Nandīśvara Avatāra: Birth of Nandī

The Nandīśvara Avatāra is told in Chapters 6 and 7 of the Śata Rudra Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa. The account is told by Nandīśvara himself to Sanatkumāra. Parameśvara Śiva wished to take birth in this world because of the deep tapas (austerity) of the ṛshi Śilāda. He was born as Nandī from the ground of a yajña (fire ritual). Nandī then did tapas on his own, received the abhisheka as the highest lord of the gaṇas, and was married to Suyaśā.

Śilāda’s tapas and Indra’s answer

Śilāda was of the Śālañkāyana line. He was a great ṛshi who knew dharma. His ancestors pressed him to have a child. He first did tapas to Indra, asking for a son who would be ayonija (not born from a womb) and amara (deathless).

Indra appeared and spoke plainly: “Neither I, nor Vishṇu, nor Brahmā can give you such a son. Brahmā and Vishṇu are themselves bound by their own āyus (span of life). Only Mahādeva Śiva can give you this. Go and worship him.” Indra then left.

The thousand-year tapas

Śilāda turned his tapas wholly to Bhagavān Śiva. He did it with firm resolve for one thousand divine years. His body was eaten away. Termites and insects with sharp mouths drank his blood and ate his flesh and skin, until only his skeleton was left, still seated in perfect stillness in samādhi.

After a thousand divine years, Bhagavān Śiva appeared with Pārvatī and his divine company. He touched the skeleton with his hand, and Śilāda slowly came out of samādhi. He saw Parameśvara and Umā before him. He fell down in praṇāma and praised Bhagavān Śiva in a voice choked with feeling.

Bhagavān Śiva offered a vara (a boon). Śilāda asked for a son who was ayonija, amara and firm in his vratas (vows). Bhagavān Śiva answered: “I myself will be born as your son. Name me Nandī.” He told Śilāda to perform a Soma-yajña.

The birth from the yajña ground

Śilāda went back to his āśrama and told the ṛshis there everything. When the Soma-yajña was being done, before it was finished, a blazing divine being came out of the yajña ground. He had three eyes and four arms, a crown of matted hair (jaṭāmukuṭa) and a trident (triśūla). He had all the marks of Rudra, and his tejas (radiance) was like the fire of dissolution.

All the devas came down from their worlds. Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī came. Kinnarīs and Siddhas sang in the sky. The great ṛshis rained flowers from every side. Brahmā and the other devas and the divine women came with great joy, embraced the newborn and praised him. Śilāda was beside himself with joy. He named the child Nandī, “the giver of joy.”

After this wonderful birth, Nandī took a human form as they went back to the āśrama. This form did not show the shining of his birth form, and Śilāda felt wonder and grief together. Śilāda did all the saṃskāras (rites of life) for him, the jātakarma (birth rite), the nāmakaraṇa (naming rite) and the rest, as the śāstra says. He did Nandī’s upanayana (the sacred thread rite). By the time Nandī was five he had taught him all the Vedas with their aṅgas and upāṅgas (their branches).

The prophecy of a short life

When Nandī was seven, the divine pair Mitrāvaruṇa came to Śilāda’s āśrama. They looked at the boy carefully, many times, and then spoke gravely: “Your son Nandī is skilled in all śāstras, but he is alpāyushka, short-lived. We see that he will not live beyond a year from now.”

Śilāda fell down in grief. He held Nandī and wept. Nandī was calm and unshaken, and he comforted his father:

“Father, do not grieve. Neither devas, nor dānavas, nor Kāla-Yama, nor anyone else, alone or together, can bring me death. I will not die at an early age. I swear this to you, who are my father, and it is truth.”

Śilāda asked what tapas, what yoga, and what deva gave Nandī such confidence. Nandī answered: “I do not wish to escape mṛtyu (death) by tapas or by vidyā (learning). I will conquer death only through bhajana (devotion) to Mahādeva. There is no other way.” He bowed at his father’s feet, walked around him, and went alone into the forest.

Nandī’s tapas by the river

Nandī went to a sacred river bank and chose a lonely place. He began tapas of the highest strength, by Rudra-japa (repeating the Rudra mantra), with his mind fixed on Mahāśiva in śraddhā (faith). In dhyāna (meditation) he saw within the lotus of his heart Pañcamukha Sadāśiva, five-faced, three-eyed and ten-armed, a form of peace (śāntamūrti). He sat on the holy north bank of the river and began to repeat the Rudra mantra without a break.

When he had finished one crore (ten million) repetitions, Śaṅkara appeared with Pārvatī, the gaṇas and his whole company, and offered a boon. Nandī asked only: “Let me complete another crore of japa.” Śaṅkara agreed and vanished. After the second crore, Śaṅkara appeared again, and Nandī asked for a third crore. Śaṅkara agreed again. After the third crore, Śaṅkara appeared a third time, and Nandī asked for a fourth. Then Śaṅkara stopped him: “Enough. Stop your japa now.”

The boons and the abhisheka

Parameśvara then gave Nandī a full set of divine boons:

He would be free from jarā (old age) and mṛtyu (death) from that day.
He would always live at the side of Parameśvara.
He would be the mahāgaṇapati, the highest lord of all the gaṇas.
He would be like a son to Devī Pārvatī and would bear the name Maheśvara.
He would be a yogīśvara (lord of yogīs) and the yoginī-neta (leader of the yoginīs).
He would be the adhipati (ruler) of all the gaṇādhipatis.
He would receive sarvalokādhipatya (rule over all worlds).
He would be sarvajña (all-knowing).
He would have śakti equal to that of Bhagavān Śiva.
He would receive the divine jñāna (knowledge) of Bhagavān Śiva.
He would live in Śivaloka until the end of the kalpa and then merge into Bhagavān Śiva.

Bhagavān Śiva then put the sacred mālā (garland) from his own head around Nandī’s neck. At once Nandī appeared with three eyes and ten arms, shining like a second Śaṅkara. Bhagavān Śiva then poured the jaṭodaka, the water from his own matted hair, over Nandī as the abhisheka. He told it to become five sacred rivers: Jaṭodakā, Triprotassu, Vṛshadhvani, Svarṇodakā and Jambu-nadī.

Bhagavān Śiva then said to Pārvatī: “Let us install Nandī as gaṇādhipati.” Pārvatī agreed with joy, and said that Nandī was the dearest of all her sons. Bhagavān Śiva called all the great gaṇādhipatis, countless in number, each in the form of Bhagavān Śiva himself. They came full of joy. Brahmā and all the devas came. Bhagavān Śiva commanded: “Nandīśvara is my son. He is the lord of all lords. Perform his abhisheka with my gaṇas.” Brahmā himself did the formal abhisheka with all the glory of the worlds around. Bhagavān Vishṇu, Indra and all the lokapālas offered praise, and all the gaṇādhipatis joined in.

Pārvatī also spoke to Nandī and offered a boon. Nandī asked only for unfailing bhakti (devotion) at her feet. She gave it, and then she blessed Suyaśā too: “You will have three eyes. You will be free from the bond of birth. You will be blessed with sons and grandsons. You will have bhakti to me and to your husband.”

The marriage and the installation

By the command of Bhagavān Śiva, Bhagavān Vishṇu, Brahmā and all the devas happily arranged Nandī’s marriage. Suyaśā, the daughter of the Marut Suyaśa, became Nandī’s wife. She was a divine woman of rare beauty and grace. Nandī received a divine throne, a white umbrella, cāmaras (fly-whisks), a great white elephant, a lion, a banner marked with a lion, a chariot, a shining garland and all the signs of rule. Lakshmī herself put her own great hāra (necklace) around Nandī’s neck.

Nandī bowed before Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī, Brahmā and Vishṇu. Bhagavān Śiva said: “You are worthy of me, my son. This Suyaśā is your beloved. Receive my boons freely.” He said that Nandī would always be dear to him. He said that Nandī’s father Śilāda would also receive the rank of gaṇādhipati and every blessing. He said that wherever Bhagavān Śiva is, Nandī would be, and wherever Nandī is, Bhagavān Śiva would be. Bhagavān Śiva then left on his vṛshabha (bull) with Pārvatī and the whole company, and Vishṇu and all the devas went happily to their own homes.

Sources

Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 6 (Śilāda’s tapas, Nandī’s birth, the prophecy, Nandī’s departure)
Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 7 (Nandī’s tapas, the boons, the abhisheka, the marriage and installation)