Narad asks sage Pulastya about Vaaman incarnation:
Vaaman Puraan is one of the eighteen Puraans written by sage Vyasa. It
contains tales pertaining to Lord Vishnu in his Vaaman (dwarf)
incarnation. Sage Pulastya while giving answers to Narad's enquiry
narrates the tale of Vaaman Puraan.
All the Puraans give glimpses of Indian civilization and culture and
Vaaman Puraan is no exception. It also teaches the virtue of
righteousness and religiousness. Vaaman Puraan not only contains the
divine tales of Nara-Narayana and Goddess Durga but it also contains
tales of famous devotees like Prahlad, the salvation of Gajendra
(elephant) etc.
Sage Narad asks Pulastya- "O revered sage! Why did Shri Hari take the
incarnation of Vaaman? Why did Prahlad fight a battle with the deities
despite being a devotee of Lord Vishnu? How did Sati, Daksha Prajapati's
daughter become Mahadev's consort in her next birth? I am eager to know
the answers to all these questions."
Pulastya replied- "O Narad! Once, Sati requested Lord Shankar to make
arrangements for a permanent abode. At that time, Lord Shankar had his
abode at Mandaar Mountain. Summer season was approaching and Sati quite
rightly had apprehensions of living in the open. Lord Shankar told her
that as he was a recluse, he never felt a need of a permanent dwelling.
Though Sati was not satisfied by his answers yet she kept quiet. This
way, both of them continued to live there. The summer season had passed
and now it was the turn of rainy season to arrive. Sati made the same
request to Lord Shankar. This time, Lord Shankar told her that it was
impossible for him to construct a house, as he had no wealth. He also
told her that he had only a tiger skin as his clothing, the king cobra-
his sacred thread, Padma and Pingal (snakes)- his ear-rings and Keval
and Dhananjay as his armlets.
After hearing this, Sati became worried as to how she would pass the
rainy season without a home. Lord Shankar then assured her that this
problem would be easily solved if she lived above the clouds. This way,
she would remain untouched by the showers. After this, both of them
ascended towards the sky and started living above the clouds. From that
day onwards, Lord Shankar came to be known as Jeebhootvaahan (one whose
vehicle is the cloud).
