About Lord Shiva

Shiva (Sanskrit: Auspicious One) is one of the main deities of Hinduism that is worshipped as the paramount lord by the Shaivaite sects of India.

In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is regarded as the representation of the Supreme Being. He is known as the third element in the Hindu Trinity (Trimurti), the other two members being Lord Brahma - the creator and Lord Vishnu - the protector. Shiva is the destructive form of the Almighty. As the cycle of destruction and recreation is always in a circle, Shiva’s primary responsibility is maintaining the life cycle. Scholars say, as the Mahakaal, Shiva destroys and dissolves everything into nothingness but as Shankara, he also reproduces that which has been destroyed and dissolved. His symbol of Lingam or the phallus represents this reproductive power.

Lord Shiva is also considered to be the most unique of all Hindu gods and also the God of all. A great ascetic, Shiva is the only godhead who is forever in deep meditation, totally absorbed in contemplation in His abode, Kailaasa Mountain in the great Himalaya. Lord Shiva is also said to be inseparable from Shakti - Parvati the daughter of Himavaan - Haimavati. There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one - or the absolute state of being.

Shiva is often shown with many faces, as creator, destroyer and preserver in total command of the cosmos. He contains both good and evil. He is moody, free of inhibitions, easy to please, protector of the down trodden, and has the power to alter the laws of destiny. Thus, it is Lord Shiva is known as the God of mercy and kindness. He protects his devotees from all evil that are always around us. He blesses his followers with grace, knowledge and peace.

Shiva as Ardhanareeswara
Lord Shiva is said to be half man and half woman. In the full figure of Siva the male and female principles are united. Shiva Linga - the symbol of Lord Shiva which consists of both Lingam (phallus) and yoni (the female organ) represent the totality of his nature and the totality of all created existence.

Appearance and Attributes of Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva is shown either in meditating or in the form of a Dancing God Nataraj where his dance is to the beat and rhythm of creation. He is also shown in sculptures with many hands. One pair of hands, for example, represents the balance between life and death. Shiva is 'tri netra' or three eyed, and is 'neela kantha' - blue-necked (having consumed poison to save the world from destruction). Besides, there are a lot many attributes associated with Lord Shiva. Here is a brief description of some of the important symbols that depict Lord Shiva. Each of his depiction signifies a different aspect of his Supreme Being.

Unclad body covered with ashes: This form of Lord Shiva depicts that Lord Shiva’s presence is much higher than this physical phenomenon. According to some scholars, Shiva’s body smeared with cemetery ash points to the philosophy of the life and death and the fact that death is the ultimate reality of the life.

Jata (Matted Hair): The flow of his matted hair represents Shiva as the Lord of Wind or Vayu, who is the subtle form of breath present in all living beings. Thus it is Shiva which is the lifeline for all living being. He is Pashupatinath.

Sacred Ganga: The holiest of the holy rivers, Ganga flows from the matted hair of Shiva. According to a legend, Shiva allowed an outlet to the great river to traverse the earth and bring purifying water to human being. Ganga also denotes fertility - one of the creative aspects of the Rudra.

The Third Eye: Lord Shiva is known as the three eyed Lord or Tryambaka Deva. The sun is his right eye, the moon left while the third eye of Shiva on his forehead is the eye of wisdom. It is the eye that looks beyond the obvious. The third eye can search evil from anywhere and destroys it completely.

Half-Open Eyes: The half-open eyes show that the universes cycle in process. When the eyes are completely closed it signifies the dissolvent of the universe and when it is completely open a new cycle of creation begins.

Crescent: Shiva bears on his head the crescent of the panchami (fifth day) moon. This is placed near the fiery third eye and this shows the power of Soma, the sacrificial offering, which is the representative of moon. It means that Shiva possesses the power of procreation along with the power of destruction. The moon is also a measure of time, thus Crescent also represent his control over time.

The Cobra Necklace: This suggests that Shiva is beyond the powers of death and is often the sole support in case of distress. He swallowed the poison kalketu for the wellbeing of the Universe. The deadly cobra represents that “death” aspect that Shiva has thoroughly conquered. The cobras around his neck also represent the dormant energy, called Kundalini, the serpent power. The snake curled three times around the neck of Lord Shiva depicts the past, present and future time. The snake looking in the right direction of Lord Shiva signifies that the Lord's perpetual laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.

The Vibhuti: Vibhuti is a three line of ashes drawn on the forehead that signifies the Immortality of the soul and manifested glory of the Lord.

Tiger Skin: Lord Shiva is shown sitting on or wearing a tiger skin. The tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the Goddess of power and force. Shiva is beyond and above any kind of force. He is the master of Shakti. The tiger skin that he wears symbolizes victory over every force. Tiger also represent lust. Thus sitting on Tiger skin, Shiva indicates that he has conquered lust.

The Elephant & Deer Skin: Shiva also wears elephant skins. Elephants represent pride. Wearing elephant skin, Shiva indicates that he has conquered pride. Similarly deer represent the flickering mind. Shiva wears deer skin which indicates that he has controlled the mind perfectly.

Rudraksha Necklace: ‘Rudra’ is the other name of Shiva. It also means strict or uncompromising and ‘aksha’ means eye. Rudraksha, the necklace worn by Lord Shiva shows that he is firm about his cosmic laws and to maintain law and order in the universe. The necklace has 108 beads, which symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world.

Damaru (Drum): A small drum with two sides alienated from each other by a thin neck-like structure represents the two utterly different states of existence, unclear and clear. When a damaru is shaken, the sound formed denotes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation.

Trishul (Trident): A three-branched trident shown adjoining to Lord Shiva symbolizes His three fundamental powers will, action and knowledge. As a weapon the trident represents the instrument of punishment to the evil doer on all the three planes - spiritual, subtle and physical.

Nandi, the Bull: Nandi is said to be the vehicle of Lord Shiva. The bull represents both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva's use of the bull as his vehicle expresses the idea that He removes ignorance and bequeaths power of wisdom on His followers.

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Check out this link as well: Hinduism Unveiled: Forbidden Verses in Hindu Scriptures
its in english.

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www.prince911.deviantart.com

Sarbloh wallpaper now available, please click on the link/pic above to access it. Let me know if there are any problems with it . Suggestions, ideas and critisism is always appreciated.
"As his turban was knocked off, his hair opened. But Sarbloh stood there, silent. Behind his hair, I could see his expression change from serious to that of an angry bull. He clenched his fists as he charged towards his attacker!" - Tej Singh MUTANTS

Bhagat Singh Ji,

My only intention to start this thread was to understand the details of the mythical Hindu legends as references given in Gurbani and how these references apply in our daily lives.

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Parvati (Sanskrit: Pārvatī, पार्वती), sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hindu goddess and nominally the second consort of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation. However, she is not different from Satī, being the reincarnation of that former consort of Shiva. She is also the mother of Ganesha and Skanda (Kartikeya). Some communities also believe her to be the sister of Lord Vishnu and Shaktas consider her as the ultimate Divine Shakti - the embodiment of the total energy in the universe. In many interpretations of the scriptures, Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess. She is regarded the daughter of the Himalayas.
Parvati when depicted alongside Shiva appears with two arms, but when alone, she is shown having four arms, and astride a tiger or lion. Generally considered a benign goddess, she is often associated with fearful aspects of the Goddess like Durga, Kali, Chandi and the Mahavidyas as well as benevolent forms like Mahagauri, Shailputri and Lalita. Sometimes, Parvati is considered as the supreme Divine Mother and all other goddesses are referred to as her incarnations or manifestations.

The Parvati does not appear in Vedic literature. The Kena Upanishad (3.12) contains a goddess called Uma - Haimavati.[6] She appears as the shakti, or essential power, of the Supreme Brahman. Her primary role is of a mediator who reveals the knowelge of Brahman to the Vedic trinity of Agni, Vayu and Indra boasting and posturing in the flush of a recent victory over a demon hoard.[7] But Kinsley notes: "it is little more than conjuture to identify her with the later goddess Satī-Pārvatī, although [..] later text that extol Śiva and Pārvatī retell the episode in such a way to leave no doubt that it was Śiva's spouse.."[8] Both textual and archaeological evidence suggests Sati-Parvati appears in epic period (400 BC - 400 AD). Both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata present Parvati as Shiva's wife.[9] It is not until the plays of Kalidasa (5th-6th centuries) and the Puranas (4th through the 13th centuries) that the myths of Sati-Parvati and Shiva acquire comprehensive details.[10]
Prof. Weber suggests that like Shiva is combination of various Vedic gods Rudra and Agni, the Puranic Parvati is a combination of Uma, Haimavati, Ambika and earlier Parvati, identified as wives of Rudra; of others like Kali, who could be a wife of Agni and of Gauri and others inspired by Nirriti, the goddess of evil.[11] Tate suggests Parvati is a mixture of the Vedic goddess Aditi and Nirriti, and being a mountain goddess herself, was associated with other mountain goddesses like Durga and Kali in later traditions.[12]

YouTube - Birth of Ganesh I
YouTube - Birth of Ganesh II

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YouTube - Mahabharata - Stripping of Draupadi


MAALEE GAURAA, THE WORD OF DEVOTEE NAAM DAYV JEE:
ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: Blessed, blessed is that flute which the Lord plays. The sweet, sweet unstruck sound current sings forth. || 1 || Pause || Blessed, blessed is the wool of the sheep; blessed, blessed is the blanket worn by Krishna. || 1 || Blessed, blessed are you, O mother Dayvakee; into your home the Lord was born. || 2 || Blessed, blessed are the forests of Brindaaban; the Supreme Lord plays there. || 3 || He plays the flute, and herds the cows; Naam Dayv's Lord and Master plays happily. || 4 || 1 || O my Father, Lord of wealth, blessed are You, long-haired, dark-skinned, my darling. || 1 || Pause || You hold the steel chakra in Your hand; You came down from Heaven, and saved the life of the elephant. In the court of Duhsaasan, You saved the honor of Dropati, when her clothes were being removed. || 1 || You saved Ahliyaa, the wife of Gautam; how many have You purified and carried across? Such a lowly outcaste as Naam Dayv has come seeking Your Sanctuary. || 2 || 2 || Within all hearts, the Lord speaks, the Lord speaks. Who else speaks, other than the Lord? || 1 || Pause || Out of the same clay, the elephant, the ant, and the many sorts of species are formed. In stationary life forms, moving beings, worms, moths and within each and every heart, the Lord is contained. || 1 || Remember the One, Infinite Lord; abandon all other hopes. Naam Dayv prays, I have become dispassionate and detached; who is the Lord and Master, and who is the slave? || 2 || 3 ||


Following Compositions in Sri Guru Granth are very important to note. Please study them in their depth of the Mythical Stories of Hindu Purans, referred to in these Compositions, which are explained in detail in SRI DASAM GRANTH SAHIB. Such other references in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and in Varan of Bhai Gurdas Bhalla, are of frequent occurrence, and are most lesson giving.


Parbhati M.1, page 1343 SGGS -

“Ahalyaa was the wife of Gautam the seer. Seeing her, Indra* was enticed. When he received a thousand marks of disgrace on his body, then he felt regret in his mind. 1

O Siblings of Destiny, no one knowingly makes mistakes. He alone is mistaken, whom the Lord Himself makes so. He alone understands, whom the Lord causes to understand. 1 Pause

Harichand**, the king and ruler of his land, did not appreciate the value of his pre-ordained destiny. If he had known that it was a mistake, he would not have made such a show of giving in charity, and he would not have been sold in the market. 2

The Lord took the form of a dwarf, and asked for some land. If Bal the king has recognized Him, he would not have been deceived, and sent to the underworld. 3

Vyaas taught and warned the king Janmejha*** not to do three things. But he performed the sacred feast and killed eighteen Brahmins; the record of one’s past deeds cannot be erased. 4

I do not try to calculate the account; I accept the Hukam of God’s Command. I speak with intuitive love and respect. No matter what happens, I will praise the Lord. It is all Your Glorious Greatness, O Lord. 5

The Gurmukh remains detached; filth never attaches itself to him. He remains forever in God’s Sanctuary. The foolish self-willed manmukh does not think of the future; he is overtaken by pain, and then he regrets. 6

The Creator who created this creation acts, and causes all to act. O Lord, egotistical pride does not depart from man. Falling into egotistical pride, one is ruined. 7

Everyone makes mistakes; only the Creator does not make mistakes. O Nanak, salvation comes through the True Name. By Guru’s Grace, one is released. 8 . 4. ”

Notes:

*Indra god is stated to have visited the house of Rishi Gautama in his absence, in the form of a sage, to seduce the Rish’s wife Ahalyaa. But althugh Ahalyaa knew him to be Indra, she yielded to his wishes. As Indra was about to leave, Gautaama returned, and knowing what had happened, cursed Indra and his corrupt wife. It is said that a thousand disgraceful marks of female sex organ appeared on his body, that all might know the sin of which he had been guilty. Ahalyaa was doomed by the curse of her husband.
** Raja Hari Chand practiced charity and by donating greatly felt greatly proud of himself. Vishnu god took form of god Bavan, and in the guise of a dwarf Brhman asked the Raja to donate him two and a half steps of ground only from his kingdom, which request was readily granted. The dwarf god expanded his steps that he took possession of the whole of his kingdom as well as the Raj’s body and made him a slave man. Consequently, the Raja was sold as a slave in the market.

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Well, I posted that link so people could see why our Gurus never gave these "Legends" the status of God. I bet half the people that see the photo will be bowing to it.

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www.prince911.deviantart.com

Sarbloh wallpaper now available, please click on the link/pic above to access it. Let me know if there are any problems with it . Suggestions, ideas and critisism is always appreciated.
"As his turban was knocked off, his hair opened. But Sarbloh stood there, silent. Behind his hair, I could see his expression change from serious to that of an angry bull. He clenched his fists as he charged towards his attacker!" - Tej Singh MUTANTS

NamJap's point is well taken. Guru Naanak and the Guru's to follow were offering a new paradigm to emancipate anyone who would be emancipated. But to make their paradigm understandable they used the images that were ingrained in the culture.

Yes the legend of the elephant and the crocodile. Yes the legend of Durga. One teaching that Akaal is our Support. The other teaching the lesson of humility. But these references were the launch not the landing page.

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ਮਨ ਕਰਹਲਾ ਗੁਰ ਗੋਵਿੰਦੁ ਸਮਾਲਿ ॥ man karehalaa gur govindh samaal O camel-like mind, dwell upon the Guru and the Lord of the Universe.

Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji wrote the Composition, GIAN PARBODH. The Guru in first 125 quatrains wrote the Praise of God. If we read carefully these 125 quatrains, we will find that the Guru was totally opposed to the practices that he described in translating the portion of Bhagvad Puran in quatrains 126 – 336. Quatrain 15 is marked as “Rahao” means Pause. This Quatrain is the crux of the first 125 quatrains of the Guru. It reads, “kirpal, dayal karam hain. Agunj bhunj bharam hain. Trehkal lok pal hain. Sadaiv sarb dayal hain. Japus tuaung, japus tuaung. Rahao.” (meaning – God, You are Merciful – To be Compassionate is Your Nature. O Unbreakable, it is You Who break all doubts, skepticism, superstitions, etc. You preserve all life all the time everywhere. You are ever Merciful to all. I meditate on You, I meditate on You).
In quatrain 32 the Guru described the limitations of Brahma, Vyas, Sukdev, Sankad, Lakhshmi, Vishnu, Krishna, and so on. The Guru emphasized the futility of performing rituals and magical rites, and laid stress on worship of One All Prevailing God. From quatrain 126, begins the translation of some portions of “Bhagvat Puran” or “Bhagvatam.” Question was raised what was the best out of the Four Dharmas – (1) Dharma of Public Service (Politics) (2) Dharma of Charities (3) Dharma of House holder (4) Dharma of Moksh.

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This is the continuation of post # 5

Vyaas taught and warned the king Janmejha*** not to do three things. But he performed the sacred feast and killed eighteen Brahmins; the record of one’s past deeds cannot be erased. 4

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King Jamejha

King Janmehja was greatly upset to hear the story of his father’s death. He called for the Brahmins, and inquired from them how he could retaliate the insult and the injury inflicted on his father. The Brahmins advised performance of “Saunp Maidh Yajna”, for killing of snakes. King Janmehja meticulously began to perform the said Yajna.

Janmehja got built the fire place for the Yajna, as big as one and half miles in length and breadth. The Brahmin began to perform the Yajna by reciting the sacred texts. It is said millions of snakes began falling into the Yajna fire place. The snakes of varied lengths continued to fall into the fire place and were reduced to ashes. It is said that “tachak” snake, which had bitten king Parikshit, also fell on the ground. At that time a Brahmin, named Aastik, began to question King Janmehja, and warned him to stop the mass killing of the snakes. If the king would not stop all this killing, then he would jump into the Yajna Fire place, and would curse the king that he would be reduced to ashes instantaneously. The king would thus be responsible for the killing of a Brahmin, which was a grave sin. King Janmehja then put a stop to the killing of the snakes. He then called for Rishi Vyas for consultation. Forecast of Rishi Vyas

Raja Janmejha asked Rishi Vyas, why did Pandu brothers suffer, when Lord Krishna, who knew everything what was to happen, was their guide. The Rishi answered that Krishna knew what was to happen, but no one can change anything what is destined to happen. The Raja again said that knowngly no one jumps into the deep dark well of water. Thereupon, the Rishi made the following forecasts for the Raja, telling him –

1. You will marry a maid servant.
2. You will go for a game in a jungle, and will ride a mare.
3. In the jungle, you will go to sleep near a pool of water, and will tie the mare to a tree.
4. From the pool will emerge a horse, who will mate with the mare and make her pregnant.
5. You will perform Asmed Yagna by sacrificing the horse born of your mare.
6. At that time your queen, who was formerly maid servant; will join the celebration of Yagna, her body parts will get exposed by the wind gust, the Brahmin priests will mock at her.
7. You will get infuriated and get the Brahmins killed; consequently you will suffer from leprosy. You will recover from the disease, but your nose will remain affected of the disease, from which you will die. Knowing all this, Raja Janmejah did enact the things told him, without realizing these were detrmental to him.

Janmehja went Astray Toward Self Destruction

Janmehja heard that that the king of Kanshi had two very beautiful daughters. He then dispatched his troops to make an armed attack on Kanshi to conquer it. Jamehja’s army completely wiped out the army of Kanshi and the king surrendered. King Janmehja then married both the daughters of king of Kanshi. Janmehja then made friendship with the king of Kanshi, returned his territory to him, and began to live as friends. The king of Kanshi not only gave his two daughters to Janmehja in marriage, but also presented many presents and a beautiful maid servant to him.

King Janmehja was blessed with the birth two sons through the two daughters of king of Kanshi. One day Janmehja closely saw the beautiful maid servant, who came from Kanshi.. Janmehja was greatly attracted to her beauty. Day by day his familarity with her increased, and he totally ignored his two wives. A son was born to Janmehja from his maid servant. Janmeja named his first two sons, as Asmedh and Asmaidhan, respectively. He named maid servant’s son as Ajai Singh.
One day king Janmehja went to jungle for a game. He saw a stag there and began to chase it. In this way Janmehja entered into the territory of another king. As he had covered a long distance, he became tired. He saw a pool and hastily went there to drink water. After taking water he went to sleep. Then a horse emerged from the pool. Janmehja had been riding a mare. The horse that had emerged copulated with the mare, and she became pregnant. The mare gave birth to a horse, whose ears were of black color. King Janmehja then performed Asmaidh Yajna (Horse Sacrifice Yajna) with the horse, which was born of the mare, on an elaborate scale. He first made conquest of the countries. Thereafter he started performing Yajna, by offering rich presents to the Brahmins and arranged for rich meals to commemorate the occasion. At that time, the beautiful new queen (who was previously a maid servant) rose from her seat, the frontal part of her skirt blew off with the strong gust of wind and her private parts of the body got exposed. Thereupon the Brahmins and Kshatriyas burst into laughter. The king was greatly enraged to observe the insult to the queen. All the Brahmins were held up, and were executed. The king first got the heads of the Brahmins shaved, and poured the burning pudding on their heads. Many of the Brahmins were buried alive in the walls, many were hanged, many were drowned in deep waters, many were burnt alive, many were cut into two and bellies of many were ripped open. The king was made guilty of killing Brahmins, and began to suffer from leprosy. The king then called other Brahmins and showed sympathy to them, and inquired from them how he could get rid of the disease.
All Brahmins, including Rishi Vyas came to see the king. They stated that the king had felt too much proud of himself and killed the Brahmins. All this happened spontaneously, without his deeper thinking. All this was destined to happen as willed by God. They advised the king to listen to the text of Mahabharta from Rishi Vyas, and assured him in this way he would be restored to good health. The king then called Rishi Vyas, by completely effacing his pride, he surrendered to him and began listening to Mahabharta. Rishi Vyasa also told the king that what was in the offing for him, which he could avoid.
Rishi Vyas stated that one of descendents of Bharath was King Raghu, and King Ram Chander was his descendent, who saved all the Kshatriyas from the wrath of Parasram. Bharat was brother to Ram Chander. One of the descendent of Bharat was King Yadu, who was a great learned man. One of the descendent of Yadu, was King Santnaey. Kuru and Pandu were the descendents of King Santnaey. King Dhiritrashtar was of Kuru dynasty. He had ill fated and ill mannered Kurus as his sons, who destroyed the Race of Kshatriyas. Kuru chose Bhisham Pitama as their leader. The angry Kurus fought with the sons of King Pandu. Arjuna was a great warrior of the Pandu brothers, who killed Bhisham Pitama along with whole of the Kuru army. The second military leader of Kurus was Daronacharya, who was killed by Dirsht Dayuman.
Thereafter Karan was chosen the military leader of Kurus, who was killed by Arjuna. With the fall of Karan, Yudhishtar becoming the King became a certainty.
The fourth military leader of Kurus was Salye, who killed many warriors on Pandu side during the war. It was Salye, who made a forceful attack on the elephant of Yudhishtra and wounded it. Yudhishtra, however, managed to kill Salye. When king Salye fell down, Kurus accepted their defeat Then Asuthama became the military leader of Kurus, fought bravely and inflicted grave injuries on Pandu side. It was Asuthama, who killed five sons of Pandus and Darupadi, while they were resting and asleep in their camp. Then Daryodan became extremely angry and had a duel with Bhim Sain. Yudhishtar and Bhim Sain fought very bravely. In the end king Daryodan was killed on the battlefield. All others warrior on his side fled away from the battlefield. At that time one warrior named, Bhoorpal created fog on the battlefield to distract the attention of Bhim Sain. At that time Bhim Sain caught hold of enemy’s elephants and threw them away, which are still moving in the space upward, and have not returned.On hearing that the elephants were still moving in the space and did not return, king Janmehja showed his doubt, and muttered something. As a result, some traces of leprosy stayed at his nose, and could not be removed. As a result of this attitude of the king , he remained a lepar in nose. It was as a consequence of this ailment that he died. Janmehja ruled the country for 84 years, 7 months and 24 days. From quatrain 238 to 336, of Composition Gian Parbodh relate to the rule of the descendents of Raja Janmehja. We need not go into those details, as the stories of Yudhishtar, Parikshit and Janmehja are of great importance, in that God alone is the Doer and not the Man, and no one can undo His Writ. Hindu scriptures, such as Gita also teach Determinism against Free Will of Man. Therefore, Guru Gobind Singh Ji merely gave these stories. References too appear in SGGS of King Janmehja. Of all the Purans, Mahabharat, Ramayan and Bhagvat Puran are most important, as frequent references to the stories of Ram, Krishan, Pehlad, Ajamal, Ganka, Pootna, and various demons mentioned in these books are referred to in SGGS, and Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji translated and gave his comments, where necessary at the end of the translations. These mythical stories are very important, as important lessons are derived from them.

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Ashtavakra was a sage in ancient india. Ashtavakra, also spelt as Ashtaavakra in Sanskrit:अष्*टवक्र means "eight bends". Ashta means eight. Vakra means bend or deformity.
In ancient India, the sage Ashtavakra was known to be a very intelligent and spiritually well advanced rishi who realized self or Atman. More information about his birth and life comes from the Indian epic Ramayana. Sage Uddalaka ran a school (Ashram) teaching Vedic knowledge. Kahola was one of his best disciples. Uddalaka was so pleased with him that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. Sujata, eventually got pregnant and wanted her child to surpass all the sages of his time in spirituality and intelligence, so, she began to sit in the classes taught by Uddalaka and Kahola, listening to their chanting of mantras with the unborn baby. In ancient India, there was a belief that when expectant mothers exposed themselves to spiritual teachings the child in the womb heard it and gathered that knowledge and became a genius in that spiritual area after its birth. It was one day, as Kahola recited the Vedas as laid down in the disciplinary rules, and within hearing distance of the child growing in the womb, that it heard the recitation but, since it was already aware of the correct pronunciation of every syllable since its mother used to attend classes with rapt attention, whenever Kahola pronounced a syllable wrong, the child in the womb squirmed in distress. Sujata informed Kahola that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly as indicated by the child in the womb. This happened on eight occasions. Kahola perceived this as arrogance on the part of something, yet to manifest itself in the world, and he cursed the foetus with eight deformities. So, when the baby was born, it had eight bends, was crooked in eight places. Naturally, he was named Ashtavakra (Eight Bends).
Around the time Ashtavakra was born, his father was invited to argue with the great philosopher, Bandi. In those days, philosophical arguments were commonplace and the best were invited to argue in the presence of the King. Bandi was supposedly the son of Varuna - the Lord of all water bodies - and was sent incognito to land to get rishes, or sages, to conduct a ritual that his father wanted to perform. Bandi was well known as a philospher and easily defeated Kahola. As per the rules of the contest, Bandi's victims had to 'drown' themselves in the river nearby (Ganges?). Nobody knew of Bandi's real identity or his intention in demanding that his victims should submerge in the river. Kahola, too, lost the argument and had to submerge himself in the river. Ashtavakra was therefore raised by Uddalaka and his disciples and within a short time mastered everything that was expected of a 'Brahmin'. Uddalaka and his disciples took pains to see that Ashtavakra was always kept in the dark about the fate of his father. However, Ashtavakra came to know the truth when one of his friends, inadvertently, blurted out that the person who Ashtavakra thought was his father, was, in fact, not his father. Ashtavakra then demanded the truth from his mother and decided to confront Bandi and defeat him in an argument.
Ashtavakra then made his way to the King's palace and presented himself as a challenger. The kind-hearted King could not bear the thought of someone so young losing to Bandi and meeting the same fate as countless other Brahmins and tried to dissuade the young boy. Ashtavakra, was, however adamant, and after an initial test, the King decided to let him face Bandi. Ashtavakra won the argument and demanded that Bandi restore to life all the sages and Brahmins he had forced to be drowned. One of the conditions of the contest was that if Bandi loses he would grant any wish of his vanquisher. By this time, Varuna's ritual was also complete and he had rewarded all the sages and Brahmins and so when Bandi was defeated, he revealed his true identity and the reason behind the 'drowning' of his victims. At Bandi's request, Varuna bade the sages and Brahmins farewell and brought them to surface. Kahola was extremely pleased with his son's intelligence and knowledge. He immediately regretted his harsh words that had caused Ashtavakra to be born with deformities and asked him to take a dip in the Holy Ganges. Following that, Ashtavakra's body was freed of his eight deformities.
Later Ashtavakra grew into a spiritually advanced rishi and realised Atman. He went to Mithila and instructed King Janaka about the concept of Atman. These teachings form the content of the Ashtavakra Gita or Ashtavakra Samhita as it is sometimes called.

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