भृशुण्डि

{ bhṛśuṇḍi }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

BHṚŚUṆḌI   A fisherman. He used to earn his living by theft. Once when the Mahaṛṣi Mudgala was passing through a forest, Bhṛśuṇḍi stopped him. But in the presence of the Brahmanic effulgence of the Mahaṛṣi, the fisherman was dazed. Mudgala took pity on Bhṛśuṇḍi and advised him to worship Lord Gaṇeśa. From that time Bhṛśuṇḍi gave up his evil ways, and accepting the advice of Mudgala, started the worship of Gaṇeśa with single-minded devotion. As a result of it, an elephant's trunk began to grow from the middle of his forehead. Bhṛśuṇḍi who thus acquired a shape closely resembling Gaṇeśa, was visited by Indra, mistaking him for Gaṇapati. [Gaṇeśa: 1.67] .