Shani Amavasya (Part VIII)

When Veerabhadra went back to Lord Shiva, he fell at the Lord’s feet and lamented that he could not complete His bidding. Immediately, Lord Shiva transformed Himself into a ferocious animal with the brilliance of 1000 crore suns. The body was of a Yazhi with 2 big wings of a bird. The entire cosmos shook at the formation of this avatar. This fierce form of Lord Shiva is called Lord Sharabheshwarar. He had 4 hands having Lord Shiva’s weapons.

The moment Lord Narasimha saw Lord Sharabheshwarar, He began to fight with Him. During the battle, Lord Sharabheshwarar flew to the sky and began to fan his wings at Lord Narasimha. The air that came from His wings was very pleasant and Lord Narasimha’s fury reduced a little. But, His requirement for battle did not diminish.

Because Lord Sharabheshwarar was flying in the sky, Lord Narasimha sent a bird called Gandaperunda, which came out of His body. This was a very strong bird. This bird fought with Lord Sharabheshwarar in the sky. This battle occurred for 18 days. Lord Sharabheshwarar thought of ways to stop this battle. A strong power in the form of a Devi came out of a wing of Lord Sharabheshwarar. This Devi was Pratyankara. She swallowed the bird Gandaperunda.

Post this, Lord Sharabheshwarar embraced Lord Narasimha with his wings and calmed the latter. Lord Narasimha felt sad that He had fought His own friend for 18 days. Thus, Lord Narasimha made 18 shlokas praising Lord Sharabheshwarar. This became 108 names of Lord Sharabheshwarar.

To be continued…