Shiv Puran Kotirudra Samhita: Stories of the 12 Jyotirlingas and Shivaratri

The Kotirudra Samhita tells of Shivalingas all over India and especially of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the places where Shiva appeared as a column of light. Tradition holds that remembering the twelve names morning and evening removes the sins of seven lives.

Saurashtre Somanatham cha Shrishaile Mallikarjunam
Ujjayinyam Mahakalam Omkaram Amaleshvaram
Paralyam Vaidyanatham cha Dakinyam Bhimashankaram
Setubandhe tu Rameshan Nageshan Darukavane
Varanasyam tu Vishvesham Tryambakam Gautami tate
Himalaye tu Kedaram Ghushmesham cha shivalaye

1. Somnath (Saurashtra, Gujarat)

Daksha married his twenty-seven daughters, the nakshatras, to the moon. The moon loved only Rohini and neglected the rest, so Daksha cursed him with a wasting disease. The moon established a linga at Prabhasa and worshipped Shiva with the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. Shiva granted that his phases would wane in one fortnight and wax in the other; hence the bright and dark fortnights. As lord of Soma, the moon, the linga is called Somnath.

2. Mallikarjuna (Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh)

Hurt that Ganesha was married first, Kartikeya went to the Krauncha mountain. Parvati (Mallika) and Shiva (Arjuna) went to bring him back and remained there as light. Shiva is said to come there on the new moon and Parvati on the full moon.

3. Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh)

In Avanti lived the Brahmin Vedapriya and his four sons, devotees of Shiva. The demon Dushana attacked the city and tormented the Brahmins, who worshipped a clay linga. The earth split and Shiva appeared as Mahakala and burned Dushana to ash, then stayed there at their prayer. Mahakala is the only south-facing Jyotirlinga, famous for its bhasma aarti. The samhita also tells of the boy Shrikar who, seeing King Chandrasena's worship, worshipped a stone as a linga, and by whose devotion a golden temple appeared.

4. Omkareshwar (Narmada, Madhya Pradesh)

The Vindhya mountain gave up its pride, made an Om yantra and worshipped Shiva, who appeared and dwelt there in two forms, Omkareshwar and Amaleshwar. The island in the Narmada is said to be shaped like Om.

5. Kedarnath (Himalaya, Uttarakhand)

Nara and Narayana, avatars of Vishnu, worshipped a clay linga at Badrikashram. Asked to choose a boon, they prayed that Shiva stay there as light. Tradition adds the Pandavas: after the war they sought Shiva to be freed from the sin of killing kin; Shiva hid as a bull, Bhima caught him, and the bull's hump remained at Kedar as a rock.

6. Bhimashankar (Sahyadri, Maharashtra)

Bhima, son of Kumbhakarna, grew powerful through austerity to avenge his father's death at Shri Ram's hands, and imprisoned Sudakshina, the Shiva-devoted king of Kamarupa. The king worshipped a clay linga in prison. When Bhima struck it with his sword, Shiva appeared and burned him to ash, and at the gods' prayer stayed there as Bhimashankar.

7. Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)

Kashi is Shiva's beloved city, which he holds on his trident and does not let perish even at the dissolution. Here he is Vishveshvara, Lord of the universe. It is believed that Shiva himself whispers the liberating mantra to those who leave the body in Kashi.

8. Trimbakeshwar (Nashik, Maharashtra)

In the hermitage of the sage Gautama there was food even in famine through his austerity. Jealous sages sent an illusory cow that died at his touch and accused him of killing it. To atone, Gautama worshipped Shiva and asked for the Ganga. Shiva sent her as the Godavari (Gautami) and dwelt there as Tryambaka, the three-eyed.

9. Vaidyanath (Deoghar, Jharkhand)

Ravana worshipped Shiva on Kailash, cutting off his heads one by one as offerings. Pleased, Shiva restored them and let him carry a linga to Lanka on condition that wherever it was set down, there it would stay. By the gods' plan Ravana had to relieve himself on the way and handed the linga to a cowherd (Vishnu), who set it down. It stayed there. Because he healed Ravana's wounds, Shiva is called Vaidyanath, Lord of physicians.

10. Nageshwar (near Dwarka, Gujarat)

The rakshasa Daruka and his wife Daruka lived in the Darukavana. They imprisoned Supriya, a merchant devoted to Shiva, with his companions. Supriya kept chanting "Om Namah Shivaya" in prison. When the rakshasa came to kill him, Shiva appeared, destroyed the rakshasas and gave Supriya the Pashupata weapon, and dwelt there as Nageshwar.

11. Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu)

Before crossing to Lanka, Shri Ram made a linga of sand on the seashore, worshipped Shiva and prayed for victory. Shiva appeared and at Shri Ram's prayer stayed there as light. "Rameshvara" is explained as "the Lord of Rama" (Shiva), and Shiva says it means "he whose Lord is Rama". This Jyotirlinga is directly linked to Shri Ram of Ayodhya.

12. Grishneshwar (near Ellora, Maharashtra)

Sudeha, wife of the Brahmin Sudharma, had no child, so she had her sister Ghushma marry her husband. Ghushma, a great devotee of Shiva, made 101 clay lingas daily and immersed them in a pond after worship. She bore a son. In jealousy Sudeha killed him and threw him into the same pond. Grieving, Ghushma continued her worship, and when she went to immerse the lingas her son rose alive from the pond. Shiva appeared; Ghushma asked forgiveness for her sister. Shiva stayed there as Ghushmeshvara (Grishneshwar).

The Shivaratri vow: the hunter Gurudruha

The hunter Gurudruha went into the forest to hunt for his family's food. By chance it was Mahashivratri. Finding nothing all day, at night he climbed a bilva tree beside a pool, under which stood a Shivalinga. In each of the four watches of the night a deer came: a doe, another doe, then a stag. Each time he drew his bow, bilva leaves and water fell from the tree onto the linga, and worship happened unknowingly. Each deer begged to be allowed to see its family and return, and he let them go out of pity.

In the morning all the deer came back as promised. Seeing their truthfulness, and purified by his unintended fast, vigil and worship, the hunter's heart changed and he gave up violence. Shiva appeared, named him Guha and blessed him that in a later life Shri Ram would visit his home and befriend him (Nishadraj Guha). That is why Mahashivratri is kept with fasting, night vigil, worship in four watches and offering of bilva leaves.

Vishnu receives the Sudarshana

Troubled by the daityas, Vishnu worshipped Shiva on Kailash, offering a thousand lotuses daily with Shiva's thousand names. One day Shiva hid a lotus to test him. Finding one short, Vishnu, the "lotus-eyed", prepared to offer one of his own eyes. Pleased, Shiva appeared and gave him the Sudarshana chakra.

What this samhita teaches

• Devotion knows no distinction of place, caste or wealth: merchant, hunter, housewife, Shiva accepted all.
• If worship done unknowingly bears fruit, how much more worship done with knowing faith.
• Do not give up patience and devotion even amid jealousy and injustice, like Ghushma.
• Shri Ram and Shiva worship each other; Rameshwaram is the proof.