Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.479

c8.479

2) Juice of potherb flows from finger. The sage was living in Saptasārasvatatīrtha and one day by accident, his thumb was cut off from his hand by the sharp edge of Kuśa grass. But instead of blood, the juice of potherb began to flow from the thumb and the sage, overjoyed at this strange phenomenon, started dancing. Along with Maṅkaṇa the earth and the sky also started dancing and the dancing showed no signs of stopping. Śiva then appeared before Maṅkaṇa and asked him the cause of his non-stop dancing. Śiva was in disguise and Maṅkaṇa did not recognise the new-comer and the sage told him about the strange phenomenon. As they were talking Śiva touched the thumb of the sage with his little finger and lo! the flow from the finger changed from pot-herb juice to sugar-candy juice. Vāmana Purāṇa states that it was ashes which flowed from the finger. The hermit was ashamed. He understood that the guest was Śiva and he fell at his feet. Śiva blessed the hermit and granted him boons,