Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga

(Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita - 28) (JL-9)

Shiva

• Meditation: I meditate on the Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga which got stuck in the ground while Ravana was carrying it to Lanka.

• Ravana performing penance at Kailasha: Once Ravana, who was full of pride worshipped Lord Shiva in the Kailasha mountain. When he could not please Shiva, he performed more severe tapas. Thereafter he performed tapas at Siddhisthana on the southern side of the mountains within a cluster of trees. He dug up a pit, lighted fire in it, and placing the Shiva Linga nearby, performed homa. In summer he performed tapas in panchagni (five fires), during rainy season he sat on the bare earth, and during winter he performed tapas in water. But even then Shiva was not pleased, because Shiva is not pleased with evil-minded persons. Thereafter Ravana became noble and started offering his heads to Shiva, one by one daily.

• Lord Shiva giving a Shiva Linga to Ravana: After offering nine heads, when he was about to offer his tenth head, Shiva appeared and prevented him. Shiva also restored all his other heads and bestowed on him immense prowess. Also, as a boon Ravana wanted to take Lord Shiva himself to Lanka. Shiva instead gave him a Shiva Linga and told him that wherever he kept it on the ground, it will get fixed there.

• The Shiva Linga getting fixed while Ravana was carrying it to Lanka: While carrying the Shiva Linga, Ravana felt a great urge to ease himself due to Shiva Maya. Seeing a cowherd boy, he gave him the Linga to hold for sometime. But the cowherd boy was unable to bear the weight of the Linga for long, and placed it on the ground. The Linga got fixed there and became known as Vaidyanatheshwara. It bestows both worldly prosperity and salvation, and removes sins by a mere look. After Ravana left, the gods came there, worshipped that Shiva Linga and returned to their respective abodes.

• Pilgrimage: Baidyanath Temple, Deogarh district, Jharkhand

Baidyanath Temple, Deogarh district, Jharkhand

Parli Vaijnath Temple, Beed district, Maharashtra

Baijnath Temple, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh

Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga is identified with three temples:
1. Baidyanath Dham in the Deogarh district of Jharkhand.
2. Parli Vaijnath Temple in the Beed district of Maharashtra.
3. Baijnath Temple in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

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