Shivalingam

The most common depiction of Lord Shiva is in the form of Lingam, a form whose origins go back to the Indus Valley civilization. In almost all Shiva temples, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Linga, which is a cylindrical pillar protruding from a circular base.

The Shivalingam is a phallic symbol that represents the creative power of Lord Shiva. According to Bansi Pandit, the Shivalinga has three parts. The lower part represents Brahma, and is four-sided. The middle part, octagonal in shape, represents Vishnu. The upper part, which is cylindrical in shape and the part that is worshipped, represents Shiva. The abstract figure of the Linga is meant to depict a formless interpretation of the Supreme Being. The Lingam also symbolizes the union of the mind and body, or that of purusha and prakriti (spirit and matter).

Shivalingam in Brihadeeswara Temple
Thanjavur, India © Mellagi

The Shivalingam by Swami Sivananda

Linga literally means a mark in Sanskrit. It is a symbol which points to an inference of something. When you see a big flood, you infer that there had been heavy rains the previous day. When you see smoke, you infer that there is a fire somewhere. This world of countless forms is a lingam of the Omnipotent Lord. The Shivalingam is a symbol of Lord Shiva. When you gaze at the Lingam, your mind is elevated at once and you begin to reflect on the Lord.

Lord Shiva is essentially formless. He has no form of His own; and yet, all forms are His forms. All forms are pervaded by Lord Shiva. Every form is the form or Lingam of Lord Shiva. There is a mysterious power or indescribable shakti in the Lingam, that induces the concentration of the mind. Just as the mind is focused easily in gazing at a crystal, the mind of a devotee is easily concentrated when he looks at the Lingam. That is the reason the ancient rishis of India prescribed the installation of the Lingam the temples of Shiva.

Shivalingam speaks to you in the unmistakable language of silence, "I am one without a second. I am formless." Lingam is only the outward symbol of the formless Being, Lord Shiva, Who is the eternal, indivisible, ever pure, all-pervading, auspicious, and immortal essence of this vast universe; Who is the undying soul seated in the chamber of every heart; Who is your Indweller, innermost Self or Atman; one with Brahman.

For a sincere devotee, the Shivalingam is not a block of stone. It is radiant Tejas or Chaitanya (Light or Consciousness). The Lingam facilitates the communion with the Lord and the attainment of Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Such is the power of the Shivalingam that Vishnu himself, in the form of Rama, worshipped the Lingam in Rameswaram before departing to rescue Sita from Lanka.