Once upon a time, on the banks of the sacred Narmada River, there lived a Brahmin named Visvanara and his devoted wife, Shuchismati. Despite their long and harmonious married life, they were saddened by the absence of children in their home. Shuchismati often expressed her discontent to Visvanara, urging him to find a solution to their childlessness.
Deeply devoted to Lord Shiva, Visvanara decided to embark on a journey to the holy city of Kashi to seek the divine intervention of the Lord. There, on the banks of the Ganges, Visvanara immersed himself in fervent prayers, pouring out his heart and soul to Lord Shiva. Pleased by the sincere devotion of his worshipper, Lord Shiva decided to bless Visvanara and fulfill his heartfelt desire.
One day, as Visvanara continued his prayers, Lord Shiva manifested before him in all his divine glory. Overwhelmed with joy, Visvanara bowed before the Lord, who spoke kindly to him. Lord Shiva, in his benevolence, assured Visvanara that he would take birth as their son to bring happiness and prosperity to their lives.
True to the divine promise, in due course, Shuchismati conceived, and the couple eagerly awaited the arrival of their long-awaited child. When the time came, Shuchismati gave birth to a beautiful and radiant baby boy. The entire household rejoiced, and the celestial beings and sages, including Lord Shiva and Parvati, descended to witness the auspicious occasion.
During the naming ceremony, Lord Brahma himself bestowed the name “Grihapati” upon the child, signifying his connection to the household and his future role as a householder. As Grihapati grew, he exhibited exceptional qualities and intelligence. At the age of five, his sacred thread ceremony was performed, marking the beginning of his formal education.
Under the guidance of learned sages, Grihapati immersed himself in the study of the Vedas and other sacred texts. Miraculously, within a year, he mastered all the scriptures, showcasing unparalleled wisdom and knowledge. Grihapati, with his divine grace and intellect, became a beacon of light for his family and the community, embodying the blessings of Lord Shiva himself.
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There was a time when Lord Vishnu prayed to Lord Shiva with the desire to see him in his child form. Vishnu worshiped and worshiped Shiva with all his heart, and wished to receive the blessing of seeing him in his child form. The eternal devotion of Lord Vishnu pleased Mahadev and he listened to the prayer of his devotee.
Lord Shiva, respecting this unique devotion of his devotee, resolved to appear in the Grihapati avatar. In this incarnation, he appeared as a Brahmin named Vishwanar. Vishwanar and his wife Shuchishmati had not been blessed with a child despite mutual consoling for a long time, due to which they were very sad.
Vishwanar resided on the banks of river Narmada and from there he went to Kashi Shiva temple and started worshiping and praying to God. Mahadev saw his penance with pleasure and blessed Vishwanar’s wife to have a child. After this, Shuchishmati gave birth to a beautiful child, who was named Grihapati.
Grihapati started studying the Vedas since childhood and very soon became expert in them. His high learning and devotion to religion made him an excellent householder who, with the blessings of his parents, proved to be an ideal for the society. In this form, Lord Shiva blessed his devotee with happiness, prosperity, and progeny through the Grihapati incarnation.
Incarnation
In the sacred city of Kashi, there lived a sage named Vishwanath and his devoted wife, Suchismati. Engaged in rigorous austerity dedicated to Lord Shiva for an extended period, their hearts were heavy with sorrow due to the absence of a child in their lives.
Pleased with the sincere and unwavering devotion of Vishwanath, Lord Shiva decided to fulfill his deepest desire. Manifesting before the sage, Shiva graciously inquired about his fervent wish. Vishwanath, with humility and reverence, expressed his desire for a son possessing the extraordinary qualities of Shiva himself.
The sage and his wife envisioned a child endowed with profound intellectual prowess, extensive knowledge, courage, serenity, and all the divine qualities synonymous with Lord Shiva. Essentially, they yearned for Shiva to incarnate as their son.
Graciously, Lord Shiva, in his benevolence, accepted their request and promised to bless them with a son who would embody the essence of his divine attributes. Thus, the devoted couple’s prayers were answered, and the anticipation of welcoming a divine child filled their hearts with joy and gratitude.
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Grihapati is the seventh incarnation of Lord Shankar, whose story was narrated by sage Vishwanar in Kashi. Vishwanar had worshiped the Veeresh Linga of Lord Shiva with utmost devotion. One day, he saw an ideal child in the midst of Veeresh Linga.
Vishwanar Muni worshiped the child directly in the presence of Lord Shiva, inspired by his unmatched devotion. With this worship, Lord Shankar saw the sage’s devotion with pleasure and gave him a unique boon.
He promised Vishwanar to be born as his householder, from the womb of Shucishmati. Thus, Lord Shiva as the Grihapati maintained the blessings of joy, peace, and prosperity in the lives of Vishwanara and Shucishmati. Grihapati Avtaar realized his devotion and bestowed upon him a unique son, who adorned his life with divinity.
Purpose
In Hindu mythology, many incarnations of Lord Shiva are described, the seventh incarnation of which is Grihapati. Sage Vishwanar and his wife Shuchishmati were devotees of Lord Shiva and had a very devout heart.
On this day, Sage Vishwanar had a vision of Veeresh Linga of Lord Shiva in Kashi. He saw a unique child in the middle of the linga and worshiped that child adorned with divine beauty. Lord Shiva accepted his devotion and gave him the boon of incarnating from the womb of Shuchishmati.
Shuchishmati gave birth to this unique child, whom grandfather Brahma himself named “Grihapati”. In this incarnation, Lord Shiva made the lives of Vishwanar and Shuchishmati happy and by becoming a householder, fulfilled the promise of attaining worldly happiness and peace with them.
