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What is the story behind Srisail Mallikarjuna
What is the story behind Srisail Mallikarjuna – legend depicted as below.
Mallikarjuna is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which are considered to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva in Hinduism. The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is located on the Srisailam mountain in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
According to Hindu mythology, the story behind the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga goes like this: Once, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu had an argument about who was the greatest among the Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In order to settle the argument, Lord Shiva appeared before them in the form of a huge pillar of light, and asked them to find the top and bottom of the pillar.
Lord Vishnu took the form of a boar and started digging down to find the bottom of the pillar, while Lord Brahma turned into a swan and flew up to find the top. However, both of them failed in their attempts, and Lord Shiva revealed himself to them as the Jyotirlinga – a formless lingam of light that symbolizes his infinite nature.
The Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is believed to be the place where Lord Shiva appeared as the Jyotirlinga, and it is considered to be one of the most important pilgrimage sites for devotees of Lord Shiva in India. The temple at Srisailam is also associated with several other legends and stories from Hindu mythology, and it is a popular destination for spiritual seekers and tourists alike.
There is another popular legend related to Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya associated with the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga. According to the legend, once Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati organized a competition between their two sons, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya, to determine who was the more intelligent and knowledgeable of the two.
In the competition, Lord Kartikeya set off to circumambulate the world three times, while Lord Ganesha simply walked around his parents Lord Shiv-Parvati three times, explaining that his parents were the entire world to him. Impressed by Lord Ganesha’s wisdom, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati declared him the winner of the competition.
However, Lord Kartikeya was not satisfied with the result and decided to leave Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, in anger. He traveled to the southern part of India and decided to perform penance to please Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, impressed by his devotion and penance, appeared before him at the Srisailam mountain and merged with him, becoming the Jyotirlinga known as Mallikarjuna.
It is said that Lord Ganesha also followed Lord Kartikeya to Srisailam and met him there. The two brothers then united in their devotion to Lord Shiva at the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga. Hence, the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga is considered to be a symbol of the unity and love between Lord Shiva’s two sons, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya.
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