Among the incarnations of Gods and Goddesses that are especially highlighted in the Puranas, the fifteenth incarnation of Lord Shiva, known as ‘Sureshwar’, has an important place. In this incarnation, Lord Shiva incarnated to serve the devotees with his love and compassion, guiding them and establishing righteousness and justice on earth.
The story of Sureshwar incarnation is found in detail in religious texts. In this incarnation, Lord Shiva came to earth and performed yagya for the attainment of truth and justice. He inspired the people of the earth to follow the path of righteousness and morality and displayed his divine powers to end unrighteousness.
In this incarnation, Lord Shiva in the form of Sureshwar communicated with his devotees inspired by his uniqueness and sense of devotion. He preached important principles of religion, justice, and love to the earthlings and inspired them to move forward in the right direction in life.
From the story of Sureshwar incarnation, we learn that the love and mercy of Lord Shiva is extremely generous and compassionate. In this incarnation, He interacts with His devotees and inspires them to follow the path of righteousness, justice, and truth. Through Sureshwar incarnation, Lord Shiva encouraged the earthlings to follow the right path and inspired them to attain liberation from unrighteousness and ignorance.
The meaningful message of Sureshwar Avatar is that only through devotion, love, and service can a person establish his life on the path of righteousness and justice. This fifteenth incarnation of Lord Shiva finds a place as a unique and inspirational medium for the establishment of religion on earth.
Table of Content
Avatar Info
There was a great sage named Vyaghrapada who had two sons, whose names were Upamanyu and Dhaumya. One day, while playing, both of them reached the ashram of Pavitratma Muni, where a cow was feeding milk to her calf. Upamanyu saw this scene and it seemed more important than the nectar. He had never seen this milk and was unmistakably impressed.
Upamanyu expressed his desire to feed his mother this milk and rice, but his mother gave him the sad truth that they did not have enough grains to fill their stomachs and their cows were being fed on the fruits and flowers of the forest. Mother also told that now only Lord Shiva will take care of her situation. Upamanyu asked the mother, “Who is Lord Shiva?” Then the mother explained in detail that He is God, who is capable of giving boons to everyone, who is always stable and by whose grace one gets the desired results.
Upamanyu was surprised by her mother’s words, became fascinated and started doing her mother’s work. After a few days, Upamanyu again asked about Lord Shiva and decided to do penance. For penance, Upamanyu went towards the Himalayas and performed rigorous penance for Lord Shiva by standing on the tip of the toe of his left foot for many years. Mahadev was admiring the penance, but he decided to test Upamanyu.
Lord Shiva took the incarnation of Lord Indra in the form of Sureshwar and approached Upamanyu. In this form, playing the role of Indra Dev, he showed friendship with Upamanyu and expressed his reverence for Lord Shiva. On this Upamanyu said to Indra Dev, “I am a devotee of Lord Shiva and do not agree in his condemnation. It is impossible for me to honor Lord Shiva through you.”
Upamanyu met Indra Dev and heard about the penance of Lord Shiva and questioned him as to how he could recognize him. Mother told him in detail about Lord Shiva and advised him to participate in this inspiring penance.With this firm decision, Upamanyu showed interest towards the Himalayas and went there and performed penance for Lord Shiva for many years. Mahadev was pleased to see his penance and appeared in his true form and expressed his happiness with him. Lord Shiva ordered Upamanyu to sacrifice his life and granted him a place in an immortal ocean like Kshirsagar. Due to this, Upamanyu gained a place in his worship as a great devotee of Lord Shiva.
Incarnation
In the sacred abode of sage Vyaghrapaad, resided his devoted son, Upmanyu. Known for his unwavering devotion to Lord Shiva, Upmanyu’s spiritual pursuits were about to face a profound test. One day, in a divine play of disguise, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati manifested before Upmanyu, taking on the forms of Indra and Indrani.
Appearing as the king of the gods, Indra, and his divine consort, Indrani, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati approached Upmanyu with a unique request. They instructed him to cease his worship of Lord Shiva, the deity to whom Upmanyu had dedicated his heart and soul. It was a perplexing moment for Upmanyu, as the gods who usually bless were now advising him otherwise.
However, Upmanyu, steadfast in his devotion, remained resolute. Even in the face of divine command, he refused to forsake Lord Shiva. His commitment to his chosen deity transcended the allure of the heavenly couple’s disguised appearance. Unyielding, Upmanyu stood firm, unwavering in his dedication to the divine lord.
Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati, witnessing the depth of Upmanyu’s devotion and his unyielding commitment, were immensely pleased. The test was not to challenge his loyalty but to reaffirm and celebrate his unwavering love for Lord Shiva. Acknowledging Upmanyu’s steadfastness, Lord Shiva, in his true form, and Mata Parvati appeared before him.
In this divine revelation, Lord Shiva assured Upmanyu of his eternal presence in the vicinity of his hermitage, alongside the divine Goddess Parvati. The celestial couple had tested Upmanyu’s devotion, and he had emerged victorious, proving that his dedication to Lord Shiva was unshakable, even in the face of divine trickery.
Lord Shiva, having taken the guise of Indra, came to be known as Sureshwar in this divine episode. The title signified his appearance in the form of the king of gods. It was a token of recognition for Upmanyu’s unparalleled devotion and the unique test he had overcome.
From that day forward, the hermitage of Upmanyu became a sacred space, blessed by the eternal presence of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The divine assurance given to Upmanyu reaffirmed the power of unwavering devotion, teaching devotees that true dedication withstands all tests and earns the eternal grace of the divine. The saga of Upmanyu stands as a testament to the strength of love and devotion that transcends worldly illusions and withstands divine trials.
Place of Avatar
Umpanyu decided to do penance for Mahadev to perform penance, Upamanyu headed towards the Himalayas and for many years he enjoyed the rigorous penance of Lord Shiva by standing on the toe of only one foot. Through this amazing penance, Upamanyu resolved to raise his prayers to the heights of divinity.
Mahadev, who was able to see all the penances in form and formless form, seeing this extreme penance of Upamanyu, greeted him with respect and admiration. Seeing the strong attachment and dedication of this devotee, God decided to test him with special questions.
Mahadev took the form of Sureshwar to test Upamanyu, through which he recognized Upamanyu’s soul through his insight. God appeared before Upamanyu in the form of Indra Dev and gave him an opportunity to face various questions and challenges.
Upamanyu passed this test with his unmatched devotion, dedication, and determination. He demonstrated his amazing devotion and sadhana in front of Lord Shiva in the form of Sureshwar and proved his unconditional love for him.
Seeing the amazing devotion of Upamanyu, Mahadev blessed him and gave him the boon of immortality.
Purpose
Sureshwar Avatar, one of the 19 incarnations of Lord Shiva, is part of a unique legend associated with his child devotee Upamanyu. The story of this incarnation is narrated in the depths of the extremely devotional life of Upamanyu, which depicts his complete devotion and charity towards God.
Lord Shiva, seeing the penance of Upamanyu, appeared in the form of Devraj Indra in this incarnation and expressed his praise and support. Lord Indra, the king of heaven, adopted this incarnation to understand Upamanyu’s immense love for devotion to the Lord.
Upamanyu was an able Brahmin, who was engaged in the worship of Lord Shiva since childhood. His extreme devotion pleases the Lord, and He decides to accept his penance.
Lord Shiva appeared before Upamanyu in this incarnation in the form of Lord Indra and decided to test him with special questions. This test was to test Upamanyu’s extreme devotion. God exchanged various questions and challenges with him.
Upamanyu passed this test with his unmatched devotion and dedication. He demonstrated his amazing devotion and sadhana in front of Indra Dev and proved his unconditional love for him.
After this ordeal, Lord Shiva blessed Upamanyu and granted him immortality. Also, Lord called Upamanyu to his penance at a special place and assured him to always remain seated before him. Through this incarnation Lord Shiva expressed his infinite love and blessings towards his devotee and blessed him with immortality.
