If you’re wondering why there’s this episode in the middle of the week, its because I’ve changed the format of the show a little bit thanks to some good listener feedback I’ve received. The characters of the week are now a separate mini-episode by themselves.
In today’s mini-episode, we’ll meet Shiva’s bull! Who is also his home security system!
We’re talking about Nandi!
Nandi was born to a Rishi – Shilada as an ordinary boy. The boy was effectively a gift from Shiva!
Shilada had no children and prayed to Shiva for this reason. Shiva soon appeared before the rishi and blessed him. As Shilada was going back to his house, he heard crying in a field he was passing by. It was a baby – left all alone!
He didn’t call Child Protection Services, this was clearly Shiva answering his prayers.
He named the baby Nandi.
Nandi grew up into a healthy, strong and religious boy. When he discovered his origin story, he decided that the best course of action was to thank the God who had found the perfect father for him. He left home to pray to Shiva, just as his Dad had done many years ago.
Shiva heard his prayers and was actually impressed by the boy. So much so, that he offered him a job on the spot!
The job was to be Shiva’s ride and his security system. But as a bull instead of as a human!
Now you might wonder why Shiva’s home which is right in the middle of a very inaccessible mountain range requires a home security system. But remember, Gods and Goddesses and Demons do not travel as ordinary humans do.
Besides Nandi doesn’t just provide local home security, he can take a be loaned out to other towns, much like how players in some Soccer leagues sometimes play for other clubs.
We’ve seen Nandi on exactly such a remote assignment when he battled the Plague, in the Character of the Week segment of “Episode 15 – Rishi vs Rishi: Un-Civil War”.
One other story often associated with Nandi has to do with Ganesh’s head. Yeah, after the father-son misunderstanding led to Ganesh’s decapitation, Ganesh was given an elephant head. There are many versions of the story. In one such version, Nandi defeats Indra the King of the Devs and brings his Elephant Airavat’s head as a replacement. At least that’s what some people believe.
You can read or hear the Ganesh story in Episode 6.5 – All in the family or a condensed version in last week’s Mini-Episode 34.5 – Ganesh.
That’s all for this mini-episode.
The Next Full Episode
This weekend’s full episode we’ll explore the story behind the Rath Yatra in Puri, which is coming up soon.
We’ll learn why you should keep your curiosity in check especially if you’ve got an excellent artist working for you.
We’ll also learn that it’s possible for a drifting log of wood to float all the way from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal
I’ll see you this weekend!