Shankha  (conch shell) is an essential aspect of every Puja ritual in Sanatan Dharma. During every Puja, Aarti, and Yagya, you can hear the Shankhnaad (sound of the Conch shell). Scriptures recommend that every Hindu home should have at least a Shankha (conch shell) in their home. Unfortunately, many people don’t read the scriptures; therefore, few realize how beneficial (Shankha or Shankh) is.

In this post, we share some of the details about Shankha, Dakshinavarti Shankha and it’s significance. So, in the Brahmavaivarta Purana, this is said about Shankha:

शङ्खं चन्द्रार्क दैवत्यं मध्ये वरुण दैवतम् ।

पृष्ठे प्रजापति विद्यात् अग्रे गङ्गा सरस्वती ॥

 

त्रैलोक्ये यानि तीर्थानि वासुदेवस्य च आज्ञया ।

शङ्खे तिष्ठन्ति विप्रेन्द्र तस्माच्छङ्खं प्रपूजयेत् ॥

Meaning:

In Shankha abides the Chandra (Moon)  and Surya Devatas. In the middle of the Shankha is Varuna Devata; on its back abides Prajapati, and on its front, Ganga and Saraswati, along with all the Teerthas. Shankha is also a form of Kubera, and therefore Shankha should be worshipped. Just with Darshan (looking at it), all life’s troubles run away.

Origin of Shankha

If we listen to and respect the Sanatan scriptures, Shankha is said to have originated from Samudra Manthan (have you heard the

stories about the churning of the ocean?) when Bhagavan Vishnu held it for the first time in His hand. Out of the 14 Ratnas (Gems) that appeared as a result of Samudra Manthan, Shankha was the sixth Ratna.

The following verse prays to Shankha while mentioning the origin of the Shankh Devata.

त्वं पुरा सागरोत्पन्नः विष्णुना विधृतः करे ।
पूजितः सर्व देवैश्च पाञ्चजन्य नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

Meaning:

In ancient times You rose from the Sea and was held by Vishnu in His Hand; you are worshipped by all the Devas; Salutations to Panchajanya.

References of Shankha in Sanatan Scriptures

Other than Brahmavaivarta Purana from which the verses mentioned above have been taken, there are many references about Shankha and stories around the origin, significance, and other essential aspects of  Shankha in Srimad Bhagavad Mahapurana, Lakshmi Samhita, Shankh Samhita, Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, and Ayurveda Grantha.

Significance of Shankhanaad

Shankhnaad- Shankha is blown in every Hindu Puja/Yagya/Aarti in order to get dispel negative energies and evil spirits from around the atmosphere.

Shankhanaad-The sound from the Shankh is associated with the sacred syllable ‘Om,’ which is said to be the first sound of creation, which is also the sound of the Ishwara. When the Shankh is blown, the primordial sound of “Om” emanates from it. This eternal sound is the origin of all Vedas. All knowledge enshrined in the Vedas is an elaboration of Om’s omnipresent sublime sound, which represents the creation.

Shankhanaad enhances the positive psychological vibrations such as courage, hope, optimism, willpower, and bliss that can be felt by all around.

Types of Shankha

There are three main types of Shankha, although there can be many sub-classifications within those three types. But we will focus on the main three here in this post.

1. Dakshinavarti Shankha – The Shankha whose mouth is open on the holder’s right side (Dakshin Bhaag) when kept straight on its back.
2. Madhyavarti Shankha – The  Shankha whose mouth opens in the middle when kept straight on its back.
3. Vaamaavarti Shankha – The Shankha whose mouth opens on the holder’s left side (Vaam Bhaag) when kept straight on its back. This is commonly the one that is used for creating ShankhaNaad during Puja/Aarti etc.

Among these three types, Dakshinavarti and Madhyavarti Shankhas are believed to be the most wonderful and miraculous; therefore, they are not readily available. However, this is where expert assistance is needed because there are many thugs selling artificial Shankhas these days.

The Properties of a Good Shankha

The next natural question is, how should a good Shankha be like? How it should look? How should it feel? Right? So, here is the Shloka guiding this aspect:

शङ्खस्तु विमलः श्रेष्ठ चन्द्रकान्तिसमप्रभः।
अशुद्दगुणदोषैव शुद्धस्तु सगुणप्रदः।।

Meaning: A shankha which is pure, beautiful, and radiant like the moon, is the best. The impure Shankha is not meritorious; therefore, we should only keep Shuddh (pure), Shankha for regular use. You can refer to our earlier post about methods used to identify a good Shankha or conch shell.

When To Perform Shankha Naad

According to the direction from the Shastras (scriptures), Shankhanaad should be played in the morning, noon, and evening (Trikaal Sandhya), all three times for Puja if possible.

Shankha should be played Before and After Aarti.

Benefits of Shankha – A Collection

1. Doing Abhishekam of Bhagavan Vishnu (Ram/Krishna/Jagannatha) and Shaligram brings Akshaya Puna to the performer of the Abhishekam
2. Installation of Shankha in the home and Shankhanaad not only helps eliminate Vaastu Dosha from the house but also benefits progeny, business, health, and wealth.
3.  Shankha helps eliminate Pitree Dosha
4. Performing Shankhanaad is believed to help our lungs and helps eliminate lung-related diseases, including breathing problems
5. Keeping water in the Dakshinawarti Shankh and then drinking that water is said to be the ‘Maha Aushadh’ (the best medicine). This is because it helps remove many diseases.
6. If one performs Shaaligram Abhishekam using Dakshinavarti Shankha and then that milk is given to a pregnant woman, it is said that the child born of that woman will never be born ‘Mook’ (moot).
7. If Shankha Jal (water from Shankha) is sprinkled on one’s body, it removes all sinful Karma from that person’s life. This is why we see the culture of Pujaari (Purohit) in temples sprinkling Shankha water on devotees accumulated during/after Aarti.
8. Wherever Dakshinavarti Shankha is kept, it is said that Mahalakshmi herself resides in that home with Narayan because Shankha is considered to be the brother of Bhagavati Lakshmi as both of them appeared from the same Churning of the Ocean event (Samudra Manthan).
9. Presence of Dakshinavarti Shankha removes Bhoomi Dosha from the house where it is kept.

Miracles of Dakshinavarti Shankha

According to the Sanatan Hindu Shastras, here are some remedies and miraculous uses of Dakshinavarti Shankha in homes:

1. If one properly installs a pure Dakshinavarti Shankha, performs Prana Pratishtha (Installation Puja), and then recites Dakshin Lakshmi Stotra once every day for forty days, the Saadhaka will achieve freedom from all economic worries and success in business.

2. If one performs 101 recitations of the Dakshin Lakshmi Stotra in front of the Dakshinavarti Shankha on Diwali night, he/she will get desired boon (Manowanchhit Phal).

3. One should fill Ganga Jal in the Dakshinavarti Shankha and then recite the Dakshina Lakshmi Stotra 21 times for 11 days (each day, fill fresh water and drink the water filled on the previous day). The one who does it sees tremendous growth in his/her business.