Informative

Nandi, the gatekeeper of Lord Shiva

ॐ तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे चक्रतुण्डाय धीमहि तन्नो नन्दिः प्रचोदयात् ||

Om Thatpurushaya Vidhmahe Chakratundaya Dheemahe Thanno Nandi Prachodayat.

Om, Let me meditate on that great living being. Oh, Lord of the Gods, give me higher intellect and let God Nandi illuminate my mind.

After winning the beautiful city of Lanka from his half-brother Kubera in a war, the demon King Ravana decided to meet Lord Shiva and landed his flying chariot Pushpaka on the base of mount Kailasa. There, he was stopped by a dwarf with a head of a bull. Looking at His appearance, arrogant Ravana started laughing and said, “monkeys in Lanka are more handsome than you, little dwarf, get out of my way.” Amused by the arrogance of the demon King, the Dwarf said, “the city you are so proud of will be destroyed by a monkey someday.” A few decades later, the beautiful demon city of Lanka was burned to the ground by a monkey named Lord Hanuman. The cursing dwarf – was none other than Lord Nandi – Vehicle of Lord Shiva.

Apart from being the vehicle of Lord Mahadev, He is considered the greatest devotee of Divine Mother Parvati. Once, when Lord Mahadev was explaining the Vedas to Maa Parvati, she lost her concentration for one moment. As an atonement, she had to take birth as a fisherwoman on earth. Nandi felt terrible for what happened. 

With determination to bring the celestial couple back together, Nandi took the form of a giant whale and started tormenting the same village where Maa Parvati was rebirthed. Chief fisherman, the father of Maa Parvati, declared that whoever will kill that whale will marry his daughter. Lord Mahadev came there as a fisherman and liberated Nandi by killing the whale and marrying Maa Parvati. Thus, Nandi restored the balance between the universe by reuniting Shiva and Shakti.

There is no single Shiva temple on earth, ancient or modern, where you will not find a Nandi statue in front of Lord Shiva’s statue or a Shiva Linga. Seals, found in Indus Valley civilization’s excavation, dating back 4000 years ago, have engraved Pashupati Natha (Lord Shiva) with Nandi beside him. Worshipping Nandi can be dated back at least 4000 years ago in the history of India. The question that naturally arises is – why is there a Nandi in every Lord Shiva’s temple?

What Nandi represents?

Shiva and Shakti created Agamas and Nigama – the knowledge base of Tantra and Yoga. Nandi was the first to learn the wisdom of Tantra from the Divine Mother Parvati. His eight disciples, namely Tirumular, Sanaka, Sanatana, Vyagrapada, Sanatkumara, Patanjali, Sanandana, and Sivayoga, learned the art of Tantra from Nandi and spread it to the eight directions in the world.

Nandi represents patience, meditation, and devotion without anticipation. Nandi is one of the most favorite disciples of Lord Shiva due to his ability of patience. If you take a closer look at Nandi, you will see that he is simply sitting in a relaxed position, looking at the Divine. He is not waiting for his Lord to come out of his meditation. He is not waiting in anticipation, expecting something to happen. With his ears erect, he is just sitting there, listening to his Lord. Nandi tells you to acquire a quality of sitting when it comes to visiting temples. He is teaching us the courageous act of patience.  

Whenever you visit temples, you must have seen Shiva devotees whispering something in Nandi’s ears. No matter how odd it might seem, there is a particular reason behind it. Nandi is considered the chief devotee of Lord Mahadev. The supreme Lord Mahadev is deep in meditation most of the time, operating the endless cycle of life and death. As Lord spends most of his time in penance and meditation, he is not to be disturbed. There are many stories in the Puranas that specifically mention the destructive aftermath of interrupting Lord Mahadev’s penance. And hence, devotees share their wishes, happiness, and sorrows with Nandi, for they have faith in Nandi to deliver their messages to Lord Shiva when he is out of the meditation.

Speaking symbolically, the Nandi, sitting, concentrating on the sanctum sanctorum of the Shiva temple represents Jiva (soul), and the Shiva idol or Shiva Lingam represents Parmatma (supreme Divine). It defines the purpose of life that the soul should always be focused on the ultimate Divine.

It is also believed that when someone is praying to Lord Shiva, he must not stand in between Nandi and Lord. While praying to Lord Shiva, one must stand on the right side of the Nandi, and from that spot, he must pray to the Lord. No one should ever come in between Nandi and Lord Shiva, as no one should come between you and your quest to reach to the Divine, removing all the unnecessary distractions in between.

Nandi, with his infinite wisdom, is explaining to us the difference between praying and meditation. Praying means speaking with the Lord, sharing your stories, happiness, and sorrows with him. On the other hand, meditation means just being with God, listening to him, feeling his existence, and listening to the creator instead of conversing with him. Nandi is looking relaxed. However, he is not sleeping at all. He is alert, lively, and meditating in front of his Divine.

Next time, when you visit a Shiva temple, do not forget to meet Nandi, the symbol of meditation and patience. Gently whisper your happiness and sorrows in his alert ears, for he will deliver your message to his Lord Mahadev as soon as He wakes up from his meditation.

We hope this blog helped you understand the significance of Nandi in the temples of Lord Mahadev. Feel free to send us your queries at info@chamundaswamiji.com

We look forward to hearing from you.