significance of shalagrama shilas

[Guest guest]

dear friends

 

shivapurana narrates the story behind the holy shalagrama shilas in

the book rudra samhita, fifth chapter as follows:

 

tulasi, daughter of dharmadhvaja marries sankhachooda, son of

dhambha. in his previous birth he was sudama, a comrade of krishna.

due to the curse of radha, sudama becomes a daanava and is born as

sankhachooda. while sankhachooda was busy fighting with shiva, it was

mentioned by brahma that as long as sankhachooda wears the divine

armour and as long as his wife maintains the marital fidelity,

sankhachooda has no death or oldage. then lord vishnu approaches

sankhachooda in the disguise of an old brahmin and seek this armour

as alms. sankhachooda, truthful of his word to the brahmin gives

away the protective armour to vishnu in disguise. after snatching

this armour by deception, vishnu approaches tulasi in the guise of

sankhachooda and have sex with tulasi, after which act tulasi

realises that she was enjoyed deceptively by vishnu and gives a curse

to vishnu that since he outraged her modesty ruthlessly like a rock

without any offence of her, he would become a rock. then shiva grants

a boon to tulasi that her body would become sacred river gandaki and

the holy basil plant by her name would be the most holiest of all

plants. as the presiding diety of this plant, tulasi will assume a

divine form and is forever in the company of lord vishnu. vishnu will

assume the form of a rock on the banks of gandaki river and crores of

terrible sharptoothed germs shall penetrate and erode the rock and

carve rings on it and these pieces shall be known as shalagrama rocks

and meritorious of worship. differentiated by the rings, they shall

be known as lakshminarayana etc. lord shiva also states that these

shalagrama shilas signify vishnu's contact with tulasi and further

states that if anyone plucks the leaves of tulasi lying on the

shalagrama, he will be separated from his wife in the next birth. if

anyone plucks tulasi leaves without using conch, he will become a

widower and a chronic patient for seven births. he who keeps

shalagrama, tulasi and sankha in one place, will be a favourite of

vishnu. after narrating this story sanatkumara says that vishnu has

become a rock and germs make different kinds of holes therein and the

pieces that fall into the water are highly meritorious as

shalagramas. those that remain on the dry land are known as pingalas

and are harmful.

 

the above story in succinct is taken from the shivapuarana, four

volumes published by motilalbanarsidas. this particular story

appears in second volume pages 973 to 978.

 

the same story on similar lines is elucidated in the sanskrit

versions as well as the hindi versions of shivapurana published by

others.

 

here i wish to draw special attention to verse number 62 of 41

section under fifth chapter yuddha khanda of dwitiya rudra samhita

which says that those shalagrama shilas that are obtained from

(within) the gandaki river are auspicious and give merits while those

shilas that are obtained from the ground are called " pingalas " and

give troubles.

 

may i request richardji and dasaji to kindly throw more light on this

verse which raises the following queries:

 

1. is there any way to identify which shalagrama is obtained from

within the gandaki river and which shalagrama (pingala) is obtained

from the shore, bank or from the land.

 

2. is the shaligrama that is obtained from the ground called pingala

really harmful and hence not worth worshipping as written in

shivapurana.

 

with best wishes and blessings

pandit arjun

www.rudraksharemedy.com

[Guest guest]

Dear Panditji,

 

The " water worn " Shalagram is easy to see from the surface, which - though

mostly smooth - also has small pits up close. I think if a Shalagram is

water-worn then it can be assumed to come from the water.

 

As to auspicious or inauspicious Shalagrams, I find it hard to believe that

Bhagavan can be inauspicious. The Same is true with Rudraksha, the eye of Shiva.

Like in the Sanskrit dictionary " Shiva " (also) means " auspicious " - therefore I

wonder how any genuine Rudraksha or Shalagram can be inauspicious.

 

But as an object can be a touch, a taste, a sight, a sound, or a smell,

therefore the safest path is the sacred-object, shabdh-brahma, the name of Hari,

as sound object. Hari nam is " purna shuddha nitya mukta " so no one will go wrong

by touching the Hari-nam to their tounges and ears. There is all gain and no

loss with Hari nam.

 

Y/s,

Richard

 

sacred-objects , " panditarjun2004 " <panditarjun2004

wrote:

>

> dear friends

>

> shivapurana narrates the story behind the holy shalagrama shilas in

> the book rudra samhita, fifth chapter as follows:

>

> tulasi, daughter of dharmadhvaja marries sankhachooda, son of

> dhambha. in his previous birth he was sudama, a comrade of krishna.

> due to the curse of radha, sudama becomes a daanava and is born as

> sankhachooda. while sankhachooda was busy fighting with shiva, it was

> mentioned by brahma that as long as sankhachooda wears the divine

> armour and as long as his wife maintains the marital fidelity,

> sankhachooda has no death or oldage. then lord vishnu approaches

> sankhachooda in the disguise of an old brahmin and seek this armour

> as alms. sankhachooda, truthful of his word to the brahmin gives

> away the protective armour to vishnu in disguise. after snatching

> this armour by deception, vishnu approaches tulasi in the guise of

> sankhachooda and have sex with tulasi, after which act tulasi

> realises that she was enjoyed deceptively by vishnu and gives a curse

> to vishnu that since he outraged her modesty ruthlessly like a rock

> without any offence of her, he would become a rock. then shiva grants

> a boon to tulasi that her body would become sacred river gandaki and

> the holy basil plant by her name would be the most holiest of all

> plants. as the presiding diety of this plant, tulasi will assume a

> divine form and is forever in the company of lord vishnu. vishnu will

> assume the form of a rock on the banks of gandaki river and crores of

> terrible sharptoothed germs shall penetrate and erode the rock and

> carve rings on it and these pieces shall be known as shalagrama rocks

> and meritorious of worship. differentiated by the rings, they shall

> be known as lakshminarayana etc. lord shiva also states that these

> shalagrama shilas signify vishnu's contact with tulasi and further

> states that if anyone plucks the leaves of tulasi lying on the

> shalagrama, he will be separated from his wife in the next birth. if

> anyone plucks tulasi leaves without using conch, he will become a

> widower and a chronic patient for seven births. he who keeps

> shalagrama, tulasi and sankha in one place, will be a favourite of

> vishnu. after narrating this story sanatkumara says that vishnu has

> become a rock and germs make different kinds of holes therein and the

> pieces that fall into the water are highly meritorious as

> shalagramas. those that remain on the dry land are known as pingalas

> and are harmful.

>

> the above story in succinct is taken from the shivapuarana, four

> volumes published by motilalbanarsidas. this particular story

> appears in second volume pages 973 to 978.

>

> the same story on similar lines is elucidated in the sanskrit

> versions as well as the hindi versions of shivapurana published by

> others.

>

> here i wish to draw special attention to verse number 62 of 41

> section under fifth chapter yuddha khanda of dwitiya rudra samhita

> which says that those shalagrama shilas that are obtained from

> (within) the gandaki river are auspicious and give merits while those

> shilas that are obtained from the ground are called " pingalas " and

> give troubles.

>

> may i request richardji and dasaji to kindly throw more light on this

> verse which raises the following queries:

>

> 1. is there any way to identify which shalagrama is obtained from

> within the gandaki river and which shalagrama (pingala) is obtained

> from the shore, bank or from the land.

>

> 2. is the shaligrama that is obtained from the ground called pingala

> really harmful and hence not worth worshipping as written in

> shivapurana.

>

> with best wishes and blessings

> pandit arjun

> www.rudraksharemedy.com

>

[Guest guest]

dear richardji

 

thanks for your information. since i came across this verse that

bifurcates the shalagramas, i asked this query for the benefit of

members who get these doubts after reading this verse.

 

logically thinking all the shalagramas that fall on the ground will

also be submerged in the river when the water level increases in

rainy season or in times of floods, and in those years when there are

no rains, even the shalagramas that are under the water within the

river would come to the shore and lie on the ground.

 

with best wishes and blessings

pandit arjun

www.rudraksharemedy.com

 

sacred-objects , " Richard Shaw-Brown "

<rsbj66 wrote:

>

> Dear Panditji,

>

> The " water worn " Shalagram is easy to see from the surface, which -

though mostly smooth - also has small pits up close. I think if a

Shalagram is water-worn then it can be assumed to come from the water.

>

> As to auspicious or inauspicious Shalagrams, I find it hard to

believe that Bhagavan can be inauspicious. The Same is true with

Rudraksha, the eye of Shiva. Like in the Sanskrit dictionary " Shiva "

(also) means " auspicious " - therefore I wonder how any genuine

Rudraksha or Shalagram can be inauspicious.

>

> But as an object can be a touch, a taste, a sight, a sound, or a

smell, therefore the safest path is the sacred-object, shabdh-brahma,

the name of Hari, as sound object. Hari nam is " purna shuddha nitya

mukta " so no one will go wrong by touching the Hari-nam to their

tounges and ears. There is all gain and no loss with Hari nam.

>

> Y/s,

> Richard

>

> sacred-objects , " panditarjun2004 "

<panditarjun2004@>

> wrote:

> >

> > dear friends

> >

> > shivapurana narrates the story behind the holy shalagrama shilas

in

> > the book rudra samhita, fifth chapter as follows:

> >

> > tulasi, daughter of dharmadhvaja marries sankhachooda, son of

> > dhambha. in his previous birth he was sudama, a comrade of

krishna.

> > due to the curse of radha, sudama becomes a daanava and is born as

> > sankhachooda. while sankhachooda was busy fighting with shiva, it

was

> > mentioned by brahma that as long as sankhachooda wears the divine

> > armour and as long as his wife maintains the marital fidelity,

> > sankhachooda has no death or oldage. then lord vishnu approaches

> > sankhachooda in the disguise of an old brahmin and seek this

armour

> > as alms. sankhachooda, truthful of his word to the brahmin gives

> > away the protective armour to vishnu in disguise. after snatching

> > this armour by deception, vishnu approaches tulasi in the guise of

> > sankhachooda and have sex with tulasi, after which act tulasi

> > realises that she was enjoyed deceptively by vishnu and gives a

curse

> > to vishnu that since he outraged her modesty ruthlessly like a

rock

> > without any offence of her, he would become a rock. then shiva

grants

> > a boon to tulasi that her body would become sacred river gandaki

and

> > the holy basil plant by her name would be the most holiest of all

> > plants. as the presiding diety of this plant, tulasi will assume a

> > divine form and is forever in the company of lord vishnu. vishnu

will

> > assume the form of a rock on the banks of gandaki river and

crores of

> > terrible sharptoothed germs shall penetrate and erode the rock and

> > carve rings on it and these pieces shall be known as shalagrama

rocks

> > and meritorious of worship. differentiated by the rings, they

shall

> > be known as lakshminarayana etc. lord shiva also states that these

> > shalagrama shilas signify vishnu's contact with tulasi and further

> > states that if anyone plucks the leaves of tulasi lying on the

> > shalagrama, he will be separated from his wife in the next birth.

if

> > anyone plucks tulasi leaves without using conch, he will become a

> > widower and a chronic patient for seven births. he who keeps

> > shalagrama, tulasi and sankha in one place, will be a favourite of

> > vishnu. after narrating this story sanatkumara says that vishnu

has

> > become a rock and germs make different kinds of holes therein and

the

> > pieces that fall into the water are highly meritorious as

> > shalagramas. those that remain on the dry land are known as

pingalas

> > and are harmful.

> >

> > the above story in succinct is taken from the shivapuarana, four

> > volumes published by motilalbanarsidas. this particular story

> > appears in second volume pages 973 to 978.

> >

> > the same story on similar lines is elucidated in the sanskrit

> > versions as well as the hindi versions of shivapurana published by

> > others.

> >

> > here i wish to draw special attention to verse number 62 of 41

> > section under fifth chapter yuddha khanda of dwitiya rudra samhita

> > which says that those shalagrama shilas that are obtained from

> > (within) the gandaki river are auspicious and give merits while

those

> > shilas that are obtained from the ground are called " pingalas " and

> > give troubles.

> >

> > may i request richardji and dasaji to kindly throw more light on

this

> > verse which raises the following queries:

> >

> > 1. is there any way to identify which shalagrama is obtained from

> > within the gandaki river and which shalagrama (pingala) is

obtained

> > from the shore, bank or from the land.

> >

> > 2. is the shaligrama that is obtained from the ground called

pingala

> > really harmful and hence not worth worshipping as written in

> > shivapurana.

> >

> > with best wishes and blessings

> > pandit arjun

> > www.rudraksharemedy.com

> >

>