I seek your daughter as alms

 

 I seek your daughter as alms

 

Blessed by the dwarf Brahman Parvati reached home and disclosed the saga of her success to her parents. All felt relieved and waited for lord Shiv to grace their abode. King Himavant daily used to meditate at the bank of river Ganga. One day as he went away on his routine detour to the holy river, a roving mendicant entered the palace where Parvati and her mother Maneka sat and rejoiced in the company of each other. Holding a dumbbell in his one hand and a horn in the other the rover looked expert in music and dance. His youthful figure glistened with ash smeared all over and even though clad in tatters he looked most charming and attractive to women folk. Bemused in strange joy he sang song of glory of lord shrikrishna and played on his queer musical instruments held in both of his hands with matching deftness. Drawn by his magical charm all children and women gathered around him. His voice seemed so enchanting to all that everyone just fell into a trance. Listening to him princess Parvati pondered over her soul mate lord Shiv and closed her eyes in bliss. As she peeped inside her heart she found lord Shiv smiling at her. Wrapped in tiger skin with garland of bones of sati shining at his broad bosom, his eyes issued immense love to Parvati. Having five heads each glowing with three eyes wide open he said to her,-“Seek a boon.” P bowed before him and said,-“please be my husband.”” Be it so.” Blessed lord Shiv and vanished. Seeing him gone Parvati swooned out of shock. All rushed to hold her. Her mother and friends fanned him and sprinkled water of river Ganga to bring her back to consciousness. As soon as she got back to her senses she found the bizarre singer performing amazing dance in his courtyard. She found her mother offering gold coins to the singer as alms. But the mendicant refused the wealth offered by the queen.

“What shall please you o, beggar?” asked the perturbed queen. “Mother”! Said the smiling youth.. “I seek not this soil.” Replied the beggar. “What else do you need?” Asked the anxious mother. “ Just your daughter” flowed the wish of the beggar. The queen was aghast. How dare a beggar wrapped in tatters ask for the hand of his daughter who was incarnation of divine mother and had been blessed by a Brahman to wed lord Shiv with such brazenness?  Her eyebrows quivered and eyes turned red in awe. How she wished to drive away the impudent beggar out of her abode for having shown such flagrance and having made such a wanton demand! But realizing that he was a devotee of lord Krishna who had already won the hearts of all by entertaining them with glory of Krishna she kept her secret wish to herself. Her faces however reflected shadows of hatred, and anger mixed with intrigue as well. The queen contained her volcanic anger and just said,-“beggar! My daughter is the consort of lord Shiv.” She then turned to the servants and escorts and shouted,-‘Drive this beggar out of the palace. He seeks my Parvati in alms.” While the drama went on between the uninvited guest and the queen with Parvati standing silent spectator the king entered the palace. A strange urge had disturbed him and he could no longer sit in meditation at the bank of Holy River. Roused by a hidden anxiety he had come back home pondering over what the lord had for him and his daughter in store as even after having received the blessings of Brahman he had not yet receive any message from lord Shiv. Seeing his wife seething in anger he also joined her spontaneously and shouted at the guards in one voice,-“Drive this beggar out!.” To his surprise the glowing aura of the mendicant disables all to follow his dictate as all stood silent and immovable. The face of the beggar shone like the radiance of thousands of sun put together. Intrigued by his charisma king closed his eyes and began to meditate. What he saw within was a four armed lord Vishnu smiling at him. Whatever king had offered to lord Krishna at the back of Holy River was adorning the bosom of lord Vishnu who in a moment appeared as the beggar standing in his courtyard. The next moment the beggar appeared like Lord Brahma. In yet another moment he turned into lord Shiv.  Seen the divine drama displayed by the mendicant came Himvant bowed in veneration with moist eyes and offered his salutations to the divine being repeatedly.    Suddenly, the King found himself deprived and devoid of his memory.  He found only a mendicant begging with stretched arms in front of him.  The beggar kept on begging for Parvati as arms for the anxious Himvant kept on refusing.  The disappointed mendicant turned away from the palace.  The King and the Queen fell in the pit of deep anxiety. 

 

After this King Himvant remained steeped in confusion and prayed to Lord Krishna to solve the riddle.  All deities begin to discuss the scenario among them.  “If  King Himvant gives his daughter Parvati in wedding to Lord Shiv with full devotion and surrender he will soon attain liberation and the earth will lose him forever.”   This very thought created confusion amongst all.  They all gathered and reached the abode of Guru Brahaspati and said “Please condemn and demean lord Shiv in front of King Himvant so that he could be driven away from devotion to Lord Shiv.  Then he will give his daughter to Lord Shiv only half heartedly and will not reap the fruition of liberation as a reward of giving his daughter to Lord Shiv with full devotion and purity.  This will leave him on earth for the earth needs him.  Listening to the demand of deities Guru Bruhaspati closed his ears with both of his hands and retorted Oh! Deities you are so selfish who can dare demean lord Shiv?  One who condemns Lord Shiv goes to hell any of you can do this but spare me please.  Disappointed deities reached the abode Lord Brahma and repeated their request.  Brahma pondered for a while and finally expressed his inability to do so.  When pestered he advised the deities to request the Lord Shiv to carry out this task himself.  All deities closed their eyes and fervently prayed Lord Shiv to appear before them.  All knowing Shiv wasted no time and appeared there.  Without listening anything he laughed and said “Oh! Deities I will surely do so for one who condemns and demeans oneself reaps the greatest of rewards.”   Having received the assurance from Lord Shiv himself the deities were relieved and they dispersed to their abodes with joy. 

 

Lord Shiv then disguised as a mendicant who carries out the task of arranging weddings and reached the palace of King Himvant.  The King with his queen and daughter was seated in the court and discussed the issue of wedding of Princess Parvati. As soon as the royal family saw the mendicant they all welcomed him and offered him a seat.  Please introduce yourself said the King respectfully.  “I roam around all over world as wind flows around the earth.  Blessed by my Guru I am all knowing.  I know that you intend to give your this daughter who is equal to Goddes Lakshmi in virtue to Lord Shiv in marriage.  But you know, no one knows even he lineage of Lord Shiv.  He loiters around naked in cremation grounds.  He wears the ornaments of poisonous serpents and is always surrounded by deadly ghosts.  He is a beggar by nature. This is his description.   Why don’t you realize that Lord Narayan is alone is worthy of your virtuous daughter.   People will ridicule when they will learn that you are giving Parvati to that cynical Shiv.  You possess hordes of relations and Shiv is without any relation. Before deciding on it consult all your relations but never your daughter.  As a patient dislikes medicine which cures the ailment so is your daughter bitten by the foolish desire of wedding Shiv.”   Saying so the mendicant accepted the offerings given by the royal couple and went away leaving behind King Himvant and Queen Menaka reeling in deep anxiety and confusion alone.

Illuminating denizens of Devdaruvan

 

 

 

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Once the denizens of Devdaruvan lived with their families and  observed penance to please lord Shiv without following the prescribed austerities. Lord Shiv knew their intent and follies and decided to put them on the right track. He took the form of a naked youth followed by a youthful lady and entered the forest. Seeing his enmeshing persona the ladies got enamoured to him and hovered around him. The lady following him was also so attractive that the youth of the forest gathered around her and shared meaningful glances and smiles with her. The seekers of divine delight found this all so objectionable and threatening that they showered volleys of curses on the naked mendicant for defiling their families. Their curses however, did not touch the couple rejoicing in  luscious mingling with women and youth.

 The hermits felt all the more annoyed and infuriated. The threw scornful glances at the naked mendicant and condemned him in the most brazen fashion,-‘ Fie upon you. Better cut off your phallus!’ as they commanded so, the naked mendicant said,-“ Fine Sirs! if this pleases you than let it be so!’ saying so he hacked his organ and  threw it off his organ and vanished with the lady accompanying him.

 

 As soon as the couple vanished the forest began to reel in various calamities and bad omens that terrified all inhabitants of the forest. The sun paled, the earth trembled and the ocean roared with monstrous waves. They got scared and fervently prayed to Lord Brahma to save them and also enlighten about the identity of the couple. When Lord Brahma got pleased with their heartfelt entreaties, he revealed to them that the naked youth was none other than their favourite, magnanimous lord Shiv accompanied by the beguiling lady who was lord Vishnu. The seekers of divine delight fell in a pit of remorse and beseeched lord Brahma to show them the way to please lord Shiv to bless them with his vision.” Prepare a shivling where the naked youth hacked his ling and worship him with stotra regularly.” The folk followed the guidance and in due course lord Shiv and mother Parvati appeared before them and bestowed upon them divine wisdom that illumined their minds and they attained liberation.