Chapter 27 - Worship of Liṅga (liṅgārcana)

Nandin said:

1. Listen, I shall briefly mention the rules of procedure for the worship of Liṅga. It is not possible to recount them in detail even in a hundred years.

2. After bathing thus^[1] in a befitting manner the devotee shall enter the place of worship, take three prāṇāyāmas and meditate on the three-eyed lord.

3-4. He shall resort to the form of the deity as follows. He has five faces and ten arms. He shines like pure crystal. He is bedecked in all ornaments and clothes of variegated colours. By means of certain Tantric practices such as dāhana, plāvana etc., he shall transform himself into the body of lord Śiva and begin to worship him.

5. After purifying the body he shall perform the rite of Nyāsa of the mūla mantras. Everywhere the five Brahmans (Sadyojāta etc.) shall be fixed with the Praṇava in order.

6-7. In the highly splendid aphorism viz., “namaḥ śivāya” the Vedas are present in subtle form. Just as the holy fig tree is present in the subtle seed of the Nyagrodha so also the great Brahman is present in the great and splendid aphorism, all by Himself in a subtle form.

8. The devotee shall sprinkle the place of worship with scented sandal water, and consecrate the materials of worship either by washing or by sprinkling water.

9-10. The washing and sprinkling is performed by repeating the Praṇava. The intelligent devotee shall duly cover the vessels with a cloth; these are the Prokṣaṇī (vessel containing holy water), Arghya, Pādya and Ācamanīya vessels.

11. These shall be covered with Darbha grass and sprinkled with pure water. He shall then pour cool water in the different vessels.

12. The intelligent devotee shall pour water in them after observing the materials. He shall place Uśīra and sandal in the Pādya.

13. He shall duly powder nutmeg (Jāti), momordica mixta (Kankola seed), the root of Bahumūla (a herb), Xanthochymus epictorius (Tamāla seed) and camphor and put the same in the Ācamanīya vessel.

14. Similarly he shall put camphor, sandal and different kinds of flowers in all the vessels.

15. He shall put lips of Kuśa grass, unbroken rice grains, barley grains, cereals, gingelly seeds, ghee, white mustard, flowers and ashes in the Arghya vessel.

16. Repeating the Praṇava he shall put Kuśa grass, flowers, barley grains, bits of Bahumūla herb and Tamāla root as well as ashes into the Prokṣanī vessel.

17. He shall perform the rite of Nyāsa of the five-syllabled Mantra, and of Rudra Gāyatrī or only of Praṇava—the excellent essence of the Vedas.

18. Thereafter he shall sprinkle the materials of worship with water from the Prokṣaṇī vessel, repeating Praṇava as well as the five Yajus beginning with Īśāna.

19-21. By the (right) side^[2] the lord of Devas, Nandin, i.e. myself, shall be worshipped. I shall have the lustre of ten thousand blazing fires, three eyes, the face of a monkey, four arms, the crescent moon as coronet, wearing flower garlands, gentle, and bedecked in all ornaments. My wife Suyaśā the auspicious and holy daughter of the Maruts shall be worshipped to the north of Nandin i.e. myself.^[3] She who performs holy rites shall be engaged in embellishing the feet of Ambā (Goddess Pārvatī).

22-23. After worshipping thus he shall enter the sanctum sanctorum of lord Śiva. He shall then offer handfuls of flowers on the five heads of the Lord repeating the five Mantras. With different kinds of incense and scented flowers he shall worship Śiva, Skanda, Gaṇeśa and the goddess, and then consecrate the Liṅga.

24. After repeating the Mantras beginning with Praṇava^[4] and ending with Namas he shall conceive of a lotus seat^[5] for the deity, by repeating the Praṇava.

25-28. Its imperishable petal in the East shall be Aṇimā; Laghimā shall be the petal in the South; Mahimā the Western petal; Prāpti the Northern, Prākāmyam the South-eastern, Īśitva the South-western, Vaśitva the North-western, Omniscience the North-eastern petal. The moon will be the pericarp. Beneath the moon is the sun and beneath the sun the fire-god. Dharma^[6] and others shall be installed in the subsidiary quarters. He shall then install Ananta. He shall install Avyakta etc. in the four quarters^[7] in order and the three Guṇas at the extremity of Soma.

29-34. Above it he shall install the three Ātmans^[8] and in the end Śiva’s pedestal. Repeating the Mantra “I resort to Sadyojāta”^[9] he shall invoke the supreme lord. With the Mantra of Vāmadeva he shall install Him over the seat. With Rudragāyatrī he shall establish His presense and with Aghora Mantra he shall stabilise the presence of deity. He shall then worship with the Mantra “īśānaḥ sarvavidyānām.^[10] He shall then offer Pādya, Ācamanīya and Arghya to the lord. In accordance with the injunctions he shall be the Rudra with scented sandal paste water. After gathering Pañca Gavya in a vessel and after inspiring it with Praṇava he shall bathe the deity with Pañcagavya. Repeating the Praṇava he shall perform the rite of ablution to the deity (successively) with ghee, honey, sugar-cane juice and other holy materials of worship. With holy Mantras, using pure vessels he shall pour water over the deity.

35-39. The aspirant shall wipe it off with a white cloth. He shall put Kuśa grass, Apāmārga, camphor, Jasmine, China rose, white jasmines, lotuses, lilies, white oleanders and other flowers into the water along with sandal paste. He shall inspire the water by repeating the Mantras of Sadyojāta. The water may be taken in a vessel made of gold, silver or copper. It may be in a lotus cup or a cup of palāśa. The conch or an earthern jar can be used. In the latter case it should be fresh and well washed. Repeating the requisite Mantras he shall bathe the deity in the water containing Kuśa grass^[11] or flowers. For all achievements he shall repeat the Mantras. Now I shall mention the mantras to you; please listen.

40-45. A man who worships the Liṅga even once with the following Mantras will be liberated. Those who are conversant with the Mantra Śāstra use the following Mantras for the rite of Ablution: Pavamāna,^[12] Vāma,^[13] Rudra,^[14] Nīla,^[15] Rudra, Śrīsūkta,^[16] Rātrisūkta,^[17] Camaka Hotāra, Atharvaśiras, Śānti, Bhāruṇḍa, Āruṇa, Vāruṇa, Jyeṣṭha, Vedavrata, Rathantara, Puruṣa, Tvarita, Rudra,^[18] Kapi, Kapardi, the Sāman “ā vo rājānam”,^[19] Bṛhaccandra, Viṣṇu, Virūpākṣa Mantra, Skanda, a group of hundred hymns, the hymns of Pañca Brahmans, Pañcākṣara Mantra or Praṇava alone.

46-48. The devotee shall bathe the lord of the chiefs of Devas for the suppression of all sins. He shall then offer the following to the deity: Clothes, the sacred thread, Ācamanīya, scents and flowers, incense, light, cooked rice, scented water and Ācamanīya once again. Thereafter he shall offer a crown, an umbrella and ornaments. Repeating the Praṇava alone he shall offer the scented betel.

49-54. On the top of the Liṅga he shall worship the unsullied, imperishable Lord, shining like a crystal glass, the cause of all Devas, identical with the universe, imperceptible to the sages, Devas, Brahmā, Indra, Viṣṇu, Rudra and others. The Śruti says “He is imperceptible through even Vedāntas, to the knowers of the Vedas too”. He is devoid of beginning, middle and end. He is a medicine unto those who are afflicted by the sickness of worldliness.^[20] He is known as Śivatattva (Principle of Śiva) and is stationed in the Śiva Liṅga. He shall duly repeat the prayers and make obeisance. He shall circumambulate, offer Arghya, scatter flowers at the feet, bow to the lord of Devas and superimpose Śiva on the Atman. This, in brief, is the procedure of worshipping Śiva in Liṅga. Now I shall describe the internal worship of Liṅga to you.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

It refers to the threefold bath, namely vāruṇa, āgneya and mantra as specified in Chapter 25.9.

[2]:

pārśvataḥ—dakṣiṇa-pārśve Śivatoṣiṇī. on the right side.

[3]:

ātmanaḥ—nandinaḥ mama Śivatoṣiṇī. of Nandi the speaker.

[4]:

praṇavādi-namontakam—mantras beginning with “oṃ nidhāna- pataye namaḥ” and ending with “parama-liṅgāya namaḥ”.

[5]:

padmāsana: see p. 35 note 47.

[6]:

dharmādaya [dharmādayaḥ]—a group of four, viz., dharma (virtue), jñāna (knowledge), vairāgya (detachment) and aiśvarya (supremacy or supernatural power).

[7]:

avyaktādi—a group of four, viz. pradhāna (invisible prakṛti), mahat (intellect), ahaṃkāra (ego), and manas (mind).

[8]:

ātmatraya [ātmatrayam]—a trio consisting of Viśva, Taijasa and Prājña.

[9]:

“sadyojātam prapadyāmi”. Mark the use of parasmaipada in ‘prapadyāmi’ for the grammatically correct form ‘prapadye’ in ātmnepada.

[10]:

īśānaḥ sarvavidyānām Taittirīya Āraṇyaka. 10.47.

[11]:

sakūrcena—kūrca is a handful of kuśa grass used in religious rites.

[12]:

pavamāna—a group of mantras designated after their sanctifying efficiency.

[13]:

Vāmīyaka—Vāma sūkta beginning with ‘asya vāmasya’.

[14]:

Rudreṇa—Rudra mantras of Rudrādhyāya also called śatarudrīya. Śivatoṣiṇī. quotes from Śiva-rahasya: [vedeṣu śatarudrīyam devatāsu maheśvaraḥ].

[15]:

nīlarudreṇa—[atharvavedīyaiḥ tatsaṃjñakair mantraiḥ] Śivatoṣiṇī. Rudra mantras of the Atharvaveda-saṃhitā.

[16]:

Śrī sūkta Ṛgveda.

[17]:

Rātri sukta Ṛgveda.

[18]:

tvarita, see p. 102 note. 142

[19]:

ā vo rājānam Tattirīya Saṃhitā. 1.3.12.1.

[20]:

bheṣajam bhava rogiṇām Cf. bhiṣaktamaṃ tvāṃ bhiṣajāṃ śṛṇomi. Ṛgveda, 2.33.4.