Tripurasura, the father of Gayasura, was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. After his death, his son, Gayasura, became the king, and he was also a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He performed severe penance on Lord Vishnu and attained the boon of immortality: not to be killed by any one and at any time. After getting such a great boon, Gayasura tortured everybody through his great powers.
He finally fought with Lord Vishnu, and due to his great powers, Vishnu was also defeated by Gayasura. Gayasura was very happy by defeating the god himself by his great powers and he had again tortured all the living beings in the earth and heaven.
Everyone in the earth and heaven were suffered and approached Lord Vishnu to use his tricks, and to relieve the people from their difficulties. Lord Vishnu went to the place of Gayasura and asked him to give a boon for him. Gayasura also agreed to it. Vishnu has asked him to be turned into a stone.
Before turning into the form of a stone, he has asked the god to fulfil his wishes. He has asked to put the two feet of the lord in his heart. And he has asked to grant salvation for those devotees who had the Lord’s feet in their hearts. And finally he has asked that if even a single person having the Lord’s feet in his heart fails to get salvation, he will again become a living man.
Lord Vishnu granted all the boons to him. From this incident, it can be known that god had liberated all of his devotees who have got the opportunity to place the Lord’s feet in their hearts, and didn’t give an opportunity for gayasura to again become a living man. Still now his statue is present in the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple at pithapuram, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. It is a very ancient and a holy temple. Here free annadanam is provided for more than 100 people on a daily basis. Daily lot of devotees from all parts of india are coming here to have the glimpse of the Lord Kukkuteswara Swamy and Gayasura. And it is holy place for doing ancestors rituals and to get relieved from the curses of the ancestors.
IMPORTANCE OF WORSHIP
From this incident, we can know, that god will never allow his sincere devotees to take rebirth again in this difficult world. He will never withdraw his promise given to Gayasura. Hence let us make the practice of keeping the thoughts of god in our mind, and realize him from our inner soul in order to attain SALVATION.
Though gayasura has turned into a stone, it is believed, that he is still worshipping his beloved god Vishnu and chanting his mantras and names from his inner soul.
Let us worship the great gayasura and Lord Vishnu and be blessed.
“OM SREE GAYASURAYA NAMAHA”
“OM NAMO NARAYANAYA NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR