Shiva Stories and Teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana

Aum Haraya Namaha!

The Jyotirlingas

O Destroyer!

The burning ghat is your playground,

Your companions are monsters,

Besmeared are you with the ashes of funeral pyres,

Your garland is a string of skulls,

Your name and nature seem inauspicious.

Yet, O giver of blessings!

Those who meditate on you,

Are supremely auspicious.

“SHIVA MAHIMA STOTRAM”

The thirteenth night of the dark half of every lunar month is special to Shiva and is known as Pradosha, or Shivaratri. Normally gods are not worshipped in the dark half of the lunar month. This period when the moon is waning is usually considered inauspicious for starting anything. Demons and ghosts move about at this time, and only Shiva can control them. As we have seen, Shiva always proved that, to the yogi, the word “inauspicious” has no meaning. So on those days when the crescent moon is out, people pray to Shiva to keep all evil from them. The thirteenth night of the waning phase of the moon, which comes in the month of Phalguna, February/March, is known as Mahashivaratri. This was the day when Shiva drank the dreaded halahala poison during the churning of the milky ocean. It is said that all the gods kept vigil with him, singing his praises. So on this particular day in the month of Phalguna, when the winter mists are melting into spring, all the devotees of Shiva keep awake, chanting and praying to the great Lord and offering worship to him. Ganga water is poured on the linga to cool him from the heat of the poison.

On one such Mahashivaratri day, a hunter who had none of this esoteric knowledge lost his way in the jungle. Frightened of wild animals, he took shelter on top of a bel tree. The leaves of this tree have three segments corresponding to the three eyes of Shiva, and they are very special in his worship. To keep himself from falling off the tree, the hunter continuously plucked the leaves of the tree and threw them to the ground. It so happened that there was a linga just below this tree, so that without his knowledge he worshipped the Lord on that particular night, fasting and keeping awake and offering the leaves of the bel tree to the linga. In the morning Shiva appeared before him and blessed him. Adoration of Shiva on Mahashivaratri day, even though performed without knowledge, brings its own reward.

The story about this festival as told in the Mahabharata features a king named Chitrabhanu, who was said to have observed the fast with great enthusiasm. In his previous life he had been a hunter named Suswara. Once, as night fell over the forest, the hunter could not return home, so he climbed to the top of a bel tree and took shelter. Tormented by thirst he started to cry, and his tears fell on a linga of Shiva, which was beneath the tree. In order to keep awake and not fall off the tree, he started to pluck the leaves of the tree and drop them down. That night happened to be the night of Mahashivaratri, and the hunter inadvertently worshipped the Shiva linga throughout the night, fasting and keeping vigil. As a reward for this he was born as the king Chitrabhanu in his next life.

In a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati, the latter asked Shiva which ritual pleased him most.

Shiva replied, “The fourteenth night of the new moon in the dark fortnight of the month of Phalguna is my favorite day. My devotees who fast on this day and worship me during the four periods of the night with bel leaves are most pleasing to me. These leaves are more precious to me than jewels. Abhisheka (ritualistic bathing) should be done in the four watches of the night. During the first watch I should be bathed in milk; during the second watch in curd; in the third, in ghee; and in the fourth, in honey. On the following day the devotee should break his fast only after feeding the poor. O Parvati! There is no ritual that pleases me more than this!”

The cosmic primeval condition of the divine before creation is a state that resembles night or darkness. This is Shiva’s night, or Shivaratri, and this is the state of Shiva. Therefore he is worshipped during the night and is known to be the representative of tamas, the third guna. This darkness, or tamas, is due to the excess of light and not to the absence of light. When the frequency of light is intensified to a very high level, it is incapable of being seen by human eyes. Some lights are called blinding lights. This is because when we look at such a light, our eyes see only darkness. God is really the light of all lights and thus invisible to human sight. The owl cannot look at the sun; it can only see in darkness. So the human soul, which has not realized the greatness of God, cannot see the blinding light of God. Shiva, the compassionate one, thus takes the form of night and extols us to worship him as darkness, in order to train our mystical eyes to develop and see him in all his splendor. This is the esoteric significance of Mahashivaratri, the night of Shiva.

Worship of the linga is one of the most important aspects of devotion to Shiva, since it is believed that he is present in the linga. The word linga actually means “a sign,” or “characteristic.” The Absolute Brahman is formless and has no attributes, so it has no linga. However, human beings need some form that makes it easier for the mind to concentrate, so the linga, which is a rounded, upright stone, is used as a symbol of Brahman.

At one point, Shiva is said to have stood for thousands of years on one foot making himself into an axis for the revolving universe. This figure has no beginning and no end and is the cosmic linga of Shiva. The Shiva linga is also considered to be the divine phallus, containing within it the seed of the universe; from it all life is created. Together with the yoni, or seat on which it rests and which corresponds to the female vulva, the yoni-linga represents the union of man and woman, Shiva and Shakti, the cosmic Spirit in union with the cosmic Prakriti, which brings everything into existence.

It is said that one time the sage Brighu went to Kailasa and found Shiva and Parvati so lost in love that they did not even notice his presence. The sage cursed Shiva that in the future he would be worshipped without form, as a linga trapped within a yoni.

Another story describes how Shiva, the handsome hermit, roamed amongst the devataru (deodar) forests of the Himalayas. Seeing his irresistible body, the wives of the hermits ran after him. The sages cursed Shiva that he would lose his handsome form. Shiva immediately turned into a fiery jyotirlinga (a column of light shaped like a linga) that threatened to annihilate the entire universe. The sages were terrified and ran to Parvati to save the world. She immediately took the form of a receptacle, or yoni, and captured the jyotirlinga. Shiva’s fury abated, and he asked the sages and their wives to worship the linga-yoni and curb their lust and anger. The yoni represents the Divine Mother. It has a utilitarian aspect also. It acts as the base for the linga and collects the water, milk, and so forth that are poured over the linga during puja.

THE TWELVE JYOTIRLINGAS

There are thousands of lingas all over India, but some of them have special importance. The most important of these, the jyotirlingas, are twelve in number: Somanatha, Mallikarjuna, Mahakala, Omkara, Kedara, Bhimashankara, Vishvanatha, Tryambaka, Vaidyanatha, Nagesha, Rameshwara, and Ghushnesha. Most of them have sprouted up of their own accord. Others have been installed by human hands.

1. Somanatha

We have already seen how Chandra, or Soma as the moon god is called, was one of Daksha’s sons-in-law. Daksha had cursed him that he would waste away and die, and Soma had appealed to Lord Shiva to save him from this curse. The place where Soma prayed to Shiva is known as Somanatha. It is the first of the jyotirlingas.

2. Mallikarjuna

We also heard the story of how Shiva’s son Kartikeya left Kailasa and went to live on a hill in the southern regions. Parvati was bereft at his departure and begged Shiva to take her to her son. Kartikeya refused to have them live on his hill, so Shiva and Parvati took up their residence on the hill of Mallikarjuna, and this is the second jyotirlinga.

3. Mahakala

The ancient city of Avanti, modern Ujjain, is situated on the River Kshipra. There were four Brahmins in that city who were great devotees of Shiva. On one of the hills opposite the city lived a demon called Dhushana, who killed anyone who practiced Vedic rites or worshipped Shiva. When he heard of the four Brahmins of Avanti, he went there to kill them. Not in the least disturbed, the brothers continued praying to the linga. Suddenly the linga split open with a tremendous sound, and Shiva leapt out, brandishing the weapons of destruction. His form was that of Mahakala, the great Destroyer. Dhushana was burnt to ashes, and his men took to their heels. The Brahmins begged Shiva to stay there forever. The Lord agreed, and this is the jyotirlinga known as Mahakala.

4. Omkareshwara

Once the celestial sage Narada visited the mountain Vindhya. The mountain offered worship to the sage, but Narada knew that Vindhya was puffed up with pride, so in his usual bantering fashion he told Vindhya that the mountain Sumeru was superior to it. Vindhya wanted to become the equal of Sumeru and began doing tapasya to Lord Shiva. When Shiva appeared, Vindhya begged him to remain there all the time to make it the equal of Sumeru. Shiva agreed, and this is the fourth jyotirlinga, Omkara, which is situated on the banks of the Narmada River.

5. Kedarnatha

There are two stories connected with the fifth jyotirlinga, Kedara, which is in the Himalayas. One is associated with the Pandavas. At the end of their sojourn on earth, the five Pandava brothers, along with Draupadi, proceeded to that part of the Himalayas known as Kedarkanda. On their way they found that a wild-looking dog and a noble buffalo had joined their party. Recognizing the buffalo to be none other than their personal deity, Lord Shiva, the Pandavas chased him. Eventually Shiva allowed himself to be caught. Each of the five brothers caught one part of the animal and to their consternation, it came apart into five pieces in their hands. They threw the pieces far and wide, and the places where the pieces fell came to be known as the Panch Kedars, which are all very important places in the Himalayas for the worship of Shiva. The hump of the buffalo fell at the most important of these places, and this is the jyotirlinga known as Kedara. Unlike other lingas, the linga at Kedara is in the shape of the hump of a buffalo.

The second story pertaining to Kedara is connected with the dual incarnation of Vishnu, known as Nara-Narayana. These two sages were said to be constantly meditating in Kedarkanda in the place called Badrikashrama, which is an important place of pilgrimage for the devotees of Vishnu. After a long time, Shiva appeared to the sages and offered them a boon. They requested that he always be present as a linga on the peak of Kedara.

6. Bhimashankara

During the time of the avatara of Vishnu as Rama, he had killed both the demon king, Ravana, and his brother, Kumbakarna. The latter’s wife was Karkati, and she had a son named Bhima. After Kumbakarna’s death she lived alone with her son on a mountain. When Bhima asked who his father was and why they were staying on that mountain in solitude, his mother told him the whole sad story of how his father had been killed by Rama. Bhima swore vengeance on all the devotees of Vishnu. His first target was the king, Kamarupa, who was a great devotee of Vishnu. Bhima attacked the city and destroyed everything and threw the king and his wife into a dungeon. They then prayed to Shiva to save them. When he heard this, Bhima rushed to the dungeon with sword upraised to behead the king. At that moment Shiva jumped out of the linga and killed Bhima by the mere utterance of the sound “hum.” This is the sixth jyotirlinga, known as Bhimashankara.

7. Visvanatha

The seventh jyotirlinga is known as Visvanatha and is located in the most holy city of Varanasi. Brahma himself is said to have performed tapasya at this spot, and it is said that Varanasi will not be destroyed even at the time of Mahapralaya, when the rest of the world goes into dissolution. Shiva is foretold to raise the city on the point of his trident and protect it while destruction rages all around.

There is another story connected with Varanasi. Once Shiva and Parvati had gone to Brahmaloka. Brahma began reciting hymns through all his five faces in praise of Shiva. But one of the mouths was making mistakes, so Shiva, who was a perfectionist where music was concerned, plucked off the head that was making mistakes. However, since this was a crime against a Brahmin, Shiva found that he could not shake off the head, which had stuck to his back. It was only when he went to Varanasi that the head fell off, so Shiva decided to stay there in the form of a linga. This linga is called Visvanatha, or the Lord of the universe. The first humans to worship there were Swayambhu Manu and his wife Shatarupa, the first couple ever to be created by Brahma.

8. Tryambakeswara

The eighth jyotirlinga, known as Tryambakeswara, is situated on the banks of the Godavari River. This place is associated with the sage Gautama and his wife, Ahalya. They prayed to Shiva for a long time, and when he appeared, Gautama asked him for a boon. He begged that the Ganga would flow beside his hermitage so that he could bathe in her purifying waters and thus expiate his sin in having killed a cow by accident. Shiva granted the boon, but Ganga insisted that she would go there only if Shiva took up residence. Thus, Shiva agreed to stay there in the form of a linga. Ganga flowed beside him and took the name Godavari.

9. Vaidyanatha

The ninth jyotirlinga is known as Vaidyanatha. Ravana, king of the rakshasas, was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He started practicing tapasya in the Himalayas. Shiva did not appear, so Ravana came down to the foothills of the Himalayas. He dug a pit and placed a linga inside and started doing tapasya there. When Shiva refused to appear, Ravana, being a rakshasa, decided to sacrifice his heads—of which he had ten—in the fire. He lit a fire and started throwing his heads into the flames one by one. When the ninth head had been chopped off, Shiva appeared and asked him to choose a boon, since it was fairly obvious that if he sacrificed his last head, there would be no one left to give the boon to. Ravana prayed for superhuman strength and for the restoration of his nine heads. Shiva granted this boon, for he was Vaidyanatha, the Lord of healers. He also gave him a wonderful jyotirlinga and told him to take it straight to Lanka and never put it on the ground. Ravana started on his journey back to his capital, Lanka, carrying this radiant linga. The gods feared that he would become invincible if he took the linga to his island, so they asked Ganesha to thwart him in his attempt. Ganesha took the form of a young brahmachari and appeared before Ravana just as he felt a terrible urge to answer the call of nature. Ravana gave the linga to the boy and told him to hold it until he returned. However, Ravana took such a long time that Ganesha put the linga down. When Ravana returned he found no trace of the brahmachari and try as he might, he could not budge the linga. It was rooted to the spot, and this linga, which Ravana inadvertently installed, is known as Vaidyanatha.

10. Nagesha

The tenth jyotirlinga is known as Nagesha. There was once a merchant called Supriya, a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He had to travel through a forest that was owned by a rakshasi named Daruka, who harassed him constantly. Supriya begged Shiva to help him, so Shiva came with his serpents, the nagas, and drove Daruka away. Daruka then appealed to Parvati, who gave her a dense forest of her own where she could reside peacefully without troubling anybody. The linga worshipped by Supriya is known as Nageshvara, Lord of serpents, and Parvati’s name here is Nageshwari.

11. Rameshwara

The eleventh jyotirlinga is in the south of India and is known as Rameshwara. In Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as Rama, Ravana the demon king had abducted his wife Sita and taken her to his island fortress off the coast of India, known as Lanka. Rama built a bridge to cross the straits that separated India from Lanka, but before he crossed, he made a linga of Shiva and worshipped it. Shiva appeared and blessed him with all success, and Rama asked Shiva to remain there forever. This linga on the banks of the ocean is known as Rameshwara, and it is one of the most famous places of worship in India.

12. Ghushnesha

The twelfth and last of the jyotirlingas is known as Ghushnesha. A very charming story is connected with this linga. Once there was a Brahmin named Sudharma, who had a wife called Sudeha. They were very unhappy because they had no children, so Sudharma decided to conduct an experiment to find out if they were fated to have a son. He plucked two flowers and mentally associated one with a son. He asked his wife to choose one flower. Unfortunately she chose the other one, so Sudharma concluded that he was indeed not fated to beget a son. Sudeha felt very unhappy at this and begged her husband to marry her niece, Ghushna, in order to have a son. At his wife’s insistence, Sudharma married Ghushna, who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. In order to get a son she took a vow that she would make 101 lingas out of clay every day and worship them. At the end of the daily puja she would immerse the lingas in the pond nearby. When she completed the worship of one lakh of lingas, she conceived and gave birth to a lovely baby boy. As might be expected, the first wife’s nature changed as soon as the child was born, and she began to be very jealous of Ghushna. One night she killed the baby and threw the corpse into the pond where the lingas had been immersed.

The next morning, Ghushna got up as usual and started to prepare for her daily worship of Shiva. In the meantime her husband found out that the baby had disappeared, but Ghushna was not distracted by this and continued with her puja of the linga. Shiva was impressed by her devotion and restored the baby to her. As Shiva raised his trident in order to kill Sudeha, Ghushna, who had a most forgiving nature, begged him to spare the life of her aunt. Shiva was very pleased by her generous and forgiving nature and offered her a boon. She begged that Shiva would always be present in the linga near the pond, which she worshipped daily. He granted this boon, and this linga is known as Ghushnesha.

Devotees of Shiva consider it a rare good fortune to be able to make a pilgrimage to all twelve of the jyotirlingas.

Lord Shiva is called Bhuteswara, or Lord of the elements. There are five temples to Shiva in Tamil Nadu, South India, which correspond to these five elements. The five elements are akasha, or ether; vayu, or air; tejas, or fire; apas, or water; and prithvi, or earth. The akasha-linga is found in Chidambaram, the vayu-linga at Sri Kalahasti, the tejo-linga at Arunachalam in Tiruvannamalai, the apas-linga at Jambukeshwara in Tiruchirapalli, and the prithvi-linga at Ekambaranath at Kanchipuram.

Prostrations to the one who is the eldest and the youngest. Prostrations to the primordial cause and the subsequent effect. Prostrations to the eternal youth who is also the infant. Prostrations to the one who is in the loins and in the seed. Prostrations to the one who is present in vice and virtue!

“SRI RUDRUM,” YAJUR VEDA

There are three things that are rare indeed in this world: birth in the human body, desire for liberation, and the care of a perfect master.

KATHA UPANISHAD

Aum Namashivaya!