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"Shankham" comes from the two Sanskrit words "Shum" which means something good and the "Kham" meaning water. Hence the meaning of "Shankam" is "The conch holding the sacred water"
According to the Vedic scriptures, the Shankha is one of the most auspicious objects that emerged from the sea during the Ksheera Sagara samudra manthan. Hence it is regarded as the brother of Goddess Lakshmi, the ruler of wealth. Most of the Gods and Goddesses hold the Shankha in their hands. Shankh is one of the nine auspicious objects – Navanidhi – of Kubera who is the Lord of wealth. Blowing the Shankha is regarded as an auspicious sound at the start or end of any ceremony.
Shankh, or the conch cell is one of the most important religious symbols of Hinduism and hence is considered extremely sacred and holy. According to Hindu Mythology, the shaknh first emerged during the Churning of the Ocean by the Devas and the Asuras and was adapted by Lord Vishnu as his adornment.
A conch or Shankh is deeply rooted in Hinduism. It is believed that the sound of sacred Om, which is known to be the first sound of creation, is associated with the sound of the conch. It is a pious article and is used in all religious rituals.
In religious rituals, Shankh is used to announce the beginning of a prayer or arrival of deity. In some places, sacred water is collected and distributed in it. Shankha is blown during every festival and auspicious beginning and the sound ushers in freshness and new hope. People usually collect and keep water in the conch shell, which is sprinkled while performing pujas.
While performing Lakshmi Puja, the conch shell is filled with milk, and then it is poured over the idol. Water collected in Shankh is offered while worshipping the sun. The resounding musical notes of sacred shankh rent the air when it is blown during religious ceremonies, and thus the devout emotions get expressed.
Shankh is also part of classical Indian musical instruments, and there is also a mudra based on it in classical dance. The blowing of shankh makes the atmosphere holy and pure and conducive for spiritual practice. Thus it becomes easier for an individual to receive maximum sattvik frequencies emanating from the deities.
Since the ancient times, the shankh has been blown to announce the beginning of any new and auspicious tasks by the followers of the Hindu religion. This is because the vibrations emerging from this pious object, when it is blown, are believed to destroy all the diseases ad germs along with the negative energies existing in the surroundings. Moreover, the sound of the shankh is believed to bring peace and prosperity to the people blowing them.
There are numerous legends associated with the conch shell in the vast Hindu literature. One such legend goes as follows:
Devaraja Indra had to suffer due to the curse of Durvasa Rishi, while Daityaraj Bali had captured the three worlds. Bali created havoc all around. To find a solution against Bali, all the deities approached Lord Vishnu. He advised all the Gods to go for Samudra Manthan. Then, the demons and the Gods together churned the ocean with a desire to get Amrit.
There were fourteen gems that came out with Samudra Manthan. Conch Shell was one of them. This conch was dedicated to Lord Vishnu. That is why conch is essentially played in Lakshmi-Vishnu Puja.
Lord Vishnu's conch was named Panchajanya Shankh. It is the most powerful of all the shankhs. Panchajanya Shankh brings prosperity, harmony, wealth and material attainments. Vishnu's idol is incomplete without this conch along with the Sudarshan Chakra and Lotus flower.
The shankhs are primarily categorized on the basis of the hand with which they can be used. The right handed shankhs are of Lord Visnhu and have preservative qualities while the left handed shankhs are belong to Lord Shiva and possess destructive qualities. In addition to this basic categorization, the shankhs are of the following 7 main types.
This is one of the largest worshiped shankhas and is rarely found. This Shankh blown in the honor of Lord Ganesha, helps to ward of the evil and enhance the prosperity of the household. It is advisable to wrap the conch in a red cloth to maximize its positive effects.
This shankha gets its name from the distinct brown lines flowing towards its south and is believed to represent wealth and prosperity. It is considered to be one of the greatest and rare shankhs found only in deep seas and brings prosperity and success to the individual and the household.
This is a left handed shankh and is believed to eliminate all the negative energies within a household, when placed at the appropriate location. It is this property that makes this shankh an integral part of the Shri Yantra for eliminating negativity and creating a positive ambience around the instrument.
This is one of the most auspicious shankhs and is believed to be a harbinger of good luck success and prosperity especially at wedding functions. Its structure is believed to closely resemble the hair of Lord Shiva and it often adorns the idol of Nandi the guardian in Shiva temples. It is also kept in cash lockers to avoid financial loss.
Gaumukhi means having the face of the cow and that is how this shankh gets its name. The conch is considered extremely holy due to its resemblance to the most sacred animal in Hinduism. It is also believed to offer the same benefits as that of keeping a cow.
This shankh gets its name from its inner sparkling crust and the sparkling crystal like substance found in its opening. It is one of the most costly shankhs and is generally found only in mountainous areas.
This extremely rare shankh is named so because of its unique pearl like shine. It is just one among the 20,000 shankhs found and even then the ones perfect for blowing are just 1 of the 10 such conches.
Other than its spiritual and mythological significance, one should know the health benefits and what is conch good for.
Many diseases like jaundice, bones, teeth, stomach issues get resolved by drinking the water kept overnight in the conch. It has Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Sulphur. The scalar sound waves that are generated by blowing the conch balance the chakras in the body.
The vibrations it produces purify the air and is believed to destroy the disease-causing germs in the atmosphere. It helps to develop good lung capacity. The blowing of the Conch works on the thyroid, muscles of the neck and the vocal cords too.
There are conch-shells with different colors (varna) and the colors are related to the classes (jati) of the people in our society. Accordingly, there is a classification of conch-shells into the Brahmana-variety (which are white in colour, smooth in texture and light), the Kshatriya-variety (red-coloured, or brown-hued, heavy, rough and course), the Vaisya-variety (yellowish in hue, glossy, thick and light) and the Sudra-variety (dull gray or dark brown in color, hard and heavy).
This classification, however, is neither exhaustive nor accurate. The conch-shells that are available can never be accommodated in these four varieties. It is therefore more textual than actual. Most of the conch-shells are described as white (dhavala), some dazzling, some dull, some of mixed hue. But the preferred variety is milk-white (go-kshira-dhavala).
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