IDENTIFYING SHALIGRAMS, An Introductory Thread.
One of the most common requests I get is for help in identifying the specific manifestation of a particular Shaligram stone. I.e., "Reading" a Shaligram.
One of the most common requests I get is for help in identifying the specific manifestation of a particular Shaligram stone. I.e., "Reading" a Shaligram.
There are many reasons for this. Primarily, I'm often asked for help in identifying Shaligrams from people who either don't have access to gurus or ritual specialists from their home traditions and/or those who were never able to receive instruction on Shaligram interpretation.
When I can, I am happy to help. By virtue of my ethnographic research, I've now been privileged to experience almost 8 years of study in reading Shaligrams. I've had teachers in India and Nepal, as well as sustained, long-term, work with practitioners in the Diaspora.
I do not, however, think of myself as an expert. I've had tremendous access to a lot of knowledge and oral traditions that many don't and I am happy to share what I have learned. But I am no guru and I don't pretend to be.
Reading Shaligrams from images is also extremely tricky. For the most part, the ideal method of interpreting a Shaligram involves directly experiencing it, meeting with it, and handling it. The Stones speak for themselves and photos can be a poor substitute.
Which brings me to methods. The basics of Shaligram interpretation begin with six principal characteristics. Each of these characteristics (discussed below) exists on a spectrum and means something different depending on how it appears or if it appears at all.
These six characteristics are: shape, color, set, vadana (mouth), vanamala (sacred line/thread), and chakra (spiral).
After that, there are a list of secondary characteristics, such as "basket" markings, lotus, gada (mace), bow, footprint, serpent, and so on, which are related to specific kinds of Shaligrams and Shaligram stories. But for our purposes here, we'll talk about the main six.
SHAPE: Pretty straightforward. What shape is the Shaligram and what shape does it resemble. Is it round? Sharp? Elongated? Flat? All of these have meaning, such as the "Elephant-like" shape of the Ganesh Shaligram here.
COLOR: Most Shaligrams are black. But not always. There are also rare green, yellow, and red Shaligrams. Of this list, only red Shaligram are forbidden from home worship. Such Shaligrams are the manifestation of the Brahma and cannot be contained. They exist only in temples.
SET: Set refers to how a Shaligram naturally rests when placed onto a flat surface (and therefore where its "face" is). Krishna Gopala Shaligrams, for example, have no set at all, since they are ball-shaped. Others are more stable, such as the Shiva Linga Shaligram.
VADANA: Vadana means "mouth" and refers to whether or not a Shaligram has a central opening or many such openings on its body. This Narasimha Shaligram, for example, has one very wide "mouth" with visible "teeth."
VANAMALA: Meaning "sacred thread." In most cases, this is identified as a white quartz line somewhere on the body of the Shaligram. Shaligrams may have one or many vanamala depending on the deity present. This Madhusudana Shaligram, for example, has a vanamala around its base.
CHAKRA: The most common characteristic: the spiral markings most highly prized in Shaligrams. As such, Shaligrams may have one large chakra, many small ones, or, in some cases, none at all. But always, the quality and number of chakras is central to interpretation.
There you go, that's a start! (And it's where I started!). After one masters these six characteristics, it would be time to move on to some of the more complex manifestations. Which include specialized markings like the "cow-hoof" of Krishna Govinda:
The rippled waves and coils (the bivalve Retroceramus) of the Anirudda Shaligram:
The "Golden Ball" of the Hiranyagarbha Shaligram:
The "eyes" and "crown" of the Mahadevi Shaligram, and so on.
But if nothing else, this should help you to understand how complex this practice truly is and appreciate the dedication, learning, and skill of Hindu and Buddhist ritual specialists who can lift up any single Shaligram and tell you stories for days on end.
Lastly, let me know if anyone wants this as a blog post. Or something similar.
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