Favourite Stories of Bhagavan: Tiff between Uma and Iswara
[Suri Nagamma wrote: Once, even Parvati and Parameswara succumbed to the quarrel-mongering of Narada. “Lakshmi and Vishnu play dice, so why not you?” said Narada, who egged them on. Parvati was ecstatic at the idea and persuaded Siva to play dice with her. In the game, Siva lost and Parvati was puffed up with pride and spoke slightingly of him. That is the legend. After reading it, Bhagavan, his heart full of bhakti, asked me, “Have you read this story before?” When I said, “Yes, Bhagavan,” he said with a voice choked with feeling, “The holy festival which is annually performed here at Pongal, deals mainly with this quarrel between Uma and Maheswara.” (See Letters, Nr. 3, 23rd November 1945.)]
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In the early days after the marriage of Parvati and Parameswara, the two were relaxing on Meru, when the Divine Mother wanted to play a joke on the Three-Eyed One. She crept up from behind and covered the Lord’s eyes with her lotus-like palms while he sat in meditation. The whole world suddenly became dark. The Lord whose abode is Kailasa has the Sun and the Moon as His eyes. So when covered, the world became lost in darkness. Uma removed Her palms when the Lord gently admonished Her and the universe was bathed in light again.
But the darkness which had enveloped the world solidified and took the form of a boy. Siva handed the child over to Hiranyaksha. Being born in darkness, he became blind to dharma, and growing up in indolence became the demon, Andhakasura. Though an asura, he performed severe penance and obtained great boons from the Creator. However, becoming swollen with pride, the asura roamed about the world, wreaking havoc. At one point when his arrogance was at its height, he beheld the Mother of the Universe relaxing on the Mandara Mountain, and desired her. He sent word to Siva conducting the Pasupata ritual, demanding that He surrender Her to him. Andhakasura attempted to approach Srimata in the guise of Lord Siva. But Mother, who is the primordial power, realised that if she killed the asura, the ritual in which Siva was engaged would be disturbed. Instead she hid Herself in the swethrka flower. Unable to find Her, Andhakasura declared war on Siva. All the Gods stood behind the Lord who was absorbed in his rite and stalled the progress of Andhakasura. Eventually the battle was decided when Sankara pierced the demon’s heart with His trident. When all the blood had drained out of him, he was cleansed of his defilements, became humble and sought the Lord’s pardon. Siva, the ocean of compassion and all-powerful, had the wherewithal to purify him, and did so, and made him head of His followers, the ganas. Now no longer Andhakasura, he became Bhringi, known for his devotion to Lord Siva. However, because of Bhringi’s former error, he would not permit himself to show his devotion to Mother but only ever openly worshipped the Lord. So when the Universal Mother and Father sat side by side, Bhringi would circumambulate and reverence the Lord, not realising the hurt he was causing Mother. Sivani tolerated this for a time but finally made her complaints known to Maheswara.
One day when Bhringi was about to perform pradakshina, as was his wont, around Siva, the Lord took the form of Ardhanarisvara (‘the Lord who is halfGod and half-Goddess’), thinking that at least that way the devotee would have to venerate Mother as well. But the devotee outsmarted the Lord and by taking the form of a bee (Bhringi means ‘bee’), performed pradakshina by piercing the Lord’s heart. Mother, thus excluded from the devotee’s worship, was incensed and cursed Bhringi so that he would not be able to take food any longer. Thus Bhringi became weak, incapable of even standing much less performing his circumambulations. But finally, feeling there was no other solution for the poor devotee, the Lord took pity on him and gave him complete liberation, allowing him to merge forever with the Lord’s Glorious Form. When Mother got wind of it, however, she was furious and directed her anger against the Lord. She locked Him out of the house and no amount of cajoling on His part proved the least bit effective.
According to the legend associated with Arunachala, the Lord now spurned by Uma, went for pradakshina all alone. When He reached Unnamulai Spring, He was detained by the forces empowered by Mother who stripped Him of all he had. Now naked and weak He could not go on but hid Himself in a niche. Mulling over His condition, He recalled how He once served as mediator for His devotee Sundaramurti when he likewise suffered marital strife. He thus summoned Sundaramurti and apprised him of the situation. The devotee assured Him all would be well.
Sundaramurti thus entered the temple invoking the poetic skills the Lord had bestowed on him and began to extol the Divine Mother in exquisite Tamil verse. Mother, thrilled by such fervent outpourings, blessed him with her darshan. In her presence, the poet continued to drench Her feet with the nectar of his verse and Mother, having simply melted in the face of such selfless devotion, offered him boons. The tactful Sundaramurti made only one request, that he might have darshan of the Divine Couple together. Since Mother’s anger had evaporated like camphor on a windy day, she joined Her Lord right there and then, and peace reigned once again in the Lord’s house. — SARANAGATI SRI RAMANASRAMAM - FEBRUARY.2016 - VOL. 10, Nr. 2
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