Shivalingum - an intriguing but interesting symbol in Hinduism

15 October, 2012

Shivalingum does not represent body parts. It represents the eternal and inseparable union between Shiva and Shakti. Shiva should be worshipped during the nine-day-long fasting festival.

THERE ARE two Navaratri festivals celebrated each year - Chaitra and Ashwin. On the ninth day of the Chaitra Navaratri the Ramanavami falls and just the day after the ninth day of Ashwin Navaratri, the Vijayadashmi; the day when Rama became victorious over Ravana, falls. It is said that the war between Rama and Ravana started on the first day of Ashwin Navaratri.

This can not be just chance and tells about Rama as the central character in these two nine days’ fasting festival. Rama worshipping Shiva at Rameshvaram is also a very talked about portrait; the features Krishna misses. What it tells is that Rama is the first historic Ishvara and this gets confirmed by the way he is worshipped in Ayodhya.

Shivalingum is very intriguing and interesting symbol in Hinduism. First of all the lingum does not represent the actual body parts and story about Daruvana where Shiva playing with Brahmins’ wives, Brahmins cursing him and castrating his male organ, there being chaos all over the world because of this and the Devas and Brahmins meeting Parvati and she inserting castrated phallus reversely inside her vagina and finally order getting restored in the world, appears an inappropriate explanation and an after-thought.

The fact is that in Shivalingum the phallus represents Shiva, the yoni Parvati and black color Kali. What Shivalingum represents is Satyam Shivam Sundaram implying Shiva and Parvati are absolute truth and Shiva and Parvati are absolute beauty. The Shivalingum represents eternal truth, beauty and creativity. It represents eternal and inseparable union between Shiva and Shakti. Satyam Shivam Sundaram has another meaning if it is accepted that Sanskrit and English are mixed which is the case in many words related to Hinduism. It means that I am the truth, I am Shiva and I am the beautiful: I am Rama. The explanation gets further clarified by understanding the meaning of word Rameshvaram. It has two meanings; whose Ishvara Rama is or Rama’s Ishvara. In totality it means Satyama Shivam Sundaram: Rama: Ishvara.

There are many things to understand about Shivalingum. First of all there is so elaborate method for worshipping Shivalingum because Shiva does not have trace of Brahminism. The real reason for Shiva’s idol worship not in much vogue has to do with this; Shiva by all his appearance looks like Kshatriya and not Brahmin. By making Shivalingum, not only the eternal forces are worshipped in abstract form but also Shiva becomes a Brahminical deity. The offering should be made from the broader part of yoni and Shivalingum from broader to shorter part should face either East; the direction of Sun or North-East; the direction of Kailash mountain depending on one’s belief.

Since the union of Shiva and Devi is the eternal truth and they can not be separated Shiva should also be worshipped along the Devi during Navaratri. Kali and Parvati are two chief deities and on their day Shiva should definitely be worshipped. There should be more worship of Shivalingum on the day of Vijayadashmi too. Hinduism requires integration and institutionalization and in this way it can keep up the pace with the changing consciousness of Hindus and adapt with time.