Lord Dakshinamurthy
Dakshinamurti Mahatmya, Significance of Lord Dakshinamurthi, what is the importance of Dakshinamurthi?
In Sanskrit, Dakshinamurti means ‘one who is facing south’. It is the form of Lord Shiva. It is believed that this form is the personification of Lord Shiva, where he represents knowledge, understanding and ultimate awareness. He is worshipped as the Lord of Wisdom, Yoga and Meditation.
In every temple of Dakshinamurthi, the statue of Lord Shiva is installed, facing towards south. He might be the only God, who faces the Southward direction.
According to the Beliefs of Shaivites, Lord Dakshinamurthi is the bestowal of knowledge. The famous posture of Lord Dakshinamurthi will be in Yogic form. In many Shaivite temples, he is worshipped on Thursdays.Indian Tradition offers special respect and devotion to the Guru or Teacher.
As Lord Dakshinamurthi is regarded as the Ultimate Guru, Embodiment of Knowledge and Destroyer of Ignorance, he is worshipped by the people on Thursdays. Some worship the Lord on the night of Guru Purnima.
The right hand of the God wills heshow t Jnana Mudra, in which, the tips of index finger and the thumb touch each other to form a ring. Because of this he is also called ‘Jnana Dakshinamurthi’. In India, there are only few temples, where Lord Dakshinamurthi is the chief Deity.
In one of the temples in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, he is represented as Yoga Dakshinamurthi. The Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, is the only one of the twelve Jyothirlingas, which is Dakshinamurthi. For this reason, Shaivites offer special Pujas and other Devotional Programmes. It is also considered as one of the important sites for gathering spiritual knowledge.