Sri Shalagram Shila

Deity: Sri Vishnu • Unmounted • Origin: Nepal • Value: Priceless • Vidhi: Daily Puja Pictured above is an exceptionally perfect and very rare “Vamana” Salagrama Sila adorned with the sacred Chakra of Lord Sri Visnu. This Salagrama is also known as Vasudev. Origin: The Krishna-Gandaki River in Nepal. According to the Gautamiya Tantra, “a stone from any place other than the Gandaki River in Nepal can never be a Salagrama Sila. In Sri Hari-bhakti-vilas it is stated, “merely by touching a genuine Salagram Sila one becomes free from the sins of millions of births, so what to speak of worshiping Him. By puja of Salagrama Sila one gains the direct association of Lord Hari.” The Skanda Purana states that, “a genuine Salagram Sila is directly a manifestation of the Supreme Lord Visnu and does not require any installation.”

It is further stated that, “the sale or purchase of a Salagram Sila is strictly prohibited. Anyone who attempts to determine the material value of a Salagrama Sila will live in hell until the end of the universe. The area within a radius of twenty-four miles from where a Salagrama Sila is worshiped is considered a holy place (tirtha).  Anyone who sees, bathes, worships, or bows to a Salagrama Sila will receive the same piety as doing millions of sacrifices and giving millions of cows in charity. Without having accumulated pious activities, it is very difficult to find a Salagrama Sila in this world, especially in the age of Kali-yuga. In the Padma Purana it is stated, “if a devotee who is properly initiated in prescribed mantras does the puja of Salagrama Sila, he will attain the Supreme Lord’s spiritual abode without a doubt.”

Sri Shalagram Sila is manifest externally as a water-tumbled stone; therefore Shalagram Silas may be said to be gems. The word ‘gem’ is used for any fine quality stone, pearl or coral that is rare, attractive, portable, durable, valuable, and powerful; in the case of Shalagram Sila the ruling Deity is Lord Hari, also known as Sri Narayana Bhagavan. Because a Shalagram Sila is ruled by Bhagavan, Who is greater than the sum total of all the universes (mahat-tattva), therefore the ‘material’ worth of a real Shalagram Sila is beyond calculation and impossible to measure. Buying/selling a Shalagram Sila is considered a sinful offense; receiving a gift of a genuine Shalagram Shila from a qualified Hari-bhakta is the only way to properly obtain such a priceless and spiritual (and material) treasure. A normal fine quality planetary gem, like a ruby or pearl, needs only an initial invocation to begin ownership; but a Sri Shalagram Sila is always directly Lord Hari, and must be worshiped daily with certain paraphernalia such as Tulasi leaves, Ganga-jala, fruit and water, etc.  Puja is offered to Shalagram Sila according to the desire of Paramatma within the heart of the devotee. Sri Shalagram Sila always controls his Own worship from within the heart of His sevak

Sri Dvaraka Shila

The Varaha Purana says that whoever touches a shila with the mark of a Vishnu-cakra will become free of all sins. The Garuda Purana declares that simply the darshana of Sudarshana and other dvaraka-shila fulfils all desires. The Skanda Purana declares that without a doubt if a very sinful man worships a dvaraka-shila with devotion, or even without devotion, he becomes free from all sinful reactions. According to the Dvaraka Mahatmya, a shila marked with cakras coming from Dvaraka is also called cakra-tirtha. Even if this shila is worshipped by a sinful person from a degraded country, the worships still becomes liberated.

Sri Kailash Shila

Om namah shivaya! Om namah shivaya! Om namah shivaya! This is the Sanskrit mantra (invocation) chanted by pilgrims and devotees of Lord Shiva as they walk (clock wise) around the great, unscaled, sacred Himalayan peak, Mount Kailasa. This chant means, “Om, I bow to Lord Shiva.” And this act of great austerity is considered by both Hindus & Buddhists alike as a very pious and difficult sacrifice leading to good fortune and ultimate beautitude. In the Sanskrit-English dictonary of Prof. V.S. Apte, “Kailasa” is defined as, Name of a mountain, a peak of the Himalayas and residence of Shiva. In the same dictonary, Shiva is defined as, Auspicious, propitious, lucky, in good health or condition, happy, prosperious, fortunate, God bless!, name of the third God of the sacred Hindu Trinity (Tri-guna-avatara’s), who is entrusted with the work of universal destruction, as Brahma and Visnu are with the creation and preservation of the (material) world(s) respectively. Shiva also has many other meanings listed such as, Final beatitude, the male organ (lingam), the Vedas (ancient Sanskrit scriptures), and the husband of Goddess Durga (Maya-devi), who is also known as Sati, Uma, and Parvati; and she is Shiva’s shakti (material energy). Together Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga reside on Mount Kailasa for the duration of the cosmic manifestation or the life-span of the temporary material universe. Stones (rocks) from Mount Kailasa are brought back by the stalwart devotees who take the one-two month trip to walk around the base of the sacred Mount. These stones or bits of Mount Kailasa are considered to be non-different from Lord Shiva, who is greater than the sum total of the entire universe; therefore it is considered an offence to buy or sell a Sri Kailasa-sila (stone). It is impossible to place a material value on a Sri Kailasa-mani. Deity: Sri Shankar – Time of invocation: Daily at Sunrise – Mantra of Invocation: Om namah shivaya! -108 times