Bhringi

According to Hindu mythology, Bhringi was an ancient sage (rishi), and a great devotee of Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction and rejuvenation. According to mythology, all the rishis paid homage to both Shiva and Parvati,consort of Shiva, but Bhringi would not worship Parvati and dedicated himself solely to Shiva.

The story goes that Bhringi one day, came to Mount Kailas, the abode of Shiva, and expressed his desire to go around Shiva. As he was going around, Shiva’s consort, Shakti, said, “You cannot just go around him. You have to go around me too. We are two halves of the same truth.”

Bhringi, however, was so focussed on Shiva that he had no desire to go around Shakti. Seeing this, Shakti sat on Shiva’s lap making it difficult for Bhringi to go around Shiva alone. Bhringi, determined to go around Shiva took the form of a snake and tried to slip in between the two.

Amused by this, Shiva made Shakti one half of his body – the famous Ardhanarishvara form of Shiva. This was God whose one half is the Goddess. But Bhringi was adamant. He would go around Shiva alone. So he took the form of a rat, some say a bee, and tried to gnaw his way between the two.