Ek ghane van mein ek shikaari (bahelia) apne parivaar ke saath rehta tha. Pashuon ka shikaar karke unka maans bechna aur ghar ka paalan karna hi uska kaam tha. Jeev-hatya aur kathor jeevan ke kaaran uske mann mein dharma ya bhakti ka koi sthaan na tha. Woh kai logon ka rini (karzdaar) bhi tha.
Ek baar Krishna paksha ki Chaturdashi — arthaat Shivratri — ke din woh subah-subah shikaar ki khoj mein van mein nikal pada. Din bhar bhatakne par bhi use koi shikaar na mila. Saanjh dhal gayi, par woh khaali haath ghar lautna nahi chaahta tha. Andhera hone par, hinsak pashuon se bachne ke liye woh ek bel (bilva) vriksh par chadhkar baith gaya. Sanyog se us ped ke neeche ek praacheen Shivling tha, jo paton mein chhupa hua tha.
Bhookh-pyaas aur thakaan ke kaaran woh raat bhar so na saka aur jaagta raha — is prakaar anjaane mein uska Shivratri ka raatri-jagran ho gaya. Apne baithne ke liye jagah banaane aur neend bhagaane ke liye woh thode-thode bel-patra todkar neeche giraata raha. Ve sabhi pavitra bel-patra theek neeche sthit Shivling par hi chadhte gaye. Pyaas lagne par jab usne apne kamandal ka thoda jal hilaaya, to kuch boondein bhi Shivling par gir gayin.
Is prakaar shikaari ne, bina jaane hi, raat bhar nirjala upvaas, jagran aur bel-patra va jal se Shiv ji ka abhishek kar diya — jo Masik Shivratri puja ke mukhya ang hain. Bhagwan Shiv anjaane mein ki gayi is shraddha-poorn aaradhana se atyant prasann hue.
Bhagwan Shiv ki kripa se shikaari ka kathor hriday nirmal ho gaya. Uske bhitar daya, dharma aur ahimsa ka bhaav jaag uthha. Usne jeev-hatya tyaag di aur dharma ke maarg par chal pada. Uske sab paap nasht ho gaye aur antata use Bhagwan Shiv ki kripa se moksha (uttam gati) ki prapti hui.
Seekh: Masik Shivratri (har maas ki Krishna Chaturdashi) ka vrat jaane-anjaane kiye paapon ka naash karta hai. Shraddha se kiya gaya jagran, upvaas aur bel-patra va jal se Shiv-puja paap-naash, manokaamna aur moksha — teenon pradaan karti hai. Bhagwan keval bhaav ke bhookhe hain.