[Chaturamnaya] Stories from the Shiva Purana - 2 (The Origin of Shivaratri and The Glory of Arunachala)

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from the previous post. Culled from:
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc225551.html
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc225552.html
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc225553.html
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc225554.html
Section 1, Chapters 6-9)
 
 
Once, long ago, Vishnu was having his nap on his serpent-couch. Brahma, the foremost among the Vedic scholars chanced to come there.
As they conversed, an argument sprung as to who is greater — Vishnu or Brahma. The argument turned into a full-fledged fight,
with the two hurling divine weapons upon each other.
 
The devas in their helplessness came to the summit of Kailasa where the moon-crested God resided. Shiva consoled the concourse of
devas with honeylike speech sweetened with a smile in the manner of appeasing children. He then left with His consort Parvati
to the battlefield where Brahma and Vishnu were fighting. In the midst of their fighting, Shiva manifested Himself as a Column
of blazing Fire, which fully absorbed and neutralized their weapons.
 
Seeing that auspicious wonderful phenomenon assuaging their weapons, Brahma and Vishnu asked each other, “What is this column of fire
that has risen up? It is beyond the range of senses. We have to find out its top and bottom.” Vishnu assumed the form of a Boar and
went in search of the root. Brahma in the form of a Swan went up in search of the top. Piercing through the netherworlds and going
very far below, Vishnu could not see the root of the fiery column. Utterly exhausted, Vishnu in the form of a Boar returned to the
former battle-ground.
 
Brahma who went high up in the sky saw a certain bunch of Ketaki flower of mysterious nature falling from above. On seeing the mutual
fight of Brahma and Vishnu, Lord Shiva laughed. When his head shook, the Ketaki flower dropped down. Brahma told the Ketaki flower,
“Dear friend, in the presence of Vishnu you must say that the top of the column has been seen by Brahma. I am the witness for the same.”
 
The Ketaki flower repeated the falsehood endorsing the words of Brahma in Vishnu's presence. Hari, taking it to be true, made obeisance
to Brahma. The Lord took up a visible form in order to chastise Brahma who practised trickery. On seeing the Lord, Vishnu stood up and
with his hands shaking with fear caught hold of the Lord’s feet, and said, “It is out of ignorance and delusion about you whose body is
without a beginning or an end that we indulged in this quest prompted by our own desire. Hence O, Sympathetic Being, forgive us for
our fault. In fact, it is but another form of Your divine sport.”
 
Shiva replied, “O dear Hari, I am pleased with you, because you strictly adhered to truth in spite of your desire to be a lord.
Hence among the general public you will have a footing equal to Mine. You will be honoured too likewise. Hereafter you will be
separate from Me having separate temple, installation of idols, festivals and worship.”
 
Mahadeva then created a wonderful person, Bhairava, from the middle of His brows to quell the pride of Brahma. With one of his hands he
caught hold of the tuft of Brahma’s fifth head that was guilty of haughtily uttering a falsehood, and with the hands he furiously shook
his sword in order to cut it off.
 
Then the Lord turned to the deceitful Brahma who bent down his neck and said, “O Brahma, in order to extort honour from the people you
assumed the role of the Lord in a roguish manner. Hence you shall not be honoured, nor shall you have your own temple or festival.”
 
Brahma said, “O Lord, be pleased. O flourishing one, I consider this sparing of my head itself a great blessing and a boon.
Obeisance to Thee, the Lord, the Kinsman, the Originator of the universe, the Forbearing, the Forgiver of defects, the Benevolent One,
wielding the mountain as His bow.”
 
Shiva replied, “I shall grant you another boon which is very difficult to get. In all domestic and public sacrifices you will be the
presiding deity. Even though a sacrifice is complete with all the ancillary rites and offerings of monetary gifts, it will be fruitless
without you.”
 
Then the Lord turned to the deceitful Ketaki flower guilty of perjury and said, “O you Ketaki flower, you are roguish and deceitful.
Go away from here. Hereafter I have no desire to include you in My worship.”
 
When the Lord said thus, all the devas shunned the very presence of the flower. Ketaki said, “Obeisance to Thee, O Lord, Your bidding
will mean that my very birth is fruitless. May the Lord be pleased to make it fruitful by forgiving my sin.”
 
Thus entreated in the middle of the council the Lord said, “It is not proper for me to wear you. I am the Lord and My words must stay true.
My attendants and followers shall wear thee. Hence thy birth shall be fruitful. Of course in the canopies over My idol you can be used for
decoration.” The Lord thus blessed the three — the flower Ketaki, Brahma and Vishnu.
 
In the meantime, Brahma and Vishnu had been standing silently on either side of the Lord with the palms joined in reverence. Then they
installed the Lord with all the members of His family on a splendid seat and worshipped Him with all holy personal things.
 
Ishvara said, “Dear children, I am delighted at your worship on this holy day. Henceforth this day will be famous as “Shivaratri”,
the holiest of holy days pleasing to Me. He who performs the worship of My phallic emblem and the embodied image on this day will be competent
to perform the task of creation and the maintenance etc. of the universe. The devotee shall observe fast on Shivaratri, both during the day
and the night. He shall perfectly restrain his sense-organs. He shall adore (with flowers) to the extent of his strength. He shall not
deceive anyone. By the worship on Shivaratri day, the devotee attains that fruit which usually accrues to one who continuously worships Me for
a year. The day on which I manifested myself in the form of a column of fire is the Ardra star in the month of Margashirsha (November-December),
O children. He who sees Me on the day of Ardra star in the month of Margashirsha in the company of Uma and worships My phallic emblem or
embodied image is dearer to Me than even Guha (Kartikeya). O sons, this column without root or top will henceforth be diminutive in size for
the sake of the vision and worship of the world. Since the phallic emblem rose high resembling a mountain of fire, this shall be famous as
Ruddy (Aruna) mountain — Arunachala! Many holy centres will spring up here. A residence or death in this holy place ensures liberation.
Of all My sectors, this sector shall be the Greatest. A mere remembrance of Me at this place shall accord salvation to all souls.”
 
 
(To be Continued)