Jaladhari
Every question on the site tagged Jaladhari, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The base outlet (Arghi) of a Shivling from which Abhisheka liquids drain, considered a highly charged point for placing ritual items during worship.
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Three ghee lamps for Shiva, Parvati and Kuber, with the wrapped root and coin set by the jaladhari
Light three ghee lamps (for Shiva, Parvati, and Kubera), place the wrapped root and coin near the Jaladhari during Abhisheka, collect any Bilva leaf that falls onto it, then complete 27+27+27 Malas of the Samputita recitation in a quiet corner before returning the items to the Arghi.
Should the Shivling and the arghi be kept joined together?
The Shivling and the arghi should not be kept joined, he answers. The shastrokta view is there: when you read in the Shiv Mahapuran, in the Vishwa Samhita, in the subject of the mahatmya of the Shivling, you will find the proof that in the Shivling we are to keep at home for the sake of pujan, the one that is to be established in the house, the arghi and the Shivling should be kept separately.
Does keeping a shivling at home paralyse a person?
At present the situation is at least that people are becoming a little aware and so are keeping a shivling and the like at home, he says — otherwise there had also been a subject going around in between that keeping a shivling makes a man paralysed.
Should a jaladhari be left dripping on the Shivling for twenty-four hours?
Some people hang a lota over Bhagwan Shiva for twenty-four hours and give a jaladhari, but sitting there all day is not possible. If you are making such an arrangement at home for the whole month of Savan, then either arrange that the supply of water continues all twenty-four hours; or else keep the arrangement only for as long as you are doing the puja and abhishek and are present.
Is it right to leave an empty lota hanging over the Shivling?
Keeping it too is no difficulty, but do remove it, the speaker says. An empty lota should not be kept like that over the head. Or remove it after midday.
Can a jaladhari be made of silver?
You may absolutely have a jaladhari made of silver, the speaker says, and do the visarjan of the stone one.
Should roli be offered on Shiva ji, and what must not be?
The speaker clarifies once more: roli can absolutely be offered upon Shiva ji, and haridra chandan can absolutely be offered upon Shiva ji. What should not be offered is sindoor. The sindoor that comes — the red, the katha, whatever sindoor it be — should not be offered upon Shiva ji, upon the shivling; offer that to Parvati ji. In his own view it should not be offered on the arghya either. But kumkum, roli and all these you may offer, and haridra chandan you may offer.
In what order are the deities of the temple bathed?
Inside, first bathe Nandi ji — but if the vigraha of Ganapati ji is being given for bathing, then bathe Ganapati ji first, and Nandi ji after, with water. The karma sakshi deepak will already have been lit. After that bathe Bhagavati Parvati ji, Skanda ji and Kumar ji; then bathe the jaladhari of Bhagwan Shiva and perform the abhishek of the shivling.
Where does Tripur Bhairavi stand in the arghi of a shivling?
In the arghi in which we perform the pujan of Bhagavan Shiva, in which the shivling is established, the ten Mahavidyas are present around Shiva ji in the ten directions — and among them Bhagavati Tripur Bhairavi is manifest on the lower side of Bhagavan Shiva. She gives the base from there. The arghi you worship, essentially in the form of Bhagavati Parvati, is present among the ten Mahavidyas in the form of Bhagavati Tripur Bhairavi.
May a pregnant woman recite the Kamakhya Kavach?
She absolutely may — the Kamakhya Kavach can be recited in any condition, and it is not obligatory to go to the worship place to do it. But after the fourth or fifth month a pregnant woman should not go to the place of worship, and above all not where there is a Shivling.
Why must a vessel be carried into the garbhagriha?
Before going for the darshan of Bhagavati, certainly take a vessel, a lota or a bottle, for taking the water from within. That water is the chief thing; that water tattva of Bhagavati Kamakhya is everything. Here Bhagavati is not seated in the form of any shri vigraha — it is that stone shila which you will get to touch in the garbhagriha, and the water that is obtained there, by which our liberation is possible.
After the garbhagriha one goes straight to the Tara pitha; each of the seven outer pithas has its own underground water source like Kamakhya's
You will take darshan inside of the chief pitha of Bhagavati Kamakhya, Ma Matangi and Bhagavati Kamala; then from the entrance gate you go straight for the darshan of the second pitha, which is Bhagavati Tara's. Just as Bhagavati Kamakhya is present in her cave with her red stone shila, from which the water issues and of which you do achaman, in exactly the same way all the seven pithas that are present also have this underground water source there, and water keeps coming out of itself.
The baba forbidding Shiva at home wears a Shiva ring on his own finger
He points out that the baba saying this is himself wearing a ring of Shiva ji on his finger — so what, he asks, does he do on entering his house: cut off his finger and leave it outside, and stick it back with glue when he returns, since a Shivling is entering the house on his ring?
In what order is pujan done before worshipping a Shivling?
The speaker says that generally, before the pujan of Bhagavan Shiva, offer arghya in the name of Kirtimukh and offer akshat and the rest; after that the pujan of Nandishwar, then the pujan of the Bhagavan's astra the trishul, then on the Bhagavan's arghi the pujan of Ganpati, Kartikeya, Bhagavati Ashok Sundari and Bhagavati Parvati; then the pujan of all the devatas at the outflow path of the arghi; then the pujan of Vasuki Nag; and thereafter the pujan of the Shivling.
In which direction should one face while offering water to Narmadeshwar?
Offer it from any direction, brother, they are all excellent, the speaker says. If you go into the niyam, then one should not offer water or do puja from the north side, the side toward which the arghya runs. The southern direction is the most excellent of all — that is, in the direction exactly opposite to the arghya. But at home this is not possible for everyone, at least because offering the arghya to the north means the whole arrangement of keeping Narmadeshwar ji will be toward the north, and then your house walls are on the south side, so how will you do their abhishek from there. In a temple, however, since it stays open on all four sides, if you do the abhishek there facing the southern direction, from the southern direction, then it is the most excellent of all.
What is the earthing analogy for the Shivling?
However far science has advanced, the speaker says, whatever machine you use that runs by electricity needs a ground, an earthing; without earthing it cannot run — it needs that negative power, and negative power is not quickly obtained in dryness. Engineers in that field know that the environment at the earthing point is kept wet so that no obstruction quickly arises in the flow of current. In exactly the same way the Shivling of Bhagavan Sadashiva is symbolically taken as positive and Bhagavati as negative.
What is the effect of the water that goes into the earth during shivabhishek?
It has been taken as a measure, the speaker says, that whatever water goes into the earth through shivabhishek, to that measure the inner portion of the earth remains fluid, by which the power of that pind — of the Shivling, in a manner of speaking — remains considerably increased.
The bhasma from the arghi is worn on the throat, the forehead and the navel.
The bhasma that you apply upon the arghi, the speaker says, wear that on your throat, on your forehead and on the navel and such places. Along with this, get your kundali analysed once as well, so that it can be known actually where you have to strike.
Should a parad shivling be kept, and by whom?
The second matter is the parad shivling. That anyone in the present time is making and giving a hundred-percent parad shivling by accomplishing paras rasa is, he says, itself an astonishing subject. If it is an original parad shivling then it is fine. He says he cannot interfere much in this and does not wish to break your shraddha, but his statement is that at least those who are sadhaks, initiated sadhaks of that level who have a guru's adesh, should perform the sadhana of a parad shivling.
What is said about rasa-siddha parad?
He says rasa-siddha parad is a consumer of gold. Parad shivlings, or what relates to paras — genuine parad — consume gold itself: just as there is a silver leaf, so a gold leaf is applied, and they consume it. Understand from this, he says, what the subject is; and it is not proper for everyone to do this.
Which shivling should a householder keep?
According to him — or rather, he corrects, according to the learned — a householder who holds the desire for dhan, dhanya and sukh should keep either Narmadeshwar ji or a shivling made of ratnas, whether of sphatik, of panna, or whatever is within your capacity. Sphatik shivlings anyone can keep comfortably; Narmadeshwar ji anyone can keep comfortably, and they should keep them.
Abhishek of the shivling with honey, in a small quantity, is the simple Shravan remedy
Since Shravan is running, he gives one ordinary subject again: perform abhishek of Bhagavan Shiva's shivling, and especially do his abhishek with honey. Let it be with only a little honey, not so much that a whole bottle is needed, 250 grams daily — let the abhishek be of just one spoon, but let it happen.
108 unbroken rice grains coloured with chandan or kesar, and five bilva patra, follow the abhishek
He says: after performing the abhishek again with water and so on, take 108 unbroken rice grains and colour those grains well with the chandan or kesar that is available. If the archan will be with bilva patra then it is very good; but if bilva patra is not available in that quantity, at least offer five bilva patra to Shiva ji.
Which images cannot be treated in that abbreviated way?
After that, he says, do their shringar and then sit for pujan. But even in that, for Shiva ji this will not do. For Shiva ji, or any stone shila you have kept — Shaligram ji, Shiva ji, Narmadeshwar or any other shivling, and besides these a Sonbhadra shila, a Swarnamukhi shila, whatever you keep — for all of them you should then have snan and shringar performed in sequence.
If nothing else, the shivling's abhishek must be done daily without fail
If you do not have it done for all of them, he says, there is no difficulty; but at least do it for the shivling without fail. The matter of Shaligram ji is according to you, how you perform his seva; but the abhishek of the shivling should be daily. The sprinkling of water and applying tilak, if done daily, should all be done together, and then sit on the asana and carry out your further programme.
May the Devi Suktam and Ratri Suktam japa be done with a gau-shringi?
Asked whether the japa of the Devi Suktam and Ratri Suktam can be done with a gau-shringi, and whether it can be done on the arghya of the Shivling, he says it can be done with silver and the like, but do it with a shankha. And do it not on the Shivling's arghya but on Bhagavati. Let the Shivling proceed according to the Shivling.
What if one cannot sit beside the Shivling for the path in Shravan?
He says that in Shravan, if it does not work out to sit beside the Shivling for the path, then you can sit beside Nandi ji, do the path and offer it to Nandi ji. Do the path to Nandi ji; for the samarpan, go to the Shivling. If you cannot go, then, offering it there, speak into Nandi ji's ear — closing one ear and speaking into the other — that my japa, please convey it to Prabhu ji. He will convey it, the speaker says.
What Shiva puja follows from that connection for a Shukra remedy?
So if you perform their seva-puja, he says, then do Shiva ji's abhishek too, and applying sugar boora upon him, doing a good full lepan, then perform the abhishek with water. Very soon benefit will begin for you. And if you do puja at home and there is a sphatik shivling, then that is most excellent.
What is the alternative if there is no shivling?
Asked whether there is any alternative if there is no shivling, he says: absolutely there is an alternative — go to the market and bring one bought. For two or three hundred a fine Narmadeshwar ji shivling will be found; even a small one, it will be found.
What does he say about a Narmadeshwar that grows at home?
A listener writes of a Narmadeshwar at home that is growing. He tells Shashikant that this is an out-of-syllabus question, brother — we are not so knowledgeable. He asks to be shown such a divine shivling too: if these are growing, that is, if they are living Narmadeshwar ji, then this is a wonderful subject.
Which shivling should a householder keep, and does moving it incur a dosha?
If a shivling in the house is right for a householder, the speaker says, then keep a shivling made of ratnas, or keep a Narmadeshwar shivling. Even if you keep one made of ratna, the arghi should be separate and the form of Shiv ji, the form of the shivling, should be separate. Secondly, no dosha attaches from the shivling being moved or shifted.
Does a Narmadeshwar Shivling need Pran Pratishtha?
No. Pratishtha in the ordinary sense — we installed him in our home and gave him a place, and now he is the master of the house — should certainly be done. But there is no need to perform the Pran Pratishtha of Narmadeshwar ji.
Facing which direction should a shivling in a temple be worshipped?
Asked in which direction one should face while worshipping a shivling in a temple, he says his face is in every direction. The questioner presses that he means specifically facing the southern direction. In a temple, and that too in a temple of Bhagavan Shiva, he answers, there is simply no need to make any distinction of direction.
May a jade black Narmadeshwar shivling be kept in a silver arghi at home?
Asked whether a jade black Narmadeshwar shivling may be kept in a silver arghi and worshipped at home, he answers that one absolutely can.
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