Mahabharata Vol. 6 (Penguin Translated Texts) (64 page)

‘“‘“O one who should be worshipped!
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All the beings originate in you. You are the protector of the universe. You are first among all the gods. You are the one who created the earth in earlier times and protected it. You have penetrated it now. The gods are your creation. Gods, asuras, serpents, rakshasas, pishachas, men, birds, gandharvas, yakshas and other masses of beings and the entire universe—have all been created from you. We know this. All the deeds done for Indra, Yama, Varuna, the lord of riches, Mitra, Tvashtra and Soma are actually being offered to you.
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Form, light, sound, the sky, wind, touch, taste, water, scent, desire, Brahma, the brahman, the brahmanas, everything that is immobile and everything that is mobile originate in you. Vapour rises from bodies of water and becomes separate raindrops. At the time of destruction, they unite and become one again. Those who are learned know the separate and united nature of water and beings. Through your divine mind, you have created two birds
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and a pippala tree with words as branches and seven guardians.
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There are ten others that hold up the city.
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They have been created by you. But you are distinct from them. The past, the present and the future cannot be tampered with. However, they have originated from you and so have this earth and this universe. I am devoted to you. Favour the one who is worshipping you. Do not harm me through that which is pleasant or that which is unpleasant. You are the soul of all souls. You are beyond comprehension. Learned ones who know you as the seed attain the brahman. I wish to satisfy you through my worship. O one who is worshipped by the gods! I desire to think about you. Grant me the boons that I desire, even if they are extremely difficult to obtain. I am worshipping you. Do not hide yourself from me.”’

‘“Vyasa said, ‘Nilakantha,
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the wielder of Pinaka, the one whose soul cannot be thought of, granted the boons that the foremost among the gods,
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who deserved them, desired. Nilakantha said, “O Naryana! Through my favours, your strength and soul will be immeasurable, among men, gods and gandharvas. Gods, asuras, giant serpents, pishachas, gandharvas, men, rakshasas, birds, snakes and other beings born in this universe will not be able to withstand you. The gods will not be able to defeat you in a battle. Through my favours, no one will ever be able to cause you injury through weapons, the vajra, fire, wind, an object that is wet or dry, or an object that is mobile or immobile. Even if you advance in battle against me, you will be superior.” In ancient times, these were the boons that were obtained by Shouri. It is that god who is roaming around now,
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confounding the earth with his maya. It is through his austerities that the great sage named Nara was born. He is equal to that god and always know him to be Arjuna. Those two supreme rishis are said to be older than the gods. To accomplish the objectives of the world, they are born from one yuga to another. O immensely intelligent one! You have also performed all the great deeds and austerities. Know that your energy and anger have also been born from Rudra. You were as wise as a god. Knowing that the universe is pervaded by Bhava,
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you yourself emaciated yourself so as to please him. O one who grants honours! You created a new and pure idol of that great being and worshipped him with homage, offerings and meditation. Having been thus worshipped by you in earlier times, the god was satisfied. He granted you many splendid boons that you desired in your heart. Like them, from one yuga to another, you worshipped that god in the form of a
linga
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and the splendid outcome is your birth, deeds, austerities and yoga. Knowing all the forms of Bhava, one who worships the lord in the form of a
linga, obtains eternal knowledge about his own self and about the sacred texts. This is the way the siddhas and the supreme rishis have worshipped him, desiring a supreme and eternal station in the world hereafter. Keshava is devoted to Rudra and has been generated from Rudra. The eternal Krishna should be worshipped in all sacrifices. He who knows Bhava to be the origin of all beings and worships the lord in the form of a linga, he is the one who pleases the one with the bull on his banner the most.’”

‘Sanjaya said, “On hearing these words, Drona’s maharatha son bowed in obeisance before Rudra and came to show Keshava the greatest reverence. With his soul under control and with his body hair standing up, he showed his respects to the maharshi. He glanced towards the soldiers and asked them to withdraw.
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O lord of the earth! When Drona had been brought down in the battle, the Kouravas were distressed and withdrew. So did the Pandavas. O king! Having fought for five days and having killed many soldiers, the brahmana, learned in the Vedas, went to Brahma’s world.”’

‘Dhritarashtra asked, “O Sanjaya! When the atiratha Drona was killed there, what did those on my side and the Pandavas do next?”

‘Sanjaya replied, “When atiratha Drona was killed by Parshata and the Kouravas were routed, Dhananjaya, Kunti’s son, saw a great wonder that signified his victory. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He went to Vyasa, who had come there, and asked him about this. ‘O great sage! In the battle, while I was slaying the enemy with my bright arrows, I saw a man advancing in front of me. His complexion was like that of the fire. In whatever direction he advanced, with a blazing and upraised spear, in that direction, the enemy was seen to
be shattered. His feet did not touch the earth and he did not hurl his spear. But because of his energy, thousands of spears were released from that spear. He is the one who routed the entire enemy, though people think I routed them. From the rear, I only pursued the soldiers whom he had scorched. O illustrious one! O great Krishna!
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Who was that supreme being? Tell me. He had a spear in his hand and his energy was like that of the sun.’

‘“Vyasa replied, ‘That being is the first among the Prajapatis. He is the lord of all energy. He is the god of the earth, the sky and heaven. He is the lord and god of all the worlds. O Partha! You have seen Shankara, Ishana, who is the granter of boons. Seek refuge with the god who is the origin of everything. He is the lord of the universe. He is Mahadeva. He is great-souled. He is Ishana. He is the matted Shiva. He is the three-eyed one. He is the mighty-armed Rudra. He is the one with the tuft on his head. He is the one who is attired in rags. He is the one who is generous towards his devotees. Boons are obtained through his favours. The lord’s companions are divine and have many different forms. There are dwarfs, those with braided hair, those whose heads are shaved, those who are short in the neck and large in the stomach. Others are giant in form, great in endeavour and some with large ears. O Partha! Their faces and feet are distorted and their garments are strange. These are the ones who worship Mahadeva Maheshvara. O son!
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He is Shiva. He is the energetic one. O Partha! In that fierce battle, when the body hair stood up, it is he who preceded you through his favours. That army was protected by great archers and strikers like Drona, Karna and Kripa. O Partha! Who other than that great archer and god could think of countering it, even in the mind? When Maheshvara strides around in that form, who can venture to stand in front of him? He was the one who was stationed in front of you. There is no being in the three worlds who is his equal. When he is enraged in a battle, even his scent causes the enemy to lose its senses, tremble and fall down, slain in large numbers. The gods who are stationed in heaven
bow down before him. So do other men in this world and men who wish to attain heaven. The god grants boons to his devotees. He is Rudra and Shiva, the consort of Uma. Through him, one can obtain happiness in this world and attain the supreme objective in the hereafter. O Kounteya! Bow down before him. He is eternal peace. He is Rudra. He is the one with the dark blue throat. He is the most subtle. He is extremely radiant. He is the one with knotted hair. He is fierce. His eyes are tawny. He is the one who grants boons. He is the one who is towards the south. He is not manifest. He is the one with the hair. He is the one with virtuous conduct. He is Shankara. He is the object of desire. He is tawny-eyed. He is the being known as Sthanu. His hair is tawny. He is shaven. He is lean. He is broad. He is the one who gives light. He is an excellent place of pilgrimage. He is the lord of the gods. He is impetuous. He has many forms. He is Sharva. He is beloved. He wears excellent garments. He wears a headdress. He has a handsome face. He has a thousand eyes. He is gentle. He dwells in the mountains. He is peace. He is the guardian. He is attired in bark. His arms are golden. He is fierce. He is the lord of the directions. He is the lord of rain. He is the lord of beings. Bow down before him. He is the lord of trees. He is also the lord of waters. His form is covered in trees. He is in the midst of the soldiers. He is the one who bears oblations to the gods. He is the archer. He is Bhargava.
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He has many forms. He is the lord of the universe. He is attired in rags. He has a thousand heads. He has a thousand faces. He has a thousand arms. He has a thousand feet. O Kounteya! Seek refuge with him. He is the granter of boons. He is the lord of the universe. He is the consort of Uma.

‘“‘He is Virupaksha. He is the one who destroyed Daksha’s sacrifice. He is the lord of subjects. He is terrible. He is the lord of beings. He is without decay. His locks are matted. He moves like a bull. His navel is like that of a bull. He has a bull on his banner. He is as proud as a bull. He is the lord of bulls. He is horned like a bull. He is a bull among bulls. He bears the signs of a bull. He
is as generous as a bull. He is a bull. His eyes are like those of a bull. A bull is his weapon. His arrows are a bull. Bulls were created from him. He is Maheshvara. He possesses a giant stomach. He possesses a gigantic form. He is seated on the skin of a leopard. He is the lord of the worlds. He is generous. His head is shaven. He is the brahman. He is devoted to brahmanas. He has a trident in his hand. He is the granter of boons. The lord wields a sword and a shield. He wields the Pinaka and a broken battleaxe.
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He is the protector and the lord of the worlds. I seek refuge with that god. I seek refuge with the one who is attired in skins. I bow down before the lord of the gods, who is the friend of Vaishravana.
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I bow down before the one who is well attired, whose vows are excellent and who is a great archer. He is the one who bears oblations to the gods with his hands. He is the one who cheerfully wields a bow. He is the archer. He is the arrow. He is the bow. He is the preceptor in using the bow. He is the archer. He is the god who is fierce in his weapons. I bow down before the supreme among the gods. I salute the one with many forms. I salute the one who has many bows. I bow to Sthanu, to the one who always has excellent vows, to the excellent archer. I bow to the one who destroyed Tripura. I bow to the one who struck Bhaga.
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I bow to the lord of trees and the lord of men. I bow to the one who is always the lord of waters and the lord of sacrifices. He is the one who uprooted Pusha’s teeth.
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He is three-eyed. He is the granter of boons. He is Nilakantha. I bow before the one who is tawny and whose hair is golden. The intelligent Mahadeva’s deeds are divine. I will recount them, as I know them
and as I have heard them. When he is enraged, the gods, the asuras, the gandharvas and the rakshasas in the world can find no happiness, even if they hide in caverns. Bhava destroyed the sacrifice
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in his wrath and later granted them freedom from fear. He released an arrow from his bow and roared loudly. At that time, the prosperous gods could find no peace. In his violent rage, Maheshvara destroyed the sacrifice. All the worlds were anxious when his bowstring thundered against his palms. O Partha! The gods and the asuras succumbed and fell down. The waters were agitated and the entire earth trembled. The mountains were shattered and the elephants in charge of the directions were confused. The world was blind because of darkness and the light could not be seen. The radiance of the sun and all the stellar bodies was destroyed. The rishis were frightened and sought peace and happiness for themselves, as well as for all beings. They performed auspicious rites. Shankara laughed and advancing towards Pusha, who was then eating the sacrificial cake, he uprooted his teeth. At this, the gods trembled and fled. They bowed down before him. He again affixed and aimed a flaming arrow towards the gods and they decided that they would assign a special share for Rudra in sacrifices. O king! In fright, the thirty gods sought refuge with him. Once his anger had been pacified, he restored the sacrifice again. Because of that, the gods are afraid of him, even now. In ancient times, the brave asuras had three cities in the sky. They were large and splendid. One was made out of iron, another out of silver, and the last out of gold. The iron one belonged to Tarakaksha, the silver to Kamalaksha and the splendid golden one to Vidyunmali. With all his weapons, Maghavan was incapable of penetrating them. Oppressed, all the immortals then went to Rudra and sought refuge with him. All those great-souled gods, together with Vasava, said, “O Rudra! The animals fiercely slaughtered in all the rites will belong to you. O lord of the universe! Therefore, bring down these asuras.” Having been thus addressed and with the welfare of the gods in mind, he remained immobile
for a thousand years.
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When the three cities came together in the sky, he shattered them with an arrow that had three barbs and three joints. The danavas in the cities were incapable of glancing at the arrow. It was made out of the fire of destruction and the essences of Vishnu and Soma.

‘“‘Uma had a child on her lap and he had five tufts of hair on his head.
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She asked the gods, “Who is this?” The lord paralysed the arms of the angry Shakra, with the vajra in his hand.
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This is the illustrious god. He is the lord and master of all the worlds. With Prajapati,
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all the gods then went to the god who is the lord of the universe. He was like the rising sun in his splendour. Brahma approached Maheshvara. On seeing him and on knowing that he was supreme, the grandfather worshipped him. The gods gratified Uma and Rudra. The arm of the wielder of the vajra regained its natural state. With his wife, the illustrious one, with the mark of the bull on his banner, the destroyer of Daksha’s sacrifice, the foremost among the gods, was pleased with the gods. He is Rudra. He is Shiva. He is Agni. He is Sharva. He is everything. He is Indra. He is Vayu. He is the Ashvins. He is lightning. He is Bhava. He is Parjanya. He is Mahadeva. He is the unblemished one. He is the moon. He is Ishana. He is the sun. He is Varuna. He is Time. He is the Destroyer. He is Death. He is Yama. He is day. He is night. He is the month. He is the fortnight. He is the season. He is the twilight. He is the year. He is the
Creator. He is the Ordainer. He is the soul of the universe. He is the one who performs all deeds in the universe. Though he has no form, he is the one who has the forms of all the gods. The god is praised by all the gods. He is one and he is many. He is in hundreds. He is in thousands. He is in hundreds of thousands. Such is Mahadeva. He is the illustrious one who has not been born. I am incapable of reciting all the qualities of the illustrious one. Those who are grasped by all the planets,
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those who are full of all kinds of sin, if they seek refuge with the one who is the recourse, will be freed by the one who is easily gratified. He grants life, health, prosperity, wealth and splendid objects of desire to men, and takes them away again. He pervades the world, engaged in good and bad for mankind. He is known as the lord who grants objects of desire and prosperity. He is Maheshvara. He is the supreme lord for all beings. He pervades the universe in many diverse kinds of forms. He is established in the ocean as the mouth of the gods.
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This god always resides in cremation grounds. This lord is worshipped in places where only brave ones go.
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His many forms are flaming and terrible. In this world, men speak about them and worship them. In this world, he possesses many names, signifying grave importance. They are based on his greatness, his power and his deeds. In the Vedas, the great-souled and infinite Rudra has been praised in the supreme
shatarudiya
hymn.
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The god is the lord of all desire, whether they are divine or human. The illustrious one is the lord of all the gods. He pervades the universe in his greatness. Brahmanas and sages praise him as the first among beings. He is the first among the gods. The wind was created from his mouth. He always protects all animals and sports with them. Because he is their lord, he is known as Pashupati.
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He
is always stationed in the linga, engaged in brahmacharya. Because he brings greatness to the world, he is known as Maheshvara.
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The rishis, the gods, the gandharvas and the apsaras worship his linga, which is stationed in an upwards direction. Because of this worship, Maheshvara is gratified. He is happy and gratified. Shankara is delighted. He has many forms, in the past, the present and the future, in the mobile and the immobile. That is the reason he is known as Bahurupa.
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One of his eyes blazes and he seems to have eyes in all directions. He consumes all the worlds in his anger. That is the reason he is known as Sarva.
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Because he adopts the form of smoke, he is known as Dhurjati.
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Because he is the god of the universe, he is known as Vishvarupa.
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The three goddesses, the sky, the water and the earth, worship him as the lord of the universe. He is known as Tryambaka.
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He is always engaged in everything that is beneficial and every kind of deed, desiring the welfare of men. That is the reason he is known as Shiva.
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He possesses a thousand eyes. He possesses an infinite number of eyes. His eyes are in every direction. Because his greatness is in the universe, he is known as Mahadeva.
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He is stationed in his linga form, flaming at the top. He is always the source of life and its preservation. That is the reason he is known as Sthanu.
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He is in the bodies of beings, whether they are sound or unsound. He is stationed in the wind and as the
prana
and
apana
breath of life in beings.
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He who worships the image
of the linga, always obtains great prosperity, having worshipped the linga. Below his thighs, the lower half of his body is fiery. The upper half is cool and auspicious.
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Half of his body is said to be Agni and half is said to be Soma. His auspicious and great form blazes most in energy, among all the gods. Among men, his resplendent and fierce form is known as Agni. He practises brahmacharya in that auspicious form. With his other terrible form, he is the lord who destroys everything. He is the consumer. He is fierce. He is the powerful Agni, the consumer of flesh, blood and marrow. That is the reason he is known as Rudra.
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