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Shiva Purana

Incarnations of Shiva:

Shiva

नन्दीश्वर उवाच
असङ्ख्याता हि कल्पेषु विभो सर्वेश्वरस्य वै ।
अवतारास्तथापीह वच्म्यहं तान्यथामति ॥४॥
Nandiishvara Uvaaca
Asangkhyaataa Hi Kalpessu Vibho Sarveshvarasya Vai |
Avataaraas-Tatha-Api-Iha Vacmyaham Taan-Yathaa-Mati ||4||

Nandishvara said:
1: In the different kalpas Sarveshvara has innumerable incarnations,
2: Inspite of that I will speak about (some of) them as per my wisdom.

(Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 1.4)

Group 1: Incarnations:

Shiva
  1. Sadyojata Incarnation (Earth) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 1)
  2. Vamadeva Incarnation (Water) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 1)
  3. Tatpurusha Incarnation (Wind) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 1)
  4. Aghora Incarnation (Intellect) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 1)
  5. Ishana Incarnation (Individual Soul) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 1)

Group 2: Presiding Deities:

Shiva
  1. Sharva Incarnation (Earth) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  2. Bhava Incarnation (Water) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  3. Rudra Incarnation (Fire) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  4. Ugra Incarnation (Wind) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  5. Bhima Incarnation (Sky) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  6. Pashupati Incarnation (Soul) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  7. Ishana Incarnation (Sun) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)
  8. Mahadeva Incarnation (Moon) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 2)

Group 3: Varahakalpa - 7th Manvantara - End of Dwapara Yuga:

Shiva
  1. Shweta Muni Incarnation (1st Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4) - Chagala peak of Himalayas
  2. Sutara Incarnation (2nd Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  3. Damana Incarnation (3rd Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  4. Suhotra Incarnation (4th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  5. Kanka Incarnation (5th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  6. Lokakshi Incarnation (6th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  7. Jaigishavya Incarnation (7th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4) - Cave in Kashi
  8. Dadhivahana Incarnation (8th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  9. Rishabha Incarnation (9th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 4)
  10. (Unnamed) Incarnation (10th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Bhrigutunga peak of Himalayas
  11. Kali Incarnation (11th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Gangadwara
  12. (Unnamed) Incarnation (12th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5)
  13. Bali Incarnation (13th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Balakhilya ashrama on Gandhamadana mountain
  14. Gautama Incarnation (14th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5)
  15. Vedashira Incarnation (15th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Himalayas & river Saraswati
  16. Gokarna Incarnation (16th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Gokarna forest
  17. Guhavasi Incarnation (17th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Himalayas
  18. Sikhandi Incarnation (18th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Sikhandi mountain
  19. Jattimali Incarnation (19th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Himalayas
  20. Attahasa Incarnation (20th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5)
  21. Daruka Incarnation (21th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Darukavana
  22. Languli Bhima Incarnation (22th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Varanasi
  23. Shweta Incarnation (23th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Kalanjara mountain
  24. Shula Incarnation (24th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Naimisharanya kshetra
  25. Dandi Incarnation (25th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5)
  26. Sahishnu Incarnation (26th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Bhadravata
  27. Somasharma Incarnation (27th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Prabhasa Tirtha
  28. Lakuli Incarnation (28th Dwapara) (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 5) - Cave of Mount Meru

Group 4: Incarnations

Shiva
  1. Ardhanareeswara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 3)
  2. Nandeeswara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 6)
  3. Bhairava Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 8)
  4. Virabhadra Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 10)
  5. Sarabha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 12)
  6. Grihapati Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 13)
  7. Yaksheshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 16)

Group 5: Dasa Mahavidya Bhairavas:

Shiva
  1. Mahakala Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  2. Tara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  3. Bhuvanesha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  4. Srividyesha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  5. Bhairava Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  6. Chinnamastaka Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  7. Dhumavan Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  8. Bagalamukha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  9. Matanga Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)
  10. Kamala Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 17)

Group 6: 11 Rudras:

Shiva
  1. Kapali Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  2. Pingala Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  3. Bhima Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  4. Virupaksha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  5. Vilohita Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  6. Shasta Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  7. Ajapada Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  8. Ahirbudniya Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  9. Shambhu Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  10. Canda Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)
  11. Bhava Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 18)

Group 7: Incarnations:

Shiva
  1. Durvasa Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 19)
  2. Hanuman Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 20)
  3. Mahesha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 21)
  4. Vrisheshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 22)
  5. Pippalada Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 24)
  6. Vaishyanatha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 26)
  7. Dwijeshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 27)
  8. Yatinatha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 28)
  9. Krishna-Darshana Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 29)
  10. Avaduteshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 30)
  11. Bhikshuvarya Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 31)
  12. Sureshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 32)
  13. Brahmachari Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 33)
  14. Sunartaka-Nata Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 34)
  15. Sadhu-Dwija Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 35)
  16. Ashwatthama Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 36)
  17. Kirata Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 37)

Group 8: Jyotirlinga Incarnations:

Shiva
  1. Somanatha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  2. Mallikarjuna Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  3. Mahakaleshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  4. Omkareshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  5. Kedarnatha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  6. Bhimashankara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  7. Vishwanatha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  8. Tryambakeshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  9. Vaidyanatha Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  10. Nageshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  11. Rameshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)
  12. Grishneshwara Incarnation (Shiva Purana - Shata Rudra Samhita 42)

Jyotirlingas of Shiva:

Shiva
  1. Somanatha Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 14) - Prabhasa Kshetra
    • Where Lord Shiva relieved the curse of Chandra Deva (given by Daksha)
    • Somnath (Gir Somnath district, Gujarat)
  2. Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 15) - Krauncha mountain
    • Where Shiva and Parvati came to see their son Kumara and abided as Jyoti
    • Mallikarjun (Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh)
  3. Mahakaleshwara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 16) - Avanti
    • Where Lord Shiva protected devotee Veda Priya and brahmanas from demon Dushana
    • Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh)
  4. Omkareshwara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 18) - Omkareshwar
    • Where Lord Shiva granted boon to Vindhya mountain
    • Omkareshwar (Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh)
  5. Kedarnatha Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 19) - Badaryashrama
    • Where Lord Shiva granted boon to devotees Nara and Narayana and abided in that place for their worship
    • Kedarnath (Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand)
  6. Bhimashankara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 20) - Kamarupa
    • Where Lord Shiva protected devotee Sudakshina from the atrocities of demon Bhima
    • Bhimashankar (Pune district, Maharashtra)
  7. Vishwanatha Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 22) - Kashi
    • Where Lord Shiva established Kashi in the mortal world by placing it from his trident
    • Vishwanath (Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh)
  8. Tryambakeshwara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 24) - Brahmagiri mountain
    • Where Lord Shiva relieved sage Gautama from the false accusation of brahmanas and released river Ganga (Gautami Ganga or Godavari) from his matted hairs
    • Tryambakeshwar (Nashik district, Maharashtra)
  9. Vaidyanatha Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 28)
    • Where the Shiva Linga given by Lord Shiva to Ravana got fixed while carrying to Lanka
    • Baidyanath Dham (Deogarh district, Jharkhand)
    • Parli Vaijnath (Beed district, Maharashtra)
    • Baijnath (Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh)
  10. Nageshwara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 29) - Darukavana
    • Where Lord Shiva protected devotee Supriya from the atrocities of demon Daruka
    • Nageshwar (Devbhoomi Dwaraka district, Gujarat)
    • Aundha Nagnath (Hingoli district, Maharashtra)
    • Jageshwar (Almora district, Uttarakhand)
  11. Rameshwara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 31) - Southern sea shore
    • Where Lord Shiva granted the boon to Sri Rama for victory against Ravana
    • Rameshwaram (Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu)
  12. Grishneshwara Jyotirlinga (Shiva Purana - Koti Rudra Samhita 32) - Shivalaya
    • Where Lord Shiva revived the son of devotee Ghushma who was killed by his step-mother
    • Grishneshwar (Aurangabad district, Maharashtra)

Incarnation of Devi Sati:

Devi
  1. Incarnation of Devi Sati (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sati Khanda 14)
  2. Penance of Devi Sati (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sati Khanda 15)
  3. Sacrifice of Daksha (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sati Khanda 27)

Incarnation of Devi Parvati:

Devi
  1. Incarnation of Devi Parvati (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Parvati Khanda 1 - 6) - Himalayas
  2. Penance of Devi Parvati (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Parvati Khanda 22) - Shringi Tirtha or Gauri Shikhara & river Ganga

Penance on Shiva:

Devi
  1. Penance of Sandhya (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sati Khanda 4) - Chandrabhaga mountain, river Chandrabhaga & lake Brihallohita
  2. Penance of Devi Sati (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sati Khanda 15)
  3. Penance of Devi Parvati (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Parvati Khanda 22) - Shringi Tirtha or Gauri Shikhara & river Ganga

Battles of Lord Shiva:

Lord Shiva
  1. Vanquishing the Tripurasuras (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 1 to 10)
  2. Slaying Jalandhara (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 13 to 24)
  3. Slaying Samkhachuda (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 27 to 40)
  4. Vanquishing the pride of Andhakasura (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 42 to 49)
  5. Vanquishing the pride of Banasura (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 51 to 56)
  6. Slaying Gajasura (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Yuddha Khanda - 57)

Others:

Shiva
  1. Bestowing of Mritasanjivani Vidya to Shukracharya (Shiva Purana - Yuddha Khanda 50)
  2. Glory of Bilva (Shiva Purana - Vidyeshwara Samhita 22)
  3. Glory of Rudraksha (Shiva Purana - Vidyeshwara Samhita 25)
  4. Flowers for Pashupata Vrata (Shiva Purana - Vayaviya Samhita - Purva Bhaga 33)
  5. Flowers for adoring Shiva (Shiva Purana - Vayaviya Samhita - Uttara Bhaga 25)
  6. Flowers for worshipping Shiva (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sristi Khanda 11.56 - 57)
  7. Flowers for Nanda Vrata (Shiva Purana - Rudra Samhita - Sati Khanda 15.19, 15.20, 15.22 and 15.23)
  8. Flowers for Akshaya Tritiya (Shiva Purana - Uma Samhita 51)
  9. Flowers for Tritiya (Shiva Purana - Uma Samhita 51)

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