Nandi is the name for the bull which serves as the mount of the god Shiva and as the gatekeeper
of Shiva and Parvati. In Hindu Religion, he is the chief guru of eighteen masters including
Patanjali and Thirumular. Temples venerating Shiva display stone images of a seated Nandi,
generally facing the main shrine. There are also a number of temples dedicated solely
to Nandi. The application of the name Nandi to the bull
is in fact a development of recent centuries, as Gouriswar Bhattacharya has documented in
an illustrated article entitled "Nandin and Vṛṣabha". The name Nandi was earlier widely
used instead for an anthropomorphic deity who was one of Shiva’s two door-keepers,
the other being Mahākāla. The doorways of pre-tenth-century North Indian temples are
frequently flanked by images of Mahākāla and Nandi, and it is in this role of Shiva’s
watchman that Nandi figures in Kālidāsa’s poem the Kumārasambhava.
Etymology the word “Nandi” is believed to be derived
from the ancient Tamil word “Pandi” meaning bull or its has origins in the Sanskrit language
where it means 'of Shiva', 'attendant of Shiva', or happy.
Birth of Nandi There was a Sage named Shilada who underwent
severe penance to have a boon - A child with immortality. Lord Indra pleased of the austerities
of Shilada appeared in front of him to offer a boon. After hearing the request of Shilada
and his desire to have an immortal child, Lord Indra suggested him to pray to Lord Shiva
who could provide the boon; nobody else could provide such a boon. Sage Shilada continued
his penance for thousand years. He was totally immovable for many years, so the termites
settled on his body and slowly started to build up their nest. Finally, his whole body
was covered up by them. The insects started to eat his flesh and imbibed his blood. At
last, only bones remained. Lord Shiva appeared in front of him and provided the boon for
an immortal child. Moreover, Lord Shiva provided Sage Shilada his old form with a single touch.
Sage Shilada performed Yagna and a child appeared from the sacrificial fire. His body was clad
in armour made out of diamonds. The celestial dancers and singers performed on this auspicious
occasion and the deities showered flowers on the child. The boy was named ’Nandi’
- who brings joy. Shilada brought the child home, immediately the boy lost his divine
appearance to an ordinary child. The child completely forgot all about his birth. Sage
Shilada was worried about the sudden change. He devoted his time for the bringing up the
child, his education etc. By the age of seven the boy was well versed in Veda and all sacred
texts. One day the two deities - Mitra and Varuna visited Sage Shilada. At the first
sight of the boy, they commented: Though the boy had all auspicious signs, he would have
a very short life. The boy would not live after the age of eight. Sage Shilada was mortified
at this remark. Nandi could not bear his father's sorrow, he began to pray to Lord Shiva. Lord
Shiva appeared before him and blessed him. Lord Shiva adorned the boy with a necklace
around his neck which he was wearing, and made him immortal. Lord Shiva blessed the
child and declared that he would be worshiped along with Him and become his vahana(vehicle).
Immediately the boy got all the divine powers and transformed into half bull-half human.
Then he and Shilada went to Lord Shiva 's abode to live.
In Hinduism
Bulls appear on the Indus Valley seals, including the 'Pasupati Seal', which depicts a seated
figure, and according to some scholars is similar to Shiva. However, most scholars agree
that the horned bull on the Indus Valley seals is not identical to Nandi.
The various descriptions on Nandi in the Hindu Religion texts include:
Some Puranas describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull faced with a human body that resembles
that of Shiva- in proportion and aspect, although with four hands, two hands holding the Parasu
and Mruga and the other two hands joined together in the Anjali(obeisance). Brahma Vaivarta
Purana mentions Krishna himself to have taken the form of a bull as no one else in the Universe
can bear Shiva. Vehicle of Shiva: The bull Nandi is Shiva's
primary vehicle and is the principal gana of Shiva.
Gate keeper of Shiva's abode: The close association of Shiva and Nandi explains the presence of
a statue of Nandi at the gate of many temples dedicated to Shiva. It also explains why the
word "nandi" in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil languages is used as a metaphor for a person
blocking the way. In Sanskrit, a bull is called "vrisha", which has another connotation - that
of righteousness or Dharma. It is important to seek the blessings of Nandi before proceeding
to worship Lord Shiva. Chief in Shiva's army: Some Puranas mention
that Nandi lead the Shiva Ganas, Shiva's attendants. A Guru of Saivism: In addition to being his
mount, Nandi is Shiva's foremost disciple. In the Natha/Siddhar tradition, Nandi is one
of the primal gurus. He was the guru to Siddhar Thirumulanathar, Patanjalinathar and others.
From the yogic perspective, Nandi Nandikeshvara is the mind dedicated to Lord Siva, the Absolute.
In other words, to understand and absorb Light, the 'experience and the wisdom' is Nandi which
is the Guru within. Spiritually, Nandi represents an individual
jiva and the message that the jiva should always be focussed on the Atman
Legends
According to some puranas, Nandi was born to sage Shilada who got him by the grace of
Shiva. It was Nandi who cursed Ravana that his kingdom
would be burnt by a monkey. And later Hanuman burnt Lanka when he went in search of Sita,
who was kept prisoner by Ravana in Ashok Vatika. In one puranic story, it is stated that once
Siva and Parvathi were playing a game of dice. For any game there has to be an umpire, who
has to declare who is the winner. Siva and Parvathi agreed to have Nandi as the umpire.
Nandi is a favorite of Siva, as he is Siva's vehicle. Although Siva lost the game, Nandi
declared him the winner. It is stated that Parvathi was indignant over Nandi's partiality
for Siva and cursed him that he should die from an incurable disease. Thereupon Nandi
fell at the feet of Parvathi and pleaded for forgiveness. "Mother forgive me. Should I
not show at least this amount of gratitude to one who is my master? Is it not humiliating
for me to declare that my master has lost the game? To uphold his honor I no doubt uttered
a lie. But am I to be punished with such severity for so small an offence?" Nandi prayed for
forgiveness in this manner. Parvathi forgave Nandi and taught him the means to atone for
his lapse. She told him. "The Chaturdasi day in the month of Bhadrapada is the day when
my son's birthday is celebrated. On that day you have to offer to my son what pleases you
most". This means that one atones for one's sins when one offers to the Lord what is most
pleasing and enjoyable to him. For Nandi the most enjoyable and relishing food is green
grass. As directed by Parvathi Nandi worshipped Ganapathi by offering green grass. Nandi was
then relieved of his dreaded disease. His health improved and by the grace of Parvathi
he was redeemed. When the positive forces, the devas, and the
negative forces, the asuras, joined together on a rare occasion to churn the ocean with
a mountain to obtain the nectar of immortality they utilized Vasuki, the serpent, as the
rope. The devas pulled from one end and the asuras from the other. Lots of precious herbs
and gems were produced during the Churning and one of them was a poison which became
human karma. This "poison" was so dangerous that none of the devas or asuras wanted to
go near it. It was extremely sticky and coming into contact with this poison, i.e., human
karma, would drag the divinity down to the realms of human suffering and ego. As everyone
else ran away, Lord Siva, followed by Nandi, came forward to help as he was the only one
who could counteract this deadly poison. Siva took the poison into his hand and drank it,
the descent of the poison was in turn stopped at His throat, by His divine consort. Siva
is therefore also known as Nīlakaṇṭha and Viṣakaṇṭha. Nandi saw some of the
poison spill out of Siva's mouth and immediately drank if off the ground. The devas and asuras
watching were shocked and wondered aloud what would happen to Nandi. Lord Siva calmed their
fears saying, "Nandi has surrendered into me so completely that he has all my powers
and my protection".
Largest Nandis in India: Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh
Brahadishwara Temple, Tamil Nadu Chamundi Hills, Mysore, Karnataka
Bull Temple, Bangalore, Karnataka Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka Shanthaleswara Temple, Halebidu, Karnataka
Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur, Kerala Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Karnataka
Nandi Temple, Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Kedareshvara Temple at Balligavi Doddabasaveshvara temple, Kurugodu Bellary
dist See also
Apis Awal
Cattle in religion Kamadhenu
Golden calf Miscellaneous
The white color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice.
Women visit images of Nandi, bringing floral offerings, and touch the stone. Their prayers
are for fertility. Additionally, it is also considered a custom among some to whisper
the fact of their visit, to that shrine, while requesting the faithful attendant to inform
his master of the same. References
Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend 2004 by Anna Dallapiccola
^ "18 - SIDDHAS DETAILS". Retrieved December 27, 2011.
^ Gouriswar Bhattacharya, "Nandin and Vṛṣabha", Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen
Gesellschaft, Supplement III,2, XIX. Deutscher Orientalistentag, 1977, pp. 1543-1567.
^ http:translation.babylon.comNandi/ ^ http:sanskritdictionary.com/?q=nandi
^ http:www.spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=nandi ^ http:themeaningofthename.com
^ Prafullah Padhy. Social Legislation And Crime. Gyan Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-81-8205-347-2.
Retrieved 5 February 2013. ^ "Shiva and Uma on the Bull Nandi". The Walters
Art Museum. External links