Shiva sells bangles to women

 

Shiva sells bangles to women in Madurai

The birds were chirping. It was spring. Fresh leaves were sprouting everywhere. There was abundance and greenery all around. Spring was there. In this idyllic Taruka Vana the learned sages were doing their penance. Many of them were young in age, though old in their wisdom. They had young wives who were dutiful and beautiful. The women were proud of themselves, their beauty and chastity.

The Lord of Madurai, Lord Shiva called as Sundareshwara, decided he wanted to play a divine game (Thiru – divine; vilayadal – game). This time he chose the chose the Taruka Vana and the unsuspecting ladies for his game.

Lord Shiva assumed the disguise of a mendicant. Covered only with a loin cloth and smearing ashes from top to bottom, he arrived at the hermitage with a smile and song on his lips. He had a begging bowl in his hands.

The women who lived a quiet life in the forest with their husbands were intrigued by this young and handsome stranger. Like being pulled by a magnet they started walking behind him. In their eagerness to please him, they removed their gold bangles and their hip belts and put it in his begging bowl. They were so mesmerised by the stranger that they did not realise what they were doing. All they wanted to was to be embraced by him and go with him.

After some time Lord Shiva who had come as Bhikshandar (a mendicant form) disappeared. The rishi pathnis were heart broken and sad. They sat in a daze without doing any work. The rishis who had gone out came back and were surprised to see the daily chores of the ashram unattended to. They were surprised and angry as they have seen their wives in this state. With their yogic powers they realised what had happened and that their wives who were proud of their devotion to their husbands had failed Shiva’s test.

Angry with their fickle mindedness, the rishis cursed them to be born in the city of Madurai in the trader varna (Vaishya). The women woke up as if from a dream and were sorry and ashamed of themselves. They prayed to their husbands to forgive them. The husbands felt sorry for their wives but could not do much about the curse.

They said that they will be born in the holy city of Madurai and they will attain moksha when Lord Shiva touches their hands. As was ordained, the women were born in Madurai in the Vaishya varna. They grew up to be beautiful young women and were wise and kind.

One day, they saw a very young and handsome young man selling bangles in the street. They called out to him and he came to their homes. He had a mischievous smile as he showed them the bangles. Then he took out a bundle of bangles tied in a silk thread and said “Perhaps you can try these. They look like they are made for you.”

Those were the bangles that the women had dropped in the mendicant’s bowl in their previous birth in Taraka Vana. The women showed the seller their hands and were amazed to see how well these fit them. In their desire to have him touch their hand again, some of them broke their bangles and again extended their hands to him.

After some time, the merchant got up to leave. The women were unable to bear that he was leaving. They started following him. He reached the main temple of Madurai and disappeared there. The women realised that they had been part of a divine mischief. They were overjoyed and became staunch devotees of the Lord at Madurai. In due course, they were blessed with wise and powerful children and after their time on earth attained the lotus of feet of Lord Shiva.