("Death's Conqueror")
The deity Shiva's epithet.
The legendary origins of this name may be traced back to the
narrative of the sage Markandeya.
Markandeya, who is devoted to Shiva, is a bright and holy
young man who excels in all fields of study.
His narrative is moving since he is destined to die at the
age of sixteen.
When Markandeya hears of this, soon before his sixteenth
birthday, he becomes even more fervent in his devotion of Shiva.
Yama, the deity of death, arrives on the designated day to
collect Markandeya.
Yama's noose snags the statue of Shiva to which Markandeya
is clutching as he throws it over Markandeya to pull out the boy's soul.
Markandeya's life is saved when Shiva emerges from the
picture and kills Yama.
Although Shiva relents and brings Yama back to life, this
specific form of Shiva demonstrates Shiva's ability to shield his bhaktas
(devotees) from all harm, even death.
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