The asura is burnt to ashes

Most of our Indian Cosmic Gods and Goddesses are wise in giving boons. They see if the person really deserves it before they give a boon. But in the case of Lord Shiva, he does not care. If he is pleased with someone, he does not want to know if the person deserves the boon or not.

There was once a very powerful asura called Bhasmasur. He enjoyed life to the fullest in his own way for years and years. He was destroying people here and there, but he was not getting any inner happiness. Finally he came to realise that there is no real happiness in mere enjoyment. Then he started meditating and meditating and meditating. He meditated for centuries.

Every day Bhasmasur would cut off a portion of his body. To please Lord Shiva, little by little he was sacrificing his own body. Formerly he was a huge asura, but gradually he became like a skeleton.

At last Lord Shiva appeared before Bhasmasur and asked, “What do you want?”

The asura replied, “I have prayed and meditated. I have pleased you. Now I want to have something in return, a power which nobody else on earth has. Please tell me that you will not give this boon to anybody else.”

Lord Shiva said, “All right, I will give you a boon which I will not grant to anybody else. You will be the only one to have that miracle-power.”

The asura said, “I want to have this boon: the moment I touch the head of any human being, that person will turn into ashes.” Lord Shiva said, “You have pleased me immensely with your prayer and meditation. It is such an easy thing for me to give you that kind of boon. I can give it to you now, easily! Also, I promise that I will not give this particular boon to anybody else.”

Right there and then, Lord Shiva gave Bhasmasur the boon he desired. The asura was so happy, so thrilled, that he was the only one to be the possessor of this particular boon. Whomever he touched, that person would turn into ashes. The asura immediately wanted to apply the boon to Lord Shiva himself!

Lord Shiva cried, “O my God! What have I done, what have I done, what have I done?” Then Lord Shiva ran and ran and ran, faster than the fastest. He had faster speed than this asura. Finally, Lord Shiva arrived at Lord Vishnu’s palace. Lord Vishnu is one of the Hindu Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Brahma creates, Vishnu preserves, Shiva transforms.

“Save me, save me!” Shiva said to Vishnu.

Vishnu asked, “What is wrong?”

Shiva explained, “I gave one asura a boon: the moment he touches anybody, that person will be burnt to ashes. Now he wants to test the boon on my head!”

Vishnu said, “Do not worry. I have a very big palace. You hide somewhere. I will take care of him.”

Lord Shiva was hiding in Lord Vishnu’s palace when Bhasmasur arrived, panting and panting. The asura said to Vishnu, “What has happened, what has happened? Shiva gave me a boon and then, when I wanted to experiment to see if the boon really worked, he just started running, and I could not keep pace with him. Now what am I going to do?”

Lord Vishnu showed the asura a sympathetic face. He said, “Do not worry. You are now here. You can stay at my palace and I will treat you very nicely. Shiva? He is a number-one liar, first of all! You know, he always drinks and drinks, and he does not even know what he is saying! How did you come to believe him in the first place? Nobody believes what Shiva says, nobody, so you are a fool! You should not have believed him. He is always dealing with snakes, and he eats all kinds of things. He does not even know what day of the week it is. He is always enjoying his own life. You should not have trusted him. I tell you, he does not have that kind of power. I know, because he is a friend of mine.

“Anyway, even if he had given you that boon — a power that nobody else has — why do you have to take the trouble of going and searching for him? You just try it on your own head. I tell you, nothing will happen. No, nothing will happen because Shiva does not have that kind of power. Shiva just brags.” “That is true,” said Bhasmasur.

Then Lord Vishnu continued, “I assure you, nothing will happen to you, nothing will happen. Since nothing will happen, you can put your hand on your own head. Then I will help you to catch Shiva because he is such a liar. You can trust me!”

The asura trusted Lord Vishnu and he placed his hand on his own head. Immediately, he died and turned into ashes then and there. Then Vishnu sent for Shiva, who was hiding in his palace. When Shiva came, he could not believe what had happened. Vishnu had solved his dilemma.

These three Cosmic Gods — Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva — offer each other mutual help. When Vishnu is in trouble, Shiva will come to help. When Brahma is in trouble, the other two come to his assistance. They are friends, but not human friends. Human friends will not have the capacity to glorify each other. Always one friend will be at the top; he will be the best of the three. But when it comes to the Cosmic Gods, they try to humble themselves. They say, “No, that one is greater than me, the other one is greater.” Each one tries to glorify the others.

This story all of you know. I am only embellishing it.

Many, many times in New York while I am doing a bench press — let us say, 1,000 pounds, while I am lying down, at around four-thirty or five o’clock in the morning, upstairs in my second room — I will see Lord Shiva seated on my bed. With such joy, such love, such compassion-power, he is watching me, watching me, watching me.