Dvijeshvara Avatara

Nandishvara said

Son, listen: I will tell you of Shivaa and of the supreme self Shiva's Dvijeshvara avatara, which brings happiness to the virtuous. I have already told you of Bhadrayu, supreme among kings, to whom Shiva showed favour in Vrishabha's form. To test his hold on dharma Shiva appeared again, as Dvijeshvara. By the powers of Vrishabha the lord had beaten his enemies in battle, and Bhadrayu gained the throne. He married the auspicious daughter of Chitrangada and Simantini, the very virtuous Kirtimalini.

Once Bhadrayu went with his beloved into a dense forest to enjoy himself, in the spring. In that lovely forest the lord of the earth played with his beloved, who protected those who sought refuge. Parameshvara wished to test his firmness in dharma. Shiva and Shivaa, in play, took the forms of a brahmana couple and by maya made a tiger. Not far from the king they ran, overcome with fear, pursued by the tiger and weeping. Bhadrayu, lord of the earth, a bull among kshatriyas fit to be a refuge, saw them afflicted so. The brahmana couple, pretending fear through their maya, said: great king, supreme in knowledge of dharma, save us two. The tiger is coming to devour us, fierce as the Destroyer, terrifying to all beings; before it reaches us, save us. Hearing their cries the valiant king quickly took up his bow. But the tiger, made by great maya, seized the noble brahmana's wife in front of them. Seized by the terrible tiger she cried: alas lord, alas protector, alas beloved, alas Shambhu, guru of the universe. The king struck the tiger with fierce iron arrows, but it was not troubled, like a lord of mountains unaffected by rain. With great valour and force it quickly took the woman and dashed off. Seeing the woman carried off, the brahmana was astounded and, following worldly custom, wept again and again, the lord of maya crying a long time.

The remover of pride then spoke to Bhadrayu. He asked where were the king's great weapons, his protecting bow, his strength of twelve thousand elephants, sword, conch, knowledge of invoking weapons with mantras, great powers. All had been made futile and did not really exist in him, since he could not counter the attack of a forest creature. A kshatriya's highest dharma is to protect from injury, and that dharma worthy of his line was destroyed. What was the point of living? Kings must save the afflicted and those who seek refuge, even with their lives and wealth; those who do not know this dharma are as good as dead. Better to die than live unable to save the afflicted. A mendicant is better than a householder who has wealth and does not give. The wise say that one who cannot protect the afflicted, the distressed and the unprotected should rather drink poison or enter the fire. The king heard his valour censured in those laments and, full of sorrow, thought: alas, by adverse destiny my valour is destroyed today, my deeds are lost and I have gained a horrible sin; the dharma of my line is gone, and I, evil-minded and unfortunate, will surely lose my prosperity, kingdom and long life. This pure brahmana is afflicted with grief and his wife has been seized. By giving up my own much-loved life I will end his sorrow. So Bhadrayu resolved, fell at his feet and spoke reassuringly. He said: brahmana, pity me, I am a mere kshatriya by name with my energy gone; put aside your sorrow, I will give you what you desire; this kingdom, the queen and my body are all in your power, so what do you want most? The brahmana answered: what will a blind man do with a mirror, a mendicant living on alms with a house, a fool with a book, a man without a wife with wealth? I am not yet satisfied with pleasures and my wife is killed, so I want your chief queen; give her to me. Bhadrayu said he could give riches reaching the earth's end, his kingdom, elephants and horses, even his body, but never his wife, for sin is gained by enjoying another's wife and even a hundred expiations cannot cleanse it. The brahmana replied that with his austerities he could counter even the terrible sin of killing a brahmana or drinking liquor, and the sin of taking another's wife was a trifle, so as a husband he should give his wife; he wanted nothing else, or, unable to protect the afflicted, the king would certainly go to hell. The king, frightened by the brahmana's words, thought: great sin comes from failing to protect, so better to give away my wife; I will give her to this foremost brahmana and free myself of sin, and then enter the fire, and my fame will be known. Resolved so, he lit a fire, invited the brahmana and gave his wife away with water. He bathed and purified himself, bowed to the lords of the gods, circled the fire three times, controlled his mind and fixed it on Shiva.

Just as he was about to go down into the fire, his mind fixed on Shiva's feet, Dvijeshvara appeared in the form of Vishvesha and held him back. Ishvara had five faces and three eyes, held the Pinaka and was adorned with the crescent moon, his long tawny matted hair dazzling, his energy like a crore midday suns, fair as a lotus stalk, wearing an elephant hide, his head drenched with the waves of the Ganga, a necklace of large serpents round his throat, shining in diadem, girdle, armlets and bangles. His eight hands held a trident, sword, khatvanga, battle-axe, shield and a deer, and one made the gesture of fearlessness. He sat on a bull and ornaments lay about his dark throat. The king saw him appear before him. Divine flowers fell from the sky, the gods' trumpets sounded and divine women danced. Hari, Brahma and the other gods came and praised him, and Indra, Narada and the other sages did too. There were great festivities that increased devotion. When the lord of the earth saw him he joined his hands and bowed in devotion. Seeing him his bliss became all-pervading, tears of joy wet his limbs and his hair stood up. In choked, eloquent words he praised him, and Bhagavan Parameshvara was praised so.

With Parvati, the ocean of compassion was pleased and said: king, even more than your dharma I am pleased with your devotion; ask a boon with your wife, I will certainly give it. To test your feeling I came here as a brahmana. The one seized by the tiger was none other than Devi Shivaa herself, and the tiger was made of maya, which is why your arrows did not harm it. I wished to test your patience, so I asked for your wife. Hearing the lord, Bhadrayu bowed again and said: lord Parameshvara, I was scorched by the torments of the earth, and your showing yourself to me is itself a boon. But if in compassion you will grant another, why should I ask for anything but a supreme boon from the bull among givers of boons? Let my father Vajrabahu, his wife, I and my wife always be servants at your feet, and likewise the vaishya Padmakara and his son Sanaya; let all of us always remain by your side. His beautiful queen Kirtimalini devotedly pleased Girisha and asked a fine boon: that her father Chandrangada, her mother Simantini and she herself might always remain happily by his side. Pleased and kind to devotees, Gourisha agreed, gave them the boons they wished, and vanished. Having pleased the trident-wielder, Bhadrayu was very happy. With Kirtimalini he enjoyed many pleasures, ruled for ten thousand years with his valour unimpeded, then gave the kingdom to his son and went to Shiva's presence. King Chandrangada and Queen Simantini devotedly worshipped Girisha and gained Shambhu's feet. Nandi said he had described the supreme account of Maheshvara's Dvijeshvara avatara, which gave great bliss to Bhadrayu. This supremely sacred account of Shiva's holy deeds, named for Dvijeshvara, gives a destination with Shambhu to one who hears or reads it, and one who controls himself and constantly reads it or has it read does not stray from his own dharma and in the next world gains the desired destination.