For Shiva, he is within you, within you...

For goodness to prevail, there needs to be evil,

For destruction to prevail, there needs to be creation,

And thus for suffering to prevail, there is none,

For Shiva, he is within you, within you.

For light to exist, there is darkness,

For matter to exist, there is non-matter,

And thus for distance to exist, there is none,

For Shiva, he is within you, within you.

For him who does not believe, there is arrogance,

For him who does indeed believe, there is ignorance,

And thus for prayers to be answered, there is none,

For Shiva, he is within you, within you.

Bharat Bhushan - 8 December 2009

Om Namah Shivaaya

Lord Shiva is the God of Love. His Grace is boundless. He is the Saviour and Guru. He is the beloved of Uma. He is Satyam, Shivam, Shubham, Sundaram, Kantam. He is the Supreme Light that shines in your heart. Meditate on his Form. Hear his Lilas. Repeat his Mantra - "Om Namah Shivaaya".

---- Sivananda Saraswati

64 Forms of Lord Shiva

shivali.ngam     lingodbhavar     mukhali.ngam     sadAshivam     mahAsadAshivam     umAmaheshwarar     sukhAsanamUrti     umeshamUrti     somAska.ndhamUrti     cha.ndrashekaramUrti     vR^iShArUDhamUrti     vR^IShA.ndikamUrti     bhujaNGgalaLitamUrti     bhujaNGgatrAsamUrti     sa.ndhiyanR^ittamUrti     sadAnR^ittamUrti     chaNDatANDavamUrti     gaNGgAdharamUrti     gaNGgAvisarjanamUrti     tripurAntakamUrti     kalyANasu.ndaramUrti     ardanArIshwaramUrti     gajAsurasaMhAramUrti     jvarAbhagnamUrti     shArdhUlaharamUrti     pAshupatamUrti     gaNGgALamUrti     keshavArthamUrti     bhixATanamUrti     simhagnamUrti     chaNdeshwarAnugrahamUrti     vyAkhyAnadaxiNAmUrti yogadaxiNAmUrti     viNAdharadaxiNAmUrti     kAlA.ntakamUrti     kAmAri (kAmadahanamUrti)     vaguLeshwaramUrti     bhairavamUrti     ApatuddAraNamUrti     vaDukamUrti     xetrapAlamUrti     vIrabhadramUrti     agorAstramUrti     daxayaGYaharamUrti     kirAtamUrti     gurumUrti     ashvArUDhamUrti     gajA.ndikamUrti     jalandharavatamUrti     ekapAdatrimUrti     tripAdatrimUrti     ekapAdamUrti     gaurivarapradamUrti     chakradAnaswarUpamUrti     gaurilIlAsamanvitamUrti     viShAbhaharaNamUrti     garuDA.ndikamUrti     braHmasirachetakamUrti     kUrmasaMhAramUrti     matsyAri     varAhAri     prArthanAmUrti     raktabhixApradAnamUrti     siShyabhAvamUrti

I found you within, O Shiva

"I lost you out of ignorant attachment to my body. Then I wasted my time searching high and low. Finally I found you within, O Shiva, then we united in bliss." -

Lalleshwari

Lalleshwari (लल्लेश्वरी) (1320 – 1392) also known as Lalla or Lal Ded was a Hindu saint-poetess and a mystic of the Kashmiri Shaivite sect. She is a creator of the mystic poetry called vatsun or Vakhs, literally 'speech'. Known as Lal Vakhs, her verses are the earliest compositions in the Kashmiri language and are an important part in history of Kashmiri literature. (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalleshwari)

Shaneeshwarar Idol at the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple, Pune District, Maharashtra, India

The Shaneeshwarar Idol with the Chilika Vaahana

at the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The idol is maintained in good condition, and is placed exactly in front of the Jyotirlinga idol and Nandi, in a straight line towards the 2-Nandi-plus-linga location. A priest sits nearby and helps pilgrims conduct their prayers to Shaneeshwarar. Amazingly splendid in detail and allows for close proximity in prayers.

Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple, Pune District, Maharashtra

The Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple Gopuram 

(Photo - Bharat Bhushan)

Beautiful and Inspiring - in a mist-laden cloudy early morning day in September 2009

The two nandis in front of the temple, 

at a single location in front of a shivling

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

It seems that the Nandi at the right was to be repaired due to some problem or was to be replaced. The new Nandi was commissioned and brought to the temple premises. One and all, nobody could agree on the procedure to replace the earlier Nandi idol with the new one, and since then (probably for more than a 100 years), both the Nandis have remained.

The Deepmal (Pillar-of-oil wick lamps) at the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

Beautiful in its serenity, glistening in the early morning mist and dew that has settled on it.

The Deepmal (Pillar-of-oil wick lamps) at the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

showing the temple gopuram profile to its right, sharpened by the early morning mist and dew

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The Deepmal (Pillar-of-oil wick lamps) at the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

showing the temple-settlement at Bhimashankara, with the forests behind and above

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The shivling in front of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple near the two Nandis

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

Amazing perspective and splendid detail on the yoni of the shivling

Check out the detail of the snake curling out towards the linga

The Nandi (of the two nandis) with the Shivling in front of the temple

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The two Nandis with the Shivling in front of the temple

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The Deepmal, The Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple and the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The deepmal, temple-town settlement, the temple and the wildlife sanctuary

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan) 

Inside the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

Inside the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

Convenient to move around when there are less pilgrims than on festival days

The priests of the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga Temple

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan)

The young priest at left in a dark vest is Yogesh. Very enthusiastic and helpful.

The head priest is his uncle and one can see the other priests at the rear. All pujas are organised, reserved and paid for in the front hall of the jyotirlinga and receipts are issued immediately. 

Jyotirlinga iconography

I have been collecting graphical iconography of the Jyotirlingas in India from various websites. Please do send additional images of a similar nature and depiction by e-mail.