Story of Gunanidhi (2) - Rebirth of Gunanidhi as Kubera

This story relates how Gunanidhi took several rebirth and was eventually blessed by Shiva and his consort Parvati to become Kuber, the God of treasure Kubera.

Pleased with Gunanidhi, Shiva blessed him for a virtuous rebirth. 

Gunanidhi was born as Dama (Damana) to King Arindam who ruled Kalinga (also known as Utakala). This happened during Meghavahan Kalpa. His father died at an early age, so Dama succeeded the throne in his early years. As King of Kalinga, Dama propagated the cult of worshiping Shiva. He renovated the Shiva Temple and made it compulsory for his subjects to observe fasting in praise of Shiva especially on occasion of Shivaratri.

Dama lived a pious life, dedicated to Shiva. He got more endear to Shiva.

In this next birth, Gunanidhi was born to Sage Vishrawa (grandson of Brahman) as Vishravan. This happened during Meghavahan Kalpa.

As Vishravan, Gunanidhi did severe penance for one million years due to which body was reduced to a mere skeleton.

Shiva and Parvati were immensely pleased by Vishravan’s penance. When they appeared before him, their radiance blinded him. Using his yogic vision, Vishravan saw Shiva with Parvati. He asked Shiva to restore his vision.

Due to years of penance and unparallel devotion, Vishravan became possessive of Shiva. He even envied Parvati standing near Shiva.

Shiva restored his vision, but as stated earlier Vishravan envied Parvati who stood on the left side of Shiva. He angrily looked at Parvati due to which he lost his left eye. Parvati told him, ‘since you looked at me with enmity, you will be known as Kuber (ber in Hindi means enmity)’.  

However, Shiva blessed and enlightened him. He blessed him to become the king of the kings and ensured that he would stay near him. Shiva blessed him with the most beautifully embellished city which was known as Lankapuri, which was architected by Visvakarma. Shiva also asked Visvakarma to build his residence (abode) on Mount Kailash which stood near the city of Lankapuri. Shiva did so to ensure that his great devotee is contented.

After blessing Vishravan, Shiva and Parvati went to Vaishveshwar. And Gunanidhi came to be known as Kuber and ruled the city of Lankapuri.

Story of Gunanidhi (1) – The Anguished Father

Long time ago, in the city of Kaampilya there lived a pious Brahman named Yagyadatt (Yajnadutta) with his wife Somidevamma .

Yagyadatt was a learned and respected Brahman. He was a Somaayaajee who was known far and wide for his knowledge of Vedic scriptures.

After years of penance, Yagyadatt was blessed with a son whom they named Gunanidhi (literal meaning, the vitreous).

At the age of five, Yagyadatt send Gunanidhi to Vedic school (gurukul) for learning Vedas. As the boy grew up, he got in company of wrong people and started gambling. When he lost his money and assets in gambling, he started stealing to make up for the losses he had made and engage in further play.

Though his mother was aware of Gunanidhi’s bad habits and vices, she kept to herself and never revealed it to Yagyadatt.

One day Yagyadatt gave his gold ring to his wife before he left for bathing in the river. Gunanidhi was taking meal when his father gave the ring to his mother. His mother kept the ring safely in the niche of the wall near chest. After his mother retuned for chorus work, Gunanidhi stole the ring. He sold the ring to a man from nearby village.

The man had come to see Yagyadatt seeking his guidance for his son. When Yagyadatt saw the same ring in the man’s finger, he was surprised. He politely asked him about the ring. The man told Yagyadatt that he bought the ring from a man named Gunanidhi. It was a turning point in their life. Enraged and ashamed of his son’s vices, Yagyadatt abandoned both his wife and son. 

Soon Gunanidhi came to know that his father has felt them due to his vices. He was remorseful and wept over his actions. He fled far away traveling aimlessly.

He went hungry for several days.

One day he sat under a tree exhausted and famished, when he heard sound of temple bells and chanting of great hymns. Gunanidhi went in the direction of sound and saw a Shiva Temple. A large number of devotees thronged the temple in celebration of festival of Shivaratri.

When Gunanidhi saw food being placed in the temple premises, he went into the temple and joined the crowd of devotees. It is a custom followed by Shiva devotees to fast during the night of Shivarati and break the fast with offering made to God next morning. The food was assembled for same.

After hours of meditation, singing and chanting the devotees finally fell asleep. The holy eternal lamp (Akand Lamp burns without extinguishing) lit in praise of God dimmed as its wick slipped in the oil. Gunanidhi saw the waning flame. As a gesture of praise, he tore a strip from his shirt and made it into fine wick. He installed the wick and fed oil in the lamp to keep it illuminated in the dark night of Shivaratri. Shiva and his Gana saw how Gunanidhi worked to keep the lamp illuminated. Shiva was pleased with Gunanidhi.  

Tormented by hunger, Gunanidhi sneaked into the main chamber of the temple where the food was kept. He quickly gathered as much food as he could and turned to leave the temple premises when he stumbled upon a devotee who was sleeping. The man screamed and soon all the men woke up. They caught Gunanidhi and thrashed him mercilessly. In commotion and anguish, a devotee blew hard on his head and Gunanidhi died there itself.

Shiva sends his Gana to bring Gunanidhi to his abode (Shivloka). On the other hand, Yamas’s agents thronged the place to take the soul to fire of hell as they considered Gunanidhi as a sinful man.

The Ganas argued that Gunanidhi had fasted two days before Shivarati. He had kept the eternal lamp illuminating and had listening to hymns, chants in praise of God. He had visited the Shiva Temple and kept in company of Shiva’s devotes during his last hours. Though he had done this unknowingly, Shiva was pleased with him and he had been salvaged by Shiva’s grace.

Gunanidhi lived for several years in Shivaloka and served Shiva Parvati with utmost devotion.

Read further about Gunanidhi

Shivratri Stories - Manifestation of Lord Shiv as a Jyotirlinga

It is said that on day of Mahashivratri, Lord Shiva manifested himelf as Analaskanda (meaning an endless fire pillar). It is believed to be the first effulgent linga (jyotirlinga) of Lord Shiva and is called Lingodabhavamurti

Read the story here. 

Shivratri Stories - Lubdhak:

Once lived a tribal named Lubdhak.

Lubdhak was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He embrassed Shiva every day with by offering milk and bel leaves. He adored the shivalinga with chandan and flowers and chanted mantras in his name. 

Lubdhak lived by selling firwood. He went to the forest everyday for collecting firewood and sold it in the evening. One day he went deeper into the forest. He lost his way and soon it became dark. It was a thick and dark forest. The moon was in waxing phase and appeared as a thin crescent in the far sky. 

Lubdhak sat to rest  against bark of a thick tree. He soon woke up hearing a terrifying roar of a lion. The sound echoed across the woods and it was apparent that the lion was nearing him with his smell. Labdhuk knew he could outrun the lion, so he climbed a bhel tree immediately. To keep himself awake, he started plucking bel leaves and dropped them down, while reciting the name of Shiva. The tiger disappeared in the wild.

When the day came, Lubdhak came down the tree and saw a beautiful mystical shivling under the tree. In fact, he had been dropping the bhel leaves on shivling unknowlingly. Lubdhak felt blissful to have served Shiva unknowingly.  

This is said to have happened on the fourteenth day of waxing moon during the month of Phalgun, when Mahashivratri is celebrated. 

Shivratri Stories - Day of Reunion of Shiva & Parvati:

In her earlier birth Goddess Parvati was born as Sati was born to King Daksha and his wife Praasuni.

King Daksha was son of Lord Brahma and an ardent devotee if Lord Vishnu. He opposed worship of Shiva. However, his eldest daughter Sati fell in live with Shiva and married him against the wish of her father. 

After marriage, King Dakha held a grand ceremony (Yagna, the holy sacrifice) where Shiva was not invited. However, Sati went to the ceremony. She was insulted publically by King Daksha. The king even insulted Shiva. This enraged Sati who destroyed herself by surrendering herself to the sacred fire.

Shiva was devasted by Sati's death. He beheaded Daksha in fury. His anger manifested as he performed the violent dance - the Rudra Tandava with Sati in his hands and destroyed the kindgom of Daksha. To pacify Shiva, Lord Vishnu send his visionary wheel to put Sati's body into pieces. The body parts fell on the Earth and emerged as 'Shakti Peeth'. He renounced world and undertook rigorous penance in mystic place.

Many years passed and Shiva made no manifestation. 

The Gods went to Lord Vishnu and expressed their concern and fear regarding Shiva's penance which could end the mortal world. It was then that Goddess Sati was revived as Parvati and born to King of Himalayas. It is belived that Shiva performed penance in some deep mystic pockets of the Himalayan mountains.

After years of meditation, Parvati met Shiva. The king of Himalayas happily married Parvati to Lord Shiva. This reunion of Shiva and Shakti (other names for Sati, Parvati) is celebrated as Shivaratri.

After their marriage, Parvati (also known as Uma) performed penance on the night of Shivaratri to protect her husband from any evil that could befell on him.

Shivratri Stories - King Chitrabhanu

There are many stories extolling the celebration of Shivratri

The Story of King Chitrabhanu

Once there lived a vitreous king named Chitrabhanu who ruled over the kingdom of Jambudvipa. One year on the festival of Shivratri, the king and his wife were observing fasting in honor of Lord Shiva.

That day the king was visited by sage Ashtavakra. The sage asked the king why he was observing fast. The king explained the reason for fasting and narrated a story from his previous birth. Here goes the story –

In my previous birth I was a hunter named Suswara. I lived in Varanasi and killed animals and birds to earn living. One day while hunting in the forest, I lost my way. Soon it became dark and I took shelter on a tree. It happened by matter of destiny that the tree was a sacred Bhel (Bilva or Bael or Bel) tree. I had corpse of a deer which I had hunted that day. I tied the corpse to a thick branch of tree.

I kept awake the whole night and was tormented by hunger and thirst. When I thought about my wife and children who were waiting for me and were probably starving, I had tears in my eyes. While these thoughts kept me troubling, I started plucking the bhael leaves and dropped down them casually. 

At day break, I started on my way back to home. I sold the deer and bought food for my family and myself. The previous night was a night of fasting for me. When I was about to eat food, a beggar came to me asking for food. I first gave him the food and then ate myself.

After few days I was deep unconsciousness, nearing my end.  At this moment, Shiva enlightened me and I gained spiritual consciences. There were two messengers of Shiva standing by my side. They came to take me to the abode of Lord Shiva. They told me, ‘Though you have committed many sins during your lifetime by killing animals and birds, you sins have been forgiven by Shiva. The night you were lost in the forest, your tears washed the Shiva Lingam hidden under foliage. Your dropped bhael leaves on it, and fasted that night. Next day you gave food to needy before you ate it. It was the night of Shivaratri and Shiva poured his blessing on you. We come to take you to the abode of Shiva as a boon to you to end this sinful life of yours’.

When I reached Shiva’s abode, I served him for many years and got rid of my sins. Shiva blessed me and I was in clan of Ikshvaku dynasty as Chitrabhanu’.

The above story of King Chitrabhanu was narrated by Bhishma when he laid on the arrow bed.

About Shivaratri

Shivaratri Celebration

The festival of Shivratri is observed in the honor of Lord Shiva. The name refers to the night of Shiva and the festival celebrates the wedding ceremony of Shiva and Parvati. Shivaratri Eve is before the day of Shivaratri celebrations.

Festival Rituals

On the day of Shivratri people observe fast. The manifestation of Shiva in the form of Shiva Lingam is primarily worshipped by offering mix of milk, curd, honey, rose water, etc. People chant divine mantras and hymns in glory and praise of Shiva and hs consort the great Goddess Parvati. The Bael leaves are offered to Shivratri (it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi resides in these leaves).

Shivaratri Stories

According to some legends, on day of Mahashivratri Lord Shiva united with Goddess Parvati. Yet another legend states that Lord Shiva performed the Taandava on the day of Mahashivratri.