The Vachanakaras of Lingayat present the process of creation
as follows. Para-shiva, in the pre-Creation state, is called Shunya or Bayalu
(Void), or Mahashunya (Great Void). He is not aware of anything in that stage
because there is nothing other than him to be aware of. Nor is he aware of
himself. But when he becomes aware of himself, he decides to create. That is
when his shakti becomes agitated. This stage of Para-shiva is called
Nishkala-linga, undivided Linga. His decision is called chit-shakti in Sanskrit
and nenahu in Kannada.
Nishkala-linga divides himself into two aspects, anga and
Linga. Anga is the group of individual souls, which are not separate from one
another — their bodies, senses, and minds are not yet created. Simultaneously,
the shakti of Nishkala-Linga is also divided into two: the shakti of Linga is
called kalashakti and the shakti of anga is called bhakti-shakti. These are
also called pravrtti-shakti or adhomaya and nivritti-shakti or urdhva-maya
respectively. The shakti of Linga or Shiva-Shakti is divided into adi-shakti,
parashakti, iccha-shakti, jnana-shakti, and kriya-shakti, out of which the antahkaranas,
internal organs — manas, mind, buddhi, intellect, citta, mind-stuff, ahamkara,
ego, and jivatman — the five sense organs, the motor organs like hands and
legs, the five vital airs — prana, apana, udana, samana, and vyana — and the dhatus
such as bone, blood, flesh, and hair are made. They are also the causes of
material objects — ocean, mountains, stones, trees, stars, and the like.
Linga assumes five forms called adhidevatas, superintending
deities — Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana — which control
the five shaktis. In fact, kala-shakti and bhakti-shakti are not different. The
same shakti is kala-shakti if involved in selfish purposes and bhakti-shakti if
applied to spiritual purposes. Since bhakti-shakti raises the soul to a higher
state, it is called urdhva-maya, upward force, and since kala-shakti makes
human bondage stronger, it is called adho-maya, downward force.
Making use of these building blocks emanating from Linga, Brahma — a form of Linga — creates the world of living and non-living beings. The bound souls receive bodies and minds in accordance with the merits and demerits gained in their lives before the dissolution of the universe. They are granted new bodies and minds so that they may make spiritual use of them in order to gain moksha. In this sense anga means the pujaka, worshipper, and Linga the worshipped.
Source – excerpts from article titled ‘Lingayat Philosophy and Vedanta’ by Prof. N G Mahadevappa in the 2010 issue of Prabuddha Bharata Magazine.