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Hinduism - What Is Svayambhu?

 

 

Images that have been "self-manifested".  Any depiction of a Hindu god that is thought to exist as a result of divine self-revelation rather than being created or produced by human hands.

These pictures are said to be particularly holy and powerful, with a stronger sensation of the deity's presence.

They are places where the deities are believed to be particularly present and "awake," and thus more receptive to requests for favors.

They mark instances where these deities have revealed themselves out of grace in order to become accessible to their devotees (bhakta), and they are places where the deities are believed to be particularly present and "awake," and thus more receptive to requests for favors.

For each of the three primary Hindu deities, there are Svayambhu representations.

Images of the Goddess are often natural rock formations, such as the goddess Kamakhya's image, which is a natural fissure in the rock, or stone images of several of the Shiwalik goddesses; but, they may also take other forms, such as the goddess Jwalamukhi's image, which is a natural gas vent.

The shalagram, a black stone holding the spiral-shaped fossil shell of an ancient marine creature thought to be a symbol of Vishnu's discus, is the god's most well-known self-manifested form (chakra).

The linga, the deity Shiva's pillar-shaped emblem, emerges in a vast range of self-manifested shapes.

Many of these self-manifested lingas may be found in natural rock formations, such as those at Kedarnath; Amarnath, where the linga appears as an ice pillar; and the bana linga, which is a naturally rounded stone that is generally small enough to be readily portable.

Furthermore, both Shiva and the Goddess are thought to be present inside one's own body among Hindu religious organizations that emphasize the subtle body.

Carved images are supposed to be self-manifest forms in certain instances for all of these deities; in their customary pattern, the location of the statue is disclosed to a chosen devotee in a dream.

A self-manifested picture is a significant claim for any site, bolstering its value as a heavenly entry point.

~Kiran Atma


Discover more about Hindu Art, Architecture, and Iconography here.

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