Vidhṛta

Vidhṛta was a king of the Tretāyuga. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 111, counts him among the rulers with the most pāpa (sin). He kept only wicked companions, ruined his kingdom, became a robber on the highways, and even ate human flesh. Yet the last word he spoke at death was “Prahara” (strike), and this word holds “Hara”, a name of Śiva. By this word he came under the protection of Bhagavān Śiva. Yama had no claim over him, and he was taken to the realm of Śiva (Śivaloka).

A king of great pāpa

Vidhṛta ruled in the Tretāyuga and was known for every kind of adharma (the opposite of dharma). He kept only evil companions, and under their influence he brought his own kingdom to ruin. With nothing left, he became a bandit. He spent a thousand years in the forest and robbed travellers. He also took women by force and ate human flesh. The Pātāla Khaṇḍa places him among the gravest pāpa it describes.

His death and the word Prahara

At the moment of death, Vidhṛta called to his minister Surāpa. His last word was “Prahara”, which means “strike”. The word contains the syllables “Hara”, and Hara is one of the names of Śiva. Vidhṛta did not mean to call on Śiva. He knew nothing of devotion. Still, the name of Hara spoken at the edge of death was enough.

The defeat of Yama’s messengers

After the king died, Jvālāvaktra came to take his ātmā (soul). Jvālāvaktra is an attendant of Bhagavān Śiva, one of his fierce gaṇas, and his name means “flame-faced”. The bonds of Yama, which hold ordinary beings, could not bind the ātmā that was under Śiva’s protection. Death himself came forward to claim a man of such great pāpa. Jvālāvaktra fought Death, defeated him and put Death on a spike (śūla). This reversed the usual order of death.

Śiva’s declaration

After this, Śiva declared a rule for all beings. Anyone who says “Hara” at the time of death falls under his protection, even if the word is spoken by chance, without meaning, or in a matter that has nothing to do with pūjā (worship). Such a being is not under Yama’s rule and is taken straight to Śiva’s abode. Yama accepted the authority of this declaration. He praised Śiva and received a vara (a boon) from him.

Vidhṛta reaches Śivaloka

Vidhṛta had spent a thousand years as a bandit, had eaten human flesh and had taken women by force. Even so, Jvālāvaktra led him to the realm of Śiva. The Pātāla Khaṇḍa gives this account to show how great the name of Śiva is. It does not encourage pāpa. It shows that the grace of Śiva has no condition when his name touches an ātmā at its most helpless moment.

The Purāṇa adds one more rule. Even insects that die within the holy ground of Kāśī reach Śiva directly.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 111