 |
| SAGE BHRIGU |
Many great sages gathered at the bank of river Saraswati to participate in Maha yagya organized at that time. Maharishi Bhrigu was also present there. All the great saints and sages could not decide that out of the Trinity Lord Vishnu, Brahma and Shiv who is pre-eminent and to whom should they offer Pradhanta (Master) of that yagya. With the consent of all the great saints present there, it was decided that Maharishi Bhrigu will test and decide who was pre-eminent.
Upon being entrusted with the task Maharishi Bhrigu decided to test Lord Brahma first. He went on to see Lord Brahma in Brahmalok. On reaching Brahmalok Maharishi displayed utter disrespect to Lord Brahma on purpose. Lord Brahma got angry and wanted to punish Maharishi but Maha Saraswati, wife of Lord Brahma saved Maharishi from his anger. Angry with disrespect, Maharishi Bhrigu cursed Lord Brahma that no one will worship Brahma in Kaliyug. To this day, there are very few temples devoted to Lord Brahma (the notable exception being the Brahma Temple at Pushkar).
Maharishi Bhrigu then decided to visit Lord Shiva at Kailash Parvat. On reaching Kailash Parvat, Nandi stopped him from going inside because at that time, Shiva and Parvati were sporting fun. Bhrigu curses Lord Shiva to be only worshipped in Linga form.
Then in order to test Lord Vishnu, Maharishi reached Vaikunth Dham. He entered the Dham without Lord Vishnu's permission and saw that the Lord was resting at that time. Maharishi asked him to wake up, but Lord was in deep sleep. On seeing no reaction from Lord, Maharishi hit Lord Vishnu on his chest (that strike by Maharishi Bhrigu left a foot print on Lord's chest and that foot print is known as "Shri Vatsa").
Lord Vishnu got up after the strike and realized what has happened. On realizing that Maharishi had hit him with his foot, Lord asked him, “Maharishi, are you hurt in your foot? My chest is strong but your foot is not so strong". Seeing the decorum of Lord Vishnu, Bhrigu was pleased and declared him superior amongst the Tridev.
According to Hindu mythology, goddess of prosperity and wife of Lord Vishnu, Maha Laxmi also witnessed the whole incident, as she was also present in the Dham at that time. She could not tolerate disrespect displayed by Maharishi Bhrigu towards Lord Vishnu and cursed him that henceforth she would never visit Brahmins and they will all live in absence of wealth.
On hearing this curse from Maha Laxmi, Maharishi told her, his very purpose of visiting the Vaikunth Dham and his mission. On hearing this, Maha Laxmi told Maharishi, that her curse will definitely haunt Brahmins but whenever any Brahmin will worship Lord Vishnu, he will be liberated from her curse.
It is after this incident that Maharishi Bhrigu decided to write famous book of astrology, the Bhrigu Samhita, with the blessings of Lord Ganesha and Maha Saraswati, to help Brahmins earn their living. He eventually wrote this 'Grantha'(book) to the benefit of all mankind for their 'kalyan'(well being) which would lead mankind to 'Moksha'(Complete Salvation). Maharishi Bhrigu collected numbers of birth charts, wrote their predictions for full life and compiled them together to be known as Bhrigusamhita today. Parts of the Bhrigu Samhita are said to be destroyed over the ages but a few parts of the book are still available in Hoshiarpur city in Punjab.
Bhrigusamhita is believed to be the first book of its kind in the field of astrology.Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great .... the daughter of Himavat and Menā and is named Kali, 'the dark one', because of .... lingam of Shiva, who was cursed by sage Bhrigu to be the form of the lingam. ... The couple are often depicted in the Puranas as Sage Bhrighu tests trinities regarding right for Poornahoothi.
In the Padma Purana it is related that the Rishis, assembled at a sacrifice, disputed as to which deity was best entitled to the homage of a Brahman (Poornahoothi). Being unable to agree, they resolved to send Bhrigu to test the characters of the various Gods, and he accordingly went. He could not obtain access to Siva because that deity was engaged with his wife; “finding him, therefore, to consist of the property of darkness, Bhrigu sentenced him to take the form of the Linga, and pronounced that he should have no offerings presented to him, nor receive the worship of the pious and respectable.
His next visit was to Brahma, whom he beheld surrounded by Sages, and so much inflated with his own importance as to treat Bhrigu with great inattention, betraying his being made up of foulness. The Sage therefore excluded him from the worship of the Brahmans.
Repairing next to Vishnu, he found the deity asleep, and, indignant at his seeming sloth, Bhrigu stamped upon his breast with his left foot and awoke him; instead of being offended, Vishnu gently pressed the Brahman’s foot and expressed himself honoured and made happy by its contact; and Bhrigu, highly pleased by his humility, and satisfied of his being impersonated goodness, proclaimed Vishnu as the only being to be worshipped by men or Gods, in which decision the Sages, upon Bhrighu’s report, concurred, "Who was he to test the trimurtis? How could he disturb their privacy? More so how could he even dare to curse the deities who by their mercy had bestowed upon him many a boon and made him so illustrious? Even when he had been unimaginably haughty, the Gods had displayed forbearance and kindness when they could have burnt him to ashes by a mere glance."
Only then Bhrughu realized that the best of merits was to remain free of vain pride and conceit. He begged pardons from the Gods who were glad to bless him, seeing that he had realized his folly. Since then the trimurtis have been the supreme owners of the purnahuti and the devotees could offer the aahuti to the God of their choice and devotion.
source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhrigu
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
No comments:
Post a Comment