Why lord shiva is worshiped in the form of linga?

Answer 1

There is a long story behind this : Once upon a time lord brahma and lord vishnu started quarrelling.The topic was that who is more stronger between them.Then lord shiva appeared as a linga and said whoever reaches the top of the linga will be declared the winner. Both of them started to climb on the kinga but none of them reached the top.From that day it was declared that lord shiva is the strongest of all.And this form of shiva is mostly worshipped

The absolute fact about linga worship:To understand about the worship of linga we must know about the seven basic Hindu gods.

The seven basic Hindu gods:

They are,

1. Dreaming force - Indra - feet

2. Illusory force - shakti - knees

3. Voluntary force - Brahma - hip/ genitals

4. Semi voluntary force - Vishnu - abdomen

5. Involuntary force - Shiva - chest

6. Status altering force - Shani - neck and shoulders

7. Compulsive force - Yama - head

Vishnu, the preserver, is the default Hindu god and thus he enables us to maintain status quo. Vishnu force therefore has inbuilt control mechanisms.

The advantage of Shiva:

In a crisis, Shiva enables us to achieve more than Vishnu can enable us to. Thus, Shiva worship is innovated to enable us to achieve more even in the absence of a crisis. This we achieve by inhibiting our sexual urge, which is symbolized by destruction of Kama (the god of sex), whom Shiva destoys by opening his third eye.

Shiva and the linga:

The Shiva force is uncontrollable force. We may even inadvertedly start using Status altering Shani force and Compulsive Yama force, thus inviting disaster. Therefore, whenever we worship Shiva we need a counter force.

The Brahma force, is the best antidote for this. Brahma, the creator, is symbolized by the genitals. Since we use Shiva force by destroying our sexual urge, the sex symbol is the logical counter force.

Brahma and linga:

Originally, Brahma represented the hip and thus the genitals. However, worshipping Brahma as an independent god resulted in starting of bad parallel lives independent of our main life, symbolized by demons. It is for this reason that we believe that Brahma is the god of demons.

Therefore, Brahma was supposed to originate from the navel of Vishnu and thus represent the voluntary component of the Semi voluntary force. Thus, the genitals remained unrepresented.

The linga later got associated with Shiva, thus making Shiva a complete and independent god.

Therefore, we don't worship Shiva in the form of a lingam. We worship linga when Shiva makes us uncontrollable. Together, Shiva and linga enable us to have a powerful controllable force. linga has no front or back;beginning or end pointing infinite god;linga is for identity

Answer 2

While there are many false beliefs about the Shiva Linga, the true and original meaning is this: Shiva itself is a form of God, not God. God is omnipresent- present everywhere, omnipotent- all powerful, omniscient- knows everything. Therefore when we pray to the Shiva Linga, we are praying to a stone that is a manifestation of God. Where does this stone come from? Was it manufactured by a corporation of this world? No, this stone is Shiva, is God. If one wants to go to through self to God-realization, one must start with self-realization. One will realize God is in everything, in the sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the animals, the flowers, God is in you and me. When we realize God is everywhere, then we worship the Linga as a point of devotion, a point of focus. We need to have something to worship, and it doesn't matter whether it is a Linga or anything else.

Answer 3

The linga, or lingam, represents the formless nature of Lord Shiva as the ultimate reality. It symbolizes creation, preservation, and dissolution of the universe. Worshiping Shiva in the form of a linga is believed to enable devotees to connect with his cosmic energy and experience spiritual growth.