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South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s2: II

South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s2

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English

II

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Siva-linga. Siva is generally worshipped in the form of the phallus (*linga*) fixed on a pedestal. The phallic cult has been traced to very ancient times, its origin, however, being still involved in mystery. The worship of the creative energy of God, interpreted by the sense-perception of man and represented by the symbols *yōni* and *linga* in union, has apparently been as old as man himself. Whatever may be the origin of linga-worship, there is no doubt that it has come to be recognized like the Vaishnavite *Sāligrāma* described above, a perfect symbol of the formless, all-pervading Divine Being, unlimited by time and space. The *Skānda-Purāna* says:—"The sky is the shaft and the earth its pedestal; all gods dwell in the *linga*;

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since the whole creation finds its origin and rest there, it receives the name linga."¹ In the introduction to his translation of the Vishnu-Purāna (p. lxix) Professor H. H. Wilson makes the following remarks on the linga-worship in India: "The linga is twofold, external and internal. The ignorant who need a visible sign, worship Siva through a 'mark' or 'type' which is the proper meaning of the word linga—of wood or stone; but the wise look upon this outward emblem as nothing and contemplate in their minds the invisible inscrutable type which is Siva himself. Whatever may have been the origin of this form of worship in India, the notions upon which it was founded according to the impure fancies of European writers are not to be traced even in the Saiva Purānas." Mr. Havell thinks that it "was in all probability originally derived from the votive stūpa of Buddhism."² If Saivism is, however, granted to be older in its origin than Buddhism—the Sākyas themselves among whom Buddha was born being mentioned as having Siva for their tutelar deity³—this theory cannot be upheld. Various forms of the linga are worshipped, from the crude uncut conical gneiss usually believed to be svayambhū or self-born⁴ to the highly polished and hand-made shaft of 8, 16, 32 or more facets of the Pallava period.

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¹ In Sivarahasya, a chapter of Saura-samhitā, it is stated that the linga has a fivefold significance and denotes the primeval energy of the Creator. At the end of the creation all gods find their resting place in the linga,—Brahmā being absorbed into the right, Janārdana (Vishnu) into the left and Gāyatrī into the heart.

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² Ideals of Indian Art, p. 87.

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³ See Epigraphia Indica, Vol. V, p. 3.

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⁴ The Silparatna describes this to be a long or short shaft of shattered appearance, flat like a board and many cornered with crooked horns. Bāna is another kind of linga which is shaped by nature and not by the chisel.

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Lingas, whether self-born or artificial are equally venerated, the latter being associated as regards their origin with the Sun, Moon, the Lords of the quarters or ancient sages of bygone millenniums. The linga is generally fixed in a circular or quadrangular receptacle on a high monolithic pedestal known as yōni, pānivattam or āvadaiyār.

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It is a common adage that Siva is as fond of bathing as Vishnu is fond of decoration and the surface of the pedestal which receives the linga is so fashioned as to drain off the large quantity of water⁵ poured over the god every day from a copper vessel with a hole at its bottom, hung directly over the shaft. In a linga considered as a symbol of Brahman, the quadrangular bottom of the shaft is believed to represent Brahmā, the octagonal middle Vishnu and the circular upper portion Siva.¹ Sometimes a single linga is known by the name Sahasra ("the thousand")-linga (fig. 46). It is divided into twenty-five facets, each of these latter having miniature representations of forty lingas and making up thus the number one thousand.

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⁵ According to the Mayamata all kinds of pedestals, whatever may be their pattern, must have a duct on their left side to carry off the surface water. These ducts are to be well decorated.

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¹ The sirōvartana or the shaping of the top of the linga which, according to the Silparatna, may be cucumber-like, umbrella-like, crescent-like, egg-like or bubble-like, distinguishes the four different lingas worshipped by the four castes. The same work sets down that images may also be carved on the linga. Superior lingas are stated to vary from 7 to 9 cubits in height. Fixed lingas are worshipped in temples and movable lingas in houses.

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