Lingodbhava – The immeasurable

The consecrated land of Bharata, the region where the Vedas originated, the land
mass where great saints lived and breathed and we still trace our lineage to these
greats through our gotra, is indeed blessed. The exceptional art of debating as
described in the literature of Adi Sankara among many, the inspiring journey of Sri
Ramana Maharishi, the divine experiences of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa are
not even the tip of the knowledge that is to be explored. Even after exploring and
reading extensively on the subject, one is lost in the vast ocean of the limitless
knowledge one can gain. Some have the divine blessing to realize that the
‘Absolute Brahman cannot be visualized nor can be described’. Even this
realization, is by itself, unfathomable for us, who are lost in the worldly pursuits. If
only we can even attempt to understand the One who is Shiva, the one who exists
yet doesn’t, limitless yet manifest. Adi Sankara, in his Nirvana Shatakam, has
brilliantly tried to explain what He is by expressing what He is not – Na iti. The
search for Ramana Maharishi’s question ‘Who am I’ also led to the same divine
realization for the Maharishi. We are nomads caught up in the material world
unhappy and always searching for that one thing which can give us contentment
and happiness oblivious to the truth that this eternal quest will end the day we
realise that we are but a reflection of the Divine, call it Absolute Brahman or
Shiva, these are just terms to name the nameless.
Shiva represented as a Lingam is an abstract or an iconic representation of the
Absolute Brahman. The Sanskrit word Lingam means sign, or symbol which
according to Puranas and Upanishads, indicates he is transcendental, beyond any
characteristic or gender. However, we are mere mortals who need an iconic
manifestation to start our journey as a seeker. Skanda Purana enumerates about
64 iconic forms of Shiva, but this is not a definitive number as the splendor of
Sanatana Dharma lies in the diversity of the manifestations. However, some of
the manifestations which are found quite regularly in temples are
Chandrasekhara - One with a crescent moon adorning his crown, Dakshinamurti –
Conqueror of senses, Epitome of Truth, Wisdom and Bliss, Somaskanda – Troika
of Shiva, Parvati and Skanda, Ardhanariswara – Creator of life, Gangadhara – One
who controls the torrents of Ganga, Bhikshatana – Remover of ignorance and
arrogance, Gajasamharamurti – one who tames the untamed, Veerabhadraa –
The formidable one, Bhairava – The fearful one; Protector of the Earth,
Kalasamharamurti – One who defeats Yama god of death, Nataraja – The cosmic
dancer in eternal life-death rhythm the murti of which is found even in the famed
CERN, the European organization of Nuclear Research, and Lingodbhava – The
immeasurable one.
The legend of Lingodbhava as we have been hearing from childhood and also as
mentioned in various puranas like Shiva Purana, Vayu purana, Linga Purana etc.
with a few variations is as follows: Lord Vishnu was resting in the Ksheera Sagara
when suddenly there was a bright light and from it emerged Lord Brahma. They
had not known of each other till then and hence inquired to the identity of the
other. Lord Vishnu said he is the sustainer and hence supreme while Brahma said
he is the creator and hence he is supreme. When the arguments were going on,
there appeared a bright column of light in front of them and a divine voice spoke,
one who finds either of the end of this fiery column will be deigned supreme. Lord
Vishnu takes the form of a boar and goes searching for the end underground
while Lord Brahma takes the form of a Swan and starts searching for the upper
end. Time elapses and both of them are unable to find the beginning or end of
this fiery column. Lord Vishnu accepts defeat and surrenders. However, Lord
Brahma, refuses to accept his defeat. Meanwhile he sees a ketaki flower petal
falling from top, and he requests the ketaki flower to lie for him stating that he
has been to the top of the column. Ketaki accedes to his request. When Shiva
hears of this falsity of Lord Brahma, he is enraged. He manifests out of the pillar
of fire and this manifestation of Shiva is revered as Lingodbhava. According to
mythology, Lord Shiva cuts off the fifth head of Lord Brahma and then curses Lord
Brahma that he will not be worshipped in independent temples. He also curses
that Ketaki flower shall never be used for puja. When Lord Brahma and Ketaki
realise that it is Lord Shiva who is the all-pervading consciousness and atone for
their mistakes, the ever-compassionate Shiva forgives them and reduces the
effect of the curse. Hence Lord Brahma is found as a Koshta Devata is Shiva
temples and Ketaki flower is used for Shiva worship only on Mahashivaratri day.
Also, it is believed that this column of fire, is the one represented at
Tiruvannamalai in Tamilnadu which is one of the Panchabhoota temples
representing the primordial element, fire.
Lingodbhava is perhaps the most perfect anthropomorphic representation of the
aniconic Supreme as it represents a pillar of fire with no beginning nor end. In
fact, the iconic representation is found mainly only in South Indian temples,
though my knowledge is limited. Even cursory research on the Shiva
manifestations will reveal that the term Lingodbhava is mentioned in all the
Agama texts. (One can even read through the research paper on Shodhganga: :
Iconographical representations of Śiva and The significance of the mūla-beras
(shaivism) for the different manifestations of Shiva).
The Lingodbhava murti contains a long pillarlike structure, which is the
representation of the column of fire, out of which emerged the murti of Shiva. A
swan is depicted on the top symbolizing Lord Brahma and a Varaha in the bottom
depicting Lord Vishnu. Shiva is usually shown with four arms, holding an axe and
an antelope with his upper hands, while the lower ones showing Abhaya mudra
(gesture of protection) and Varada mudra (gesture of boon bestowal). The
sanctum sanctorum of the main deity in any Shiva temple is generally adorned
with different devatas known as Koshta devatas. Generally, Lingodbhava is
depicted in the West wall, Dakshinamurty in the south and Brahma or Ishana in
the North.
The significance of Lingodbhava is manifold, however, what many of us are not
aware about is the Lingodbhava Kalam. The Lingodbhava Kalam or period is the
day when Mahashivaratri is celebrated all over Bharat. If we look at the esoteric
significance of this day, we realise that there is a natural upsurge of energy on this
day due to the alignment of the heavenly bodies. Hence, we are advised to fast,
pray, meditate, and do penance to take complete advantage of this auspicious
time, especially if we are on a spiritual path. It is this day when through prayers
we can try and shed our ego like Lord Brahma and surrender to the Absolute like
Lord Vishnu. As Sadhguru points out ‘All the ancient prayers have always been
“Oh lord, destroy me so that I can become like yourself.” So, when we say
Shivratri, which is the darkest night of the month, it is an opportunity for one to
dissolve their limitedness, to experience the unboundedness of the source of
creation which is the seed in every human being’. May the Universal
consciousness grant us the wisdom to be a seeker and guide us in the right path.
Prema Ravikumar
On an eternal quest

Sources and References:

Lingodbhava-murti (depiction of the pillar of fire) [Chapter 1.2] (wisdomlib.org)
The Religion and Philosophy of Tevaram (Thevaram) by M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy
https://www.hinduismoutlook.com/lingodbhava-murti-story-kalam/
https://isha.sadhguru.org/mahashivratri/significance-of-mahashivratri/