Narasimhaye’s Blog

Identification of Shri Shaligram Shilas

The peace-loving deity of the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu is the Preserver or Sustainer of life with his steadfast principles of order, righteousness and truth. When these values are under threat, Vishnu emerges out of his transcendence to restore peace and order on earth.
The 10 Avatars: Vishnu’s earthly incarnations have many avatars. His ten avatars are Matsyavatara (fish), Koorma (tortoise), Varaaha (boar), Narasimha (the man lion), Vaamana (the dwarf), Parasurama (the angry man), Lord Rama (the perfect human of the Ramayana), Lord Krishna (the divine diplomat and statesman), and the yet to appear 10th incarnation called the Kalki avatar.
In his commonest form, Vishnu is portrayed as having a dark complexion – the color of passive and formless ether, and with four hands holding Sankha, Chakra, Gada, Padma.
Sankha, Chakra, Gada, Padma: On one of the backhands he holds the milky white conch shell or ‘sankha’ that spreads the primordial sound of Om, and on the other a discuss or ‘chakra’ – a reminder of the cycle of time – which is also a lethal weapon that he uses against blasphemy. It is the famous Sudarshana Chakra that is seen whirling on his index finger. The other hands hold a lotus or ‘padma’, which stands for a glorious existence, and a mace or ‘gada’ that indicates punishment for indiscipline.
The Lord of Truth: Out of his navel blossoms a lotus, known as Padmanabham. The flower holds Brahma, the God of Creation and the embodiment of royal virtues or ‘Rajoguna’. Thus, the peaceful form of Lord Vishnu discards the royal virtues through his navel and makes the Sheshnag snake that stands for the vices of darkness or ‘Tamoguna’, his seat. Therefore Vishnu is the Lord of ‘Satoguna’ – the virtues of the truth.
The Presiding Deity of Peace: Vishnu is often depicted as reclining on a Sheshanaga – the coiled, many-headed snake floating on cosmic waters that represents the peaceful Universe. This pose symbolizes the calm and patience in the face of fear and worries that the poisonous snake represents. The message here is that you should not let fear overpower you and disturb your peace.

http://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/shaligrams.htm

Shree Shaligram

Shree Shaligram is a sacred stone found in Gandaki river found in the Muktinath area of Nepal . This stone is worshipped as an iconic representation Lord Vishnu, just as Lingam is worshipped as an iconic Lord Shiva. The marks on the Shaligram are natural with the pattern often representing that of Sudarshan Chakra, the Discus of Lord Vishnu. The worship of these stones is widespread and dates back to a distant past. They are worshipped in temples, monasteries and households all over the country, as visible and natural emblems of Vishnu. The sipping of water in which these stones are bathed is a daily ritual for the pious Hindu belonging to the old and traditional families. Salagrama is an iconic in character. However in comparison, the linga may be a natural object like the bana-linga found in the river Narmada, or carved by man in stone, gems or clay or any material. But Salagramas are always only those which are naturally found in the river Gandaki; they are never made by man.

http://www.rudraksha-ratna.com/shaligrams.htm