Kuśadhvaja

Kuśadhvaja was a prince of Kāśī who became a Śiva-gaṇa (one of the attendants of Bhagavān Śiva). In an earlier birth he was a monkey that swung Bhagavān Śiva’s dola (ritual swing) during the Madanotsava festival. Later he fell from his state through the śāpa (a curse) of Agnivedya Muni and became a Garuḍa on Gandhamādana mountain.

As the Garuḍa, he had lived through fifty-six kalpas (great ages) when the company of Indradyumna and Mārkaṇḍeya came to him. They were looking for a witness to Indradyumna’s kīrti (fame). The Skanda Mahāpurāṇa tells his story in the Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 9. The account also holds the Śiva-Dolā Māhātmya, the teaching on the great puṇya (merit) of swinging the Śiva liṅga in a golden swing during the Madanotsava.

First life: the monkey at the Madanotsava

In an earlier birth, Kuśadhvaja’s ātmā was born as a monkey. By nature the monkey was restless and playful (capala).

One year the spring season, Vasanta, arrived. The Madanotsava, the festival of Manmatha, was kept in a great Śiva temple. The day was Caturdaśī-tithi in Caitra māsa, in the bright fortnight (śukla-paksha), with Hasta-nakshatra and Harshaṇa-yoga. The devotees of the temple had placed the Śivaliṅga in a golden dola as part of the festival. Crowds gathered, and the golden swing moved gently.

At night the monkey came to the swing. Its restless nature and the brilliance of the golden swing drew it. For a long time it swung the dola with the liṅga, in playful delight. At dawn the devotees came and found the monkey sitting in the dola. They were angry at this wrong done to the liṅga and beat the monkey with sticks. It fell from the dola and died inside the Śiva temple.

This act carried great puṇya, though the monkey did not mean it. It swung Śiva’s dola, and it died within the temple grounds. Its death took place in direct touch with Bhagavān Śiva’s sacred place and Bhagavān Śiva’s festival.

The Śiva-Dolā Māhātmya

The account holds this teaching. A person who swings the liṅga in its dola during the Madanotsava does Śiva-sevā (service to Bhagavān Śiva). Even if the act is done without conscious devotion, it removes inauspiciousness and gathers great puṇya. Even a monkey’s chance contact with this sacred rite led to a journey of fifty-six kalpas and in the end to divine moksha (liberation). The Śiva-dola ceremony in Caitra, the swinging of the liṅga in a golden dola, is declared one of the most powerful of the ritual forms of Bhagavān Śiva.

Rebirth as Kuśadhvaja, prince of Kāśī

By the puṇya of dying in the Śiva temple after swinging the dola, the monkey’s ātmā was born again in the royal family of Kāśī (Kāśīśvara). He was named Kuśadhvaja.

He was born with jātishmara (memory of past births). At once he understood that his royal birth had come from the puṇya of his touch with Śiva’s dola. He began the practice of keeping the Madanotsava in his whole kingdom every Caitra month. Every temple under his rule swung the liṅga in a golden dola.

Śiva-dīkshā and becoming a gaṇa

Kuśadhvaja went further. He received Śiva-dīkshā (formal initiation) and passed through all the saṃskāras (rites of passage) of the Śivāgama tradition, from the first dīkshā to the last, called nirvāha-dīkshā.

Then he gave himself to meditation on Parameśvara. He held the movements of his mind (citta-vṛtti) in check through vairāgya (detachment). He repeated the Oṃkāra (japa) and always kept its artha (meaning) in mind (bhāvanā). He stayed in śānti (peace).

Bhagavān Śiva saw that all the inner obstacles had dissolved through this bhakti (devotion) and abhyāsa (practice). He was very pleased and spoke to Kuśadhvaja: “Today I am satisfied with you. Ask for whatever vara (a boon) you wish. On earth, no one else performs this pūjā as you do.”

Kuśadhvaja asked: “Let me remain in the divine company of Śiva. Let me be a gaṇa.” Bhagavān Śiva granted this at once. He took Kuśadhvaja to Kailāsa and gave him a wonderful divine vimāna (flying chariot) set with divine gems. After that Kuśadhvaja travelled freely through all the realms in that vimāna.

The fall: desire for Agnivedya’s daughter

Some time later, in the spring season, Kuśadhvaja sat at the window-lattice of his divine vimāna, which was hovering over a mountain. Below him he saw the daughter of Agnivedya Muni. She was bathing freely with her companions. She was young and without clothes, and of great beauty.

Strong desire (kāma) rose in him. Overcome by it, he came down from the vimāna, seized the young woman and carried her up into the sky. She cried out for her father, and her companions ran to Agnivedya.

Agnivedya used the power of his tapas (austerity) and stopped the vimāna in the sky, holding Kuśadhvaja in place. In his anger he gave a śāpa: “Like a vulture (gṛdha) that seizes meat and flies into the sky, you have seized my helpless daughter, who did not want you. Become a Garuḍa (a king of vultures) at once!”

Kuśadhvaja fell at the feet of the muni. He admitted his wrong and begged: “I did not take this girl knowing what I did, to frighten her. Show me grace.”

Agnivedya took his daughter back and changed the śāpa. Kuśadhvaja would become a Garuḍa on Gandhamādana. His moksha would come when he helped to set up again the lost kīrti of king Indradyumna.

Part in the story of Indradyumna

Kuśadhvaja lived fifty-six kalpas as a Garuḍa on Gandhamādana. Then the owl Prākārakarṇa, his dearest friend, came to him. With the owl were the company of Indradyumna, Mārkaṇḍeya, and the crane Nāḍījaṅgha. The Garuḍa received them with full hospitality.

They asked whether he remembered Indradyumna. The Garuḍa answered: “I have lived through fifty-six kalpas, but I have neither seen nor heard of any king named Indradyumna.”

The owl knew of one being who was older still. This was the turtle Mandara/Manthara at Mānasasarovara. The Garuḍa joined the growing company for the last part of their search.

The turtle Jayadata gave his witness, and Indradyumna’s kīrti was restored. The divine vimāna came down. All four animal witnesses were freed at the same time: the crane, the owl, the Garuḍa and the turtle. The Garuḍa’s form fell away, and his own divine form returned.

The company then went to the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama, where Bhagavān Śiva declared moksha for all of them.

Sources

• Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 9
• Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 9–13