How did the Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga manifest? Why did Lord Shiva have to slay the son of Kumbh Karan?

The story of the emergence of the Jyotirlingas named Bhimashankar:

In ancient times, there was a very cruel demon named Bheem. He was always busy destroying righteousness and causing suffering to living beings. Bheem was born from the semen of Kumbhakarna and the womb of Karkati, and he resided with his mother on the Sahya Mountain. One day, this sorrowful and mighty demon asked his mother, "Mother, tell me about my father. I want to know where he is. Please tell me the truth.

Karkati replied, "Son, your father was Kumbhakarna, the younger brother of Ravana. The mighty Kumbhakarna was defeated by Lord Rama with his valor. My parents' names were Karkat and Pushkasi. My husband, Viradha, was also destroyed by Lord Rama in the past. After his death, I went to live with my parents. One day, my parents went to make Agastya Muni's disciple, Suteekshna, their meal. But Suteekshna became angry and burned them to ashes. Since then, I have been living alone and sorrowful on this mountain.

After that, the great and powerful Kumbhakarna came here. He forced himself upon me and then returned to Lanka. It was during this time that you were born. You are also great and mighty like your father. Now, I am living here with your support alone.

Hearing Karkati's words, Bheem's anger flared even more. He thought, "Vishnu, who incarnated as Ram, how should I deal with him? He killed my father, his devotees destroyed my grandparents, and he defeated Viradha, causing me immense sorrow. If I am my father's son, I must inflict severe pain on Hari, that is, Vishnu.

Determined, Bheem set out for great penance. To please Lord Brahma, he performed rigorous austerities for a thousand years. Impressed by his severe penance, Lord Brahma appeared to bless him. He said, "Bheem, I am pleased with your penance. Ask for a boon as you wish."

Bheem replied, "Grandfather, Lord of the Gods! If you are truly pleased, grant me such unparalleled strength that it has no equal." Lord Brahma said, "So be it," and departed, returning to his divine abode.

Receiving the boon, Bheem returned home with great joy, bowed to his mother, and said, "Mother, now see my strength. I will annihilate Indra and the other gods, as well as Vishnu." With this firm resolve, he set out to battle Indra and the other deities and emerged victorious. He expelled Indra and all the deities from heaven and, having defeated Lord Vishnu, began to assert his dominance over the earth.

First, he decided to defeat King Sudakshina of the kingdom of Kamrup. There, he faced a fierce battle with King Sudakshina, in which he used Lord Brahma's boon to defeat him. Bheem seized Sudakshina's kingdom and shackled the beloved devotee of Lord Shiva, King Sudakshina, imprisoning him.

Despite the adverse circumstances, King Sudakshina, being righteous and dutiful, continued to worship Lord Shiva. He established a Parthiva Shivlinga and began his penance, praised the Ganga and worshipped Lord Shiva according to the proper rites. He also started chanting the Pranava-infused Panchakshara mantra – "Om Namah Shivaya."

Queen Dakshina, the devoted wife of King Sudakshina, also lovingly performed Parthiva worship. This married couple was deeply immersed in the devotion of Lord Shiva and worshipped him daily.

On the other hand, the demon Bheem became filled with pride due to the power of his boon. He began to destroy sacrificial rituals and religious practices. He took control of the entire earth, destroyed the righteousness described in the Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas, and started considering himself as Deity, indulging in all pleasures.

Then, all the deities and sages, extremely distressed, gathered on the banks of the Mahakoshi River and began to worship Lord Shiva. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva appeared and said, "Which task of yours should I accomplish? I am satisfied with your devotion."

The deities and sages said, "O Lord! You are omniscient and all-knowing. Nothing is hidden from you. Lord Bheem, the son of Karkati and Kumbhakarna, has obtained a boon from Lord Brahma and is causing suffering to everyone. Please destroy him and show us your mercy." Shiva Shambhu replied, "King Sudakshina of Kamrup is my devoted follower. Go and convey my message to him that he is my special devotee. He should continue to worship me with love. To avenge his dishonor, I will surely kill that wicked demon, Bheem." Hearing Shiva's plan to slay Bheem, the deities quickly went and delivered the message to the king. Then they all happily returned to their abodes.

Meanwhile, Lord Shiva, with the intent of benefiting the world and protecting his devotee, secretly began residing in Kamrup. King Sudakshina also started worshipping Lord Shiva with devotion.

In the meantime, Bheem learned that the king was planning his destruction through penance and worship. Enraged, Bheem set out to kill the king. When he arrived and saw the worship materials and the established Shivlinga, he was convinced that King Sudakshina was indeed worshipping for his destruction. Extremely angry, he asked the king, "What are you doing?" The king replied, "I am worshipping my Lord, Lord Shiva. Bheem's anger reached its peak at that moment. He uttered foul words against Lord Shiva and struck the Parthiva Shivlinga with his sword. But his sword could not even touch the Shivlinga, and Lord Shiva, the protector of all, appeared. He said, "I am Bhimeshwar, and I have come here to protect my devotee." Saying this, Lord Shiva used his Pinak (Shiva's bow) to cut Bheem's sword into two pieces. Bheem then attacked with his trident, but Lord Shiva destroyed it as well, foiling his attempt. The entire world was agitated by the battle between Lord Shiva and Bheem.

Then, Narad Muni prayed to Lord Shiva, "O Maheshwar! Please quickly put an end to this demon." With a single roar, Lord Shiva burned all the demons to ashes. Bheem met his end, and the deities, sages, and the entire world rejoiced.

After that, everyone prayed to Lord Shiva, saying, "O Lord, this place is now considered extremely infamous. People who come here often suffer. Please reside here and bless everyone with your divine presence." Following this prayer, the benevolent Lord Shiva settled there and became renowned as 'Bhimashankar' and 'Bhimeshwar.'

Verified from Puran……………

Writer :- krishna