The lovely Indian art work in brass of Shivling with Snake and Nandi blessed.
Shivaling has three distinct parts which are considered as portions of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The lower part represents Brahma, the middle Vishnu and the upper and the most prominent represents Shiva. Thus, Shivling represents all the three powers in one- as the Param Braham or Supreme Shiva. Another interpretation considers Shivling to be divided in two parts – Shiva and Shakti. The top part is considered Shiva and the yoni is considered to be Shakti.
Nandi,bull is the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Shiva. Every Shaivite temple has the figure of a white,humped bull reclining on a raised platform and facing the entrance door of the shrine so that, according to tradition, he may perpetually gaze on the lord in his symbolic form, the lingam. Nandi is considered to be one of Shiva’s chief attendants and occasionally is depicted in sculpture as a bull-faced dwarf figure.
Snakes (Nagas) have been a part of worship in Hinduism from the very beginning. The most famous myth of Lord Shiva’s association with snakes is when he drinks the poison (kalakuda) from Snake Vasuki’s mouth during the churning of ocean to get amrit. From that day, Lord Shiva becomes blue throated and is called Nilakantha.
There is mysterious and indescribable power in Shivaling to induce the concentration of mind. It is like the crystal glazing, mind easily attains one-pointedness by looking at the Shivaling. This is the reason why ancient scholars and sages advocated the worship of Shivaling and its installations in temples.
Design: Made in heavy shining brass.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity. It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals. The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.
Dimensions of set: 5.25 inches (H) x 2.75 inches (W) x 8.75 inches (L) (13 x 7 x 22 cms approx)
Weight: 1.6 kgs
Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God.Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it. Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it. This is truly a wonder and a miracle.The picture comes to life.The idol speaks.It will answer your questions and solve your problems.The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol.The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram, Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point.They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.
Idols are the "finite representation of the Infinite".As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29,v55-7),persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it: "Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to,it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber.Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering,however,that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."