Shankha - Conch Shell (Indian Turbinella Pyrum) : “Shankham” comes from the two Sanskrit words “Shum” which means something good and the “Kham” meaning water. Hence the meaning of “Shankam” is “The conch holding the sacred water”. According to the Vedic scriptures, the Shankha is one of the most auspicious objects that emerged from the sea during the Ksheera Sagara samudra manthan. Hence it is regarded as the brother of Goddess Lakshmi, the ruler of wealth. According to Puranas, the shankh originated during the Churning of ocean by the Deities. As per a holy verse which is regularly chanted during the puja ritual it is mentioned that by the command of Lord Vishnu the deities Moon, Sun and Varun are stationed at the base of the shankh, the deity Prajapati on its surface and all the places of pilgrimage like Ganga and Saraswati in its front portion. Yet another specialty of shankh is that the vibrations emanating on blowing it destroys the disease causing germs in the atmosphere. That is the reason it has a important place in Ayurved and medicine. --Shankh represents a number - one hundred zillion (or 100,000,000,000,000,000) also. --Shankh in Indian mythology is also the name given to one of the nine treasures held by the god of wealth, Kuber. Blowing of shankh in puja : The shankh is used in two ways in a puja ritual. One for blowing before the start of ritual and other for actual puja ritual. The shankh which is used for blowing should not be kept for puja. Blowing of shankh has special significance in puja ritual. It has been mentioned in ‘Varaha Puran’ that one should not open the door of temple without first blowing the shankh. The left turned shankh is blown before the start of puja or performance of arti. There are three types of frequencies in the atmosphere namely sattva dominant, raja dominant and tama dominant. Among them the raja dominant and tama dominant frequencies generate distressing vibrations. The sattva dominant frequencies get attracted to the place of puja ritual but these frequencies are opposed by the raja and tama dominant frequencies so that they do not reach the place of puja and thus the flow of sattva frequencies is hindered. When the shankh is blown before the start of puja energy is emitted from the shankh. This energy reduces the strength of distressing frequencies. Besides a protective armour of chaitanya (divine consciousness) is formed around the articles of puja. There is another benefit too. That is when the shankh is blown the activated energy of Lord Vishnu in the universe gets attracted towards the place of worship which is not only beneficial to the person who is blowing the shankh but also to all those who hear it. Just as the shankh is blown before the start of puja, it is also blown before an arti. The objective behind this being to sustain the deity’s chaitanya attracted to the place of puja ritual and the pure atmosphere generated because of the sattvik frequencies, for a long period. Dakshinavarti Shankh The sea shell which open towards left hand are commonly available but rare the seashells which open towards Right Side. Shells are obtained from the water-animals especially form snails, which live in the seas. Dakshina means the south side or when holding the sankh , Right Side. Therefore it is called Dakshinavarti Shankh. Dakshinavarti Shankh is available in white colour and with brown lines on it. Dakshinavarti Shankh is the symbol of Maa Lakshmi. Godess Lakshmi photo always depicts Dakshinavarti Shank in her hands Real Lakshmi Conch (right side spinning) are estimated to occur only one per 100,000 conch shells. A true Dakshinavarthy shell is sold on weight basis. The present market cost in India falls in the range of Rs. 1500/- to Rs. 3500/- per gram. However, there have been some reports that shell is also sold up to Rs. 10000/- per gram. Based upon a market search, price was average of Indian Valampuri depending on size, type, and quality, price can be much higher. More over, Valampuries of the smooth milk variety sell for over Rs. 10000 per gram, and weight about 150-350 grams. Tiny dwarf Valampuries small enough to wear as a pendant are very rare and price is negotiable when available. Tiny Valampuri are practically not available.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 13:00:09 +0000
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