Curse & boon stories: Sages stories Siva's devotee Bhringu & Bhringi
Origin of Bhrigu Tirtha. In the western part of Dashaswamedh there is a holy place called "Bhrigu Tirtha". It was here that Bhrigu once performed penance to Shiva. Due to the penance his hair became tangled and his colour faded. His body was completely covered with the mud deposited by termites. When Shiva was still not satisfied, Parvati prayed to him on behalf of Bhrigu, Shiva agreed to bless Bhrigu. Shiva sent his bull to the place where Bhrigu was sitting. The bull broke and destroyed the mud created by termites on his body during its leap. Bhrigu got angry and chased the bull. But he was stunned to see the bull soaring toward heaven. A divine light spread there. Shiva appeared before him and asked him what boon he wanted. Bhrigu prayed that the place where he was performing penance should become a holy place. Brahma, other gods and eunuchs worship this Bhrigu Tirtha even today. All sins are washed away by the mere sight of this holy Tirtha. Those who bathe in the holy water of this place attain heaven and are not born again. By merely hearing about the greatness and glory of this Bhrigu Tirtha, all sins of a man are washed away and he gets an easy path to Shivaloka. (Padma Purana, Chapter 20) However since Parvati and Shiva were sitting together as one body, he could not circumambulate Shiva separately. He did not have much respect for Parvati. So he took the form of a female Bhrungi and made his way by making a hole where the bodies of both were joined, thus circumambulating Shiva alone. Parvati became angry at this insult done to her and cursed him to become physically weak. His legs became so weak that they were unable to support his body. So he again prayed to Shiva and he blessed him with a third leg. Thus Bhrungi became a three-legged Maharshi (Maharshi)
