Srimadbhagavatham skandha 8-chapter 12 Siva enchanted by Mohini

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Chapter12-Siva enchanted

with Mohini

 

Siva

hearing about the mohini avatara went to see the Lord Narayana along with

Parvathi and expressed his wish to see the mohini form. The Lord said that his

wish will be fulfilled and disappeared. Then

Siva found himself in a garden where he saw a beautiful maiden playing

ball. He as attracted towards her and followed her while Parvati and his bootha

ganas were looking on. Mohini played hide and seek for awhile and Siva, not

able to control his desire caught her and embraced her. At that moment he seemed

to have been conquered by Manmatha who was burnt by him and who was waiting for

an opportunity to overpower him.

 

In

the next moment Siva found himself

paralysed by maya of the Lord and then regained his normal self freed from the

obsession. He was not at all surprised at his enchantment knowing fully well

the power of vishnumaya.

 

The

Lord assumed His original form and told Siva that except Siva no one else could

have come out of His maya, because it is all-powerfful, which He later

reiterated in Gita as Krishna as `dhaiveehyesha

gunamayee mamamaayaa dhurathyayaa, maameva ye prapadhyanthe maayaam ethaam

tharanthi the,' (BG7.14) meaning, "This

maya of mine is divine and induced by the three gunas and it is unsurpassable.

Only those who resort tome will be able to cross over my maya."

 

 

It

is said that through the momentary union of Siva and Vishnu Sasthaa was born. The

birth was immaculate like that of Skandha and Ganesa. However there is no mention

about this in Bhagavatha purana. It must have been taken from some other

source. About Sasta there is an amusing sloka by Appayya Dhikshitha , the great

exponent of Advaita. He says,

 

ambethi goureem aham aahvayaami

pathnyaH pithuH maathara eva sarvaaH

kaTham thu lakshmeem ithi

chinthayantham

Saatyaaram eede sakalaarTha sidDhaye

,

 

"I

will address Parvati as mother as all the wives of the father are mothers only.

But how can I address Lakshmi?" `I bow down to Sasthaa, who contemplates thus.

 

It

means that Lakshmi being the wife of his mother there could be no known term of relationship.! This is just an examoke of kavichaathurya, poetic

imagination.