SRISAILAM

BRAMARAMBIKA EPISODE

Now comes the legend of Bramarambika. Bramarambika is one among the eighteen manifestations of Sakti. And she was extremely beautiful at it. Her ravishing beauty attracted Lord Siva, and so met her once. When two pairs of eyes met, she was found to be swayed by the Lord's simplicity hovering over the regality of his manohararupa. Observing it, the Lord said pointing to a bramara - honey bee flitting about there, that he would marry her, if she followed to the place of its rest.

Moving fast, she followed it upto this spot where it rested after years of flying. Then the Lord appearing in the form of an old man said, "I have grown sufficiently old during the years of search. I am not now fit for marriage." Yet she married, caring more for love than the transitory youth. Hadn't she consented when said? Didn't she lose her heart when met? As she followed the Bramara, she is called Bramarambika, and one can hear the humming sound of bee at the rear part of the temple even today. A slightly different version narrates that she killed a frightful demon by name Arunasura taking the form of Bramara, for according to his rare boons, he would not be killed by any man, beast or deva. So was named Bramarambika. In the literature of Kannada, the same episode is described with a certain princess instead of Bramarambika, who married Lord Siva following the bramara as in the other tale.

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