Dear Friends, dear Mohan ji,

About Hindu Temples (Part 2 and Final)

That a most ancient Shiva lingam worshiped in a temple can be a sublime representation of the world axis is something that should not amaze us - quite simply, because it seems this plain, yet profound elucidation of its real meaning never occurred to anyone, and it is still more likely that the no less ancient notion of a world axis later became so alien to all people, whether scholars or not, that there was no way for them to know about it after a few centuries had elapsed.

However, the more you think of it, the more this identification of both makes sense because in this way, all opposite views as to what a Shiva lingam represents are dispelled. In effect, now an interpretation of it as the source of the universe and the procreator of its myriads of creatures is made possible, and its role as a universal conveyor of prana, both as the most potent life giver and the most powerful diffuser of spirit to the most recondite recesses of the cosmos, becomes factual.

Another consideration is why the Shiva lingan should duplicate the role of the tower in a Hindu temple, since the two of them are symbols of the world axis. But they clearly belong to different epochs, the towers being far more modern structures. While on their part, the Shiva lingam, like the dolmens, those monolithic monuments scattered all over Europe that were yet another representation of the world axis, or like the Greek omphalos (navel), “the world’s point of beginning,” or, finally, like the biblical Bethel stone worshiped by Jacob the morning after his dreaming of the ladder to Heaven, with the angels coming up and down it, belongs to the prehistory.

I have reviewed two more temples which, like the main one assessed in page 11 - Sri Brihadeeshwar temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu - wonderfully exemplify all this.

The first one, the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar temple in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, shown below, is a noted Hindu temple, one of the largest in India, dedicated to Lord Shiva and the home of Annamalaiyar or Arunachaleswarar (Lord Shiva worshipped as a Shiva lingam) and Unnamalaiyaal (Apitakuchambaal - Parvati).

Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple, Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu

With regard to this great temple I will only mention that every full moon night, tens of thousands of pilgrims worship Lord Shiva by circumambulating the nearby Arunachala hill barefoot. This circumambulation covers a distance of about 15 km and most clearly symbolizes the cosmos (represented by the pilgrims) revolving around the world axis (as represented by the hill).

The other temple is the most famous Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu (see below), the earliest and most important structural temple in Southern India. Its pyramidal structure is 60 ft high and sits on a 50 ft square platform.

There is a small temple in front which was the original porch. It is made out of finely cut local granite. The shore temple is also one of the most popular temples. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here under the sand. (Wikipedia)

Like the majority of the other temples, this one temple has a garbhagriha in which the deity, Shiva linga, is enshrined.

Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

We should always remember that in terms of the sacred science, the central axis around which the cosmos revolves expresses the interlinkage among all cosmic levels.

Moreover, sacred places constitute world centers (omphalos) with the altar as the axis, also formed by the columns of smoke, prayer, and sacred songs ascending to heaven. Every temple and, by extension, every sacred city or royal residence is a Sacred Mountain, thus becoming a cosmic centre (Wikipedia). But on these sacred spots “where the four cardinal directions meet” not only can communication from lower dimensions ascend to higher ones, but also the blessings from higher dimensions may descend to lower ones and be spread to all mankind.

And here comes the most wonderful part: these blessings include the avatara or divine incarnations who are supposed to descend to this Earth on the world axis at the turn of an age.

On the other hand, while the cosmic center can by extension be wonderfully represented by the general layout of a Hindu temple as a material counterpart to the tower (of a more elevated nature if you like), if there additionally is a Shiva lingam in the temple, then the center will usually be represented by the yoni or special sacred place where it is contained.

Of course, this sacred central place can also be represented by the city where the Shiva lingam is located and worshiped, or ultimately by the Earth at large if the Linga is a natural one.

In this way, the two of them, axis and center together, become the locale of supreme peace which can also be found within us, in our spine cord, and in the chakra or “worlds” which pulsate along it.

Yin and yang, spirit and matter, male and female, Heaven and Earth as our father and mother, they all become complementary at that place of supreme reality where all oppositions dissolve.

This is the teaching that together with other cosmic-related knowledge, such as astronomy and sacred dances, was imparted by the priestly castes in the temples of emerging civilizations. A teaching that in more recent times would be incorporated into the Hindu temples, where it has remained over the centuries to be seen by those who know.

I would like to finish this with a beautiful quote found at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingam ):

“The endless sky (the universe) is Linga, and the Earh is its base.
At the end of time, the universe and all Gods merge in Linga.”

Traditional flower offering to a Lingam in Varanasi (Benares),
India (photo Wikipedia)

Quote:

Miguel, all of this reading is so fascinating and so intricate in details. Reading back through some of the responses here makes me feel so in awe of how much study has gone into the preparation of this forum. It is way out of the realm of what I actually know about other religions. Which, I will add is very little! So I look forward to learning.

This last response that you have posted tonight "About Hindu Temples" is one I am printing will read shortly. As usual, you have done an outstanding job in presentation.

Love and best wishes,

Sara

"The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something... To see clearly is poetry, prophesy, and religion, all in one."

The Sacred Science - Part 1

“God is a circle whose center is everywhere, and whose circumference is nowhere.”
--- Hermes Trimegistus

The Sacred Science - Part 2

Consider, for example, the same circle with a dot in its center of the previous post. Using now a more abstract terminology, the dot in the center will represent the Principle, and the circle will represent the World.

It is true that the dot in the center of a circle has been regarded from old as an image of the Sun, which it is in fact, since in a physical sense the Sun is the Center, or "the Heart", of the World; and this is the reason why this figure is even today the astrological sign of the Sun. But against the archaeologists' view which only sees this meaning in it, it actually has a far more vast and profound connotation, as from the viewpoint of all of the ancient traditions, the Sun is but another symbol of the true world center- that is, the Divine Principle.

With this, it becomes clear what the relation between the center and the circumference, or whatever they may represent, is one of subordination from the latter to the former, since the circumference cannot possibly exist without its center, while the center is absolutely independent from the circumference.

Sometimes the dot can be surrounded by several concentric circles, in which case they will represent the various states or degrees of manifestation hierarchically arranged according to their greater or lesser distance from the center. Such is the case with, for example, the schematic representation of Jambudvipa of the ancient Hindu tradition, which can be said to represent from ancient India to the Earth to the Solar system to our galaxy, all in one. See below for an image and description of it.

Now if the circumference in a circle is represented as traveled in a given direction, it will become the image of a cycle of manifestation such as the ones found in the Hindu tradition and other traditions from both the Old and the New World. A short study in the doctrine of cosmic cycles can be found in another thread of this forum here.

Also, if the circumference is connected to the center by radios in the manner of the strokes of a wheel, the relation becomes even more explicit. Such is the case with the quartered circle below - the simplest of them all - or, for that matter, with any circle with any number of radios.

In this case, the divisions will correspond to the different periods or phases into which the cycle is divided and of course, they will belong, according to their particular lengths, to different scales: for example, the four main parts of a day, the four phases of the Moon, the four seasons of the year and also, according to the conceptions found in the traditions from both India and Central America and also in those from the classical Greek and Roman traditions, the four Ages of Mankind. Again, you may take a look at my thread here for further elaboration.

Thank you,

Luis Miguel Goitizolo

(To be continued)

Hello Luis,

I enjoy reading the material provided here.
I'm interested in exploring this topic, but I understand that it has very many facets and in order to be understood properly, entire course needs to be taken to fully take adventage of this knowledge.

I'm curious if you would be able to prepare course in the subject of sacred geometry starting with its bases and going into more advanced example based presentation, like talking about vortexes and energy concentration.

This would be a good resource for the new site which I'm preparing called
http://www.newageucation.com

Bogdan