Banalinga
Encyclopedia
Banalinga, a stone found in nature, in the bed of the Narmada river
in Madhya Pradesh
state, India
, is an aniconic symbol of worship, based on either the scriptures or cultural traditions among the Hindus, particularly of the Shaivaites and Smartha Brahmins. Stones are ancient and connote divinity. It is a smooth cylindrical stone.
Banalinga is also called the Svayambhu Linga: (Sanskrit) "Self-existent mark or sign of God", as it is discovered in nature and not carved or crafted by human hands.
The forms of Linga can vary in detail from a simple roller shape roughly cylindrical Banalinga to the stone carved with a thousand facets (Sahasralinga) or of light relief in several human figures (Mukhalinga). The Linga in the shrine of a temple is in stone.
(also called the Rewa, from its leaping motion (from the root rev through its rocky bed) where the Banalinga stones are found, has been mentioned by Ptolemy
and the author of the Periplus
. The Ramayana
, the Mahabharata
and Puranas
refer to it frequently. The Rewa Khand of Vayu Purana
and the Rewa Khand of Skanda Purana
are entirely devoted to the story of the birth and the importance of the Narmada River. It is said to have sprung from the body of Lord Shiva
. It was created in the form of a lovely damsel who enamoured gods and hence named by the Lord as Narmada - delight giving. It is, therefore, often called Shankari (Parvati), i.e., daughter of Lord Shankar (Shiva
).
All the pebbles rolling on its bed are said to take the shape of His emblem with the saying Narmada Ke Kanker utte Sanka (which is a popular saying in the Hindi belt of India) which means that ‘pebble stones of Narmada gets a personified form of Shiva’. Thus, these lingam
(phallus) shaped stones, called Banalinga are sought after for daily worship by the Hindus.
The Bannalinga, as a divine aniconic symbol for worship, is held in reverence by the Shaivaites and Smartha Brahmins, to the same extent as the Saligrama Sila (murti)
is held in reverence by the Vaisihnavites.
Further, a sighting of the Narmada River is considered equivalent to a bath in the Ganges. At numerous places along its course there are temples, and fairs are held. Pilgrims perform Pradakshina (circumambulation), i.e., walking along the southern bank from its source to the mouth and going back along the northern bank. The performance is regarded to be of the highest religious efficacy.
Three kinds of lingas are described in the Brihat Vaivarta Purana (Hindu scripture). These three lingas, are called SvAmbhuva [Self-existing], Banalinga [got from a certain river] and Sailalinga [made of stone] and these are also respectively called Vyakta, Avyakta, and VyaktAvyakta. It is said that Vyakta,gives salvation, the Avyakta gives [worldly] happiness, and VyaktAvyakta gives both happiness and salvation.
People belonging to various Hindu sects such as Shaiva, Kapalik, Gosavi, Virashaiva, etc., use various lingas - earthen (parthivlinga), lingas in a silver box donned around the neck (kanthasthalinga), lingas of crystal glass (sphatiklinga), banalingas, a five stringed linga (panchasutri), stone lingas (pashanlinga), etc..
Banalinga is a part of the fivefold family of deities (Panchayatana). The five Hindu deities (Shiva
, Vishnu
, Devi
, Surya
and Ganesha
) are the embodiment of 5 bhutas/tatwas worshipped in formless stones, which are obtained from the 5 rivers as indicated in the table below. Panchayatana form of worship is said to have been introduced by Adi Shankara
, the 8th century C.E Hindu philosopher, to enable a person to worship his Ishta devata (adored or desired deity), to address each sectarian form of worship and thus bring about tolerance among all sects. Depending on the tradition followed by Smarta households, one of these deities is kept in the centre facing East direction and the other four are arranged in four corners surrounding it, as indicated in the diagram below; all the deities are worshipped with equal fervor and devotion.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name of Deity
! Bhuta(Tatwa)
! Name of the Stone
(Sila)
! Name of the River
! Name of the State where found in India
! Names of flowers and leaves used for worship
|-
| Ganesha
| Apu(Water)
| Red Sonabhadra
| Sone
| Bihar
| Lotus and Bandook flowers
|-
| Surya(Sun)
| Vayu (Air)
| Crystal
| Vallam
| Tamil Nadu (Tanjavur)
| Bandook flower and plantain tree
|-
| Vishnu
| Akasha(Space)
| Saligrama
| Gandaki
| Nepal
| Tulsi (basil), Ashwatha, and
Amalaki leaves.
Marigold, Punnaga, and yellow flowers
|-
| Shiva
| Prithivi(Earth)
| Banalinga
| Narmada (Omkara-kunda)
| Madhya Pradesh
| Godlen shower tree Flower ,Bel leaves & Amalaki leaves.
Akund (Calotropis gigantea), Crown flower
Nagalingam flower
|-
| Ambika(Devi)
| Agni(Fire)
| Swarna Mukhi (Rekha Shila)
| Swarnamukhi
| Andhra Pradesh
| Red flowers - Hibiscus or China rose
and Neem leaves
|}
People generally sit facing East, while placing the deities/devatas and performing the Panchayatana pooja in the following order:
A layout for performing the Panchayatana Pooja
In an additional form of wosrhip, called the Shanmata
, also founded by Adi Shankara
, six deities are worshipped; the sixth deity in addition to the five deities referred in Panchayatana pooja referred above, is Skanda
also known as Kartikeya and Murugan
Narmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, is an aniconic symbol of worship, based on either the scriptures or cultural traditions among the Hindus, particularly of the Shaivaites and Smartha Brahmins. Stones are ancient and connote divinity. It is a smooth cylindrical stone.
Banalinga is also called the Svayambhu Linga: (Sanskrit) "Self-existent mark or sign of God", as it is discovered in nature and not carved or crafted by human hands.
The forms of Linga can vary in detail from a simple roller shape roughly cylindrical Banalinga to the stone carved with a thousand facets (Sahasralinga) or of light relief in several human figures (Mukhalinga). The Linga in the shrine of a temple is in stone.
Significance
The Narmada RiverNarmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
(also called the Rewa, from its leaping motion (from the root rev through its rocky bed) where the Banalinga stones are found, has been mentioned by Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
and the author of the Periplus
Periplus
Periplus is the Latinization of an ancient Greek word, περίπλους , literally "a sailing-around." Both segments, peri- and -plous, were independently productive: the ancient Greek speaker understood the word in its literal sense; however, it developed a few specialized meanings, one of which became...
. The Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
and Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
refer to it frequently. The Rewa Khand of Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
and the Rewa Khand of Skanda Purana
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
are entirely devoted to the story of the birth and the importance of the Narmada River. It is said to have sprung from the body of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. It was created in the form of a lovely damsel who enamoured gods and hence named by the Lord as Narmada - delight giving. It is, therefore, often called Shankari (Parvati), i.e., daughter of Lord Shankar (Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
).
All the pebbles rolling on its bed are said to take the shape of His emblem with the saying Narmada Ke Kanker utte Sanka (which is a popular saying in the Hindi belt of India) which means that ‘pebble stones of Narmada gets a personified form of Shiva’. Thus, these lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
(phallus) shaped stones, called Banalinga are sought after for daily worship by the Hindus.
The Bannalinga, as a divine aniconic symbol for worship, is held in reverence by the Shaivaites and Smartha Brahmins, to the same extent as the Saligrama Sila (murti)
Sila (murti)
Shila, Shila, Shila, (शिला in Devanagari, in IAST refers to a Vaishnava (Hindu) aniconic representation of Vishnu, in the form of a spherical, usually black-coloured stone found in the sacred river Gandaki....
is held in reverence by the Vaisihnavites.
Further, a sighting of the Narmada River is considered equivalent to a bath in the Ganges. At numerous places along its course there are temples, and fairs are held. Pilgrims perform Pradakshina (circumambulation), i.e., walking along the southern bank from its source to the mouth and going back along the northern bank. The performance is regarded to be of the highest religious efficacy.
Three kinds of lingas are described in the Brihat Vaivarta Purana (Hindu scripture). These three lingas, are called SvAmbhuva [Self-existing], Banalinga [got from a certain river] and Sailalinga [made of stone] and these are also respectively called Vyakta, Avyakta, and VyaktAvyakta. It is said that Vyakta,gives salvation, the Avyakta gives [worldly] happiness, and VyaktAvyakta gives both happiness and salvation.
People belonging to various Hindu sects such as Shaiva, Kapalik, Gosavi, Virashaiva, etc., use various lingas - earthen (parthivlinga), lingas in a silver box donned around the neck (kanthasthalinga), lingas of crystal glass (sphatiklinga), banalingas, a five stringed linga (panchasutri), stone lingas (pashanlinga), etc..
Panchayatana
andBanalinga is a part of the fivefold family of deities (Panchayatana). The five Hindu deities (Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
, Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
and Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
) are the embodiment of 5 bhutas/tatwas worshipped in formless stones, which are obtained from the 5 rivers as indicated in the table below. Panchayatana form of worship is said to have been introduced by Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
, the 8th century C.E Hindu philosopher, to enable a person to worship his Ishta devata (adored or desired deity), to address each sectarian form of worship and thus bring about tolerance among all sects. Depending on the tradition followed by Smarta households, one of these deities is kept in the centre facing East direction and the other four are arranged in four corners surrounding it, as indicated in the diagram below; all the deities are worshipped with equal fervor and devotion.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name of Deity
! Bhuta(Tatwa)
! Name of the Stone
(Sila)
! Name of the River
! Name of the State where found in India
! Names of flowers and leaves used for worship
|-
| Ganesha
| Apu(Water)
| Red Sonabhadra
| Sone
| Bihar
| Lotus and Bandook flowers
|-
| Surya(Sun)
| Vayu (Air)
| Crystal
| Vallam
| Tamil Nadu (Tanjavur)
| Bandook flower and plantain tree
|-
| Vishnu
| Akasha(Space)
| Saligrama
| Gandaki
| Nepal
| Tulsi (basil), Ashwatha, and
Amalaki leaves.
Marigold, Punnaga, and yellow flowers
|-
| Shiva
| Prithivi(Earth)
| Banalinga
| Narmada (Omkara-kunda)
| Madhya Pradesh
| Godlen shower tree Flower ,Bel leaves & Amalaki leaves.
Akund (Calotropis gigantea), Crown flower
Nagalingam flower
|-
| Ambika(Devi)
| Agni(Fire)
| Swarna Mukhi (Rekha Shila)
| Swarnamukhi
| Andhra Pradesh
| Red flowers - Hibiscus or China rose
and Neem leaves
|}
People generally sit facing East, while placing the deities/devatas and performing the Panchayatana pooja in the following order:
| Center | North East | South East | South West | North West |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganapati | Vishnu | Shiva | Surya (Sun) | Durga |
| Surya (Sun) | Shiva | Ganapati | Vishnu | Durga |
| Vishnu | Shiva | Ganapati | Surya (Sun) | Durga |
| Shiva | Vishnu | Surya (Sun) | Ganapati | Durga |
| Durga (Devi) | Vishnu | Shiva | Ganapati | Surya (Sun) |
| SHIVA NORTHEAST |
DURGA NORTHWEST |
|
|---|---|---|
| TATPURUSHA | ||
| VAMADEVA | ISHANA VISHNU |
AGHORA (RUDRA) |
| SADYOJATA | ||
| SOUTH EAST GANAPATI |
SOUTH WEST SURYA |
A layout for performing the Panchayatana Pooja
In an additional form of wosrhip, called the Shanmata
Shanmata
Shanmata is the system of worship, believed by the Smarta tradition to have been founded by Adi Shankara, the 8th century CE Hindu philosopher . It centers around the worship of the six main deities of Hinduism, viz, Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Surya and Skanda. In this system, six major...
, also founded by Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
, six deities are worshipped; the sixth deity in addition to the five deities referred in Panchayatana pooja referred above, is Skanda
Skanda
Skanda is the name of deities popular amongst Hindus and Buddhists.* Skanda, a Hindu deity also known as Kartikeya and Murugan and Subhramanya* Skanda , a popular Deva and/or Bodhisattva popular in Chinese Buddhism...
also known as Kartikeya and Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...