Kirātārjunīya

The Kirātārjunīya is the account of how Bhagavān Śiva came down as a kirāta (a mountain hunter) to test and bless Arjuna. It happened while the Pāṇḍavas were living in exile in the forest. The Śiva Purāṇa tells it in chapters 37 to 41 of the Śata Rudra Saṃhitā. It ends with Bhagavān Śiva giving Arjuna the unconquerable Pāśupatāstra.

Vyāsa comes to Dvaitavana

While the Pāṇḍavas were in exile in the Dvaitavana forest, Maharshi Vyāsa came to comfort them and to guide them. He first spoke to their deep sorrow. He said that this world is the home of duḥkha (suffering) and that the body itself is the dwelling place of duḥkha. Even greater souls, such as Nala, Hariścandra and Śrī Rāma, had suffered much more. The suffering of the Pāṇḍavas was not without purpose. He urged them to do whatever would please Bhagavān Śiva.

Bhagavān Kṛshṇa had come to be with the Pāṇḍavas. He then told of his own Śiva-sādhanā (spiritual practice), to show that worship of Bhagavān Śiva is supreme. He said he had once done seven months of unbroken tapas (austerity) on the Baṭuka mountain. He had followed the teaching of the great Upamanyu, who had received the highest Brahmavidyā directly from Bhagavān Śiva. At the end of that practice, Viśveśvara Śambhu appeared before Kṛshṇa and gave him all his varas (boons). Kṛshṇa said that by the grace (anugraha) of Bhagavān Śiva alone he had been able to achieve all that he had achieved. Vyāsa agreed and declared: Sarvaṃ Śiva eva, “everything is Śiva alone.”

Vyāsa then turned to Arjuna as the right person for the next task. He taught Arjuna the Indravidyā, the mantra-knowledge that comes from Indra. He also taught him the exact way to do pārthiva-liṅga pūjā, the worship of a Śivaliṅga made of earth. He told Arjuna to go to the Indrakīla mountain, near the Gaṅgā, and do deep tapas to Bhagavān Śiva there. (Chapter 37)

Arjuna’s tapas at Indrakīla and Indra’s test

Arjuna did as Vyāsa said and went to Indrakīla. There he made a Śivaliṅga of earth. He bathed three times every day. He worshipped Bhagavān Śiva with the Pañcākshara mantra (the five-syllable mantra) and with flowers, leaves and other offerings that he found in the forest.

His tapas burned so brightly that its tejas (radiance) alarmed the attendants of Indra’s realm. They went to Bhagavān Śiva and said: “O Sarveśvara, a man is doing tapas for you. Why do you not fulfil his wish?” Bhagavān Śiva smiled calmly. He told them to go back to their places, because he would take care of everything.

Then Indra himself came to test Arjuna. He took the form of an old brahmacārī (a student living in celibacy). He asked Arjuna what his aim was. He argued that a kshatriya (a warrior) should not do tapas for the results of a worldly battle, because such goals were beneath the dignity of tapas. Arjuna was a little annoyed, but he held his ground.

The brahmacārī then showed himself as Indra and offered Arjuna a vara. Arjuna asked for victory over his enemies: Duryodhana, Droṇa, Bhīshma, Karṇa and Aśvatthāmā. Indra gave him an important teaching in reply. He said that defeating Droṇa’s son is very hard, because Aśvatthāmā is a part (aṃśa) of Bhagavān Śiva himself. The only way was to give up the Indra mantra and worship Bhagavān Śiva alone, using the earth-liṅga method. Indra said: “Even I, Brahmā and Vishṇu, we all worship Śiva.” Indra then placed his own divine guards to protect Arjuna’s tapas and left. From then on Arjuna gave all his devotion to the worship of Bhagavān Śiva. (Chapter 38)

The boar Mūka and Śiva’s Bhilla form

As Arjuna’s tapas grew deeper, the devas again wondered at the light that shone from it, and they came to Bhagavān Śiva. He smiled and told them he would fulfil their purpose. They should go back to their places without worry.

At that moment the asura Mūka arrived at Indrakīla. The scheming Duryodhana had sent him. He came in the form of a huge boar. He broke mountain peaks, smashed trees and rushed at Arjuna with a great roar. Arjuna was meditating on the lotus feet of Bhagavān Śiva. Still, he looked at the creature calmly. Its eyes were fierce and it came with ill will. He thought: “Duryodhana’s allies must have sent this. My guru taught me to destroy at once whatever threatens me.” He strung his bow.

Bhagavān Śaṃkara loves his devotees (he is bhaktavatsala). He wished both to protect Arjuna and to test his bhakti (devotion). So at the same moment he came in the form of a Bhilla chieftain. He wore a firm girdle and carried the banner of Īśāna on his shoulder. He had white markings on his body and carried a bow and a quiver of arrows. His gaṇas (attendants) took the forms of Bhilla warriors.

Arjuna and Bhagavān Śiva in his Bhilla form shot the boar at the same instant. The arrow of Bhagavān Śiva pierced the boar from tail to head. Arjuna’s arrow pierced it from head to tail. The boar, which was the asura Mūkāsura, fell dead. The devas rained flowers and cried out in victory.

Arjuna was full of wonder at the strange form of the dead asura. He thought with joy: “Śiva has protected me. It was Īśvara himself who made me see that creature as an enemy.” He bowed many times and praised the name of Bhagavān Śiva. (Chapter 39)

The dispute over the arrow

Arjuna and an attendant of the Bhilla chief both went to take back the arrows. Arjuna picked up his own arrow. The attendant, a gaṇa, claimed it. He said the arrow that killed the boar belonged to his master. He spoke sharply to Arjuna: “You are not a true tapasvī (one who does tapas). You only wear the dress of one. You steal another person’s property. You are ungrateful. The arrow is our master’s. He shot it to save you, and now you take the credit. If you want the arrow, go and ask our master.”

Arjuna remembered Bhagavān Śiva and answered just as firmly: “I am a king. You live in the forest. How can I fight with you? I fight only with equals. Your master is of the same kind as you. I will not beg from a vana-cara (a forest-dweller).” He challenged the Kirāta chieftain himself to come. Messages went back and forth between Arjuna and Bhagavān Śiva in his disguise. At last the Kirāta, glad in his heart at Arjuna’s warrior spirit, gathered his Bhilla army and came forward. (Chapter 40)

The battle

The Bhilla king arrived with his forces. Arjuna fixed his mind on Bhagavān Śiva and went forward to meet him, and they fought fiercely. The gaṇas in Bhilla form attacked Arjuna from every side with sharp weapons. Arjuna kept remembering Bhagavān Śiva. He broke through the shower of their arrows and scattered them in the ten directions. Bhagavān Śiva held the gaṇas back from following. This was to be a fight between himself and Arjuna alone.

The duel was extraordinary. Both used every kind of weapon and both blazed with great power, so that the earth and the oceans shook. The devas watched with wonder and fear. Bhagavān Śiva, in his Bhilla form, then leapt into the sky. Arjuna followed, and the fight went on in the air. Bhagavān Śiva was full of compassion inside. He let the fight grow fiercer until the right moment. Then with one great blow he destroyed all of Arjuna’s weapons and his armour. Arjuna stood bare, with nothing to attack with. He remembered Bhagavān Śiva, steadied his courage and began to wrestle with the Bhilla king with his bare hands.

Then Arjuna understood the moment. He meditated on the lotus feet of Bhagavān Śiva. He gathered the strength that came from that meditation (dhyāna) and caught the Bhilla’s feet and whirled him around. Bhagavān Mahādeva, who loves his devotees, laughed. The Śata Rudra Saṃhitā says: “O muni, Śiva is always under the control of his bhaktas. He acted out this whole caritra (account) himself because he wished to give Arjuna his own dāsya (service). There is no other cause.”

Śiva shows his true form

Bhagavān Śaṃkara, who is ruled by the love of his devotees, laughed and at once showed his wondrous and auspicious divine form. It is the very form described in the Vedas and the Purāṇas. It is the form Vyāsa had taught Arjuna for worship, and the form Arjuna had been seeing in his meditation. Arjuna saw Bhagavān Śiva of Kailāsa with five faces, matted hair, three eyes, a blue throat and the crescent moon. He had ten arms, a triśūla (trident) and a ḍamaru (small drum), serpents as ornaments, and tiger skin and elephant hide as clothes. His body was crystal-white like camphor, with the Gaṅgā in his hair. He stood with Pārvatī. Arjuna was filled first with wonder and then with deep shame.

Arjuna said: “O Deva-deva! Mahādeva! Ocean of compassion! Śaṃkara! O Sarveśvara, forgive my fault! You hid your form, and look what you have done to me. I have been deceived by you. Let shame come to me, who fought against my own master!” He fell flat at the feet of Bhagavān Śiva.

Bhagavān Śiva was calm and glad at heart. He lifted Arjuna up and comforted him in many ways. He had the gaṇas reassure him too. He said: “O Arjuna, do not grieve. You are my great bhakta. I did all this only to test you. Today I take your blows and strikes as pūjā. There is no fault of yours in this caritra. There is nothing I cannot give you. Ask for any vara you wish.”

The Pāśupatāstra

Arjuna answered with a voice heavy with feeling: “O Mahāprabhu, what shall I say? You are the antaryāmī (the inner guide) of all beings. Even so, hear me now. By your darśana (sight) alone the danger from my enemies has already melted away. Give me the highest siddhi (accomplishment) in this world: victory over my enemies.”

Maheśvara saw Arjuna, the first among his devotees, standing before him with joined hands, and was filled with great joy (ānanda). He gave Arjuna the Pāśupatāstra, his own supreme weapon, which no one can ever conquer. He said: “You will be invincible. With the power of this astra, destroy all your enemies. I will speak to Kṛshṇa. He will give you all help. He is my very ātmā, my devotee and fully able. O Arjuna, through my power you will remove all the enemies in the kingdom. Always support your elder brother’s dharma in every way.” Saying this, Bhagavān Śiva put his hand on Arjuna’s head in blessing and vanished with all the gaṇas.

Arjuna returns to the āśrama

Arjuna had received the supreme astra and the supreme vara. He went back joyfully to his āśrama (hermitage), meditating on Bhagavān Śiva, the great guru. The other four Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī, a most devoted wife, embraced him as if life had come back into their bodies. They heard the whole account with endless delight. The more they heard, the more they wished to hear. Fragrant sandalwood flowers rained over the āśrama. They all rejoiced, knowing that the ajñāta-vāsa (the period of living unknown) would soon end and that victory was near.

Soon after, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa himself came to be with Arjuna and said: “This is exactly why I told you from the very beginning that I myself always worship Śiva. Through his worship alone I have achieved everything. Worship Śiva always.” (Chapter 41)

Sources

• Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 37 (Vyāsa at Dvaitavana)
• Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 38 (Arjuna’s tapas and Indra’s test)
• Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 39 (the boar Mūka)
• Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 40 (the dispute over the arrow)
• Śiva Purāṇa, Śata Rudra Saṃhitā, Chapter 41 (the battle, the true form and the Pāśupatāstra)