कीर्तिमुख

{ kīrtimukha }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

KĪRTIMUKHA   A Śiva gaṇa born out of the matted hair of Śiva with three faces, three tails, three legs and seven hands. The Lord at first asked him to live on corpses, but later on, in appreciation of his valour granted him the boon that if anyone saw the Lord without thinking first about Kīrtimukha, he would meet with his down-fall. [Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 50] .

प्राचीन चरित्रकोश

कीर्तिमुख n.  शंकर की जटा से निकला हुआ एक शिवगण । इसके तीन मुख, तीन पैर, तीन पुच्छा सात हाथ थे । शंकर ने इसे प्रेत खाने के लिये कहा । बाद में इसका साहस देख कर, शंकर ने वर दिया कि, तुम्हारा स्मरण करने के सिवा मेरा दर्शन लेनेवाला का अधःपात होगा [पद्म. उ. ५०] ।