Procedure for Installing a Lingam

Shri Krishna said

Illustrious one, I want to hear the excellent procedure for installing Shiva's image as a lingam, and what is recommended.

Upamanyu replied

He should choose a day in the bright fortnight that is not unfavourable to him. He makes a lingam of the dimensions given in the path of Shiva's texts. Having chosen an auspicious spot, he tests the ground by the rules. With ten kinds of upachara the attributes are first examined, and with those ten Vinayaka is worshipped first. When the place has been purified, the lingam is taken to the bathing chamber. A golden rod is dipped into a solution with saffron and other things. Following the signs in the craft texts, the place is drawn and marked out. The lingam and its pedestal are washed in water mixed with eight kinds of clay or five, then purified with the five products of the cow. After worshipping it with the pedestal, it is taken to a divine body of water and both are immersed. The place for immersion must be pure and adorned in every way, with a gate and a covering, surrounded by garlands of darbha grass. The eight great elephants are pictured, with pots standing for the eight guardians of the worlds, who are worshipped with eight auspicious objects. A lotus-shaped seat of metal or wood is marked out, with a wide area in its centre for the pedestal. In order the doorkeepers Vibhadra and the others are worshipped in the four directions: Samudra, Vibhadra, Sunanda and Vinandaka. The lingam and pedestal are bathed and worshipped, tied on every side with two cloths and kusha grass, brought slowly to the pedestal and laid down, immersed in water, the head of the lingam facing east, the thread below and the bottom facing west. With all the auspicious signs, the lingam is made to lie there for five nights, three nights or one. When this is over, it is purified and worshipped as before, and brought along a path full of festivities to the place where it will rest, made in the middle of the mandala. In order the lingam is bathed in pure water and worshipped.

On pure, smeared ground a lotus is drawn in the north-east. Shiva's pot is purified and Shiva invoked and worshipped there. By the norms a white lotus is drawn in the middle of the altar, with Chandika's lotus drawn west of it. The bed is made of silk, unwashed woven cloth, flowers or darbha grass, with a golden flower on it. With all the auspicious sounds the lingam is brought there. With the pedestal, bound in two red cloths and kusha grass, it is laid down as before. A lotus is drawn in front, and on its petals, in order, the pots of Vidyesha and the others are placed, with Shiva's pot in the centre. Around the three lotuses excellent brahmanas make oblations. Starting from the east, the eight images are pictured all round. Or one can meditate and do japa on four images in the four directions. Oblations are offered to the four images, said to be Virinchi and others. The instructor first makes oblations in the north-east or the west. For the main oblation, in order, seven articles are used. Other brahmanas offer half or a quarter of the number the acharya offers; or the guru alone may offer the single main oblation. He first makes the complete oblation and then offers another hundred and eight with ghee. He places his hand on top of Shiva's lingam and recites the basic mantra. With the seven articles he duly offers a hundred, fifty or twenty-five oblations, touching the lingam and pedestal again and again after each. When the complete oblation is done, he gives dakshina. The hotris and the sculptor receive half or a quarter of what the acharya received, and the other assistants, as capacity allows, half of that. Then a bull of gold or kusha grass is made and placed in the pit. The brahmashila is cleaned in clay mixed with water, the five products of the cow, and again in pure water, then smeared with sandalwood paste and placed in the pit. Naming the nine Shaktis, kara-nyasa is done. By the norms in Shiva's texts, red orpiment, minerals, seeds, fragrances and herbs are placed on top of the brahmashila.

With tree sap the lingam is fixed on top of the brahmashila and left there. With the basic mantra it is set slightly north or east, then fixed to the pedestal with the materials used for bonding, and the place purified. An arghya of flowers is offered and a screen drawn all round. As is proper, sprinkling and other acts are done in front of the lingam. In order, the pots are brought from the resting place, and with those ten pots a great worship begins. Remembering and chanting Shiva's mantra, water is drawn from Shiva's pot with the thumb and ring finger. Skilled in mantras, he does nyasa in the centre and north-east of the lingam: in order, of Shakti, Vidya and the Vidyeshas. Shiva's water is sprinkled on the lingam and at its base. With water from the sprinkling vessel the lingam and pedestal are sprinkled again. Then the foundation is pictured. After nyasa of the five kalas, he remembers the blazing lingam. Joining his hands and facing north-east, he invokes Shiva and Shivaa. He pictures Deva and Devi arriving, seated on the king of bulls, on a celestial car or standing in the sky, adorned with every ornament amid all the auspicious sounds. On all sides they are surrounded by Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesha, Surya, Shakra and the other gods and danavas, their bodies wet with tears of joy, hands joined above their heads, praising, dancing and chanting his names. The worship is completed with five kinds of upachara. After these five, no other rites need be done. In every way, installing the lingam is the same as installing an image. When there is reason to raise the lingam, the devotee's eyes must be closed. When it is immersed in water or laid on a bed, he must look downward. When it is placed in a pot, he recites mantras and touches his heart. It is said best to build the temple before installing. So those who can should first build the temple and do the installation rites afterward. If he cannot, he should install the image in the form of the lingam first, and later, as capacity and qualities allow, build Shiva's temple.

I will again speak of the excellent norms for installing and worshipping in a home. A small lingam is made, but it should have all the signs. It should be done in the northern course of the sun, on an auspicious day in the bright fortnight. An altar is made in an auspicious spot and a lotus drawn as before. The pot with padya is placed in the centre with flowers and leaves strewn round it, and four pots around it in the four directions. With the five seed mantras nyasa of the five brahmanas is done, and they are worshipped for protection with the mudras. As before, the lingam image is purified with clay and water, then placed on an excellent seat to the north, covered with flowers. A flower is placed on top and it is sprinkled with water from the sprinkling vessel. Saying "Victory" first, it is worshipped again with flowers. With the basic mantra and water from the pots, from Ishana to Vidya, the lingam is bathed. As before the five pots are worshipped. Every day Devi and the three-eyed Deva must be worshipped there. Or a single pot can be used with the basic mantra for the image, placed inside the lotus, everything else done as before. If the lingam has become very dirty, it must be cleaned and installed again; if only dirty, it should be sprinkled. Only a clean lingam is to be worshipped. When Bana lingams are installed, since Shiva has already cleansed them, this cleaning may or may not be done. Lingams seen to be like Bana lingams can also be installed, as can Svayambhu lingams and lingams set up by gods or rishis. If there is no pedestal, one must be devised and sprinkled properly. Unless Shiva is worshipped there, the installing should not be done. A burnt, weak or damaged lingam must be placed in a body of water. If it can still be joined, it is joined and the installation rites followed. If the lingam is damaged, the divinity is worshipped first, then symbolically dismissed but kept in the heart, and the lingam disposed of in the way described. If worship has been skipped for a day, the duration of worship is doubled as atonement. If the lapse is more than two nights, a great worship is done followed by a rite of consecration. If worship has been neglected for more than a month, some say the installing must be done afresh, others that a rite of consecration will suffice. The rite of consecration is as described before: the divinity is symbolically dismissed from the lingam, which is bathed with water mixed with five or eight kinds of clay, milk, darbha grass and water. Saying the basic mantra a hundred and eight times, water is sprinkled from the sprinkling vessel. Holding flowers and kusha grass, the hand is placed on top of the lingam five times and the basic mantra chanted a hundred and eight times. With the basic mantra the lingam is touched from top to pedestal. A great worship is done and the divinity invoked as before. If no lingam is available, Bhagavan Shiva should be worshipped in Shiva's temple, in water, in fire, in the sun or in the sky.