Who Can Defeat Lord Shiva? Stories From Ancient Scriptures

In Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is a fundamental and one of the most powerful gods. He is also known by the name Mahadev or the Great God. Lord Shiva is believed to have the ability to destroy all bad things in the world. In most religious stories Gods are depicted as immortals. There is a common belief that Shiva is so powerful that there is no one who can defeat Lord Shiva. So, a question that has intrigued many over the years – Is there anyone who can defeat Lord Shiva?

A story in a book named “Navnath Bhaktisar” (Chapter 39) states that Lord Shiva was defeated by a sage Charpatinath (one of the nine great sages – Navnath) in a battle of wits rather than warfare. This story is not mainstream thus, not known to many. It showcases a scenario where intellect beats divine prowess.

Power of Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is known for his tremendous strength, knowledge, and wisdom. Shiva is the creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe. Lord Shiva is also known as the god of dance and meditation.

Lord Shiva’s Weapons

Lord Shiva is often portrayed holding various weapons, including the trident (trishul), the axe (parashu), and the bow (pinaka). God Shiva is also seen with a snake around his neck and a crescent moon on his forehead. Lord Shiva’s weapons are said to be very powerful and can destroy anything in the universe. So, it obviously comes to one’s mind that who can defeat Lord Shiva.

Who can defeat Lord Shiva?

In Hindu stories, there are a few instances where it is said that there are some beings who overpowered Lord Shiva. Apart from this story, there are a few other stories in which Lord Shiva was fully defeated and he retreated temporarily from the wars.

The sage Charpatinath defeats Lord Shiva

Navnath is a term used to address nine great saints who spread Navnath Sampradaya, created by Lord Dattatreya, in the world. “Navnath Bhaktisar” is a devotional book that honors Navnath and portrays them as more powerful than the Hindu Trinity (Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer). In this book, there is a story that says who can defeat Lord Shiva. It says that one of the Navnaths, by the name Charpatinath once defeated Lord Shiva.

The story follows the story of an instance when Lord Indra insulted Narada Muni. Hence, he wanted to avenge his insult. So, Narada Muni took Charpatinath to heaven, where they ate some fruits and plucked flowers from the garden. When the Heaven guards came to know about this, they tried to arrest Charpatinath. Narada Muni instantly vanished from the spot. Charpatinath defeated the guards, as they were no match for him.

One of the guards informed Lord Indra about this. Therefore, Indra sent other gods to examine the matter. The gods attacked Charpatinath, but he defeated the gods as well.

Indra understood that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Charpatinath. Therefore, he went to Lord Shiva and asked for his aid. Lord Shiva listened to him and he and his ganas came to the scene to attack Charpatinath. The yogi used “Vatakarshana Vidya” against them, which made them unconscious by stopping their breathing. It also says that Charpatinath defeated Lord Vishnu as well. When Pippalayan came to know about this, he interfered and rescued Lord Shiva and the other gods.

Who Can Defeat Lord Shiva? Here are the situations where one can defeat Lord Shiva

• It is possible to defeat Lord Shiva if a person does penance and obtains a boon to defeat Lord Shiva in his original form.
• If Lord Shiva himself wants to be defeated.

Here are some other stories where Lord Shiva was confronted but did not face defeat

The Harihara War

Banasura was an asura who appeased Lord Shiva and obtained the blessing of having a thousand arms. He also requested Lord Shiva’s divine protection when in need. Once Lord Krishna attacked Banasura and as he was no match for Lord Krishna, he requested Lord Shiva to protect him. A fierce war started between Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva for many days. As both were equally powerful, there was no end to it.

Lord Krishna told Lord Shiva that if he supported Banasura, he would not be able to protect dharma. Therefore, Lord Shiva asked Lord Krishna to use Jurumnastra, which put him in a deep sleep for some time. Meanwhile, Lord Krishna cut off a thousand arms of Banasura, and after he accepted his defeat Lord Shiva woke up. So, who can defeat Lord Shiva is questionable.

Lord Shiva from Bhasmasura

Bhasmasura was an asura born from the ash of Lord Shiva’s body. He appeased Lord Shiva and asked for the power to burn anybody to ashes by placing his hand on their heads. After getting the boon, Bhasmasura decided to test the boon by placing his hand on Lord Shiva’s head.

Lord Shiva tried to flee but the asura followed him. Lord Shiva requested Lord Vishnu to protect him from the demon. Thus, Lord Vishnu took the form of an extremely attractive woman named Mohini. When Bhasmasura saw her, he started to dance with her. He started to copy her moves. When Mohini put her hand on her own head, Bhasmasura also copied her move and put his hand over his own head and he was burnt to ashes. Therefore, Lord Shiva was saved by Lord Vishnu.

The battle between Lord Rama and Lord Shiva

Once a war broke out between Ayodhya’s army and Devpur. When Devpur was about to be defeated, King Veermani requested Lord Shiva to protect his state as he had vowed previously. Lord Shiva sent his army to protect him. Lord Shiva’s army defeated Ayodhya’s army. That is when Lord Rama intervened. Lord Rama used a divine weapon against Lord Shiva’s army. But Lord Shiva stopped the weapon.

A fierce never-ending war took place between Lord Rama and Lord Shiva. There was no weapon effective against Lord Shiva. Therefore, Lord Rama used Pashupatastra and said, “O Lord! You promised me that anybody who would use this weapon would not be defeated. Therefore, I am using it against you with your permission.”

Pashupatastra went into the heart of Lord Shiva and sank there. Lord Shiva was pleased with this and asked Lord Rama to ask for a boon. Lord Rama requested him to bring all the dead warriors of Ayodhya be brought back to life. Mahadeva accepted his request and revived all the dead warriors. This story might not answer the question about who can defeat Lord Shiva but it is worth mentioning.

Disclaimer

Most of the stories that talk about the defeat of Lord Shiva are from Vaishnava literature which is not 100% reliable. The purpose of writing this article is only to answer the questions of people who are curious about Lord Shiva. This article does not discriminate against any caste, religion, or people in any way. The purpose of this article is only to share knowledge with the readers. After reading this article please do not discriminate between the power of any God or religion.

Also read: Who Can Defeat Lord Vishnu? Stories From Ancient Scriptures