When the beings of the world perform intolerable and many harmful activities, God throws the dice. He steps in his shoes and comes down to earth to teach these unruly beings a lesson. This is when he undergoes incarnation. In order to maintain balance in the law of nature, God manifests himself into several avatars and incarnations.
Lord Shiva who is considered to be the God of Gods and unique among all has taken innumerable incarnations to help the mankind. His stories of conquering the disastrous and the antisocials are very interesting. All the Hindus are aware of his many avatars and people also celebrate these days pompously, even today. But, there are avatars which many must not have heard of.
NAMDEVA
Lord Brahma’s time cycle is different from others. It is believed that normal 4.32 billion years constitute one day of Brahma. 4.32 billion years*365 forms one year for Brahma which is known as one Kalpa. On the 20th Kalpa named ‘Rakta’ the color of Brahma’s skin had turned red. During his meditation, he discovered someone with a similar skin color present there. He then realized that it was an incarnation of Lord Shiva and named him Namdeva.
SADHOJAT
This incarnation of Lord Shiva was based on Brahma. It is believed that during severe penance of Brahma, Shiva took the form of Sadhojat. This is believed to be his first incarnation. As time progressed, from the body of Sadhojat, 4 of his disciples manifested. They were named Sunand, Nandan, Vishwanandan and Upanandan. This avatar represents Iccha Sakti. It is more about the appearance of the Lord and related to his fearsome aspect.
GHORESH
During the Shiva Kalpa of Lord Brahma, Shiva took an incarnation. A black smoky form aroused during the meditation of Brahma. Lord Brahma named him ‘Aghor’. This avatar represented infinite knowledge. This form depicted the intense features of nature. There are Sages today who are named as ‘Aghori baba’ and they live an extremely weird life.
ISHAN
During the Vishwaroop Kalpa, manifestations of Saraswati and Lord Shiva occurred. This avatar represents space. The individual is from very less to not at all receptive to social structures. Possesses excellent qualities of controlling mortal and divine beings with ease. The individual has reduced his ego to ashes signifying absolute love for the universe and has been freed from cosmic law.
TAT PURUSHA
During the 21st Kalpa- Peetavasa, God Brahma adorned himself with only yellow apparels. God Brahma’s meditation and prayers resulted in the manifestation of a beaming entity. It was an incarnation of Lord Shiva named as Tat Purusha. It represents the structure of the soul. The individual merges with infinite and is yellow in color. If you have severe difficulty in focusing on any subject, you should meditate this face of Shiva.
SHARABH AVATAR
It is the 6th avatar of lord Shiva. He was part-lion and part-bird beast. He had eight legs and possessed the ability to clear a valley in one jump. Lord Shiva had taken this avatar to calm the Narashima avatar of Vishnu. History shows the Narasimha beneath Sharabha’s legs as a human. This form is extolled to usher good luck, cure all diseases and destroy all enemies.
PIPLAAD AVATAR
Piplaad was born to a sage Dhatichi. His father left him even before he was born. When he grew up he questioned the Devas about his bad luck. They said it was because of the planetary positions. On discovering this he cursed Shani Deb and hence he started falling down its celestial abode. Piplaad decided to forgive Shani on the condition that it will not trouble anyone before 16 years of age. Hence, people who suffer from Shani Dosh are said to worship this avatar of lord Shiva.
Must Known facts about Lord Shiva
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The Greatest Lover Of all Times – Lord Shiva
Ferocious Pictures Of Lord Shiva’s Tandava
Origin Of Yoga – Lord Shiva Taught Yoga to Parvati For The First Time After Marriage.
Good one. First time I read / heard about it. What is the source for this episode?
All the Avatars of Lord Shiva are mentioned in these following books. Agni Purana, the Garuda Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. You can also read the Linga Purana. These avatars and the reason behind its formation are very interesting.
Good girl…Tatastu
Thank you so much for the appreciation.
Very good post ! i do not much aware about these incarnations
Thank You Yogi Saraswat. We would love to know more avatars you are aware of. 🙂
Another avatar of Lord Shiva most angry avatar which is “Veerabhadra”.
Yes, For sure. Thank You Nikita.
OAM
God bless you all…