Pranav Khullar
Tirtha, pilgrimage is an occasion for soul-searching, a time to express and expand, when the temporal and the timeless conjoin. Nowhere is this better embodied than in the annual pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath where the ice lingam waxes to its full height on the full moon day of Shravana in August. Here, Shiva whispered the secret of creation and dissolution of the universe to a half-asleep Parvati, unwittingly overheard by a pair of pigeons. Sighting the immortal pigeons here is considered auspicious. Shiva granted the boon of immortality to the gods, to be ‘amar’, hence the name ‘Amarnath’. Swami Vivekananda’s mystical trance at Amarnath on the Sravana Purnima day of 1898 has been described by Sister Nivedita who was present. Vivekananda is said to have received the “Iccha-Mrityu Vara”, or death as desired, from Shiva.
Amarnath embodies and captures the essence of the Kashmir Shaivite tradition, or the Trika tradition, corresponding to the three states of Shiva, Shakti and Jiva. The Amarnath area stands at the centre of the Kashmir Shaivite cosmology, expounded by Abhinavagupta in the Bodhapanchadasika which locates Shiva at the very heart of “pratibimbavada” monism as opposed to Shankara’s Advaitic monism which denies a personal God. The cave-shrine of Amarnath with its three kinds of lingas, representing Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh, reflects this Shaivite mysticism.
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The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Economic Times: The Speaking Tree: Aug, 13 2018
Pranav Khullar
Tirtha, pilgrimage is an occasion for soul-searching, a time to express and expand, when the temporal and the timeless conjoin. Nowhere is this better embodied than in the annual pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath where the ice lingam waxes to its full height on the full moon day of Shravana in August. Here, Shiva whispered the secret of creation and dissolution of the universe to a half-asleep Parvati, unwittingly overheard by a pair of pigeons. Sighting the immortal pigeons here is considered auspicious. Shiva granted the boon of immortality to the gods, to be ‘amar’, hence the name ‘Amarnath’. Swami Vivekananda’s mystical trance at Amarnath on the Sravana Purnima day of 1898 has been described by Sister Nivedita who was present. Vivekananda is said to have received the “Iccha-Mrityu Vara”, or death as desired, from Shiva.
Amarnath embodies and captures the essence of the Kashmir Shaivite tradition, or the Trika tradition, corresponding to the three states of Shiva, Shakti and Jiva. The Amarnath area stands at the centre of the Kashmir Shaivite cosmology, expounded by Abhinavagupta in the Bodhapanchadasika which locates Shiva at the very heart of “pratibimbavada” monism as opposed to Shankara’s Advaitic monism which denies a personal God. The cave-shrine of Amarnath with its three kinds of lingas, representing Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh, reflects this Shaivite mysticism.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."
Courtesy: Economic Times: The Speaking Tree: Aug, 13 2018