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Parasuram was one of the avatars of Vishnu. He went to see Shiva and Ganesh was at the door. So Parasuram began to fight with Ganesh. Parasuram had received the axe from Shiva, the Parasu. He was Parasu-Ram. He had the axe in his hand. And the axe was amog, it was infallible. Whatever he would strike would be instantly cut in two.

When he fought with Ganesh, Ganesh was just this little boy. And Parasuram had defeated all the kings of the earth twenty-one times. He had a great ego. He had come to see Shiva. Ganesh said, "Shiva is inside and he told me to stand outside so no one can come in."

And Parasuram said, "I am a devotee of Shiva and and no one has the authority to keep a devotee away from his ishta deva, away from his chosen form of worship. I am a pure devotee. You stand aside." Ganesh said, "no one comes into the inner sanctum of Shiva's abode without wisdom. You must first honor wisdom." The devotee said, "stand aside."

They got into an altercation and Ganesh was predominant in the altercation, Ganesh was defeating him and then Parasuram got so mad he threw his axe and cut his tooth. So he became Ekadanta.

The other story is Shani Deva. You know Shani, he is Saturn, the planet. He came to see Shiva and he got into the same type of argument with Ganesh and he cut Ganesh's tusk with his trident, the Trishul. Those are the two who both cut Ganesh's tooth.

~~OM~~

Now remember when we were gonna churn the milk ocean. The Gods and the Demons got on each side, and they were using Mount Mandara as the churning rod. And they were afraid the mountain would sink to the bottom of the ocean, so Vishnu came as a tortoise and supported the creation.

So he supported the mountain, and then they were able to churn the milk ocean.

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One day Brahma and Vishnu were walking down the path. They came to a place where they met, and Brahma was walking from one direction and Vishnu from the other direction. And Brahma said, "Would you please step aside, I'm trying to pass." And Vishnu said, "Well, you know, I'm the protector of the entire universe, and I think it would be appropriate for you to step aside, for me."

And Brahma said, "Well, you know, I'm the creator of the universe, so you step aside for me." And Vishnu said, "You took birth from the lotus, which came out of my navel, so you step aside for me."

And as Maya would have it, they began to argue as to who would step aside for whom, who is the greatest, and they decided on a competition. There was a Shiva Lingam that came out of the ground right between the two of them. And it went up, up, up through the clouds all the way to the highest reaches of the atmosphere, they couldn't see the end of it.

And Brahma and Vishnu said, "Let's find the end of this Shiva Lingam." And Brahma said, "That's fine, I'll get on my swan and fly to the top." And Vishnu said, "I will become a boar, and I'll go to the bottom. And the first one to return here to the ground zero, he will be the superior amongst the two of us."

So, Vishnu became a boar and he started digging into the earth down along side the Shiva Lingam. And He went down, down, down, and He said, "This Shiva Lingam doesn't have an end. I'm getting tired, and I'm getting hungry and I'm going back, I can't find the end of the Shiva Lingam. Shiva is Infinite." Vishnu came back.

Brahma got on his swan, and he started going up, up, up, higher, he went through the clouds. And he went higher still, and he was getting to where he thought he must be near the end of the Shiva Lingam. When a gust of wind came and blew a mallika flower off the top of the Shiva Lingam, and it started falling down.

Brahma caught the mallika flower, and he said, "Hello little flower, where have you come from?" And the flower said, "I came from the top of the Shiva Lingam, some devotee put me there, and a gust of wind blew me off of the top of the Shiva Lingam." Well Brahma said, "That's just wonderful, I was just going up to the top of the Shiva Lingam to get a little flower just like you! I have a little work for you, a little job for you."

And the flower said, "What is that job?" And Brahma said, "Well, you just tell Vishnu that I took you off of the top of the Shiva Lingam." And the mallika flower said, "Well, Brahma, that's not quite true. A devotee put me on top of the Shiva Lingam, and a gust of wind blew me off of the top of the Shiva Lingam, and that's how i came to be in your hand." And Brahma said, "Do you know who I am? I'm the creator of the universe. And if you do this little thing for me, I will make sure that you are honored amongst all flowers."

Brahma put the flower in his pocket, and returned to ground zero. Brahma saw Vishnu already standing there waiting and he said, "Hi Vishnu, did you find the bottom of the Shiva Lingam?" And Vishnu said, "No. I went down as far as i could possibly go, and I got tired and I got hungry and I decided to come back. I couldn't find the end. How about you? Did you find the top of the Shiva Lingam?"

And Brahma said, "Yes I did. I went up there, I said hello to Shiva, I took darshan of the Divine Lord. I came back just to tell you all about it." Vishnu said, "Wait a minute, there was no end down below, how could there be an end up on top? What proof do you have?" And Brahma said, "You know I thought that you would be a doubting thomas, and I didn't think that you would believe me, so I brought this mallika flower just to give proof."

And Vishnu said, "Hey flower, where did you come from?" And the flower said, "I came from the top of the Shiva Lingam." And then Vishnu thought for a minute and He said, "Flower, did Brahma take you from the top of the Shiva Lingam?" And the little flower began to shake, and he said, "Yesss."

And suddenly Shiva shouted out, "Liar! Brahma didn't take you from the top of the Shiva Lingam, nobody can measure the limits of Infinity. Without my grace no one can reach the top of the Shiva Lingam! That flower is lying! And so is Brahma, and now I pronounce I will never accept mallika flowers in my worship."

And Brahma used to have five heads. And Shiva said, "Because you've spoken a lie, I'm not going to accept any words that come out of the mouth that spoke the lie." And he cut off one of the heads.

So that's why Brahma has four faces now. And that's why we don't offer mallika flowers to Shiva.

~~OM~~

Remember the woodcutter who met the sannyasi, who said, "Go forward!" And he went past the grove of trees where he was cutting and he found a silver mine. And after becoming very wealthy and mining all the silver he remembered the sannyasi said, "Go forward", he didn't say, "stop."

And he went farther into the forest, he found a gold mine. And when he became so wealthy that Kuber was jealous, he remembered the sannyasi's words, and the sannyasi said, "Go forward". And he went farther into the forest and he found a mine of diamonds and emeralds and jewels.

And you are that woodcutter.

~~OM~~

Daksha decided he would have a Yajna. Remember he was going to have the Yajna by which he would initiate the new creation. And he invited Brahma, he invited Vishnu, and he invited all the Gods and all the Munis, but he didn't invite Shiva. He said, "I'll show that Shiva is nobody. He's not even worthy of being invited to my Yajna."

Well, Shiva was in deep meditation on Kailash, and Sati was looking out the window and she saw the Ashwin twins going by and she said, "Where are you going?” And they said, "Don't you know Sati? There's a great Yajna at your father’s house. Daksha is performing the Yajna of Yajnas, the affair of the century, the affair of the Yuga, by which he is going to initiate the next creation." And Sati said, "Oh, I didn't know."

And the Ashwin's went on their way, and they joined the Yajna. And Sati went to Shiva, where Shiva was meditating and she said, "Uh hum Shiva." Shiva didn't wake up. She said a little louder, "Uh hum Shiva!" And Shiva didn't pay any attention. And ultimately she got very angry, she said, "Shiva, I'm not going to stand around here watching you meditate while my father is having the Yajna of the Yuga. And I'm going to go to my father's Yajna."

Shiva opened his eyes and said, "Sati, we weren't invited." And Sati said, "Why do I need an invitation to go to my own father's house? I'm going to be such a prima donna that I need a written engraved invitation to go to my father's Yajna? Nonsense. I will go there, even without an invitation." And Shiva said, "Sati, that's not appropriate to crash the party, you weren't invited, I wasn't invited. He actually planned this Yajna to make an insult to me, you won't be respected there, you will only find insult."

And Sati said, "In every regard I must go and ask my father what is the meaning of this insult? And why does he want to put us down, I thought a father would want to raise his children up?" Shiva said, "I can tell your mind is made up, you can go to the Yajna if you choose. But it's your father, and I won't come in the middle between you and your father and your relationship, but I'm not going."

So He called Nandi, and He called Sringi and Bringi, and He called all the Shiva Ganas and He said, "Hey, Shiva Ganas, take Sati to the party."

Sati went to the Yajna, and they were just about to start the Yajna. And Sati walked in, and Daksha stood up and said, "Hey, what are you doing here, you weren't invited?" And Sati said, "Father, does a daughter need an invitation to come to her father's house? You would dare to have a Yajna without Devadhi Deva, Maha Deva, without Shiva? How could your Yajna be complete? Shiva is Yagneshwar. You purposely show disrespect to Shiva?"

And Daksha got mad and said, "That no good hippie, he's naked, he takes bhang, he drinks liquor, he sits under a tree with ghosts and goblins. I don't know why you wanted to marry the guy in the first place, but if you did, I mean that's your business; don't bring your marital affairs to my Yajna." And Daksha was abusive.

And Sati said, "Father, this body was engendered by you, and I respect my Lord, Shiva, with the highest regard and so I don't want to wear this body engendered by you anymore. Because I consider that an insult to Shiva."

And so Sati sat down and began to meditate. And from the light of her mind, enveloped a great fire. And the fire consumed her body completely.