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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARUNACHALA
IN the Suta Samhita, it is said: Siva’s very form is Linga, hence the term, Sivalinga. Later it will be found that the Supreme Being revealed Himself as this Linga of Fire.
GREATNESS OF SIVALINGA AS TOLD IN THE SUTA SAMHITA
Linga is truly Siva. All is revealed by Siva who is the very essence of Consciousness and Knowledge. Nothing can reveal Him. Thus the Linga is the sole, Self-shining Reality. In brief, Siva is Consciousness Unmanifest, whereas Sivalinga is Consciousness Manifest. Again it is said, that unto which all merge is the Linga. Everything is resolved into Brahman, but the Supreme Brahman being the sole Eternal Reality cannot merge into another. All but Siva merge into Siva. Therefore the Linga is Immortal Siva Himself. The whole universe is termed Linga, as the former is resolved and absorbed into and manifested from the latter. But the Linga is free from any emblem or characteristic mark.
This Linga is unqualified, beyond darkness. It is the source of the sacred syllable Pranava (OM). It is neither an entity nor a nonentity; neither the pervader nor the pervaded, neither the knowledge, nor the knower or the known; neither the manifest, the existing nor the unmanifest; neither real nor unreal, or a mixture of the two. It is only the Self-Realised. It illuminates all by its light; neither decaying nor undecaying; neither moving nor inert; neither the proof nor the proven; neither the vital air nor the mind; neither the seer nor the seen; neither the image nor its reflection; neither visible nor invisible; it is beyond speech and thought; it is not the eye, the ear, the nose, the earth, the ether, the vital airs or any object of the senses — to realise the Self, enquiring in this manner, is true worship.
This Linga, though not the ether nor different from it, yet reveals it; though not light, reveals it; though not air, yet makes it move; though not water, yet gives it its nature.
This Linga can be seen on a shining seat in the house of nine gates — never installed there by anyone but having faces, hands, feet, heads and seats in all directions. It lies beyond darkness; nothing can be seen there. It is revealed as the Unqualified Being by Vedanta. From it emerges the magnificent earth and is resolved into it. The three qualities namely, brightness, activity and darkness (sattva, rajas and tamas) of which the universe is made, manifests from it.
Its size cannot be estimated, for it has no magnitude. It remains unbroken and unitary. All the spheres of the vast universe are located in it. It has no temple but contains all in itself. It is the inmost core of all beings. It is neither Isvara nor the jiva but the Inmost Conscious Self, Bliss, Non-dual Reality unrelated to Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Indra etc. It can be realised only by the Self. It is the Self, known to oneself and abides within. This is the Supreme Bliss; there is nothing apart from it. It is always worshipped by all. It is free from the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. It is drik — pure, beyond knowledge. Neither the ignorant nor the all-knowing individuals or gods in the power of the ego or maya, can see this Linga. As this cannot be understood by all, out of His spontaneous infinite mercy, Siva is here manifest as Arunachala which all can see and worship.
— THE GLORY OF ARUNACHALA (Translation of “Arunachala Mahatmyam”, by M. C. Subramaniam)
http://arunachala-live.com/Glory%20of%20Arunachala.pdf
