SHRI SOMNATH
JYOTIRLINGA
CHAPTER ONE
Om Namah
Shivaya
INTRODUCTION
"Salutations
to Lord Ganesha. Today, I narrate to you the wonderful story of Somnath – the
first among the twelve Jyotirlingas."
This is not
merely a story – it is the tale of ego, the tale of a curse, and that
compassionate play of Lord Shiva which made even a deity bow at his feet.
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CHAPTER ONE
CHANDRA'S
EGO AND DAKSHA'S CURSE
This is a
very ancient tale... when creation was still new.
Chandradeva,
who is also called Soma, was extremely handsome and radiant. He was married to
the twenty-seven daughters of Daksha Prajapati. Twenty-seven! As many stars as
shine in the sky – they were all his wives, the constellations.
But... just
as the moon illuminates all the stars but prefers to remain only with Rohini on
the night of the full moon – in the same way, Chandradeva's entire affection became
centered solely on Rohini.
The
remaining twenty-six queens – neglected, lonely, and sorrowful – carried their
pain to their father, Daksha Prajapati.
When Daksha
came to know of this, his anger soared to the seventh sky. He cursed Chandra –
"O
Chandra! You have insulted my daughters. May you keep waning. May your radiance
diminish. Day by day, may you keep decreasing, until you are completely
lost!"
And so it
happened. Chandra began to wane. His phases started diminishing one by one.
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CHAPTER TWO
THE CONCERN OF
THE GODS AND BRAHMA'S ADVICE
The gods
became anxious. If Chandra perished, then in this universe, there would be no
existence of night, no medicinal herbs would thrive, and neither art nor beauty
would flourish.
Then all the
gods prayed to Brahma ji. Brahma ji said –
"Chandra
should go to the sacred Prabhas Kshetra along with other deities and worship
Lord Shiva, the conqueror of death, for liberation from his curse. Surely, by
his grace, this curse will be destroyed."
Then everyone
suggested to Chandra –
"O
Soma! Go to the Prabhas Kshetra. Right there, where today the magnificent
Somnath temple stands, and where the ancient rivers Saraswati, Hiranya, and Kapila
form a sacred confluence."
Chandra did
exactly that. He went there and performed intense penance – observed difficult
vows and meditated upon Shiva.
And then...
Shiva was pleased.
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CHAPTER
THREE
SHIVA'S BOON
AND THE MANIFESTATION OF SOMNATH
Lord Shiva
appeared before Chandra and said –
"Ask
for a boon, O Soma."
With tears
in his eyes, Chandra said –
"O
Lord! My existence is being destroyed. Please save me."
Then Lord
Shiva said with compassion –
"Listen,
O Soma. Daksha's curse is Brahma's word, and it is not possible even for me to
completely erase it. But I grant you this boon – from now on, for one fortnight
you shall wax, and for one fortnight you shall wane. This shall be the order of
the Krishna Paksha and Shukla Paksha."
And then
Lord Shiva gave this promise –
"I
myself shall forever reside in this Prabhas Kshetra by the name 'Somanatha'.
The Lord of Chandra – that is, Somnath."
This is why
the Dwadash Jyotirlinga Stotra begins with the name of Somnath.
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CHAPTER FOUR
THE DIVINE
HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE – CONSTRUCTION ACROSS AGES
Child, this
temple was not built just once. It is said that –
Satya Yuga –
Chandra himself built it of gold.
Treta Yuga –
Ravan built it of silver.
Dwapara Yuga
– Lord Krishna built it of sandalwood.
Kali Yuga –
King Bhimadeva built it of stone.
That is – across
all four ages, this temple was built in four different forms! How wonderful is
that, is it not?
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CHAPTER FIVE
THE
SHIVALINGA SUSPENDED IN THE AIR – AN ASTONISHING MYSTERY
And one more
thing – ancient texts describe that the Shivalinga of Somnath was suspended in
the air!
Yes, child,
this is true. It is said that a massive magnet (lodestone) was fixed to the
ceiling of the temple, and due to its magnetic power, the iron Shivalinga would
float in the air.
When Mahmud
Ghaznavi attacked the temple in 1024-25 AD, he was astonished to see this
amazing miracle. He could not believe that any Shivalinga could hang in the air
without any support!
This was a
masterpiece of architecture from that era – something that even today's science
finds difficult to comprehend.
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CHAPTER SIX
STRUGGLE AND
REBUILDING – THE STORY OF UNDYING FAITH
But child,
this temple was not always safe. History bears witness – this temple was
destroyed many times, and every single time, faith rebuilt it.
Attacks –
725 AD –
Al-Junayd, the Muslim governor of Sindh
1024-25 AD –
Mahmud Ghaznavi (with 5,000 soldiers)
1297 AD –
Delhi Sultanate
1299 AD –
Ulugh Khan, general of Alauddin Khilji
1395 AD –
Muzaffar Shah
1451 AD –
Mahmud Begada
1665 AD –
Aurangzeb
Rebuilds –
Bhima Deva –
after Ghaznavi
Siddharaja
Jaysingh – 1093 AD
Kumarapala –
1168 AD
Khangar
(King of Junagadh) – 1351 AD
Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel – 1951 AD
Seventeen
times this temple was broken... and seventeen times it was rebuilt! This is why
Somnath is called the 'Eternal Shrine'.
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CHAPTER
SEVEN
OTHER
INTERESTING FACTS
First –
Somnath is mentioned even in the Rigveda, and the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda
Puran has an entire chapter dedicated to it.
Second – The
temple is built at a location such that to its south, in a straight line, there
is no land until Antarctica. This fact is inscribed on a pillar of the temple –
which dates back to the 7th century AD!
Third – It
is believed that Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, and Parashurama – all incarnations of
Vishnu – have worshipped Somnath.
Fourth – The
Shivalinga was once hidden inside the Syamantaka Mani (a divine gem), which is
associated with Lord Krishna.
Fifth – This
site is also mentioned as a pilgrimage place in the Mahabharata and the Shrimad
Bhagavatam.
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CHAPTER
EIGHT
THE ESSENCE
OF THE STORY – THE MESSAGE FOR LIFE
So you have
seen... how beautiful this story is!
Chandra, in
his ego, considered only one as his own and forgot all the others. This very
ego brought him the curse. But... when he sought refuge in Lord Shiva, not only
was he saved, but he received a new identity – an immortal identity associated
with the name Somnath.
And this
temple – which from Satya Yuga to today, despite being broken seventeen times,
has stood seventeen times – is a symbol of undying faith. It teaches us – no
matter how many storms come, truth and devotion are never destroyed.
Child...
this story teaches us all – ego and partiality lead to downfall, but surrender
to Shiva brings back completeness and beauty.
Whether you
are in the sky like Chandra, or an ordinary person on earth – true stability
lies only in Shiva's grace. And just as the Somnath temple rose again after
every destruction – in the same way, faith never dies.
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CONCLUSION
This is the
story of Somnath... this is the glory of the first Jyotirlinga.
Om Namah
Shivaya.
— The End —