Nandi: Vah Vrishabh jo Shiv ka Dwaar Bana

Bhaarat ke har Shiv mandir ke saamne ek bail baitha hai, patthar mein utkeern, shaashvat dhairya se garbhagrih ki or mukh kiye. Teerthyaatri aashirvaad ke liye uske koobad ko chhoote hain aur uske kaan mein apni ichchhaayein phusphusaate hain, nishchint ki vah unhein seedhe prabhu tak pahunchaata hai. Vah bail Nandi hai — Kailas ka dwaarpaal, Shiv ke ganon ka mukhiya, aur vah vaahan jis par swayam Shiv sawaar hote hain. Uski katha samast Puraanon mein bhakti ki shuddhtam katha hai.

Yah rishi Shilaad se aarambh hoti hai, ek nihsantaan rishi jinka hriday putra ke liye tarasta tha. Varshon unhone ghor tapasya ki, jab tak swayam Indra prakat na hue aur paraamarsh na diya: "Yadi tumhein amar aur yashasvi putra chaahiye, to meri nahin Shiv ki upaasna karo." Shilaad ne apni tapasya Mahadev ki or modi, aur Shiv prasann hokar unhein chamatkaar diya — koi garbh se nahin, swayam yagya-agni se damakta hua prakat putra, divya vaaniyon se ghoshit aur aakaash se pushp-varsha se abhishikt. Unhone uska naam Nandi rakha, Aanandmay.

Baalak ke aagman par swayam swarg ne utsav manaaya. Gandharvon ne gaaya, apsaraon ne nritya kiya, aur devtaon ne Shilaad ke aashram par pushp barsaaye. Nandi chamatkaari gati se badha — varshon se pare gyaan mein, praatahkaaleen soorya jaise tej mein. Kathaayein kehti hain, baalak ki hansi van bhar mein sunaai deti thi, aur vanya pashu bhi shaantipoorvak aashram ke kinaare ekatra hote the jab Shilaad apne putra ko Ved padhaate the. Swayam Shiv, Kailas se dekhte hue, us baalak par muskuraaye the jo unke liye agni se janma tha — yadyapi na pita na putra jaante the ki bhavishya mein kya hai, ya aisi divya janm ki kya keemat chukaani hogi.

Baalak gyaan aur tej mein badha, aur Shilaad ka hriday bhar gaya — jab tak vah din na aaya jab do mahaan rishi padhaare aur bachche ka bhaagya padhkar dukh se pita ko bataaya ki baalak ka jeevan alp hoga. Shilaad shok mein doob gaye. Par yuva Nandi ne bhavishyavaani sunkar keval muskuraya. "Pitaji," usne kaha, "yadi mera jeevan alp hai, to main use vah paane mein lagaoonga jo mrityu nahin chheen sakti." Vah Narmada nadi ke tat par gaya aur itni ghor tapasya mein dooba ki devta kaanp uthe — nishchal khada, prabhu ke naam japta, apni saans hi Shiv ko arpit karta.

Shiv aisi bhakti ka pratirodh na kar sake. Ve sampoorn mahima mein baalak ke saamne prakat hue, apne haathon se use maala pehnaai, aur aise vachan bole jinse teenon lok harshit hue: "Nandi, tum amar hoge. Tum mere ganon ke mukhiya hoge, mere dwaaron ke rakshak, aur mere apne vaahan — main jahaan jaaoonga, tum mujhe vahan karoge." Us din se shvet vrishabh prabhu se avibhaajya ho gaya.

Aur kaisi seva hai vah! Kailas mein Nandi rajat parvat ke dwaaron par khada hai, khadi chadhaai chadhne vaale har bhakt ki ghoshna karta hai, sacche hriday se aane vaale kisi ko nahin lautaata. Jab Shiv lokon ko aashirvaad dene nikalte hain, to Nandi apne swaami ko lene ke liye ghutne tekta hai; jab Parvati unke saath hoti hain, to vrishabh donon ko megh jaisa halka vahan karta hai. Gan — Shiv ke vanya, aanandmay anuchar — Nandi ke netritva ka anusaran karte hain, kyunki vah unka mukhiya hai. Prithvi ke mandiron mein uski patthar-moorti seedhe garbhagrih ke saamne, ling ki or mukh kiye sthaapit hai, taaki uski drishti kabhi apne prabhu se na hate; aur pujaari pehle uska sammaan karte hain, kyunki apne priya dwaarpaal ke bina koi Shiv ke paas nahin pahunchta. Jab Shiv Parvati ke saath savaari ko nikalte hain, to Nandi hi unhein vahan karta hai; jab bhakt Kailas aate hain, to Nandi hi dwaar ki raksha karta hai aur unki ghoshna karta hai; aur har mandir mein Nandi hi garbhagrih ki or mukh kiye baitha hai, sada sunta hua.

Puraan Nandi ki mahaanata ka ek aur pramaan dete hain. Jab daanavraaj Ravan apne ahankaar mein Kailas aaya aur bail ne uska maarg roka, to vah hansa aur Nandi ke vaanar-sadrish mukh ka uphaas kiya. Nandi ki aankhein damkeen. "Tum mere mukh ka uphaas karte ho?" usne kaha. "To mera shaap suno: vaanar tumhaara aur tumhaare vansh ka vinaash honge!" Varshon baad, jab Hanuman aur vaanar sena ne Lanka jalaai aur Ravan ka abhimaan choor kiya, to sansaar ne bail ke vachanon ko smaran kiya.

Shiv ne apne bhakt se prasann hokar Nandi ko yogya patni di — Suyasha, sadgun ki pratimoorti — aur use apne samast anucharon ka swaami banaaya. Par Nandi ne swaamitva kabhi na chaaha. Uska aanand saral tha: natmastak hona, vahan karna, sunna. Isiliye aaj bhi vah bhakt jiski praarthna garbhagrih ke liye atyant gopneeya hai, use patthar ke bail ke kaan mein phusphusaata hai. Kyunki Nandi ki bhakti ne nikatata ke siva kuchh na maanga — aur swatantra di gayi nikatata ne use Bhagwan ka vaahan hi bana diya.