Avatar of Lord Shiva : Sureshwar Avatar

 

LORD SHIVA

   Just as Lord Brahma is the creator of this universe and Lord Vishnu  is the guardian, in the same sequence, Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the universe.Many times Lord Shiva gets pleased with the devotees, but sometimes he takes a difficult test of his devotees.The story of this incarnation is also about a similar test in which Lord Shiva took the difficult test of his Devotee Upamanyu.This avatar of Lord Shiva is known as Sureshwar or Sureshwar Indra Avatar.

STORY OF SURESHWAR AVATAR:

        

      Vyaghrapad Muni had a son named Upamanyu.  Upamanyu had attained siddhi in his previous birth itself.  He had to take another birth as Munikumar so he got birth in Vyaghrapad Muni's house.

      Upamanyu lived with his mother in his maternal uncle's house. The family was suffering from poverty.  One day Upamanyu asked his mother for milk to drink.  

     Due to their poverty, his mother was unable to fulfill the wish of her son.Hearing the words of the child, the mother's heart was filled with pain and  she was crying and thinking that ,"from where I will give him milk".

   After thinking sometime,she took some flour and dissolved it in water and gave it the form of milk.  She gave the milk to Upamanyu to drink.After drinking milk, Upamanyu realized and said , " This is fake milk. Are you cheating on me? ". And he started crying.

    Upamanyu's mother cried loudly and said ,"  Son, we are poor.We don't even have any arrangement for milk.  Lord Shiva is the lord of all milch animals in the world.  Milk is obtained only by his grace". 

     The words of his mother sat in the mind of the little Upamanyu.  He vowed to worship Lord Shiva to get milk.Upamanyu went to forest where he built a Shivlinga and start worshipping Lord Shiva along with Goddess Parvati. He used to chant Panchakshara Mantra.  Upamanyu did penance of Lord Shiva for a long time.

    The whole world started trembling due to the tough  penance of the little Upamanyu. The gods requested Lord Shiva to give darshan to the child.On the request of the gods, Lord Shiva came to test Upamanyu.

    Lord Shiva took the form of Devraj Indra ( king of gods ) and asked the boy Upamanyu to ask for a boon. Upamanyu asked him for devotion to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva in the form of Sureshwar Indra started condemning himself.  

    Hearing this, Upamanyu said ,"I do not want any boon from you.  Sureswarupdhari Mahadev ". Lord shiva kept on condemning.  Enraged by harsh words of Sureshwar Indra ,Upamanyu took up Aghorastra to kill him.

  Nandishvara (dearest devotee and vehicle of Lord Shiva) grabbed the aghorastra.  When Aghorastra failed, Upamanyu called for fire.  Lord Shiva immediately extinguished that fire.  Then Lord Shiva appeared in his real form in front of Upamanyu.

   Lord Shiva said," I am impressed with your penance child Upamanyu and your devotion towards me and from now on I am your father and Devi Parvati is your mother. And I loved the name provided by you as Sureshwar.From today you will get Sanatan Kumartva.  I make you immortal and the lord of my ganas with a thousand oceans of milk, curd and honey."

   Apart from this, Lord Shiva embraced Upamanyu by providing him with Pashupat Gyanyoga, discourse power and yogic opulence.  On receiving the boon, Upamanyu returned home pleased and told everything to his mother.

   Upamanyu, a child crying for a little milk, became the lord of all the opulences of the world and revered in the world by the grace of Lord Shiva. A person who prays Lord Shiva with great devotion, Lord Shiva always supports them and always there for them.

MNETIONED IN :

Sureshwar Avatar of Lord Shiva is mentioned in following text :

1. Shiva Purana

  

                                                     || OM NAMAH SHIVAAY ||

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