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| Om Namah Shivaya |
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As regards Shiva's third eye, it is written in the "Mahabharta" that once Shiva was engrossed in deep meditation in the Himalayas. His consort Uma, in a playful mood in the company of her friends and maidens, put her hand on Shiva's eyes. As a result of this childlike act of Uma, there was darkness everywhere. Then a burning light sprang out from the center of his eyebrows. The darkness was gone, but in the heat of that light everything, withing its range, was burnt. Even the Himalayas were not spared. Uma, Shiva's wife, being daughter of Himalaya, was anguished and distressed. She fell at Shiva's feet and begged his pardon. Shiva restored Himalaya's greenery.
Let us try to understand what is meant by Shiva's 'Third Eye.' This third eye is mentioned in many of our scriptures. It means the Eye of Knowledge or Gyana. The power of discrimination or reason is the third eye. Does Shiva alone possess this eye of knowledge? No, each and every human being does have this eye of knowledge which tells him what is good and what is bad. But man alone has been gifted with this eye! No other creature except man this universe has it!
The story of the marriage of Shiva of with Parvati is also very interesting. There was a demon whose name was Tarak. Tarak had a great ambition of vanquishing the Gods so that he could rule over the heaven and turn them out from there.
For this purpose, he performed a very difficult penance in the forest of Madhuban. He kept looking into the sky for a hundred years, while standing on the toes of his feet. He lived on water only. After completing this phase, he gave up water too for another hundred years. Then he spent one hundred years under water, a hundred years on the ground, one hundred years more in fire. After that, Tarak meditated for a hundred years with his head downwards and legs upwards.
Appeased by such an unusual penance, Brahma appeared and said to Tarak, "I am pleased with your unique penance. What boon do you cherish?" Tarak replied, "Kindly grant me two boons. Bless me with such strength which you have never granted anybody. Secondly, I be not killed by anyone except Shiva's son." Tarak knew that Shiva's wife Sati had died and Shiva had no son. So, Tarak was invincible and free from fear of death.
Brahma agreed and granted both the boons to Tarak.
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