Shiva Leela - Part 1

Why Lord Shiva is easier to please ?

He my Lord is equally hard and easy to please !!!!!!

He may took pariksha of yours and they may not it depends on them and your time. It depends on many things like for what you want to please him and many others.

Actually Lord Shiva is easier to please because he is Bholenaath but when you are asking for something mightiest or for moksham, he takes your pariksha too. He is Bholenath and Bhaktavatsala !!!!!!

Well we will discuss some stories in short to know about Mahadeva.

We know that if you want to please Lord Shiva for something very special, it took a great penance like :-

1. Arjuna and Shiva :-

Arjuna pleased Lord Shiva on the advice of Lord Vishnu in his Krishna Avatar by doing a very long penance because he wanted Pashupatastra. It took him many many years for worshiping Lord Shiva and doing penance for him. Then Lord Shiva, took the Kirata Avatar or form of a Kirata. At that time only a wild boar type asura named as Mookaasura who was sent by Duryodhana to kill Arjuna came and both of them shot it. Kirata asked Arjuna to leave this dead boar to him because he (Shiva as Kirata) shot it first. Arjuna disagreed and challenged Kirata. This all incident took place in today’s Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

After Arjuna denied he asked Lord Shiva for a fight and whosoever wins in it, will take the boar. Shiva agreed on it and then war between both started. Arjuna was surprised to see that all his divyastras even were failing in front of Shiva and was not able to protect himself from Shiva's astras. The fight continued till Lord Shri Hari Krishna himself didn't came and told Arjuna about the reality of Kirata that the Kirata is none another than Lord Shiva himself. Lord Shiva was pleased with Arjuna's bravery and bhakti. He then gave Arjuna Pashupatastra. In some scriptures, Arjuna asked for Mukti and Bhakti vardaan from Shiva too and Shiva blessed him that in next birth he will be born as Kannappa Nayanar and will do great Bhakti of Shiva.

2. Upamanyu and Shiva :-

Maharishi Upamanyu was the son of Maharishi Vyaagrhapada (Tiger legged Man). Though because Maharishi Vaagrahpada was highly devoted towards Lord Shiva, he left his home and everything and took Sanyaas ashrama. Because of this Maharishi Vaagrahpada's wife was not able to manage the family, she with her son (Upamanyu ji) went to her brother's house. Her brother too was an ascetic and followed Brahmana-Dharma very strictly. He too was very poor because he use to ask Bhiksha (begging) for living. Whatever people may gave him in Bhiksha, he use to fed his sister and his bhaanja (sister's son, Upamanyu ji). So one day Upamanyu ji in his childhood went to an ascetic with his friends and tasted milk. He was so delighted after tasting it and ran towards her mother. As her mother being poor didn't had milk so she gave rice water (water which becomes white because of rice) and told that this was milk. Upamanyu ji when tasted it, he recognized that this was not milk. He then again demanded for milk. His mother told very sweet words to him “Shiva is the overlord of the milky oceans, without his blessings, how can we get milk dear son”. Listening to the words, Upamanyu ji decided to do penance for Lord Shiva. Now his main aim became to drink milk from the father of whole Universe that is Lord Shiva.

He started doing penance for Lord Shiva. his penance was so strong that energy radiating from him was so powerful that can destroy whole planet. Lord Shiva then took the form of Lord Indra and Maa Parvati took form of Maa Sachi (wife of Lord Indra) and Nandi ji took for of Lord Indra’s elephant Airaavat and appeared in front of Upamanyu to test his bhakti. This is the story of Lord Shiva’s Sureshwara Avatar. Lord Shiva in form of Lord Indra asked him to worship Lord Indra as the supreme god and forget that Shiva who even don’t know what to wear, what to eat, where to live, how to live, etc. and even told “that Aghori Shiva, is just a mad fellow who even is not qualified to be as god and roams here and there on a an idiot bull”. On this words Upamanyu became so much angry that he developed Aghorastra and fired on him. Aghorastra was o much powerful that it was absorbing the energy from everywhere. Whole world became dark and it was so dark that even Night feel shame on itself. Only Aghorastra was shining in brilliance. However when Aghorastra touched Lord Shiva, it got absorbed in him and Lord Shiva returned light to the whole world. Lord Shiva and Maa became very much happy with the bhakti of Upamanyu ji and showed their real form and after it Lord Shiva named every food item for Upamanyu and drank milk to him. Maharishi Upamanyu was such a staunch devotee of Hara and was such a high knowledgeable person that even Lord Shri Hari Narayana in his Krishna-Avatar took diksha from Maharishi Upamanyu ji !!!!!! The story of Lord Shri Hari Narayana in Lord Shri Hari Krishna Avatar taking Shaiva Diksha is described in Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Kurma Purana, Vaaman Purana and Mahabharata.

3. Lord Shiva and Maharishi Markandeya :-

Maharishi Markandeya is among the highest Siddhas and Maharishis in Sanatana Dharma. In the clan of Maharishi Bhrigu, Rishi Mrikandu was born. This great sage Mrikandu and his wife Marudmati worshiped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. As a result, he was given the choice of either a righteous son, but with a short life on earth or a child of low intelligence but with a long life. Mrikandu rishi chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of 16.

Markandeya grew up to be a very great devotee of Lord Shiva and on the day of his destined death he continued his worship of Lord Shiva in his real form i.e. Shivalingam. The messengers of Yama, the god of death were unable to take away his life because of his great devotion and continual worship of Lord Shiva. Yama then came in person to take away Markandeya's life, and sprung his noose around the young sage's neck. By accident or fate the noose mistakenly landed around the Shivalingam, and out of it, Lord Shiva emerged in all his fury attacking Yama for his act of aggression. After defeating Yama in battle to the point of death, Lord Shiva then revived him, under the condition that the devout youth would live forever. For this act, Lord Shiva was thereafter also known as Kalasamhara Murti or Kaalantaka ("Ender of Death and Time").

This event took place in village Kaithi in Varanasi (Kashi), Uttar Pradesh.

4. Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu :-

We all know how great Lord Hari is and his bhakti is even greatest among all great. He being Hari who is Hara himself, did bhakti for Hara in his various forms. Firstly he did Bhakti of Hara even before creation would start. Yes this story is before creation. Lord Shri Hari Vishnu wanted creation to start so he did a great penance for Lord Shiva for about 80000 years. Then Lord Shiva Bramha from his other half and sent that energy of Bramha in the belly region of Narayana who was resting on the Sheshshayaan. After sometime, Lord Bramha came out from Hari’s belly in a lotus and started creation after doing salutations to Narayana and Shiva Shakti !!!!!!

Then Lord Shri Hari Narayana did Lord Shiva’s most greatest bhakti for having Sudarshana Chakra. Lord Vishnu collected 1000 Lotus flowers for offering Lord Shiva and created Shiva Shashranaama by reciting it and offering lotus to Shivalingam. Lord Shiva for testing him even took away one lotus flower and hided it. Lord Vishnu after offering 999 lotuses to Lord Shiva, found that one lotus flower was remaining. He thus remembered that he is also called as Kamalnayanaa (lotus eyed one) and hence he was just going to cut his eye for offering it to Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva appeared there and stopped the hands of Lord Hari by holding it. He then became so much delighted that he gave Lord Vishnu Sudarshana Chakra which is among the mightiest and powerful weapon in whole Universe.

Lord Shri Hari Narayana in his avatar of Lord Ram when was on his way to Lanka at the shores of sea, became thirsty and was just to drink water, he thought that till now he in the viyoga of Maa Sita, he didn’t met Lord Shiva and neither he have did his worship perfectly and exclusively. He then after drinking water asked the great warriors in vaanar-sena and his brother Lord Lakshman to do all arrangements of the worship. He the savior of whole world Hari, did a very great puja (worship) on the shore and Lord Shiva being delighted by Hari appeared there. He gave blessings to all and the place where Hara was worshiped by Hari himself became one of the most favourite to Hara and hence made its name as Rameshwara. Shri Shri Goswami Tulsidas ji Maharaj in Ramcharitmanas wrote that Rameshwaram is such a great place which has 2 definations and both are true. First its the place of Ram’s ishwara (God of even Lord Ram) and second its the place of Shiva’s ishwara Ram (God Ram i.e. Ram+ishwar).

There are many many such great stories in scriptures and I have chosen only some. Lord Shiva is both easy and hard to please. It depends when Hara wants to take your parikshaa (test) of your bhakti. He is such a great personality who can even ask bhiksha for his devotees. He is Bhakta-Vatsala. Never take his kindness in wrong way as some answers were seem to doing that only. However Bholenath is always Bhole (Kind) but never fool. He only gives you that which is required and tries to take you on the path of Moksham.

Hence now you might have got what I wanted to convey. Never compare Lord Shiva. Lord Mahadeva is the truth and supreme. He is Bholenath and Bhaktavatsala !!!!!!!!!

Hope it helps !!!!!!

Dhanyawaadam !!!!!!!!

Om Hara Om Hara !!!!!!!!

Hara Hara Mahadeva !!!!!!

Om Namah Shivaya !!!!!!!