Lord Shiva's anger is well-known. But, Lord Shiva is also said to be easily pleased by his devotees. Hence Lord Shiva is called both 'Kshipra-kopi' and 'Kshipra-prasadhi',i.e quickly angered and quickly pleased. The following is a folktale which shows Lord Shiva being easily pleased and the consequences of it.
Once there was an asura (demon) who was a great dancer. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva and used to appease Shiva through his dancing and devotion. The asura wanted to get Lord Shiva's blessings and be able to rule over the earth. With this intention on his mind, the asura started to meditate on Lord Shiva. After many years, Lord Shiva was pleased and appeared before the asura. Lord Shiva asked the asura what boon he would like to have. The asura thought for a while and said that he wanted to make anyone he touches on the centre of the head turn into ash (vibhuti). Lord Shiva granted the asura his boon. As soon as the asura got the power from the boon, he said that he wanted to test his powers on Lord Shiva itself. Lord Shiva was stunned for a while and then ran from there. The asura pursued Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva ran ahead and went to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu took the form of 'Mohini' , a beautiful damsel, and went towards the asura. The asura was mesmerized by the beauty of Mohini and got distracted from his aim of pursuing Lord Shiva. The asura told Mohini that he wanted to marry her. Mohini replied that she would agree to marry him if he would defeat her in a dance contest. The asura readily agreed and they started dancing. During the contest, Mohini cunningly made a pose in which her hand was touching the centre of her head. Being lost in the urge to marry Mohini, the asura also imitated the same pose and ended up as ash due to his own power. Thus Lord Shiva escaped from bearing the consequence of his own boon.
Once there was an asura (demon) who was a great dancer. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva and used to appease Shiva through his dancing and devotion. The asura wanted to get Lord Shiva's blessings and be able to rule over the earth. With this intention on his mind, the asura started to meditate on Lord Shiva. After many years, Lord Shiva was pleased and appeared before the asura. Lord Shiva asked the asura what boon he would like to have. The asura thought for a while and said that he wanted to make anyone he touches on the centre of the head turn into ash (vibhuti). Lord Shiva granted the asura his boon. As soon as the asura got the power from the boon, he said that he wanted to test his powers on Lord Shiva itself. Lord Shiva was stunned for a while and then ran from there. The asura pursued Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva ran ahead and went to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu took the form of 'Mohini' , a beautiful damsel, and went towards the asura. The asura was mesmerized by the beauty of Mohini and got distracted from his aim of pursuing Lord Shiva. The asura told Mohini that he wanted to marry her. Mohini replied that she would agree to marry him if he would defeat her in a dance contest. The asura readily agreed and they started dancing. During the contest, Mohini cunningly made a pose in which her hand was touching the centre of her head. Being lost in the urge to marry Mohini, the asura also imitated the same pose and ended up as ash due to his own power. Thus Lord Shiva escaped from bearing the consequence of his own boon.
This is a remarkable example of how insanity crops in to Hinduism. Sorry no offense here, but its a clear indication that this 'cooked' up story is done by humans. Think of it from a logical point of view. A God, who is all knowing, will he not know the intention of the devotee who is praying to him? Leaving that, the asura's boon is just offense and there is no defense mechanism to protect him. Lord Shiva could easily destroy him with his mere look and there is NO ONE who could stop that. Please do not quote that this is there in the Puranas etc. Even Puranas has some inclusions done by humans is my humble belief. OnlyHinduism.com has a reputation and such articles does not bring it any fame.
ReplyDeleteOM..
DeleteDear Sanyaasi...thank you for your comment...i have mentioned that the above post is a folktale, and folktales are quite different from puranas i believe...moreover, if we try to apply logic to god's leelas, then there won't be any need for any of the puranas...god's powers are infinite and the supreme being does not need to come to human standards for any purpose...but such folktales and puranas are more like guides for us to learn and understand our world better...the above folktale may be seen as a warning that we should always think before our actions...there is a plethora of such stories in which gods are shown as doing actions similar to human beings...they may be part of god's leela or maybe they are stories made by humans...and i too agree that in the course of time there would be numerous inclusions by humans in the puranas also but that should not divert the devotee from his/her aim of learning from them...i hope you agree with me...please do share your opinion...
This is myth and leela combined. Everything came through humans and this is not a bad thing. Leela is a play. Shiva can make everything, even pretend to be cursed...
ReplyDeleteOm..
DeleteThank you Anonymous for your comment...as you have rightly said, god's leelas are beyond our comprehension...the above post is just a simple folktale which has a message with it, i.e, always think before your actions...
Yor are right brother.....
DeleteOm..
ReplyDeleteDear Readers, You are all always welcome to express your interpretation of a particular purana/folktale/ritual in the comments section...but please do bear in mind that each individual may have a different perspective and understanding for the same legend...together we can try to discover the good in everything and spread it...OM
Thank you blog admin for this folk tale that has got a point to note. As you had mentioned in your reply to Sanyassi, human is responsible for all the inventions and using them for bad purpose. Human does everything and blames GOD. First one has to understand Hindu is not a religion, it is a civilisation. Hinduism teaches one to lead the life in this world without harming anyone.
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