SHALIGRAM: Its creation and an interesting usage from Garud Puran
Shankhchoor was a great demon king and a great warrior. Due to a boon he could not be killed by ordinary devtas. So all of them went to the creator Brahma and asked him for a way to kill him. Since Shankhchoor enjoyed a boon from Brahma in the form of a body armour which could not be pierced by anything, hence he could not be killed. The other factor was that his wife Tulsi was a great chaste lady, devoted completely to her husband. Brahma, took all the devtas to lord Vishnu and explained the whole thing to him. Lord Vishnu agreed to get the armour from Shankhchoor and also to break the chastity of his wife.
Lord Vishnu took the form of a Brahmin and went to Shankhchoor and asked for Bhiksha. Shaknchoor agreed to it. But Lord Vishnu in the form of Brahmin asked him to give a promise before hand that what ever is asked of him shall be granted, to which Shankhchoor readily agreed without doubting the Brahmin’s intentions. After extracting this promise from him, the Brahmin asked him for his body armour. Since the king had given his word, so Shankhchoor immediately gave away the body armour. The moment he did this, the power which saved him during wars disappeared. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of Shankhchoor and went to his wife. She, thinking that her husband has come, became very happy and they made love. Thus her pledge towards her husband was broken. Due to the quality of her great chastity, her husband enjoyed long life, hence the second line of defense of Shankhchoor was also broken down. He was ultimately killed in the battle.
When Tulsi realized what has happened with her, she got furious and cried a lot. She gave a curse to Lord Vishnu that since he acted in such a heartless manner to spoil her chastity, he would become a stone. Since his act was so lowly, worms will infest him. But she was inconsolable.
The Lord Shiva appeared before her and told her the whole story that she and her husband Shankhchoor, both lived in Vaikunth with the lord and due to some curse had fallen down from there. Since she had always prayed to unite with Lord Vishnu, so the moment has come for her to leave the body and go back to the realm of Lord Vishnu and stay there like his consort Luxmi. Her body will become a river by the name of Gandaki (presently in Nepal) and Tulsi will be mainly used in the poojan of the lord. Due to her curse, lord Vishnu will turn into a rock which will be known in Gandaki where innumerable worms will infest it. They will cut it to small small pieces and engrave special symbols of conch, chakra, mace and lotus on it. These pieces will fall into Gandaki river. From there they will be retrieved by people and be known as Shalgram, and considered as the live form of lord Vishnu. The coming together of Shalagram and Tulsi will always be very auspicious and beneficial for the sadhak. A Brahmin is even advised to keep five Shaligrams in his pooja place.
This Shaligram is used for poojan of lord Vishnu but another very interesting usage has been explained in the Garud puran. A real friend is that who can direct the atma of another on the moksha path. It is said when one is sitting by a person who is leaving his body certain procedure can be adopted to guide the departing soul. First of all one should make a square space and smear it with cow dung. Then sprinkle seven kind of vikeern (things to be sprinkled) namely Kusha1(a kind of grass), Lava2(made from rice), barley3, ashes (bhasm)4, Chandan5, Sarson6 and rice7. Black sesame seeds also should be sprinkled. When such things are sprinkled no negative energy can invade that area and Brahma, Vishu, Rudra, Luxmi and Agni are established there. If one can do poojan of all the above entities in that space, personally one feels it would be of great help. Then the body from which the soul is leaving should be brough and made to lie on it with head in the north direction and do its poojan with kumkum and akshat(rice). Golden shalaks shall be placed on his mouth, two nasal passages, two eyes, two ears, one organ of procreation and the crown. Some tulsi leaves should be placed on his forehead and neck(Vishudhi chakra). Shalagram should placed on the chest and panch ratna be put inside the mouth. Personally one feels that one should also hold the hands of the dying person while others are sitting around him/her so that an unbroken circle is made. At this moment no worldly talk should be done but one maha mantra of Lord Vishnu be chanted, till his soul leaves the body.
‘Hare Ram hare Ram, Ram Ram hare hare,
Hare Krishna hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna hare hare'
If such a procedure can be executed, it is believed that the soul will not be taken up by the attendants(parshads) of Yama but by the attendants of lord Vishnu, from the realm of Vaikunth.
The body should be brought out of another door of the house on ones own shoulders. While cremating, Tulsi or Chandan or Plash wood, which ever can be arranged at that moment, be used. When on the third day one goes to collect the pushp(bones and ashes), they should be washed with amla juice. It is said that by bathing the last remains in such a juice the concerned soul never takes birth again and is set free from the pain of the cycle of life and death.
Kush (a kind of grass) is said to come from the hair on the body of the Lord and black sesame seeds come from the sweat of the Lord, hence they are auspicious and where ever they are used asur, daitya, danav and all the negative souls run away from there.
Whenever we give offerings to our ancestors, always give black sesame seeds, wheat flour and salt on a no moon day at a place of community kitchen. It is said that when ever salt is given along with flour, gates of heaven open for the departed soul. Thus I think if we can do such a thing and have faith then we must do it as we can not give a better service to the departed soul then this. Thus, we are ensuring, a higher evolution for him/her. But I do not think this would be a very easy task to perform and many things will come on the way to obstruct it. Firstly, It depends upon the past punya karmas (good deeds) of the departing soul that a person of such knowledge may be present by his/her bed side at that time; secondly, the family people agree to do all the procedure and thirdly, the required things are available …………Om!
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