Bhikshuvarya Avatara

Nandishvara said

Best of sages, I will now tell of another of Shambhu's avataras. In this form he showed affection for his devotee and dispelled a brahmana woman's doubt. In the kingdom of Vidarbha there was a king named Satyaratha, dharmic in self and truthful, loved by the great devotees of Shiva. He ruled in accordance with dharma and for a long time followed Shiva's dharma. Once the king of the Shalvas besieged the city with a large army. A great battle followed, and the king of Vidarbha fought terribly, but by destiny his forces were destroyed and he was killed by the Shalvas. When the king fell in the battle against the Shalvas, the remaining soldiers fled in fear with the ministers. The great queen, who was expecting, was imprisoned by the enemy, but escaped in the night and left the city. Tormented by grief she came slowly out, remembering Shiva's lotus feet, and went far to the east. When she had travelled a long way, in the morning, by Shankara's compassion, the queen saw a sparkling lake. The delicate lady went there, grieving over her beloved king, and stayed on its shore, taking shelter in a tree's shade. At an auspicious muhurta, by destiny, she gave birth to a divine son with all virtuous qualities and all the auspicious marks. By destiny the king's wife, the mother, felt thirsty, went down into the lake to find water and was devoured by a crocodile. The newborn infant suffered badly from hunger and thirst. With father and mother dead he wept on the lake shore.

In that forest the son began to cry as soon as he was born. Mahesha, who is inside everyone, took pity and became his protector. A woman who lived on alms was wandering about, and, urged in her mind by Isha, who removes all fear, suddenly came there. She was a widow, carrying her own one-year-old child. She saw the infant crying there without a protector, in a forest where there were no other humans. The brahmana woman was surprised and thought about it in many ways. She thought: this is a great wonder that I have seen and cannot be described in any way; the infant's umbilical cord is not even cut, he lies on the ground without a mother and cries, supremely energetic; who are his parents, there is no one here to help him, what is the reason; alas, destiny's power is great; I do not know whose son he is, nor is there anyone to ask about his birth; I feel great pity and wish to rear him as I do my own child, but I cannot do so without asking about his lineage and birth. So the excellent brahmana woman thought.

Shankara, kind to devotees, took great pity. Maheshvara, who engages in great play, took the form of a bhikshu. Though himself formless he always does so to give happiness to his devotees. As the bhikshu, Parameshvara came suddenly to where the brahmana woman was, wishing to know. The lord's movements cannot be discerned, and he took the form of Bhikshuvarya. The ocean of compassion smiled and said: beautiful brahmana lady, have no doubt and do not grieve. Lovingly protect this pure child as you would your own son. Soon you will gain supreme benefit through this child, so nourish this very energetic child in every way. The brahmana woman heard the words of the ocean of compassion in bhikshu form and, full of love and affection, said: by your instruction I will protect this child as my own son, without doubt. You have come here by my good fortune. Still, I especially want to know the truth about him: who is he, whose son, and who are you who have come? Again and again I realise you are Shiva, ocean of compassion, and that this child was your devotee earlier. Because of some taint in his karma he has been reduced to this state, and after enjoying this, by your favour, he will gain supreme benefit. Because of your maya I was deluded and strayed from my path, and no doubt I was urged by you to come here to protect him. Through her knowledge the brahmana woman had this insight and, wishing to know, spoke to Shiva in the bhikshu's body. Bhikshuvarya replied: brahmana's wife, listen lovingly to what happened to this child earlier, and I will happily tell you the truth about all the rest. He is the son of the wise Satyaratha, king of Vidarbha, Shiva's devotee who kept his own dharma. King Satyaratha was killed in battle by his enemies the Shalvas. In the night his anxious queen swiftly left her house, reached here in the morning and bore this son. When she went down into the lake because she was thirsty, by destiny she was devoured by a crocodile. So he told her of the child's birth, his father's death in battle and his mother's death by the crocodile. The brahmani was surprised and again asked the bhikshu, who had knowledge and was in the form of a siddha: the king, his father, had not finished enjoying fine pleasures, so how was he killed by the Shalvas within a few days? Why was the child's mother devoured by a crocodile? Why has he been without a protector or relative since birth? Why has my own son been born poor and a mendicant? How will these two sons gain happiness? Hearing her, Parameshvara in bhikshu form was pleased.

He smiled and said he would answer all her questions specifically, and she should listen attentively to this wonderful account. This child's father was king of Vidarbha, and in an earlier birth he was Pandya, supreme among kings, devoted to Shiva, who kept dharma and protected the whole earth, delighted his subjects and removed every hardship. Once, on trayodashi, he kept the vow of fasting day and night and was worshipping Sarvesha in the evening, engaged in worshipping Shambhu Girisha. A great terrible noise arose everywhere in the city. Hearing it the king gave up the worship of Shiva, suspecting enemies had come, and went out of his residence. At that time his strong minister seized an enemy vassal and brought him to the king. Seeing the enemy vassal, the king was overwhelmed with rage and, without thinking of finishing the worship of Vrisha, had him beheaded. The king lost his judgement and was impure since the worship was unfinished. Yet, though the auspiciousness was destroyed, he happily ate his meal at night. He was reborn as king of Vidarbha, devoted to Shiva, and because Shiva's worship had earlier been left incomplete, he was killed in the midst of enjoying fine pleasures. The son of his earlier birth has been born as his son in this one. Because of the lapse in Shiva's worship, Shiva had taken away his prosperity. In her former birth the child's mother deceitfully killed her co-wife, and for that sin in this birth a crocodile devoured her. So he had described the consequences of their conduct: people who do not devotedly worship Shiva are reduced to poverty. In his earlier birth her own son was an excellent brahmana who accepted gifts but did not perform sacrifices and other good rites, and so he was reduced to poverty. To remove that taint, she should take refuge with Shankara, and let the two children worship Shiva properly; when they were invested with their sacred threads Shiva would do what was best for them. Shiva took the form of Bhikshuvarya to instruct her so. Extremely kind to devotees, he then showed her his own form, and the brahmana woman knew it was lord Shankara. Her voice choked with love, she bowed and praised him. While she watched, Bhagavan Shambhu in bhikshu form vanished.

When the bhikshu left, the brahmani had no more doubt. She took the child and went home with her own son, and made her home in the beautiful village of Ekachakra. She raised her son and the prince on excellent food. Brahmanas performed their samskaras and upanayana. They grew up at home devoted to worshipping Shiva. Following rules taught by the sage Shandilya they kept auspicious vows and worshipped Shambhu in the evening. Once, when the prince went to the river to bathe without the brahmana's son, he found an excellent pot full of wealth. So the two boys worshipped Shambhu and happily spent four months, and then a year passed while they lived in that home. After a year, by Lord Shiva's favour, the prince went to the edge of the forest with the brahmana, and suddenly a gandharva arrived there and gave him his daughter in marriage and his kingdom. Free of thorns, he ruled there. He regarded the brahmana lady who had raised him as his own mother and the brahmana's son as his brother. So Dharmagupta ruled the kingdom of Vidarbha, enjoyed pleasures with his queen and worshipped the lord of the gods. Nandi said he had described Shiva's Bhikshuvarya avatara and the story of the king's son Dharmagupta, which brings happiness. This unsullied account is sacred and supremely purifying, the means of gaining all desires and pursuing dharma, artha, kama and moksha. A person who controls himself and constantly hears it or has it heard enjoys all he wishes and at the end goes to Shiva's city.