Most Gods and Goddesses within Hinduism are worshipped through the use of a sacred image, known as a murti. Every Deity has their particular image or icon that is used in puja. It is therefore common in temples to see a sacred image of Shiva along with His consort Parvati. But there is another sacred image of Shiva that is even more common than Shiva and Parvati seated beside each other and this is the Shiva Lingam. The Shiva Lingam is an aniconic form of Shiva because it has no specific features that could be recognized as Shiva if one did not already know what the form was. A Shalagram Shila, which a black fossil stone used in the worship of Vishnu, is a similar aniconic form.

The antiquity of the Shiva Lingam is uncertain. There are some who claim that certain remains found within the Indus Valley Civilization are Shiva Lingams. This claim, however, is disputed and is far from being a universally accepted. In addition, there is no mention in the Rig Veda or any of the other Shruti Vedic texts of the Shiva Lingam. There are, however, many references to the Shiva Lingam throughout the later Smriti Vedas and so it is uncertain at what point the Shiva Lingam became popular within Hinduism. But popular it is! Virtually all temples and Hindu homes have a Shiva Lingam.

In many cases a Shiva Lingam is a one piece image usually made of stone, but a true Shiva Lingam is comprised of two parts: the actual Lingam itself, which has a cylindrical shape, and a stand or peetham, which supports the Lingam. In the case of a one piece image the Lingam and the stand are together. There are two basic interpretations of what the Shiva Lingam actually is. The first is that God, being ultimately formless, is represented by a formless image, the Lingam. One meaning of the word “lingam” is “sign” and therefore the Lingam is a “sign” of the formless nature of God. The second interpretation is that the Lingam is a symbolic phallus and that the stand which holds the Lingam is the female organ, and therefore the Lingam sitting within its stand is a symbolism for cosmic union and creation. Naturally, this latter interpretation is offensive to many worshippers, but given the imagery of ancient Hinduism with its elaborate sexual depictions found on many temple towers (gopurams) in South India, the phallic interpretation of the Shiva Lingam is not out of the question, especially given that another meaning of the word lingam is “male organ.”

The most common use of the Shiva Lingam is for sacred bathing (abhisheka) and so the worship of a Shiva Lingam always includes an abhisheka usually of milk and water, but commonly with other liquids, including yogurt, honey and clarified butter as well.

Throughout India there are a huge number of ancient holy sites and many of these sites have famous temples dedicated to a specific Deity. A few of these temples have opened “franchise” temples in the West and other parts of the world, that is to say, replica versions of the original sacred image found in India have been installed in new Western temples. Three such sacred images that are seen most commonly are Balaji, Jagannatha Swami and Shri Nathji.

A hundred kilometers north of Chennai (Madras) in the southern state of Andra Pradesha is the famous Balaji temple at a place called Tirumala. This region is famous for its seven hills called the Venkata Hills and so the full name of the Balaji murtis is Venkateshwara, the Lord of the Venkata hills. The town at the base of these hills is called Tirupati which is the more common name on the maps of this region. You visit Balaji by first coming to Tirupati and then walking or driving up the Venkata hills to Tirumala.

Balaji is worshipped as a form of Vishnu by the Sri Vaishnavas, who are common this area, and who say that Balaji is the Kali Yuga avatara of Vishnu who incarnates on earth during the current age. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said that in different ages, God incarnates on earth to establish true religious teachings and to give protections to His devotees and to destroy the sinful. Balaji is said to be the current avatara for this age. Another name for Balaji is Srinivasa which literally means the abode of Lakshmidevi. Lakshmi is the consort or wife of Balaji and for many Shri Vaishnavas, Lakshmidevi holds particular importance. The main feature for Balaji, for which he is most famous, is his sacred bath, abhisheka. Almost every major city in America now has a Balaji temple or image in their region and any Saturday morning one can attend this sacred bathing ceremony. During these ceremonies Balaji is liberally bathed in milk, butter milk, honey, sugar-water, fruit juices and other substances. It is a wonderful sight to see.

South of Calcutta in the state of Orrisa on India’s east coast is the famous Jagannatha Temple at the city of Puri. Here there is an ancient temple dedicated to three famous Deities, Jagannatha, Subhadra and Baladeva. The Gaudiya (Bengal) Vaishnavas of this area worship these sacred images as forms of Krishna, His sister Subhadra and His brother Balarama. Other devotees see these forms in a slightly different way as Vishnu, Durga and Shiva. Regardless, these three murtis can now be seen throughout the world in Hare Krishna temples. Jagannatha (Krishna) is most important to Gaudiya Vaishnavas and so when the Hare Krishna movement established itself in the West, Jagannatha came with them. Today there is an annual festival called Ratha Yatra that is celebrated in major cities around the world. The Ratha Yatra is sometimes called the Festivals of Chariots because during the festival these three sacred images are placed in chariots and pulled by devotees through the street in a parade accompanied by singing and chants of Krishna’s names. The original Ratha Yatra festival is held annually in Puri during the month of June when literally millions of people attend.

 

Shrinathji is a form of Krishna, manifest as a seven-year-old child. The principal shrine of Shrinathji is situated at Nathdwara, located 48 Kilometers North-east of Udaipur city in Rajasthan. Shrinathji is the central presiding deity of the Vaishnavas known as the Pushti Marg (The way of grace) or the Vallabh Sampradaya or Shuddhadvaita, established by Shri Vallabhacharya. Shrinathji is worshipped mainly by the followers of Bhakti Yoga and the Vaishnavas in Gujarat and Rajasthan among others. Vitthal Nathji, son of Vallabhacharya institutionalised the worship of Shrinathji at Nathdwara. On account of the popularity of Shrinathji, Nathdwara town itself is referred to as ‘Shrinathji’. People also call it bava’s (shreenath ji bava) nagri. Initially, the child Krishna deity was referred to as Devdaman (The conqueror of Gods – Referring to over-powering of Indra by Krishna in the lifting of Govardhan hill).^[6] Shri Vallabhacharya named him as Gopala and the place of his worship as ‘Gopalpur’. Later, Vitthal Nathji named the deity as Shrinathji.

Most Hindu temples will have sacred images of Gods and Goddesses. In Sanskrit these sacred images are called murtis, which literally means, “forms or shapes.” In general, Hindus worship through the help of these murtis whether in temples or in private homes. In temples two kinds of sacred images can be found: chala murtis and achala murtis. The word “chala” means “movable” and “achala” means “immovable.” The achala murti is the sacred image, usually made of stone, that is permanently installed in the temple. Such images are generally between three and five feet in height and are cemented into place. The chala murti, on the other hand, is a small sacred image that can easily be moved by priests. Chala murtis are generally made of metal and are much smaller in size and they can usually been seen on an altar standing in front of or to the side of the achala murti. Another more common name used to describe the movable or chala murti is Utsava Murti. “Utsava” means festival, so the Utsava Murti is the “festival murti” so called because it can be easily moved around for festival purposes that include processions, bathing ceremonies or sacred marriage ceremonies (see kalyana) and so on.

Hinduism and astrology are still intimately connected. In the past it was common that astrology and religion were related, even within Christianity, but over time astrology became separated and even rejected from many religious cultures, including Judaism and Christianity. In the case of Hinduism, however, this never happened, and to this day astrology has remained a vibrant part of the religion. Even now, most educated Hindus will seek astrological advice at some point in their lives. One of the key components of astrology are theNava Grahas. Most Hindus think of the Nava Grahas as the nine planets. The word nava does mean nine, but graha does not directly mean planet. Instead, graha, comes from the Sanskrit root grih which means “to seize” or “to take hold of.” Literally, these nine “planets”are nine “seizers,” so if we can be seized or taken hold of, we can be influenced. The Nava Grahas are, therefore, the nine influences over our lives. In the early days of Hinduism, the tradition speaks of the enlightened seers, rishis, who looked out across physical reality and saw that life was “influenced” by different forces, and of all the forces that influenced life, nine were the most influential, and so they were called the nava grahas, “the nine influences.” These nine influences are: the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. This is the Hindu order and it follows the days of the week in most Indian and even many European languages. Sunday, for example, is governed by the sun, hence the name Sunday. Monday is governed by the moon, (add an extra “o” and you get moon-day); Tuesday by Mars (Martes in Spanish); Wednesday by Mercury (Miércoles); Thursday by Jupiter (Jueves, Jovian for Jupiter); Friday by Venus, (Viernes), and Saturday, of course, is governed by Saturn. In addition, to these seven points of influence, there are two others called Rahu and Ketu that are a little more difficult to understand.

Rahu and Ketu

It is a common mistake to think that the nine planets (now eight) that we used to hear about in Western astronomy are the same as the Nava Grahas of Hinduism. There is no Uranus, Neptune or Pluto in ancient Hinduism. (They were added later.) In spite of this, even in Hindu temples, one sees the two Hindu grahas, Rahu and Ketu often misunderstood as Pluto or Neptune. In Hindu mythology, Rahu and Ketu are described as two parts of a great demon who swallow up the sun and moon. These grahas are described as invisible or shadowy planets because they cannot be observed like the other grahas, but in fact, they are mathematical points of calculation. Imagine the path of the sun across the sky as a great wheel in the heavens. This path is called the solar ecliptic. Now imagine a similar path of the moon as it makes its monthly journey across the sky. Where the moon’s path crosses the sun’s path at the top of the circle is called the point of Rahu, and 180 degrees to the south, where these two lines again intersect is called Ketu. In modern astronomy these points are called the north and south lunar nodes. Hindu astrology considers these points to exert influence over life and so they are considered two important points of influence. They are, consequently, part of the Nava Grahas. Neither the sun, the moon, Rahu or Ketu are planets, nor does the word graha mean planet in the same sense that we understand the world planet today, and so this is why it is incorrect to call the Nava Grahas nine “planets.” In Hindu mythology Rahu and Ketu chase the sun and the moon across the heavens, and from time to time, swallow them up and cause a solar or a lunar eclipse. In fact, Rahu and Ketu do play a role in eclipses because it is only when the sun and the moon align at the points of Rahu and Ketu, the north and south lunar nodes, that an eclipse can take place.

The Danger from Solar and Lunar Eclipses

There is a common Hindu belief that it is inauspicious and dangerous to look at an eclipse or even to be outside in the light of an eclipse. Temples close, homes lock their doors and shade their windows, people are told not to eat, and it is thought to be an especially dangerous time for pregnant women. After the eclipse temples and homes are washed and pujas are performed to purify the atmosphere. As noted above, during an eclipse, Rahu or Ketu “swallow” up the sun or the moon, and because their influences are highly negative, their mixture with the sun’s or the moon’s light creates highly toxic rays of light that reach the earth. It is said that these rays contaminate wherever they strike and cause all kinds of havoc, including even miscarriages and deformities in pregnant females. This is the reason that eclipses are considered inauspicious and why people should not eat or travel in the open during an eclipse.

Nava Graha Murtis Installed in Temples

It is common to see the Nava Grahas installed as murtis in Hindu temples and people will perform pujas to thesegrahas in order to propitiate these influences. It is often the case that a Hindu will consult an astrologer and be told that one of the grahas is exerting a negative influence over his life and that he should perform a puja in order to diminish the negative influence. Occasionally, even the reverse is true, someone may be told that a particular graha is exerting a positive influence and so the person may perform a puja to increase the positive influence. There is a popular puja called “Graha Shanti” to make peace with the grahas (shanti means peace) that is often performed before weddings and other important times. You can think of a Nava Graha puja as paying the cosmic “utility bill.” Indeed, the Nava Grahas still play an important role in Hinduism.

From an astrological perspective here is how these nine grahas are understood in Hindu astrology. The sun represents the soul, the heart, the father, authority, heat, power and ambition. The moon is the mind, mother, water, coolness, emotions, memory and common sense. Mars is courage, bravery, sports, competition, maleness, passion, action, war, cuts and burns. Mercury is intelligence, learning, teaching, speech, expression, communication and writing. Jupiter is fortune, expansion, wealth, children, religion, philosophy and wisdom. Venus is marriage, love, romance, luxuries, prosperity, femininity, artistic expression, grace, and beauty. Saturn is slowness, struggle, discipline, dryness, labor, asceticism, accidents, and chronic disease. Rahu is material desire, dullness, ignorance, laziness, sleep and addictions and ancestral karma. Ketu is asceticism, spirituality, psychic ability, ghosts, eccentricity and occultism. For more details see the section entitled, Hindu Astrology.