Thus Spake the Divine - Shiva Ratri (Night of Shiva)

Thus Spake the Divine

Shiva Ratri (Night of Shiva)

In this chapter, Poojyasri Maha Periyava describes the Sakala, Nishkala and Form-Less Form (Lingam) of Shiva. He also elucidates the genesis of Lingodhbhava and the story associated with it.

Almost in all Shiva temples, one can see the idol of Lingodhbhava placed on the western wall (backside) of the Sanctum Sanctorum of Lord Shiva. (In some temples, instead of Lingodhbhava, there will be an idol of Vishnu in this place). Lingodhbhava is one among the 64 divine forms of Lord Shiva, which include, among others, Vrushabarudar, Ardhanareeshsvara, Hariharar, Natarajar, Bhairavar, Dakshinamurti, Somaskandar, Bhishadanar, Urdhva Thandavar, Jalantharasura Samharar and Kala Samharar.

Four-armed standing figure of Lingodhbhava emanates from a shaft of fire. The divine form is confined within the Lingam. Its crown cannot be completely seen within the Lingam, as a part of it would be hidden. Its legs below the ankle are also hidden. At the bottom of the idol, there will be a boar as an outline. On the top, we can see the image of a swan.

Who is Lingodhbhava?

A shloka has to be recited before doing the Sri Rudrabhishekam to Lord Rudra. The gist of this shloka is: “Do the Abhishekam (Sacred Shower) to the Sphatika Lingam (, which is the personification of eternal light permeating from the underworld to the Heaven.”

You cannot attribute any one colour to Sphatika Lingam, which is immaculately transparent. It reflects the colour of the substance placed behind it. It is flawless; it is as pure as that of wisdom. If you keep a green colour Lingam behind it, it appears green. If you keep a red hibiscus flower behind that, it would look red. It is action-less. Sphatika Lingam is a divine formless form that appears as per our perception and mental attitude. It will not hide anything.

You can see through it the substances behind it. It looks immaculate and impeccable. It is the evidence of Paramatma with no attributes; it appears as how one comprehends it. When Lord Shiva appears in Sakala Roopam (full form), He appears with all parts of His body, such as eyes, ears, nose, hands, legs and jatamudi, with River Ganga on it. In the Sakala Roopam, He is Chandra Moulishwar having on his forehead Moondram Pirai (Crescent Moon) When the Paramatma comes without form, He is in Nishkala Roopam and there is no moon or Ganga. He is in the form of Linga, which is a formless form in the Nishkala Roopam. In the combination of Sakala – Nishkala Roopam, He has the Full Moon on His head and nectar flowing from the River Ganga in the jatamudi.

Chakras are those energy centres through which cosmic energy flows into the human body. There are said to be seven chakras, among which, the seventh chakra, Sahasrara – the thousand-petal lotus chakra – is the top most chakra and located at the crown of the head. Sahasrara is our source of enlightenment and spiritual connection. When Yogis meditate keeping their focus on this chakra, nectar spills from the moon, with which they get absolute bliss. When the Lingam, which is the incarnation of entire cosmos, gets cool, the entire world will be cool (Jyotir Lingam thus means the Radiant Sign of Almighty Shiva). That is why Rudrabhishekam is done constantly. The essence of this pooja is holy chant of Sri Rudram from the Yajur Veda while giving a holy bath to Shiva Lingam. Shiva Lingam represents the entire cosmos. All substances, whether good or bad, are all forms of only this Lingam, says Sri Rudram.

Lingam is in an elliptical-shaped substance to signify that it has no beginning or ending. Other shapes, like triangle, square etc., have a beginning and an end point. Why is Lingam in an elliptical shape? The entire cosmos is elliptical. If you take our solar system too, it is again elliptical in shape.

When we think of someone close to us, we are happy. But the happiness is complete only when we see him physically in person. Similarly, if the formless Shiva confers grace on us with a form, it creates happiness. Only Sages can understand the non-form Paramatma. We, the human beings, are used to being happy only seeing someone in physical form. That is why the formless Parameshvara, apart from being in the formless form of Lingam, emerges as Lingodhbhava Moorthy from the Lingam. Though He exhibits this form, He still stresses on the point that there is no beginning or end, whereby His jatamudi and His ankles go beyond the periphery of Lingam.

The night on which Shiva emerged as the Radiant Lingam (Jyotir Lingam) permeating from underground to the space is Shiva Ratri (Night of Shiva). He stands as the personification of eternal light.

When Lord Parameshvara stood as light (Jyoti Swaroop), Vishnu went in search of His feet in the underworld in the form of a boar, which can drill the earth. On his part, Brahma took the form of a swan to fly up and see the head of the Jyotir Lingam. Both of them could not find what they wanted. Brahma came down with a lie that he had seen the head. That is why there is no separate pooja or temple for Brahma.

As Vishnu could not find His feet and Brahma could not find His crown, it means that Paramatma is a Substance without any beginning or end. It is beyond creation and sustenance. When the magnificence of Shiva could not be found even by Vishnu and Brahma, how can an ordinary human being obtain His grace? If one can whole-heartedly extend Bhakti and pray to Lord Parameshvara, He will be pleased by our love and very soon pour out His benevolence. Let us pray to Lord Shiva on the night of Shiva Ratri and absorb Him into us as one. There is no better happiness than this.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.