Shiv

जीवन का सत्य, शमशान।

शिव का है स्थान।

काली का तांडव नृत्य।

शिव का करे अभिनन्दन।

Bhairava is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with total destruction.

He is ornamented with a range of twisted serpents (as earrings), bracelets, anklets, and sacred thread (Yajnopavita). He wears a tiger skin and a ritual apron composed of human bones.

Bhairava himself has eight manifestations: Kala Bhairava, Asitanga Bhairava, Samhara Bhairava, Ruru Bhairava, Krodha Bhairava, Kapala Bhairava, Rudra Bhirava and Unmatta Bhairava.

• Origin Of Bhairava -

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The Glory Of Shiva Puran

The Puran itself is the creation of Lord Shiva himself, the mystical wisdom crafted in words, molded into one hundred thousand couplets or quartets (Shlokas), divided into twelve chapters (Samhitas); and first revealed in grace to the creator Lord Brahma who relayed it to his favoured son, Narada. Then, it was relayed on in succession to Sanat Kumara and Ved Vyasa. The latter condensed the massive volume into 24,000 shlokas categorised under seven chapters namely:

Long time ago, there lived a Brahmin named Devaraja in town of Kirantanagara. A very lax, unprincipled and degenerate life he lived. No bathing and no praying was the order of his day. He was lecherous by nature. It appeared that the sole object of his life was to make money and spend it on vice games to satisfy his carnal desires. He would not mind cheating others and creating misunderstandings between friends and relatives.

Lord Shiva is the mystery of all mysteries. Knowledge of Lord Shiva’s mysticism is neither within the scope of Lord Brahma nor in that of Lord Vishnu who created Lord Brahma. Only Lord Shiva knows his own mysticism in totality.

At the time of last doom everything drowned in a mega deluge. Day or night did not exist. The time froze. None of the five elements (Panchabhootas) survived or their compound products. An endless darkness engulfed all and a blind nature prevailed. The only survivor was Lord Shiva, a nameless reality, without any form or shape, eternal, immortal, beyond evolution, one full of peaceful happiness of divine tranquility, self-aglow and the soul of the light.

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Birth Of Lord Brahma

As Lord Narayana slept in water, by the will of Lord Shiva, a lotus stalk sprouted out of the navel of sleeping Vishnu Narayana. It gave him another name ’ Kamalnabha’.

The stalk continued to grow upwards like a thick column of smoke. Then, high up at the top of the stalk a huge lotus flower blossomed. It was a magnificent sight. Later it was learnt that, Lord Shiva produced Lord Brahma from the lower part of his body and put him on the lotus. He had four faces but was bereft of any knowledge about his father, his purpose, surroundings, location, situation and aim. That divine lotus was the only thing he saw and knew about. Hoping to find his creator at the base or root of the flower, Lord Brahma descended into the stalk that was like a vertical tunnel from inside. For hundreds of celestial years he kept sliding down without reaching the bottom. Frustrated at endless travel down he started upward climbing to reach the top. Again even after hundreds of years of ascent he could not reach the corona to his dismay.

Cosmic Creation

After manifesting from Lingam of luminosity and enlightening Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva withdrew into his formless infinity. Lord Brahma sought guidance from Lord Vishnu about creation. After briefing Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu went to live in the outer region of space making it his own domain.

For the purpose of creation, Lord Brahma invoked Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Then, he threw up a handful of water which transformed into a great egg of cosmic dimension that was a manifestation of 24 elements. But it was inert. He prayed to beget life and consciousness for the cosmic egg. In reply Lord Vishnu materialized there. He transformed into a shape having infinite dimensions, thousand of heads, eyes and feet. In that form he entered into the egg which became alive with that. Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu built there own domains inside.

Gunanidhi ’s Tale

A pious and faithful Brahmin called Yajnadutta lived in Kampilya, a long time ago. That Brahmin was blessed with a promising son whom the happy father had named Gunanidhi, literally meaning ‘repository of fine attributes’. After the boy’s sacred thread ceremony (Upanayana) he was sent to a guru to learn letters and gain wisdom.The boy progressed into youth but unfortunately fell in a bad company and picked up all bad and vice habits. Yajnadutta had been too busy to notice the degeneration of his son. The mother was blind in affection for her son to see anything going wrong.

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Birth of Sandhya and Kama

Once Lord Brahma was holding his court when all of a sudden a beauteous female popped out of his heart followed by a young man of incredible handsomeness who had a bow and flower-head arrows in his quiver. The young man asked for some specific duty. The creator, impressed by his beauty told him to romantically charge all the creatures with flower arrows. Lord Brahma proclaimed that none, not even a deity shall escape his arrows. Kama was the name young man got formally but was also called Manmadha , the enchanter, because he bewitched every mind anywhere.