The story of Baidyanath Jyotirling is not just a religious tale, but it is an interesting confluence of unwavering devotion, ego and divine justice. This Jyotirlinga located in Deoghar, Jharkhand is also known as ‘Kamna Linga’.
The story starts with Lankapati Ravana. Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, but he also had some arrogance about his power. He wanted Mahadev to reside permanently in Lanka so that his Lanka would become invincible.
It is mentioned in the stories of Shiva Purana that Ravana performed severe penance in the Himalayas and to appease him, he cut off his nine heads one by one. When he was about to cut off his tenth head, Mahadev appeared and asked him to ask for a boon.
Mahadev’s boon
Ravana requested Mahadev to go to Lanka. Shivji agreed, but he put an unbreakable condition. According to mythological beliefs, Lord Shiva gave a ‘Linga’ form to Ravana and said, “You can take it, but remember, before reaching Lanka, if you place it anywhere on the ground, it will get established there and then no one will be able to move it.”
When Ravana left with Shivalinga, there was a commotion in heaven. The gods feared that if Shiva went to Lanka, it would be impossible to defeat Ravana. Then Lord Vishnu created a leela. With the help of Varun Dev (God of Water), he filled Ravana’s stomach with so much doubt that he became restless.
(Image Source: AI-Generated)
move of lord vishnu
At that very moment, Lord Vishnu appeared there in the form of an ordinary cowherd (Baiju). Ravana called that shepherd and asked him to hold the Shivalinga for some time. According to ancient texts, as soon as Ravana left after handing over the Shivalinga, the shepherd (who was Lord Vishnu himself) placed the Shivalinga on the ground.
When Ravana came back, he saw that the Shivalinga was stuck to the ground. He used all his strength, but Mahadev remained stable there as per his condition. Ravana realized his mistake, but it was too late. Accepting defeat, Ravana pressed the Shivalinga downwards with his thumb and went away from there. Due to the name of the shepherd Baiju, this place became famous, hence it came to be called ‘Baidyanath’.
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