below gives the vehicle and special features of the idols of Lord Ganesh according to the yug (era)

Shiva’s idol underwent changes, with the passage of time as given below.

1. Form of the phallus

Shankar is referred to as the father of the universe; that is why, at first, the idol used to be in the form of a phallus. It is mostly five faced. The face facing the east is called Vishnu, that facing the west is called Brahma, that facing the south Rudra and that facing the north Shiva. The fifth face points upwards, that is towards spiritual progress.

Inspite of Shiva being the deity of dissolution, one will wonder how the lingas of Shiva having forms such as the phallus, Nandi, divine phallus (linga) and divine birth passage (bhag / yoni), etc. have been created. According to theShaiva sect, Shiva is the deity of all that is creation, sustenance as well as dissolution. Only in the concept ofTrimurti (Datta) is Shiva the deity of dissolution. According to psychology too for most it is easier to worship with regard to creation and sustenance and difficult with regard to dissolution.

2. In the form of an animal

Nandi is the form of Shiva from the Vedic period.

3. In the form of a man

This form was created during the Puranic period. Here Parvati is depicted as seated on Shiva’s lap. It symbolises that Shiva-Parvati [Divine Energy (Shakti) are the parents of the universe. This idol is always white, that is like camphor (karpur) and is named Karpurgour. Shiva being the deity of purity, the idol is white in colour as a representation of this absolute purity. This human form of Shiva possesses the following four symbolic instruments in his hands.

A. The small hourglass shaped drum (damaru) : This represents the Brahman in the form of the word (shabda Brahman). Alphabets consisting of the sounds of fifty-two basic letters and the forms of fourteen Maheshvar verses (sutras) have generated from it. Later the universe was created from it.

B. The trident: It represents the following

• The three components (trigunas)
• The root of creation, sustenance and dissolution
• Volition, knowledge and action are the tips of the three prongs of the trident.
• The yama, surya and prajapati frequencies

C. The noose or the deer : The noose represents the noose of time (kalpash). (The rope in Ganapati’s hand too is the noose of time.) The deer symbolises the four Vedas.

D. The axe : This represents the destruction of ignorance.

3.1 Dakshinamurti

‘The word dakshina represents intellect. “Dakshinamurti” is that form of The Lord the realisation of which one acquires with the help of the right intellect. A legend says that Shiva assumed this form to be able to preach philosophy to His devotees, constantly. The Dakshinamurti idol too exists in four forms - Vinadhar, Yoga, Dnyan and Vyakhyan.

• The idol of Vinadhar is in an erect posture and has four arms. It teaches the devotees the vina (a stringed instrument), that is meditation upon notes.
• The idol of Yoga is seated in meditation. It is through this form that the knowledge of yoga is acquired.
• The idol of Dnyan teaches philosophy.
• The idol of Vyakhyan teaches other sciences. It is seated in virasan (adamant posture) and depicts themudras of dnyan, sandarbha and vyakhyan.’

‘In this form Shiva is either in the standing or in the sitting posture. His countenance is pleasant and beautiful. He possesses four arms. Often several animals, serpents, yatis and sages surround this idol. At times Parvati too is close by. Shankaracharya has composed two verses (stotras) of Dakshinamurti.

3.2 Kalyansundarmurti

This idol depicts the wedding ceremony of Shiva and Parvati.’

4. The form of a pindi

The divine birth passage and the divine phallus are the two sex organs responsible for animate creation. Realising this, primitive man worshipped both these organs. The pindi was created by union of the base of the linga (shalunka) representing the divine birth passage and the linga representing the divine phallus. The earth means procreation and Shiva means purity. Although the shalunka has both creation and purity yet the universe was not created from semen but by the resolve (sankalpa) of Lord Shiva. Thus Shiva and Parvati became the parents of the world. Huishka, the son of Kanishka began worship of Shiva’s linga since the second century. The concept of theShivalinga originated after the union of the Shiva and Shakti (Divine Energy) sects. Shiva cannot do anything without Divine Energy (Shakti) hence the worship of Shakti commenced along with that of Shiva. Shiva’s linga in the form of a pindi represents the energy of effulgence. The modern nuclear reactors too are shaped like the lingas of Shiva.

4.1 Types of pindis

A. Chal and achal : A chal linga is created for a certain ritualistic worship (puja). This is created like an idol of Ganesh made for Ganesh Chaturthi and is then immersed. An achal linga is installed in one place and not moved.

B. With context to the ground

1. Situated below the ground level (svayambhu): This possesses tremendous amount of energy. Hence it is situated below the ground level. If situated above the ground then devotees will not be able to tolerate the energy emitted by it. (The eyes of Lord Balaji of Tirupati are half open to prevent devotees from being affected by the radiance from His eyes.) Worshippers lie down on the ground and inserting their hands inside, worship it. The amount of Shiva principle in it is next to that in the jyotirlingas. These lingas are created with the resolve of Lord Shiva. Later the linga manifests before some devotee and after it is discovered, its worship begins.

2. Situated at the ground level: These are installed by sages or kings. They possess less energy. Devotees are able to endure only that much of energy. Worshippers perform ritualistic worship of the pindisitting in a hollow beside it.

3. Situated above the ground level: These are installed by devotees collectively. These have the least energy which people can easily tolerate. The worshipper performs its ritualistic worship sitting on the platform constructed beside it.

Lingas of type 2 and 3 are referred to as manush lingas. ‘These are called so probably because they are created by man (manushya). They are included in the stable lingas. A manush linga is composed of three parts - the Brahma part, the Vishnu part and the Rudra part. The lowermost part is referred to as Brahma. It is square in shape. The central octagonal part is called Vishnu. Both these parts are buried in the ground. The uppermost round raised portion is called Rudra. This is also known as puja part as all the substances used in ritualistic worship are offered unto it. Holy texts on the science of idols state that the Rudra part should have some lines on it. These are called Brahmasutras. Divine and arshak lingas do not display such lines.’

4. Suspended in air: The pindi of Somnath created from mercury floats in the air at a height of five metres above the ground. Worshippers pass below it. This itself becomes the circumambulation (pradakshina) of thepindi.

4.2 Linga (Divine Phallus)

A. linga is a representation of an object or an emotion. The text Medinikosh explains the meaning of this word as follows.

लिङ्‌गं चिन्‍हेऽनुमाने च साङ्‌ख्‍योक्‍त प्रकृतिरपि ।
शिवमूर्तिविशेषे च मेहेगेऽपि नपुंसकम्‌ ।।

Meaning: The word linga is used with reference to a symbol, inference, Prakruti according to the Sankhyaphilosophy by Sage Kapil, special features of the idols of Shiva and the phallus and is of the neuter gender. However in common usage it infers ‘a representation of Shiva’.

B. It is called so because at the time of dissolution (pralay) along with the five cosmic elements the entire world merges into the linga and originates from it again, at the time of creation.

C. The mahalinga possesses three eyes. They refer to creation, sustenance and dissolution and to tama(tiryak), raja (visphutit) and sattva (saman) frequencies.

4.3 Shalunka [base of the linga (lingavedi)]

Bhumi (Earth) is the eldest daughter of Daksha Prajapati . Aditi, Uttanpada, Mahi and Shalunka are its forms. The root name of the shalunka is Suvarnashankhini because the sex organs of a woman resemble a conch (and a seashell) in shape. Ritualistic worship of the shalunka implies the worship of the mother deity (matrudevata). The grooves located on the inner aspect of the shalunka are important. Due to them the sattvik (sattva predominant) energy generated in the pindi mostly remains in the pindi and in the central part of the temple (gabhara) while the destructive tama predominant energy constitutes the outflow (srot) from the shalunka.

A. Types of shalunkas based on the circumference

1. A shalunka with a circumference thrice that of the linga is called inferior.
2. A shalunka with a circumference one and a half times that of the linga is called medium.
3. A shalunka with a circumference four times that of the linga is a superior one.

B. Height: The height of a linga should be equivalent to that of its Vishnu part.

C. Shape: It may have 4, 6, 8, 12 or 16 sides but is mostly round.

If the shalunka faces northwards then its shape resembles the figure below. Sperms and golden colouredadhahashayi (the embodied soul (jiva) which enters the foetus) (अध:शायी) (refer ‘Science of Spirituality: Chapter 24 - Creation of the Universe’) as well as neonates resemble it.

4.4 Jyotirlingas

There are twelve jyotirlingas. They materialised in a radiant form. The thirteenth pinda is called kalpinda. The body (pinda) which has crossed the limits of time (kal) is called kalpinda. The twelve jyotirlingas are given below.

Jyotirlinga	Site
1. Somnath	Prabhasapattan, near Veraval, Sourashtra Gujarath
2. Mallikarjun	Shrishailya, Andhra Pradesh
3. Mahankal	Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
4. Omkar / Amleshvar	Omkar, Mandhata, Madhya Pradesh
5. Kedarnath	Himalay
6. Bhimashankar	Dakini region, taluka Khed, district Pune, Maharashtra
7. Vishveshvar	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
8. Tryambakeshvar	Near Nashik, Maharashtra
9. Vaidyanath (Vaijnath)	Parli, District Bid, Maharashtra or Vaidyanathdham, Bangal.
10. Nagesh (Nagnath)	Darukavan, Oundha, district Parbhani, Maharashtra or Almoda, Uttar Pradesh
11. Rameshvar	Setubandha, near Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu.
12. Ghrushneshvar (Ghrushnesh)	Verul, district Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

The twelve jyotirlingas are bodies the heads of which lie at Pashupatinath of Kathamandu. For acquisition of the supernatural power of a rudraksha one should choose the linga with the required quality and energy and worship it by sprinkling with water (abhishek). For example, Mahankal contains tamasi (tama predominant) energy, Nagnath is a form of Hari (Vishnu) and Har (Shiva) and is predominant in sattva and tama components, Tryambakeshvar is composed of the three components (Avadhut) while Somnath is appropriate for alleviating disease.

The meaning of a jyotirlinga

• The all pervading Brahmatmalinga or all pervading light.
• In the Taittiriya Upanishad the twelve principles of Brahman, the Great Illusion (Maya), the embodied soul, the mind, intellect, subconscious mind, ego and the five cosmic elements have been referred to as the twelvejyotirlingas.
• The twelve sections of the Shivalinga.
• In the summit of a sacrificial fire (yadnya) the shalunka represents the altar (vedi) of the fire and the linga the flame of the fire.
• A representation of the twelve adityas.
• The sites of eruption of fire from the dormant state of the volcano.

Since Lord Yama the master of the south is controlled by Shankar, the south is the direction of Lord Shankar. Thejyotirlingas (that is the mouths of the shalunkas) face southward direction. Most of the temples do not face the southward direction. When the mouth of the shalunka faces southwards its pinda possesses more energy while thepinda with the mouth of the shalunka facing northwards has less energy.

4.5 Banalingas

These are a type of Shivalingas. A particular kind of pebbles from the bed of the Narmada river is referred to asbanalingas. Banasur had created these lingas for ritualistic worship and then left them on the mountain situated on the banks of the Narmada. The Yadnyavalkyasanhita states that along with the water currents these lingas reached the Narmada. Akin to the Narmada banalingas are also found in the rivers Ganga and Yamuna.’ Since banalingasand shaligrams of Lord Vishnu are made of non-porous stone like marble they are both heavy and do not erode easily.

4.6 Lingas according to the era (yug)

Yug	Linga	Yug	Linga
Satya (Krut)	Precious stones	Dvapar	Mercury
Treta	Gold	Kali	Earth

5. Lingas of the five cosmic elements

South India has the following five lingas of the five cosmic elements : pruthvi (absolute earth) - Shivakanchi, apa(absolute water) - Jambunath, tej (absolute fire) - Arunachalam, vayu (absolute air) - Kalhasti and akash (absolute ether) - Chidambaram.

6. The hundred and eight and the thousand lingas

These lingas are created by vertical and horizontal lines engraved on the Rudra part creating one hundred and eight or a thousand squares respectively.

7. Dharalinga

This is created by drawing 5 to 28 deep vertical grooves on the Vishnu part of the linga. Because of these grooves water from the ritualistic bathing (abhishek) flows down easily.