Worshipping the Lingam

The sages asked

How must the lingam be established, and what are its marks? What is the right way to worship it, and the proper time and place?

Suta replied

To make you understand I will tell you everything; listen with attention. The time must be auspicious and favourable and the place a holy bathing place or a river bank, as one prefers. Wherever the lingam is set up, it must be worshipped every day. As one wishes, it can be made of earth, water or fire. If the lingam has the auspicious marks described, worship brings fruit, and if it has all of them, the fruit is immediate. A lingam that is carried about should be small; one that stays in place can be large. With its marks, it must be placed on a prepared auspicious seat. The seat can be round, four-faced or triangular. With such a base the lingam gives great fruit, but a seat shaped like a couch in the middle gives little. At first lingams were made of clay or stone; later of iron and other materials. For a fixed lingam, a seat of the same material is praised, and the same holds for a portable one, except for the one made by Bana. An excellent lingam measures a span equal to twelve of the devotee's fingers. If it is shorter, the fruit is less; if longer, no harm is done. If a portable lingam falls short of twelve fingers by one finger, there is no harm either.

First a shrine is built, with gods and ganas represented, and the lingam is placed in a firm inner chamber as bright as a mirror, adorned with jewels, chiefly the nine: blue sapphire, ruby, cat's eye, yellow sapphire, emerald, pearl, coral, hessonite and diamond. With the seat, the lingam is set among these great objects. Beginning with Sadyojata, in order, it is worshipped in five places. Many oblations are made into the fire, including for Uma and the others of his family. The guru and acharya are honoured with wealth, relatives given whatever they want, and those who seek wealth given whatever moving or unmoving things they desire. All beings, sentient and insentient, are carefully pleased. The place is filled with gold and shining jewels. Reciting the mantras of Sadyojata and the brahman, one meditates on the supreme and auspicious god. The great Aumkara mantra, with its nada, is spoken. The lingam is then set on its seat and the two joined, using a material that makes the union permanent. A lingam established so is extremely auspicious. For a festival the lingam sign may be taken outside, reciting the five-syllable mantra. The lingam should be received from gurus or be one worshipped by good people. Worshipped like that, it gives a destination with Shiva. A lingam is also said to be of two kinds, moving and unmoving. Trees and creepers are the unmoving lingams; worms, insects and the like are the moving ones. The unmoving are to be served and the moving to be given offerings. The learned say that cheerfully tending them with love is like worshipping Shiva. Amba is everywhere in the seat and eternal Shiva everywhere in the lingam. As Shankara sits with goddess Uma on his lap, so the seat always holds up the lingam. Established so, the great lingam is worshipped with the offerings. Daily worship and the use of banners and the like depend on one's means. So established, the lingam directly gives a destination with Shiva.

It can also be worshipped with the sixteen offerings, and one who worships properly moves gradually toward a destination with Shiva. They are: invitation, seat, arghya, foot water, rinsing water, bathing with oil, garment, fragrance, flower, incense, lamp, food offering, waving of lights, betel, bowing and dismissal. Or, following the norms, one may offer only arghya and food. If bathing, food offering, bowing and oblations are always done as one can, this gradually gives a destination with Shiva. One may offer to a lingam set up long before by a human, a rishi or a god, or to a self-born one. With worship and offerings some fruit is gained, and after circling and bowing one moves gradually toward Shiva's destination. Shiva is reached as soon as one sees the lingam and follows the rites. A devotee gains fruit by making a lingam of clay, cow dung, flowers, karavira, fruit, molasses, butter, ash or cooked food, as he likes, and worshipping it by the rules. Some say Shiva can be worshipped on one's thumb. In such tasks about a lingam there are no prohibitions. According to the quality of the effort, Shiva gives fruit everywhere. One can also give a lingam, or the money for making one. Anything devoutly given to a devotee of Shiva gives a destination with Shiva.

Or, every day, one can do japa of Pranava ten thousand times. Chanting Pranava a thousand times at the two sandhyas takes one to Shiva's abode. Ending japa with Aumkara purifies the mind. In samadhi the chanting should be only in the mind; at other times it may be spoken. Bindu and nada are as effective as Pranava. So one should always lovingly do japa of the five-syllable mantra; a thousand times at the two sandhyas gives Shiva's region. Done by a brahmana starting with Pranava, it is special. Receiving the mantra from a guru with proper initiation brings fruit. Bathing at the Kumbha time, receiving a mantra by initiation, placing the Matrikas, a brahmana pure in self and a guru with knowledge are all special. Brahmanas should begin with "namah," others should end with "namah." By the norms some women may end with "namah," and some say brahmana women should begin with it. Japa five crore times makes one equal to Sadashiva. Said one, two, three or four crore times, it reaches the abode of Brahma and the others. Japa can be done with the whole syllable a hundred thousand times or with the separate syllables a hundred thousand times each, and a hundred thousand of the syllable yields Shiva's abode. A person who does japa of the mantra a thousand times a day for a thousand days succeeds at whatever he wishes, and must always feed brahmanas. In the morning a brahmana should always do japa of the gayatri 1,008 times, and will gradually reach Shiva's abode.

Following the rules he does japa of the Vedic mantras and hymns. The ten-syllable mantra is said ninety-nine, nine hundred or 9,900 times. Following the Vedas takes one to Shiva's abode. There are many other mantras with other syllables, to be recited a hundred thousand times each. A mantra of a single syllable is recited a crore of times. After that one should devoutly do a thousand more. Doing this as one can, one gradually gains a destination with Shiva. Until death approaches, one should always chant a mantra that pleases him. Doing japa of "Aum" a thousand times gains everything one wishes, by Shiva's command. Whoever makes a flower garden or a tank for Shiva, does some cleaning for Shiva, or does anything for Shiva gains a destination with Shiva. One should always live devoutly in Shiva's sacred field; it gives liberation to all, sentient or insentient. So a learned person should live in Shiva's field until death. If the lingam was made by a human, the region up to a hundred hastas around it is sacred; if by a rishi, up to a thousand aratnis; if by a god, up to a thousand aratnis; if it is self-born, up to a thousand bow-lengths. By Shiva's word, tanks, wells and ponds within this holy place are equal to Shiva's Ganga. Bathing, giving or doing japa there takes one to Shiva's abode. Until death one should take refuge in Shiva's field. The tenth-day pinda after cremation, and the monthly and yearly pinda, should be offered in a field that is Shiva's. One is freed of all sins and gains Shiva's abode at once. Living in such a place for seven nights, five, three or even one gradually gains Shiva's abode. According to his varna, qualities and conduct, a man gains worlds, but devotion lets a man rise above his varna and gain far greater fruit. Anything done with a desire in mind bears fruit at once; anything done without desire gives a destination with Shiva himself.

At the three times of day, morning, noon and evening, the rites are to be done duly. Morning rites are ordained, noon rites are for gaining desires and evening rites are for pacification, and the same holds for night. The night is divided into yamas, and the two middle yamas are called nishitha. Worship of Shiva then in particular gives all one wishes. Knowing this, a person should act accordingly and gain the fruits. Especially in kali yuga, success in gaining the fruit depends on doing this karma. If a person's mind turns to these rites, whatever his entitlement, and he follows good conduct and fears sin, he will gain the fruits.

The rishis said

Suta, supreme among yogis, please tell us briefly about the sacred fields, resorting to which men, women and others reach the goal, and the practices in Shiva's fields.

Suta replied

Listen attentively to all the fields and the practices there.