There is famous Rigvedic Verse that says "Ekam
Sat" that is "There is one Being, the sages call Him by many
names." The God (Parmeshwar) has three deities who carry on the world
.This is known as Holy Trinity. Brahma- the creator, Vishnu - the perpetuator of
life and Shiva (Mahesh) -the purifier and perpetuator of good and destroyer of
evil. Rig Veda refer Shiva as Rudra as in its following verse. "We Worship
Tryambaka (Rudra), who spread Fragrance and Increases Nourishment, May He
release me, like the cucumber from its stem, From Mortal Life, but not From
Immorality." (Rig Veda Mandal VII Sukta 59 and Mantra 12)
The Yajurveda describes Shiva as ascetic warrior
whose robe is of Deer Skin and He carries Trishul. According to the verse
Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram, the life is described as having three facets Truth
(Satyam), Good (Shivam) and the Beautiful (Sundaram).
Shiva is a living God. The most Sacred and ancient
books of India, the Rig Veda narrates His presence in the hymns. Vedic
myths, rituals and even astronomy testifies to His existence from the dawn of
time .The Mohindaro and Harapa findings confirm Shiva worship in the ancient
India. According to the older scriptures, He has three places of His residence.
One is Kailash Parvat another is Lohit Giri under which Brahamputra flows and
third is Muzwan Parvat.
The Amarnath Cave has
special significance
The Legend about the importance of Amarnath Cave is
as follows:
This is The Cave which was chosen by Bhole Shankar
for narrating the secrets of immortality and creation of Universe to Maa
Parvati ji. The story goes like this. Centuries ago Maa Parvati asked Shiv ji
to let her know why and when He started wearing the beads of heads (Mund Mala).
Bhole Shankar replied when ever you are born I add one more head in my beads.
Maa Parvati said," My Lord, my body is destroyed every time and I die
again and again, but you are Immortal. Please let me know the secret of
this." Bhole Shankar replied that it is due to Amar Katha."
Maa Parvati insisted that she may be told that
secret. For long Shiva ji continued postponing. Finally on consistent demand
from Maa Parvati He made up his mind to tell the immortal secret. He started
for lonely place where no living being could listen it. He chose Amarnath Cave.
In preparation to that He left His Nandi (The Bull which He used to ride) at
Pahalgam (Bail gaon) . At Chandanwari He released Moon from his hairs (Jataon).
At the banks of Lake Sheshnag He released the snakes. He decided to leave his
Son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat (Mahaganesh Hill). At Panjtarni, Shivji left
the Five Elements behind (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) which make living
being. He is the Lord of these elements. It is believed that as a symbol of
sacrificing the earthly world, Shivaji and Maa Parvati had Tandav Dance. After
leaving behind all these, Bhole Shankar enters the Holy Amarnath Cave along
with Parvati Maa . Lord Shiva takes his Samadhi on the Deer Skin and
concentrate. To ensure that no living being is able to hear the Immortal Tale,
He created Rudra named Kalagni and ordered him to spread fire to eliminate
every living thing in and around the Holy Cave. After this He started
narrating the secret of immortality to Maa Parvati. But as a matter of chance
one egg which was lying beneath the Deer skin remained protected. It is
believed to be non living and more over it was protected by Shiva -Parvati Asan
(Bed). The pair of pigeons which were born out of this egg became immortal
having listened the secret of immortality (Amar Katha). Many pilgrims report
seeing the pair of pigeons when they trek the arduous route to pay their
obeisance before the Ice-Lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva).
Discovery of Holy Cave
The story narrated by people about the discovery of
this Holy Cave is of a Gujjar (shepherd) Buta Malik . He is
given the credit of discovering this Holy Cave. Story goes like this,
that a saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of Coal. On reaching his home when he
opened the bag, to his utter surprise the bag was full of gold coins. This made
him overwhelmed with joy. He ran to thank the Saint. But, what he found was
that the Saint had disappeared. Instead, he found The Holy Cave and Shiv Lingam
there in. He announced the discovery of this to the Villagers. Then onwards
this has become the sacred place of Pilgrimage.
The ancient epics narrate other story which goes
like this. The valley of Kashmir was under water .It was a
big lake. Kashyap Rishi drained the water through number of rivers and
rivulets. In those days Bhrigu Rishi came that way on a visit to The Himalyas.
He was the first to have Darshans of this Holy Cave. When people
heard of the Lingam, Amarnath for them became Shiva`s abode and a Centre of
pilgrimage. Since then Lacs of devotees perform the pilgrimage through tough
terrain and avail eternal happiness.
The trek to Amarnath, in the month of sharavan
(July?August) has the devout flock to this incredible shrine, where the image
of Shiva, in the form of a Lingam, is formed naturally of an Ice Stalagmite,
which waxes and wanes with the Moon`s cycle . By its side are fascinating, two
more Ice Lingams, that of Maa Parvati and of their son, Ganesha .
Amarnath Yatra
- the holy Hindu pilgrimage in the lofty Himalayas
The Amarnath Yatra, they say, leaves a profound
impact of spiritual exaltation on the minds of the pilgrims, who stride through
an exceedingly enchanting and enthralling route "upward" to meet the
shining glory and greatness of God. Swami Vivekananda recounting his Amarnath
experience said, "I have never been to anything so beautiful, so inspiring."
Darshan at the Holy Cave is
generally open from early July (Ashad Purnima) to August (Sharvan Purnima). The
yatra or pilgrimage concludes with the day of the "Raksha Bandhan"
festival.
Trek to Amarnath
Amarnath cave is located in a narrow gorge on the
farther end of Lidder valley at 3,888 m above sea level. The cave is 45 km from
Pahalgam and 141 km from Srinagar. The trek begins in July-August. Despite
being an extremely difficult trek, millions of devotees come to pay homage to
Shiva in one of his Himalayan abodes.
The yatra, in its present religious form, commences
with the ceremony of "Chari Mubarak," at the Dashnami temple, Akhara, Srinagar.
After the prayers, the yatri acquires a sort of walking stick. It has both
physical and religious significance: physically, it helps the yatri in
steadying himself on a snow covered slippery path; spiritually it reminds him
of his resolve at the temple at times when his faith begins to waver in the
face of a long and arduous journey. Nowadays people travel to Pahalgam first
and then undertake the onward journey of 45 km on foot, in batches. Overnight
halts are in encampments that are set up at fixed distances and give the
appearance of a military site. The return trek has to be covered in five days
with night halts at Chandanwari, Wawjan and Panchtarni. The distance of 12.8 km
from Pahalgam to Chandanwari is completed in five to six hours with the first
night halt at Chandanwari. The trail is along thick and green woodlands of
breathtaking beauty. The playful stream of Lidder meanders and dances
alongside, showing its sparkling white foam with the pride and purity of a
maiden descending directly from the lap of the perennial Himalayas. One
main attraction of this trail is the bridge on the river Lidder, which is
covered with snow even when the surroundings are bereft of snow.
From Chandanwari, there begins a steep ascent to
Pishu Ghati (3,171 meters), reminding the yatris that the path to salvation
involves superhuman struggle and stamina. A feeling of having reached an ethereal
destination overwhelms yatris when they reach Seshnag (3,570 meters) so
striking is the beauty, the ambience and the very colour of this great lake.
Seshnag symbolizes the cosmic ocean in which Lord Vishnu, the preserver of this
universe, moves, reclining on a seven-headed mythical snake. The second night
halt is at Wawjan overlooking the deep waters of Sheshnag Lake and
the glaciers beyond it.
The third and the last camp en route to the cave is
at Panchtarni. This 13 km trek gains height at 4,600 m and then descends to the
green meadows of Panchtarni. The cave is 6 km from here. There are long queues
waiting to enter the cave for a darshan before returning to Panchtarni. The
return journey takes two more days.
Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the
Supreme Being that continuously dissolves to recreate the cyclic process of
creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. Lord Shiva
is the foremost of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord
Vishnu.
Owing to His cosmic activity of dissolution and
recreation, the world's destruction has been erroneously associated with Lord
Shiva. This difficulty arises when people fail to grasp the true significance
of His cosmic role. The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between
the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance is disturbed and
sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe for
creation of the next cycle so that the unliberated souls will have another
opportunity to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world. Thus,
Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering that would be caused by a
dysfunctional universe. In analogous cyclic processes, winter is essential for
spring to appear and the night is necessary for the morning to follow. To
further illustrate, a goldsmith does not destroy gold when he melts old
irreparable golden jewellery to create beautiful new ornaments.
Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He
protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants
boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees. The symbolism
discussed below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and
images of Shiva venerated by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are
numerous, He cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of
Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism.
The unclad body covered with ashes: The unclad body symbolizes the
transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when
burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The ashes on the unclad body of
the Lord signify that Shiva is the source of the entire universe which emanates
from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena and is not affected by it.
Matted locks: Lord Shiva is the Master of yoga.
The three matted locks on the head of the Lord convey the idea that integration
of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga.
Ganga: Ganga (river Ganges) is
associated with Hindu mythology and is the most sacred river of Hindus.
According to tradition, one who bathes in Ganga (revered as Mother
Ganga) in accordance with traditional rites and ceremonies on religious
occasions in combination with certain astrological events, is freed from sin
and attains knowledge, purity and peace. Ganga, symbolically represented on the
head of the Lord by a female (Mother Ganga) with a jet of water emanating from
her mouth and falling on the ground, signifies that the Lord destroys sin,
removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees.
The crescent moon: Is shown on the side of the
Lord's head as an ornament, and not as an integral part of His countenance. The
waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through
which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since the Lord is the
Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His
ornaments, and not an integral part of Him.
Three eyes: Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka
Deva (literally, "three-eyed Lord") or Trolochana, is depicted as
having three eyes: the sun is His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the
third eye. The two eyes on the right and left indicate His activity in the
physical world. The third eye in the center of the forehead symbolizes
spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or
knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva's third eye annihilates evil,
and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.
Half-open eyes: When the Lord opens His eyes, a
new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them, the universe dissolves
for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes convey the idea that
creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Lord
Shiva is the Master of Yoga, as He uses His yogic power to project the universe
from Himself. The half-open eyes also symbolize His yogic posture.
Kundalas (two ear rings): Two Kundalas, Alakshya (meaning
"which cannot be shown by any sign") and Niranjan (meaning
"which cannot be seen by mortal eyes") in the ears of the Lord
signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left
ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of
the type used by men, these Kundalas also symbolize the Shiva and Shakti (male
and female) principle of creation.
Snake around the neck: Sages have used snakes to
symbolize the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and recreates
the universe. Like a yogi, a snake hoards nothing, carries nothing, builds
nothing, lives on air alone for a long time, and lives in mountains and
forests. The venom of a snake, therefore, symbolizes the yogic power.
A snake (Vasuki): Is shown curled three times
around the neck of the Lord and is looking towards His right side. The three
coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future - time in cycles. The
Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies that creation proceeds
in cycles and is time dependent, but the Lord Himself transcends time. The
right side of the body symbolizes the human activities based upon knowledge,
reason and logic. The snake looking towards the right side of the Lord
signifies that the Lord's eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural
order in the universe.
Rudraksha necklace: Rudra is another name of Shiva.
Rudra also means "strict or uncompromising" and aksha means
"eye." Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses
His cosmic laws firmly - without compromise - to maintain law and order in the
universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize the elements used in the
creation of the world.
Varda Mudra: The Lord's right hand is shown in
a boon - bestowing and blessing pose. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva annihilates
evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in
His devotees.
Trident (Trisulam): A three-pronged trident shown
adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will
(iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). The trident also symbolizes the
Lord's power to destroy evil and ignorance.
Drum: A small drum with two sides separated from
each other by a thin neck-like structure symbolizes the two utterly dissimilar
states of existence, unmanifest and manifest. When a damaru is vibrated, it
produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create a
sound. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which
can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the
source of creation.
Kamandalam: A water pot (Kamandalam) made
from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the ground next to Shiva.
The process of making Kamandalu has deep spiritual significance. A ripe pumpkin
is plucked from a plant, its fruit is removed and the shell is cleaned for
containing the nectar. In the same way, an individual must break away from
attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires
in order to experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the
Kamandalu.
Nandi: The bull is associated with Shiva
and is said to be His vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance.
Lord Shiva's use of the bull as a vehicle conveys the idea that He removes
ignorance and bestows power of wisdom on His devotees. The bull is called
Vrisha in Sanskrit. Vrisha also means dharma (righteousness). Thus a bull shown
next to Shiva also indicates that He is the etemal companion of righteousness.
Tiger skin: A tiger skin symbolizes potential
energy. Lord Shiva, sitting on or wearing a tiger skin, illustrates the idea
that He is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential form
during the dissolution state of the universe. Of His own Divine Will, the Lord
activates the potential form of the creative energy to project the universe in
endless cycles.
Cremation ground: Shiva sitting in the cremation
ground signifies that He is the controller of death in the physical world.
Since birth and death are cyclic, controlling one implies controlling the
other. Thus, Lord Shiva is revered as the ultimate controller of birth and
death in the phenomenal world.
