| Nandi | |
|---|---|
 Nandi in a zoo-anthropomorphic form | |
| Affiliation | Mount ofShiva |
| Abode | Mount Kailash |
| Consort | Suyasha[1] |
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Nandi (Sanskrit:नन्दि), also known asNandikeshvara orNandideva, is the bullvahana (mount) of theHindu godShiva. He is also theguardian deity ofKailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine.
The Sanskrit wordnandi (Sanskrit:नन्दि) means happy, joy, and satisfaction, which are the properties of Nandi, the divine guardian of Shiva.[2]
The application of the name Nandi to the bull (Sanskrit:Vṛṣabha) is a development of recentsyncretism of different regional beliefs within Shaivism.[3] The name Nandi was widely used instead for an anthropomorphicdoor-keeper of Kailash, rather than his mount in the oldest Shaivite texts in Sanskrit, Tamil, and other Indian languages.Siddhanta texts distinguish between Nandi andVṛṣabha.[4]
Nandi is described as the son of the sage Shilada. Shilada underwent severe penance to have a boon– a child with immortality and blessings of Shiva, and received Nandi as his son.Shiva Purana says that Nandi was born from ayajna performed by Shilada.[5] Nandi grew up as an ardent devotee of Shiva and he performed severe penance to become his gate-keeper, as well as his mount, on the banks of riverNarmada. According toregional legend, this site is identified with the Tripur Tirth Kshetra in present-day Nandikeshwar Temple, inJabalpur,Madhya Pradesh.
According toShaivaSiddhanta, Nandi is considered to be chief among theSiddhars, initiated byParvati andShiva. He is regarded to have passed on what he had learned to his eight disciples, namely, theFour Kumaras,Tirumular,Vyagrapada (also known as Pullipani),[6]Patanjali, and Sivayoga Muni. They were sent out in eight different directions to spread his wisdom. His teachings are held by theNandinatha Sampradaya, a line ofgurus who claim descent from Nandi.[7][8]
ManyPuranic legends are available about Nandi. One describes his conflict withRavana, the antagonist of theRamayana. Nandi cursed Ravana, therakshasa king ofLanka, that his kingdom would be burnt by a forest-dweller monkey (vanara), since he behaved in a restless manner, just like a monkey, while waiting to meetShiva. Later,Hanuman burned Lanka when he went in search ofSita, who was imprisoned by Ravana in the grove called theAshoka Vatika.[9]
The ancient Tamil textTiruvilaiyadal Puranam mentions another story in which Nandi is incarnated as a whale.[10] According to this legend, Parvati lost her concentration while Shiva was explaining the meaning of theVedas to her. Parvati, then incarnated as a fisher-woman to atone for her lack of concentration. To unite his master and his beloved-wife, Nandi took the form of a whale and started to trouble the people.Parvati's father declared that the man who would kill the whale would marry his daughter. Later, Shiva took the form of a fisherman and killed the whale, and received Parvati in her previous form.[11]
TheCham Hindus of Vietnam believe that when they die,Nandi takes their soul to the holy land of India from Vietnam.
TheAgamas describe Nandi in a zoo-anthropomorphic form, with the head of bull and four hands, withantelope, axe, mace, andabhayamudra. In his mount form, Nandi is depicted as a seated bull in all Shiva temples, all over the world. This form has been found even inSoutheast Asian countries includingCambodia.[12]
The white color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Symbolically, the seated Nandi faces the sanctum in Shiva temples and represents an individualjiva (soul) and the message that the jiva should always be focused on theParameshvara. From the yogic perspective, Nandi is the mind dedicated to Shiva, the absolute. In other words, to understand and absorb light, the experience, and the wisdom is Nandi, who is the guru within.[13]
Nandi flag or Vrshabha flag, a flag with the emblem of seated bull is recognized as the flag of Shaivism, particularly among Tamil community all over the world. Nandi was the emblem of historical Tamil Shaiva monarchs, such asPallava dynasty andJaffna Kingdom.[16] Several campaigns to aware the Shaivas about their Nandi flag is carried out continuously during theShivaratri session, particularly amongTamil community ofSri Lanka,Tamil Nadu, anddiaspora.[17]
The Nandi flag used nowadays was designed by Ravindra Sastri ofMadurai,Tamil Nadu, according to the request and guidance of S. Danapala, aSri Lankan Shaiva personage, in the 1990s. The first Nandi flag was hoisted in 1998, atColombo Hindu College atRatmalana, Sri Lanka.[18][19] Following years, it was declared as the official Shaiva flag in fourth International Saiva Siddhanta Conference, held in Zurich in 2008.[15] Nowadays, Tamil Shaivas, especially inSri Lanka,Canada,Australia,UK,South Africa, andSwitzerland, hoist the flag in all religious and cultural festivals.[15][18][19] Nandi flag was declared as the official Hindu flag of Sri Lanka.[20][21]
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