musings 238

Saw some hot debate and vehement assertion about the shape of the Divine being..

My views on the issue..

It is rather futile to interpret the greatness of the Divine.. Kalidasa Said in Kumarasambhavam that the shape of the one who has assumed his presence everywhere in the Universe is not possible...

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may I be permitted to quote from what I wrote elsewhere.

tan me manaH Shivasankalpamasthu ..

Some fond thoughts about the supreme greatness of Lord Siva Crosses my mind on the sivaratri eve.

Kalidasa said, " Akinchanah san prabhavah sa sampadhaam thrilokanathah pitrusadma gocharah, sa bheema roopa siva iti udeerayathey, na santhi yaadhaarthyavidah pinakinah."..

अकिञ्चनः सन् प्रभवः स सम्प्दाम् त्रिलोकनाथः पितृसद्मगोचरः।

स भीमरूपः शिव इतुदीर्यते न सन्ति याथार्थ्यविदः पिनाकिनः॥

." He is having nothing, as we could see that he sets out with a begging bowl,

but he is the source of all wealth and prosperity in the universe,

he is the master of the three worlds but neither his parentage nor his permanent residence could be certified

,He is of very fearful form they say but he is the meekest of the meekt, Shiva...there is nobody who could divine the reality of this Pinakapani."..

Kalidasa again says,

" vibooshnodhbaasi pinadhdha bogi vaa gajaajinaalambi dukoola dhari vaa kapali vaa syat adhava indusekharam, na visvamooheh avadhaaryathey vapuh-"-

विभूषणोद्भासि पिनद्धभोगि वा गजाजिनालम्बि दुकूलधारि वा।

कपालि वा स्यादथवेन्दुशेखरम् न विश्वमूर्तेरवधार्यते वपुः॥

vibhūṣaṇodbhāsi pinaddhabhogi vā gajājinālambi dukūladhāri vā|

kapāli vā syādathavenduśekharam na viśvamūrteravadhāryate vapuḥ||

"He is adorned in priceless ornaments sometimes,

but at other times he is just standing there with snakes tied around every part of his body as ornaments,

he uses the skin of a just killed elephant to cover his body at times, but he is often adorned in silk clothes also,

He goes around with a skull in hand for begging often but at other times the moon, the source of all aiswarya in its crescent form adorns his matted hair... how can we understand the physical make up of this viswamoorthy?

Amongst brhamins smaarthas predominate and in sankapa everywhere in India, whether it is siva pooja or vishnupooja, yaga or yagna, may be even a cremation of a sraadha we start the sankalpa with "mamopatha samastha durithakshaya dwaaraa sree Parameswara preethyartham..

" ममोपात्त समस्त दुरितक्षयद्वारा श्री परमेश्वर प्रीत्यर्थम्

mamopātta samasta duritakṣayadvārā śrī parameśvara prītyartham

so we do everthing in his name.

Thinking of it, we are simply dependent on Siva from the moment we are born to our last breath and beyond that.

NAMAH SIVAYA

Lingam itself means something which is concealed or which is difficult to understand..
Man cannot definitely give shape to something he cannot conceive..
So he gave an assumed shape..
Maybe a sphere or a cylinder with a sphere on the flat edges was an easy form to conceive.. so he presumed the deity in that form..
The Vedas, Puranas and Itihasas are honest..
They would record only what they have observed..
So we can be sure that they saw and felt the presence of Shiva in that shape.. and started worship of the lingam.
The divine being is either manifesting in all shapes or in reality he is having no shape..
In rudram we say.. viroopebhyo vishvaroopebhyaH cha namo..विरूपेभ्यो विश्वरूपेभ्यः चा नम pranams to the ones ( the eleven rudras) with no shape and the ones with the entire universe as their shape..
elsewhere in rudram we say.. yo rudro vishvaa bhuvanaa aavivesha..यो रुद्रो विश्वा भुवनाविवेश that rudra who entered or manifested in everything on earth and the universe..
Let me ask this question
Who are we to explain the shape of the Supreme Being.. be it Hindus or others?
Of course respectful reference to the divine shape can be understood even if such interpretations are shortsighted..
After all He is present in everything.. so any shape is His shape

But assertion and hot debate on the shape of God.. is just arrogance, nonsense and blashphemy..