Bheemashankar Dham an Introduction

ॐ (oṃ)

गुरु ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णु: गुरुदेव महेश्वर:। गुरु साक्षात्परब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नम:।।

“guru brahmā gurur viṣṇu: gurudeva maheśvara:। guru sākṣāt parabrahma tasmai śrī guruve nama:।।

(Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu, Guru is Maheshwara (Shiva), Guru is Supreme Brahman Itself . Prostration unto that Guru.)

 

The Shiv Ratri (śiva rātri) of 2016 had brought a twist in my life for which I had been waiting for years. Working in Guwahati was an enigma. In June 2011 after watching an episode on Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) in a serial “Om Namah Shivay” (oṃ namaḥ śivāya). On my way to airport, in Lankeshwar Dham (laṃkesvara dhāma) I casually asked a monk: “where is Bhimashankar Dham (bhīmāśaṃkara dhāma)”? To my surprise the monk stood up and took me to the edge of the mountain and pointed towards the Garbhanga (gaṛhabhaṃgā) forest. He told the story behind it, which he had been aware of since 40 years, which was slightly different from the TV serial version. Searching Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga (bhīmāśaṅkara jyōtirliṅga) in net, result was something else. Popular Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga (bhīmāśaṅkara jyōtirliṅga) was near Pune (puṇē) in Khed. One of the legends associated with it was the story of the killing of Bhimasura (bhīmāsura).

My curiosity was up and search began around Gaṛhabhaṃgā forest. Local people were unaware of Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) dham. At last the monk of Lankeshwar Dham (laṃkesvara dhāma) directed to go through Gorasuka (NH37) about 5 km towards the Garbhanga (gaṛhabhaṃgā) forest. There was a signboard by Archeological Dept. “Panchdhara Dimbeswar Swamy” (pancadhārā ḍimbesvara svāmi) on the entrance. Going about a KM inside through the bamboo groove there was an unfinished Ganesh temple on the way. Following which down in the valley there was picturesque site of the majestic natural Shiva Linga (liṃga) in the center of a mountain stream. It is flowing after ablution of the “Linga” through a mini waterfall towards the Brahmaputra. Banyan dreadlocks around “Linga” gives an appearance of a woodland shrine. There is a belief that any attempt to build a temple is in vain due to an unexpected river flood. Ruins of prior ventures are seen scattered around. Local (Kārbī tribal) priest was Ignorant of the significance and history of the ‘Linga’. There was some efforts by local Assamese and Marwari (māravādī) community devotees inspired by Lord Shiva to promote and popularise the shrine.They believed this as Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) referring to Shiv Mahapuran due to local name of this mountain as “Dakini Shakini”(ḍākinī sākinī). A wave of worshiping, propagating and constructing a new Ganesh temple and approach road began. The unprecedented word of secret of the “Linga” has been spreading. I wrote an article “Search of Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) Dham (dhāma) in my blog “Medicine beyond Medicine” and Shivashankar.in. As a result of these efforts there were an increasing number of devotees visiting the shrine and it has become a central place of faith and worship.

On 27^th February 2016 an email from Mr. Pankaj Das has changed my view completely. He wrote what I was thinking as Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃakara) is in fact a Sub-linga (Upa-Linga) Bhimesvara (bhīmeśvara) of Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃakara) jyotirlinga which is situated near Vashistha (vaśiṣṭha). He also sent writings of Baba Bhrigu Giri Maharaj (bābā bhrigugirī mahārāja) who had first revealed this long back. A new chapter opened and old ideas of the devotion and faith started collapsing.

            Sri Sri Bhrigugirīi Maharaj (śrī śrī bhṛgugiri mahārāja) was born in Nalbari town (Assam) as a replica of Maharṣi Bhṛigu in 1932. He met his Guru Gupteswar Sri Sri Hariharananda Giri (guru guptesvara śrī śrī hariharananda giri) who is none other than an immortal Maharishi Markandeya (maharṣi mārakaṃḍeya). In 1954  he met him in  Almora in Uttar Pradesh for the first time, as an old Rishi for three days and then as a tall majestic Rishi mysteriously reappeared at the bank of Kanta (kāṃtā) river near Vashistha (vaśiṣṭha)  Ashram Guwahati  in Jan 1968. The covert forms of Sri Sri Panchakanya (śrī śrī paṃcakanyā), Sri Sri Bhimashankar (śrī śrī bhīmāśaṅkara) and other deities around Panchakanya Dham (pancakanyā dhāma) had been revealed to Bhrigugiri Baba. Under the spiritual guidance and supervision of his master who lived for 9 years at his residence he took Sanyasa (renunciation) and learned everything about Sanatana Dharma and Hindu Scriptures (Veda, Upanishad, Puranas and Itihas). He did 3 more years of confidential penance as instructed by his Guru. On divine instruction from Mother Kāmakshi (paṃcayonī) he established Panchakanya Dham (pancakanyā dhāma) near Vashistha (vaśiṣṭha). This was the sacred tapobhūmi of Great Sages like Vasishtha, Viśvāmitra, Gautama, Bhrigu and his son Markandeya. It was also place of incarnation of Vamana Avatar of Lord Vishnu.  

On 16^th February 1980 during total solar eclipse, soul of Maharishi Bhṛigu entered into the body of Sri Sri Bhrigu Giri (śrī śrī bhṛgugiri) and performed "akāla bodhana-yajña" a Vedic ritual to awaken Sri Sri Panchakanya (śrī śrī paṃcakanyā) and Sri Sri Bhimashankar (śrī śrī bhīmāśaṅkara) all the Gods, who were kept dormant for the past 5,000 years in Kshobhak hill near Vashistha (vaśiṣṭha) by Bhrigu maharshi. Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) is the only Jyotirlinga, origin of which is wrapped in a riddle. There is a popular belief that it is  located at the bank of Bhīma River near Pune in Maharashtra, whereas another belief is that it is near Ujanaka in Nainital. But Shiva Purana mentions  Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) Jyotirlinga is in Dakini parvat (Kāmarūpa Guwahati, Assam) and a reference to Bhimeshwara Sub-Linga in Pamohi. 

“श्रुत्वा पापं हरेत सर्वं नात्र कार्य विचारणा | अतः परं प्रवक्षामि माहात्य्मं भीमाशंकरे || कामरुपेश्वरे देशे शंकरो लोकमयया | अवतीर्ण: स्वयं साक्षात कल्याणगुण भाजन: ||”

“śrutvā pāpaṃ hareta sarvaṃ nātra kārya vicāraṇā | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣāmi māhātymaṃ bhīmāśaṃkare|| kāmarupeśvare deśe śaṃkaro lokamayayā | avatīrṇa: svayaṃ sākṣāta kalyāṇaguṇa bhājana:”

It is on the Dakini parvata that Lord Shiva appeared as a divine light to protect his great devotee King Kāmarupeswar of Kāmarūpa, from the King Bhīmāsura. The name of the Dakini parvata was changed to Kshobhak parvata after the appearance of Lord Bhīma Shankar, who was in extreme anger (Kshoba) while killing Bhīmāsura. Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) Jyotirlinga on the Kshobhak parvata is not widely known.

Bhrigugirī Maharaj has written several books on spirituality, rather, more so, on its clarification on various age-old misconceptions and beliefs with logic and divine vision. His deep insight into the Vedas, Upanishads and Itihasas (epics) has revealed many sacred hidden truths. He wrote a book “Dwadash Jyotirlinga” in Assamese in 1984 about all the twelve Jyotirlingas in India, including Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga at Panchaknya Dham. Based on this book, recently a booklet ( in three languages – Assamese, Hindi & English), exclusively on ‘Bheemashankar Jyotirlinga’, has been written with an additional description clarifying the “Bhimesvara”, which is a Sub - Linga (Upalinga) of the Bhimashankar (bhīmāśaṃkara) Jyotirlinga at Pāmohī near Guwahati.