Who are the
real contenders?
Shaivites or the
followers of Lord Shiva believe that Lord Shiva is Swayambhu or self born. That
he came into being out of nothing and yet contains within himself the ability
and power to contain and control everything. Vaishnavites or the followers of
Lord Vishnu are convinced that it was Lord Vishnu who was Swayambhu and Lord
Brahma was born out of the lotus umbilical chord of Lord Vishnu’s navel and
Lord Shiva was born out of the Teja or energy from Lord Vishnu’s forehead.
Are there
Textual evidence to support the claims?
Yes. In fact he
Vishnu Puran, the chief among texts concerning Lord Vishnu, supports the claim
made by Vaishnavites. The Linga Puran, and Shiva Puran among the chief texts on
Lord Shiva support the view of the Shaivites.
There was only
one instance when the two deities actually came to face off against each other.
All Purans and legends corroborate this story that revolves around the first
wife of Shiva- Goddess Sati and the Yajna organised by Sati’s father King
Daksha. Daksha was a Prajapati- or lord of his subjects- a direct descendant of
Lord Brahma. He was extremely gifted in the dual knowledge of the Vedic
Shastras and the Astra Shastras i.e in the scriptural and religious field and
in the field of weapons. Quite against his best wishes, and under pressure from
his father Lord Brahma, he had to get his daughter married to Lord Shiva. This
alliance, felt Daksha was one of unequals. Sati was a true blooded princess and
Shiva a wandering ascetic who wore animal skin and lived on the mountains.
To get even with
Shiva, Daksha arranged a giant puja and deliberately chose to not invite Shiva
or Sati to that Yajna. When Sati learnt of this she visited the puja grounds
and accosted Daksha who went on to humiliate Lord Shiva and Sati in the
presence of everyone. Unable to tolerate the insults and furious at the
indifference of the other Gods and holy men, Sati self immolated. This angered
Shiva so much that he sent forth his fiercest forms of energy beings Veerbhadra
and Bhadrakaali to behead Daksha and destroy his disdainful yajna, annihilating
everyone who came in the way.
During the
attack, Daksha coerced the Gods to send out their armies to fight Shiva’s
forces. Bound by their promise, the Gods including Lord Vishnu sent out armies
of stellar divine warriors to try and stop Shiva’s army. Each and every effort
was neutralized by Veerbhadra and Bhadrakaali. Daksha beseeched Lord Vishnu to
personally intervene but Lord Vishnu declined to engage Lord Shiva’s wrathful
forms saying the collision of Shiva’s destructive force and his would cause all
of creation to end. This idea is consistent with the connection of Trinity Lord
Shiva and Lord Vishnu share with Lord Brahma. It is Lord Shiva’s designated
role to destroy to facilitate newer creation, and Vishnu is charged with
preservation as Brahma creates all of the Universe. Lord Vishnu simply could
not fight Lord Shiva and break his negate his primary duty as the preserver of
creation to atone for the misplaced pride and ignorance of Daksha.
The Shaivites
like to read this specific instance as the victory of Lord Shiva and an example
of his supremacy over Lord Vishnu.
Read Lord Vishnu and Hindu God Vishnu Stories, To know about Lord Vishnu in greater detail,
please visit: www.thevishnuexperience.com
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