Part 4 - The Rasalinga or Rasalingam (Phallus made of Mercury)

One Kola^[1] and half of pure gold leaf, and three times its weight of mercury are to he rubbed for three hours with some vegetable sour juice and made into a Phallic image of the God, Siva. This image is to be put inside a lemon and boiled in Kanji (gruel), by means of a Dola-yantra. It is then to be properly installed with joy. The merit acquired by the worship of a Rasalingam (Rasalinga) equals that acquired by the worship of innumerable ordinary Phallic images. To have a look at this image means to acquire some merit, to touch it is to multiply the same, and to worship it means to be entitled to emancipation. There is nothing more meritorious in, this world than to worship a Rasalingam. Sri (literally, the beauty of the universe), the fiery Goddess is also to be worshipped with Aghora, the king of mantras (hymns).^[2]

The conception of the two Deities.

The Rasalingam is to be conceived as having eighteen arms, white complexioned, five-mouthed, three-eyed, mounted on a ghost, and blue-throated. On his laps is seated the great Goddess, having one mouth and four arms with a garland of lotus seeds and a trident in the right hand, and dice and an emblem of assurance of protection in her left hand; of a complexion resembling gold in the furnace, and dressed in yellow.

These are the conceptions of the parents of the universe, which are to be meditated upon by a devotee.

The Rasankusi Mantra or the hymn to be recited in connection with the worship of the Goddess is as follows:—^[3]

The goddess of beauty is in the form of speech or word; is the root cause of the energy of the Greatest Object of desire (i.e., God Himself), and is the sovereign force behind Rasa (mercury). She is equal to mercury. It is therefore worth while to learn how to control mercury.

Thus the Goddess is to be worshipped with due offerings; and so also are to be worshipped Nandy, Bhringi, Mahakala and Kulira (followers of Siva).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For explanation of difficult words see appendix.

[2]:

The hymn is given in original in the foot note on page 9 No translation is attempted.

[3]:

For a detailed procedure to be followed in the worship of both the Deities, a disciple should depend upon the instructions given by his preceptor.