Mahadev and Mahavishnu – Inseparable

Happy MahaShivaratri ! Hope everyone was able to use Mahadev’s high energy flowing through the universe last night to deepen their spiritual quest. Do read my earlier post on Mahashivaratri 2021 and eSamskriti’s article on Kedarnath – the place where Mahadev brought the river Mandakini to Earth through his matted locks !

During our recent road trip we visited nearly 30 temples starting with Breathtaking Bateshwar and going all the way to the Brihadishwara temple at Thanjavur. Our temple trails established one fact – Mahadev and Mahavishnu are inseparable !

At the Chennimalai Murugan temple, we first learnt the fact that Valli and Deivanai, Murugan’s consorts are in fact Mahavishnu’s daughters …. hadn’t heard of this before. Then in Madurai, Mahavishnu as Meenakshi’s elder brother Alagar, gets her married to Sundareshwarar. Meenakshi is another name for Maa Parvati and Sundareshwarar is another name for Mahadev.

Madurai Chithirai Thiruvizha

To this day, a whole month of celebrations are conducted in Madurai during April.

Meenakshi and Sundareshwarar’s wedding is a part of the celebrations. It’s probably one of the longest celebrations anywhere in the world as it lasts for 30days. The first 15 days are dedicated to Meenakshi and the balance 15 days to Alagar, a form of Mahavishnu who is Meenakshi’s elder brother !

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Shiva and Vishnu followers in South India must stop bickering 😁. I specifically say South India because I see the lines clearly drawn there … Vishnu followers particularly, refusing to enter Shiva temples. Your Ishta devta’s sister is married to Shiva. So he will keep going to visit her, then should you not ?

At Chidambaram, Mahavishnu is present as Govindaraja Perumal and Mahadev is present with his entire family as Nataraja within the same complex, a few feet apart. And, Govindaraja Perumal temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams. Obviously, there is no separating the two – Shiva and Vishnu. It’s all in our minds.

I don’t see the divide so much in the North and other parts of India.

The Mohini Avatar

That Mahadev and Mahavishnu are inseparable is clearly brought out by the existence of Swami Ayyappa aka Hari Hara Putra. Hari is Vishnu and Hara is Shiva. He was born to Shiva and Mohini. Mohini is the only female avatara of Mahavishnu :). The Mohini avatar actually helps us to understand several things – that all of us have the male and female in us, that reincarnations can happen as a woman or a man or an animal.

Mahavishnu as Mohini was needed to kill the demon Bhasmasura and to lure the asuras away during Samudra Manthan – churning of the ocean of consciousness. What a man can’t do, a woman can 😁.

Am interpreting the Mohini avatar of Mahavishnu in modern terms, not in spiritual terms.

Meditate on your Ishta devta, he/she will show you the way.

Har Har Mahadev. Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagat.