Vigna Hartha - Shiva worships Vinayaka
Lord Shiva was sitting in Kailash in deep
meditation. The Gods were watching and waiting. Things were out of hand. They
wanted a solution from Parameshwara. What was the issue? Three brothers, Vidyunmali,
Tarakaksha and Kamalaksha were tormenting all the three worlds.
How did it start? Who were they? They were the sons of
Tarakasura. As sons of an Asura, they were by nature powerful. They decided to
strengthen themselves further with powerful boons. They went on a tapas. At
long last, Brahma appeared before them and asked them what they wanted.
After many eons Brahma appeared before them. The brothers tried getting
the boon of immortality but were denied by Lord Brahma. They asked for the boon
of having a wandering fortress each. To protect themselves more, they asked
Brahma that they cannot be killed until all their floating fortresses come in
one single line on Pushya Nakshatra with a powerful person by one single arrow.
Brahma found the boon a bit strange but still granted the boon.
That is why they were waiting for Shiva to
finish their meditation. Once Shiva was done with his meditation, he slowly opened
his eyes. The Devas prayed to him “Lord, we are unable to bear the torture of
the three brothers, Vidyunmali, Tarakaksha and Kamalaksha. We want you come
with us and kill these tormentors and give all the worlds peace.”
Lord Shiva smiled and agreed to help them.
He directed the Devas to create a special chariot. The sun and the moon became
the wheels of the chariot. Brahma became the charioteer. Mount Meru became the
bow and Vasuki became the bowstring. Mahavishnu became the arrow. Agni became
the arrow head and Vayu became the feather of the arrow.
Every other Devatha who wanted to see this
event got into the chariot as a part or as a weapon. Lord Shiva left Kailash to
start the battle with the Asuras. (The picture of the chariot as sculpted in one
of the temple walls is given in story).
The muhurtham for the chariots to come in
one line was nearing. They were getting close to their destination. Shiva was
seated majestically in the chariot. Suddenly Shiva felt a huge jolt. The chariot
Finally Lord Shiva sat down in the well of
the chariot and closed his eyes. He meditated quietly. He wanted to find out
what had happened. After a while, Shiva got up with a smile. He called his
Ganas, “Make me a small vigraha of Ganapathy.”.
The Ganas were surprised. But they did not have a habit of questioning their
Lord.
So they quietly made a Ganapathy out of
sandalwood paste. Lord Shiva sat down in his chariot and prayed to his elder
son, Ganapathy. The other Devathas were surprised to see the father worship the
son. Once the Puja was over, Ganapathy came near his father with a smile and
gave him a small piece of wood which was the axle of the wheel of the chariot.
Lord Ganapathy prostrated before his father
and said “Father, forgive me. It was you who gave me the boon that everyone should
think of me before starting any new endeavour. I wanted you to remind you and
the world that I am the remover of obstacles. Where better to start than with
family.:
Then with a mischievous smile, Vinayaka went
and put the axles back in the wheel of the chariot and the chariot started
moving. A terrible battle followed between Shiva and the asuras. The moment
when all the three floating chariots were in one line occurred. Lord Shiva bent
his Dhanush (bow) and let go of a powerful arrow at the time of the Pushya Nakshatra.
The three chariots of the brothers Takakaksha,
Vidyunmali and Kamalaksha started crumbling and burning. The Devas shouted with
joy and sang praises of Lord Shiva. Soon the brothers were burnt to ash. Shiva
returned victorious and got the name of Tripurari or Tripurantakara.
The place where the axle of the chariot is
supposed to be near the city of Chennai in Tamilnadu. The place is called Accharapakkam
(Acchu in Tamil language means axle / screw).
Lord Ganesha showed that he will test a person
if they forget him. By testing his own divine father, Lord Ganesha perhaps
taught us a lesson.
Comments
Post a Comment