Daivata-liṅga
By Swami Harshananda
Daivata-liṅga literally means ‘liṅga of gods’.
Śiva, the third deity of the Trinity, is always worshiped as a liṅga, a cylindrical symbol with a spherical top. The word ‘liṅga’ means that Supreme Power into which the whole universe dissolves at the end of creation.
līyate asmin iti liṅgah.
A liṅga can be cala (movable) or acala (immovable). The liṅgas in Śiva temples are always acala. Such acala-liñgas can be of several varieties 4 or 6 or even 9. Daivata-liṅga (also called ‘daivika-liṅga’) is one of them. It might have been established by the gods of heaven from which it has got the name (daiva = related to gods).
It's shape resembles to that of a flame of light. It suggests our mind and hands folded in supplication. It's surface is rugged and contains marks of ṭaṅka (hammer) and śula (spear). There is no brahmasutra mark.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore