Know your Gods: 6 most famous and iconic stories about Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva, also known as Mahadev, is the one who transforms the Universe, drinks poison to save others, and loves all beings with all his power, is also the one who is responsible for making the Universe work right and eliminating evil. Lord Shiva is a doting father, a loving and devoted husband, and a God who is as pure as camphor, as said through the lines ‘Karpoorgauram Karunavataram’. And there are so many stories of Lord Shiva that tell us all about his life, his nature, his qualities, and much more. And so, here we mention the 6 most famous and iconic stories about Lord Shiva.

One of the most famous stories about Lord Shiva is the incident of when he met Lord Ganesha for the first time.It is said that one day Goddess Parvati decided to create a guardian to watch over her while Lord Shiva was away. She made a little boy out of turmeric paste and breathed life into him. She told him to guard the entrance and not allow anyone inside. As little Ganesha had never seen who Lord Shiva was, when he came back home, Ganesha blocked his way, and this drove Shiva furious. A battle started between the two, and in rage, Lord Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head. Maa Parvati was heartbroken when she got to know about it, and to pacify her, Lord Shiva replaced the head of the boy with one of his ganas (his close men), and Lord Ganesha then became Ganpati.

Another story about Lord Shiva is of the time when Maa Sati sacrificed herself and he was engulfed in grief.
The story goes - Mata Sati, Lord Shiva’s better half, was the daughter of Daksha, a proud king. One day, Daksha organised a yagna but did not invite Lord Shiva or Maa Sati. But against Lord Shiva’s advice, Sati decided to attend it, hoping that her father would approve of her choice and Lord Shiva. But unfortunately, even at the yagna, Daksha humiliated Lord Shiva in front of Maa Sati, and Maa Sati could not bear the insult of her husband and the ignorance of her father. Filled with guilt, she jumped into the fire and died. When Lord Shiva got to know about it he was furious and distraught at the same time. He carried Mata Sati’s charred body and roamed the universe in grief.

Another famous story that showed how selfless Lord Shiva is and he saved the entire Universe is of the Samudra manthan. When a war broke out between the Devtas and the Asuras, the churning of the ocean also started to get the best out of the Universe. Through the Samudra manthan the Gods and demons wanted the ‘Amrit’ which would make them immortal. But unfortunately, what came first was a deadly poison called ‘Halahal’, and it had to be consumed by someone. The gods and demons grew worried and asked Lord Shiva for help. Lord Shiva, being the carefree one, collected the poison in his palm and drank it to save the world. And then, Lord Shiva’s throat turned blue as he stopped the poison from reaching his body. From then on he came to be known as Neelkanth.

Kaal Bhairav, the fierce and unforgiving form of Lord Shiva, currently sits as the Kotwal of Kashi, ensuring all law and order is overseen. But, how he emerged is a story not many people know. According to legends, when Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu debated about who was the supreme creator, Lord Brahma intentionally said something negative about Lord Shiva. Angered by his dishonesty and nature, Lord Shiva manifested as Kaal Bhairav, a terrifying form, and severed one of Brahma’s five heads. This made Kaal Bhairav the accused of ‘Brahmahatya’ or the killing of Brahman. And then, Kaal Bhairav roamed all around the Universe to seek penance and finally got it in the land of Kashi. From then one Lord Shiva appointed Kaal Bhairav as the protector of Kashi.

Another famous story of Lord Shiva is the one where he helped pacify Maa Kali and ended her thirst for blood.

It is said that there was a demon named Raktabij who would be reborn and duplicate wherever his blood fell. As he began to trouble the Gods and the humans, the Gods sought the help of Lord Shiva. And then Goddess Parvati came forward in the form of Maa Kali, the fierce one, who eliminated Raktabij by drinking all of his blood. But even after he was killed, the thirst for blood did not end, and soon began her dance of destruction. To calm her down, Lord Shiva lay down in her path, and when she stepped on him she realised her mistake, came back to her original self, and harmony was restored.

Another famous story about Lord Shiva is how he enabled Maa Ganga to fall onto Earth. It is said that King Bhagirath’s ancestors were not the most pure and pious and even committed some heinous sins. And so, none of them could reach heaven. For their moksha, King Bhagirath performed many yagnas and finally convinced Maa Ganga to come down to Earth so that the ashes of his ancestors could reach back to heaven with her. But the problem was that Maa Ganga had a very powerful flow that could destroy the earth and all life. And so, Lord Shiva agreed to let Ganga flow through his ‘jata’, the locks and matts on his head, to control her flow.