Commentary on "Emi sethura linga" Song - I

Here in this song, the Sanskrit word “linga” is used to address Lord Siva. Let us eschew all silly Sanskrit-illiterate-Hindu-culture-ignorant pseudo scholars’ references to anatomy in this context. “Lingam” here explicitly refers to a ‘symbol’, a ‘representation’, a ‘reference’, or a ‘property’. In the modern computer programming, we write A = 6, at the moment we assign the value of 6 to the variable A. But in the next instant, the value of A can change and assume another numerical quantity. In a similar sense, the linga in a temple (ex: Srisailam) is simply a representation of the powerful chant: “आपाताळ …”. In India one comes across a vast number of ‘lingas’ spread all over the nation; the most conspicuous sign of its ubiquity is in Varanasi. There in that holy city, you’ll see a linga on the stairs of Ganges river, in the narrowest streets, on the way side, or in some abandoned farmland. In Keesara (Telangana) you see them in all shapes and angles – some are straight and some are obliquely inclined in the dirt around the main temple. Linga here is a “formless form” (that is how Sri Paramacharya explained it once); it actually refers to the sacred Sanskrit mantra given in the Vedas. In a certain sense the devotees of Linga puja are considered as more evolved to other devotees ‘of the form’. It is because they are quickly progressing from the form to the formless. We might say the devotee is slowly moving away from the defined to the indefinable.

There are two more aspects of ‘linga’: i) In Siva mahapurana, we come across the origins of linga. The reader has to take pains to read either the original Sanskrit text or its Telugu translation (by Yamijala Padmanabhaswamy). When a devotee offers ablutions, flowers, bilva leaves, or fruits to the linga, he is simultaneously praying to Lord Siva and Parvati; both the Lord and Mother are represented in the linga. ii) When there was a dispute between Lord Vishnu and Brahma, Siva appears as a bright effulgent endless column with no beginning. This is why some of the lingas are considered as special “ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग”.

The foregoing description is a good starting point for the Siva devotee. Even without any knowledge and literacy one can meditate on Siva (linga), with extraordinary benefits. Many start their spiritual journeys with small tentative steps with strong urge and faith. But soon she will discover things herself on the way effortlessly. Copyright 2019 by the author (Lyrics were given in an earlier post)