About Bana Lingas On River Narmada - Part 1

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A Bana Linga, carrying the marks of Indra when worshipped fulfills all the desires of the devotee and bestows upon him respect and wealth. The Agneya variety of the Bana Linga is warm to touch, and contains the marks of Shakti's weapon. The Yamya Linga has the forms of a cudgel or that of a tongue. The Nairutti Linga appears like a sword and carries stains on its body and bestows the benefits of gyana and yoga; however it should not be worshiped by a Grihasta (householder).

The Varuna Lingas are round in shape and can be distinguished by the marks of a noose (pasa) and it is worshipped to secure wealth and prosperity. Lingas that signify the energy of Vayu are black or ash gray in color and carry a flag post symbol on its head. The Kubera Linga also has the form of a mace (gada) or arrow (tuna) depicted by a hairline like line in the center. The Raudra Lingas are lustrous like a block of ice but bear the marks of a bone or spear. Vishnu's symbols could range from conch shell (samkhabha-mastaka), discus, mace, to the jewel on the chest (sri-vatsa and kaustubha) or foot print.

This brings to light an ancient form of worship initiated by Adi Shankaracharya. In the ancient days all cults, namely those of Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Devi and Surya were independent and fighting for supremacy till Adi Shankaracharya set the rules to unite all of them. The result was the performance of the Panchayatana puja, by the Smartas towards their Ishta Devata, that deity being placed as the central altar. Each deity was represented in that aniconic form. This was the worship of the 5 sacred altars. In this orthodox tradition initiated by Adi Shankaracharya, five stones each representing the respective deities are placed on the sacred altar for the Panchayatana worship.

Sun God Surya is represented by a crystal found in Vallam in Tamil Nadu. Mother Goddess Shakti is represented by the Swarnamukhi stone found in Swarnamukhi River in Andhra Pradesh. Vishnu is represented through Salagramas found only in the Ghantaki River in the Himalayas. Ganesha is represented by the red Shonabhadra stone found in the river bed of the Sone River flowing into the Ganges. Shiva is represented by the Bana Lingas found in the Narmada river bed near the island of Mandhata.

Different sets of rules apply to the Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vanaprastha and the Sanyasa. Here was the ancient belief and promise to a pious and happy existence, and across these waters we can see the new world of dams almost submerging all of this reality into the depths of the raging Narmada. Would all this just come to an end? Would this knowledge be submerged into the depths of time and ignorance?