AATHREYA - MAARKANDEYA

[Guest guest]

AATHREYA - Dr. Bala Krishna Murthy Ramaraju

 

MAARKANDEYA MAHARSHI - SHIVA BHAKTHA

 

MAARKANDEYA is a Mruthyunjaya = one who conquered death.

 

Any one who has seen God Of Death (Yama Dharma Raaj) and

 

came back are not heard of; but there were three exceptions.

 

1.Sathi Saavithri w/o Sathyavaan - She defied Yama when her

 

husband's life was taken away , followed Yama to the portals of

 

Yama Lok(Hades) , tricked Yama into blessing her with a large

 

family and when Yama realised His error,He had no choice but

 

send back Sathi Saavithri with Sathyavaan to fulfill His blessing.

 

2..Nachiketha , a boy of 5 years who was banished by his father

 

to Yama Lok in a fit of bad temper- elders should watch what they

 

say lest it may come true. So Nachiketha visited YamaLok , but

 

Yama is not ready for the boy as it isnot yet his time. Yama is a

 

just God, impartial , does not want any body before their time and

 

does not spare any body when their time is due. So Yama treated

 

Nachiketha with all due consideration ,took the boy as His Sishya

 

and sent Nachiketha back to his father with gifts and knowledge

 

of life & death and all about after-life happenings etc.

 

3. MAARKANDEYA who was rescued from Yama by no less than

 

Lord Shiva Himself-Om Mruthyunjaya Shivaaya Namaha Om.

 

VIDHAATHA is the second son of BHRIGU and KHYAATHI;

 

VIDHAATHA married NIYATHI and begat MRUKAND ;

 

MRUKAND's wife is MANASWINI ; they were Blessed by

 

HARI - HARA with a Son MAARKANDEYA who is destined to

 

become a great Vedic Scholar , but with a proviso of Life span

 

of only 16 years.

 

Like all His ancestral Bhaargavs , MAARKANDEYA also is a

 

great Shiva Bhaktha ; So when He came to know that His time is

 

approaching Maarkandeya went to Shiva Temple and started

 

praying OM NAMAHA SIVAAYA NAMAHA OM

 

CHANDRASEKHARA RAKSHAMAAM.

 

Yama sent His Kinkaras who were afraid to enter Shiva Temple,

 

whencefore Yama Himself neared Shiva Temple and threw His

 

Lasso (Yama paasam ) which made Shiva Himself come down

 

from Kailaasam to rescue MAARKANDEYA . Yama gracefully

 

yielded ground and blessed MAARKANDEYA as a Chiranjeevi.

 

OM HARA HARA MAHAADEVA SAMBHO SHANKARA .

 

aathreya