LORD SHIVA AND SAGE DADHICHI

One of the most revered sages in Hindu mythology is Rishi Dadhichi. He is credited with writing the Prasna Upanishad since he was born into the Bhrigu household. But what really makes him fascinating is his relationship to Lord Shiva. The goddess Adi-Shakti, in her avatars as Sati and Parvati, is the most potent thread that unites Lord Shiva and Rishi Dadhichi. Rishi Dadhichi’s Ashram, which is situated near the present city of Lucknow in the misrikh area of Namisharananya, served as Sati’s home and place of sanctuary throughout her early years. Sati learned about the delicate power dynamics between creators and their created from Rishi Dadhichi, apart from her conceited and biased father, King Daksha. She discovered that Shiva was a unique aspect of the Hindu tridev and that the cosmos could not continue to evolve or support life unless the laws of creation, preservation, and destruction were applied to it all. Shiva’s austere lifestyle and its deeper significance were first explained to Sati by Rishi Dadhichi. Shiva wasn’t a crazy panhandler. wandering about covered in tiger fur and covering himself in ash—such extreme denial of materialism was only a sign of disillusionment and eventual release from the traps of the material world. The best of people may become blinded by the trappings of money, power, and seeming authority; this was also the case with Brahma’s human son Daksha. Shiva’s seeming lack of money and rustic demeanor bothered him. But he had grudgingly consented to Sati and Shiva’s marriage at the urging of his father, Brahma. In an attempt to relieve his resentment, Daksha continued to scheme and insult Shiva by not asking him to a yajna and by making fun of Shiva and Sati in public during the yajna. Rishi Dadhichi was the first to voice a significant objection to Daksha’s impunity. He was also the first to depart from the large assembly that Daksh had convened for the aforementioned yajna. Following Sati’s death and subsequent rebirth as Parvati, Rishi Dadhichi made it a point to see Parvat Naresh, the King of Mountains, Himvan, in order to instruct his daughter in the practices of worshiping Shiva. Shiva bestowed upon him a gift that turned his own bones become thunder because of his profound devotion. Shiva also imparted to Dadhichi the knowledge of the mahamrityunjay mantra’s spirit, which was previously unknown to any other mortal. Dadhichi was also endowed with the blessing of understanding the universe’s and the world’s creation secrets. With the assistance of the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati, dadhichi imparted this knowledge to Devi Parvati. Goddess Parvati’s subsequent incarnations are responsible for many more fortunate events that subsequently praised Shiva and Shakti. The point at which Rishi Dadhichi’s bhakti for Lord Shiva achieves its pinnacle is the most significant lesson to be learned from the story of Lord Shiva and Rishi Dadhichi. The devils, led by vartasura, a son of Danu, the mother of the Danav race, had gained the benefit of immunity to all conventional weapons composed of wood, steel, and iron. The might of vritasura caused the devas to suffer devastating defeats, and the ruler of gods, Indra, to have his teeth shattered. The gods turned to Lord Vishnu in desperation for guidance. According to Lord Vishnu, only weapons made from the bones of a strong sage could defeat Vitasura. Uncertain of which sage would voluntarily sacrifice his life for Indra, the gods requested further direction. Rishi Dadhichi was designated as the best candidate by Lord Vishnu. Because he had previously challenged and decapitated rishi dadhichi for imparting the madhuvidya (the art of reviving a dead corpse) to the Ashwini twins (gods of morning and sunset, who gave prosperity to humanity and eliminated barriers), Indra was uncomfortable to visit rishi dadhichi. Using the madhuvidya, the Ashwini twins had managed to rescue Dadhichi. Because of his plea, Indra feared that Rishi Dadhichi would curse him and make his life even more wretched. It was believed by rishis that they might curse gods to awful fates. But given his situation, Indra had no choice but to see Rishi Dadhichi. The great rishi decided to give up his life for the greater good since lord Shiva and rishi dadhichi were so in line with the ascetic ideals. He said that his bones would be better off as gods’ weapons than interred under the earth. Despite Indra’s previous offense, Dadhichi invoked his grant of invincibility from Lord Shiva to aid Indra since the threat of vritasura was endangering the greater good. These kinds of supreme sacrifices are only possible for individuals who have no regard for themselves at all, seeing even their bodies as deteriorating objects that should not be held to. The bond between Rishi Dadhichi and Lord Shiva puts the latter’s willpower to the test, and by his tenacity and commitment to the divine intent, he achieves moksha.