Banalinga, Omkareshwar, Narmada, Narmada River, Sacred Stone

The Bana Lingam is a most Sacred Symbol and Divine Energy Tool, both in the ancient and in this modern world and it comes with the loftiest frequency of vibrations and appears from only one place on the entire Planet of Earth – in the cradles of Holy River Narmada. The Bana Lingas are Swayambhu Shiva Lingas that have taken shape in the Sacred Narmada River (Dhabri Kunda), in the Central Western part of India. 

The Sacred Narmada River is one of the Sapta Gangas – Seven Holy Rivers of India. The Hindu Legends identify it with “Reva”, which is described as the “sweat” flowing out of Lord Shiva’s own body when he performed his Cosmic Dance “Thandhava” and therefore considered as holiest of rivers. It’s waters are of such purifying quality that the polluted River Ganges makes an yearly visit to the Narmada in the form of a black cow for a purifying dip in the Sacred Narmada River, to cleanse her collected sins ! On the river bank of the Narmada is the Omkareshwar, the most famous among the twelve Jyothirlingas.

Many Vedic Scriptures propound that the natural Narmada Banalingas are self-manifest respresentations of Lord Shiva. 

The Composition & Symbolism of Narmada Bana Lingas :

The Shiva Lingas that are formed in the River Narmada contain Crypto Crystalline Quartz (masses made up of either fibrous or granular aggregates of tiny, microscopic Quartz Crystals) and a Gemstone material called Chalcedony (with an iron oxide and geothite inclusion) alongwith Basalt and Agate – this unique composition coupled with elliptical shape has a precise resonance in alignment with our Energy Centers or Chakras and are used for thousands of years as Divine Energy Generators for Cleansing, Healing and for Meditation. The Narmada Bana Lingas are quite strong and the hardness is a 7 on the Moe’s Scale.

It is the considered view of many researchers and geologists that the unique composition of the Narmadha Shivalingas was due to the impregnation of it’s rocky river-sides and the rocks in the river bed, 14 million years ago by a large meteorite that crashed into the Narmada River. The fusion of the Meteorite and the Earthly Minerals has spawned a new and unique type of Crystalline Rock with extraordinary energetic qualities – the Banalingam.

Over a period of time, the impregnated rocks split into rock bits and pebbles and were moulded by the strong and forceful currents of the Narmada River which naturally tumbled and produced perfectly shaped and polished Shivalingams. As the Narmada River has strong currents and accessable only during dry seasons, certain families (who hold the “rights” ancestorily for doing this, and passed down through generations and have been traditionally trained, to identify only the most special stones) are allowed to harvest the stones from the river once a year after a special ceremony while the river is low, when the stones may be more easily collected. Once collected, these Sacred Stones are finally hand-polished with a waxy butter – a mystic mixture of mud, dung, natural oils, special herbs and wax by specially trained artisans to bring out the natural markings which are inherent in their composition and a unique, soft glow. This is much like a diamond cutter who cuts rough material to bring out the best in the diamond. The holy waters of the River Narmada protect these rounded bed rocks within its darkness, and when polished as per the prescription, their inner beauty is revealed to us. The Narmadeshwar Shivalingas are quite tough and take a good polish, when cabbed.

The Narmada Bana Lingam’s upright egg shape represents the Pure Consciousness of Lord Shiva and the Holy Markings on the Sacred Stone (which differ greatly from stone to stone) represent the interactive aspect of Goddess Shakti (The Holy Consort of Lord Shiva), not only representation is bound with the Shakti it also marked with different symbols of Lord Shiva, (Personally the Banalinga I worship  is marked with Moon or specifically "Ardhachandra" named "Chandramauli")(All the names according to their marking are written in the "Shilachakarthabodhini" & "Chaturvarga Chintamani") the Divine Seed which is fertilized to manifest the Creative Power in the Dance of the Cosmos. Together, they represent the Union  of the Supreme Male and Supreme Female Energies – Shiva and Shakti : Shiva Sakthi, the Wholeness and Oneness. It should also be understood that  the Narmada Shiva Lingam represents the Divine Blending of Knowledge (Shiva) and Wisdom (Shakthi). This is the very same concept expressed by the “Yin” and “Yang” Concept of another Eastern Wisdom from the Orient. There is a school of thought that considers that this is a way of transitioning between Murthis (Formed Shapes) and the Formless. The Sacred Shiva Lingam is widely considered to be the “Form of the Formless”.  According to Vedic Texts, the Narmada Shiva Lingas illustrate Harmony through Duality and represent Power, Creation and the Physical Plane or Grounding of those who have these Divine Energy Tools. The Narmadeshwar Shiva Lingams, because of their divine vibrations, are popularly called as “Cosmic Eggs” by NewAge Metaphysical Practitioners. 

Vedic Legends about Origin of Narmada Bana Lingas :

There are many legends about the origin of the Bana Lingas and their association with the Narmada, in the Puranic Texts like Aparajita-pariprchchha, Yajnavalkya Samhita, Mathsaya Purana (Chapter 5), Hari Vamsa (Vishnu Parva – Chapter 173) and Bhagavatha Purana (10th Skandha – Chapter 62), with slightly varying accounts. Two of the most popular ones are narrated below :

Legend 1 :The Asura Raja (Demon King) Bana was the eldest of the one hundred sons of Bali – Bali was the son of King Virochana, the grandson of Prahaladha (the famous devotee of Lord Maha Vishnu’s incarnation, Lord Narasimha) and the great grandson of King Hiranyakasipu. King Banasura himself was a great devotee of Lord Shiva and to seek the Divine Blessings of Lord Shiva, he performed severe penances for a long time, in the Holy Himalayas, invoking Lord Shiva’s favour. Finally Lord Shiva appeared in answer to his austerities and agreed to grant him a boon. Banasura wished for himself One Thousand Arms carrying a multitude of weapons to destroy his enemies and desired that Goddess Parvathi consider him as her own son – he was bestowed with what he asked. Drunk with power and arrogance, the Demon King started torturing all the three worlds. Honouring the requests of the Devas and Lord Indra, Lord Krishna (an incarnation of Lord Maha Vishnu) severed all the one thousand arms and the weapons they were holding, with his Sri Sudharsana Chakra, the Divine Discus. However, Lord Shiva honoured the Demon King (who was, inspite of being an Asura, was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva) by giving him his own representation in the form of Swayambu (natural, self-manifest) Shiva Linga, hence the name Bana Linga.

Legend 2 :Once Lord Shiva wanted to destroy the Flying City of “Tripura”, which had been obtained as a Boon by the Demon Chieftian Banasura. So, Lord Shiva released a powerful and fiery arrow from his Divine Bow called “Pinaka”. The dart split and broke the “Three Puras” into tiny bits, which fell on Earth in 3 spots : (1) on the hills of Sri-Kshetra, which is of unknown identity to this day; (2) on the peaks of Amarakanthaka in the Vindhya ranges and (3) on the banks of the Sacred Narmada River. The bits that fell soon multiplied into crores, each bit becoming a Shiva Linga. As they formed part of the possession of the Banasura, they were called as Bana Linga. Amarakanthaka, the peak in Madhya Pradesh State of India, is in close proximity to the Source of the River Narmada, which according to the Puranic Texts, originates in the Vindhya Mountains 914 metres above the sea level, flows westward for 1,292 kilometres through Mandla and Jubbalpore Districts and joins the Arabian Sea in Cambay (Kambhat) near Bharoch in Gujarat State.

It should be noted here that the word “Bana” also means an arrow, a reed-shaft, cow’s udder and pike, quite independent of the legend concerning the Asura King Bana.

The import of these legends is that the Narmada Bana-Lingas are self-manifest forms (Swayambhu) of Lord Shiva and Goddess Sakthi and that they are therefore holier than any other aniconic forms of Lord Shiva.

What are the colours of Bana Lingas ?

Each Bana Linga is unique with its own markings. The colour of the stone varies a lot, from grey to beige, to brown and a reddish brown. They may be honey coloured, white, blue, black or emerald-hued.

Are Bana Lingas worthy of Worship ?

Of the many categories of Shivalingas, the Bana Lingas come under the Swayambhu category, meaning they are self-manifest and have formed naturally, which makes them the holiest among the holies and the most suitable for worship. They do not need to be made worship-worthy by the preliminary rites of Purification (Cleansing) and Consecration (Prana Prathishta), as the Narmada Bana Lingas naturally contain the Vibhuti of Godhead present in them. They do not require the traditional rituals of transmutation – they are natural, self-evident and enduring. They cannot be defiled on any account and and do not lose their merit under any circumstances. The “Marka Bheda Tantra” (Patala 7) makes a summary statement to this effect.

However, if the ideal concept of Programming can be accomplished by a competant professional, then the Narmada Bana Lingams will bestow better and faster results. Among the several varieties of Lingas, Bana Lingas are said to be the most Sacred and it’s worship the most effective. It is therefore claimed that the Bana Linga when worshipped is a thousand times more effective than any other Linga. While “Suprabheda” (33) roundly declares that all Bana Lingas are worship-worthy, the “Suta Samhita” and “Meru Tantra” (Chapter 9) state that the ideal size of Bana Lingas for worship must be minimum four angulas or 4 inches or above. Those of smaller size may be used for carrying in person or worn around the neck as Power Pendants – as mobile Lingas, for Blessings and Protection.

What are the benefits of having Bana Lingas ?

Numerous Scriptures acknowledge the superior merits of the Bana Lingams and extol the unsurpassed virtues of them, in bestowing many great benefits. The “Yajnavalkya Samhita” states that the benefits that can be obtained by worshipping a crore of other Shivalingas are got by worshipping just one Bana Linga. It is said that merely thinking about their Bana Linga early in the morning itself is likely to bestow success in all their enterprises of the day. It is also said that the Bana Lingams secure worldly welfare as well as emancipation from worldly involvement. It is the considered view of many that the Narmada Bana Lingams wash off sins and curses.

The Narmadeshwar Shiva Linga works with the breath and the fluids of the body creating a harmony in the body’s flow. The Narmada Bana Linga helps one to unite the lower self (conscious) with the higher self (unconscious) so that we may know our own divinity as we seek to know God. It brings believers into the mystical union with God. It heals and helps opening the chakras to resolve issues. It helps with activating the kundalini energy and the seven chakras. It awakens the energy centers and brings feelings of peace and wellbeing. It enhances personal or group meditations for clearer flow of energies. It balances and brings harmony to it’s surrounding environment, after cleansing the prevailing negative energies.

On one hand the Narmada Bana Lingam is the epitome of masculine power and attraction and oozes love and affection, on the other hand an adept can use it to suppress sexual energies and direct them to gain mental and spiritual development.

The Narmada Bana Lingas are highly communicative gemstones, each with its own individual personality, purpose and reason for being. It is believed that there is a Bana Linga destined for each one of us and that the Bana Linga will find it’s way to us when the time is right and when we are ready to receive it into our lives.

Important :

(1) No two Sacred Narmada Stones are alike and there are always variations in the Yoni patterns across the body.

(2) Certain Texts like “Kedhara Khanda” define some “Dushta Bana Lingas” – the Bana Lingas that are not auspicious : those with very rough surface, those which are fully flattened and those which are split at the top. Haemadhri in “Lakshana Khanda” insists that those Bana Lingas that are exceedingly corpulent or very thin, those with sharp edges and crooked tops are meant only for those who wish emancipation only and are not suitable for householders.

(3) Currently a huge dam is being built on the River Narmada. Once the dam is successfully completed, the rest of the Sacred Narmada Stones will be submerged by more than a hundred feet of raging water and the chances of future harvests are extremely slim. The already harvested genuine Sacred Narmada Stones are becoming increasingly rare and are in high demand because of the exports. The high demands and scarce quantities will continue to boost the value of this unique Divine Energy Tool.

(4) Beware of spurious and fake Narmadha Bana Lingas. Not all the stones that are taken out of River Narmada are Bana Lingas. Similarly stones taken from Ganges and Yamuna Rivers too are sold as “Narmada Bana Lingas”, because of the rising demand. The devotees are advised to approach a genuine organisation for obtaining an authentic Narmada Banalingam.