More on Lingams - Numbers and Purpose

The rishis said

Suta, very fortunate, disciple of Vyasa, we bow to you. You have explained well the ways of worshipping the Parthiva lingam. Now tell us the rules for resorting to different numbers of Shiva's Parthiva lingams, according to differences of desire. You are devoted to the distressed and show them compassion.

Suta replied

Rishis, hear all the rules for worshipping Parthiva lingams. By following only these, a man succeeds in all his tasks. If a person worships any other god without making a Parthiva lingam, that worship is useless, and his self-control and devotions are in vain. According to the desire, I will give the number of Parthiva lingams; best of sages, these numbers give their fruits at once. Invocation, installation and worship are done separately for each. The shape of the lingam stays the same everywhere; everything else differs. A man seeking learning gladly worships a thousand Parthiva lingams, and the fruit is certain. A man seeking wealth makes five hundred. One seeking sons uses fifteen hundred; one wanting garments, five hundred. One wanting liberation uses a crore; one wanting land, a thousand. One wanting compassion uses three thousand; one seeking a holy place, two thousand. One wanting well-wishers uses three thousand; one seeking mastery, eight hundred. The text also names numbers for harmful or hostile aims, such as killing, confounding, expelling, stupefying and kindling hatred, ranging from five hundred to a thousand. One seeking freedom from bondage uses fifteen hundred excellent lingams. A discriminating person wanting safety from the fear of a great king uses five hundred. For fear of thieves and the like, two hundred are used. For fear of dakinis, five hundred. For poverty, five thousand, and ten thousand give every wanted object. Excellent sages, now I will speak of the daily norms. One lingam is said to dispel sins; two bring success in the pursuit of wealth; three are said to suffice for every wish. It gets better as one uses more than the number before. There are differences of view among the sages, and I will tell them. If an intelligent person makes ten thousand Parthiva lingams, he has no cause for any fear; it certainly removes fear of a great king. To be freed from prison, an intelligent person makes ten thousand. To be free of fear of dakinis and the like he should make seven thousand. A person without sons makes fifty-five thousand. With ten thousand lingams a person gets daughters. Through ten thousand lingams one gains Vishnu's prosperity. Through a million lingams one gains unmatched prosperity. A man who makes a crore lingams becomes like Shiva on earth; no need to ponder this. Worship of Parthiva lingams gives the fruits of a crore sacrifices and always gives pleasure and liberation to men who want them. A person who constantly spends his time without worshipping a lingam suffers great harm; he becomes evil-souled and wicked in conduct. If one placed all gifts, many kinds of vows, holy places, niyamas and sacrifices on one side and worship of the lingam alone on the other, the two would be equal. In kali yuga it is plain in the world that worship of the lingam is best. There is nothing else; that is the conclusion of the sacred texts. The lingam gives pleasure and liberation and counters many hardships. A man who does this worship constantly gains sayujya with Shiva. Since Shiva's faultless lingam is constantly worshipped even by great sages, there are rules for worshipping all these lingams.

There are said to be three kinds of lingam: superior, middling and inferior. Tigers among sages, I will tell you their measures. Sages skilled in the sacred texts say a superior lingam must be four angulas high and have a beautiful pedestal. Half that size is middling, and a quarter is inferior. So I have described the three kinds in turn. A person full of faith and devotion who worships many lingams every day gains everything, whether or not he has desires in mind. In the four Vedas nothing is described as sacred as worship of a lingam; this is the conclusion of all the sacred texts. So, setting everything else aside, and in particular the net of karma, a learned person worships only the lingam, full of great devotion. If the lingam is worshipped, the whole universe with everything moving and unmoving is worshipped. When one is sunk in the ocean of samsara there is no other means of rescue, even if the worship is done unknowingly or by someone addicted to material things. Apart from worshipping the lingam, there is no other raft in this universe. To accomplish all their aims, Hari, Brahma and the other gods, sages, yakshas, rakshasas, gandharvas, charanas, daityas, danavas, Shesha and other nagas, Garuda and other birds, Prajapatis, kinnaras and men worship the lingam with great devotion, and all gain the wishes in their hearts. With the respective mantra, brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras and those born of mixed marriages always lovingly worship the lingam. Sages, why say more? Brahmanas, everyone, women and others, has the right to worship the lingam. For brahmanas it is best to worship by the rules laid down in the Vedas; others should not do the worship the Vedas lay down. Brahmanas must follow the Vedas and worship by Vedic rites, not by any other path. Bhagavan Shiva himself has said so. There are brahmanas like Dadhichi, Goutama and others whose understanding has been scorched by curses; they no longer have faith in the Vedic rites. A mortal who rejects the Vedas and follows the rites of the smriti texts has a resolve that will not bear fruit. Know that Shambhu himself said the worship is to be done in this fashion. He pervades the three worlds and must be worshipped in his eight forms: earth, water, fire, wind, space, the sun, the moon and the person performing the sacrifice. The eight forms to be worshipped are Sharva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bhima, Ishvara, Mahadeva and Pashupati. With his family Shambhu is worshipped with great devotion. Starting from the north-east, in order, they are worshipped with sandalwood paste, unbroken rice and leaves: Ishana, Nandi, Chanda, Mahakala, Bhringi, Vrisha, Skanda, Kapardisha, Soma and Shukra. Virabhadra is in front and Kirtimukha at the rear. After that, by the norms, the eleven Rudras are worshipped. Then he does japa of the five-syllable mantra or the Shatarudriya. After many kinds of praise, the five-part recitation is made. Then, having circled, he bows and the lingam is dismissed. So I have described how Shiva is to be lovingly worshipped. At night, the god's tasks are always done facing north. Purified, one always worships Shiva facing north, not east. Reading of the Samhita of Shiva and Shakti must not be done facing north or west; these must always be behind. A learned person will not worship Shankara without the Tripundra of ash, a string of rudraksha and bilva leaves. Best of sages, if one sets out to worship Shiva and ash is not available, the Tripundra is drawn on the forehead with clay.