‫ָואמי‬

‫טַ ִאילַ נְ ג ְסו ִ‬

‫ترايالنغا‬
‫سوامي‬
 ‫تريلينگا‬

http://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AA_%D8%AD%D8%B2%D
8%A8%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7_%D8%AF%D8%B1_%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D
8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86
‫سوامی‬
Trailanga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailanga

Trailanga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trailanga Swami (also Tailang Swami, Telang Swami)

(Telugu: dzƔȃంగ Ȏాŵǽ) (reportedly[nb 1] 1607[2] – 1887[2][3]) Swami Ganapati Saraswati
was a Hindu yogi famed for his spiritual powers who lived in Born Shivarama
Varanasi, India.[2] He is regarded as a legendary figure in 1607
Bengal, with many stories told about his yogic powers and Vizianagaram
longevity. According to some accounts, Trailanga Swami Died December 26, 1887 (aged 280)
lived to be 280 years old,[2][4] residing at Varanasi between Varanasi
1737-1887.[3] He is regarded by devotees as an incarnation of
Titles/honours known as "The walking Shiva of
Shiva. Ramakrishna referred to him as the "The walking
Varanasi"
Shiva of Varanasi".[5]
Guru Bhagirathananda Saraswati
Philosophy Dashanami
Contents
1 Life
2 Death
3 Legends and stories
4 Teachings
5 Notes
6 References
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Life
A member of the Dashanami order, he became known as Trailanga Swami after he settled in Varanasi. His
biographers and his disciples differ on his birth date and the period of his longevity. According to one disciple
biographer, he was born in 1529, while according to another biographer it was 1607.[6] His pre-monastic name
was Shivarama and was born in Logisa at Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. His parents were Narashingha Rao
and Vidyavati Devi, who were devotees of the god Shiva. After the death of his parents, at the age of 40, he was
said to have renounced the world and lived the life of a recluse in a cottage near a cremation ground. After
practicing sadhana (spiritual practice) for 20 years, he met his preceptor swami, Bhagirathananda Saraswati, in
1679 from Punjab. Bhagirathananda initiated Shivaram into sannyasa (monastic vows) and named him Swami
Ganapati Saraswati in 1685. Ganapati reportedly led a life of severe austerities and went on a pilgrimage,
reaching Prayag in 1733, before finally settling in Varanasi in 1737.[6]

In Varanasi, till his death in 1887, he lived at different places including Asi Ghat, the Vedavyas Asharama at
Hanuman Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat. He was often found roaming the streets or the ghats, naked and

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"carefree as a child".[7] He was reportedly seen swimming or floating on

the river Ganges for hours. He talked very little and at times not at all. A
large number of people became attracted to him upon hearing of his
yogic powers to ameliorate their sufferings.[7] During his stay in
Varanasi, several prominent contemporary Bengalis known as saints met
and described him, including Ramakrishna,[8] Vivekananda,[9]
Mahendranath Gupta,[10] Lahiri Mahasaya,[4] and Swami
Abhedananda.,[11] Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati, Vishuddhananda
Saraswati, and Mahatma Vijaykrishna Goswami.[12] Varanasi in 1922, where the Swami
spent considerable part of his life
After seeing Swami Trailanga , Ramakrishna said, "I saw that the
universal Lord Himself was using his body as a vehicle for
manifestation. He was in an exalted state of knowledge. There was no body-consciousness in him. Sand there
became so hot in the sun that no one could set foot on it. But he lay comfortably on it."[2][13] Ramakrishna also
stated that Trailanga Swami was a real paramahansa[10] (lit:"Supreme swan", used as an honorific for a
spiritual teacher) and that "all Benares was illuminated by his stay there."[2]

The Swami had taken the vow of ayachaka (non seeking) — remaining satisfied with whatever he received.[7]
In the later stage of his life, as his fame spread, pilgrims visited him in multitudes. During his last days, he took
up ajagaravritti (living like a python) in which he sat still without any movement, and devotees poured water
(abhisheka) on him from early morning till noon, looking upon him as a living incarnation of Shiva.[7]

Death
He died on Monday evening, December 26, 1887. His body was given salilasamadhi in the Ganges, according
to the funeral customs of the monks of the Dashanami sect, in the presence of a multitude of mourning devotees
standing on the ghats.[7]

Legends and stories

There are many stories told about Swami Telang and his spiritual powers, such that he has become a near
mythical figure in India. Robert Arnett writes that his miracles are "well documented" and "he displayed
miraculous powers that cannot be dismissed as myth" and that there were living witnesses to his "amazing
feats".[14] He was reputed to have lived to be around 300 years, and was a larger-than-life figure, reportedly
weighing over 300 pounds (140 kg), though he seldom ate.[14] One account said that he could "read people’s
minds like books."[2]

On many occasions, he was seen to drink deadly poisons with no ill effect. In one instance, a skeptic wanted to
expose him as a fraud. The monk was accustomed to breaking his long fasts with buckets of clabbered milk, so
the skeptic brought him a bucket of calcium-lime mixture used for whitewashing walls instead. The monk drank
the entire bucket with no ill effect — instead, the skeptic fell to the ground writhing in pain. The monk broke
his usual silence to explain the law of karma, of cause and effect.[4][14]

According to another story, he often walked around without any clothes, much like the naga (or "sky-clad")
sadhus. The Varanasi police were scandalized by his behaviour, and had him locked in a jail cell. He was soon
seen on the prison roof, in all his "sky-clad" glory. The police put him back into his locked cell, only to see him
appear again on the jail roof. They soon gave up, and let him again walk the streets of Varanasi.[2][4]

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Thousands of people reportedly saw him levitating in a sitting position on the surface of the river Ganges for
days at a time. He would also apparently disappear under the waves for long periods, and reappear unharmed.
[4][14] Swami Sivananda attributed some of his miracles to the siddhi or yogic power Bhutajaya — conquest

over the five elements, "Fire will not burn such a Yogi. Water will not drown him."[15]

With respect to his reportedly yogic powers, miracles abound in his biographies and exceptionally long life,
Swami Medhasananda writes that according to the "science of yoga", attainment of these is not "impossible".[16]

Teachings
His teachings are still extant and available in a biography by Umacharan Mukhopadhyay, one of his disciples.
He described bondage as "attachment to the world" and liberation as "renunciation of the world and absorption
in God."[17] He further said that after attaining the state of desirelessness, "this world is transformed into
heaven" and one can be liberated from samsara (the Hindu belief that life is a cycle of birth and death) through
"spiritual knowledge". He remarks that attachment to the "evanescent" world is "our chronic disease" and the
medicine is "detachment".[17]

He described man's senses as his enemy and his controlled senses as his friend. His description of a poor person
as one who is "very greedy" and regarded one who always remains content as rich.[17] He said that the greatest
place of pilgrimage is "Our own pure mind" and instructs to follow the "Vedantic truth from the Guru." He
described a sadhu as one who is free from attachment and delusion.[17]One who has transcended the egoself.

Notes
1. ^ The Guinness Book of Records states that the longest confirmed lifespan in human history is 122 years 164 days
(44,724 days in total)[1]

References
1. ^ The Guinness Book of Records, 1999 edition, 7. ^ a b c d e Medhasananda 2003, p. 219
p.102, ISBN 0-85112-070-9. 8. ^ Gupta, chapter 7 (http://www.belurmath.org/gospel
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Varishthananda 2007 /chapter07.htm).
3. ^ ab McDermott, Rachel Fell (2001). Mother of My 9. ^ Noble, Margaret E. (August 2005). The Master as I
Heart, Daughter of My Dreams Saw Him (http://books.google.com
(http://books.google.com/?id=2PrChFaXgf0C& /?id=zuuITres1hsC&pg=PA240). Kessinger
pg=PA145). Oxford University Press. p. 145. Publishing. pp. 214–216. ISBN 978-1-4179-7407-8.
ISBN 978-0-19-513435-3. 10. ^ a b Gupta, Mahendranath (1942). The Gospel of Sri
4. ^ a b c d e Yogananda, Paramhansa (1948). "Chapter Ramakrishna (http://www.belurmath.org/gospel
31". Autobiography of a Yogi /introduction.htm). Ramakrishna Mission.
(http://en.wikisource.org pp. Introduction.
/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi/Chapter_31). 11. ^ Page, Mary Le (1947). An Apostle of Monism.
Philosophical Library. Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. p. 52.
5. ^ Rao 2004, p. xii 12. ^ Medhasananda 2003, p. 220
6. ^ a b Medhasananda 2003, p. 218

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Trailanga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailanga

13. ^ Isherwood, Christopher (1980). Ramakrishna and 15. ^ Swami, Sivananda. "Chapter 39 The Powers Of A
His Disciples (http://books.google.com Yogi". MIND--ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL
/?id=6qVMrumO-g0C&pg=PA133). Vedanta Press. (http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/download
ISBN 978-0-87481-037-0. /mind.htm#_VPID_42). DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY.
14. ^ abcd Arnett 2006, p. 23 16. ^ Medhesananda 2003, p. 219
17. ^ a b c d Medhasananda 2003, p. 221

References
Arnett, Robert (2006). "Introduction". India Unveiled (http://books.google.com/?id=Tmn91va2e4UC&
pg=PT23). Atman Press. ISBN 978-0-9652900-4-3.
Medhasananda (2003). Varanasi At the Crossroads. Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. p. 1042.
ISBN 81-87332-18-2.
Rao, V.V.B. Rama (2004). The walking Shiva of Varanasi: life, legends & teachings of Trailingaswami.
Richa Prakashan. p. 177. ISBN 81-901200-8-5.
Varishthananda, Swami (November 2007). "Varanasi: The City of Saints, Sages, and Savants"
(http://www.advaitaashrama.org/pb_archive/2007/PB_2007_November.pdf). Prabuddha Bharata 112
(11): 632–633.

Further reading
Tattwananda The Saints of India (http://books.google.co.in/books?id=qUgqAAAAYAAJ)

External links
"A Boatman's story" (http://books.google.co.in/books?id=fekDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176&lpg=PA176&
dq=Telang+swami) in Yoga Journal.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trailanga&oldid=637139687"

Categories: Yogis 1887 deaths Indian Hindu monks Longevity traditions People from Andhra Pradesh
People from Varanasi

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4 of 4 1/9/2015 12:12 AM
 Trilinga Kshetras

Bhimeswaram

Srisailam

Kaleswaram

Locations of Trilinga Kshetras

The etymology of Telugu is thought to have been derived

from trilinga, as in Trilinga Desa, “the country of the three
lingas”. According to a Hindu legend, Shiva descended
as linga on three mountains namely, Kaleswaram in
Telangana, Srisailam in Rayalaseema and Bhimeswaram
in Coastal Andhra, which marked the boundaries of the
Telugu country. Roughly todays Telangana state. It also
thought to be believed that the word Telangana derived
from Telingana,Telinga,Trilinga. [1]
In Andhra Kaumudi, a Telugu grammar book it was men-
tioned that Āndhra Viṣhṇu having built an immense wall,
connecting Sri Sailam, Bhimeswaram, and Kaleswaram,
with the Mahendra hills, formed in it three gates, in which
the three eyed Ishwara, bearing the trident in his hand
and attended by a host of divinities resided in the form of
three lingams. Āndhra Viṣhṇu assisted by divine angels
having fought with the great giant Nishambhu for thirteen
Bhimeswaram yugas killed him in battle and took up his residence with
the sages on the banks of the river Godavari, since which
Srisailam time, the Telugu country has been named Trilingam.[2]

Kaleswaram

Locations of Trilinga Kshetras

1 References
[1] Grierson, G.A. (1967). Linguistic Survey of India. Delhi,
India: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 576. Retrieved 12 June
2014.

[2] A Grammar of Teloogoo Language - A D Campbell , in-

troduction.

1
2 2 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

2 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

2.1 Text
• Trilinga Kshetras Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilinga%20Kshetras?oldid=632218340 Contributors: Deville, Bsskchaitanya,
The Anomebot2, Bleaney, Juru sreenivas, Richard-of-Earth, Omnipaedista, Varmapak, Mar4d, MKar and Anonymous: 3

2.2 Images
• File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License: Cc-by-
sa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
• File:India_location_map.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/India_location_map.svg License: CC BY-
SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Uwe Dedering at German Wikipedia
• File:India_statue_of_nataraja.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/India_statue_of_nataraja.jpg Li-
cense: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemania/86746598/in/set-72057594048518296/ Original artist:
Rosemania
• File:Location_map_India_Telangana.png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Location_map_India_
Telangana.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors:
• Location map India Andhra Pradesh.png
Andhra_Pradesh_locator_map.svg and Andhra Pradesh in India (disputed hatched).svg
Original artist: Andhra_Pradesh_locator_map.svg: Planemad, Andhra Pradesh in India (disputed hatched).svg:TUBS
• File:Om.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Om.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original
artist: ?
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artist: ?

2.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
 Lingam

“Linga” and “Shivling” redirect here. For the mountain, plest sign of emergence and mergence.[10][11]
see Shivling (Garhwal Himalaya). For other uses, see
Linga (disambiguation).
The lingam (also linga, ling, Shiva linga, Shiv 1 Definition and meaning

Linga-base at the Cát Tiên sanctuary, Lâm Đồng Province,

Vietnam

Traditional flower offering to a lingam in Varanasi

ling, Sanskrit: लङ्गं ,liṅgaṃ, meaning “mark”, “sign”, or

“inference”[1][2] ) is a representation of the Hindu deity
Shiva used for worship in temples.[3] In traditional Indian
society, the linga is rather seen as a symbol of the energy Sivalingam at the Sri Meenakshi temple in Madurai
and potential of God, Shiva himself. [4][4][5][6][7]
The Sanskrit term लिङ्गं liṅgaṃ, transliterated as linga,
The lingam is often represented alongside the yoni, has diverse meanings and uses, ranging from mark, sign
a symbol of the goddess or of Shakti, female cre- or characteristic to gender. Vaman Shivram Apte’s
ative energy.[8] The union of lingam and yoni repre- Sanskrit[12] dictionary provides the many definitions:
sents the “indivisible two-in-oneness of male and female,
the passive space and active time from which all life 1. A mark, sign, token, an emblem, a badge, symbol,
originates”.[9] distinguishing mark, characteristic
Linga represents Cosmic Egg ('Brahmanda' in Sanskrit) 2. A false or unreal mark, a guise, disguise, a deceptive
who has no beginning nor end. It is believed that this badge
changing world('Jagat' in Sanskrit) merges or dissolves
into the Formless in the end. So, the Linga is the sim- 3. A symptom, mark of disease

1
2 2 HISTORY

4. A means of proof, a proof, evidence

5. (In logic) The hetu or middle term in a syllogism

6. The sign of gender or sex

7. The male organ of generation

8. The genital organ of Siva (phallus)

9. Gender (in gram.)

10. The image of a god, an idol

11. One of the relations or indications...which serve to

fix the meaning of a word in any particular passage

12. (In Vedānta philosophy) The subtle frame or body,

the indestructible original of the gross or visible
body

13. A spot, stain

14. The nominal base, the crude form of a noun

15. (In Sāṅ. phil.) Pradhāna or Prakṛiti

16. The effect or product (that which is evolved out of a

primary cause and itself becomes a producer). Lingobhava Shiva: God Shiva appears as in an infinite Linga
fire-pillar, as Vishnu as Varaha tries to find the bottom of the
17. Inference, conclusion Linga while Brahma tries to find its top. This infinite pillar con-
veys the infinite nature of Shiva.[14]

The Hindu scripture Shiva Purana describes in its first

section, the Vidyeshwar Samhita, the origin of the
lingam, known as Shiva-linga, as the beginning-less and
endless cosmic pillar (Stambha) of fire, the cause of all
2.1 Origin
causes.[13] Lord Shiva is pictured as emerging from the
Lingam – the cosmic pillar of fire – proving his superi- Anthropologist Christopher John Fuller conveys
ority over gods Brahma and Vishnu.[14] This is known as that although most sculpted images (murtis) are
Lingodbhava. The Linga Purana also supports this inter- anthropomorphic, the aniconic Shiva Linga is an impor-
pretation of lingam as a cosmic pillar, symbolizing the tant exception.[21] Some believe that linga-worship was a
infinite nature of Shiva.[14][15][16][17] According to Linga feature of indigenous Indian religion.[22]
Purana, the lingam is a complete symbolic representation
of the formless Universe Bearer - the oval shaped stone There is a hymn in the Atharvaveda which praises a pil-
is resembling mark of the Universe and bottom base as lar (Sanskrit: stambha), and this is one possible origin
the Supreme Power holding the entire Universe in it.[18] of linga-worship.[22] Some associate Shiva-Linga with
Similar interpretation is also found in the Skanda Purana: this Yupa-Stambha, the sacrificial post. In that hymn
“The endless sky (that great void which contains the en- a description is found of the beginningless and end-
tire universe) is the Linga, the Earth is its base. At the less Stambha or Skambha and it is shown that the said
end of time the entire universe and all the Gods finally Skambha is put in place of the eternal Brahman. As af-
merge in the Linga itself.” [19] In yogic lore, the linga is terwards the Yajna (sacrificial) fire, its smoke, ashes and
considered the first form to arise when creation occurs, flames, the soma plant and the ox that used to carry on its
and also the last form before the dissolution of creation. back the wood for the Vedic sacrifice gave place to the
It is therefore seen as an access to Shiva or that which lies conceptions of the brightness of Shiva’s body, his tawny
beyond physical creation.[20] matted-hair, his blue throat and the riding on the bull of
the Shiva. The Yupa-Skambha gave place in time to the
Shiva-Linga.[16][17] In the Linga Purana the same hymn
is expanded in the shape of stories, meant to establish
2 History the glory of the great Stambha and the supreme nature of
Mahâdeva (the Great God, Shiva).[17]
2.3 Modern period 3

2.2 Historical period

A Shiva lingam worshipped at Jambukesvara temple in

Thiruvanaikaval (Thiruaanaikaa)

According to Shaiva Siddhanta, which was for many cen-

turies the dominant school of Shaiva theology and liturgy A 10th-century four-headed stone lingam (Mukhalinga) from
across the Indian subcontinent (and beyond it in Cam- Nepal
bodia), the linga is the ideal substrate in which the wor-
shipper should install and worship the five-faced and ten-
armed Sadāśiva, the form of Shiva who is the focal divin-
ity of that school of Shaivism.[23]
The oldest example of a lingam which is still used for
worship is in Gudimallam. According to Klaus Kloster-
maier, it is clearly a phallic object, and dates to the 2nd
century BC.[24] A figure of Shiva is carved into the front
of the lingam.[25]
The lingam also figures importantly into various forms of
Buddhism. Perhaps most notable is the use of penis im-
ages in the teaching of Drukpa Kunley, a Buddhist monk.

1008 Lingas carved on a rock surface at the shore of the

2.3 Modern period Tungabhadra River, Hampi, India

British missionary William Ward criticized the worship

of the lingam (along with virtually all other Indian reli- of Hinduism and in the political and economic domina-
gious rituals) in his influential 1815 book A View of the tion of the subcontinent.”[26] In 1825, however, Horace
History, Literature, and Mythology of the Hindoos, calling Hayman Wilson's work on the lingayat sect of South In-
it “the last state of degradation to which human nature dia attempted to refute popular British notions that the
can be driven”, and stating that its symbolism was “too lingam graphically represented a human organ and that it
gross, even when refined as much as possible, to meet aroused erotic emotions in its devotees.[26]
the public eye.” According to Brian Pennington, Ward’s Monier-Williams wrote in Brahmanism and Hinduism
book “became a centerpiece in the British construction that the symbol of linga is “never in the mind of a Saiva
4 5 REFERENCES

(or Siva-worshipper) connected with indecent ideas, nor

with sexual love.”[27] According to Jeaneane Fowler, the
linga is “a phallic symbol which represents the potent en-
ergy which is manifest in the cosmos.”[3] Some scholars,
such as David James Smith, believe that throughout its
history the lingam has represented the phallus; others,
such as N. Ramachandra Bhatt, believe the phallic in-
terpretation to be a later addition.[28] M. K. V. Narayan
distinguishes the Siva-linga from anthropomorphic rep-
resentations of Siva, and notes its absence from Vedic
literature, and its interpretation as a phallus in Tantric
sources.[29]
Ramakrishna practiced Jivanta-linga-puja, or “worship
of the living lingam”.[30][31] At the Paris Congress of
the History of Religions in 1900, Ramakrishna’s follower Lingam in the cave at Amarnath
Swami Vivekananda argued that the Shiva-Linga had its
origin in the idea of the Yupa-Stambha or Skambha—the to Gomukh as a part of a traditional Hindu pilgrimage.
sacrificial post, idealized in Vedic ritual as the symbol of
the Eternal Brahman.[16][17][32] This was in response to a A lingam is also the base for the legend of formation (and
paper read by Gustav Oppert, a German Orientalist, who name) of the Borra Caves in Andhra Pradesh.
traced the origin of the Shalagrama-Shila and the Shiva-
Linga to phallicism.[33] According to Vivekananda, the
explanation of the Shalagrama-Shila as a phallic emblem 4 See also
was an imaginary invention. Vivekananda argued that the
explanation of the Shiva-Linga as a phallic emblem was
brought forward by the most thoughtless, and was forth- • Axis mundi
coming in India in her most degraded times, those of the
• Banalinga
downfall of Buddhism.[17]
According to Swami Sivananda, the view that the Shiva • Danda
lingam represents the phallus is a mistake;[18] The same
sentiments have also been expressed by H. H. Wilson • Dhyanalinga
in 1840.[34] The novelist Christopher Isherwood also ad-
dresses the interpretation of the linga as a sex symbol.[35] • Hindu iconography
The Britannica encyclopedia entry on lingam also notes
• Lingayatism
that the lingam is not considered to be a phallic symbol;[5]
According to Hélène Brunner,[36] the lines traced on the • Mukhalinga
front side of the linga, which are prescribed in medieval
manuals about temple foundation and are a feature even • Pancharamas
of modern sculptures, appear to be intended to suggest a
stylised glans, and some features of the installation pro- • Pindi (Hindu iconography)
cess seem intended to echo sexual congress. Scholars like
S. N. Balagangadhara have disputed the sexual meaning • Shaligram
of lingam.[37]
• Phallus

3 Naturally occurring lingams 5 References

An ice lingam at Amarnath in the western Himalayas [1] Spoken Sanskrit Dictionary
forms every winter from ice dripping on the floor of a
cave and freezing like a stalagmite. It is very popular with [2] A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary
pilgrims.
[3] Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices, by Jeanne Fowler, pgs.
Shivling (6543m) is also a mountain in Uttarakhand (the 42–43,
Garhwal region of Himalayas). It arises as a sheer pyra-
mid above the snout of the Gangotri Glacier. The moun- [4] Mudaliyar, Sabaratna. “Lecture on the Shiva Linga”.
tain resembles a Shiva linga when viewed from certain an- Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram. Retrieved 27
gles, especially when travelling or trekking from Gangotri March 2012.
 5

[5] “lingam”. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Since the late [23] Dominic Goodall, Nibedita Rout, R. Sathyanarayanan,
19th century some scholars have interpreted the lingam S.A.S. Sarma, T. Ganesan and S. Sambandhasivacarya,
and the yoni to be representations of the male and female The Pañcāvaraṇastava of Aghoraśivācārya: A twelfth-
sexual organs. To practicing Hindus, however, the two to- century South Indian prescription for the visualisation of
gether are a reminder that the male and female principles Sadāśiva and his retinue, Pondicherry, French Institute of
are inseparable and that they represent the totality of all Pondicherry and Ecole française d'Extréme-Orient, 2005,
existence. p.12.

[6] Isherwood, Christopher (1983). Ramakrishna and [24] Klaus Klostermaier, A Survey of Hinduism 2007 SUNY
His Disciples. Early days at Dakshineswar: Vedanta Press p111
Press,U.S. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-87481-037-0.
[25] Hinduism and the Religious Arts p. 47 by Heather Elgood
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[8] Zimmer, Heinrich Robert (1946). Campbell, Joseph, ed.
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[10] http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/ [31] Jeffrey Kripal, Kali’s Child 159–163

volume_4/translation_prose/the_paris_congress.htm
[32] Nathaniel Schmidt (Dec 1900). “The Paris Congress of
[11] http://www.dhyanalinga.org/originoflinga_qa.htm the History of Religion”. The Biblical World 16 (6): 447–
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[12] Apte, Vaman Shivaram (1957-59). The Practical
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Poona: Prasad Prakashan. p. 1366. Check date values dispensable Vivekananda. Orient Blackswan. pp. 25–
in: |date= (help) 26. During September–October 1900, he [Vivekananda]
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[13] Chaturvedi. Shiv Purana (2006 ed.). Diamond Pocket
oddly, the organizers disallowed discussions on any partic-
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[14] Blurton, T. R. (1992). “Stone statue of Shiva as Lingodb- about largely through the pressure of the Catholic Church,
hava”. Extract from Hindu art (London, The British Mu- which worried over the 'damaging' effects of Oriental re-
seum Press). British Museum site. Retrieved 2 July 2010. ligion on the Christian mind. Ironically, this did not stop
Western scholars from making surreptitious attacks on
[15] “The linga Purana”. astrojyoti. Retrieved 10 April 2012. . traditional Hinduism. Here, Vivekananda strongly con-
It was almost as if the linga had emerged to settle Brahma tested the suggestion made by the German Indologist Gus-
and Vishnu’s dispute. The linga rose way up into the sky tav Oppert that the Shiva Linga and the Salagram Shila,
and it seemed to have no beginning or end. stone icons representing the gods Shiva and Vishnu re-
spectively, were actually crude remnants of phallic wor-
[16] Harding, Elizabeth U. (1998). “God, the Father”. Kali:
ship.
The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. Motilal Banarsi-
dass. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-81-208-1450-9.
[34] Wilson, HH. “Classification of Puranas”. Vishnu Purana.
[17] Vivekananda, Swami. “The Paris Congress of the His- John Murray, London, 2005. pp. xli–xlii.
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Vivekananda. Vol.4. [35] Isherwood, Christopher. “Early days at Dakshineswar”.
Ramakrishna and his disciples. p. 48.
[18] Sivananda, Swami (1996). “Worship of Siva Linga”. Lord
Siva and His Worship. The Divine Life Trust Society. [36] Hélène Brunner, The sexual Aspect of the linga Cult ac-
cording to the Saiddhāntika Scriptures, pp.87–103 in Ger-
[19] http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/skanda.htm hard Oberhammer’s Studies in Hinduism II, Miscellanea to
the Phenomenon of Tantras, Vienna, Verlag der oesterre-
[20] “Linga – A Doorway to No-thing”. July 18, 2013. Re-
ichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1998.
trieved April 11, 2014.

[21] The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and society in In- [37] Balagangadhara, S. N. (2007). Antonio De Nicholas, Kr-
dia, pg. 58 at Books.Google.com ishnan Ramaswamy, Aditi Banerjee, ed. Invading the Sa-
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[22] N. K. Singh, Encyclopaedia of Hinduism p. 1567 1182-1.
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Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120804913.

7 Further reading
• Daniélou, Alain (1991). The Myths and Gods of In-
dia: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism. Inner
Traditions / Bear & Company. pp. 222–231. ISBN
0-89281-354-7
• Versluis, Arthur (2008), The Secret History of West-
ern Sexual Mysticism: Sacred Practices and Spiritual
Marriage, Destiny Books, ISBN 978-1-59477-212-
2

8 External links
 7

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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1974rk and Anonymous: 373

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cense: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemania/86746598/in/set-72057594048518296/ Original artist:
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8 9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

9.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
 Swami

For other uses, see Swami (disambiguation).

A swami (Sanskrit: स्वामी svāmī [sʋaːmiː]) sometimes

abbreviated “sw.” is an ascetic or yogi who has been ini-
tiated into the religious monastic order founded by some
religious teacher.[1] It is believed to be originally used for
the ones who were initiated into to the Advaita Vedanta
movement started by Adi Shankara.[2] The usage of this
word is not just for a yogi but also used for a religious
guru, with or without disciples.
The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as

Hindi svāmī master, lord, prince, used by

Hindus as a term of respectful address, < San-
skrit svāmin in same senses, also the idol or
temple of a god.[3]

In the Bengali language, the word (pronounced [ˈʃami]),

while carrying its original meaning, has a dual meaning
of “husband”. The word also means “husband” in the
Malay language, where it is spelled “Suami”.[4] Swami
also means husband in the Khmer language.

1 References
[1] Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Cham-
bers Harrap, 2009. s.v. “Swami,” OL2527037W.

[2] Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of Religion, page 958.

[3] "swami, n.". OED Online. June 2011. Oxford University

Press. (accessed August 31, 2011).

[4] “Istilah Malaysia”. Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu.

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia. Retrieved 31 May
2013.

1
2 2 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

2 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

2.1 Text
• Swami Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami?oldid=616031498 Contributors: DopefishJustin, Dante Alighieri, Gacohen, Ronz, IM-
SoP, Altenmann, Nurg, Jondel, Curps, Home Row Keysplurge, Gyrofrog, LordSimonofShropshire, Salasks, Quota, D6, Discospinster,
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TheRingess, FlaBot, Paul foord, DaGizza, Pigman, Rintrah, Bovineone, Shreshth91, Fwc, Siyavash, SmackBot, Ranjithbajpe, Portillo,
BlackjackMonkey, Konstable, Hgrosser, Chlewbot, Illnab1024, Will Beback, OS2Warp, Cydebot, MC10, Lugnuts, AroundTheGlobe,
Dr.Swami, Nadav1, Kathovo, Shinra07, Ekabhishek, Barek, .anacondabot, Ganeshananda, Smokizzy, J.delanoy, Rohitj.iitk, Bogey97,
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Autumnalmonk, GoingBatty, AvicAWB, Vishwakumarmc, Donner60, EdoBot, ClueBot NG, Helpful Pixie Bot, Swamifan, Oliver Puerto-
gallera, DoctorKubla, Rajuodunghat, Andy.went.wandy, Caught with my pants down, UnusualExplorer and Anonymous: 85

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