Lord Shiva is the one with no beginning and no end, the doer and the one who is not understood by even Brahma and the Demi-Gods. Lord Shiva is truly magnificent and glorious.
Once upon a time in the kingdom of Kirata there ruled a king by the name of Vimarshana. He was a king known for has great valour and his military exploits were talked of all over the neighbouring lands. Vimarshana was a cruel man. He loved to hunt in the forest, consumed alcohol, fish and meat in every meal. He engaged in sporting activity with many women from all the four castes. But, despite all his evils, he engaged in ardent worship of Lord Shiva. He followed the Pradosh Vrat, Somvar Vrat and Mahashivratri. He danced and sang for the pleasure of Lord Shiva and regularly recited the Shiv Leelamrut.
His Queen, the beautiful and wise wife, Kunudavati, was always amazed at the contradictory behaviour of her mighty husband. One day she bluntly asked him to tell her why he would behave in such a wierd fashion: killing animals cruelly and worshipping Lord Shiva with complete devotion. The king narrated an incident from his past birth:
"In my previous birth I was a dog and I lived in the kingdom of Pampa. There was a magnificent Shiva temple in the center of the town where I lived and on the day of Shivaratri, I went to the temple, hoping that I would get something to eat. When I reached the temple, I was fortunate enough to see the complete ritual bathing of Lord Shiva. Just then the temple guards tried to chase me away and I ran halfway around the temple. I went back to the main door after somtime but was chased again and again by the temple guards. One of them shot an arrow at me. I died infront of the Shiva Linga. Thus due to this act of circumambulating Lord Shiva, I have been fortunate enough to be born a king. However, my habits from previous births have come with me and hence the animal like behaviour of killing and the taste for meat and mating."
Queen Kunudavati was amazed at hearing the story of her husbands previous birth. She asked him to tell her who she had been in her previous birth. Th King the narrated the following incident from her past life:
" My dear Kunudavati; you were a pigeon in your previous birth. One day, you were being chased by a large hawk which was after the morsel of meat that you had held in your beak. You tried to escape and in this attempt, unknowingly circumambualted a Shiva Temple three times. You were eventually killed by the hawk and fell in front of Shiva Linga where you left your body. As a result of this act done without any concious thought, you are born a human and that too a Queen who is beautiful and wise. Such is the glory of Lord Shiva".
The Queen then asked Vimarshana to tell her about the births that they would take in the future. She praised him saying that he was the knower of the past, present and future. The King told her that in all the births that were to follow, they would be born in royal families, marry each other and worship Lord Shiva with increasing devotion in each birth. In their seventh birth, he would be initiated into the Shiva Sampradaya by the great Sage Agastya. He would hand over the reins of the kingdom to their son and the both of them would make their way to the abode of Lord Shiva at the end of their lives.
It is said in the holy scriptures that all knowledge, all power, all wealth is useless one worships Lord Shiva.
Let us hear why glorifying Lord Shiva is very important.
The kingdom of Ujjain was ruled by the great king Chandrasen. He had a very good friend who was known as Manibhadra who was pious, wise and merciful. The King had such a good friend only because of his pious acts in his previous births. Ujjain is the city where Lord Mahakaleshwar is worshipped and the King was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Manibhadra had gifted a precious stone to Chandrasen that had many magical properties. It could turn any metal into the purest gold. Its wearer could convert enemies into devoted friends and would shine brilliantly like the sun. His kingdom would be free of thieves, wild animal and snake attacks, famines and illnesses of all sorts. It would bestow immense wealth on the wearer. Chandrasen grew very powerful.
The neighboouring kings came to hear of the stone and wanted to possess it for themselves. They combined their forces and mounted an attack on Ujjain. They laid seige to the fortified city. Chandrasen was a valiant king but was against needless bloodshed. He was now in a dilema. If he gave away the stone, it would avert the war but he would not be doing his duty as a Kshatriya (warrior). If the refused to giveup the stone, it was war. It was a catch twenty two situation. He directed his generals to hold off the enemy for as long as they could while he prayed to Lord Shiva for guidance and help. He made his way to the temple of Lord Mahakaleshwar where under the guidance of learned priests he started his worship.
At the temple, among those who had gathered to see the king perform the ritual worship of Lord Shiva, was a young widow with her six year old child. As noon approached, she took her son home and went into the kitchen to cook food. The child meanwhile, made his way to the dilapidated hut nextdoor. He noticed that there was a stone in the hut that resembled a Shiva Linga. The child began worshipping the stone having seen the King doing the same at the Mahakaleshwar temple some time ago. He use the pebbles as offerings of flowers, fruits, incense, camphor and so on. He then went into a trance as he fixed his mind on Lord Shiva.
His mother called out to him at lunch time but he did not reply so she went out looking for him. She saw him playing with stones in the hut next door and told him to come inside. The child did not respond. She disrupted his worship by scattering the neatly arranged stones and yanked him. The child opened his eyes and saw what his mother had done. He started crying and beating his chest, lamenting that he deserved to die for not being able to worship properly. His mother was angered by his behaviour. She let him be and went home to have lunch and then have some rest.
The merciful Lord Shiva who is the husband of Mother Parvati, was pleased with the worship that the boy had performed. To bless him, he turned the hut into a beautiful temple with diamond pillars decked with precious stone and a magnificent steeple. All the paraphernalia for the worship of the Lord, was laid out. Lord Shiva then appeared before the boy and told him to ask for a boon. The boy glorified the Lord and requested him to forgive his mother. The Lord forgave his mother. The boy then went to fetch his mother so that she may benefit by seeing Lord Shiva.
The Lord truly grants more that what is asked for the boy's hut had been transformed into a palace. His mother was beautiful again and was adorned with precious jewels and finest garments. She realised her mistake and begged forgiveness from Lord Shiva. After blessing both of them, Lord Shiva dissapeared. The woman then ran to tell the King. On hearing the amazing tale, all the kingdom came to meet the child that had seen Lord Shiva. Chandrasen was a humble person and he fell at the feet of the child knowing that he was no ordinary child. He was praised throughout the city.
Even the enemies of Chandrasen expressed a desire to meet the boy, which the king fulfilled by personally escorting them into the city. The enemy then went away, not as bitter rivals but as good friends of the King. Just then, someting truly amazing happened. Lord Hanuman appeared in front of the boy. Everyone fell at his feet and offered their respect. Maruti initiated the boy and gave him the "Panchakshara Manta" which is "Om Namah Shivai". He told that the eight descendent of this child would be Maharaj Nand and Lord Shri Krishna would be born to Maharaj Nand. Maruti placed his hand over the child's head and the boy became a master in he fouteen bodies of knowledge. He gave him the name Shri Kara and instructed him to perform Pradosh Vrat, Somwar Vrat and Mahashivratri which the boy performed diligently with devotion throughout his life.
Lord Shiva can fulfill any wish. A dumb person could become a learned scholar, a mute could become an orator, a paraplegic could run faster than the wind, a blind persom could be an expert on gemstones (a skill that requires very good eyesight) and lady luck would smile on the misfotuate only by the mercy of Lord Shiva. Anyone who worships Lord Shiva will be glorified in the three worlds, master in Vedas even without studies and will be successful in all undertakings.
One who reads these stories would be blessed with progeny, wealth and long life. Obstacles would be afraid of such a person.
Namah Parvati Pataye, Har Har Mahadev.
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