Planet: Budhan (Mercury), Direction: North East
This lingam is the stage of letting go of everything–material life, family, possessions. What you are waiting for now is liberation, mukti. “The body is going to fall at any time. Before that, give me mukti” is the typical prayer here. “Give me the power to not be afraid, and the power to reach you, Siva.” You ask yourself, “Do you want liberation, or do you want to incarnate again?” for many Indians it is at this stage of life where they really start to meditate, and go to temple with a deeper intent.
The Easanya Lingam is like a cemetery.
This and the Indra Lingam are the two most important lingams, the beginning and the ending. Between these two are your life’s lessons.
While this is the eighth of eight lingams, and most people end their lives here, one more lingam exists –Arunachala Siva, the lingam of liberation, the lingam of mukti. The last lingam is invisible.
The actual lingam is below the ground, so you have to sit to worship it.
And this is the place where you should sit and meditate, “I must surrender. My life is ending, what is important now?”
Om Sri Easanya lingamai namo namaha.
Traditional meaning
Easanya Lingam brings peace of mind. Isanyar is one of the seven Rudras of Siva. He is covered with ashes and surrounded by ghosts. Like Siva, he has matted locks and fierce eyes and is seated on a tiger skin. He holds the crescent moon and the river Ganga in his locks. His body is adorned by coiled serpents. In his hands he holds the mortal drum and the trident of Siva.
How to get there:
The temple is located on the 2.1 kms North from Arunachaleshwarar temple.
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/v26mTwiAoN3qBdq58
About Asta Lingams of Arunachala
The Asta Lingams of Arunachala, the eight special Siva lingams that encircle the holy hill, are old features, dating back hundreds of years. It is said that visiting and worshiping these lingams brings great spiritual benefit. For the millions of people who, each year during the full moon nights, perform Arunachala Girivalam (also called Pradakshina, spiritual circumambulation), praying at these Asta Lingams is a major element of their experience.
Each of these eight lingams has a presiding star and is named for a God or Rishi that worshiped Siva (from this very location, it is often said). Each has a specific spiritual attribute. Each can provide assistance with some kind of major life issue, or illness. You can find out a lot about them by Googling “asta lingam.”
Recently Carol and I were given a tour of these lingams by Saran, a local man who we think is the best of the Arunachala guides. He grew up living on the side of Arunachala, deeply loves this holy hill, and is steeped in local knowledge and traditions. He gave us a way of approaching the Asta Lingams that I don’t find on the web or in books. This is a deep local tradition about how to use worship and prayer at these sacred lingams for and in your life.
Below is a map of the Asta Lingams (double click to enlarge):
History of the Asta Lingams of Arunachala
The Giripradakshina route for Arunachala was set a few hundred years ago, by a Pandyan king, Vikkirama Pandya, I think a bit before 1200 CE. The creation of the Asta Lingams is shrouded by time and myth. Saran told us a story of their creation that we had never heard.
Saran said that the locations were set on a specific astrological day, based on positions of the planets known as the Navagrahas, the Nine Planets, around Arunachala. There is a belief that one’s life is controlled by the Nine Planets. Each of the lingams stands for one of these planets, all surrounding (and worshipping) the “ninth planet,” Arunachala itself. In your life you are said to pass through each of the Navagrahas to the next. Worship of the Asta Lingams helps you move through the planetary cycles of your life.
The placement was done by a famous siddhar of Tiruvannamalai, about 500 years ago. The story goes that all of the planets, to worship Lord Siva, came around Arunachala. The siddhar could feel the energy from the planets, and located each lingam where their energy was the greatest.
