The Beautiful Beggar
Shiva walked through the pine forest in his form as Bhikshatana — a wandering mendicant, naked or simply clothed, with the beauty of pure consciousness, carrying a skull-bowl, begging for alms.
The sages of the pine forest (Deodar forest) were known for their intense asceticism. Their wives, performing their daily duties, were immediately captivated by the beautiful stranger. They followed him, forgetting their household tasks.
The sages came to find their wives wandering after a half-naked beggar and were furious.
The Attack
The sages were not ordinary — they were powerful in tapasya and in Vedic magic. They performed rituals to destroy the intruder.
They dug a sacrificial pit and conjured a tiger. Shiva skinned it and wore its hide.
They conjured a great serpent. Shiva wore it as an ornament.
They conjured a dwarf demon and struck it with their weapons. Shiva stepped on the demon's back and began to dance — the Ananda Tandava, the dance of cosmic bliss.
The Recognition
As Shiva danced on the demon's back, the cosmos itself resonated with the rhythm. The sages fell to their knees. They had been attacking the Supreme Lord himself.
They prostrated and prayed for forgiveness.
Shiva told them: "You perform great austerities but you are attached to the form of wisdom. You saw a wandering beggar and you saw a threat to your dominance. What you did not see was the Lord himself. This is the nature of ego — it creates enemies from the divine."
The sages were humbled and learned. The dance Shiva performed became one of the great icons of Shaivism — the Nataraja.