 |
| O for Om Namah Shiva! Mohini teaches Bhasmasura to dance while Lord Shiva watches on Google Images |
The asura was mighty pleased when the lord appeared before him. Not the smartest person on earth, Bhasmasura had just one boon to ask. He could have asked for riches, land, wisdom, cattle, the most beautiful women, a horde of people to serve him. But no, he wanted just one boon – one that he believed will make him superior to all; one boon that will make him all-powerful; one boon that will make every living being fear him. And he asked of Lord Shiva to grant him the power of burning down to ashes anyone on whose head he placed his hand.
A smiling Shiva granted him exactly what he asked. An excited Bhasmasura went on a rampage, killing human being and animals. Having done with that, he went to Indraloka – where the Devas lived – and managed to kill a few before the rest of them disappeared. What more could he do to establish his power? The dim-witted Bhasmasura went back in search of Shiva. He wanted to place his hand on the lord’s head.
Could the rest of the triumvirate (Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva) sit back watching? Lord Vishnu went to Shiva’s rescue, taking the form of Mohini, once again.
It was up to Mohini to deal with an impossible situation. The lovely maiden lured Bhasmasura with her beauty. She insisted that he should learn to dance before she would become his. He followed her steps as she danced. Soon, she placed her hand on her own head. Following her lead, Bhasmasura placed his hand on his own and got burnt down to ashes.
Glossary:
Ishta Devata – Favourite deity
Asura - Demon
Bhakta - Devotee
Bhasmasura – Bhasma+ Asura – ashes+demon – A demon who can turn things to ashes
Check out some of my favourite bloggers who are also participating in A-Z April Challenge 2015
Eloquent Articulation by Inderpreet Kaur Uppal
I Luv Fiction by Ruchi Singh
Shanaya Tales
Prasanna Rao
Flightless Bird Thoughtful Wings by Swathi Shenoy
The Moving Quill by Shailaja Vishwanath
Prasanna Rao
Flightless Bird Thoughtful Wings by Swathi Shenoy
The Moving Quill by Shailaja Vishwanath
Aha :D that was a smart move :D Lord Shiva is my Ishta Dev too :) Enjoyed reading this one, especially the way you have described Bhasmasur's wit :D
ReplyDeleteOnly Time Will Tell
Thank you Swathi :D Glad you liked it
DeleteHah, serves him right! Somehow I was expecting him to destroy himself. Thanks, Mohini! :D
ReplyDelete:D Thank you Devika
DeleteGosh! I don't know how I missed your posts for A to Z! Glad I found at least now. You are writing on one of my favorite topics. Loved it! I will get back to your previous posts soon. Please give me some time. Happy A to Z! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much taleoftwotomatoes :)
Deletewill check yours too
I just love this story. Makes me miss my grandmother who narrated all these beautiful stories. Thank you refreshing my memory :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Aathira :)
DeleteAh ha! Bhasmasura was asking for trouble anyway :)
ReplyDeleteI did not know this tale, now I'm glad I know!
Thank you Soumya :)
Deletewow! I knew of Bhasmasura but not how he met his end!
ReplyDeletenarrated beautifully!! Shiva was the easiest to please and Vishnu was the cleverest!
Yeah, very true! Thank you Little Princess :)
DeleteI had heard this before but enjoyed reading it again. You write so well
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Suzy :)
DeleteDefinitely not a genius, this Bhasmasura :) Interesting story of brain over brawn :)
ReplyDeleteHe's actually quite dumb. Thank you Prasanna :)
DeleteThis was a good one! Intelligence over power.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruchi :)
DeleteLike I said in a comment on an earlier post of yours, this is one of my fav stories. Enjoyed reading it in your words.
ReplyDelete*Shantala @ ShanayaTales*
Yeah, I remember that comment :) Thank you Shanaya
DeleteHahaha! Mohini does it again.! I sure won't want to cross her path!
ReplyDeleteThese mythological tales are too interesting.
LOL! Indeed. Thank you Inderpreet :)
DeleteEvil always loses :-)
ReplyDeletevery true :)
DeleteThat was clever ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree! Thank you for stopping by Jyotsna :)
DeleteThe devas always knew how to outsmart the asuras. Very interesting story!
ReplyDeleteYeah! Basically good triumphing over evil. Thank you Shilpa :)
DeleteSo true that Shiva never says no to a prayer! Nice!!
ReplyDeleteYeah! Thank you Lak :)
Delete