In the "Vamana Purana" [**] is a legend explaining why Siva adopted the dress and habits of a religious mendicant. Formerly, when all things had been destroyed, and naught remained but one vast ocean, that lord who is incomprehensible (Brahma) reposed in slumber for a thousand years. When the night had passed, desirous of creating the three worlds, the skilled in the Vedas, investing himself with the quality of impurity, assumed a corporeal form with five heads (Brahma). Then also was produced from the quality of darkness another form with three eyes, and twisted locks, and bearing a rosary and a trident. Brahma next created Ahankara (consciousness of individual existence), which immediately pervaded the nature of both gods; and under its influence Rudra said to Brahma, "Say, O lord? how earnest thou hither, and by whom wert thou created?" Brahma asks in return, "And where have you come from?" The result is a terrible quarrel, in which Siva, inflamed with anger, cut off the fifth head of Brahma, which had uttered the boastful words. But when Siva tried to throw the head to the ground it would not fall, but remained in his hand. Brahma then created a giant to slay Siva in his weakened state, which was caused by the sin of injuring Brahma, the father of Brahmans. To escape from him Siva fled to Benares. The peculiar sanctity of Benares arises from the fact that it was there Siva became absolved from his great sin, and was freed from the dissevered head of Brahma, which, as a penance, he was doomed to carry with him wherever he went. It was his attempts to get free from the sin of Brahmanicide that made Siva a wandering mendicant.

The ordinary name by which Siva is known is

[paragraph continues] Mahadeva, the great god; the origin of this is taught in the Mahabharata. [**] The asuras had a boon bestowed by Brahma, that they should possess three castles which could be "destructible only by the deity who was able to overthrow them by a single arrow." Owing to this defence, they became hateful to the other gods, who, in their distress, went to Brahma, and he again conducts them to Mahadeva. Siva tells them that he alone cannot destroy these castles, but that with the aid of half his strength, they themselves would be able to accomplish this. They answered that as they could not sustain half his strength, they proposed that he should undertake the work aided by half their strength. Mahadeva consented to this, and thus became stronger than all the gods, and was thenceforward called Mahadeva. Notwithstanding this, in the account of Parasurama a legend is given in which Vishnu's superiority to Siva is shown; whilst in the Puranas devoted to Siva's praise it is distinctly affirmed that Brahma and Vishnu are inferior to him.