Thank you sir for reading the QA and giving added information about
NandiGopalarishnan
On Monday, 8 January, 2024 at 09:51:06 am IST, Rajaram Krishnamurthy
<[email protected]> wrote:
\ What Is the Significanceof Nandi?
LEGEND:
Nandi (Sanskrit: नन्दि), is the bull vahana of the Hindu god Shiva, meaning
happiness, joy, andsatisfaction. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the
abode of Shiva.Almost all Shiva temples display stone images of a seated
humped, white Nandi,reclining on a raised platform generally facing the main
shrine continuouslystaring at the god. Nandi is one of Shiva’s chiefattendants,
occasionally depicted in sculpture as a bull-headed figure.
Nandi is also discerned in an entire human form as Nandikeshwara orNandideva,
such sculptured forms are found at the entrance door of manyShaivite temples in
South India, and are frequently confused with images of thedeity because they
are alike in such iconographic features as the third eye,crescent moon in the
matted locks, and four arms, two of which hold thebattle-axe and an antelope.
However, a distinguishing feature is that Nandi’shands are pressed together in
adoration.
Nandi got the divine knowledge of Agamic and Tantric wisdom taught byShiva,
from the goddess Parvati. He is considered thechief guru of eight disciples of
Nandinatha Sampradaya, namely Sanaka,Sanatana, Sanandana, Sanatkumara,
Tirumular, Vyagrapada, Patanjali, andSivayoga Muni. These eight disciples were
sent in eight different directions ofthe world by Nandi, to spread this
knowledge.
SIGNIFICANCE :
In the temple, we always see Nandi sitting and glaring attentively infront of
the Shiva Linga.
· The Truth is that just as Lingam is the symbolof the Almighty Supreme
Shiva, Nandi (Bull) is the symbol of Jeeva (IndividualSoul).
· Nandi sitting before Shiva Linga signifiesthat a human being should
turn away from Prakruthi and direct all his attentiontoward God only, that the
jiva should always be focused on the Parameshwara.
· The bull is a symbol of stability sitting onfour legs, representing
· Sathya (Truth),
· Dharma (Righteousness),
· Shanti (peace) and
· Prema (Love).
It is only through these four that Mukti or Enlightenment can beattained and
the soul could finally merge into the Supreme Soul. This is thepurpose and the
goal of human birth.
· Nandi signifies and conveys the meaning thatthe purpose of life is to
realize the oneness of all creation and one'sidentity with the Divinity.
· Suggests seeing God in everything and lovingevery creation of God.
· The goal of life is God-realisation.
· To achieve divine Consciousness is the aim oflife.
· Nandi also symbolizes that no one should standbetween Shiva Linga and
Nandi.
The purpose of a human being is to realize God and there should be
nodistraction in this process.
· In life's journey, human beings generally getdistracted. One should
have perfect control of Gyan-Indriyas and Karm-Indriyas.
· The white color of Nandi bull symbolizespurity and justice.
>From the yogic perspective, Nandi is the mind dedicated to Shiva, theabsolute.
>In other words, to understand and absorb the light, experience, andwisdom is
>Nandi, which is the guru within.
Nandi, which means “giving delight” or “giving joy,” is the sacred bullof the
Hindu god Shiva, one of the most important Hindu gods. When the world becomes
evil,Shiva destroys it to make way for beneficial change. Nandi is Shiva’s
animalform, his means of transportation, and his most ardent worshiper.
Sacredanimals served as vahanas, or mounts for Hindu deities to travel on.
Shiva andNandi's association with Hindu scriptures and art can be traced to
very earlyIndian culture, where dairy farming was the most important
occupation, thusexplaining the importance and sacredness of the cow and bull.
· Vahanas symbolize or complement the energy orcharacter of their deity.
· Nandi is also believed to promote fertility;
· A youthful Nandi is shown licking his muzzlein an engaging gesture of
rapt devotion to Shiva. Hindu gods are usuallydepicted as being sixteen years
old (sixteen being four times four, a numbersignifying perfection). Nandi is
always shown as a young bull, his horns notfully developed.
Nandi is a Brahman bull, the male zebu, or Indian ox. Brahman bulls havea hump
on their back, horns, and a dewlap (a fold of loose skin hanging fromthe neck).
Nandi is the sacred bull calf, gatekeeper, and vehicle (vahana) of theHindu god
Shiva. Sculptures of Nandi are a common sight at Hindu templesdedicated to his
master, and he is partly responsible for the Hindu reverencefor living bulls
even today. Is It Good To Keep Nandi Statue At Home?
How To Please Or Gratify Nandi?
Nandi the bull is a deity conferred with many powers. He is theprotector of
Dharma and the chief of the team of Ganas, or attendants of thegods. In
Hinduism, Nandi is considered as the chief of 18 Siddhas andtherefore, the
granter of boons.
· Nandi statue is placed facing Shivalingam onthe west side. A devotee
should worships the Shivalingam standing by the sideof the Nandi statue and
facing the Shivalingam.
· So, A simple Nandi Puja should be performed by
· bathing Him with Gangajal (Ganges Water),
· rinsing with perfume, wiping dry,
· and applying sandalwood paste,
· Offer incense and lamp.
· As Nandi is loyal to Lord Shiva, once youchant ‘Om Namah Shivaya’,
Nandi is bound to bless you too.
UNIQUENESS:
Meditation :
· He is in meditative form – simply sitting andwaiting aptly.
· Nandi is a symbol of eternal waiting.
· He is not expecting Shiva to come out tomorrowor some other day.
· He will wait forever.
· That quality is the essence of receptiveness.And that is why Nandi is
Shiva’s closest accomplice.
· Before you go into a temple, you must have thequality of Nandi – to
simply sit.
· So, just by sitting here, he is telling you,“When you go in, don’t do
your fanciful and bizarre acts. Don’t ask for this orthat. Just go and sit like
me.”
· His waiting is a meditation – just sitting.That’s his message for you.
Simply go inside and sit. Alert, not sleepy.
· Meditation means you are willing to justlisten to the existence, to
the ultimate nature of creation. You have nothingto say, you simply listen.
That is the quality of Nandi – He is not sleepy orsitting passively. He is
sitting very actively, full of alertness and life, butwith no expectation or
anticipation. That is meditation. Just waiting, not foranything in particular.
· If you just wait without doing your own thing,your simple existence
will do it. Once you are simply there, you become awareof the larger dimension
of existence, which is always in action. You becomeaware that you are a part of
it. But becoming aware that “I am a part of it” ismeditativeness. Nandi is the
symbolism of that. He reminds everyone, “You mustsit like me.”
· Waiting is considered the greatest virtue inIndian culture.
· As a symbol of Shiva, the Nandi representspower, energy, vitality,
joy, and delight, as well as a controlled potentialfor destructiveness.
· When carved as a free-standing figure, theNandi is always shown in a
resting position that emphasizes the calmer aspectof its power.
· The statue of Nandi is seen first. Nandisymbolizes the Aasan, which
is, to be firmly seated in one place and posture.
· Nandi gazes up at the murti of LordShiva. Similarly, the devotee
should be perfectly still in an Aasan.
· Nandi also symbolizes Dharma (Religion),underlining the fact that the
goal of religion should be Shiva, i.e; salvation.
FINALE:
Whatever devotees bring their problems to Lord Shiva, Nandi stops themthere. By
no means allows disrupting the penance of Lord Shiva. The devotees,therefore,
speak in the ears of Nandi and when Shiva comes out of penance,Nandi conveys
all the things which he had heard from the devotees to Shiva.
Nandi is described as the son of the sage Shilada. He underwent severepenance
to have a boon– a child with immortality and blessings of Lord Shivaand
received Nandi as his son. Legends say that Nandi was born from a
Yajnaperformed by the Shilada. Nandi grew as an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva
and heperformed severe penance to become his gate-keeper, as well as his mount,
onthe banks of river Narmada, near Tripur Tirth Kshetra in
present-dayNandikeshwar Temple, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. {How people could
think andresearch}
KR IRS 8124
On Mon, 8 Jan 2024 at 09:28, 'venkat giri' via iyer123
<[email protected]> wrote:
Respected Sir/s,
SUBJECT:CULTURALQA 12-2023-6A
Q1: Why is Nandi outside the Shiva temple?
A1: Nandiनन्दि alsoknown as Nandikeshvara or Nandideva or Basava ಬಸವ, is the
bullvahana (mount) of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of
KALASH,the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone-images of a
seatedNandi, generally facing the main shrine. Nandi is one of Shiva'schief
attendants and occasionally is depicted in sculpture as a bull-headeddwarf
figure. Nandi is also known in a wholly anthropomorphic (having human
characteristics. ...மானுடவியல்) form,called variously Nandikeshvara or
ADHIKARANANDI.
Most Shaivitetemples have the figure of a humped white bull reclining
on a raised platformand facing the entrance door of the shrine so that he may
perpetually gaze onthe GOD. Usually a distinguishing feature is that Nandi’s
hands arepressed together in adoration.
Nandi, which means “Giving Delight” or“Giving Joy,” is the sacred bull of the
Hindu god Shiva, one of the mostimportant Hindu gods. When the world becomes
evil, Shiva destroys it tomake way for beneficial change. Nandi is
Shiva'sanimal form, his means of transportation, and his most ardent worshiper.
TheTruth is that just as Lingam is the symbol of the Almighty Supreme, Shiva
Nandi(Bull) is the symbol of JEEVA(Individual Soul). Nandi sitting before SHIVA
LINGA signifies that a human beingshould turn away from Prakruthiप्रकृति and
direct all his attention towards GOD ONLY.
The BULL is a symbol ofstability sitting on four legs, which represent
Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness),Shanti (peace), and Prema (Love). It is
onlythrough human birth that the (Love), Supreme Experience which we call it
asMUKTI or Enlightenment can be attained and the individual soul can
finallymerge into the Supreme Soul. Thisis the purpose and the goal of human
birth.
Nandisitting and always looking at God signifies and
conveys the meaning that thepurpose of life is to realize the oneness of all
creation and one's identitywith the Divinity. See God in everything and love
every creation of God. Thegoal of life is God-realization. To become divine is
the aim of life. Thepurpose of human birth is to achieve Divine Consciousness.
Nandisymbolically reminds everyone, “You must sit like me.” The Nandi at
the Dhyanalinga in the Isha Ashram is made ofsmall pieces of metal, each one
not more than six to nine inches in size, puttogether to form the surface.
Inside, it is filled withsesame seeds, turmeric, vibhuti the sacred ash,
certain types of oils, somesand, and certain other types of soil. The whole
concoction has been preparedin a certain way. This makes the Nandi radiate a
certain field of energy.
ConfidentialPrayers: Itis believed that Nandi is a symbol of loyalty and
devotion. Devotees maywhisper their prayers or wishes into Nandi's ears,
treating it like a trustedfriend to whom they can express their innermost
thoughts. This practice allowsindividuals to convey personal and confidential
prayer.
The respectshown the bull in modern India is partly because of his
association with Shiva.In Hindu cities such as VARANASI inUttar Pradesh state,
certain bulls are given the freedom to roam the streets. They are considered to
belong to the god, and they arebranded on the flank with the trident insignia
of Shiva.
THESTORY:
A great white bull is seenseated waiting in most Shiva temples,
facing lord Shiva or the Lingam. His nameis Nandi. The name meanshappy, joy and
satisfaction. He is the closest bhakti, devotee, of Lord Shiva.
This is his story.
There was a rishi by name of Shilada. Hewanted to groom a child, but no
ordinary child. Hedid tapas (meditation), for many years that a termite hill
grew around him andhe was almost reduced to his bones. Lord Shiva was pleased
andhe gave him a boon for the eternal child. He also restored his body to
hisoriginal form.
Next day,Shilada was ploughing his field, where he found a baby. The
baby was glowingbright. He was not sure what to do with the baby, when he heard
a heavenlyvoice “This is your child, raise him well”. The baby was aboy.
Shilada named him Nandi. Nandi was bright and devoted to Lord Shiva. Helearned
the Vedas, shashtra and ashtra(அஸ்திரம் )in rishiShilada’s hermitage. He was
very bright andlearnt fast.
Few years later, two sages by name ofMITRA and VARUNA visited the
hermitage. Nandi was put to take care of them.They were very satisfied and
blessed them while leaving. The sages blessedrishi Shilada of dirghayu
धीर्गायु:, of longlife. They blessed Nandi of yashashvii यशस्वी, of
beingcelebrated. Shilada being a father was worried that the sage did not bless
hisson of long life. He questioned the sages, and Mitra told him that his son
didnot have a long life, thus he could not bless him so.
Seeing aworried father, Nandi said “If I am destined to die, Lord
Shiva canchange it. He is the most powerful. He will never let down his
devotee. I willdo tapa and reverse my fate. Bless me in my pursuit”.He went
into the river Bhuvana to do his penance.
Nandi’s tapa was so strong, that Shiva appeared almostinstantaneously before
him. Shiva offered him a boon, and Nandi asked for “I wish to be with you
always”.
Shiva blessed Nandiand said, “I am looking for a bull for my vaahana, to
travel. You will get theface of a bull, stay with me at my abode Kailash, be my
companion, my mount andmy friend. You will be a leader of my GANA”.
Shiva’s son Ganesh was the lord of theGANA, and thus his name GANAPATI.
Nandi wastheir leader and commander, and called GANANAYAK.
Duringsagar manthan, the great ocean was churned to take out
AMRIT,the eternal elixir sought by both devas and asuras. The first thing that
cameout was Halahal,the cloud of poison that threatened the survival of all
living including godsand celestial beings. Everyone ran hither and thither, and
ultimately reachedKailash. To protectthe world, Lord Shiva collected the poison
in his open palm and swallowed it.GoddessParvati, his wife and consort,
panicked and clutched Shiva's throat so that thepoison do not enter the body.
Thus, the poison wasstored in his throat, giving Shiva names of Neelkanth, one
with a blue throat,and Vishkantha,the one with poison throat. In this melee,
some of the Halahal dropped from hispalm. Nandi was nearby, and seeing his
master drinkit, quickly gathered it and drank it before it fell on earth. The
august gathering was shocked that what would happen,but nothing happened to
Nandi. Shiva calmed everyone and told the gatheringthat “Nandi is my greatest
devotee, surrendered to me completely and hasmy power and protection”.
After the sagar manthan, Shiva haddifficulty concentrating in d
Dhyanam,his meditation. His throat was always burning by the Halahal that was
stuckthere. He ordered Nandi to sit in front of him andblow air on to his
throat. The air blown relieved him of the burning sensation.From thereon, lord
Shiva meditated with the help of Nandi. Till today, you willfind Nandi seated
in front of Shiva in all temples, waiting patiently for hismaster’s next
command. Also, it is said thatone should never stand in front of Nandi, that is
one should never come inbetween Shiva and Nandi, as it disturbs Shiva’s
meditation. And if one needs to take a look at Shiva, look at himthrough the
space between his ears.
Once Siva andParvathi were playing a game of dice. Nandi was the
umpire. Although Siva lostthe game, Nandi declared him the winner. Parvathi was
outraged over Nandi'spartiality for Siva and cursed him that he should die from
an incurabledisease. Thereupon Nandi fell at the feet of Parvathi and pleaded
forforgiveness, as he could not see his master loose and it would have
beenhumiliating to declare his master has lost. It was in gratitude to one’s
masterthat he uttered a lie.Parvathi forgave Nandi and told “Offer my son
Ganesh on his birthday, Chaturdashi day in the month of Bhadrapada, something
that pleasesyou most". Nandi thus worshiped Ganesh by offering green DHURVA
Grass, as this was Nandi’s most relishingfood. He was thus redeemed. Ganesh is
thus worshiped on this day to get rid ofone’s sin and obstacles.
Once a delegation of people went toKailash to seek the advice
of Shiva on how to lead an ideal life. Shiva wasbusy at that time and sent
Nandi to the delegation to tell “Din main ek barkhao, teen bar nahao” (Eatonce
and bathe thrice daily). Nandi joyfully proceeded towards them and afraid that
he might forget,repeated the instruction to himself. When he stood in front of
the delegationhe said “Shiva has asked me to inform you that din main ek bar
nahao, teen barkhao (Bathe once and eat thrice daily)”. The delegation returned
happilysatisfied and dutifully followed it. Soon there was a shortage of
food.Eventually another delegation went to Shiva to seek a solution to the
newproblem. Shiva understood that Nandi created the problem. He cursed Nandi
“Youhave created the problem. You will help these people to grow the food
theyneed”. And from that time, cattles have been paying the eternal price,
beingdomesticated for agriculture and pulling the plough.
Nandigot the divine knowledge of Agamic and Tantric wisdom taught by Lord Shiva
fromgoddess Parvathi. He is considered the chief guru of Nandinath Sampradaya.
Hehad eight disciples - Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana,Sanatkumara, Tirumular,
Vyagrapada, Patanjali and Sivayoga Muni who weredirected to eight directions of
the world by Nandi to spread the wisdom ofShaiva tradition. All Shaivites, the
worshiper of Shiva, adore a flag with theimage of Nandi. The white colour of
the bull represents purity and justice.
Nandi is described with many traits. As agatekeeper at Kailash, the abode
of Shiva, he is described as adorned with allornaments, glowing like a thousand
suns, holding a trident in his hand,three-eyed, adorned with a sliver of the
moon, a thunderbolt in his hand,four-armed, like a second Shiva himself. As a
chief Gana, he carries the goldenstaff of office. As a musician, he provided
the cosmic music when Shiva did theTandav Nritya, dance of creation. As a
guardian of all four-footed life form,he looks majestic, muscular and powerful
with a bell, clapper and necklace offlower.
Intemple architecture, a seated Nandi is found in the mandapa, outer hall,
ofalmost all Shiva temples, representing an individual devotee looking directly
athis Parmeshwar, lord, in the Garbhagriha, sanctum sanctorum. It is a custom
for the faithfulto whisper in the ears of Nandi the purpose of the visit, and
requesting him toinform the master to hear the prayer at the opportune time.
Nandiis a bull and not some oxen or a cow. Bulls are wild and are not
domesticated.They roam free. They are useful only to make cows pregnant to bear
calf andgive milk. Farmers would castrate the male calf to make them oxen and
use themas draft animals to pull the plough or cart. Even today, a village will
only have one or two bulls,which roams the streets and temples. Bull cannot be
used for any otherwork. The bull Nandi is representative of life energy,
virility, springing oflife.
BULL TEMPLE:
The BULL TEMPLE,also known as NANDI TEMPLE is one of the oldesttemples in
the city of Bengaluru. The temple is popularly called as 'DoddaBasavana Gudi'
ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬಸವನ ಗುಡಿ bythe locals and is the biggest temple dedicated toNandi in the
world. Nandi, the bull,is the mount or 'vahana' of Lord Shiva and the guardian
deity of Lord Shiva'sabode, Kailashagiri; according to Hindu traditions. This
temple is every Shivadevotee's must-visit destination because Nandi holds great
importance to LordShiva.
The architectural style of the BullTemple is mainly Dravidian and was
constructed by Kempe Gowda. It is believedthat the origin of the river
VRISHABHAVATI is at the feetof Nandi. The entiresculpture of the bull is carved
out of one single granite rock. The statueis 4.5 meters high and 6.5 meters
long. Coconut oil, butter and 'Benne' ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ BUTTER are regularlyapplied to
this statue. This had led to the originally grey statue to turnblack.
On the premises of the BULL TEMPLE, thereis also a beautiful temple of
Ganesh, the beloved son of Lord Shiva. Aninteresting fact about this temple is
that the statue of Lord Ganesh is made entirely of butter! It takes about 110
kilos of butter to make this artisticstatue, and a new statue is made every
four years. What is really astonishing and noteworthy is that in thefour-year
tenure of each butter sculpture, the butter doesn't melt or changeshape even
once. The butter that makes the statue of the deity is thendistributed to the
devotees as prasad.
Each year in the Hindu month of Karthikalast MONDAY,the temple hosts at
BAAVANGUDI in Bengaluru;thefamous 'Kadalekai Parishe' ಕಡಲೆಕಾಯಿ ಪರಿಷೆ
(GroundnutFair) which is attended by hundreds of devotees.
---------
Regards
V.Sridharan
Trichy
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