Once upon a time, Arjuna prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with Arjuna’s devotion, Shiva and Parvathi set out from Kailash to meet Arjuna. Shiva disguised himself as Kiratha, a mountain tribal hunter.
Just as Shiva appeared before Arjuna, he saw a wild boar – the demon Mookasura charging towards Arjuna. Shiva, as Kiratha, shot an arrow at the boar to protect Arjuna. At the same time, the expert Arjuna also shot an arrow at the boar and killed it. They argue over who shot first, and a battle ensues. Arjuna is unable to defeat Kiratha.
The defeated Arjuna makes a Shiva Linga out of mud, prays to God and offers flowers to the Shiva Ling. When he turns to face the tribal hunter Kiratha, he sees the same flowers on Kiratha. Arjuna then realises that Kiratha is none other than Lord Shiva.
Shiva and Parvathi then appear before Arjuna in their true form, and bless him. Shiva also gifts Arjuna with the divine arrow Pasupathastram.
