Jaya Guru Datta If you find Shiva lingams interesting.. The following links and story relate to the miraculous discovery of this hundreds of years old Sachchidanandeshwara Shiva lingam installed at Dattapeetham in Mysore. Keep in mind while reading that it was underground and its weight beyond any normal person's capacity to lift. Note the Cobra, which was said to be golden in the original story.
Images: http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/festivals/shivaratri2002/march12_evening/ march12_evening.html http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/festivals/shivaratri2004/feb18_eve/feb18_eve.html Subject: Life History of H.H. Sri Swamiji 179 Happily she went into the kitchen and with the assistance of Jayamma prepared a meal for her brother. Swamiji entered into the kitchen while she was cooking the food and enquired about the kitchen while she was cooking the food and enquired about the welfare of the family members. She told him that grandfather Linganna had gone to Ratnapuri (Near Honasur) to his farmland and started agricultural work again. Savitramma was staying with him in the village. After the "Biksha" Swamiji asked Vara to eat at the ashrama. By the time she finished her meal and went to him. He had organised to get a new saree for her. He gave her the saree as a present and blessed her. He told her, "You should start calling me Swamiji like all the mothers in here. Like all the mothers here you are also one of the mothers to me." Crestfallen, Vara went back to her house. Satyanandeshwara Next day Swamiji sent some of his devotees to Ratnapuri. He wanted them to find out if there was an old Shiva temple or a Shivalingam, which did not receive any worship by the public. They came back with the news that there were no such things in that village. The rumour was that in olden days there was a Shiva temple, which had sunk into the earth in course of time. "I must go there today," Swamiji said. "It is not practical. Even if we go by a taxi, we cannot reach there before the night falls. We cannot do anything in the night. Let us go tomorrow," suggested some of the elders. "Lord Shiva is not keeping quiet. I cannot help the feeling that I must go immediately," Swamiji told them. They had no option but to agree. They got a taxi and went to Ratnapuri. They reached the village by nighttime. Ratnapuri is a small village. When the car arrived throwing red mud on all the bypassers, about 10 villagers came near the taxi. "Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji has come from Mysore. We believe there is a Shiva Lingam in this village. We have come to search for it," the passengers in the car told the villagers. The news of the arrival of Swamiji spread quickly and the villagers soon gathered round the car. Linganna spoke to his grandson and explained about the purpose of visit by Swamiji to the villagers. In the cold, dark evening, with the help of hand held torches, Swamiji walked along the fields exploring for the site of the Shiva Lingam. Within half an hour he stopped at a place and said, "Shiva is here. We must dig this area carefully." That spot was agricultural land belonging to a farmer. It had some seasonal crops growing in it. The farmer who owned the land suggested to wait till the harvesting was complete. Swamiji did not agree to that suggestion. The devotees who had accompanied Swamiji were willing to buy the land from the farmer. The villagers unanimously agreed that they had no objection in letting Swamiji take the Lingam. The fact that the Lingam was in their village and was not receiving the traditional poojas was not going to be auspicious for the villagers. They considered that Swamiji would be doing them a favour by taking the Lingam away. Having finally agreed to dig in the morning, Swamiji went to bed. The next morning they did manage to find the Shiva Lingam in that field. A big Cobra had wound round the Lingam. Despite the attempts by the villagers to make it move away, it did not budge from the site. The villagers sent for Swamiji to come and help. Swamiji came to the spot, stood at the top and looked at the cobra. The cobra unwound itself and hit its head against the Lingam and died on the spot. Swamiji arranged for the cremation of the snake and went back to the house. The villagers tried to unearth the lingam but they could not move it even by an inch. They sent for Swamiji again. Swamiji came and standing at the top of the site cried bitterly. While continuing to cry he sang the keertana "Ishapateesha Jagannivasa " He sang that keertana for the first time and it brought tears to the listeners. He went down and put his arms round it like someone holding on to a baby and lifted it. It came into his hands like a toy and he brought it out and placed it in the bullock cart arranged to take it back to the ashrama. All the villagers and the devotees moved with the cart towards the ashrama shouting the praise, "Jai Mahadev, Hara Hara Mahadev, Shambo Shankara." Thus Lord Shiva came to the Ashrama. The priests recited all the ritual prayers and Mantras at the entrance to the ashrama. Lord Shiva again refused to be lifted from the cart by the villagers and the devotees. Swamiji had to go again and lift it out of the cart and take it inside the ashrama. The Lingam was a yard high and a yard wide. After careful consideration, Swamiji placed that resident of the "Mountain Kailasa(10)" on the platform next to the fire pit. It was only suitable place in the ashrama, which would not get soaked in the rain. Once he was placed there, Lord Shiva refused to move even an inch. Some of the villagers went to Ratnapuri to see if they could find "Nandi(11)" the vehicle of Lord Shiva. They were not successful in their attempts. Swamiji told them that it would be futile attempt to find Nandi and not to continue searching for it. This event occurred just before "Shiva Ratri(12)" in 1967. The experts in Agamas(13) suggested that the Lingam should undergo the installation ceremony before receiving any worship from the devotees during Shiva Ratri that year. Swamiji asked them to go ahead and conduct the ceremony. The elders organised the preparation of the idol of Nandi and the necessary "Yantras(14)" as part of installation ceremony for Lord Shiva at the ashrama. Swamiji was very enthusiastic all along the period of preparations for the ceremony. The time approached for the placing of the yantra. The sastras instruct that the yantra be placed in the selected site for the installation of the idol before placing the idol on. To do so the Lingam had to be moved to a side. The Lord who carries the trident refused to move from his place. This reminded one of the mythological episode when Ravana was carrying the "Atma Linga" of Lord Shiva from Kailasa to Lanka, his capital. (He had to stop for a while to conduct the sandhya and needed to find someone to hold on to it. Lord Ganesha as a little Brahmin boy comes to the spot and agrees to hold it only for few seconds. As Ravana did not come back in time he placed it on the ground. Ravana despite his enormous strength could not life the Lingam from that spot. That spot is now the most sacred centre of pilgrimage "Gokarna". The pride of Ravana was belittled with this episode). Swamiji was seriously watching them at moving the Lingam. He instructed them to stop the attempt. He told them, "We need not do anything. The Lord got Himself installed at the site "He" has selected." The devotees were not totally happy but accepted the Swamiji's words. Swamiji said, "Do not get depressed. We still have the opportunity to install Nandi. Let us do it first." As there was not enough space in front of the idol of Lingam, (As is the traditional way of installing Nandi in the temples). Nandi was installed at a corner slightly away from the Lingam. They left the Lingam where it was but secured it using the cement. Swamiji named the Lingam "Satyanandeeshwara" because the Lord decided to install Himself at the spot. Swamiji wanted to incorporate one of the names from his past, ie: "Satyananda." He felt pleased with himself for having found a good use for the name of "Satyananda." The close devotees of Swamiji were happy at the installation of the Lingam. They considered that "Satyanandeshwara" was a permanent form of their own dear Swamiji at the ashrama. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- Explanations: 10. Lord Shiva is considered to be the resident of Mountain Kailasa. 11. The bull, mode of transport of Lord Shiva. 12. Annual birthday celebrations for Lord Shiva. 13. The texts of the early Shaiva texts. 14. The Talisman. Sri Guru Datta Hanuman ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Dying to be thin? Anorexia. 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