Kiraataarjuneeyam - Arjuna's
encounter with Shiva
This legend relates to the encounter between Arjuna
the Pandava prince and Shiva, and is an important event in the epic Mahabharata.
Arjuna the valiant Pandava prince,
during the princes' exile in the jungles, went out to the Himalayas to worship
Shiva, to win from him the Paasupataastram, the infallible
weapon. His penance bore fruit, when Shiva, in the guise of a hunter (Kiraata)
donning a bow appeared before him, picked up a quarrel with him over a wild
boar, and challenged him to a combat. This manifestation of Shiva is known as Kiraata
Murthy. In the course of this (mock) fight, the hunter stripped Arjuna of all
his weapons (and his ego), and the brave prince continued to fight with his
bare hands. Shiva then revealed his true self, and blessed him with the
Paasupataastram.
Arjuna's encounter with Shiva is celebrated at
Tiruvetkalam near Chidambaram - Tamilnadu.
Kiraata
Murthy is also revered at Kumbhakonam (Tamilnadu) , where it is believed that
an arrow from Shiva's bow pierced the pot containing the celestial nectar
amritam, and spilled it into the Mahamagam tank.
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