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Re: ARTICLE : Biased Reuters news reporting again ! .. is it any surprise ?
"Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar@braincells.com> wrote:
>I'm looking at this post, but I fail to see where the bias is. Some of
>these literal translations can be unintentionally comical but
>"manifestation of the God Shiva's sexual organ" is a pretty accurate
>description of a Shivalinga. Linga means penis you know.
The word Linga has different connotations and implications based on the
context in which it is used. The word Linga when used in ritual manuals
of various sects including the tantras and the Kama-Sutra will translate
to penis, but it has a different meaning when applied to the collective
term of "Shiva Linga". The "Shiva Linga" represents the male, or father
aspect, or consciousness of godhead. Just like the "Yoni" represents the
female, or mother aspect of godhead. The Shiva Linga is a "representation" of
the male aspect, or Shiva himself, not Shiva's sexual organ. When Hindus
worship the Shiva Linga, they worship Shiva himself, not his sexual organ.
What better way to distinguish the male aspect than by the simple form of
the male sexual organ. You can represent the male aspect in many other
ways, for example, the full figure of a male form. But again, when worshipping,
you worship what the form "represents", not the form itself.
> "Holy Amarnath
>cave" is holy because it contains a murti of Shiva Bhagawans' penis. Does
>that bother you? Why?
No, it is holy because it contains a murti of Shiva himself, not his penis.
Peace.
Ananda.
