ex-l wrote:What is this "Five form of nature" stuff? Is it like some reference of The Tibetan Book of the Death? and; How can something inert and soulless have a form?
Hi ex-l, I foolishly googled "five forms of nature" and was struck by the following:
In Chidambaram Temple, even though there's a main deity, the actual deity is present in another form and this is called as Chidambara Rahasya. If you travel westwards there's another temple which doesn't have an usual idol in the sanctum sanctorum but the lord is said to be present in another form. What's the funda behind these? There are some other temples which are connected by the same funda. Bonus points for identifying these places too.
ANSWER:In Chidambaram, Shiva is present in a formless form & is representing Akash (SKY) which is also called as Chidambara Rahasya. So in the temple you'll be asked to look at the sky to see the akash linga (via a mirror, i guess).
The connection is that God Shiva representing Five Forms of nature Panchatattvas, i.e Air, Water, Sky, Fire & Earth in these temples.
In Tiruvanaikaval near Trichy (on the banks of the Cauvery), Shiva represents WATER. In the sanctum sanctorum, there is a perennial water supply from an unknown natural spring of the Cauvery.
In Srikalahasti (near Tirupati, AP), Shiva represents AIR.
In Tiruvannamalai (TN), Shiva represents FIRE.
In Kanchipuram (TN), Shiva represents EARTH.
As per the matters that we discuss over here on this site, my eyes widen at the mention Shiva blah blah blah.