Lord Shiva

Posted byAnita VijPosted inTOD

Stories You Need To Know # 3

Veerabhadra Avatar

The Veerabhadra avatar of Lord Shiva is one of his fiercest forms. Lord Shiva incarnated as Veerabhadra after his wife Sati’s death. The Veerabhadra form of Lord Shiva destroyed King Daksha’s Yagya and beheaded him for being responsible for Sati’s death.

Virabhadra is also known as Veerabadhra, Veerabathira, Veerabathiran is an extremely fierce and fearsome form of the Hindu god Shiva. He was created by the wrath of Shiva and destroyed the Yagna (fire sacrifice) of Daksha after Daksha’s daughter and Shiva’s consort Sati self-immolated in the sacrificial fire.

He is described as a warrior who eventually blinded Bhaga, subdued Indra, and broke, among many other countless gods, Pushan‘s teeth. Other gods fled the battlefield unable to sustain their power

Within Shaivism, Virabhadra’s origins run as follows. Sati was the youngest daughter of Daksha. While growing up, she set her heart on Shiva and worshipped him. In the Swayamvara of Sati, Daksha invited all the devas and princes except Shiva. Sati cast her garland into the air, calling upon Shiva to receive it, and behold he stood in the midst of the court with the garland about his neck. Daksha had no choice but to get his daughter married to Shiva.

One day, Daksha invited all the devas in order to perform a great offering called the Ashwamedha yagna, omitting only Shiva. Sati’s urge to attend the event, due to her affection towards her parents, overpowered the social etiquette of not going to an uninvited ceremony; thus, Daksha insulted her in front of his guests. 

Angered after hearing insults against her husband, she set herself ablaze by her inner yogāgni. The site where Sati had died later on became known as “Satikund”, situated in Kankhal, Haridwar.

When Shiva came to know about what had happened, with deep sorrow and anger, he plucked a lock from his hair and thrashed it on the ground. Both Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali were born from it. The former is believed to be the destroyer of Agnana: born with a tall, muscular body reaching the higher heavens, he was as dark as the stormy clouds, with three burning eyes and fiery hair. He also wore a garland of skulls and carried weapons. Bhadrakali, a wrathful incarnation of Devi, provided him the power.

The Padma Purana, on the other hand, identifies Virabhadra as the fierce form of Mangala (the planet Mars). Virabhadra is born when Shiva, due to his anguish regarding the death of Sati, perspires, his perspiration falls on earth. The gives birth to the fierce Virabhadra, who destroys the yajña.

 Then Shiva calms him down and makes him the planet Angaraka, viz planet Mars. There is the temple of Shri Virabhadra near Ahmednagar in the state of Maharashtra, India. The place is known as Shahadongar located at the footsteps of the hill on which the Tomb of Salabat Khan II is present.

To be continued…

Published by Anita Vij

A caring mother of 2. A loving wife. An aspiring individual who wishes to share her life-long learnings with the rest of the world.

23 thoughts on “Lord Shiva”

    1. Thank you Shanky. I am also reading some stories for the first time during my research on these topics. There are so many things that we don’t know about the history of our Gods😊🌹

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      6. I know Shanky, you are kidding… but what I said is true because no matter how perfect someone is, there is always room for improvement.😊

        Like

      10. Yeah, thats the plan. When the content is enough for a book, I will publish it. Even my memoir …publishing here in parts when it will be completed, will publish it. Thats so sweet of you …you just said what my plan is🥰 😍

        Like

      11. Great didi😍😍😍😍 I also think this😁
        Okay no issue write here first then publish it in a book beautiful book.
        Say thanks to me😉 or give me some candies 😛😛

        Liked by 2 people

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