Devotees of Shiva

Markandeya, Ravana, Upamanyu, Arjuna-Kirata, Kannappa, Chandesha, and the Women of Fire (Karaikkal Ammaiyar and Akka Mahadevi). From Puranic sources plus Periya Puranam (Nayanmars) and Lingayat vachanas (cited explicitly).

Lessons in this chapter

• Markandeya: The Boy Who Defeated Death — Sixteen years and a stone pillar
• Ravana: The Paradox Devotee — A hymn composed under a mountain
• Upamanyu: The Boy Who Asked for a Milk Ocean — Ask for the infinite. Shiva delivers.
• Kirata: Arjuna Meets Shiva the Hunter — The hunter who was the god
• Kannappa: The Hunter's Eye — Bhakti that ignores the rulebook
• Chandesha: The Shepherd Who Struck His Father — Worship worth striking for
• Agni: Karaikkal Ammaiyar and Akka Mahadevi — Two women, one uncompromised path
• Bhakti: The Sand Linga and the Gold Linga — Why Shiva accepts both ritual and no ritual

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