Mrtyunjaya

(“Conqueror of Death”) Epithet of the
god Shiva. The mythic charter behind
this particular name comes from the
story of the sage Markandeya. Devoted
to Shiva, Markandeya is an intelligent
and religious boy who is proficient in all
branches of learning. His story is
poignant because he is fated to die at
sixteen. When Markandeya learns of
this, shortly before his sixteenth birthday, he begins to worship Shiva with
even greater fervor. On the appointed
day, Yama, the god of death, comes to
claim Markandeya. When Yama throws
his noose over Markandeya to draw
out the boy’s soul, it catches the statue
of Shiva to which Markandeya is
clinging. Shiva arises from the image
and kills Yama, saving Markandeya’s
life. Although Shiva relents and restores
Yama to life, this particular form of
Shiva illustrates his power to protect his
devotees (bhakta) from all things,
including death.