God appears as half Shiva and half Vishnu
 | There was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. He worshipped Lord Vishnu with deep reverence, and he worshipped Lord Vishnu alone. There was no seat for any other God in his heart. Every day he worshipped Lord with more and more devotion, he did penance often to make his Lord happy. He fasted once in a week and on holy days to gain his Lord's love. He lived everyday in accordance to teachings of scriptures. |
He had become a beautiful man, except that he wished to see Lord in Vishnu's form. Now that the devotee is ripe, Lord thought of visiting him.
One day, after his regular morning worship, he prayed to God, 'O Hari, why don't you bless me with the sight of your blessed feet. My heart's aching without you, won't you bless your child with your vision?'
Lo! the statue of Lord Vishnu began to take life in front of him. The radiant light of the Lord filled the whole room. The intensity of the light gradually decreased and now he saw the blessed Lord standing in front of him.
The Lord was standing as half Shiva and half Vishnu, The devotee was very happy to see the Lord finally, but he was little puzzled by the Lord's mischief.
The stubborn devotee suddenly realized something; he took a piece of cotton and closed Shiva's Nostril.
Moral of the story: sometimes even an advanced spiritual seeker is stubborn, one should try to change for good, when God presents a chance.
FYI: The main deity of Shankaranarayanar Temple in the Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu is half Vishnu and half Shiva. It is said that people actually did such things at that temple when Shiva-Vaishnava conflict was at its peak.