The Bee-Sage Bhringi

Sage Bhringi was a great devotee of the Lord and would acknowledge no other, not even Goddess Parvathi. Whenever the Sage went in pradakshina around Lord Siva, he was particular to avoid circumambulating Parvathi. But when Uma merged with Lord Siva in the form of ardhanariswara, Bhringi was faced with a problem. How to circumambulate the Lord alone? Taking the form of a bee^[1], he gnawed a hole through ardhanarisvara’s divine form and was thus seemingly able to restrict himself to doing pradakshina around Lord Siva’s half. Shakthi became angry and withdrew all Bhringi’s power, leaving him so weak that he could scarcely stand. Yet, in spite of his debility, the Sage’s devotion continued unimpaired. When Siva made up his mind to grant him liberation, Parvathi was indignant and refused to accompany Mahadeva to Bhringi’s hermitage. The Lord was in a tight spot. His compassion for the devotee who prayed unceasingly for liberation was so great that He could not refuse him. Yet to grant his desire would bring consequences. Hence a quarrel^[2] between the Lord and Uma ensued. With much effort, however, Lord Siva succeeded in winning Uma’s appeasement.

   Ekabhakta Bhringi was not mistaken in his intention, pure and good as it was. But ignoring the inner, he was deluded in thinking that Siva and Shakthi can in reality be parted. To be sure, the division caused by the Lord’s and Uma’s dispute and the ultimate reconciliation is nothing other than divine play, mythically expressing the truism that opposites finally resolve in unity when egoic desires are overcome. To go in pradakshina around Lord Siva is forever and always automatically to go around Parvathi as well. The Self is akshara, ultimate and elemental, the imperishable root of Being which is non-dual and thus cannot be divided.

^[1] Bhringi is Sanskrit for ‘bee’.

^[2] This quarrel is ritually enacted each year at Pongal on Tiruvoodal Street (or ‘Holy Quarrel Street’), Tiruvannamalai.