Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.2020

c9.2020

(i) Śiva wandered about the world lamenting over the death of Satīdevī at the Yajña conducted by Dakṣa, and Kāmadeva followed him with his erotic arrows to exploit Śiva’s sorry predicament. During his wanderings Śiva once came to the Vindhya mountain. Kāmadeva followed him there too and began attacking Śiva with his arrows and to escape from the fierce onslaught Śiva took refuge in the terrible Dāru forest. There Maharṣis with their wives lived. Śiva saluted them and requested for alms. But, the Maharṣis only kept mum. They did not like their wives saluting Śiva. Śiva went about the ārama and all the women except Arundhatī and Anasūyā, followed him overcome by lust for him. Enraged at this, munis like Bhārgava and Aṅgiras cursed Śiva that his phallus should drop to the ground. Immediately it fell down and Śiva disappeared. The phallus rent asunder the earth, reached Pātāla and rent the universe also. The whole universe shook at which Brahmā met Viṣṇu at Pātāla and enquired of him the reason for the universal upheaval. Viṣṇu answered him that the world shook because of the weight of Śiva’s phallus, which the maharṣis had caused to be dropped. Then Brahmā, along with Viṣṇu, came to the spot where Śiva’s phallus lay. At the sight of the limitless phallus Viṣṇu, in great wonder, descended to Pātāla mounted on Garuḍa. Brahmā, on his plane, toured above. Both Viṣṇu and Brahmā returned to earth, having failed in their attempt to find the end of the phallus. They then praised Śiva, who appeared to them. They requested him to take back his phallus from the earth. Śiva insisted that he would do so only if the Devas agreed to worship his phallus. Viṣṇu agreed to the suggestion. Brahmā took the phallus, golden brassy in colour. Thereafter Mahāviṣṇu created the four castes and various śāstraic texts for each of the castes to worship the phallus. The four texts are known as Śaivam, Pāśupatam, Kāladamanam and Kāpālikam. After making the above arrangements Brahmā and Viṣṇu returned. Śiva took back his phallus. (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 6).