Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1965

c9.1965

The Purāṇas contain stories as to how Śiva earned most of the above assets. The wives of many Ṛṣis felt enamoured of Śiva, who once appeared in the garb of a beggar. The Ṛṣis, who got angry with Śiva on the above account, decided to kill him. From the pit they dug on the ground, a tiger emerged. Śiva killed it and wore its skin. A deer followed the tiger from the pit. Śiva held it in his left hand. The next to emerge out of the pit was a red-hot iron rod. Śiva took it in his hands as a weapon. Lastly snakes came out of the pit and Śiva wore them on his body. On another occasion an asura called Gaya assumed the form of an elephant and chased the munis, who took refuge in a Śiva temple. Śiva appeared, killed the elephant and wore its skin on his body. Since Śiva wore snakes as ear-rings he came to be known as Nāgakuṇḍala. Brahmā ordered that Rudra should create people and accordingly he created people. But, his creations were very cruel beings. Brahmā feared that they would eat up the other creations. Brahmā, who trembled with fear, asked Rudra to retire from the act of creation and to train himself to do creation in the proper manner as ordained. Accordingly, Rudra started practising tapas.