THE SIVA LINGAM

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

THE SIVA LINGAM
You will find in the Linga Purana:
Pradhanam Prakritir Yadahurlingamuttamam Gandhavarnarasairheenam sabda
sparshaadi varjitam The foremost Lingam which is primary, and is devoid of smell, colour, taste,
hearing, 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 should have been heavy rains the previous day. When you
see smoke, you infer that there is fire. This world of countless forms is a Lingam of the Omnipotent
Lord. The Siva Lingam is a symbol of Lord Siva. When you look at the Lingam, 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 Lingam of Lord Siva.
There is a mysterious power or indescribable Shakti in the Lingam, to induce concentration
of the mind. Just as the mind is focussed easily in crystal gazing, the mind of a devotee is easily
concentrated when he looks at the Lingam. That is the reason why the ancient Rishis of India and
the seers have prescribed Lingam for being installed in the temples of Siva.
Siva Lingam 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: ‘Oh, the Hindus worship the phallus.
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 the symbol. Lingam 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, one with Brahman.
Sphatikalingam is also a symbol of Lord Siva. This is prescribed for Aradhana or worship of
Lord Siva. It is made of quartz. It has no colour of its own, but takes on the colour of the substance
which comes in contact with it. It represents the Nirguna Brahman or the attributeless Supreme
Self.
For a sincere devotee, the Lingam is not a block of stone. It is all radiant Tejas or Chaitanya
(Light or Consciousness). The Lingam talks to him, makes him shed profuse tears, produces
horripilation and melting of heart, raises him above body-consciousness, and helps him to
commune with the Lord and attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Lord Rama worshipped the Siva Lingam at
Rameshwaram. What a great mystic Shakti there should be in the Lingam!