Chinmaya Correspondence Course advises choosing a lord

[shays860]

Finally found what this is and even found a site that sells a statue that looks almost exactly like it. Now I'm just hoping they will sell a tiny affordable version of it.

http://www.jsbluesea.com/products_de...uctId=825.html

[Eastern Mind]

Finally found what this is and even found a site that sells a statue that looks almost exactly like it. Now I'm just hoping they will sell a tiny affordable version of it.

http://www.jsbluesea.com/products_de...uctId=825.html

Vannakkam: If you're not insistent that it be that particular form of Siva, then a Nataraja or Lingam would also do. Generally Natarajas are quite available. Of course in some traditions, certainforms are favoured whilst others are practically unheard of.

Aum Namasivaya

[shays860]

Thank you but this is the only image of Shiva that appeals to me for some reason...

[Eastern Mind]

Thank you but this is the only image of Shiva that appeals to me for some reason...

Vannakkam: True for a lot of people, namely anyone who needs an anthropomorphic God that is in the image of man.

I don't even have a picture of Siva in that form in the house, but I do have Nataraja and a Lingam on my shrine. One represents the first emanated soul, and the other, although it does have a form, represents formlessness. Many people coming from western backgrounds attach to the anthropomorphic form, because it is the most similar to the previous held concept. It's just less of a jump. That's all good. It was only a suggestion.

Aum Namasivaya

[shays860]

I do appreciate your suggestion. I found the process interesting. I searched extensively for shiva idols and couldn't find anything that resonated with me. Then I found this image that captivated me completely and couldn't find a shred of information about it. But by perseverance and maybe the grace of Shiva I finally found out what it was and maybe a way to get my own at a reasonable price.

[shays860]

You said "in some traditions, certain forms are favoured whilst others are practically unheard of." You got me wondering what, if any, traditions emphasize the anthropomorphic form over the others.

Thanks

[Eastern Mind]

You said "in some traditions, certain forms are favoured whilst others are practically unheard of." You got me wondering what, if any, traditions emphasize the anthropomorphic form over the others.

Thanks

Vannakkam: Certainly it's more common in North India. I'm not at all sure about schools in Hinduism, or about the 6 main schools in Saivism. Certainly anyone who uses the Puranas (sometimes called Puranic Hinduism, maybe for lack of a better term) would be more inclined to that particular form of Siva. Maybe some others can shed some light for you.

Aum Namasivaya

[Aanandinii]

Namaskar Shays,

Finally found what this is and even found a site that sells a statue that looks almost exactly like it. Now I'm just hoping they will sell a tiny affordable version of it.

http://www.jsbluesea.com/products_de...uctId=825.html

You're not entirely clear so my apologies but I am wondering if you are looking at this statuette as a smaller representation of the image of the actual statue in your first picture? I ask because of the possible significance to the actual image you are so strongly drawn to.

That particular figurine is not of the image you posted. As I understand it, the original statue was once located in Rishikesh and sat over the Ganges at Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh. The statuette you link to is a representation of a newer statue that was built in its place, after monsoon floods washed the original away - not this last year's floods either but about 3 floods ago. However, I am unsure and it may be that there have always been these two forms of this statue, as there seem to be various copies of the originals in various sizes in other areas of Rishikesh.

However, the actual statue from your picture is, I believe, a smaller version of the original statue that was washed away, standing in the gardens of that same Ashram. Note the side of the head the crescent moon rests on, the shape of knot of the Lord's Jata, and especially the clouds behind the Lord's head in your image, which were not found in the larger free-standing images that were washed away by the floods, or in the figurine you link to. Also note the yoga posture is different for both statues. Depending on how strongly one identifies with the symbolism of the image, this can be significant as the postures mean different things.

The image you've been so strongly drawn to is one that many find very powerful, especially as a focus for Sadhana and meditation. Here is a previous conversation, one of a few if I recall correctly, on this forum on the topic of this image: In particular This post from Naya Surya, in which she directs the OP to This Thread. I am sure you could find more information on the image itself here, if you have interest.

Are you focused on getting a figurine murti right away? It sounds as if funds are a concern at the moment. You don't actually need to buy anything now if that is the case, there are many full-sized images of the original statue online, both before and after the floods in Uttarakhand. One or many could be printed out for the time being, as suggested, allowing you to save for a figurine, either this one or another. The specific yoga pose is Padmansa, and I know I've seen a few on Amazon.

Pranams, and all the best to you on your journey.

[NayaSurya]

Hari om <3

This image you speak of ...a Mahayogi Mahadeva has been in my head my whole life. I seek it trying to find out what it was, finally found it was located at Parmarth Niketan...yet again it was in this far off place and could not find a link. Finally found out it was a link to my home Temple...that my very Pujari was linked to Rishikesh and Parmarth Niketan. That Swamiji come there each year to my home. This statue is at a place which is linked directly to my location upon earth.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._rishikesh.jpg

Sometimes, the link to such an image is a blessing. <3

...and it goes much further down into my life, as a child i would listen to a song called Mother Nature's Son sung by my favorite, John Denver...and i was obsessed with this song as it played on and on again in my heart and mind. For my whole life this has been true. I could never understand why i was stricken by it.

Now...only a short while ago did i find out this song was written in Rishikesh at an ashram by the Beatles.

Mahayogi Mahadeva is Beloved to me, because it is the form i know in my heart...i rest in that Beloved Lap so many times...it is my home. <3

Should also say, one of my six sons is also named Shay...another odd lil thing that we always stop in Decatur on our trip south to the beloved ocean. :P

[NayaSurya]

Another post to show you are not alone <3


http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=11634

http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=11632

I took some of my favorites and stuck them in an album for anyone who would love to see more. <3

http://s21.photobucket.com/user/neol...eshow/Mahadeva

After re-reading those posts...it shows so perfectly my seeking and not understanding why i was drawn to Him in this form. Well i am happy to report this day, message is received!