[Advaita-l] Some questions on Advaita Vedanta and Smartism

[sriram]

Dear participant
Linga means the mark /type /category and does not mean a penis.In Samskrit
there are three lingams-sthree lingam,pullingam and napumsakalingam.meaning
female ,male and all other living, nonliving beings/things which donot have
buddhi.We may linga is equivalent of gender of English Grammer.The Samskrit
word for penis is shisna.So linga has to be construed as a mark/indicator
only and not as suggested.Yoni denotes the gateway out of which future
babies comeout inrespect of mammals.Shiva is linga swarupa does not mean
that He is like a penis.He is available in any symbol the devotee
chooses.Pranams.R.Krishnamoorthy.
----- Original Message -----
From: Satish Arigela <satisharigela at yahoo.com>
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 4:42 AM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Some questions on Advaita Vedanta and Smartism


> I should agree with shrI Jaldhar on the issue of
> linga.
>
> In the Shiva Purana it is clearly mentioned that the
> linga is actually Shiva's penis. It narrates the story
> behind it starting with the incident in the dArukavana
> (dAruka forest).
>
> Linga isnt generally worshipped without a Yoni.
>
> If Linga means only mark or type then what about Yoni?
> Should we not come up with a matching alternative
> explanation for Yoni?
>
> Other than the Shiva Purana there is a lot of
> vAmAchAra material which confirms that linga is penis.
>
>
> --- S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Here's H.H.Wilson's take on the word "linga" - he
> > simply takes the
> > meaning to be 'mark' or 'type', being symbolic of
> > Shiva. Unless there
> > is good reason to believe otherwise, I'm going to
> > believe his
> > account.
> >
> > Pages xli-xlii of the translation "The Visnu
> > Purana":
> >
> > ---
> > 11. Linga PurANa. "Where Maheshvara, present in the
> > agni linga,
> > explained (the objects of life) virtue, wealth,
> > pleasure, and final
> > liberation at the end of the agni kalpa, that
> > PurANa, consisting of
> > eleven thousand stanzas, was called the Lainga by
> > BrahmA himself."
> >
> > The Linga PurANa conforms accurately enough to this
> > description.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > A description of the universe, and of the regal
> > dynasties of the
> > Vaivasvata Manvantara to the time of KR^ishhNa, runs
> > through a number
> > of chapters, in substance, and very commonly in
> > words, the same as in
> > other PurANas. After which, the word resumes its
> > proper character,
> > narrating legends, and enjoining rites, and reciting
> > prayers,
> > intending to do honour to Shiva under various forms.
> > Although,
> > however, the Linga holds a prominent place amongst
> > them, the spirit
> > of the worship is as little influenced by the
> > character of the type
> > as can well be imagined. There is nothing like the
> > phallic orgies of
> > antiquity; it is all mystical and spiritual. The
> > Linga is twofold,
> > external and internal. The ignorant, who need a
> > visible sign, worship
> > Shiva through a 'mark' or 'type' - which is the
> > proper meaning of the
> > word "Linga" - of wood or stone; but the wise look
> > upon this outward
> > emblem as nothing, and contemplate in their minds
> > the invisible,
> > inscrutable type, which is Shiva himself. Whatever
> > may have been the
> > origin of this form of worship in India, the notions
> > upon which it
> > was founded, according to the impure fancies of
> > European writers, are
> > not to be traced in even the Shaiva PurANas.
>
>
>
>
>
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