SALAGRAMA SILA

Salagrama is a precious stone-like object of different shapes found at the Gandaki River in Nepal. These stones have special marks like spiral, chakras, thread etc. formed on them. As per Hindu belief, Salagramas are sacred with the presence of God and part of their worship. They believe that by a mere look at these stones; all the sins that one had accumulated will at once get destroyed.

Why these stones are called Salagrama?

That is due to a story in the Varaha Purana, which says that once there was a sage by the name Shalankayana, who was performing austerities and devotional meditation in many holy places with the view to gain a great devotee of Lord Vihsnu as his son. He visited the sacred tirtha (holy place) of Muktinatha in present day Northern Nepal, high in the Himalayas, and took his bath in the icy waters of the Kali Gandaki at the back of Annapurna Mountain. Extremely tired from his climb in the high altitude, he finally took rest under a sala tree. Fast asleep on the eastern side of the tree, he didn't notice that the Lord Krishna had come and stood before him. Then by the Lord's mercy the sage awoke and saw his Lord standing there and immediately propitiated him with melodious Vedic mantras. The Lord then fulfilled the desire of the sage and gave him a son on the spot, and being pleased with his devotional attitude, gave another boon.

Krishna informed that from that day (the dwadasi in the sukla paksa of the month of Vaisaka) He would eternally stay on the area of that mountain in the form of the Salagrama stone. Actually there was no sala tree there at that time - it was a special self-manifesting mercy incarnation of the Lord appearing for His devotee. So in the same way, the Lord continued to tell the sage that in the self-manifesting form of the Salagrama Shila He will reside there, and the devotees can take Him in this form and worship Him, and He will reciprocate their love in that way. This is confirmed in the Mahabharata (Vana Parva Ch 84, 123-125), where it is said the name Salagram is given to Lord Vishnu who resides in the Salagrama at the Salagram Tirtha.



Formation of patterns on the stones:

The formation of various patterns and marks on the Salagramas is explained as follows:

A worm called vajra-kita (the adamantine worm) was born in these stones. This worm was in fact a form which Vishnu himself assumed. Having entered into the bowels of these stones, the worm, golden coloured, mighty and brilliant like a flash of lightning, making a sweet noise, carves out the marks of numerous kinds and various other marks with ease in the stones. The worm is believed to reside inside these stones for countless years, the presence of Godhead is unbroken here.