MEghavaahanan

1/12/09

Lord Siva's another name is Megha vaahanan, meaning one whose vehicle is cloud. Of course we have heard His more popular name Nandi Vaahana. Now let us see how Lord Siva got this name. This story is explained in Vamana Purana.

 

Lord Siva led the life of a yogi or sanyasin. Realized souls did not like to stay in one place for a long time because neither they had any attachment to the place and people around them nor they wanted to establish any attachment to the place and people around. When the story happened, Lord Siva was staying in the open valleys of Mandara parvatham with Sati Devi. Summer was about to begin and Sati Devi expressed her concern to her husband about living in the open valleys of the mountain. Siva explained to her that he did not want a permanent abode and was happy to live as a mendicant. Sati Devi could not say anything against His wish and kept quiet.

 

After the summer, monsoon came and it was extremely hard to survive in the Mandara valleys. So Sati Devi made her request again to move to a permanent abode. Lord Siva said he had no money to build a house. He said he owned just a loin cloth made of tiger skin and the rest of his decorations were contributed by live snakes. Hearing this answer, Sati Devi was very sad and tears rolled down her beautiful cheeks.

 

Lord Siva felt bad and told her that he had an excellent idea to avoid the rainy season. He said: "My beloved, let us go and live above the clouds. Rain is showered only on those who live below the clouds. So if we are above the clouds we will not have the problems of the rainy season." Saying this Lord Siva held Sati Devi's hands and ascended higher and higher until they reached above the clouds and started living there. So clouds were like a vahana of Siva and since then He is called Megha vahana.

 

Om Nama: Shivaaya