There are millions of stories about different gods and goddesses in Hindu mythology, and each of these stories offers a lesson, a message, or just a way of living for us. Today, in this blog post, we will dig into the story of Lord Shiva’s anger and the 5th head of Lord Brahma.
When Lord Shiva chopped off Lord Brahma’s 5th head, he roamed the entire universe in remorse and finally found peace in Kashi (modern-day Varanasi). But what led to such an incident, and what’s the story about the 5 heads of Lord Brahma? Let’s find out all this through this blog post.
“Remember that there are different versions of stories related to Shiva cutting Brahma’s 5th head, and in this blog post, we are going to discuss the story mentioned in SHIVA MAHAPURAN to understand why Shiva cut Brahma’s head”
The 5 Heads of Brahma
Before we delve into why Shiva cut brahma head, it is necessary to understand the logic behind the 5 heads of Brahma. The five heads of Brahma represent the five directions: east, west, north, south, and upwards. Also, the five heads act as the five elements of nature: water, fire, earth, air, and space.
There are different stories related to the 5 heads of Brahma. Many say that Brahma was born with a single head, but to look for his daughter Sarswati (with whom he fell in love) he grew the other heads. On the other hand, many stories narrate that Brahma was born with 5 heads.
Birth of Brahma
At the beginning of the cosmos, or we can say when the universe was born, Brahma found himself alone floating in the ultimate void. He thought that there was no one else in the entire cosmos and all there existed was him. It made him think that he is the ultimate god.
He then looked at the lotus flower he was sitting upon and considered it as his mother. But when he began descending from the lotus flower, he saw that the lotus had sprouted from the naval of Lord Vishnu, who was sleeping on the serpent Shesha.
After seeing Lord Vishnu sleeping in yoga mudra on his serpent Shesha, Brahma asked
The Argument
“Oh, divine man sleeping in yoga mudra on this marvelous serpent Shesha, who are you? Why are you absorbing the divine power of the lotus from which I came into this world?”
Hearing this, Vishnu replied
“I am not absorbing the divine power of the lotus. The lotus has sprouted from my naval, and that’s why I am your creator”
Vishnu argued that since Brahma came out from the lotus originating from his naval, he should be considered as the supreme one, while Brahma said that he is in the sky and Vishnu is below him, that’s why he is the supreme one.
Also, Brahma told Vishnu that the first one to awaken Vishnu from his sleep was Brahma, and he is the one who introduced Vishnu to this world, and that’s why he should be worshiped by Vishnu and considered as the ultimate god of the cosmos.
The Tip of Jyotirlinga
As the argument between Vishnu and Brahma escalated, a bright and supreme beam of light or a radiant pillar appeared between them. This was the first ultimate beam of light, also called the first Jyotirlinga, that appeared in the universe.
Astonished by the radiant pillar, both Vishnu and Brahma decided to find its end. To do so, Brahma sat on his swan and moved upwards, while Vishnu took his boar form and went downwards.
While moving upwards, Brahma found a Ketaki Pushpa (Screw Pine flower). He thought that he couldn’t find the end of this supreme beam of light, but if the Ketaki Pushpa becomes a witness and admits that Brahma has seen the end of the Jyotirlinga, he will become the supreme one.
Shiva’s Curse
To persuade Ketaki Pushpa into lying, Brahma promised her that if she became a witness to him seeing the end of this eternal light, he would make her the most auspicious and worshiped flower in the entire universe. Ketaki Pushpa couldn’t resist such an offer, and she agreed to become a part of Brahma’s lie.
Upon returning to the point from where both Vishnu and Brahma started, Vishnu accepted that he was not able to find the end of the light beam. But Brahma brought Ketaki Pushpa, and she said
“I have seen Lord Brahma finding the end of this light beam”
Upon hearing this lie, Shiva emerged from the beam of light and cursed both Brahma and Ketaki Pushpa.
“Shiva cursed Brahma that no one would worship you in the world you created, and to Ketaki Pushpa, he said that no one would use you for any kind of prayer, and you will always stay out of temples”
Shiva also took his fierce Kalbhairav avatar and plucked off 5th head of Brahma, which was the upward-looking head. This is the main reason why Brahma has 4 heads, although he came into the cosmos with 5 heads. The 5th head is also called Brahma’s ego.
After losing his 5th head, Brahma was trapped in Satya Lok, and all his creations will be destroyed over time. This is the main reason why our body is destroyed as it is created by Brahma, but soul remains eternal since it has been created by Vishnu.
The Tale of Varanasi and Bhikshatana Avataar
After cutting Brahma’s head, the head got stuck to Shiva’s wrist and transformed into a skull. Although he did the right thing by getting rid of the ego of Brahma but still, for the cosmos, he was a sinner as he committed Brahma Hatya (killing a Brahmin).
Realizing his mistake, Shiva took the form of Bhikshatana– a cosmic beggar. This avatar of Shiva is naked with four arms and a begging bowl (in the form of Brahma’s Skull) in his hand. Shiva, in the form of Bhikshatana, wanders the universe in search of atonement.
When the cosmic beggar avatar of Shiva reached Kashi (modern-day Varanasi), the skull detached from his wrist. This incident made Kashi “Kapal Mochan Teerth” where all your sins are washed away.
Also, Shiva made his Bhairava avatar the protector of the city from evil and negative energies. This is the main reason why people still go to Kashi to wash away their sins.
The story of Shiva cutting off Brahma’s 5th head teaches us about unchecked ego and the importance of humility, even for Gods. Doesn’t matter whether you are a human or a god, you should get rid of your ego otherwise you will have to pay for it in one way or another.
Also, the Bhikshatana avatar of Shiva teaches us that we should never be deceived by someone’s outer appearance and look inside a person. The Bhikshatana roams naked with a begging bowl even while being the embodiment of divine power.
