The Shiva Maha Purana

Sage Shaunaka requested Sutaji to tell about the proper method of listening to Shiva Purana, so that mankind gets complete benefit. Sutaji replied: "First of all, an auspicious moment should be determined by an strologer. fter that, friends and relatives should be invited, especially those !ho have the tendency of being a!ay from such occasions. "he sages and the virtuous people should be invited too. "he #$atha# must be help in scared places like Shiva temple, any place of pilgrimage or in one#s home after doing a %humi Pujan of the land &here one intends to held the $atha of Shiv Puran. "he canopy should be !ell decorated." " fter making a resolution and doing !orship of 'anapati ( the destroyer of all hurdles and obstacles the $atha should be commenced. "he person !ho is telling the #$atha# should be facing north and all the listeners should sit facing east. "he person !ho is telling the #$atha# should be a scholar and should be capable of clearing all the doubts from the listener#s mind. "here should be no kind of distraction during the #$atha# period. devotee, !ho listens to the $atha leaving behind all of his !orldly !orries get complete benefits. devotee should also make donations and offerings according to his capacity and capability other!ise he !ould become a !retched man. "he )antra #*) + ) , S,-. / # should be chanted through out the period of $atha." 0-'," *F 1-S"2+-+' "* S,-. ) , P30 + : n uninitiated person does not have the right to listen to the $atha of Shiva )aha Purana. So a man desirous of listening to Shiva )aha Purana should first get initiated. 3S"20-"-2S "* %2 F*11*&24: devotee !ho has taken the vo! of listening to the $atha of Shiva )aha Purana, should follo! a celibate life. ,e should sleep on the floor and should have only fruits in the diet. ,e can have his normal dinner only after the completion of the $atha. "he diet should be fresh and pure. ,e should also

try to avoid sinful tendencies like lust, anger, greed, attachment and condemning others, etc. )aking donations of even meager things give undiminishing virtues. 0-"2S P20F*0)24 *+ 5*)P12"-*+ *F *%S20. +52:( fter the methodical completion of the $atha, a devotee should perform 344/ P + 65onclusion of the $atha7, !hich is similar to the 5, "304 S,- 344/ P +. "he devotee should also charitably make donations to all the brahmins !ho have helped in the performance of $atha. *n the ne8t day the #Path# of S,-. '-" should be performed. -f the devotee 6listener of the $atha7 is a householder, then he should perform #,avan# !ith the ghee prepared from 5o!#s milk, for the pacification of the unhindered completion of the $atha. "he ,avan should be performed, either !ith the help of #0udra Samhita mantras# or #'ayatri )antra# or !ith the shlokas of the Purana. 9. .idyesh!ar Samhita "his 5hapter contains :; sections. 9.9 Sages 2nquire .iddyesh!ar Samhita !hich is classified into t!enty five chapters, has a narration in its first chapter !hich goes as follo!s( *nce upon a time, the sages !ere performing a yagya at Prayag kshetra. Sage Sutaji came to kno! about this and arrived there. ll the sages !ere very pleased to see him. "hey requested:( "1ord< "hough !e have heard many tales from you regarding the man#s benediction, but today !e !ant to listen to something special. %ecause in this present era of $ali, !hen all the castes have forgotten about their respective duties !e !ant to kno! is there any !ay to prevent the deterioration in the human values="

Sutaji replied:( "* 'reat men< /our enquiry has great relevance in this era of $ali. - !ill certainly tell you about the !ay by the help of !hich a man can achieve benediction. Shiva )aha Purana contains the essence of .edantic philosophy, !hich gives !orldly pleasures as !ell as Salvation. )ere remembrance of it destroys all the sins of a man. *ne !ho studies the 0udra(Samhita attentively, his gravest of sins are destroyed instantaneously. *ne !ho studies 0udra(Samhita# silently, sitting in front of %hairav(idol, all of his aspirations are fulfilled. man gets liberated from the sin of killing a brahmin, if he studies 0udra Samhita !hile circulbulating around a %anyan tree." "$ailash Samhita is even Superior than 0udra Samhita, as it elaborates upon the meaning of *mkar. Shiva )aha Purana is created by lord Shiva ,imself. -t contains t!elve Samhitas !hich are ( .iddyesh!ar, 0udra, .inayak, 3ma, )atri, 2kadash(rudra, $ailash, Shat(rudra, $oti(rudra, Sahastra $oti, .ayaviya and 4harma." "-nitially it contained one lac shlokas but it !as precised to t!enty(four thousand shlokas by sage .yas. "he present ShivPuran is the fourth one !hich consists of seven Samhitas. "he earlier three Shivpuranas are unavailable. "he scientific analysis of the .edantic mysteries are the main subject of this divine Shivpuran. "he study of Shivpuran helps a man to attain 4harma, rtha, $aam and )oksha. 9.: Proposition and )eans Sutaji continued !ith his narration:( "4uring the initial period of #Svet .arah $alp#. Si8 prominent sages collected near "riveni and started debating as to !ho !as the greatest deity, among %rahma .ishnu and )ahesh. "heir debate remained inconclusive, so they !ent to lord %rahma to seek the ans!er. 1ord %rahma told them:(

"* revered Sages< "he source of .ishnu, 0udra all the deities including myself and all the other creations is none other )ahadeo. 3nion !ith the Shiva should be the objective of a man to attain that objective. 1istening to the qualities of 1ord Shiva, singing devotional songs in his praise and contemplating on him are the greatest means, !hich help to unite !ith Shiva." 9.> 1istening, $irtan, 5ontemplation S,0 . + $-0" + ) + + Purification of the mind by the help of doing !orship and chanting the name of 'od is called contemplation. Singing devotional songs in the form of stotra, or hymns of the vedas or even in one#s o!n language is called $irtan. "he above mentioned three activities are the supreme means to attain liberation. 9.; 'reatness of Shiva 1inga ccording to Sutaji, if a person is incapable of follo!ing the above mentioned three activities i.e. Shravan, $irtan and )anan then he should !orship the Shivalinga. 2ven by doing this he can attain liberation from all the bondages of the !orld. 4escribing about the majesty of Shivalinga, Sutaji says: "1ord Shiva is the manifestation of lmighty 'od 6%rahma7 himself and for this very reason he is kno!n as +-S,$ 1. %ecause of his divine beauty, Shiva is called S '3+ 6'od !ith form7. "he term S '3+ is also e8pressed in another !ay, that is S $ 1. Shivalinga is !orshipped since it symboli?es the form of Shiva. 1ord Shiva is also considered to be +-0'3+ 6!ithout any qualities.7" "-n the first $alpa of S!etvarah, a battle !as fought bet!een 1ord %rahma and 1ord .ishnu to prove their superiority. 1ord Shiva manifested before arrogance. fter that he also sho!ed them his form in the shape of

Shivalinga. From that day on!ards the Shivalinga became famous." 9.@ "he 4eities go to $ailash )ountain +andikesh!arji narrates the tale of battle bet!een 1ord %rahma and 1ord .ishnu. "*nce !hile travelling lord %rahma reached the abode of 1ord .ishnu. ,e sa! 1ord .ishnu. ,e sa! lord .ishnu resting on Shesh(+ag and being attended by 'aruda and other attendants. &hen %rahmaji sa! that .ishnu did not get up to receive him, he became very angry. .ery soon, .erbal dual erupted bet!een them. -t became so severe that a battle !as fought bet!een them, !hich continued for very long time. ll the deities arrived from the heaven to !atch the battle. "hey became very !orried !hen they sa! no sign of battle coming to an end. "hey decided to go to lord Shiva, to seek his help. 9.A naal(Stambh 6"he Pillar of Fire7 ""hough 1ord Shiva kne! everything, but still feigning ignorance, he asked about the !ell beings of the !orld. "he deities told him about the battle, fought bet!een %rahmaji and .ishnuji." "1ord Shiva then sent his one hundred 'anas to pacify both of them. ,e too !ent there accompanied by mother Parvati, boarded on a chariot. &hen 1ord Shiva reached there, he sa! that %rahmaji and .ishnuji !ere about to use their deadly !eapons( )ahesh!ar and Pashupat respectively. Fearing the destruction, !hich these deadly !eapons might have caused, 1ord Shiva manifested himself in the form of # nalstamba# 6pillar of fire7 bet!een them. %rahmaji and .ishnuji had already released their !eapons( )ahesh!ar and Pashupat. %oth the !eapons fell into that pillar of fire and got destroyed. "%rahmaji and .ishnuji !ere very surprised to see the pillar of fire, !hich !as so enormous in si?e that it reached the sky and penetrated do!n the earth. .ishnuji transformed himself into a boar and !ent to the #Patal# 6nether !orld7 to find the base of that #Pillar of fire#. %ut he !as unsuccessful in his attempt and came back.

Similarly %rahmaji transformed himself into a s!an and fle! up in the sky to find its limit. &hile going through the aerial route he met a !ithered #$etaki# flo!ers, !hich had still some freshness and fragrance left in it." "1ord Shiva smiled at the futile attempts of Shri %rahmaji and .ishnuji. s a result of his smile the $etaki flo!er fell do!n from the branch. $etaki flo!er told %rahmaji that he had been present there since the beginning of the creation, but !as unable to kno! about the origin of that #Pillar of fine#. "he flo!er also advised %rahmaji against making any effort in that direction, as it !ould be of no use." "%rahmaji then sought the help of $etaki flo!er to give a false !itness before lord .ishnu, that he 6%rahmaji7 had been successful in seeing the limit of that pillar of fire. $etaki flo!er agreed. %oth of them !ent to .ishnuji and %rahmaji told him that he had seen the limit of that Pillar of fire. $etaki flo!er gave a !itness. .ishnuji accepted the superiority of %rahmaji." "1ord Shiva became very angry !ith %rahmaji. ,e proceeded to punish %rahmaji for his falsehood. 1ord .ishnu requested 1ord Shiva to spare the life of %rahmaji. 1ord Shiva became pleased !ith .ishnuji and accorded him the same status as ,at of his o!n." 9.B Shiva *bliges %rahma +andikesh!ar continuing !ith the tale said: " fter according same status to .ishnuji as that of his o!n, 1ord Shiva opened his third eye from it manifested #%hairav#. ,e ordered %hairav to kill %rahmaji. %hairav severed the fifth head of 1ord %rahma !ith his s!ord. %rahmaji became very terrified. ,e !as trembling in fear. 1ord .ishnu felt pity on his condition and requested 1ord Shiva to forgive him. 1ord Shiva then stopped %hairav, but told %rahma. "/ou spoke untruth !ith a desire to become !orshippable. -t is my curse that,

you !ill not be !orshipped by anybody. /ou !ill posses only four heads." %rahmaji begged his forgiveness. 1ord Shiva feeling pity on %rahmaji gave him a boon of being the presiding deity of all the yagya. Similarly the $etaki flo!er also prohibited from being used during !orship. %ut !hen $etaki flo!er tendered his apology Shiva gave blessing that it !ould be fortunate to be offered to lord .ishnu during the !orship. 9.C 5onsecration of )ahesh!ar 1ord .ishnu and %rahma made salutations to lord Shiva and offered him a seat. "hey then !orshipped him. "his !as the first time, %rahma and .ishnu had !orshipped lord Shiva. Shiva !as very pleased. Shiva(ratri has been continued to be celebrated since that day. "his particular day is considered to be the most auspicious day for the !orship of 1ord Shiva. devotee !ho fasts on Shiva ratri remaining only on fruits, attain virtues equivalent to the !orship done for the !hole year. "he idol of Shiva is consecrated on this day. 1ord Shiva has himself told the deities that he had manifested in the form of Pillar of Fire# in the month of gahan and during the constellation of rdra. ,e also said( "*ne !ho has my darshan on this day 6Shivratri7 or !orships me in my form of linga is dearer to me than $artikeya. "he place !here, - manifested in the form of Pillar of fire !ill become famous as 1ingasthan. %ecause of its resemblance !ith the #)ountain of Fire#, it !ill also be kno!n runachal." 1ater on Shiva brought back to life all the people !ho had died in the battle, fought bet!een %rahmaji and .ishnuji. 9.D *mkar 1ord Shiva then preached %rahmaji and .ishnuji on the five duties

6Panchakritya7 saying that #Shrishti# 6creation7, #Sthithi# 6position7, Samhar 6 nnihilation7, "irobhav 65oncealment7 and # nugrah# 6obligation or kindness7 are the five duties by !hich this !orld functions. "he source of this !orld in #Sarga# or +ature. "he establishment of this !orld is #Stithi# or position. "he tendency of this !orld to destroy is Samhar or destruction. "he feeling of absence of this !orld is "irobhav or 5oncealment and )oksha or Salvation is obligation or nugrah. 1ord Shiva then goes on to e8plain that the first four duties like Sarga 6+ature7 etc help in the nurturement of the !orld and the fifth duty nugrah is a giver of Salvation. 1ord Shiva also told them 6%rahmaji E .ishnuji7 that he 6Shiva7 had blessed both of them to look after the t!o duties i.e. Shrishti and Sthiti. 0udra and )ahesh have been entrusted !ith the job of Sanhar E "iribhav. ""he fifth duty # nugrah# has been kept by me." Said Shiva. fter describing about the allocation of the various duties, 1ord Shiva described the meaning of #*)$ 0# to them. ,e said that *)$ 0 signified the !orld and contained the po!er of both Shiva and Shakti. "his po!erful mantra gives all kinds of !orldly accomplishment as !ell as salvation. fter that 1ord Shiva initiated both %rahmaji and .ishnuji !ith the *)$ 0# mantra. ,e also preached them on the importance of the !orship of Shivalinga. 9.9F 0ituals of Shiva &orship *n the request of the sages, Sutaji describes about the methods of !orshipping Shiva 1inga. ,e says "*ne should construct a Shivalinga either of mud, rock or metal and establish it in such a place !here it can be !orshipped daily !ithout any hindrance." ""he #5har# 6mobile7 1inga should be small in si?e and the Sthira 6Fi8ed7

linga should be large. "he 1inga should be constructed along !ith the pedestal. "he rule for constructing a Shiva 1inga has been specifically described. "he breadth of thickness of the 1inga should be t!elve times the thickness of the devotees 6one !ho is constructing the linga7 finger, !hile the length should be t!enty(five times. fter establishing the linga in the above mentioned !ay, it should be !orshipped after performing the Shodasopachar. "he thumb also symbolise a Shiva linga and its !orship can be done. &hile !orshipping the Shiva 1inga, the mantra *) + ) , S,-. / should be continuously chanted. 5hanting this mantra for five crore times, helps a man in attaining to the abode of Shiva. &orship of Shiva done during the mid night is considered to be especially fructifying. 9.99 Sacred Pilgrimages of Shiva "here are numerous places of pilgrimages connected !ith Shiva at the banks of river 'anges and river -ndus. 0iver Saras!ati is considered to be a sacrosanct river and having an opportunity of living at its banks, helps in attaining to the abode of %rahma. Similarly, there are famous temples of 1ord Shiva at $ashi, +aimisharanya, %adrikasharam and $edar etc. "here are many temples of Shiva at the banks of holy river like 'anges, /amuna, Saras!ati, 'odavari, +armada, $averi, Sarayu, "ungabhadra etc. &orshipping Shiva at these places besto!s undiminishing virtues and liberates a man from all of his sins. 9.9: 5onduct of the respective 5astes *n the request of the sages, Sutaji described about the virtuous and invirtuous activities of a man according to the respective castes be belong. ,e said: " brahmin !ho performs the rituals, as described in the .edas, only is entitled to be called a 4!ija. brahmin !ho is not that proficient in the .edas is called a #$shatriya brahmin#. brahmin engaged in agricultural activities and business is called a .aishya(brahmin#. brahmin !ho is in the habit of condemning and critici?ing others, is called a #Shudra(%rahmin#.

" $shatriya !ho looks after the !elfare of his subjects is called a king, !hile the rest of them are kno!n as simply $shatriya. $shatriya !ho indulges in business is called a .aishya $shatriya. Similarly a $shatriya !ho engages himself in the service of the three superior castes ( %rahmin $shatriya and .aishya is called a Shudra $shatriya. 9.9> "ypes of 4harma 4harma is considered to be of t!o types( 97 4harma performed by matter and )aterials. :7 4harma performed by indulging in physical activities. "he performance of /agya etc comes in the first category. )aking pilgrimages of holy places comes in the second category. 4uring the Satya( /uga, meditation !as the !ay to attain self kno!ledge. 4uring "reta(/uga, it !as attained by penance, during 4!apar /uga it !as attained by performing #/agya# !hile in the present era of $ali /uga, idol !orship is considered to be the means to achieve self(reali?ation. -nvirtuosity invites sorro! !hile virtuosity besto!s joy and happiness. #",2 -)P*0" +52 *F '+-(/ '/ # "he sages then asked Sutaji about the gniyagya %rahma yagya and 'uru Puja in order of importance. Sutaji said( "Performing #havan# by offering matter and materials into the sacred fire, is called gni yagya. "his ritual is especially meant for the brahmachari 65elibates7. Performing havana during the evening time brings prosperity, !hile performance of havana during the morning times gives long life. )aking sacrifices to the deities during the day time is called #4eva /agya#. brahmin should perform #%rahma yagya !ith the help of the study of the .edas."

"First of all lord Shiva adopted an auspicious day for himself and named it Sunday. fter that he named the Si8 remaining days of the !eek and attributed them to the follo!ing deities respectively ( )onday 64urga7, "uesday 6Skand7, &ednesday 6.ishnu7, "hursday 6/ama7, Friday 6%rahma7, and Saturday 6-ndra7. &orshipping the deities on their respective days give peace properity and all kinds of accomplishments. 9.9; ppropriate Place and "ime for &orshipping Shiva -)P*0" +52 *F P1 52: -n the .iddyesh!ar Samhita of Shivapuran, describing about the importance of place and time for !orship of Shiva says( "&orshipping Shiva at a pure place in a house gives appropriate fruits, !hile !orship done in a co!shed gives virtue, !hich are ten(times more than the former one. &orshipping Shiva at the banks of a river gives, ten times more virtues than the second one. &orship of Shiva done either in temple, under the basil plant etc. or at the banks of Sapt 'anga, gives ten times more virtue than the third one. -f Shiva is !orshipped at the seashore than the fourth one, !hile !orshipping Shiva on the peak of a mountain, gives ten times more virtue than the fifth one. %ut !orship done !ith a fully concentrates mind, gives the best fruits. -)P*0" +52 *F "-)2: 4uring the Satya(yuga performance of /agya and donations gave complete results. 4uring the "reta(yuga it gave half, !hile in the present $aliyuga it gives one(fourth results. .irtuosity performed !ith a pure heart does not go in vain. "he other auspicious days in order of their increasing importance are #Surya(Sankranti#, "ula Sankranti and )esh( Sankranti, 1unar eclipse and Solar eclipse respectively. 9.9@ &orshipping the -dol of Shiva -t has been mentioned in the si8teenth chapter of .iddyesh!ar Samhita that

all the desires of a man are completely fulfilled, if he !orship even in earthen idol of Shiva. For making an idol of Shiva. 4ay should be acquired from the base of river , pond, !ell or any such other place. -n this clay fragrant po!der and milk should be added to make it into a paste. fter the constructing of idol is complete, it should be !orshipped by all the si8teen types of rituals Shodasopachar. -f the Shiva 1inga is constructed by somebody else, then three #sera# of +aivedya should be offered to the deity, !hereas if one himself has constructed the Shiva(1inga then the one(fourth of a #Sera# should be offered. -f such an idol s !orshipped for one thousand times, then it helps a devotee in attaining to the Satyaloka. Performing #abhishek# of such an idol helps in self( purification, offering fragrance gives virtues, +aivedya increases the life span and !orshipping it !ith #4hoop# gives !ealth and prosperity respectively. &orshipping the idol !ith a burning lamp gives kno!ledge to the devotee, !hereas offering beetel leaves gives splendours. devotee !ho !orships 1ord Shiva in the hindu month of )agh and on $rishna 5haturdashi achieves longevity of life. %oth, !orldly pleasures and salvation are achieved by !orshipping Shiva. &orshipping Shiva in the hindu month of $artik by going Gapa, penance etc gives special fruits and the devotee becomes free from all kinds of diseases. -f a devotee !orships lord Shiva on Sunday he becomes free from rebirth. 9.9A "he )ajesty of Pranav Panchakshar "he root sounds kaar, 3kaar, )akaar, %indu and +aad, !hich are free from the delusions and !hich originates from the mother +ature are called Pranav. -t is of t!o types:( a7 'ross, b7 Subtle. 6Pranav )antra *) +4 *) + ) , S,-. /<

-t symboli?ess the unified po!er of Shiva and Shakti and destroyes all the sins of a man. man desirous of !orldly pleasures must chant the mantra #,rishva Pranav# containing the three root sounds , 3, E )a, !hich symboli?es %rahma, .ishnu and )ahesh respectively. *n the other hand a man aspiring for the salvation, must chant the mantra #4eergha Pranav# containing , 3, )a, +aad and %indu. %efore commencing the study of .edas pronouncing *)$ 0 is a must. %y chanting #Pranav# for nine crore times man becomes pure. %y chanting it for further nine crore times a man develops a control over natural forces like !ind, smell and earth etc. "his Pranav mantra is considered to be most po!erful and helps a man to attain the abode of Shiva. 9.9B &orldly %ondage and Salvation -n the eighteen chapter, all the sages requested Sutaji to e8plain the meaning of bondages of life and Salvation Sutaji replied( "%ecause of the eight types of bondages !hich a man feels on this earth, the soul is also kno!n as "Geeva". "he Geeva becomes liberated only after becoming free from these eight bondages. "hese eight bondages are ( +ature, -ntelligence qualitative( ego and the Panchatanmatras i.e. Sound, touch, appearance, taste and smell. "2ach soul is binded by these eight aspects of the +ature. "he actions performed as the result of these bondages is called $arma. man reaps the fruits of his actions( &hether good or evil. ,e either enjoys pleasures or suffers because of sorro!, due to this $arma." "he soul takes rebirth in a cyclic !as binded by the effects of his $armas. "he eight 5hakra# are nothing but the eight forms of the nature. Shiva is beyond the reach of these eight chakras, on the contrary he has full control these eight chakras. So a man can become free from the bondages of this !orld, only by !orshipping Shiva

1inga. "he linga is both gross as !ell as subtle. "here are five types of 1inga on this earth.( S& / )%,3 1-+' , %-+43 1-+' , P0 "-S",-" 1-+' , 5, 0 1-+' , '303 1-+' . person desirous of !orldly pleasures should !orship the cross Shivalinga, !here as one !ho is desirous of attaining salvation must !orship the subtle Shiva linga." 9.9C "he &orship of Parthiva 1inga Sutaji then e8plains the greatness of !orshipping a Parthiva 1inga(: "Parthiva 1inga is the most supreme among all the Shiva(1ingas. ll the aspirtions of he deities as !ell as men are fulfilled by the !orship of Parthiv linga. 4uring the era of Satya, je!el !as considered to be of prime importance, !here as during "retayuga and 4!aparyuga, gold and mercury had the prime importance respectively. -n the present era of $ali, a Parthiva 1inga hold this place of honour. "he !orship of Parthiva 1inga begets more virtues than even penance. Gust as 'anga among the rivers, $ashi among the sacred places of pilgrimages, *mkar among all the mantras are considered to be superior, -n the same !ay Parthivalinga is considered to the supreme among all the 1inga. &orshipping, a Parthiva linga !ith a #+ishkam bhava# helps a man to attain liberation." 9.9D )ethods of &orshipping Parthiva 1inga 2laborately describes about the methods of doing !orship of Parthiva 1inga:( " fter becoming fresh in the morning, a man should !ear a rudraksha garland in his neck and apply bhasma 6 sh7 on his forehead. ,e should then !orship the Parthiva 1inga. ,e should chant the various names of Shiva, !hile !orshipping the Parthiva 1inga, like ,ar, )ahesh!ar, Shambhu, Shoolpani, )ahadev, etc. fter !orshipping the Parthiva 1inga, it should be immersed in the river, "hen the mantra ( *) + ) , S,-. / should be canted !ith complete devotion. "his is the method !hich has been described in the .edas for the !orship of Parthiva 1inga." 9.:F +umber of Parthiva Shivalingas

"he numbers of Parthiva 1inga differ according to one#s desires. For e8ample a man !ho is desirous of learning and kno!ledge must !orship one thousand Parthiva 1inga. man !ho is desirous of !ealth must !orship. *ne thousand five hundred Parthiva 1ingas. man !ho is desirous of attaining salvation must !orship one crore Parthiva 1ingas. Parthiva linga, !hich is equivalent to the height measured by the four fingers and !hich has been established on a beautiful pedestal, is considered to be the best. Parthiva 1inga !hich is the half of the above mentioned height is considered to be #)ediumH and still half than the second category is considered to be inferior Parthiva 1inga. -t is better and advisable to !orship a single Parthiva 1inga daily, because it is equivalent to the !orship of the !hole !orld. +obody is barred from !orshipping Shiva, e8cept the people !hose ancestors had been cursed by the sages like 4adhichi, 'autam. Such people should also !orship the eight idols 6earth, !ater, fire, air, sky, sun, moon and the host7 along!ith the Parthiva linga. brahmin should !orship Parthiva linga as per the methods described in the vedas. &orship should be done, facing north. 9.:9 -mportance of +aivedya and %ilva 1eaves Sutaji then described about the important of +aivedya offered to 1ord Shiva. " devotee gets liberated from all of his sins merely at the sight of the +aivedya, !hich have been offered to lord Shiva. ,e attains great virtues by having the Prasada." man must not accept the Prasada if the !orship have been done under supervision of a #5handala#, but some of the Shivalingas like %aanlinga, Siddhalinga and S!ayambhu 1inga are e8ceptions to this rule. "he prasada !hich has been offered to the Shivalinga and remains lying on it, is prohibited from having, but the prasad !hich is not touching the Shivalinga should be accepted. %-1. 6&**4 PP127(: %ilva fruit is considered to be a form of lord Shiva -t#s greatness has been eulogi?ed even by the deities himself. -t is believed

that all the places of pilgrimages, d!ell in the %ilva(leaf. 1ord Shiva is believed to have his abode in the roots of the %ilva tree. devotee !ho !aters the roots of the %ilva tree attain greater virtues than offering !ater to the deities of all the places of pilgrimages. Similarly a devotee !ho !orships the roots of the %ilva tree attains to the abode of lord Shiva. 9.:: "he )ajesty of ShivaIs +ame Sutaji then goes on he e8plain the greatness of Shiva#s name and the importance of %hasm 6 sh7 and rudraksha beads in his !orship. "he name of Shiva is as sacred as 'angesH Similarly #%hasm# and #0udraksha# are as holy as river /amuna and Saras!ati respectively. "herefore a devotee !ho possesses the name of lord Shiva on his lips, &ho applies %hasm on his person and !ho !ears a rudraksha in his neck attain the virtues similar to that of taking a bath in the sangam. -n the ancient time, a king by the name of -ndrayumna got liberated from the bondages of the !orld, just by chanting the name of Shiva. 9.:> "he -mportance of %hasma in ShivaIs &orship %hasma are of t!o types:( 97 )ahabhasma and :7 S!alpabhasma. #Shrota# 6listener7, #SmartH 6rites according to the smritis7 and 1aukik 6!orldly7 are considered to be the )ahabhasma. "here are many types of S!alpabhasma #Shrota# and #Smart# are meant only for the brahmins. For the rest of the castes, #1aukik bhasma# is appropriate. brahmin must apply bhasma, only after initiating it !ith the mantras. "he ashes !hich remains after burning dry co!dung is called agneya %hasma. pplying #"ripunda# on the forehead !ith the ashes after the completion of /agya, is to the upanishad rituals like Sandhya and Gapa should only be performed after applying tripunda on the forehead.

9.:; -mportance of 0udraksha 0udraksha is very dear to lord Shiva and hence all the sins of a man get destroyed if he chants the name of 1ord Shiva using a 0udraksha beads. ,e also attain salvation after his death. -t is believed that the origin of 0udraksha is connected !ith Shiva penance. *nce !hile Sadashiv !as performing his penance, his eyes opened due to some disturbances. ,e !as so remorseful that tears rolled do!n from his eyes. "hese tear(drops are believed to be the origin of the 0udraksha trees. 0udraksha of specific colours have been prescribed for different castes. For e8ample a %rahmin, a $shatriya, a .aishya and a Shudra have been instructed to put on 0udraksha of !hite colour, red colour, yello! colour and black colour respectively. person !ho !ears eleven hundred 0udraksha on his body, he unites !ith Shiva. 0udrakshas are of various types i.e. 2$)3$, 0340 $S, 6one opening7 to rudraksha !ith fourteen openings. 2ach type of rudraksha has specific mantra and specific deity connected !ith it. : 0udra Samhita "his 5hapter contains 9;D sections. :.9 Shrishti($hand "he sages e8press their desire of kno!ing about the manifestation of Shiva and 3ma, their marriage and their life as a householder and the other aspects of Shiva#s divinity Sutaji narrated the story of +arad#s attachment and lust ( ho! they !ere ultimately destroyed. ,e also narrated of +arad#s deep desire to kno! about Shiva.

:.: .ictory of +arada over J$amaI *nce upon a time a +arad !as performing a penance in the cave of ,imalaya mountain. -ndra becoming fearful sent $amadev to obstruct his penance. %ut $amadeva !as unsuccessful in his attempt as the place !here +arada !as doing penance !as the same place !here 1ord Shiva did penance. fter the completion of his penance, +arada became arrogant that he had defeated $amadeva. ,e !ent to $ailash mountain and narrated about his feat to 1ord Shiva. +arada !as naKve not to reali?e the fact hat is happened only because of the divine po!er of Shiva. 1ord Shiva listened to his arrogant statement. ,e advised +arada not to reveal this secret to anybody. %ut +arada !ent to %rahmaloka and boasted about his feet to 1ord %rahma. 1ord %rahma listened to his boisterous statements and advised him not to reveal this to anybody. %ut +arada !as not satisfied. ,e !anted to give the ne!s of his achievement to 1ord .ishnu. So, he !ent to 1ord .ishnu#s abode and boasted about his feat of defeating $amdeva. 1ord .ishnu !ith a desire to subdue his inflated ego, manifested his illusionary po!er !ith the blessings of 1ord Shiva. :.> +aradaIs 2go Subdued: &hile +arada !as returning from .aikuntha 1oka, he sa! a beautiful city. "his city !as ruled by a king named Sheel+idhi. "he king had a daughter and her S!ayamvar !as being organised. +umerous kings had arrived to take part in that S!ayamvar. +arada, curiously entered the place !ere S!ayamvar !as being held. "he king requested +arada to study the lines of the palm of the princess. +arada !as infatuated by the princess beauty. ,e returned back to 1ord .ishnu and e8pressed his desire of marrying that princess. ,e also requested .ishnuji to make him as handsome as himself 6.ishnu7.

1ord .ishnu made +arada#s !hole body very beautiful e8cept his face. &hich he made like a monkey. +arada being una!are of this happily !ent back to S!ayamvar site. +arada sat among the kings ( his face resembling like a monkey 1ord .ishnu too !as present there. "he princess sa! +arad, !hose face !as looking like a monkey. She !as amused. 3ltimately she put the garland around the neck of 1ord .ishnu and !ent to .aikuntha 1oka along!ith him. Some of the Shiva#s gana too !ere present there in the guise of a brahmin. "heir names !ere )arud ganas. &hen they sa! +arada to see the reflection of his face in the !ater. &hen +arada sa! his face in the !ater, he sa! that he !as looking like a monkey. ,e became very furious and cursed the )arudganas to be the born as demons, even though being brahmins by birth. Furious +arada then !ent to 1ord .ishnu and cursed him( "/ou too !ould suffer due to separation from your !ife, during your incarnation of 0am and the monkey !ould come to your help. :.; .ishnu Preaches +arad: 1ord .ishnu accepted +arada#s curse !ithout any hesitation. ,e then removed the illusionary po!ers by !hich +aradas# mind !as influenced +o!, +arada regretted his actions. 1ord .ishnu told +arada that everything happened because of Shiva#s divine illusions. "/ou did not pay heed to his advice and hence Shiva by his illusions, has taught you a lesson. Shiva is beyond the reach of the three basic qualities( Satva, 0ajo and "amas. "herefore you must !orship and contemplate on the name of Shiva. ll of your sins !ill be destroyed. fter preaching +arada,, 1ord .ishnu vanished from his sight. +arada then descended do!n to earth and !hile having darshan of numerous Shivalingas, he sa! t!o of the )arudganas, !hom he had cursed. ,e told both of them that they !ould take birth from a giantess#s !omb, but their father !ould be

sages. ,e also told them that they !ould become very famous due to their devotion, +arad !ent to lord %rahma and requested him to tell about the divinity of Shiva. :.@ %rahmaji Preaches +arad: *n +arad#s request %rahmaji said( "4uring the period of )ahapralaya 6Final annihilation7 nothing e8ist, e8cept Shiva. "he po!er !hich Shiva manifested from his o!n self came to be kno!n as mbika. "his mbika is understood to be the cause of the !hole !orld as !ell as the +ature. 1ord Shiva then created a Shivaloka, !hich is kno!n as $ashi. -t is the abode of Shiva and Parvati. man !ho makes a pilgrimages of $ashi attains salvation. :.A "he *rigin of .ishnu 1ord Shiva, felt the need of somebody, !ho could look after the creation in his absence, as he !anted to retire along !ith mbika at $ashi. "he unified energy of Shiva and mbika, resulted into a radiant physical form of a child. "he child asked Shiva about his name and purpose of his being. 1ord Shiva named the child as .ishnu and advised him to do a penance !hich !ould help him to attain all kinds of accomplishment. ,e then offered him the kno!ledge of .edas, through his breath. For this reason it has been said( "/ S/ +-S,. S-" ) .24 , " )eaning: &hose e8haled air is .eda. .ishnu follo!ed the instruction of Shiva and did a tremendous penance for t!elve years, but still he !as not successful in having a darshan of lord Shiva for the second time. ,e became !orried. ,e heard a heavenly voice, instructing him to do further penance.

.ishnu then recommenced his penance. -t continued for many days. %y the blessings of Shiva, numerous fountain of streams errupted from his body, !hich spread in all directions in the form of %rahma. .ishnuji !as very pleased to see that stream. ,e !ent to sleep in that streams due to !hich he also came to be kno!n as #+arayan#. *ne !ho has his abode in the !ater. fter that, all the five elements manifested from his self. "he three qualities( Salva, 0ajos and "amas as !ell as the ego manifested from his body. Similarly, five "anmantras 6Subtle form of matter7, Panchabhuta 6Sky !ater, air, fire and earth7 and ultimately five sense organs and five organs of action also manifested from. ltogether t!enty(four types of element manifested from the body of Shri .ishnu. :.B *rigin of %rahmaji %rahmaji told +arad( "&hile .ishnuji !as sleeping in the !ater, a lotus flo!er manifested from the navel of .ishnu according to the !ish of Shiva. *n that lotus !as seated !ith four heads. - did not see anything e8cept that lotus flo!er. - had a desire to kno! about my identity. So - entered into the hollo! tubular stalk of that lotus flo!er, but - !as not able to find the source. - returned back to the same place. Suddenly - heard a voice !hich instructed me to do penance. - did a tremendous penance for t!elve years !ith a desire to kno! about my creator. %eing pleased !ith me, lord .ishnu manifested before me !ith in his 5haturbhuj form, but - could not identify him, being influenced by the illusionary po!er of Shiva. - quarreled !ith him." :.C 4ispute %et!een %rahmaji E .ishnuji "- asked him as to !ho he !as. .ishnuji replied that he !as the fulfiller of all of his desires. %ut - replied to him that - only !as the creator, nurturer and the supreme soul of this !orld. .ishnuji became angry and said that undoubtedly - 6%rahma7 !as the creator of this !orld, but he 6.ishnu7 !as the one, !ho had created me 6%rahma7 and the !hole !orld. .ishnuji also ordered me to take his refuge and promised to protect me. %ut being an ignorant - did not believe him. fierce battle !as fought bet!een both of us.

Shiva linga manifested bet!een us to end the battle. &e requested that Shivalinga to sho! its real identity. "hat Shivalinga had destroyed our pride." :.D Shabda(%rahma &e heard a sound *). &e became curious to kno! the origin of that sound. .ishnuji sa! a letter # # to!ards the south of that Shivalinga. ,e also sa! the letters #3# and #)# centre to!ards the north of the Shivalinga and in its centre respectively. ,e also sa! the mantra #*)#, !hich !as da??ling like a Sun. "here !as no beginning and end to this mantra *). s !e !ere making efforts to kno! about its origin, suddenly Shiva appeared in the form of a sage. ,e gave us the kno!ledge regarding *). ,e also revealed to us that originated from the letter # #, .ishnuji originated from letter #3# and Shiva himself originated from letter ). "he letter signifies creation, 3 Signifies nurturement and ) signifies salvation. "he three letters , . E ) also symboli?es the basic causes of creation. or brahma also symboli?es the semen, 3 or .ishnu symboli?es the .agina and the sound of *) is )ahesh!ar( the combined sound of , 3 and ). ll the three united from !hich manifested a golden egg. "his golden egg remained submerged in the !ater for one thousand years. "he almighty then cut that egg into t!o halves, from !hich appeared heaven and 2arth. &e also sa! the divine beauty of )ahesh!ar." :.9F Shabda(%rahma "anu "hen !e sa! all the vo!els and consonants emanating from the physique of )ahadeva. .ishnuji sa! the forty eight letters !ithin *)$ 0, !hich in fact !ere the t!o follo!ing mantras( "" "P303S, / .-44/ ) ,2 ) , 42. / 4,-) ,-, " ++* 0340 , P0 5,*4 / "." nd "" "S .-"30. 02+/ ) %, 0'* 42. S/ 4,-) ,- 4,-/* /*+ , P0 5,*4 / "." " fter that !e also received the )ahamrityunjay mantras like #*) G**) S ,", ",0 3) ,0-) G**) S ," and ""0 / )% $ ) / G ) ,2". fter that !e received the five lettered mantra "*) + ) ,

S,-. /", the chintamani mantra #$S, )/ 3)#, the dakshinamurti mantra ( "*) + )* %, ' & "2 4 $S,-+ )30" /2 ) ,/ ) )2', ) P0 / 5,5,, S& , . t last !e received the great mantra " ". ) S-. .ishnuji !as so enchanted by this mantra that he started chanting this mantra. &e then prayed to Shiva(the creator, the nurturer and the destroyer. :.99 Shiva 2nlightens %rahma E .ishnu "Shiva became very pleased !ith both of us. ,e preached us the contents of .eda. Shiva told .ishnuji about the methods by !hich his 6Shiva#s7 !orship could be done. ,e revealed to us that .ishnuji actually had manifested from the left portion of his Shiva#s body and myself from the right portion of his body. ,e also blessed us that he !ould manifest his incarnation of 0udra from our body and also that the purpose of this incarnation !ould be to do annihilation. 1ord Shiva revealed to us that his consort 3ma, !as in fact mother +ature and her po!er in the incarnation of Saras!ati !ould be my consort. 1a8mi, !ho !ould also manifest from the nature !ould be the consort of .ishnu." :.9: ge of %rahma, .ishnu E 0udra %ramhaji told +arada: "1ord Shiva informed us that my day consists of four thousand eras and similarly my night too consists of four thousand eras. Since a month consists of thirty days and a year consists of t!elve months. -n this !ay my age !as fi8ed to be of one hundred years. *ne day of .ishnu is equivalent to one year of %rahma. .ishnu#s age too !as fi8ed to be of one hundred years. "he day of 0udra is equivalent to one year of .ishnu and his age also !as fi8ed to be of one hundred years. :.9> "he )ethods of &orshipping Shiva *n the request of the sages, Sutaji retold the preaching !hich had been narrated by %rahmaji to +arad. 4escribing the method of Shiva !orship he

says( " devotee should get up early in the morning and contemplate on Shiva, !ho gives benediction. fter that, he should finish his daily routing !ork and perform rituals like #Sandhya# and .andana etc. fter that, he should !orship Shivalinga according to vedic rites like Panchopachar, Sodashopachar etc. ,e should also perform # bhiseka# !ith various offerings. t last, the should beg pardon for his sins." :.9; cquiring of Shiva 1ingas by the 4eity *nce, %rahmaji !ent to #$shirsagar# 6the abode of .ishnu7 accompanied by the deities and asked lord .ishnu ho! a man could be liberated from his sorro!s. 1ord .ishnu told them that this objective could be met b !orshipping Shiva(1inga. ll the deities, then prayed to lord Shiva, !ho after becoming pleased instructed #.ish!akarma# to construct a Shivalinga for them. .ish!akarma then made a Shivalinga for $uber, a Shivalinga of yello! diamond for 4harmaraj, a Shivalinga of dark coloured diamond for .arun, a Shivalinga of -ndraned diamond for .ishnu and a goldden Shivalinga for %rahmaji. Similarly .ish!adeva !as given a Shivalinga made up of silver, the sh!ini $umars !ere given Shivalinga made up of bron?e, 1a8mi !as given a Shivalinga made up of 5rystal 6Sphatik7, Sun(god !as given a Shivalinga made of copper and the moon !as given a Shivalinga made of pearl. :.9@ )ethods of &orshipping Shiva 1inga %rahmaji has described the follo!ing methods for the !orship of Shivalinga( " fter performing the rituals like # achaman# and Pranayam a devotee should apply a tripunda on his forehead and !ear a rudraksha on his body. fter the study of Shanti(path and the performance of 4evata(+amaskar, he should make a resolution if he has any !ish to be fulfilled. "hen the !orship of Shivalinga should be done, !ith the help of )ahima(Stavan and offering flo!ers to the Shivalinga. "he purity of the mantras should be maintained

!hile chanting them. :.9A "he .irtues of &orshipping Shiva )ethodically -t has been mentioned in the Shivapuran that making offerings in the form of lotus, Shatapatra, , Shankhapushpi, the leaves of !ood apple tree, helps a man in attaining !ealth and prosperity. For becoming free from disease, fifty lotus flo!ers should be offered to the Shivalinga. )rityunjay(Gap should be chanted for five lac times, for all types of accomplishment. *ne lac dhatura( fruits should be offered for long life, !orldly(pleasure, as !ell as for attaining salvation. :.9B "he *rigin of $ailash E .aikunth %rahmaji revealed to +arad ho! the process of creation commenced( " fter 1ord Shiva vanished from our sight, - transformed myself into the appearance of a s!an and .ishnuji transformed his appearance into that of a boar !ith the purpose of commencing the process of creation. First of all, created the !ater. - poured a palmful of !ater into it and an egg manifested !hich consisted of all the t!enty four elements. "his egg !as very enormous in si?e !hich made me confused. - did penance for t!elve years. .ishnuji appeared before me. - requested him to bring that egg to consciousness. .ishnuji entered into that egg. s a result of this, $ailash mountain, and all the seven !orlds came into e8istence. fter that the static living things !ere created, !hich symboli?ed the dark quality 6"amogun7. fter that - created four footed animals like co!s and *8 etc. inspite of these creations, - !as not satisfied, so - again !ent into meditation. s a result the deities !ere created !hich symboli?ed the virtuous quality 6Satoguna7. *nce again - meditated and the human species came into e8istence, !hich symboli?ed the medium quality 60ajoguna7. &ith the permission of 1ord Shiva, - then created spirits like ghosts etc. fter that created my five )anasputras( Sanak, Sanadan etc. %ut they !ere so ascetic and detached from the !orld that they sho!ed their disinclination in contributing in the process of creation. "his made me angry, tears rolled

do!n from my eyes. &ith the permission of .ishnuji, - did a tremendous penance to have a darshan of lord Shiva. :.9C "he 2mergence of 0udra( vatar %rahmaji said to +arad: "&hen - accomplished my penance, 1ord Shiva manifested in his incarnation of 0udra from in bet!een the eyebro!s. ,alf of his body resembled like that of a !oman 6 rdhanarish!ar7. - requested him help me in my creational activities. 0udra created his hosts 60udragana7 !ho resembled like him. requested him to create the mortals, to !hich he laughed and said, that he liberated mortals from their sorro!, so ho! could he fasten them !ith bondages. 0udra requested me to create the mortals and then he vanished. :.9D 5reation Preaching +arad on the essence of Shivatattva, %rahmaji said( "&ith the permission of Shiva, - created the five basic elements from !hich the matter is made and also all types of arts. - also created the time. 4espite all these creations, - !as not satisfied. - created sage )arichi from my eyes, Sage %hrigu from my heart, Sage ngira from my head, Sage Pulaha from my .yan .ayu, Sage Pulatsya from my 3dan .aya, Sage .ashishth from my Saman .ayu, Sage $ratu from my pan .ayu, Sage tri from my ear, 4aksha Prajapati from my vital air /ou 6+arad 7 manifested from my lap. Sage $ardam and 4harma manifested from my Shado!. "hen - divided my body into t!o parts, and from each of the t!o parts. )anu and Shatarupa manifested respectively. %oth of them got married and in this !ay commenced the conjugal creation. Priyavrata and 3ttanpad !ere the t!o sons born to them. Shatarupa also gave birth to three daughters !hose names !ere akuti 4evahuti and Prasuti. Sage 0uchi !as married to akuti, Sage $ardam !as married to 4evahuti and 4aksha Prajapati !as married to Prasuti. Sage /agya and 4akshina !ere born to sage 0uchi and akuti." "+umerous daughters !ere born to sage $ardam and 4evahuti. Similarly

t!enty(four daughters !ere born to 4aksha and Prasuti. 4aksha married thirteen of his dhauthers to 4harma. "he rest of his daughters !ere married to sages like Pulastya etc. ll the three !orlds are inhabited by the progenies of these sages. "he same 4aksha Prajapati had si8ty daughters in another $alpa, !ho !ere married to sages like $ashyap. 2tc. -n this $alpa, #Sati !as one of his daughters !ho !as married to 1ord Shiva. #Sati# being distressed by the disrespect so!n by her father(4aksha, to her husband(Shiva, had given up her life, by jumping into the sacrificial fire. -n her ne8t birth she !as born as Parvati and !as again married to Shiva. "his !ay, - created this !orld !ith the permission of Shiva." :.:F 'unanidhi, "he %rahminIs Son +aradji asked lord %rahma, !hen did lord Shiva make $ailash as his abode and !hat !as the reason of friendship bet!een Shivaji and $ubera. %rahmaji narrated the follo!ing story( v "here used to live a brahmin by the name /agyadutt in $ampilyanagar, !ho !as proficient in the performance of Somyagya. ,e had a son named 'unanidhi. "hough he !as a scholar but at the same time he !as irreligious and kept bad company. ,e used to indulge in evil activities like gambling. ,is father ( /agyadutt !as una!are of his evil activities. &henever he asked his !ife about 'unanidhi habits and conduct, his !ife used to tell lies and praised the conduct of 'unamidhi. "hus 'unamidhi#s condition became !orst day by days. /agyadutt married 'unanidhi !ith a girl belonging to a !ell to do family. %ut his habits had not changed. ,is mother tried her best to make him understand, but it !as of no avail. *ne day /agyadutt sa!, a gambler !earing his ring. ,e asked him about that ring. "he gambler told him that his son ( 'unanidhu had lost it to him, in the gamble. ,e also informed him that he had also lost numerous ornaments and other properties in the gamble.

/agyadutt became very angry. ,e married !ith another !oman after abandoning his !ife and son. :.:9 'unanidhiIs Salvation &hen 'unadhi came to kno! about his father#s second marriage, he moved to another place, cursing his fate. ,e kept on !alking till he became tired. ,e sat under a tree and started thinking about his further course of action. ,e heart !as full of remorse and he repented for his past actions. s his mind !as engrossed in such kind of thoughts. ,e sa! som! villages going to!ards temple. "hey !ere carrying prasad in their hands. "Since 'unanidhi !as hungry, he follo!ed them and after reaching the temple he sat at the main gate of the temple. -+ the night, after the accomplishment of the Pujan, the devotees !ent to sleep. 'unanidhi entered the premise !ent to sleep. 'unanidhi entered the premise of the temple. "he flame of the lamp !as gradually becoming dim as the result of !hich he could not see properly. ,e tore some pieces of cloth, he !as !earing and made a thick !ick and put it in the lamp. +o! the light !as sufficient to enable him to see !hatever had been offered to the deity." ",e carried as much fruits and other eatables as possible and tried to sneak out from the temple. 3nfortunately, he dashed against a devotee !oke up and chased him shouting thief(thief." ",earing his cries all the other devotees !oke up and caught 'unanidhi. ,e !as given such a nice thrashing that proved to be fatal and as a result 'unanidhi died." "he /amadut#s arrived to take his soul to yamloka. %ut right then, the Shivaganas arrived and prevented the /amadutas from carrying his soul. "hey informed the /amdutas that 'unanidhi !as entitled for Shivaloka as he had devoutly observed the Shivaratri fast, had listened to the tales of Shiva and lighted up the lamp !hich !as about to go off. "he Shivaganas also informed the /amadutas that, in his ne8t birth 'unamidhi !ould become the

king of $alinga." "-n this !ay 'unanidhi attained to Shivaloka. -n his ne8t birth he !as born as a son of king rindam( the king of $alinga. ,e !as named as 4ama." "&hen he !as still young, his father rindam dies. So 4ama succeeded him as the king of $alinga. ,e renovated all the Shiva(temple, !hich came under his jurisdiction and passed a stricture !hich made the !orship of lord Shiva compulsory for all the subjects. %y the blessings of lord Shiva, he became the king of lkapuri and !as kno!n as $ubera." :.:: Shiva %lesses 'unanidhi "4uring the Padma kalpa, Sage .ishra!a !as born to sage Pulastya( the manasputra of lord %rahma. .ishra!a#s son ( .ishra!an ruled over lkapuri for a long time. "his city !as constructed by the deity .ish!akarma. .ishra!an !as a great devotee of 1ord Shiva." "4uring the kalpa named )egha!ahan, 'unanidhi did a tremendous penance for ten lac years. s a result of this penance his body !as reduced to skelton." "1ord Shiva became very pleased !ith him and appeared before him, accompanied by his consort Parvati. ,e told 'unanidhi to ask for any boon, !hich !ill be fulfilled." "&hen 'unanidhi heard Shiva#s .oice he opened his eyes, but his eyes !ere da??led by the sheer radiance of lord Shiva. ,e requested Shiva to restore the po!er of sight in his eyes. Shiva blessed him, as a result of !hich he !as no! able to see the divine sight of lord Shiva. %ut he became jealous of 3ma, !ho !as present by the side of Shiva. ,e !as !ondering as to !ho !as this lady, dearer to Shiva than him. ,e glanced cruelly to!ards her. s a result of this his left eye lost the po!er of sight." "Parvati asked lord Shiva as to !hy !as this sage 6'unanidhi7 looking cruelly to!ards her. Shiva replied( ",e is none other than your son. ,e is looking at you in astonishment as he his be!ildered at the feats achieved your penance." "1ord Shiva then blessed 'unanidhi to become the king of the kings. ,e also assured him that he !ill al!ays be present in the vicinity of lkapuri. fter being blessed by Shiva, 'unanidhi also made salutations to Parvati.

Parvati said( "Since you have looked at me angrily your hatred and enemity 6%air7 to!ards me !as clearly visible. For this reason you !ill be kno!n as $ubers." fter blessings, 'unanidhi both Shiva and Parvati to a place called .aishvesh!ar. $ailash mountain !as situated near lka+agri. :.:> Shiva goes to $ailash &hen 0udra ( the nsha of the lmighty brahma, heard about the tremendous penance, $ubera !as doing he started to play his #damaru# 6drum7, the sound of !hich reached all the three !orlds. 0udra then reached the place !here $ubera !as doing penance." ",earing the sound of his damaru, all the deities including %rahma, .ishnu and Sadashia appeared before him." "&hen $ubera sa! lord 0udra before himself, he offered his seat to him and !orshipped him. ,e also !orshipped the other deities. 0udra !as so pleased !ith $ubera that he decided to stay near him. ,e called .ish!akarma and ordered him to conduct his abode at $ailash mountain, so that he could live in could live in the vicinity of his great devotee($ubera. $ubera constructed a beautiful city as per his instruction. n auspicious moment !as chosen and Shiva !ent to live at $ailash mountain. ,e !as coronated by the deities." %rahamaji in this !ay told +arada about Shiva#s departure to $ailash mountain. S "- $, +4 -n the Sati $hand of 0udra(Samhita, +arada enquires lord %rahma about the reason, !hy lord Shiva married Sati, inspite of being a #yogi#. ,e also requested %rahmaji to tell, ho! Sati became the daughter of 4aksha Prajapati and in her ne8t birth as 3ma the daughter of ,imalaya. ,o! did 3ma get lord Shiva as her husband=( asked +arada

1ord %rahma narrated the follo!ing tale( " girl by the name of Sandhya manifested from my being. - !as ama?ed by her heavenly beauty. 0ight then a divine entity appeared before me, !hose beauty could not have been matched even by the deities. ,e !as $amadeva( the god of love. ,e influenced me to such an e8tent that - forgot that Snadhya !as my daughter and got infatuated by her." "&hen 0udra came to kno! about my lust for Sandhya, he admonished me and ridiculed about my character. - felt ashamed. %ut - also became jealous of 0udra. - decided to influence him !ith the po!er of infatuation, but - !as unsuccessful in my attempts. - remembered lord .ishnu and he tried to make me understand about the futility of my attempts, as according to him 6.ishnu7, 0udra !as beyond the reach of any human emotions." "%ut - instructed my son ( 4aksha to help in the procreation of a girl child from the !omb of sh!inivirini. "hus Sati !as born. Sati later on became famous of 3ma and got 0udra as her husband on account of her tremendous penance." ""hough 0udra !as free from all kinds of attachment, but still he became so influenced by the desire for procreation that he married !ith Sati. ,e enjoyed a blissful married life for a very long time." "0udra father in la!, 4aksha in his arrogance started condemning his son in la! (0udra. *nce, 4aksha organised a grand yagya ceremony. ,e gave invitation to everybody e8cept 0udra and 3ma. 4espite of 0udra#s disinclination to allo! Sati to go to her father#s yagya, She insisted and ultimately she !as successful in convincing 0udra, to allo! her to go." "&hen Sati reached there, she !as not given respect by her father(4aksha. +ot only this, 4aksha made fun of 0udra. Feeling dishonoured, Sati gave up her life by jumping into the sacrificial fire." "&hen 0udra got the ne!s of Sati#s death he became e8tremely furious. "o take revenge, he created .eerbhadra from his locks of hair. .eerbhadra !ent

to 4aksha place and destroyed his oblation site. ,e severed 4aksha#s head. ll the deities became afraid and prayed to 0udra, to have mercy. 0udra then brought back 4aksha to life and helped him the accomplished of the still incomplete /agya. "he site !here Sati had died later on became famous as G!alamukhi devi." ""he same Sati in her ne8t birth !as born as Parvati to ,imalaya. %y her tremendous penance she again got lord Shiva as her husband. fter that lord %rahma told +arada about the manifestation of $ama ( the god of love. :.:; "he )anifestation of J$amaI "&hen - became infatuated by the divine beauty of Sandhya, my infatuation resulted into the manifestation of my another )anas(putra named $amadeva. ,is beauty and qualities !ere incomparable. ,is manifestation not only inflicted me !ith lust, but also my other )anasputras became filled up !ith lust. $amadeva made salutations to me and asked as to !hat !as his name and purpose of being. - gave him the name #Pushpavan# and instructed him to help in the process of procreation. - also blessed him that nobody !ould remain unaffected by his influence including myself and .ishnuji." :.:@ %rahma 5urses $amadeva fter being named by lord %rahma as #Pushpavan#, $amadeva !as also given various names as )anmath, $ama, )adan etc by sages like )areech, etc. "hey also said to him that he !ould be married to #0ati# the daughter of 4aksha. $amadeva himself !as infatuated !ith the beauty of Sandhya. "o test the authenticity of %rahma#s boon, $amadeva took out his five arro!s and !anted to e8amine their po!er. "he names of their arro!s !ere ,arshan, 0ochan, )ohan, Shoshan and )aran. "hese arro!s had effect on all the people present there including lord %rahma

and Sandhya. 'etting affected by those arro!s, fourty nine types of thoughts emerged in %rahma#s mind. Similarly, fla!s !ere clearly visible in Sandhya#s behaviour. $amdeva became convinced of his po!ers and capabilities. %ut 4harma ( the manasputra of %rahma !as saddened by this event. ,e prayed to lord Shiva. &hen 1ord Shiva sa! the condition of %rahmaji, he became amused and made fun of him and his )anasputras. 2verybody !as ashamed. 4ue to his shame, %rahmaji perspired profusely. From his perspiration !ere created the Pitraganas. Similarly from the perspiration of 4aksha Prajapati !as created the most beautiful !oman(0ati. %rahmaji !as very angry !ith $amadeva because of !hom he !as ridiculed by Shiva. ,e cursed him and said( "/ou !ould be charred to death by the arro! of Shiva." $amadeva became very scarred and said that he !as only testing the authenticity of his boon and he had no other evil intention. ,e also requested %rahmaji, not to curse him. Feeling Pity on him, %rahmaji consoled him that, although he !ould definitely get killed by the arro! of Shiva#s sight, yet he !ould regain his physical body as soon as Shiva get#s married. 1ord %rahma then !ent to %rahmaloka. :.:A $ama )arried 0ati 4aksha requested $amadeva to get married !ith his daughter ( 0ati. $amadeva !as very pleased at this proposal. %oth $amadeva and 0ati got married. :.:B Sandhya does Penance Sandhya !as very ashamed of herself. For the atonement of her sin she

decided to do penance. She !ent to 5handrabhaga mountain and commenced her tremendous penance. 1ord %rahma then instructed .ashishtha to go to her in disguise and help in getting her initiated. ,e !ent to 5handrabhaga mountain in the guise of a brahmin and gave the mantra ( *) + ) , S, +$ 0 / *) to her and also told her the methods of doing !orship, then he returned back. :.:C Sandhya 0eceives a %oon from Shiva fter sage .ashishtha !ho !as disguised as brahmin !ent a!ay. Sandhayd did penance as per his instructions. fter the passing of one 5haturyuga, she had a darshan of lord Shiva. Shiva being pleased by her devotion asked her to demand anything. Sandhya said( "+obody should have lust to!ards the member of his o!n clan. "here should e no virtuous and chaste !oman greater then me in this !hole !orld. nybody other than my husband !ho looks at me !ith evil intentions become an impotent man." 1ord Shiva blessed her by saying( #2. ) S"3<# 1ord Shiva then categorised the life(span of a man into four parts ( 5hildhood, adolescence, youth and old age. ,e than told her that it !as !ritten in her destiny to die by burning. ,e also advised her to go and surrender her body in the sacrificial fire of the yagya, performed by )edhatithi. "%efore jumping into the sacrificial fire, just remember anybody, !hom you !ant as your husband, and your !ish !ould be fulfilled in your ne8t birth, &hen you !ould take birth as a daughter of 4aksha Prajapati. /our father(4aksha Prajapati !ould marry his :B t!enty daughter to )oon, but the moon !ould have affection only to!ards 0ohini and rest of his !ives !ould be neglected by him. For this reason he !ould be cursed by 4aksha.

ll the deities !ould take your refuge." fter blessing Sandhya in the !ay lord Shiva !ent back to $ailash mountain. :.:D SandhyaIs %irth E her )arriage !ith Sage .ashistha &hen lord Shiva !ent a!ay. Sandhya got up and !ent to the place !here )edhatithi !as performing his yagya. She made a mental resolution to have that brahmin as her husband, !ho in reality !as vashishtha and then entered into the sacrificial fire. "he fire of the yagya burnt her body and carried it ti the solar(system, !here it !as divided by the sun(god into three parts and established in his chariot. "he names of these three parts !ere Pratah( Sandhya, )adhyanha(Sandhya and Sayam Sandhya. Sandhya .ital force !as absorbed by lord Shiva. &hen the yagya ended, the sages !ere surprised to see the presence of a girl, !ho !as radiating like gold in the sacrificial fire. "hey took out that girl child from that yagya(kunda. "he sages then brought up that girl !ith love and affection. She !as named rundhati. &hen she attained the age of five, %rahma .ishnu and )ahesg arrived and married her !ith .ashishth. rundhati enjoyed a happy life and became famous for her chastity. :.>F ppearance of Spring Season 6.asant 0itu7 %rahmaji told +arada that since the day he !as hermiliated by Shiva, he had grudges against him and !anted to take revenge. "- !anted to subdue the arrogance of Shiva by proving it to him that even he could be binded by attachment. - asked 4aksha and sages like )areech as to ho! this feat could be achieved. s a result #0ati# and #$ama# manifested. - instructed $ama to influence Shiva by his po!ers. $ama agreed but requested me to create a suitably divine !omen for Shiva. )yself and 4aksha became !orried and during that time !e e8haled fragrant air through our nostrils, !hich resulted into the creation of spring season. "he spring season !as looking divinely beautiful in her physical form. - handed over her to $ama and thus all the

three of them 6spring season, $ama and 0ati7 !ent to influence lord Shiva !ho !as in his deep state of meditation. :.>9 "he 5reation of )arganas and $amaIs Futile ttempts $ama tried his best to bring lord Shiva under his influence. ll the living creatures !ere spell bound by his po!ers e8cept lord Shiva and 'anesha. $ama returned back to %rahmaji ad told him about his unsuccessful attempts. %rahmaji sighed heavily. From his sighes !ere created the ferocious ganas. "hese ganas !ere shouting ##aray()aray##6$ill($ill7. "hey eve tried to attack lord %rahma, $ama then pacified the anger of these ganas. "hese ganas !ere named as )aar. 1ord %rahma then sent these ganas to Shiva along !ith $ama and 0ati to give it a second try. *nce again their attempts !ent futile. ll of them returned to lord %rahma and e8pressed their inability in influencing Shiva. :.>: 4ailogue %et!een %rahma E .ishnu 1ord %rahma then remembered .ishnuji, !ho appeared instantaneously. %rahmaji revealed about his intentions to him. 1ord.ishnu told him that it !as foolishness on his part to have enemity to!ards Shiva. %ut !hen lord %rahma kept on insisting, he revealed to him that this could be only achieved by the blessings of 'oddess Parvati. 1ord .ishnu said( "-f she becomes pleased !ith you, then she could help you in achieving your goal by taking birth in a human form and having Shiva as her husband. -nstruct 4aksha to do penance so that Parvati takes birth in his house." :.>> 'oddess 4urga fter lord .ishnu !ent a!ay, 1ord %rahma started meditating on the form of goddess 4urga. She appeared before him. 1ord %rahma said( "- need your help in binding Shiva !ith your maya."

'oddess 4urga told %rahmaji that 1ord Shiva in his incarnation of 0udra !as beyond the reached of any kind of )aya. %ut !hen %rahmaji kept in insisting then goddess 4urga agreed to help him in his effort. She said( "- !ill take birth as the daughter of 4aksha Prajapati and try to please him by my penance." fter assuring 1ord %rahma she vanished. 1ord %rahma too !ent to his abode. :.>; 4aksha &orships 4evi &ith the permission of lord %rahma, 4aksha did penance for three thousand years. s a result goddess Gagdamba appeared before him. She blessed him by saying that she !ould take birth as his daughter and by her tremendous penance !ould attain 0udra as her husband. %ut she !arned 4aksha that if he sho!ed any kind of disrespect to her, she !ould end her life. :.>@ 4aksha 5urses +arad &ith the permission of lord %rahma, 4aksha Prajapati created many thing just by his mental resolution. %ut finding the absence of any kind of evolution and development in them, he !ent to %rahmaji to take his advice. %rahmaji instructed him to create by the help of copulation. 4aksha Prajapati then married sikti ( the daughter of Panchajan. "en thousand sons, including ,aryasya !ere born to them, but all of them !ere directed by +arada to follo! the path of salvation. fter that, 4aksha married Panchajani from !hom !ere born thousand of son, but all of them follo!ed the path of salvation and !ere not interested in creation. +arada !as instructed in changing their mind. 4aksha Prajapati became very furious !ith +arada and cursed him to become an eternal !andered. ,e said(

"/ou !ill never remain at a place for long." :.>A %irth of Sati &hen lord %rahma came to kno! about 4aksha Prajapati#s anger to!ards +arad he !ent to him and cooled him do!n. Subsequently si8ty daughters !ere born to 4aksha. ,e married his ten daughters !ith 4harma, thirteen daughters !ith $asyap. "!entyseven daughters !ith )oon, t!o daughters !ith %hutangiras, t!o daughters !ith $rishashva and the remaining si8 daughters !ith 'aruda. 4aksha mediated on the form of %haga!ati, and !as instructed by her to do penance. 4aksha did a tremendous penance and thus !as born 3ma to 4aksha and .irani. 3ma !as brought up !ith great love and affection. 3ma used to !orship lord Shiva by singing devotional songs in his praise. :.>B Sati does Penance &hen Sati attained marriageable age, 4aksha started !orrying. Sati understood the reason behind her father#s !orried. She !ent to her )other .irani and e8pressed her desire of marrying lord Shiva. ,er mother made all the arrangements so that Sati could !orship Shiva !ithout any problem. Sati commenced her austerity named +andavrata !hich continued for a year. %eing impressed by her austerities, all the deities descended do!n from heaven to see her. :.>C %rahmaji makes a request to 1ord Shiva ll the deities and the sages requested lord Shiva to get married, but Shiva did not !ant to curtail his freedom by getting married. &hen the deities insisted he told them to find a suitable match for him. %rahma and .ishnu told Shiva about the tremendous penance 3ma !as doing to him 6Shiva7 as her husband. "hey also requested him have to go to her 6uma7 and fulfill her desire. 1ord Shiva agreed.

:.>D Shiva %lesses 3ma !ith a %oon fter 3ma had accomplished her penance named +andavrat, lord Shiva appeared before her and asked her to demand anything. 3ma because of her shyness could not say anything. 1ord Shiva kne! about her desire so he said( "/ou !ill have me as your husband." 3ma#s face beamed !ith joy, but she shyly requested lord Shiva to keep this proposal before 4aksha. Shiva agreed and said( #"athastu#. ,e then !ent back to his abode( $ailash. Sati narrated the !hole story to her parents. %oth of them became very happy !ith this ne!s. 1ord Shiva then instructed %rahmaji to put a formal proposal to 4aksha regarding his marriage !ith Sati. 1ord %rahma !ent and informed 4aksha about lord Shiva#s proposal. 4aksha !as very happy at the proposal. %rahma then came back to lord Shiva. :.;F Shiva )arried Sati 1ord Shiva !as an8iously !aiting for his arrival. &hen 1ord %rahma arrived he curiously asked about 4aksha#s response. &hen lord %rahma told him about 4aksha#s approval of the marriage. Shiva !as very pleased at this. 1ord Shiva proceeded to!ards 4aksha#s abode on the auspicious moment of Phalgun, $rishnapaksha and on the thirteenth day of Phalguni +akshatra. Sitting on the back of +andi and accompanied by all the deities including lord %rahma, .ishnuji he reached 4aksha#s residence. "he marriage(procession !as received by 4aksha !ith great respect. Shiva narrated Sati in an auspicious lagna. %eing pleased, all the deities eulogised Shiva and danced in joy. :.;9 1ord %rahma Faces the &rath of Shiva

4aksha presented invaluable things to his daughter( Sati as do!ry. Similarly the brahmins !ere presented !ith large quantities of !ealth. 1ord %rahma !as enchanted by the divine beauty of Sati. &ith a desire to see her face, he put logs of !ood !hich !ere !et, into the yagni kunda and poured ghee on them. s a result the atmosphere !as filled up !ith smoke. +o! %rahma removed the piece of cloth !hich covered her face. ,e became infatuated by her beauty. &hen lord Shiva discovered about his evil intentions he ran to!ards him menacingly. 1ord Shiva !anted to kill him, but the deities prayed to spare his life. 1ord .ishnu eulogised and !orshipped him and only then his anger !as subdued. "hus lord %rahma !as forgiver by Shiva. :.;: 4eformed Face of %rahma "hough lord Shiva had forgiven %rahmaji, yet he instructed him to apologi?e by bo!ing do!n his head. %rahma did as he !as instructed 1ord Shiva then established on his head. %rahmaji became ashamed and asked as to ho! could he atone for his sins. 1ord Shiva instructed %rahmaji that by !orshipping him he could appropriately atone for his sins. ,e than instructed %rahma to go to the earth !here he !ould be !orshipped as #0udra Shir#. Shiva said( "/our !orship !ould help the brahmin in accomplishing every kinds of !ork. "aking lessons from you people !ould not dare to have e8tramarital affairs. :.;> Shiva(Shakti as ,usband E &ife fter reaching $ailash mountain, lord Shiva instructed all his ganas 6attendants7, not to disturb them 6Shiva and Shakti7. &hen all the ganas !ent a!ay Shiva and Shakti enjoyed a blissful union for t!enty five 4eva(years. :.;; Shiva(Shakti 4epart for ,imalya

&hen the rainy season arrived, Shakti requested Shiva to make a residence in such a place to that they could not be disturbed by rain etc. 1ord Shiva smiled and said( "4ear Sati< "he clouds and rain !ill not dare to disturb if you are present by my side, no matter !hereever !e live ( even if !e live on the peaks of ,imalayas. Sati requested him to make ,imalaya as his abode. 1ord Shiva agreed and both if them shifted to their ne! abode at ,imalaya, !here they lived for ten thousand #4eva(years#. :.;@ "he -mportance of 4evotion in $aliyuga Sati requested lord Shiva to enlighten her mind by giving discourses. Shiva revealed to her the importance of devotion in the $aliyug. ,e said that the value of kno!ledge 6gyan7 and asceticism 6vairagya7 !ould diminish to the e8tent of e8tinction in the era of $ali and only devotion !ould help a man in attaining liberation. 1ord Shiva said( "- had burnt the time 6$ala7 for the benefit of the devotees, !ith my third eye. For the sake of my devotees, - even abandoned 0avana !ithout any partiality. For the !elfare of my devotees, - even instructed +andi to punish sages .yas, !ho !as e8iled out of $ashi." Shiva preached on may topics like devotion types of devotion, yantra, mantra, scriptures etc. :.;A SatiIs 4oubt 4evarshi +arad !ho !as listening to the divine tales of Shiva, narrated by lord %rahma !ith rapt attention, requested him to describe about other characteristics of Shiva. %rahmaji said( "*nce, lord Shiva accompanies by Sati, arrived at 4andak aranya, !here Sri 0am !as !andering in search of Sita, !ho had been abducted by 0avana.

fter !alking for some time 1ord Shiva sa! Sri 0am and 1a8man. 1ord Shiva made salutations to Sri 0am. Sati !as surprised at Shiva#s behaviours. She asked lord Shiva about the reason he made salutations to Sri 0am. Shiva told Sati that he 6Sri 0am7 !as his deity and an incarnation of lord .ishnu. %ut Sati !as not satisfied by this reply. She !anted to test, !hether Sri 0am !as really an incarnation of lord .ishnu or not. She disguised herself as Sita and !ent to Sri 0am. %ut Sri 0am recognised her real identity and addressed her as )other. Sati !as ashamed but asked Sri 0am as to !hy did Shiva made salutations to her." Sri 0am narrated the follo!ing story( :.;B Shiva does not see Sati as his consort *nce, lord Shiva requested .ish!akarma to construct a grand palace and a magnificent throne for him. &hen everything !as ready, Shiva invited all the deities for the cro!ning ceremony of lord .ishnu. 1ord .ishnu !as requested to be seated on the throne and !as !orshipped by all the deities including Shiva himself. ,e assured lord .ishnu that all of his 6.ishnu#s7 incarnations !ould be sho!n respected by his 6Shiva#s7 devotees 6 0am7 am the incarnation of .ishnu." Sati !as no! completely satisfied. She !as also ashamed of herself that she had doubted Shiva#s !ords. She !ent to lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva stopped looking at Sati, as her consort, because she had personified herself as mother Sita. "his fact !as even corroborated by a heavenly voice. +o! Sati#s heart !as filled up !ith sorro!s. She follo!ed disenchanted Shiva to the $ailash mountain, !here he commenced his meditation and !ent into Samadhi. She sat do!n !ithout saying a !ord. &hen lord Shiva came out from his Samadhi, he sa! her stire sitting their. ,e felt pity on her and drove a!ay her guilt and sorro!s, by giving discourses.

:.;C 4akshaIs nimosity to!ards Shiva *nce, the sages organised a yagya at Prayaga, !hich !as attended by all the deities. 1ord Shiva too had come, accompanies by Sati. ,e !as eulogi?ed and !orshipped by all the deities and the sages. 4aksha arrived there and after making salutations to lord %rahma sat do!n !ithout sho!ing any kind of respect to Shiva. fter that, all the deities and the sages came and made salutations to 4aksha, but Shiva sat !here he !as sitting. "he ignorant 4aksha cursed Shiva that from no! on!ards his 6Shiva#s7 share !ould not be kept in the yagya. t this +andi( the vehicle of Shiva became very angry and cursed 4aksha that from today on!ards the brahmins !ould fail to understand the essence of .edas. 1ord Shiva then pacified +andi#s anger and both of them !ent back to their abode. 4aksha too !ent back to his place and started having hatred to!ards Shiva. :.;D 4aksha Performs /agya 4aksha organised a yagya at #$anakhal# in !hich everybody e8cept Shiva and Sati !ere invited. Sage 4adhichi arrived and not finding the seat for Shiva !ent back, saying that it !as impossible to accomplish a yagya !ithout Shiva. "hen 4aksha commenced the yagya !ith the assistance of other sages !ho !ere present there. :.@F SatiIs rrival at the *blation Site &hen Sati sa! all the deities going happily, she became curious to kno! !here they !ere going. She requested her companion to ask the moon as to

!here he !as going in such a cheerful mood. "he moon told her companion that they !ere going to attend the yagya ceremony, being organised by 4aksha. Sati !as very surprised at this information. She !ent to lord Shiva and sought his permission to go there. 1ord Shiva then told Sati that her father did not invite them because of the animosity he !as having to!ards him 6Shiva7. Sati became very furious and decided to go there to kno! about the reason !hy 4aksha !as performing the yagya !ithout inviting her husband(Shiva. Shiva sent +andi and other rudraganas as her escorts. :.@9 SatiIs 4ishonor &hen Sati reached, !here 4aksha !as performing his yagya, she met her mother and sisters. "hey met her !ith all the respect and honour. %ut 4aksha did not even caste a glance at her. -mitating him many other people did the same. %ut Sati not bothering about the disrespect sho!n to her made salutations to both her parents. &hen she reached near the yagya(mandap she sa! that shares of all the deities !as there e8cept that of Shiva. She became furious and asked her father as to !hy !as Shiva not invited to the yagya. 4aksha then made fun of Shiva and cursed him. "his made her more angry and she declared that she !ould give up her life in everybody#s presence. fter the declaration her mind !as engrossed by the thoughts of Shiva. :.@: Sati 'ives 3p ,er 1ife Sati then sat in padmasan and closed her yes. %y her yogic po!ers she united !ith Shiva and her lifeless body fell into the yagya(kunda. "his incident shocked everybody and the rudraganas furiously picked up their !eapons. 0ight then a heavenly voice !as heard.

"* mean 4aksha< Share on you< you are a sinner and a fool. +o! you are certain to face the !rath of Shiva. %ecause of your act, the deities too !ill have to suffer." 4aksha became scarred. ,e immediately eulogising lord .ishnu. :.@> )anifestation of .eerbharda E )ahakali &hen +andi informed Shiva about Sati#s death, he became very furious. ,e angrily pulled out a locks of hair and dashed it against the mountain, !hich got divided into t!o parts. From one part manifested the valiant .eerbharda and from the other part )ahakali. .eerbhadra and )ahakali !ere instructed by Shiva to destroy the yagya of 4aksha and to kill all the people !ho !ere present during the time of Sati#s death, including the deities and the sages. :.@; .eerbhadra E $ali ssemble their rmy fter getting the instructions from lord Shiva, .eerbhardra marched !ith a huge army !hich included the mighty Shivaganas like 4akini, %hairav and $apalish etc. 'oddess $ali to joined him !ith her army !hich consisted of all her nine incarnations like $atyayani etc. s the army marched on numerous auspicious signs !ere visible. :.@@ 4aksha 28periences -nauspicious Signs *n the other hand 4aksha e8perienced many inauspicious signs. ,is left eye, left army and left thigh started throbbing. ,e sa! the vultures flying over his head. ,e heard the sounds of jackals ho!ling. :.@A 1ord .ishnu Preaches 4aksha 4aksha then prayed to lord .ishnu to rescue him from the imminent !rath of lord Shiva. 1ord .ishnu preached 4aksha and said(

"4aksha< Since you have committed the greatest sin by dishonouring Shiva and Sati. 2ven - can not prevent the calamities !hich you are certain to face." s lord .ishnu !as preaching 4aksha suddenly there !as a loud commotion. "he army of .eerbhadra had arrived. 4aksha !as frightened and again prayed to .ishnu to save his life. 1ord .ishnu again e8pressed his helplessness and told him that because of him all the deities too !ould have to suffer. :.@B 4aksha 'ets his ,ead Severed terrible battle !as fought bet!een the armies of .eerbhadra and the deities. "he deities got defeated and fled a!ay. "hey !ent to lord .ishnu and sought his help. 1ord .ishnu decided to fight on the side of the deities. "he battle recommenced for the second time. 1ord .ishnu having a dual fight !ith .eerbhadra and the deities !ere fighting against his army. Suddenly everybody heard a heavenly voice !hich said that .eerbhadra !as invincible. ,earing this, 1ord .ishnu and %rahmaji !ent to their respective abodes. 4aksha ran for his life and hid himself behind the attar !here the yagya !as being performed. %ut .eerbhadra pulled him out from there and severed his head. ,e then thre! his head in the agni(kunda. fter this he returned back to $ailash accompanies by his army. :.@C 5ontention bet!een $shuva E 4adhichi +arad, !ho !as listening to the divine tales of Shiva !ith rapt attention, !as very curious to kno! about the reasons !hy lord .ishnu attended a yagya !here Shiva !as not invited and !hy did he fight a battle against veerbhadra despite kno!ing about his invincibility. 1ord %rahma told him that all this happened due to the curse of Sage

4adhichi( -n the ancient times, there used to live a king named $shuva, !ho !as a great friend of Sage 4adhichi. 4ue to some reasons both of their developed animosity to!ards each other. 4adhichi considered himself superior because of being a brahmin, on the other hand $shuva considered himself superior on account of his !ealth. "he dispute took a !orst turn and 4adhichi punched him on his head. s a result $shuva felt do!n unconscious. &hen he regained his consciousness he attained sage 4a dhichi !ith his !eapon named .ajra, !hich injured 4adhichi. 4adhichi sought the help of Shukracharya. Shukracharya healed his !ounds by his mantras. ,e also taught 4adhichi the mahamrityunjay mantra. 4adhichi then did a tremendous penance to please lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva appeared before him and blessed him !ith three boons, they !ere 97 his bones, !ould become as hard as lightning 6.ajra7, ii7 he !ould not be killed, iii7 he !ould never be humiliated. rmed !ith these three boons, Sage 4adhichi again !ent to fight $shuva. ,e kicked him, in return $shuva too attacked him !ith his !eapon named .ajra, but it did not have any effect on 4adhichi as his bones had become as hard as lighting. $ing $shuva did a tremendous penance to please lord .ishnu. .ishnu revealed to him that 4adhichi had become immortal because of the blessings of lord Shiva, but assured him that he !ould certainly help him in defeating 4adhichi. :.@D %attle bet!een .ishnu E 4adhichi 1ord .ishnu then visited the hermitage of Sage 4adhichi, disguised as a brahmin. *n being asked by 4adhichi about the purpose of his arrival, he said that he had come !ith a desire of a boon on his heart. Sage 4adhichi, by his yogic po!er came to kno! about the real identity of a #%rahmin#. ,e told that he had been caught. 1ord .ishnu !as ashamed.

1ord .ishnu then !ent back to $shuva and instructed him to go to sage 4adhichi and act as if he had accepted his superiority. "$shuva !ent to sage 4adhichi and did as he !as instructed to do, but 4adhichi did not believe his !ords. +o! lord .ishnu became angry and tried to kill him by his sudarshan chakra, but he !as not successful, as the chakra, !hich !as given to him by lord Shiva himself, !as not !illing to harm a devotee of Shiva. "1ord .ishnu then tried to kill 4adhichi by shooting volley of arro!s. "he deities too attacked !ith their !eapon. Sage 4adhichi thre! a handful of $usha grass, initiated !ith mantras to!ards them, !hich destroyed all the !eapons of the deities." "-n the meantime lord %rahma arrived on the scene accompanies by $shuva. ,e told the deities that it !as futile to fight !ith 4adhichi as he !as invincible, due to the boon given by lord Shiva," "3ltimately $ing $shuva begged his forgiveness for his offence. 4ahichi forgave him but cursed .ishnu including all the deities that they !ould be burnt to ashes by the !rath of 0udra." ""his !as the reason !hy all the deities and lord .ishnu attended the yagya, organised by 4aksha and got defeated by .eerbhadra." :.AF "he 4eities go to 1ord Shiva "he deities after being defeated by .eerdbharda !ent to %rahmaloka and narrated everything about the destruction of 4aksha#s yagya and also ho! his head !as severed by .eerbharda. %rahmaji became very sad. "o bring 4aksha back to life and to accomplish the still unfinished yagya, he !ent to lord .ishnu to take his help. ll the deities accompanies him.

1ord .ishnu told them that it !as !rong on the part of 4aksha to have sho!n disrespect to Shiva. "he deities !ere !rong to support him. 1ord .ishnu then !ent to $ailash mountain, accompanied by 1ord %rahma and all the other deities. ll of them eulogi?ed and !orshipped Shiva. "hey also requested him to bring 4aksha back to life. :.A9 4aksha becomes live 1ord Shiva became very pleased and agreed to make 4aksha alive. ll of them !ent to $anakhal(the place !here 4aksha had organised the yagya ceremony. .eerbhadra too accompanied them. &hen they reached the site, 1ord Shiva could not hold his laughter after seeing the destruction of the site. ny!ay, he joined the head of a goat to the torso of 4aksha#s body and made him alive. ,e also compensated for all the losses !hich had been caused by the destruction. ll the deities became very pleased and they eulogised Shiva. :.A: 4aksha *rgani?es /agya once again %ecoming pleased by the invocation and eulogy of the deities, 1ord Shiva preached 4aksha in the follo!ing !ay( ""he person !ho has the right kno!ledge 6gyani7 is the supreme among all human beings. n action !hich is performed in one#s ignorance and jealousy does not liberate a man from his !orld bondages. * 4aksha then accomplished his yagya singing the praise of lord Shiva. ,e also give lots of donation to the brahmins. "hey everybody returned to their respective houses being fully satisfied. Sati ( the daughter of 4aksha !as reborn as 'auri( the daughter of ,imalaya and )aina. %y her tremendous penance she again had lord Shiva as her husband. :.A> Parvat $hand: ,imalya )arries )aina

+arada requests lord %rahma to shed light on the birth of )aina and also too she !as married !ith ,imalaya. %rahmaji Said( " fter relinquishing her body, Sati ( the daughter of 4aksha attained to the abode of Shiva. -n her ne8t birth she !as born to )aina ( the !ife of ,imalaya and !as kno!n as Parvati. )aina had done great service to Sati in her previous life considering as her o!n daughter. For this reason she !as blessed and got Parvati as her daughter. Parvati did tremendous penance and got lord Shiva as her husband." 5ontinuing !ith his story %rahmaji said( "*nce ,imalaya ( the king of the mountains, decided to marry !ith the desire of e8panding his lineage. "he deities came to kno! about his desires and so they !ent to the Pitras and requested them to give their daughter ( )aina, so that ,imalaya could marry her. "he Pitras agreed at this proposal. "hus )aina got married !ih ,imalaya. fter the marriage ceremony the deities returned back to their respective abodes. :.A; )aina gets 1iberated from the 5urse 4aksha had Si8ty daughters, #S!adha# !as one of them and !as married to the Pitras. -n due course of time three daughters !ere born to them ( )aina, 4hanya and $ala!ati. *nce all the three of them !ent to S!etad!eepa to have a darshan of lord .ishnu. 0ight then, sages like Sanak, Sanadan etc arrived there. 2verybody present there stood up in reverence, but )aina, 4hanya and $ala!ati could not identify !ho they !ere and hence they remained sitting. +ot only that, they did not even make any salutations to them. "he sages became angry and cursed them to be born as humans in their ne8t birth. )aina, 4hanya and $ala!ati became very afraid and requested to be pardoned.

Sages Sanak feeling pity on them told that )aina !ould become the !ife of ,imalaya, in her ne8t birth and give birth to Parvati, Similarly 4hanya !ould be married to king Ganak and Sita !ould be born to them, similarly $ala!ati !ould be married to .rishbhan and 0adha !ould be born to them. Sage Sanak also told them, that in this !ay all three of them !ould attain to the heaven. :.A@ -nvocation of 3a %rahmaji told +arad that after getting married !ith )aina, ,imalaya enjoyed a happy married life for a long time. *nce, lord .ishnu paid a visit to his place, accompanied by all the deities. ,imalaya !as very pleased by his arrival. fter making salutations, he asked for the purpose of their visit. "he deities revealed to them that very soon the incarnation of Sati ( Parvati is going to take birth. ""herefore, * ,imalaya< be prepared for that glorious occasion." Said the deities. ,imalaya !as very pleased at this ne!s. "he deities started invocating 3ma. :.AA 'oddess 3ma 5onsoles the 4eities %eing pleased by the invocation made by the deities 'oddess 3ma assured the deities about her arrival in this !orld. She told that her incarnation !ould take place in the house of ,imalaya and by the virtues of her tremendous penance she !ould get lord Shiva as her husband. She also told the deities that she !as satisfied by the service of )aina, done to her in the previous life. fter being assured the deities !ent back satisfied. :.AB )aina and ,imalya 5ommence Penance

,imalaya and )aina commenced their penance !ith the objective of getting 3ma as their daughter. )aina did a tremendous penance !hich lasted for t!enty(seven years. 'oddess uma became very pleased by her penance. She appeared before her and asked her to demand anything she !ished for. )aina e8pressed her desire of having one hundred valiant sons and a daughter, !ho !ould be !orshipped by the people in all the three !orld. 'oddess 3ma blessed her by saying "athastu. )aina narrated this incident to her husband ,imalaya. ,e became very pleased. -n due course of time one hundred sons !ere born t o )aina. *ne of the sons !as )ainak !ho possessed supreme qualities. 4ue to some reasons, -ndra had severed the !ings of )ainak#s ninety(nine brothers, but by taking the refuge of ocean )ainak !as able to survive the assault of -ndra#s .ajra. :.AC %irth of Parvati ,imalaya and )aina engaged themselves in the !orship of Shiva and Shakti, day and night. fter some days Parvati manifested herself by taking birth. fter her birth the !hole mountaneous region of ,imalaya became illuminated by her radiance. :.AD 4ivine 5hildhood Plays of Parvati fter taking her birth, Parvati gradually started gro!ing up. .arioua names given to her like 'irja, 3ma, and Gagdamba. ,imalaya and )aina felt proud of their fate, !hich had made them the parents of an incarnation. Seeing the childhood plays of 3ma, their hearts kne! no bounds. *ne day sage +arad arrived there ,imalaya requested him to study the palm of Parvati, as he !as curious to kno! about her future. fter studying the lines of the palm, +arada predicted that Parvati !as destined to be the !ife of an entity, !ho !ould be beyond the reach of all the three qualities. ,e also revealed to them, that her husband !ould be devoid of any fla!s and !ould be self born(0udra.

+arad told ,imalaya that to have 0udra as her husband, Parvati !ill have to accomplish great austerities and penance. +arad then !ent a!ay. :.BF "he 4reams of Parvati and ,imalya &hen 3ma had attained the marriagable age, )aina requested her husband a suitable bridegroom for her. ,imalya told her that the !ords of +arada !ould never go in vain hence 3ma should be asked to do penance, so that she could have 0udra as her husband. %ut )aina !as disinclined in forcing her tender daughter ( Parvati in to such hardhsips like penance. Parvati then told )aina about her dream, in !hich she had seen a brahmin instructing her to do penance in order to have 0udra as her husband. )aina told ,imalaya about Parvati#s dream. ,imalaya then revealed to )aina about his o!n dream, in !hich he had seen lord Shiva doing penance at $ailash mountain. ,e had tried to give Parvati to him 6Shiva7 !as un!illingly to have her service. %ut Shiva ultimately changed his mind after being satisfied by Parvati#s repliesL ,imalaya said( "- sa! in my dream that Parvati had pleased Shiva by her tremendous penance and ultimately both of hem got married. )aina !as satisfied and !aited eagerly for that auspicious moment. :.B9 "he %irth of J%haumI()ars *nce, !hen the ganas of Shiva praised the glory of mother Sati, lord Shiva became overjoyed just like an ordinary human being. -n his joy, he travelled all around the three !orld !ithout any clothes on his body. ,e returned back to $ailash and !ent into meditation. &hile he !as engrossed in his Samadhi, three drops of perspiration originated from his forehead fell do!n on the earth. From those drops manifested a very beautiful infant, !ho !as of reddish comple8ion and !ho

had four arms. Seeing the child lord Shiva became concerned about his upbringing. 0ight then, mother earth manifested and lord Shiva entrusted the job of child#s upbringing. "he child !as brought up by mother earth !ith great love and care. "he child !as named #%haum# as he !as nurtured and brought up by #%humi# 6earth7. &hen the child gre! up, he !ent to $ashi and did a tremendous penance to please lord Shiva 1ord Shiva became pleased !ith him and blessed him by granting him #)angalloka#, !hich !as superior even to the #Shukraloka#. "he same #%hauma# is established in the solar system by the name of #)ars.# :.B: Shiva rrives at ,imalya *ne day lord Shiva accompanied by his ganas like %hringi, +andi, etc, arrived at ,imalaya, !ith the purpose of doing penance. &hen Parvati father ,imalaya came to kno! about his arrival, he !ent to receive him. fter he had made his salutations to Shiva, he !as instructed by Shiva to see that he is not disturbed !hile doing his penance. ,imalaya made all the necessary arrangements so that 1ord Shiva could perform his penance !ithout being disturbed. *ne day ,imalaya arrived at the place !here lord Shiva !as doing his penance. Parvati too came along !ith him. ,imalaya requested him to keep Parvati, so that she could be at his service. 1ord Shiva declined to keep her !ith him, fearing her presence might cause hindrance in the path of his penance. +o!, ,imalaya became very concerned about his daughter#s future and !andered !hether Parvati !ould remain unmarried. :.B> 5onversation bet!een Parvati E Shiva &hen Parvati sa! her father becoming !orried by Shiva#s response she decided to intervene. She said to lord Shiva( "- am #Prakriti# 6+ature7 and you are the #Purusha# 6almighty7. /ou e8ist in the

#Sagun# form 6!ith form7 because of me. -n my absence, you !ill find it impossible even to e8ist." 1ord Shiva !as impressed by her kno!ledge. ,e allo!ed her to be present near her. ,imalaya and Parvati became very pleased. Parvati used to come daily at the place !here lord Shiva !as doing his penance. ,er companions too used to come along. She used to engaged herself in the !orship of lord Shiva !ith great devotion. "hough lord Shiva !as very much impressed by her devotion, but he decided that he !on#t marry her until she has proved her mettle by her tremendous penance. "he deities !ere tormented by a demon named. "arakasur. "hey !ent to lord %rahma to seek his help. 1ord %rahma sends #$amadeva# to disturb the Samadhi of Shiva, so that being influenced by him Shiva married Parvati and ultimately kills "arakasur. "his attempt of %rahma !as unsuccessful. Shiva #burnt# $amadeva !ith the help of his third eye. Parvati, then redoubled her effort to attract the attention of Shiva by engaging herself in a tremendous penance. :.B; "he %irth of .ajrang +arada !as curious to kno! about "arakasur. ,e asked %rahmaji to narrate his tale. %rahmaji said( "$ashyap(the son of )arichi, had thirteen !ives 4iti !as the eldest among them. She !as the mother of ,iranyakashipu and ,iranyaksha. %oth her sons !ere killed by lord .ishnu in his incarnations of +risimha and .araha respectively. 4iti became very sad by the death of her sons. fter somtime she again became pregnant but the foetus !as destroyed by

-ndra#s !eapon( .ajra in the !omb itself. ,o!ever -ndra !as not able to destroy the foetus completely, but !as only successful in dividing the foetus into forty(nine parts. "hese forty(nine parts, later on became famous as #)araudganas#. gain 4iti gave birth of .ajrang, !ho !as very valiant and brave. &hen he gre! up, 4iti ordered him to defeat the deities. &ith his mother#s permission and blessings, .ajrang defeated the deities and held them captive. ,e fastened all the deities. &ith strings and himself became the king of heaven. Seeing the pitable state of the deities - 6brahma7 !ent to .ajrang accompanied by $ashyap and requested him to free the deities. .ajrang agreed to free them but said he did not have any aspiration of becoming the king of heaven, he only !anted to teach a lesson to -ndra. .ajrang returned the heaven to the deities. 1ater on the married .aranji !ho had been created by me 6%rahma7. &hile .ajrang !as of virtuous nature, .arangi !as met." :.B@ %irth of "arakasur and his Penance .arangi gave birth to "arakasur( the valiant and brave demon. 4uring the time of his birth , the !orld !as affected by inauspicious events like earthquakes, cyclones etc, ,is name "arakasur !as given by $ashyap. fter he gre! up, "arakasur !ent to )adhuvan to do penance. ,is tremendous penance scarred the deities. %ecoming pleased by his penance, lord %rahma appeared before him and asked him to demand anything. "arakasur demanded t!o boons ( there should be no man as po!erful as him and e8cept Shiva#s son nobody should be able to kill him. 1ord %rahma blessed him by saying #"athastu#. fter receiving the boons, "arakasur returned back to 0onitpur and !as cro!ned as the king by Shukracharya. ,e then defeated the deities and drove them out from the heaven. +o! it came under the rule of the demons.

:.BA "arakasur 0elinquishes ,eaven on the dvice of 1ord %rahma fter being driven a!ay from the heaven, the deities !ent to lord %rahma to seek his help. "hey asked him as to ho! they could get rid of this menace called "arakasur. %rahmaji revealed to the deities that "arakasur could be killed only by such a person, !hose parents are Shiva and Parvati. ,e also advised them to make efforts, so that Shiva agrees to marry Parvati. 1ord %rahma them !ent to #"arakasur# !ho had no! become the king of heaven, and tried to convince him to return it back to the deities. "arakasur agreed to relinquish the heaven and give it back to the deities. "he deities !ent back to the heaven. :.BB $amadeva Sent to 1ord Shiva 1ord %rahma told +arada that the deities decided to send $amadeva to influence lord Shiva so that the marriage bet!een him and Parvati is felicitated. -ndra called $amadeva and told him that the demon king "arakasur could be killed only by such a person !ho !as the son of Shiva and Parvati. -ndra instructed $amadeva to arouse passion in lord Shiva, so that he agrees to marry Parvati. $amadeva, accompanied by his !ife 0ati !ent to lord Shiva to accomplish his mission. :.BC 2fforts of $amadeva fter reaching the place !here lord Shiva !as engrossed in his meditation, $amadeva made repeated attempts to arouse passion in the heart of lord Shiva, but his actions !ere no avail.

0ight then, $amadeva sa! Parvati arriving accompanied by her companions. She !as looking divine in her beauty. Gust at that moment lord Shiva too had come out of his meditational trance. $amadeva thought that it !as the most appropriate moment to have a go. $amadeva struck lord Shiva !ith his #$amabana# !hich did have a deep impact on him. 1ord Shiva !as struck by the a!esome beauty of Parvati and his heart became full of passion for her. %ut at the same time he !as surprised at the sudden change in his behaviour. ,e reali?ed that it !as an act of $amadeva. :.BD $amadeva 0educes to shes 1ord Shiva looked all around him. ,e sa! kamadeva standing to!ards his left side, !ith a bo! and arro!s in his hands. +o! he !as fully convinceed that it !as indeed an act of $amadeva. $amadeva becameterrified, he started remembering god, but before the deities could come at his rescue the third eye of lord Shiva got opened and $amadeva !as reduced to ashes. Parvati got scarred after seeing 1ord Shiva in such a destruction anger. She !ent to her house along !ith her companions. 0ati( the !ife of $amadeva !ept unconsolably. "he deities arrived and consoled her by saying that by the grace of lord Shiva, her husband !ould be alive once again. fter that the deities !ent near lord Shiva and did his !orship. "hey told him that it !as not the fault of $amadeva, as he had acted in accordance !ith the aspirations of the deities. "hey also told him the mystery of "arakasur#s death. "he deities then requested him to make $amadeva alive once again. 1ord Shiva told the deities that $amadeva !ould take birth as the son of $rishna and 0ukmini in the era of d!apar. demon by the name of Shambar !ould thro! him off in the sea. ,e !ould kill that demon and marry 0ati, !ho too !ould be living in a city near the sea.

%ut the deities !ere not satisfied. "hey requested lord Shiva to help 0ati to unite !ith her husband. 1ord Shiva then told them that $amadeva !ould become his gana, but he also !arned them against revealing this fact to anybody. 0ati then !ent to the city !here the demon Shambar !as e8pected to appear in the era of d!apar. "he deities too !ent back to the heaven. :.CF "he nger of Shiva Subsides 1ord Shiva#s anger did not subside after the death of $amadeva and the !hole !orld started to feel the !rath of lord Shiva#s fury. ll the living creatures became terrified. "hey !ent to lord %rahma and prayed to him, to save them from Shiva#s !rath. 1ord %rahma !ent to lord Shiva and conveyed their request to him. 1ord Shiva agreed to relinquish his anger. 1ord %rahma then carried Shiva#s #fury# to the sea and !ent to the sea. ,e requested the sea to posses it until the final annihilation. "he sea agreed to do this. "his !ay 1ord Shiva#s fury entered into the sea and all the living creatures felt a sign of relief. :.C9 +arada Preaches Parvati &hen Parvati reached her home, she became very sad as she !as unable to bear the sorro! of Shiva#s separation. Sage +arada arrived there. ,er father ,imalaya narrated the !hole story to him Sage +arada then gave the five lettered mantra ( "*) + ) , S,-. G# to her and he also instructed her to do penance. Parvati heart !as filled up !ith ne! enthusiasm. :.C: Parvati does Penance fter taking the permission of her parents and relinquishing all of her ornaments and royal apparels, Parvati !ent to the same place !here 1ord Shiva himself had done penance. "his sacred place !as situated at the ,imalayas, from !here the holy 'anges originated. Parvati companions too

had accompanied her. Parvati commenced her penance !hich gradually became severer day by day. She did penance for three thousand years by chanting the five lettered mantra( *) + ) , S,-. / and performing other kinds of austerities. %ecoming impressed by her tremendous penance even the deities flocked to see her. Parvati did her penance, surrounded by fire on all her sides during summer. -n rainy season she did her penance !ithout any shelter and during !inter she used to do penance by immersing herself in neck deep !ater. :.C> "he 4eities go to 1ord Shiva Parvati#s po!er created such heat in the atmosphere that the !hole !orld started to burn. ll the deities E sages !ent to lord %rahma and told him about the effects, Parvati#s penance !as having on all the three !orlds. 1ord %rahma accompanied by all of them !ent to .ishnuji. "hey visited the place !here Parvati !as doing her penance. "hey reali?ed that lord Shiva !as the only remedy and hence all of them !ent to lord Shiva and made salutations to him. :.C; Salutations 'ives ,is pproval 1ord Shiva enquired about the purpose of their arrival. 1ord .ishnu then revealed to him that ho! distressed and tormented !ere the deities by the activities of the demon ( "arakasur. ,e also told Shiva that he could be killed by such a person, !ho is born out of the parentage of Shiva and Parvati. 1ord .ishnu then told Shiva about Parvati#s penance. -nitially lord Shiva refused to comply !ith their request but !hen the deities continued !ith their insistence, he ultimately gave his conscent. "he deities became very pleased. :.C@ ParvatiIs 1ove for Shiva "ested by the Sapta(0ishis

fter the deities !ent back, lord Shiva summoned the Saptarishis 6.ashishth etc7 and instructed them to test Parvati#s love for him. "he Saptarishis !ent to Parvati and tested her resolve to marry lord Shiva. "hey tried to deter her by all means, but Parvati !as firm in her resolve. "hey !ent back to lord Shiva and narrated the !hole story. :.CA 1ord Shiva "ests Parvati 1ord Shiva then himself !ent to Parvati in the guise of a brahmin. Parvati on seeing a brahmin !elcomed her !ith full honour. Shiva asked Parvati as to !hy !as she doing penance. Parvati told him that she !anted to have Shiva as her husband. 1ord Shiva, !ho !as in the guise of a brahmin started cursing Shiva to see ho! Parvati reacted to it. Parvati replied that inspite of her penance Shiva did not appear, so she has decided to give up her life in burning pyre. fter saying like this Parvati requested the %rahmin to go back and she herself entered into the burning pyre but remained unharmed 1ord Shiva !as very pleased to see her firm resolve and devotion. ,e again asked her as to !hat !as the purpose behind doing such a tremendous penance. :.CB ParvatiIs 0eply Parvati told the brahminH !ho in reality !as Shiva himself that, she !anted to have Shiva as her husband at any cost. She said( "/ou say that lord Shiva does not possess anything ( not even !ealth. ,e does not put on clothes on his body. /ou also say that he is not fit to be a bridegroom of me. %ut all of your utterances prove your mean intelligence." :.CC Shiva 0eveals his "rue -dentity Parvati continuing !ith her statements said that Shiva !as the most capable deity in all the three !orld. ""here is no sin greater than condemning Shiva."

Said Parvati. s Shiva, !ho !as in the guise of %rahmin !as about to say something Parvati said to one of her companion( ""his condemner should be killed, if this is not possible then !e must leave this place at once." s she !as about to leave that place, lord Shiva revealed his true identity and by holding her hand said( "/ou have been my !ife since time immemorial !here are you going=" Parvati became very pleased and her heart !as filled up !ith e8treme joy. She requested him to take to her father regarding their marriage. 1ord Shiva agreed. ,e !ent back to $ailash mountain and narrated the !hole story to his 'anas ( +andi, %hairav etc. 2veryone became very happy and a!aited eagerly for the day Shiva !ould marry Parvati. :.CD Shiva 4emands Parvati as his 5onsort Parvati, after successfully accomplishing her penance came back to her home. 2verybody !as happy at her arrival. fter sometime ,imalaya !ent out to take his bath in the river 'anges. )ean!hile lord Shiva arrived in his appearance of +ataraj and started dancing in front of Parvati#s mother ( )aina. She !as so pleased by his dance that she !anted to present je!els to him in appreciation, but Shiva refused to take them. ,e e8pressed his desire to marry Parvati, !hich made )aina furious. -n the meantime, ,imalaya arrived and she informed him !hat Shiva had said. ,e became angry too and ordered his attendants to drive a!ay +ataraj 6Shiva7 from that place. Shiva then sho!ed his divine appearance due to !hich ,imalaya had the vision of 1ord .ishnu and Parvati sitting by the side of lord Shiva in him. ,imalaya !as very surprised.

1ord Shiva again demanded Parvati to be made as his consort, but ,imalaya in his ignorance again refused it. +ataraj then returned back to his abode. fter Shiva !ent back, ,imalaya had a feeling that perhaps it !as lord Shiva himself, !ho had arrived in the appearance of +araraj. ,e reali?ed !hat a grave blunder had been committed. %ecause of their guilt consciousness, both )aina and ,imalaya felt the germination of devotion in their heart. :.DF ShivaIs 4elusionary Po!er -ndra and the other deities became afraid !hen they sa! both ,imalaya and )aina having deep devotion to!ards lord Shiva. "hey apprehended that if ,imalaya happily agrees to marry Parvati !ith Shiva, then he !ould no longer live on the earth( ,e !ould attain salvation. ,is departure !ould make the earth devoid of je!els and other kinds of !ealth. "o prevent this from happening, they !ent to .rihaspati and requested him to influence ,imalayas mind by condemning Shiva. %ut .rihaspati refused to comply. "he deities then !ent to lord %rahma and made the same request. %rahma refused to meet their demand. +o! the deities !ent to lord Shiva and requested him not to marry Parvati as it !ould make the earth devoid of all kinds of !ealth. 1ord Shiva feeling pity agreed to help them. 1ord Shiva !ent to ,imalaya in the guise of a hermit and started cursing himself 6Shiva7. )aina !as deeply influenced by the hermits !ord and decided not to marry Parvati !ith Shiva. She also threatened to give up her life along !ith Parvati. -f Parvati !as married !ith Shiva against her !ish. :.D9 Shiva -nstructs Sapta(0ishis to 5onvince )aina E ,imalya 1ord Shiva summoned the Saptarishis and instructed them to convince )aina and ,imalaya to marry Parvati !ith him, so that "arakasur could be killed.

,e feared that his actions !ould have created many misconceptions in their minds. "he Saptarishis !ent to ,imalaya and tried to make him, so that "arakasur could be killed. ,e feared that his actions !ould have created many misconceptions in their minds. "he Saptarishis !ent to ,imalaya and tried to make him understand that there !as not any other !ay out than marrying Parvati !ith Shiva. "hey also !arned both ,imalaya and )aina if they did not give their conscent to marry Parvati !ith Shiva, then she !ould be forcibly abducted by him 6Shiva7, causing death and destruction to their !hole clan. "he Saptarishis then narrated the follo!ing story( :.D: naranya, "he $ing "here !as a king named naranya, !ho belonged to the lineage of fourteenth )anu(-ndrasavarni. ,e !as a great devotee of lord Shiva. ,e had five queens from !hom one hundred sons and a very beautiful daughter named Padma !ere born. &hen Padma gre! up, the king started looking for a suitable match. *ne day !hile Padma !as taking her bath in the %hadra river, sage Pippalada arrived there. ,e became enchanted by Padma#s beauty. fter gathering informations about her from the people, he !ent to king naranya and e8pressed his !ish to marry Padma. ,e threatened him of dire consequences if she !as not married to her. naranya became frightened and gave his daughter to him. Sage pippalada happily !ent a!ay accompanied by Padma. %ut both the king and the queen !ent to the forest because of the sorro! of giving their young daughter to an old sage. "he queen died because of her grief. "he king, because of his deep devotion to!ards Shiva attained to the abode of Shiva. :.D> Padma and Pippalad

*n the request of ,imalayas, Sage .ashishth !ho !as one of the Saptarishis narrated the story of Padma the princess and sage Pippalad( " t the time of his marriage sage Pippalad !as old and !eak, but still Padma devotely performed the duties of a faithful !ife. "o test her faithfulness to!ards her husband, 4harmaraj arrived at the bank of that river !here Padma !as taking her bath. ,e !as in the guise of a young and handsome prince. ,e coa8ed Padma to leave behind her #old husband# and come along !ith him. Padma became furious and cursed him. 4harmaraj became very pleased and revealed his true identity. ,e also asked as to ho! the effects of her curse could be nullified. Padma told her that his sins !ould result in having four legs during the era of Satya, but they reduced to three during the era of treta, !hich !ould again reduced to t!o legs during the era of 4!apar and ultimately he !ould have only one leg during the era of $ali. Padma also told her that even his single leg !ould disappear during the ending phase of $ali. ""his !ould apropriately act as an atonement for your sins." ( said Padma. 4harmaraj blessed her by saying that she !ould have ten sons and also that her husband !ould possess youth and long life for eternity. fter listening to this story. ,imalaya agreed to marry Parvati !ith Shiva. "he Saptarishis then !ent back to lord Shiva and gave the good ne!s to him. :.D; ,imalya Sends 1agna(Patrika ,imalaya then requested sage 'arga to prepare a beautiful 1agna(Patrikas !hich !ere then sent to his near and dear ones. ,e then requested .ish!akarma to construct a beautiful #mandap# for the marriage, !hich !as constructed by him in a very short time. :.D@ 1ord Shiva -nvites the 4eities

1ord Shiva invited all of his 'anas to the marriage ceremony. ,e also instructed sage +arada to intimate all the deities, sages and the celestial entities. fter getting the invitation from Shiva everybody started making preparations to be a part of Shiva#s marriage(procession. "he seven mothers( %rahmi, )ahesh!ari, $aumari, .aishnavi, .arahi, indri and 5hamunda dressed him up beautifully Shiva then performed all the necessary $armas to pacify the planet. t last this !onderful marriage(procession of Shiva proceeded to!ards the in(la!s house. :.DA 1ord ShivaIs )arriage Procession Shiva proceeded !ith his marriage procession !hich considered of crores of his #'anas# and deities like .ishnu !ho !ere boarded on their vehicles. 2ven +arad and 1ord %rahma !ere present in his 6Shiva#s7 marriage procession. First of all, Shiva sent +arada to ,imalaya#s house to inform him about their 6marriage procession7 arrival. ,imalaya sent his son()ainak to receive them. :.DB Shiva 4ivine Plays &hen )aina sa! that the marriage procession !as coming she curiously told +arad about her desire to see her son in la!. Shiva understood the arrongance !hich her desire contained. ,e !anted to teach her a lesson. ,e sent all the deities one by one. )aina mistook each one of them to be Shiva, but !as later informed by +arada that in fact they !ere not Shiva but the attendants of Shiva. )aina !as very delighted and !ondered ho! handsome the master 6Shiva7 must be, if the attendants !ere so handsome. 0ight then Shiva arrived !ith his 'anas ( ,is body coated !ith ashes on it. ,is 'anas too !ere looking ferocious. )aina could not bear this horrible sight and lost her consciousness. :.DC )ainaIs &ail

"he maid servants arrived instantaneously and helped )aina to regain her consciousness. She started crying and cursing everybody. She thought !as responsible for her daughter#s marriage !ith Shiva. +obody !as spared( +arad, the Saptarishis and even her o!n sons. She even admonished Parvati by saying. "4id you do severe penance to get such a horrible husband like this 6Shiva7=" 1ord %rahma and +arad tried to console and convince her, but it !as of no avail. &hen ,imalaya tried to intervene, he !as soundly rebuked. )aina threatened him that if this marriage took place then it !ould be the last day of her life. t last lord .ishnu arrived and tried to pacify her anger by saying that her anger !as baseless as she had not seen the real appearance of Shiva, !hich besto!s benediction. 1ord .ishnu and +arad then eulogised Shiva !ho on being pleased sho!ed his most enchanting beauty. )aina no! became fully satisfied. ,imalaya too felt proud of her daughter#s good fortune. t last Shiva entered the )andap 6canopy7 !here marriage ceremony !as going to be organised. ,e sa! Parvati sitting there. %oth of them !ere very delighted to see each other. :.DD ,imalya %esto!s Parvati to Shiva fter the marriage ceremony !as over, Sage 'arg helped ,imalaya in performing the rite of $anyadan, amidst the chantings of vedic mantras. "he !omen#s !ere singing auspicious songs. ,imalaya presented large quantities of do!ry to Shiva. Parvati#s companions !ere engaged !ith Shiva in jocular and humorous conversation. :.9FF Shiva %rings %ack $amadeva live 0ati( the !ife of $amadeva, seeing the moment opportune, arrived and requested Shiva to bring back her dead husband back to life. ,er !ailings

made the other goddesses very sympathetic to!ards her. "hey too requested Shiva to make her dead husband back to life. Feeling pity on her condition. Shiva brought back $amadeva back to life from the ashes !hich 0ati had given to him. *n seeing her husband alive, 0ati#s heart !as filled up !ith e8treme joy. %oth of them eulogised lord Shiva and e8pressed their gratitude. fter the marriage ceremony !as over the marriage(processionist sought the permission of ,imalaya to make a move, but he requested them to remain there for some more days. :.9F9 ShivaIs 4eparture Shiva remained at his in(la!s house for many days. *ne day he sought the permission of ,imalaya to go back. 2verybody became sad at the prospect of Shiva#s departure. 2specially )aina !ho !as very saddened by this ne!s. t last it !as time for Shiva to depart for $ailash, accompanied by Parvati. 1ord Shiva and Parvati !ere blissfully enjoying their martial status, una!are of the eagerness !ith !hich the deities !ere a!aiting the arrival of their progeny. "arakasur ( the demon continued tormenting the deities. &hen their miseries became unbearable they !ent to lord %rahma to seek their help. ll of them then !ent to lord .ishnu. "hey told him that even after passing of such a long duration of time, Parvati and Shiva had not yet become parents. "hey requested lord .ishnu to remind Shiva about the purpose behind his marriage. -nitially lord .ishnu sho!ed his disinclination to disturb Shiva#s martial bliss, but !hen the deities insisted he !ent to Shiva accompanied by all of them. ll of them eulogised Shiva and Parvati. "he deities then requested Shiva to make his contribution in the destruction of "arakasur. Shiva understood everything. Some drops of his semen fell do!n on the

ground. *ne being insisted by the deities. gni transformed his appeared in the form of a pigeon and pecked up those drops of semen. 0ight then Parvati arrived there and became e8tremely furious on seeing the semen going !aste. She cursed the deities that their respective !ives !ould remain issue less as the consequences of their mindless acts. gni !as having inflammation in his stomach because of the Shiva#s semen. 1ord Shiva advised him to transfer it into the !omb of any noble !oman. gni follo!ed the instruction and injected the semen into the body of si8 !omen through the pores of the hair on their body. "hose !omen could not bear the e8treme luster of the Shiva#s semen. "hey !ent to ,imachal and evacuated it. 2ven ,imachal could not bear its e8treme effulgence and immersed it into the flo!ing 'anga. 0iver 'anga carried it !ith her current and established it amidst bushes of reed 6Sarkanda7. -nstantaneously a beautiful child manifested from it. ,is birth made all the deities e8tremely joyous including Shiva and Parvati. -t !as the si8th day 6bright half of the lunar month7 of the hindu month of )argashirsha. ,e !as $artikeya. :.9F: $artikeya Sage .ish!amitra arrived at the spot !here the child had manifested. *n the repeated insistence of the child, .ish!amitra performed his purification rites and named him #'uha#. "he divine child blessed .ish!amitra and besto!ed divine kno!ledge to him. ,e also blessed him to become famous as #%rahmarshi#. gnideva arrived there and gave a divine !eapon named #Shakti# to that child. 'uha !ent to the $roncha mountain and banged his !eapon on it. "he mountain could not bear the effect of the blo! and started crumbling do!n. -nnumerable demons living on that mountain came to kill him. %ut the child killed all of them by his !eapon. &hen -ndra heard about his bravery, he came along !ith other deities to fight

him -ndra assaulted 'uha !ith his .ajra on the right side of his body, !hich resulted into the manifestation of a very po!erful entity named #Shakh#. -ndra again assaulted him on the left side of his body, from !hich manifested an e8tremely po!erful entity named #.ishakh#. -ndra assaulted 'uha for the third time( this time his chest !as the target. From this third blo! of -ndra manifested #+aigam#. 'uha accompanied by all the three po!erful entities( Shakh, .ishakh and +aigam attacked -ndra and his army, but they fled a!ay. Si8 goddesses arrived on the scene. ll of them tried to feed that small child out of affection. "hey started quarelling among themselves. 0ight then they !ere surprised to see the child appearing !ith si8 head. +o! their problems !ere solved. 2ach of the goddesses fed their breast milk to the child. "hey took 'uha !ith them and brought him up !ith great love and care. 'uha later on became famous as $artikeya. :.9F> Search for $artikeya *ne day, Parvati curiously asked Shiva about his semen !hich had fallen on the ground. 1ord Shiva summoned the deities and asked them about it. "he deities narrated the !hole story. %oth Shiva and Parvati !ere very pleased to kno! about $artikeya. 1ord Shiva then ordered his 'anas to bring $artikeya from the possession of $ritika. "he 'anas reached %adrikasharam !here $ritika lived. &hen $ritika sa! the 'anas she became very frightened but $artikeya gave him solace. "he 'anas requested $artikeya to come along !ith him. $artikeya happily took permission from his mothers and proceeded to meet Shiva and Parvati. :.9F; $artikeyaIs 5oronation t the time or $artikeya#s departure, the mothers had become very emotional. $artikeya consoled them. ,e then boarded the beautiful chariot !hich had

been sent by Parvati and proceeded to!ards $ailash mountain. ll the deities including Shiva !ere eagerly a!aiting his arrival. &hen $artikeya reached $ailash mountain, he !as given a royal reception. "he !hole atmosphere !as filled up !ith joy. 2verybody !as celebrating. 2ach of the deities presented him their respective !eapons to him. 1ord Shiva coronated him as the king !ith the help of the brahmin. "his !ay he had no! become the lord of $ailashpuri. :.9F@ $artikeyaIs ma?ing 5haracter $artikeya narrated a story connected !ith himself:( "*ne day a brahmin, !hose name !as +arad came to me and requested me to help him find his he(goat !hich had got lost. ,e told me that the goat !as supposed to be offered as the sacrifice. "-f the goat !as not found, my vo! !ould remain unfulfilled." Said +arad - !ent in search of that goat. - found it in the .ishnuloka !here it !as creating nuisance . &hen the goat sa! me, it tried to attack me !ith its sharp horns. - climbed on its back. fter travelling through all the three !orlds, the goat returned back to his original place. - climbed do!n from its back. +arada arrived and demanded his goat. - told him that his /agya had been accomplished by my blessings and there !as no need to sacrifice the poor goat. +arada ( the brahmin !ent back satisfied. :.9FA "he %attle "he deities !ere very encouraged by the presence of $artikeya amidst themselves. "hey !ere beaming !ith confidence and enthusiasm. "he deities assembled at the seashore. "arakasur arrived their !ith his huge army. "he battle began.

"arakasur appeared to be invincible. ,is blo! !as so severe that -ndra fell do!n unconscious. ll the #1okpalas# met the same fate. fter that "arakasur fought !ith .eerbharda and made him unconscious. 2ven 1ord .ishnu could not sustain for long and !as ultimately defeated. 1ord %rahma requested $artikeya to fight !ith "arakasur as nobody e8cept him !ould be able to kill him. :.9FB $illing of "arakasur *n being instructed by lord %rahma $artikeya came for!ard to fight !ith "arakasur. "arakasur ridiculed the deities for taking the shield of a small child. "-f he gets killed by me, the responsibility should lie on you." "hundered "arakasur. fierce battle started bet!een both of them in !hich both of them got injured. t last seeing an opportune moment, $artikeya hit "arakasur on his chest !ith his !eapon( Shakti. "he blo! proved to be fatal and as a result "arakasur died. $artikeya feat !as hailed by all the deities. fter killing "arakasur, $artikeya !ent to mother Parvati, !ho affectionately took him into her lap. ,e !as eulogi?ed by all the deities. :.9FC $illings of Pralamb E %anasur "he mountain ( $raunch, !ho !as tormented by the activities of the demon named %anasur, !ent to $artikeya and narrated his !oeful tales. $artikeya thre! his !eapon ( Shakti in the direction !hich %anasur lived. "he !eapon banged right on target and returned back to him. %amnasur !as burnt to ashes. $raunch !ent back being very pleased. "he mountain ( $raunch established three Shivalingas to please lord Shiva. "he names of these three Shivalingas !ere ( $umaresh!ar, Pratigyesh!ar and

$apalesh!ar. *nce upon a time, the deities !ere trying to reach the abode of 1ord Shiva( $ailash mountain. "heir preceptor .rihaspati !as !alking ahead of all of them. )ean!hile a demon by the name of Pralamb started creating turbulence. fter being tormented by his activities, $umud ( son of Sheshnag took $artikeya#s refuge. $artikeya killed the demon !ith his divine !eapon ( Shakti. :.9FD 'anesh *nce +arada had a desire to listen to the tales of 'anesha. %rahmaji replied( ""here !ere various 'aneshas in different $alpas. 4uring the period of #Sh!eta($alp#, 'anesha !as born to Shiva and Parvati, !hen they !ent to $ailash mountain shortly after their marriage. "*nce !hile going to take her bath, Parvati instructed +andi, to stand guard at the entrance and not to allo! anybody to enter the premise !ithout her permission. 1ord Shiva arrived there by chance. 4espite of +andi#s refusal to allo! him, in he !ent inside. Parvati did not like this. *ne day it happened so that *nce again, Parvati !anted to take her bath. She made an idol from the dirt of her body. She made the idol alive and instructed him not to allo! anybody !ithout her permission. She also gave him a stick for his protection. -ncidentally lord Shiva arrived once again. ,e tried to enter inside but 'anesha refused to let him go inside. %ut !hen Shiva tried to go inside forcibly, 'anesha hit him !ith his stick. 1ord Shiva became furious and ordered his ganas to kill him. :.99F 'anesha 4efeats "he Shivaganas E "he 4eities "he ganas of Shiva attacked 'anesha but all of them !ere no match for him. fter being defeated by 'anesha, the Shivaganas !ent to Shiva and narrated

everything. &hile the Shivaganas !ere narrating their stories, 1ord %rahma, 1ord .ishnu and some other deities arrived there. 1ord %rahma then !ent to 'anesha to convince him, but as soon as 'anesha sa! him he tried to attack lord %rahma. %rahmaji came back !ithout achieving anything. fter this lord Shiva himself came to fight 'anesha. :.999 Shiva Severes 'aneshIs ,ead fierce battle !as fought bet!een Shiva and 'anesha. &hen 1ord Shiva reali?ed that 'anesha !as dominating the fight, he severed his head !ith his trishul. :.99: 'anesh %ecomes live Parvati became e8tremely furious at the death of 'anesha. ,er anger resulted into the manifestation of innumerable goddesses, !ho started creating havoc on the deities. "he deities became frightened and they !ere forced to take the refuge of Parvati. "hey eulogi?ed her and requested to be pardoned. Parvati told them that they could be saved only !hen 'anesha becomes alive and becomes !orshippable just like thee 64eities7. "he deities !ent to lord Shiva and requested him to make 'anesha alive once again. 1ord Shiva instructed them to go in the northern direction and bring the head of any creature they might find and join it !ith the trunk of 'anesha. "he deities follo!ed the instruction and !ent in the northern direction. "hey found an elephant !hich had only one tusk. "hey severed the elephant#s head and joined it !ith the trunk of 'anesha. %y the blessings of Shiva, 'anesha became alive once again. "he deities !orshipped 'anesha and returned back to their respective abodes.

:.99> 'aneshaIs )arriage %oth $artikeya and 'anesha gre! up to become handsome youths in due course of time. Shiva and Parvati started to think about their marriage. &hen 'anesha and $artikeya came to kno! about the plan of their marriage both of them started quarreling among themselves as to !ho should get married first. 1ord Shiva and Parvati devised a plan to sort out this problem. "hey told them that !hoever bet!een them return after circumambulating the earth, !ill get married first of all. $artikeya and 'anesha agreed. $artikeya proceeded on his journey to circumambulate the earth. 'anesha !as very intelligent. ,e requested his parents ( 1ord Shiva and ParvatiH to sit at a place together and circumambulated them for seven times and said( " ccording to .eda, 5ircumambulating one#s parents give virtues equivalent to that of circumambulating the !hole earth. So no! you must get me married first." 1ord Shiva and Parvati !ere very impressed by his intelligence. "hey decided to get him married !ith Siddhi and 0iddhi(the daughter of .ish!aroop Prajapati. -n due course of time t!o sons !ere born to them $shem and 1abh. &hile $artikeya !as returning after circumambulating the !hole earth, he met sage +arad on the !ay. ,e told $artikeya about 'anesha#s marriage. $artikeya became very sad and felt like having been cheated by their parents. &hen $artikeya reached $ailash mountain he made salutations to lord Shiva and Parvati and !ithout saying anything, !ent to $raunch mountain to do his penance. Parvati !as very sad. She !ent to $raunch mountain to meet $artikeya

accompanied by Shiva. &hen $artikeya sa! them coming he moved to another place. 1ord Shiva and Parvati follo!ed him and ultimately met him. %oth these places have religious significance. ,aving a darshan of $artikeya on the full moon day of $ritika nakashatra is considered to besto!s immense auspicious and destroyes all the sins of a man. :.99; /udh($hand: "ripurasur( "he "hree 4emon +arada requested lord %rahma to narrate ho! lord Shiva annihilated the demons. 1ord %rahma narrated the tale of "ripurasur. " fter the killing of "arakasur, three of his sons started doing their penance. "he eldest among them !as "arkasha, younger to him !as .iddyunmali and $amalaksha !as the youngest. - 6%rahma7 became very pleased by their tremendous penance." ""hey requested me to create three invincible forts for them, !hich should be full of all kinds of !ealth and splendour and !hich nobody could be able to break." " golden fort !as constructed for "arakshaH for $amlaksha a fort of silver !as constructed and for .iddyunmali iron(fort !as constructed. - had ordered the demon named )aya to construct these forts. *ne of these forts !as constructed in the sky, the other !as constructed on the earth and the third !as constructed in the nether !orld." " fter constructing the forts for them )aya took the responsibility of protecting them. - 6%rahma7 !arned the three demons that they !ould be killed by lord Shiva. fter this - came back." :.99@ "he 4eities 2ulogi?e Shiva E .ishnu "he three demon(brothers started tormenting the deities. "he deities !ent to lord %rahma and narrated about their miseries. 1ord %rahma instructed them to seek the help of Shiva.

"hey !ent to lord Shiva and e8plained about their !oes. "hey also requested Shiva to eliminate those three demons. 1ord Shiva instructed them to go to lord .ishnu and said( ""he "ripurasurs are very virtuous so they could not be killed. /ou all must go to lord .ishnu and try to seek his help." "he deities then !ent to lord .ishnu and made the same request. 1ord .ishnu performed an oblation. "housands of armed spirit appeared from the yagya( kunda. 1ord .ishnu sent these spirits to kill the three demon(brothers. %ut these spirits !ere no match for the "ripurasurs might and they had to run for their lives. "hey came to lord .ishnu and narrated the !hole story. 1ord .ishnu became very !orried. ,e sent back all the deities and started thinking about the means, "ripurasurs could be killed. :.99A 2mergence of theism 1ord .ishnu came to the conclusion that the "ripurasurs could not be killed till they remain .irtuous and religious. ,e then created an illusionary entity from his body !ho had no hairs on his head. ,e had !orn dirty clothes and a bag !as hanging do!n his shoulder. ,e also had a broom in his head. "he entity asked lord .ishnu about the purpose of his e8istence and his name. 1ord .ishnu told him that his name !as rihan. ,e also instructed him to create a scripture !hich stresses upon the importance of action 6$armavadF and !hich is different from the rituals e8plained in the .edas. 1ord .ishnu specifically instructed him to keep the language of that scripture as simple and degenerated as possible. 1ord .ishnu then preached rihan on the science of illusion !hich stressed that the heaven or the hell does not e8ist any!here else, but on this earth itself. 1ord .ishnu instructed rihan to get "ripurasurs initiated into !ith this philosophy so that the demon(brothers become irreligious. .ishnu ordered rihan to make his residence in a desert !ith his disciples.

"/ou should propagate your philosophy !hen $aliyuga arrives" ( said 1ord .ishnu. fter giving his instruction lord .ishnu disappeared. rihan then created four illusionary entities from his bein !ho !ere supposed to act as his follo!ers. "heir names !ere 0ishi, /ati, $eerya and 3padhyay. +o! the time had arrived to enter the forts of "ripurasurs. ll of them entered the forts and in a gradual manner started increasing their influence. s a result the "ripurasurs became irreligious. +ot only that their subjects too became irreligious in a very short time. :.99B "he 4eities 2ulogi?e 1ord Shiva &hen the deities sa! that the "ripurasurs had become irreligious completely, they !ent to lord Shiva and requested him to kill "ripurasurs. 0ight then mother Parvati arrived there accompanied by $artik and 'anesha. She requested Shiva to come along !ith her into the palace. ll the deities follo!ed them and kept on requesting. "he deities !ere angry that Parvati had caused obstacles in the fulfillment of their objective. "hey could not conceal their anger and e8pressed it. *ne of the ganas of Shiva, !hose name !as $umbhodar angrily attacked the deities. ll of them got injured and !ent to lord .ishnu. 1ord .ishnu advised them to chant the five lettered mantra ( *) + ) , S,-. / for one crore times. "he deities follo!ed the instruction. 1ord Shiva became pleased and appeared before them. ,e assured the deities that their !ishes !ould be fulfilled. :.99C $illings of "ripurasurs &hen Shiva agreed to kill the demon ( brothers "ripurasur the deities became e8tremely joyous. "hey gave their respective !eapons to Shiva, so that he did not have any difficulty in killing the demons. .ish!akarma gave his beautiful chariot to him.

1ord Shiva proceeded to!ards the forts of "ripurasur follo!ed by a huge army of the deities. ,is army entered the forts of his bo! but he !as not able to release it. ,e remained in this position for one thousand years but still he !as not successful in releasing his arro!. 1ord Shiva then !orshipped 'anesha and heard a heavenly voice instructing him to use his !eapon ( Pashupat. 1ord Shiva released it in the direction of the forts of "ripurasur. ll the three forts !ere destroyed by the assault of Pashupat and it created havoc among the demons. Seeing death and destruction all around them ( "ripurasurs prayed to lord Shiva to have mercy on them. 1ord Shiva assured them that after their death they !ould be born as his ganas. t last "ripurasurs !ere burnt to death. )aya !as the only demon !ho survived. fter their death the "ripurasurs !ere privileged to be reborn as the ganas of Shiva. :.99D "he 4eities 0eceive a %oon from Shiva fter the killings of three demons( "ripurasur, lord Shiva#s anger had still not subdivided. "he anger !as pacified only after the deities and the sages prayed to him. ,e blessed the deities by saying that he !ould al!ays be present on their side to protect them. )aya ( &ho had survived the Shiva#s attack, arrived there and he too !as blessed by lord Shiva. fter that rihan arrived !ith his follo!ers and !orshipped Shiva. 1ord Shiva blessed him and his follo!ers. fter taking permission from lord .ishnu, rihan proceeded to!ards a desert region accompanied by his follo!ers. fter receiving the boon the deities too received to their respective abode. :.9:F 1ord Shiva Spares "he 1ife of -ndra Sutaji narrates the follo!ing story to the sages( "*nce upon a time, -ndra !as going to!ards $ailash mountain to have a

#darshan# of lord Shiva. Sage .rihaspati !as accompanying him. 1ord Shiva came to kno! about his arrival. ,e !anted to test his devotion to!ards him. &hile both -ndra and .rihaspati !ere still on their !ay. 1ord Shiva met them on their in the guise of a hermit. -ndra did not recogni?e Shiva, !ho !as sitting on the !ay disguised as a hermit. -ndra inquired as to !ho he !as and !here he live. 1ord Shiva sat quietly !ithout saying a !ord. -ndra repeatedly asked the same question, but each time Shiva remained quiet. -ndra became furious and tried to attack lord Shiva !ith his .ajra. 1ord Shiva paraly?ed the raised hands of -ndra by his divine po!er. Shiva#s eyes had reddened due to anger !hich made -ndra very frightened sage .rihaspati !as able to recogni?e the real identity of the hermit as to !ho he !as. ,e made salutations to lord Shiva and requested him to pardon -ndra. 1ord Shiva became pleased and diverted the po!er of his radiant eyes to the ocean. "his !ay -ndra#s life !as spared by Shiva. 1ord Shiva then returned to $ailash mountain. -ndra and Sage .rihaspati to $ailash mountain. -ndra and sage .rihaspati too returned to their respective abodes. :.9:9 )anifestation of Galadhar "he effulgence, !hich had been divided by lord Shiva into the *cean resulted into the manifestation of a small child. "his incident happened at the place !here river 'anges submerged into the ocean and !hich is also kno!n as 'angasagar no! a days. "he child !as crying so ferociously that an environment of fear !as created every!here. "he deities and the sages !ent to lord %rahma to satisfy their curiously. 1ord %rahma assured then to find out the reason. ,e !ent to the seashore. "he sea put the child in his lap and enquired about the name of that child and also about his future. )ean!hile the child pressed lord %rahma#s neck !ith such po!er that tears rolled do!n from his eyes. For this reason he named the child as Galandhar.

1ord %rahma told the sea that the child !ill become the mighty ruler of the demons. +o deity !ould be able to kill him e8cept Shiva. "he sea !as very pleased by lord %rahma#s predictions. fter 1ord %rahma returned to his abode, the sea brought that child to his home and brought up that child !ith great love and care. &hen Galandhar gre! up he married .rinda, !ho !as the daughter of $alnemi. 1ater on he became the ruler of the demons. :.9:: %attle %et!een Galandhar E "he 4eities *ne day Sage %hrigu came to meet Galandhar. fter receiving him !ith due respect Galandhar asked him as to !ho severed the head of 0ahu. Sage %hrigu then told him about ,iranyakashipu !ho !as the maternal uncle of 0ahu. Sage %hrigu also told him about .irochana ( the son of the e8tremely charitable king %ali. "hen sage %hrigu narrated the tale connected !ith the churning of ocean and ho! ambrosia emerged from the churning of the ocean. Sage %hrigu told Galandhar ho! 0ahu#s head !as severed by lord .ishnu, !hile he !as sitting among the deities and at the time !hen ambrosia !as being distributed to all the deities. Galandhar became very furious after hearing this story. ,e summoned one of his messengers !hose name !as 'hasmar and instructed him to go and ask -ndra, as to !hy had he misappropriated all the !ealth of his father 6Sea7 !hich emerged during the churning of Sea. ,e also instructed 'hasmar to !arn -ndra about the dire consequences unless he takes his 6-ndra#s7 refuge. %ut -ndra sent back 'hasmar !ithout any specific assurance. "his action of -ndra made Galandhar more angry than before. ,e collected his army and attacked -ndra. fierce battle !as fought bet!een his army and the army of the deities.

)any !arriors got killed from both the sides. Shukracharya the guru of the deities brought back the dead !arriors from the demon side back to life by his mritasanjivani vidya. Similarly Sage .rihaspati brought back the dead !arriors from the deities side back to life !ith the help of medicinal herbs. &hen Shukracharya sa! that, sage .rihaspati too !as successfully making the dead deities alive, he instructed Galandhar to submerge the 4rongiri mountain into the sea, so that it becomes impossible for .rihaspati to get the medicinal herbs by the help of !hich he made the dead deities alive. Galandhar obeyed the command of Shukracharya and by lifting the 4rongiri mountain submerged it into the sea. "he deities became demorali?ed and fled from the battle field Galandhar captured -ndrapuri. :.9:> %attle %et!een 1ord .ishnu E Galandhar "he terrified deities took the refuge of lord .ishnu and sought his help. 1ord .ishnu gave a patient hearing and agreed to help them, but there !as a hitch. ,is consort goddess 1a8mi considered Galandhar as her brother because both of them originated from the sea. She instructed 1ord .ishnu against killing Galandhar. 1ord .ishnu promised to her that he !on#t kill Galandhar. fter giving his !ord to goddess 1a8mi, he !ent to fight a battle !ith Galandhar. fierce battle !as fought bet!een both of them !hich remained indecisive till the end. 1ord .ishnu became very much impressed by the valiance of Galandhar and asked him to demand any boon he liked. Galandhar requested him to make his d!elling in the $sheersagar(the abode of Galandhar, along!ith his sister 61a8mi7. 1ord .ishnu agreed to fulfill his !ish and started living in the $sheersagar along !ith his consort 1a8mi. %eing undefeated by 1ord .ishnu himself, Galandhar became the ruler of all the three !orld. ll his subjects !ere satisfied by his just and virtuous rule, e8cept the deities. "he deities no! eulogi?ed lord Shiva to seek his help in

defeating Galandhar. :.9:; +aradIs Stratagem ccording to the !ish of lord Shiva, Sage +arad came to meet the deities. "he deities narrated their !oeful tales to him. Feeling pity on their condition, he !ent accorded a grand reception by Galandhar !hich pleased him very much. +arad praised the splendours and prosperity of Galandhar but added that it !as nothing in comparison to Shiva#s splendours +arad told him that inspite of all his authority and splendours, his prosperity !as still incomplete, as he did not have a consort. Galandhar asked curiously as to !here could he find his consort. ccording to his strategy, +arada advised Galandhar to make Parvati as his consort Galandhar fell into +arad#s trap. ,e sent #0ahu# to lord Shiva !ith a proposal to part !ith Parvati. 0ahu !ent to lord Shiva and demanded Parvati, !hich made lord Shiva e8tremely furious. ,is anger resulted into the manifestation of a ferocious creature, !hich ran to!ards #0ahu# to devour him. 0ahu had no option but to take the refuge of 1ord Shiva. 1ord Shiva protected the life of #0ahu#. "he hungry creature, asked Shiva as to !hat should he eat to satisfy his hunger. 1ord Shiva instructed him to devour his o!n limbs. "he creative follo!ed his instructions and devoured his limbs. 1ord Shiva !as very pleased by his sense of obedience. ,e named that creature of his palace. ,e also blessed him saying that he too !ould be !orshipped along !ith him 6Shiva7. :.9:@ %attle %et!een 1ord Shiva E Galandhar 0ahu !ent back to Galandhar and narrated the !hole story to him. Galandhar then attacked $ailash mountain !ith his huge army. fierce battle !as fought bet!een the Shiva(ganas and the demons.

&hen Galandhar reali?ed that lord Shiva had begun to dominate the battle he created beautiful # psaras# and #'andharvas# by his illusionary po!ers to divert the attention of lord Shiva and his ganas. ,e !as successful in his attempt. 1ord Shiva and his ganas became enchanted by the heavenly beauty of the apsaras. "hey stopped fighting and started !atching their dance and music. )ean!hile Galandhar !ent to Parvati in the guise of lord Shiva but !as recogni?ed by her. %eing enchanted by the beauty of goddess Parvati, he looked at her !ith his evil intentions, but !as immobili?ed by her !rath. )other Parvati then !ent to lord .ishnu and narrated the !hole story. She !anted to teach Galandhar a lesson. She requested lord .ishnu to go to Galandhar#s !ife in the guise of Galandhar and act in the same !ay. Galandhar had dared to do. :.9:A .rinda 'ets 4ishonored &ith the help of his divine po!ers, 1ord .ishnu created many inauspicious dreams !hile .rinda !as asleep. .rinda became very restless and !hen the an8ieties become unbearable she proceeded to!ards the forest. .rinda sa! a hermit in the forest !ho !as preaching his disciples. "he hermit !as none other than lord .ishnu. She !ent to that hermit and prayed to save her husband#s life. 1ord .ishnu disappeared from the scene and reappeared ( this time in the guise of Galandhar. %ut .rinda !as unable to recogni?e the real identity of her husband. She !as very pleased after finding her husband. %oth of them stayed in that very forest as husband and !ife for a very long time. *ne day, came to kno! about the real identity of the person, !ho !as impersonating as her husband. 0eali?ing that her chastity has been breached, she cursed lord .ishnu by saying that just as he had played a deceitful trick !ith her in the same !ay somebody !ould deceitfully abduct his !ife and he too !ould !ander in her search.

fter cursing lord .ishnu, .rinda embraced death by entering into the fire. :.9:B $illing of Galandhar *n the other side, after the departure of Parvati from $ailash )ountain and after the illusionary po!ers created by Galandhar had ended all the apsaras and gandharvas vanished. Shiva reali?ed that !hatever he !as !atching, !as nothing more than illusion. 1ord Shiva recommenced his battle. "he demons(Shumbh and +ishumbh, came for!ard to fight !ith him, but ultimately they had to flee from the battlefield. 1ord Shiva !arned both of them that though they had escaped death at that moment, but they !ould be killed by Parvati. +o! Galandhar again arrived to fight !ith lord Shiva. fierce battle commenced bet!een them. Finding an opportune time, Shiva severed the head of Galandhar by his #5hakra# !hich had been created from his toe. fter his death, Galandhar#s soul united !ith Shiva. :.9:C "he 4eities 28press 'ratitude &hen the deities came to kno! about the killing of Galandhar, they became overjoyed. "hey came to 1ord Shiva and eulogi?ed him. "hy also hailed his great achievement. fter e8pressing their gratitude they returned to their respective abodes. :.9:D )anifestation of mla 6)yrobalan7, "ulsi 6M%asil7 and )alti 1ord .ishnu !as very much saddened by the death of .rinda. ,e took the ashes from the pyre and after applying them on his body started !ondering here and there. "he deities became very !orried to see the condition of lord .ishnu. "hey !ent to lord Shiva and requested him to eliminate the false attachment !ith !hich Sri .ishnu !as suffering.

1ord Shiva sent the deities to goddess Parvati, saying that she !ould ceratainly help in this regard. "he deities !ent to goddess Parvati and prayed to her. She became very pleased and !ith the assistance of 1a8mi and Saras!ati, gave some seeds to then. "he deities sprayed those seeds on the pyre, on !hich .rinda had given up her life. "hree holy plants manifested from that pyre( mla, "ulsi and )alti. 1ater on "ulsi and )alti attained to the .ishnuloka, by the virtue of their respective penance. :.9>F %irth of Shankhachuda Sutaji narrated the tale of the birth of Shankhachuda and ho! Shiva killed him !ith his "rishula. ,e told the sages that Shankhachuda !as born to the demon king #4ambha#. Shankhachuda !as in fact, Sudama, in his previous life. ,e !as born in the family of demons due to the curse of 0adha. :.9>9 ShankhachudaIs )arriage &hen Shankhachuda gre up, he !ent to Pushkar 6 jmer, 0ajasthan7 and did a tremendous penance to please lord %rahma. 1ord %rahma blessed him and said that he !ould remain invincible. ,e also instructed Shankhachuda to go to #%adrikashram# !here he !ould find his !ould be !ife "ulsi( the daughter of 4harmadh!aja. Shankhachuda !ent to %adrikasharam and married "ulsi as per the instructions of lord %rahma. ,e then returned back to his capital accompanied by his !ife( "ulsi. :.9>: Shankhachuda %ecomes the 0uler of ll "hree &orlds &hen Shankhachuda reached his capital after marrying "ulsi, he !as cro!ned as the king of the demons by Shukracharya. fter his coronation, Shankhachuda attacked -ndrapuri supported by his huge army and defeated the deities. -n a very short time all the three !orlds !ere under his control.

fter being defeated by Shankhachuda, the deities !ent to lord %rahma and sought his help in eliminating the menance called Shankhachuda. 1ord %rahma then took them to lord .ishnu. ll of them !ere taken to lord Shiva by .ishnuji. "hey e8pressed their request to liberate them from the troubles created by Shankhachuda. :.9>> Shiva ssures the 4eities 1ord Shiva assured the deities that he !ill certainly kill Shankhachuda and hence they should not !orry about him. "he deities then happily returned to their respective abodes. :.9>; 5onversation %et!een Pushpadant E Shankhachuda 1ord Shiva sent his messenger named Pushpadant, to Shankhachuda to ask him to return back the kingdom of the deities to them. Shankhachuda refused to oblige this demand, on the contrary he e8pressed his !illingness and readiness to fight lord Shiva. Pushpadant returned back and narrated the !hole story to lord Shiva. :.9>@ Shiva Proceeds !ith his rmy 1ord Shiva !as no! fully convinced about the inevitability of the battle. ,e first sent all his ganas under the leadership of $artekiye and 'anesha. 1ater on %hadrakali proceeded to!ards the battlefield !ith a huge army as per the o!n !ish of lord Shiva himself. t last lord Shiva proceeded to!ards the battlefield accompanied by the deities. ll the troops collected at the bank of river 5handrabhaga and rested under the shade of a %anyan tree. :.9>A Shankhachuda Proceeds !ith his rmy Shankhachuda handed over the kingdom to his son and !ent to his !ife to take her permission before going to the battlefield. ,is !ife !as reluctant to allo! him to go, but he someho! managed to convince her. ,e then proceeded to!ards the banks of 5handrabhaga !ith a huge army.

:.9>B %attle %et!een the 4eities and the 4emons fierce battle started bet!een the deities and the demons. %oth of them attacked each other !ith the most destructive !eapons. %ut !hen the army of 5handrachuda began to dominate the fight, the deities fled a!ay and took the refuge of lord Shiva. "hey told Shiva of the number of deities !ho had been killed !hile fighting. :.9>C "he %attle %et!een ShivaIs Family E Shankhachuda fter the defeat of the deities and the ganas $artikeya and 'anesha !ent to fight Shankhachuda. spectacular battle !as fought bet!een Shankhachuda and both of them. 1ater on they !ere joined by %hadrakali. %hadrakali !ould have devoured Shankhachuda !ithout any problem, but she spared his life because of the boon, given to him by 1ord %rahma. +o! it !as the turn of 1ord Shiva to join the battle, but even he could not cause any harm to him because of lord %rahma#s boon. :.9>D Strategy 2mployed to $ill Shankhachuda &hile a tremendous battle !as being fought bet!een lord Shiva and Shankhachuda. 1ord .ishnu appeared and demanded the armour from Shankhachuda, !hich he had put on, his body in the guise of a brahmin. Shankhachuda gave his armour to him !ithout any kind of suspicion. 1ord .ishnu then !ent to Shankhachuda#s !ife in the guise of her husband i.e. Shankhachuda. ,e destroyed the chastity of "ulsi ( Shankhachuda#s !ife. Shankhachuda derived his po!er from the chastity of his !ife and it vanished the moment, her chastity !as destroyed. :.9;F 1ord Shiva $ills Shankhachuda %hadrakali !as creating havoc in the army of Shankhachuda. Shankhachuda became very furious and attacked Shiva. Shiva repulsed his assault and attacked him !ith his "rishul. Shankhachuda !ho had became po!erless !as killed instantaneously. "he deities !ere very pleased at the death of

Shankhachuda. fter !orshipping lord Shiva they !ent back to their respective abodes. :.9;9 "ulsi 5urses 1ord .ishnu fter being instructed by goddess Parvati, 1ord .ishnu had gone to "ulsi in the guise of her husband( Shankhachuda, so that the breach of "ulsi chastity could help lord Shiva to kill Shankhachuda, !ho derived his po!er from "ulsi#s chastity and virtuosity. -nitially "ulsi could not recogni?e lord .ishnu. She !as e8tremely joyous at his arrival. %ut very soon she !as able to reali?e the real identity of lord .ishnu, !ho had disguised himself as her husband. She became very angry and cursed lord .ishnu to become a stone. She !as crying unconsolably. 1ord .ishnu contemplated on Shiva as a result of !hich he appeared. 1ord Shiva blessed "ulsi that she !ould become the beloved of 1ord .ishnu. 4ue to "ulsi#s curse, 1ord .ishnu attained the form of Shaligram !hich is a stone and because of lord Shiva#s blessings. "ulsi leaves started being offered to the Shaligram, in the process of its !orship. :.9;: $illing of ,iranyaksha ,iranyakashipu !as filled !ith grief !hen he heard the ne!s of his brothers# death. "o avenge ,iranyaksha#s death, he started to torment the deities. %ecoming homeless, the deities started !andering here and there. ,iranyakashipu !as still unsatisfied. ,e !anted to acquire more po!er and authority. ,e !ent to the )andarachal mountain and started doing a tremendous penance to please 1ord %rahma. 1ord %rahma appeared before him and asked him demand anything he !ished to be fulfilled. ,iranyakashipu said( "* 1ord< %less me so that - do neither die during the day nor during the

nightH neither on the earth nor in the skyH neither by the deities nor by the demonsH neither by a human being nor by an animal. %less me * 1ord< * that - do not get killed by any type of !eapon." 1ord %rahma blessed ,iranyakshipu and said #so be it#. +o!, ,iranyakashipu became more ruthless and arrogant. ,e declared himself the almighty 'od and ordered his subjects to !orship him and his idol. ,is son(Prahlad !as a very great devotee of lord .ishnu. ,e did not pay heed to his father#s command and continued to !orship 1ord .ishnu. ,iranyakashipu tried to kill Prahalada many times, but each time he survived by the blessings of lord .ishnu. &hen ,iranyakashipu#s atrocities crosses all its limits, the deities !ent to lord .ishnu and requested him to kill ,iranyakashipu. 1ord .ishnu appeared in his incarnation of +risimha 6half lion and half man7 and killed ,iranyakashipu !ith his sharp nails, during the dusk. fter giving his kingdom to his son ( Prahalad 1ord .ishnu !ent back to his abode. :.9;> 1ord Shiva "eaches "he Secrets of )rita(Sanjivani .idya to Shukracharya Shukracharya did a severe penance for five thousand years to please Shiva and acquire the secrets of )ritasanjivani .iddya 6bringing back dead person alive7 from him. &hen 1ord Shiva did not appear even after such a tremendous penance, then he indulges himself in severest form of penance, by quitting having food and !ater. ,e no! started living only on air. "his continued for thousands of year. 1ord Shiva became very pleased !ith his penance. ,e manifested from the very Shivalinga, Shukracharya had been !orshipping till no!. ,e taught the secrets of #)ritasanjivani# viddya to him and told him that by the help of this viddya he !ould become capable of making alive the dead persons. 1ord Shiva also blessed Shukracharya to become a star and attain respectability among all the planets.

fter blessing Shukracharya like this, 1ord Shiva disappeared into the same Shivalinga from !hich he had appeared. :.9;; ndhakIs Splendors *nce, ndhak brothers jokingly told him that, since his real parents !ere somebody else 6Shiva and Parvati7 therefore he !as not fit to rule them. "hough they had told this in good humour, yet ndhak !as very much saddened by their remark. ,e relinquished his throne and !ent to a deserted place in the forest and started to do a severe penance. 1ord %rahma became very pleased by his penance and appeared before him. ,e asked him to demand anything he !ished to be fulfilled. ndhak said( "- only long for the love and affection of my brothers. * 1ord< %less me so that nobody should be able to kill one e8cept lord Shiva." 1ord %rahma blessed him and said( #so be it#. ndhak returned to his kingdom and !ith the co(operation of his brothers like Prahalad etc he brought even the deities under his control. %ut drunk !ith po!er he became very arrogant and started tormenting all the creatures. ,e did not sho! any respect to the .edas, brahmin and the deities. :.9;@ %attle %et!een 1ord Shiva and ndhak ndhak had become so arrogant that once, he even dared to dishonour his o!n mother(Parvati, !ho at that time !as living at the )andarachal mountain. Shiva became very furious !ith him. ndhak attacked Shiva !ith his huge army. 1ord Shiva sent his numerous ganas to fight him, but all of them !ere killed by ndhak. &hen lord Shiva got the ne!s of the arrival of ndhak !ith his army, he sent 1ord .ishnu and his remaining ganas to fight him. ,e himself !ent to perform his austerity named #Pashupat#. "he deities fought !ith ndhak for

one thousand years. )ean!hile 1ord Shiva returned after completing his #Pashupat .rata# and joined them. Seeing 1ord Shiva in front of him, ndhak became furious and attacked him ferociously. ,is companion, !hose name !as #.idhas#, devoured all the deities. "he demons !ho had been killed in the battle, !ere brought back to life by Shukracharya. 1ord Shiva became very angry and s!allo!ed Shukracharya. ,e also e8tracted the deities from the stomach of .idhas !ho had been s!allo!ed by him earlier. fter that, lord Shiva attacked ndhak !ith his trident, !hich injured him. %ut from each drop of his blood !hich fell on the ground, manifested thousands of demons !ho resembled ndhak. 1ord Shiva then instructed goddess #5handika# to drink the blood, !hile he killed all the demons. 'oddess 5handika follo!ed the instructions of Shiva and drank each drop of blood, !hich oo?ed out from the !ounds of the demons and did not let single drop of blood to fall on the ground. fter killing all the demons, lord Shiva lifted ndhak !ith his trident and hanged him bet!een the earth and sky. ndhak remained there for a very long period of time, bearing the heat of the sun and the sho!ers of rain. %ut he remained alive. 3ltimately he had to take the refuge of 1ord Shiva, to save his life. 1ord Shiva became pleased by his eulogy and made him his #'anadhees# 6leader of all the 'anas7. :.9;A 0eemergence of Shukracharya &hen lord Shiva s!allo!ed up Shukracharya, he became very restless and started to find out a !ay through !hich he could come out from Shiva#s stomach. %ut all of his efforts !ent in vain. Finding no other option, he started to chant the name of lord Shiva. ,is chantings continued for one hundred years. %y the blessings of Shiva, he came out from Shiva#s stomach through the ejaculated semen. fter coming out, Shukraharya eulogi?ed 1ord Shiva. Shiva became pleased

!ith him and sho!ered him !ith affection just like his o!n son. fter being blessed Shukracharya !ent and rejoined the army of the demons. :.9;B $illing of 'ajasur 'oddess 4urga had killed the demon ( )ahishasur, !ho used to torment the deities. 'ajasur !as the son of )ahishasur. "o avenge his father#s death, 'ajasur did a tremendous penance to please lord %rahma. 1ord %rahma appeared before him and asked him to demand any boon. 'ajasur said( "* 1ord< 2ven a #Geetendriya# 6one !ho has full control over his senses7 should not be able to kill me," 1ord %rahma blessed him by saying ( #So be it#. 'radually, 'ajasur atrocities crossed all limits. ,e became the lord of all the three !orlds. ,e forced even the deities to !orship him. ,e used to torment the brahmins and the other religious people. *ne day 'ajasur arrived at $ashi and started tormenting the people living over there. "he deities came to lord Shiva and requested him to rescue $ashi by killing 'ajasur. 1ord Shiva came to $ashi and fought a battle !ith 'ajasur. ,e killed 'ajasur !ith this trident. t the time of his death, 'ajasur eulogi?ed 1ord Shiva and requested him to put his 6'ajasur#s7 skin on his 6Shiva#s7 body. 1ord Shiva agreed to fulfill his !ish. t the spot !here, 'ajasur !as killed a famous Shivalinga by the name of $rittivasesh!ar !as constructed as per the o!n !ish of lord Shiva. :.9;C $illing of +irhaddaitya 4iti !as filled !ith grief !hen she came to kno!n about her son#s 6,iranyaksha7 death, !ho !as killed by lord .ishnu. +irhad daitya, !ho !as the maternal uncle of Prahlad consoled her an

promised to avenge the death of ,iranyaksha. ,e thought to destroy the vedic religion. ccording to him the deities derived their strength and po!er from this very vedic religion. ,e planned to eliminate the priestly class( brahmins, so that the chances of #/agyas# being performed becomes e8tinct and the deities !ere starved to such an e8tent that they became !eak and po!erless. "hinking that then it !ould not be very difficult to kill the #!eak# deities. +irhaddaitya arrived at $ashi to e8ecute his plan, !hich during those time !as the chief centre of the brahmins. ,e attained the form of a tiger and stationed himself in a nearby forest. ,e used to kill any brahmin !ho used to come over there to collect #$usha# grass and fuel. &ith the help of his illusionary po!ers he used to attain the form of a hermit during the day time and lived among them. %ut during the night, he used to enter into the houses of the brahmins in the form of a tiger and used to devour them. *n one night of Shivaratri, !hen a brahmin !as busy !orshipping 1ord Shiva, +iraddaitya !ho !as in the form of a tiger entered the temple. %ut, since the brahmin !as engaged in the !orship of 1ord Shiva, he could not harm the brahmin. 1ord Shiva emerged from the very Shivalinga, !hich the brahmin !as !orshipping and punched the demon !ith his clenched fist, so hard that he died. :.9;D $illing of .idal and 3tpal 1ong long ago there used to live t!o demons by the names of .idul and 3tpal. %oth of them did a tremendous penance to please lord %rahma. fter being blessed by lord %rahma, they became very arrogant and started tormenting the deities and the brahmins. "he deities !ent to lord %rahma and sought his help. 1ord %rahma told them that both the demons !ould be killed by goddess Parvati very soon. ,e also instructed the deities to eulogi?e Shiva and Parvati to seek their blessings. "he deities !ent back and started eulogi?ing Shiva and Parvati. *ne fateful day, .idal and 3tpal arrived at the place !here goddess Paarvati

!as having amusements !ith her companions. .idal and 3tpal had disguised themselves as the ganas of Shiva. 1ord Shiva recogni?ed the real identity of the demons. ,e signaled to!ards Parvati pointing to!ards the demons. Parvati !ho !as playing !ith a ball !ith her companions, understood !hat lord Shiva meant to say. She hit both of them !ith the ball, !ith such force that both the demons died on the spot. "he ball then fell do!n on the ground and transformed into a Shivalinga !hich became as #$andukesh!ar#. "he deities became very pleased at the death of .idal and 3tpal. > Shatrudra Samhita "he sages requested Sutaji to describe about the different incarnations of 1ord Shiva. Sutaji told them that, although 1ord Shiva took many incarnations but five of his incarnations !ere very important( Sadhojat +amadeva, "atpurush, ghoresh and -shan. "his 5hapter contains >: sections. >.9 Sadhojat 697 1ord Shiva took his first incarnation from the physique incarnation from the physique of 1ord %rahma, !ho !as engrossed in his deep state of meditation, during the nineteenth $alpa named Sh!eta 1ohit. 1ord %rahma gave him the name S 4,*G " and eulogi?ed him. 1ater on, from the physique of Sadhojat four of his disciple manifested, !hose names !ere Sunand, +andan, .ish!anandan and 3panandan. ll the four disciples !ere of fair comple8ion. 1ord Shiva blessed %rahma and empo!ered him to do creation. >.: +aamdeva 6:7 4uring the t!entieth $alpa named #0akta# the comple8ion of lord %rahma turned red, !hile he !as engrossed in his meditative state. From his body

manifested an entity !ho also !as of red comple8ion. 1ord %rahma named him +amadeva considering him to be the incarnation of lord Shiva and eulogi?ed him. 1ater on four sons !ere born to +amadeva, !hose names !ere .iraj, .i!ah, .ishok and .ish!abha!an. ll of them !ere of red comple8ion just like their father +amadeva. +aamdeva Shiva along!ith his virtuous progenies blessed lord %rahma !ith the po!er of creation. >.> "atpurush 6>7 "he t!enty(first $alpa on the earth !as kno!n as #Peetavasa#. -t !as named so because of the apparel of lord %rahma !hich !ere of yello! colours. 1ord %rahma#s prayer resulted into the manifestation of a effulgent entity. 5onsidering this entity as 1ord Shiva, 1ord %rahma started chanting the mantras of Shiva 'ayatri. fter the chantings of the mantras, numerous entities manifested !ho had put on apparels of yello! colour on their body. "his !ay the third incarnation of Shiva popularly kno!n as "atpurush manifested. >.; 'horesh 6;7 fter the Peetavasa $alp came the Shiva $alpa. black comple8ioned manifested !hile 1ord %rahma !as engrossed in his deep meditative state. 1ord %rahma considering this entity as ghor Shiva started eulogi?ing him. 1ord %rahma#s eulogi?ation resulted into the manifestation of four more entities !ho had the same black comple8ion as that of # ghor Shiva#. "heir names !ere $rishna, $rishnashikha, $rishnamukha and $rishnakanthdhari. 'hor Shiva along !ith those four entities blessed lord %rahma !ith the po!er of creation. >.@ -shan 6@7 4uring the $alpa named .ish!aroop, manifestations of Saras!ati and -shan Shiva took place. 1ord %rahma eulogi?ed -shan Shiva after !hich four divine

entities named Gati, )undi, Shikhandi and rdhamundi manifested from -shan Shiva. ll of them blessed lord %rahma !ith the po!er of creation. >.A 2ight -dols of Shiva fter describing about the five chief incarnations of lord Shiva, Sutaji e8plained about the eight famous idols of lord Shiva( Sharva, %hava, 0udra, 3gra, %heema, Pashupati, -shan and )ahadeva. "hese eight idols of Shiva symboli?es the eight natural elements !hich help in the process of creation, nurturement and annihilation. "hese eight natural elements are 1and, !ater, fire, air, sky, supreme soul 6$shetragya7, Sun and the moon. %eing established in these eight idols, Shiva controls the !hole !orld. >.B Shiva as rdhanarish!ar *nce upon a time 1ord %rahma, not seeing an e8pansion in his creation became very !orried. heavenly voice instructed him to commence creation !ith the help of copulative activities. %ut since all the incarnation of Shiva had been males till then, therefore lord %rahma !as finding it impossible. 1ord %rahma contemplated on the form of Shiva and Shakti. 1ord Shiva became very pleased !ith him and appeared in his form of # rdhanarish!ar 6half male half female7. 1eft side of his body resembled like a !oman !hile the right side appeared like a man. 1ord %rahma !orshipped this form of Shiva. 1ord Shiva then separated the feminine part of his body and thus manifested mother Shakti. 1ord %rahma !orshipped her and requested to besto! such po!er by !hich he could create a !oman. 'oddess Shakti blessed him by saying N #So be it# and vanished. "his !ay 1ord %rahma became capable of commencing copulative creation. >.C .arious -ncarnations of .yasa and 1ord Shiva 4uring the #.arah# $alpa of the Seventh #)anvantar# lord .ishnu illuminated

all the three !orld by his divine presence. "his seventh )anvantara consisted of four yugas !hich repeated themselves in a cyclic !ay for t!elve times. "he first d!apar of this seventh manvantar sa! the manifestation of lord Shiva for the !elfare of the brahmins. &hen $aliyuga arrived 1ord Shiva again manifested himself along !ith goddess Shakti and !as kno!n as )ahamuni Sh!eta. 1ord %rahma had the priviledge of becoming his disciple. 4uring the second d!apar, sage .yas e8isted as Satya, Prajapati and 1ord Shiva became famous as #Sutar#. 1ord Shiva in his incarnation of Sutra had many disciples among !hom #4undubhi# !as very famous. 4uring the third d!apar sage .yas took his incarnation as %hargava and lord Shiva became famous as 4aman. 1ord Shiva in his incarnation as 4aman had four disciples among !hom .ishoka !as very famous. &hen $aliyuga arrived after this third d!apar. 1ord Shiva along !ith his 4isciples helped Sage .yas. 4uring the fourth 4!apar Sage .yas took his incarnation as ngira and 1ord Shiva as #Suhotra#. 2ven in this incarnation 1ord Shiva had four disciples among !hom Sumukh !as very famous. 1ord Shiva along !ith his disciples helped ngira. 4uring the fifth d!apar sage .yas took incarnation as Savita and 1ord Shiva as #$anka# !ho !as very famous for his tremendous austerities. $anka had four disciples among !hom Sanak !as very famous. 4uring the si8th d!apar sage .yas took incarnation as )rityu and 1ord Shiva as #1okakshi#. 1okakshi had four disciples among !hom Sudhama !as very prominent. 4uring the seventh d!apar sage .yas manifested himself as -ndra and 1ord Shiva as Gaigisatya. Gaigisatya had four disciples among !hom Saras!at !as very prominent. 4uring the eighth d!apar sage .yas took incarnation as .ashishth and 1ord

Shiva as 4adhivahan. 4adhivahan had four disciples among !hom $apil !as very famous. 4uring the nineth d!apar sage .yas took incarnation as Saras!at and 1ord Shiva as #0ishabh#. 1ord Shiva in his incarnation as 0ishabhdeva had four disciples among !hom Parashar !as very famous. >.D +andikesh!ar &hile describing about the incarnation of +andikesh!ar Sutaji says( Sage Shilad did a tremendous penance to please lord Shiva !ith an aspiration to have a son. 1ord Shiva appeared before him and asked him to demand any boon he !ished. Sage Shilad e8pressed his desire of having a son !ho is not born from a physical body and !ho is proficient in all the sriptural kno!ledges. 1ord Shiva blessed him by saying N #So be it#. Sage Shilad then returned to his hermitage and performed a #/agya#. From the yagya(kunda appeared a child !ho possessed four arms and three eyes. Sage Shilad !as very pleased to see that child. "he birth of the child !as celebrated !ith great fanfare. 1ord Shiva and Parvati arrived to bless the child. "he child !as named +andi as his birth had given immense joy 6anand7 to sage Shilad. 1ater on +andi lived !ith his father like any other normal child and !as brought up !ith great love and care. ,e became proficient in all the scriptures !ithin seven years. %eing inspired by lord Shiva, t!o brahmins came to sage Shilad and informed him that after one year +andi !ould be no more. Sage Shilad became e8tremely sad. Seeing his father in his sorro!ful mood, +andi consoled him and later on !ent to do penance. ,is tremendous penance pleased 1ord Shiva and Parvati

and both of them appeared before him. 1ord Shiva blessed him and said( O/ou are just like me, so you !ill never dieP. 1ord Shiva also gave one of his garlands to him. s soon as +andi !ore that garland he imbibed all the qualities of lord Shiva. fter that 1ord Shiva took out some !ater from his locks of hair and sprinkled on him, as a result of !hich five rivers came into e8istence. "hese five rivers !ere later on came to be kno!n as Panchanad. 1ord Shiva then made him the leader of all his ganas. 1ater on goddess Parvati took +andi under her guidance and considered him just like her o!n son. +andi !as married to Suyasha( the daughter of )arut. 3ltimately all of them accompanied lord Shiva to his abode. >.9F %hairav 'ets 1iberated from his Sin %hairav !ho !as created by lord Shiva from his third eye, had severed one of the five heads of 1ord %rahma on the instruction of lord Shiva. +o! %rahmaji !as left !ith only four heads. 5arrying the skull of %rahma in his hand, %hairava started !andering in all the three !orlds. "o atone his sin of severing the head of lord %rahma, he !as begging alms. %hairav reached .ishnuloka !here he !as !elcomed !arm heartedly by lord .ishnu and 1a8mi. 'oddess 1a8mi dropped the learning 6.idya7 named )anorath 6by !hich all the !ishes could be fulfilled7 in the begging bo!l 6Skull7 of %hariav. %hairav became e8tremely happy by this gift. 1ord Shiva had created a oegrass named #%rahmahatya# and had instructed %hairav to reach $ashi, before her. ccording to lord Shiva this !ay the sin committed by %hairav could successfully atoned. fter being blessed by goddess 1a8mi, %hairav took the permission of 1ord .ishnu and proceeded to!ards $ashi. fter his departure asked %rahmahatya to stop chasing %hairav. %ut she refused saying that she !as just follo!ing the instruction of 1ord Shiva.

&hen %hairav reached $ashi, %rahmahatya too came near the outskirts of the city, but could not enter it because of 1ord Shiva#s po!er instead she entered in to the nether!orld 6Patal loka7. s soon as %hairav had entered $ashi. "he begging(bo!l 6skull7 fell on the ground and thus %hairav got liberated from his sins. %hairav !as e8tremely relieved. "he place !here the skull of %rahma had fallen, later on became as $apal mochan( the most sacred place of pilgrimage. >.99 Shiva "akes an -ncarnation as Sharabh &hile describing about the incarnation of Sharabh Sutaji told sages( O&hen .ishnuji took his incarnation of +risimha to kill the demon king N ,iranyakashipu, his anger could not be subdued even after the killing of ,iranyakashipu. ,is anger had frightened all the three !orlds. 1ord %rahma sent Prahalada to +risimha so that his anger gets cool do!n. Prahalada prayed to +risimha. +risimha took him in his embrace but still his anger !as not subdued.P O ll the deities !ent to lord Shiva and requested to him to cool do!n .ishnu#s anger. 1ord Shiva then sent %hairav and .eerbhadra to +risimha. &hen .eerbhadra politely requested +risimha to cool do!n, he 6+risimha7 tried to pounce on him 6.eerbhadra7. 0ight then 1ord Shiva appeared in his most devastating form. ,e !as looking frightening in his giant form and !ith thousands of hand. ,is appearance !as resembling a huge cannibal bird. 1ord Shiva injured +risimha !ith his giant !ings and after carrying 1ord .ishnu in his giant !ings and after carrying lord .ishnu in his arms he fle! in the sky. 1ord .ishnu !as so frightened that he became unconscious.P O fter regarding his consciousness 1ord +risimha appeared in his form of 1ord .ishnu and eulogi?ed Shiva, !hich made lord Shiva very pleased. 1ord Shiva !ore the head of +risimha !ith the garland of skull in his neck. "he remaining body !as carried by .eerbhadra and abandoned at a mountain.P >.9: .ish!anar 0eceives a %oon from Shiva

*nce upon a time, there used to live a brahmin named .ish!anar !ho !as a great devotee of lord Shiva. Shuchismati !as his !ife !ho !as a devout !ife. %eing pleased by her sense of dutifulness, .ish!anar tried to re!ard his !ife. Shuchismati e8pressed her desire of having a son just like lord Shiva. .ish!anar !ent to $ashi to please 1ord Shiva by his penance. ,e !orshipped .ishvesh!ar linga !ith supreme devotion. 1ord Shiva became very pleased by his devotion and he appeared before .ish!anar from the Shivalinga. &hen .ish!anar e8pressed his desire, lord Shiva agreed to take birth as his Son. .ish!anar came back to his house happily. >.9> ShivaIs -ncarnation as 'rihapati -n due course of time, Shuchismati became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful child. "he !hole family celebrated the birth of the child. "he !hole family celebrated the birth of the child. "he name giving ceremony of that child !as attended by all the deities and sages including lord Shiva and Parvati. 1ord %rahma named the child as 'rihapati. &hen 'rihapati attained the age of five, his sacred thread ceremony !as performed. &ithin a year he became proficient in all the .edas and other sacred te8ts. &hen 'rihapati attained the age of nine, +arada came and informed .ish!anar that death of 'rihapati !as imminent because of the evil effects of the planetary combinations. .ish!anar and Shuchismati !ere saddened and started crying. 'rihapati then consoled his parents and proceeded to!ards $ashi to do penance so that the #death# could be conqured. >.9; 'rihapatiIs Penance

'rihapati commenced his penance at $ashi. "he deity -ndra arrived there and requested him to demand anything he !ished but 'rihapati refused. -ndra became furious and tried to attack him !ith his !eapon(.ajra. 'rihapati !as very terrified. 0ight then 1ord Shiva appeared and -ndra had to retreat from the scene. 1ord Shiva blessed 'rihapati by saying N O&hat to say about this lightning N .ajra, even $aalvajra !ould not be able to kill you.P 'rihapati became very pleased. "he Shivalinga !hich he !orshipped, later on became famous as # gnish!ar linga. 1ord Shiva made 'rihapati the lord of all the directions. >.9@ 1ord ShivaIs -ncarnation as /akshesh!ar 4uring the time !hen ocean !as being churned first of all poison appeared from it. "he deities !ere very terrified to see the tremendous heat it generated. "hey !ent to lord Shiva and requested to protect them from the heat of that poison. 1ord Shiva drank all the poison but did not let it pass do!n his throat. fter the poison, +ectar appeared from the ocean, !hich !as drunk by the deities. "he demons too !anted to drink the nectar, so a tremendous battle ensued bet!een them and the deities. "he deities became victorious in this battle because they had become immortal due to the effect of the +ectar. "his victory made the deities very arrogant. 1ord Shiva !as very concerned about their arrogant nature. ,e !ent to them in the guise of a /aksha. ,e asked as to !hat !as it that had made them so arrogant. "he deities replied that their arrogance stemmed from victory over the demons. 1ord Shiva !ho !as disguised as /aksha replied( O/our pride is based on false notion, because you did not achieve victory due to somebody#s grace and blessing.P "he deities disagreed !ith him. 1ord Shiva then asked them to cut the grass

if they considered themselves so mighty. ,e then kept a grass leaf in front of them. 2ach of the deities tried to cut that grass !ith their respective !eapons but remained unsuccessful in their attempts. "hey !ere all ama?ed. Suddenly a heavenly voice !as heard !hich said that the /aksha !as none other than 1ord Shiva himself. "he deities reali?ed their mistakes. "he apologi?ed to lord Shiva. fter vanquishing the false pride of the deities lord Shiva disappeared. >.9A 4ash vatar 69F -ncarnations of Shiva7 4escribing about the ten incarnations and their corresponding po!er 6Shakti7, Sutaji said( "he first incarnation of lord Shiva !as as )ahakal and his Shakti !as called )ahakali. 1ord Shiva took his second incarnation as "ar and his Shakti !as called #"ara#. "he third incarnation of 1ord Shiva !as as %huvanesh!ar and his Shakti !as called #%huvanesh!ari#. 1ord Shiva took his fourth incarnation as #Shodash# !ho !as also kno!n as #Srividdyesh# and his Shakti !as called #Shodashi# or #Shri#. 1ord Shiva took his fifth incarnation as %hairav and his Shakti !as called #%hairavi#. "he si8th incarnation of 1ord Shiva is famous as #5hhinamastak# and his Shakti by the name of #5hhinamasta. 1ord Shiva took his seventh incarnation as #4hoomvan# and his Shakti !as kno!n as #4hoomvati. "he eighth incarnation !as as %aglamukh and his Shakti as %aglamukhi. "he nineth incarnation of lord Shiva became famous as )atang and his Shakti as #)atangi#. 1ord Shiva took his tenth incarnation as #$amal# and his Shakti as $amala. -f these ten incarnation of Shiva are !orshipped along !ith his ten )ahavidyas then a man attains salvation. >.9B "he *rigin of 2leven 0udras *nce, the deities !ent to sage $ashyap after being tormented by the demons. "hey complained to him about the misdeeds of the demons, !ho also happened to be their step brothers. Sage $ashyap became e8tremely furious,

!hen he heard about the misdeeds of his sons N the demons. "o protect the deities from his sons, he commenced a penance to please lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva became very pleased by his penance and appeared before him. ,e asked $ashyap to demand anything he !ished. $ashyap then requested 1ord Shiva to take birth as his son and destroy the demons. 1ord Shiva blessed him and said N #So be it#. 1ord Shiva, later on took birth as eleven 0udras from the !omb of his !ife Surabhi. "he name of these eleven rudras !ere as follo!s:( 97 $apali, :7 Pingal, >7 %heem, ;7 .irupaksha, @7 .ilohit, A7 Shastra, B7 japaad, C7 hirbudhnya, D7 Shambhu, 9F7 5hand and 997 %hav. "hese eleven 0udras fought battles !ith the demons and killed them. "he deities !ere relieved after the death of the demons. "hey !orshipped these eleven rudras to e8press their gratitude and indebtedness. >.9C ShivaIs -ncarnation as 4urvasa 4escribing about the 1ord Shiva#s incarnation as 4urvasa, Sutaji told the deities:( Oonce tri N the manasputra of lord %rahma !ent to do penance at the bank of the river +ivindhya !hich fle! by the foothills of "rayakshakul mountain as per the instructions of 1ord %rahma himself. ,e commenced doing a tremendous penance. "he effects of his penance !as such that devastating flames of fire manifested from his head. "he fire spread in all the three !orld in no time. "he deities !ere terrified by the death and destruction caused by the fire in all the three !orlds. "hey !ent to lord %rahma to seek his help. 1ord %rahma took them to lord .ishnu and revealed to him about the destruction caused by the fire. ll of them !ent to lord Shiva and told him everything. 1ord %rahma, 1ord .ishnu and 1ord Shiva !ent to tri and blessed him. tri recogni?ed them. ,e eulogi?ed them. 1ater on tri#s !ife( nusuya gave birth to three sons, !ho in fact !ere the incarnations of 1ord %rahma, 1ord .ishnu and 1ord Shiva. 1ord %rahma incarnation as the )oon, 1ord .ishnu

as 4utt and Shiva took incarnation as 4urvasa. 4urvasa had tested the religiousness and virtuosity of numerous people. ,e had also tested the religiousness of king mbareesh, !ho ruled over #Saptad!eepa#. *nce king mbareesh had observed a fast on #2kadashi#. +e8t day, !hen he !as about to break his fast sage 4urvasa arrived accompanied by his large number of disciples. 4urvasa !as very furious !ith king mbareesh. ,e said( O/ou had invited me for this particular, but you have also insulted me by breaking the fast by drinking !ater in my absence.P Sage 4urvasa !ould have burnt king mbareesh to ashes by his curse, had not Sudarshan(the !eapon of .ishnu came to his rescue. Sudarshan then tried to burn sage 4urvasa !hen suddenly a heavenly voice !as heard from the sky !hich said( O4urvasa is no one but the incarnation of lord Shiva himself.P ,earing this Sudarshan#s anger !as pacified. $ing mbareesh then begged his forgiveness from sage 4urvasa. >.9D -ncarnation of ,anuman 1ord Shiva !as so infatuated by the appearance of lord .ishnu in his form of )ohini roopa that his semen !as released on the ground. "his semen !as established by the Saptarishis in the !omb of njani, !ith the permission of lord Shiva himself. -n this !ay !as born the mighty ,anuman. *nce, during his childhood ,anuman had s!allo!ed the Sun, !hich he released only after the deities prayed to him. "he sun accepted him as his disciple and made him proficient in all the learning#s. ,e started living !ith Sugreeva as per the instructions of his teacher N the Sun. 4uring the time of Sri 0am#s e8ile, Sugreeva developed friendship !ith him

!ith the help of ,anuman. ,anuman helped Sri 0am in finding the !hereabouts of Sita, !ho had been abducted by the demon king(0avana. ,e took a giant leap and jumped across the ocean. ,e !ent to shok(.atika !here 0avana had kept Sita. ,e gave Sri 0am#s ring to her and consoled her by saying that very soon Sri 0am !as going to arrive and release her from 0avana#s captivity. ,e also burnt the !hole 1anka by his burning tail and returned to Sri 0am to give him Sita#s ne!s !hile the battle !as fought bet!een Sri 0am and 0avana 1a8mana got seriously injured and became unconscious. ,anuman saves his life by bringing the !hole of mountain, upon !hich the herb Sanjivani gre!. %eing present at the service of Sri 0am, ,anuman performed his duties marvelously. &orship of ,anuman helps a man to become free from all kinds of problems, diseases and hurdles etc. >.:F ShivaIs -ncarnation as )ahesh *nce, %hairav !ho !as entrusted !ith the job of a doorkeeper became so infatuated !ith Parvati#s beauty that he tried to prevent her from going outside. Parvati became furious and cursed him to be born as a mortal man on the earth. %hairav became very sad but no! the damage had been already done. %hairav later on appeared in the form of a man named #.etal#. .etal prayed to lord Shiva !ho took his incarnation as )ahesh and goddess Parvati as 'irija. >.:9 1ord .ishnu 5reates "urbulences fter the churning of the ocean had been accomplished, numerous things had emerged out from the ocean. Ge!els, )oon, 1a8mi, Poison, 3chchaishrava horse, 2ravat elephant, .essel containing +ectar !ere some of the things !hich emerged out from the ocean after the churning. tremendous battle !as fought bet!een the deities and the demons to have

control over the vessel containing +ectar. "he demons had snatched that vessel from the deities. %y the divine inspiration of lord Shiva, .ishnu appeared in the form of )ohini N the enchanting beauty. ,e successfully recovered that vessel from the control of the demons. "o distract the attention of the demons from the nectar, lord .ishnu created numerous enchanting beauties. &hen the demons sa! them, they forcibly carried these enchanting beauties to their abode Nthe +ether !orld. fter that they again returned to take control of the +ectar. %y that time, .ishnu had made the deities drink all the nectar. &hen the demons came to kno! about this, they became very furious and attacked the deities. tremendous battle ensured bet!een both the sides. 3ltimately the demons got defeated. "o save their lives the demon ran to!ards their abode. 1ord .ishnu chased the demons and entered the +etherland. ,e killed all the demons. 1ord .ishnu then sa! those enchanting beauties !ho had been abducted by the demons. -ronically, lord .ishnu got infatuated by their beauty( !ho !ere his o!n creation. 1ord .ishnu remained there for a long time. >.:: ShivaIs -ncarnation as .rishabh 4uring his stay in the +etherland, many sons !ere born to 1ord .ishnu, !ho !ere very !icked and cruel. "hese sons of lord .ishnu started tormenting the inhabitants of all the three !orld. ll the deities and the sages !ent to lord Shiva to take his help. "hey requested him to kill the cruel sons of .ishnu and reestablish him 6lord .ishnu7 in his o!n abode, !hich he had abandoned for the +ether !orld. 1ord Shiva !ent to the +ether!orld in the form of a *8 6.rishabh7. ,e killed all the sons of lord .ishnu !ith his sharp horns. Seeing the death of his sons, lord .ishnu came for!ard to fight him. ,e attacked lord Shiva !ith his

various !eapons, but lord Shiva remained harmless. 3ltimately lord .ishnu !as able to recognise him. ,e eulogi?ed lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva then requested him to return back to .ishnuloka, he accepted. 1ord .ishnu left his #Sudarshan chakra# in the +ether!orld and !ent to his o!n abode, !here lord Shiva presented him a ne! Sudarshan chakra. >.:> $illing of .rittrasur *nce, !hen the deities !ere defeated by vrittrasur, they !ent to lord %rahma after hiding their !eapons in the hermitage of sage 4adhichi. "hey requested lord %rahma to reveal about the means, ho! vrittrasur could be killed. 1ord %rahma advised the deities to male a !eapon named .ajra from the bones of sages 4adhichi, as 4adhichi#s bones !ere even harder than the .ajra of -ndra by the blessings of lord Shiva. ll the deities then !ent to the hermitage of 4adhichi in the leadership of .rihaspati. *n being enquired about the purpose of their visit, -ndra said that he !anted his bones so that a !eapon could be made out of it. 4adhichi 'ave up his life by his yogic po!er. -ndra then instructed $amdhenu to e8tract the bones from the dead body of 4adhichi. "he bones !ere on given to #"!ashta# to construct the !eapon(.ajra. "!ashta took the !eapons to .ish!akarma !ho at last constructed the .ajra. -ndra killed .rittrasur !ith this !eapon. &hen Suvarcha N the !ife of 4adhichi came to kno! about the cunning deeds of the deities, she cursed them to became animals. >.:; ShivaIs -ncarnation as /atinath "here used to live a bheel named ahuk o the rbudachal mountain. ,is !ife !as ahuka. %oth of them !ere supreme devotee of lord Shiva. *nce, lord Shiva !anting to test their devotion, appeared before them

disguised a hermit. ahuk honoured his guest and treated him very !ell. 1ord Shiva then requested him to give shelter for the !hole night. ahuk e8pressed his inability as he had a very small hut, in !hich only t!o people could be accommodate at a time. %ut his !ife intervened and requested ahuk to sleep outside the hut !ith his arms, as it !ould be inappropriate on their part to miss this chance of proving their hospitality. "he hermit, !ho in reality !as lord Shiva slept !ith ahuk#s !ife inside the hut, !hile ahuk himself slept outside the hut. 3nfortunately ahuk !as killed by a !ild animal !hile he !as asleep. -n the morning !hen lord Shiva found that ahuk had died, his heart !as filled !ith grief. %ut ahuka consoled him by saying that she !as proud of her husband as he had given up his life for a noble cause. +aturally she !as very much saddened by her husband#s death so she decided to give up her life by jumping into the burning pyre. 0ight then lord Shiva appeared in his real form and blessed her by saying( O-n his ne8t birth your husband !ould take birth in a royal family. ,e !ould become famous as +ala and you !ould be born as 4amayanti to king %heema of .idarbha. - !ould myself appear in the form of a s!an and help both of you to unite. fter enjoying all the pleasures of this !orld both of you !ould attain to may abode. fter saying thus, lord Shiva established himself as immovable Shivalinga, !hich later on became famous as chalesh!ar linga. >.:@ ShivaIs -ncarnation as $rshna 4arshan $ing +abhag !as born in the nineth geneology of Shraddhdeva !ho himself !as a descendant of -kshavaku. +abhag !as the grandfather of mbareesh. 4uring his childhood +abhag left his home for #gurukula to get education. -n his absence his brothers got the !ealth of the kingdom distributed among

themselves. &hen +abhag returned home after the completion of his education, he demanded his share of !ealth from his brothers. ,is brothers told him that they had forgotten to fi8 his share as he !as absent at the time !hen !ealth !as being distributed. "hey advised him to go and meet their father. +abhag !ent to his father and made the same request. ,is father advised him to go to sage ngiras !ho !as trying to accomplish a yagya, but !as not being able to accomplish it because of his attachment. O'o and try to eliminate his attachment by your discourses. "his !ay sage ngiras on being pleased !ith you !ould give all the !ealth !hich remains after the completion of the yagya.P Said his father. +abhag did the same. ,e !ent to the place !here sage ngiras !as performing his yagya. ,e preached sage ngiras on the virtues of 0eligiousness. s a result he became free from all sorts of attachments and the yagya !as successfully accomplished. Sage ngiras !as very pleased by +abhag#s kno!ledge of religion. ,e gave all the remaining !ealth of the yagya to +abhag. Gust then lord Shiva arrived there in his incarnation of $rishna darshan and tried to prevent sage ngiras from donating the !ealth to +abhag, instead he staked his o!n claim. +abhag told lord Shiva that, since the !ealth !as given to him by sage ngiras himself, it naturally belonged to him. 1ord Shiva then sent +abhag to his father(Shraddhdev to kno! about his opinion. +abhag !ent to Shraddh deva !ho revealed to him that the person !ho !as staking his claims on the !ealth !as none other then lord Shiva. ,e also told him that !hatever remained after the accomplishment of the yagya belongs to lord Shiva only. +abhag !as no! satisfied. ,e !ent back to lord Shiva and narrated everything !hat his father had said. ,e then eulogi?ed and !orshipped lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva blessed him !hich helped +abhag to attain salvation.

>.:A 1ord Shiva ppears as a %eggar "here !as a king named Satyarath !ho ruled over .idarbha. *nce he !as attacked by a neighbouring king. Satyarath !as killed in that battle. ,is !ife someho! managed to save her life by hiding in a forest. "he queen !as pregnant at that time. t the shore of a pond she gave birth to a child. She !as feeling thirsty, so she !ent into the pond to quench her thirst. 3nfortunately she !as killed by a crocodile !ho used to live in that pond. "he hungry child started crying( beggar !oman arrived there !ith her one year old child. "hough her heart !as filled !ith compassion seeing the hungry child cry but still she !as hesitating to take him in her lap. 0ight then lord Shiva appeared as a beggar and advised her to bring up the orphan child. "he beggar !oman asked about the origin of the child. 1ord Shiva told her that the father of this child Satyarath in his previous life had left the pradoshavrata incomplete. ,e had also ordered his men to severe the head of his enemy. fter this, he had broken his fast in his impure state, !ithout taking a bath. s a result, Satyarath met a premature(death in his ne8t life. "he mother of this orphan child too committed a sin by deceitfully getting the co(!ife of her husband killed. s a result she !as devoured by a crocodile in her ne8t life. 4escribing about the child lord Shiva said( O"his child !as brahmin by birth in his previous life, but still he never engaged himself in any religious or virtuous deeds. So in his ne8t life, though he !as born in a royal family, buts still he remained poor. /ou must take this child under your control and after his sacred(thread ceremony gets accomplished, you must engage him in my 6Shiva#s7 devotion. -f you don#t obey my command then it !ould not be good for the !elfare of your o!n child.P

fter saying like this lord Shiva disappeared. "he beggar !oman took that child to her house and brought him up !ith great love and care. &hen he gre! up his sacred(thread ceremony !as performed and then he !as initiated into the !orship of lord Shiva. %y the blessing of lord Shiva, Satyarath#s son formed a pot full of gold !hile he !as taking both in a pond. +o! the beggar family became very rich. *nce again !hen he had gone to a forest he met a #gandharva# princess to !hom he ultimately got married. "his !ay he became a king. ,e lived happily !ith his mother and his brother. >.:B 1ord Shiva ppears in the 'uise of -ndra 6Suresh!ar7 3pamanyu Nthe son of sage .yaghrapaad, !as brought up in his maternal uncle#s home since his childhood. *ne day 3panyu !as very hungry. ,is mother gave him milk to drink !hich !as not enough to satisfy his hunger. ,e demanded more and started crying. ,is mother mined some !heat flour in the !ater and gave him to drink as there !as no milk left in the house. 3pamanyu finding the taste different told his mother that it !as not milk but something else. ,e again started crying. ,is mother told him that if he !anted milk then he should !orship lord Shiva as he only !as capable of making the milk available. 3pamanyu proceeded to!ards the ,imalaya and started doing penance to please lord Shiva( continuously chanting the mantra *m +amah Shivay. ,is penance generated so much of heat that all the three !orlds started burning. "o test his devotion, 1ord Shiva and goddess Parvati appeared before him disguised as -ndra and -ndrani respectively. %oth of them told 3pamanyu to stop doing penance. "hey said( O&e -ndra and -ndrani are e8tremely pleased by your devotion. Stop !orshipping Shiva. &e !ill fulfill all your desires.P 1ord Shiva and goddess Parvati did not stop at this. "hey even cursed Shiva. 3pamanyu became very furious and got up to attack the abuser N -ndra.

Shiva and Parvati !ere satisfied by his total dedication and devotion. "hey revealed their real identity and blessed him. Shiva promised 3pamanyu that he !ould be present in the vicinity of his hermitage along !ith Parvati forever. 3pamanyu returned back to his home and narrated the !hole story to his mother !ho !as very pleased. 1ord Shiva got the name #Suresh!ar# because he appeared in the guise of -ndra. >.:C Sage .yasa dvises the Pandavas to &orship Shiva fter loosing their !hole kingdom to 4uryodhan in the gamble, Pandavas !ent to the d!ait forest accompanied by 4raupadi. "hey started living in a place !hich !as donated by .elotra Sun. 4uryodhan instigated sage 4urvasa to torment the Pandavas. Sage 4urvasa !ent to the place !here Pandavas !ere staying, accompanied by thousands of his disciples. ,e demanded food from the Pandavas. ,o! could have the Pandavas satiated from the hunger of thousands of people. 1ord $rishna came to their rescue and saved them from being disagraced. s a result 4urvasa and his disciples !ent back satisfied. 1ord $rishna advised the Pandavas to !orship lord Shiva, but they neglected that advice. s a result their sufferings increased in magnitude. *ne day sage .yas arrived there. "he Pandavas gave a rousing reception. 5onsidering rjuna to be the most capable among the Pandavas, .yas taught him the method of doing #Parthiva# !orship. 1ater on rjuna !ent to the -ndrakeel mountain to please -ndra by his penance. Sage .yas preached /udhisthir to remain firm on his virtuously and religiousness. >.:D -ndra ppears before rjun rjuna#s penance generated so much of heat that all the living creature of the three !orlds !ere unable to bear its scorching heat. ll the living creatures of the three !orlds !ent to -ndra to seek his help.

-ndra !ent to rjuna in the guise of a celibate and asked about the purpose for !hich he !as doing penance. rjuna told him that he !anted to defeat the $auravas. -ndra then told rjuna that it !as not in his capacity to help him achieve victory over the $auravas, because of s!atthama !ho !as a partial incarnation of lord Shiva. -ndra advised rjuna to please lord Shiva by his penance so that his !ishes could be fulfilled. -ndra then entrusted some of his men, the job of rjuna#s security and !ent back to his abode. rjuna commenced his penance to please lord Shiva. >.>F 1ord Shiva ppears in the 'uise of $irat rjuna did a tremendous penance by standing only on one leg and concentrating his ga?e upon the bla?ing sun,. "he deities became very impressed by rjuna#s penance. "hey !ent to lord Shiva and requested him to bless rjuna. 1ord Shiva accepted their request. 4uryodhan had sent a demon named )ooka to kill rjuna. )ooka had disguised himself as a boar. rjuna !as engrossed in his meditation, !hen suddenly his concentration got disturbed by a loud noise. ,e opened his eyes and sa! )ooka being chased by a band of $irats. -n fact it !as none other than Shiva !ho had appeared in the guise of $irat. %oth rjuna and 1ord Shiva struck the boar !ith their respective arro!s at the same time. s a result the boar !as killed. >.>9 $irat %lesses rjun 1ord Shiva sent his ganas to bring back the arro!. Similarly rjuna too !ent near the dead boar to bring his arro!. rjuna found his arro! lying on the ground. ,e picked it up in his hand. 0ight then the ganas arrived there and asked rjuna to return that arro! as it belonged to their master 6Shiva7. %ut rjuna refused to part !ith his arro!. -nstead he asked the ganas, to convey his challenge to their master to have a dual !ith him.

"he ganas !ent back to lord Shiva and narrated the !hole story to him. 1ord Shiva accepted rjuna#s challenge and !ent to fight him. ,is ganas accompanied him. rjuna defeated all the ganas of Shiva. -n the end 1ord Shiva came for!ard to have a dual fight !ith him. Shiva !as very much impressed by his valour. ,e revealed his real identity. rjuna !as very ashamed that he fought !ith Shiva. 1ord Shiva consoled him and gave his !eapon Pashupat to rjuna. >.>: "he "!elve Gyotirlingas 4escribing about the t!elve Gyotirlingas, Sutaji told the sages:( ""here are t!elve Gyotirlingas !hich are as Follo!s : 97 Somnath in Saurashtra, :7 )allikarjuna in SriShail, >7 )ahakal in 3jjain, ;7 maresh!ar in *mkar, @7 $edar in the ,imalaya, A7 %heemashankar at the bank of %heema river. B7 .ish!anath in .aranasi. C7 "rayambakesh!ar ar the bank of 'autami river, D7 %aidyanath at 5hitabhumi, 9F7 +agesh !hich is situated bet!een 4arukvan d!arika and %het d!arika 997 0amesh!ar at %etubandh and 9:7 4hushmesh in Shivalaya. "hese above mentioned t!elve Gyotirlingas are considered to the very sacred. devotee !ho pays a visit to any of these places and !orship, gets all of his !ished fulfilled. *ut of these t!elve Gyotirlingas, Somnath Gyotirlinga is belived to destroy the sorro!s of )oon. devotee !ho !orships this Gyotirlinga gets cured from incurable diseases like leprosy etc. enjoys all kinds of !orldly pleasures and attains salvation. Similarly having a darshan of )allikarjuna helps a devotee to fulfill all of his desires. ,aving a darshan of )ahakaal at 3jjain helps a devotee to fulfill all kinds of desire and achieve salvation. Similarly if a devotee merely touches the idol of *mkar linga then he

achieves the desired fruits. $edarlinga is situated in the ,imalayas and is considered to be very sacred. 1ord Shiva took his si8th incarnation as %heema Shankar to kill the demon %heema. "his incarnation of Shiva tool place at a place called $amarupa in ssam. "he seventh incarnation of lord Shiva !as as .ish!anath at $ashi. "his Gyotirlinga is considered to be very sacred and fulfiller of all the desires of a man. 1ord Shiva took his eighth incarnation at the bank of river 'autami at the request of sage 'autam. "his Gyotirlinga too is considered to be very sacred and a fulfiller of all the desires of a man. "he ninth incarnation of Shiva !as as %aidyanath at 4eoghar in %ihar. "his Gyotirlinga !as established by the demon $ing 0avana. devotee !ho !orships this Gyotirlinga gets all of his !ishes fulfilled. %ecause of this, it ia also kno!n as $amanalinga. 4evotees carry the holy !ater of the 'anges from Sultanganj and both the idol of %aidyanath in the months of Shravan and %hadrapaksha according to the ,indu calendar. 1ord Shiva took his tenth incarnation to kill the demon 4aruk !ho used to live in 4aruk forest. devotee !ho !orships +agesh, never faces any calamity. "he eleventh incarnation of lord Shiva !as as 0amesh!ar linga, this linga !as established by Sri 0am !hile the construction of a bridge over the sea !as going on. ,aving a darshan of this Gyotirlinga besto!es both !orldly pleasures and salvation. 1ord Shiva took his t!elfth incarnation as 4humesh!ar after being pleased by 4hushma ( the !ife of Sumedha. ,aving a darshan of this Gyotirlinga helps a devotee to fulfill all of his desires. ll the above mentioned t!elve Gyotirlingas are very sacred and give total accomplishment to the devotees.

; $oti 0udra Samhita "his 5hapter contains :C sections. ;.9 "he 'reatness of 3palingas fter describing about the t!elve Gyotirlinga, Sutaji mentioned about the various 3palingas originating from them. "he 3palinga named Somesh!ar is situated at a place !here the earth meets the ocean. "his 3palinga is also kno!n as # ntakesh#. "he 3palinga originating from )allikarjuna is famous by the name of #0udresh!ar#. Similarly the 3palinga originating from )ahakal Gyotirlinga is kno!n as #4ughdhesh#. "he 3palinga manifesting from *mkar jyotirlinga is famous as #$ardamesh!ar#. "he 3palinga manifesting from $edaresh!ar jyotirlinga is kno!n as %hutesh!ar and is situated at the bank of /amuna 0iver. "he 3palinga manifesting from %heema Shankar Gyotirlinga is famously kno!n as #%heemesh!ar#. "he 3palingas manifesting from +agesh!ar, 0amesh!ar and 4hushmesh!ar Gyotirlingas are kno!n as %hutesh!ar, 'uptesh!ar and .yagresh!ar respectively. ll these upalingas are considered to be very sacred. devotee !ho has darshan of these 3palingas gets liberated from all of his sins. part from these t!elve Gyotirlingas and upalingas, there are numerous other lingas, !hich have great religious importance. "hey are $ritikavasesh!ar, "ilmandesh!ar, %hutesh!ar, %atukesh!ar, Puresh!ar, Siddhanatesh!ar, Shringesh!ar, 'opesh!ar, 0angesh!ar, 0amesh!ar, trish!ar, )ahabal linga $amesh!ar, 'anesh!ar, Shukresh!ar, 5handrashekhar, 0ishish!ar 1alitesh!ar, Pashupatish!ar, 6Pashupatinath7, $umtinath and ndhakesh!ar etc.

;.: tri and nusuya do Penance Sage tri and his !ife nusuya !ere doing penance in the forest called $amad, situated near the 5hitrakut mountain. *nce it did not rain for many days. s a result people living in that area faced a severe drought. nusuya requested her husband to help out the people from their hardships. Sage tri sat do!n to meditate. *ne by one, his disciples deserted him. *nly nusuya remained !ith him. She spent her days !orshipping the Parthiva lingas and circumambulating sage tri !ho !as engrossed in his meditation. She had vo!ed not to have a single morsel of food till it rained. ll the deities became very pleased !ith their penance. "hey arrived at the place !here both of them !ere doing penance and after giving blessings !ent back to their respective abodes. 1ord Shiva and river 'anges stayed there. -t did not rain for fifty four years. %oth sage tri and nusuya continued !ith their respective penance. ;.> "he 'reatness of tri &hile doing penance, sage tri felt thirsty. ,e requested nusuya to fetch some !ater. nusuya !ent !ith a $amandal, in search of !ater but did not find it any!here. 'anga appeared before her and said( "- am very pleased !ith you. /ou can demand anything from me you like." nusuya demanded only a $amandal full of !ater for her husband. 'anga instructed her to dig up a pit and !hen it !as done she entered into that pit. nusuya filled her $amandal !ith the !ater from that pit and !ent back to her thirsty husband. fter quenching his thirst, tri enquired form nusuya as to !here did she find !ater. nusuya narrated the !hole story. %oth of them then !ent back to the place !here nusuya had met 'anga. %oth of them requested 'anga to

stay at that very place. 'anga agreed to remain there on the condition that nusuya donates all the virtues attained by her husband by !orshipping 1ord Shiva for one year. nusuya donated all the virtues, !ithout any hesitation. 1ord Shiva became very much pleased by their charitable tendencies. ,e appeared before them. fter eulogi?ing, tri requested lord Shiva to remain in his hermitage accompanied by Parvati. 1ord Shiva agreed to do so. 'anga also stayed !ith them. 1ater on tri performed a grand /agya after the completion of !hich it rained heavily. "hus tri ended the phase of drought by his tremendous penance. 0iver )andakani flo!s from that same #Pit# !hich nusuya had dugged up. "he Shivalinga, !hich !as !orshipped by nusuya during that time later on, came to be kno!n as trish!ar 1inga. ;.; "he %rahmin &oman ttains to ,eaven *nce upon a time, there lived a brahmin at a place called #$arni# situated at the bank of river #0eva#. &hen the brahmin became old, he !ent to $ashi after leaving behind his !ife to live !ith his sons. fter sometime the brahmin died. &hen the brahmins sons came to kno! about his death, they !ent to $ashi and performed his last rites. fter some days the brahmins !oman died too. "he %rahmin#s son ( Suvas again !ent to $ashi carrying the ashes of their dead mother as per her o!n !ish. *n his !ay, Suvad became a guest of another brahmin. Suvad !itnessed an ama?ing even in the night, in !hich he sa! his host trying to milk the co!. t first he allo!ed the calf to drink the co!#s milk for sometime. ,is host then moved a!ay the calf from the co!. "he calf !as still hungry and !as not !illing to move a!ay from the co!. "he brahmins trashed the calf very badly. "his made the co! very sad and vo!ed to teach that !icked brahmin a lesson.

"he calf tried his best to convince his mother against doing this as her action might make her commit the gravest of sins ( the brahmahatya. %ut the co! !as not !orried, as she kne! the method of nullifying that sin. Suvad !as surprised that the co! kne! the method of nullifying the sin of brahmahatya. +e8t morning, the brahmin entrusted the job of milking the co!, the brahmins# son gave a severe trashing to the calf !ho !as un!illing to move a!ay from his mother. "he angry co! lifted the %rahmin#s son !ith her horns and dashed him against the ground. "he %rahmin#s son died on the spot. &hen the brahmin returned to his home he became very furious on seeing his son dead. ,e drove both the co! and the calf out of his house, after beating them very badly. "he colour of the co! had turned blue due to the trashing she got from her brahmin. "he co! !ent to the temple of +andikesh!ar, situated at the bank of river +armada. "o neutrali?e the sin of %rahmahatya she took dip in the !ater of river +armada for three times. s a result she regained her original colour. Suvad had follo!ed the co! all along the !ay. ,e !as ama?ed to see the co! regaining her original colour. ,e proceeded on his further journey to!ards $ashi. ,e met a beautiful lady on the !ay !ho enquired as to !here !as he going. Suvad told her that he !as going to immense the ashes of her mother in the holy !ater of the river 'anges. "he lady advised him to immerse the ashes in the !ater of +armada itself, as the holy 'anga herself comes to meet +armada on the seventh day of .aishakh every year. ""oday is the same auspicious day !hen the holy 'anga !ill be coming to meet +armada." Said the beautiful !oman. She also told him that immersing the ashes in the !aters of +armada !ould help his mother to attain to the divine abode.

"his beautiful lady !as none other than 'anga herself. fter advising Suvad she disappeared. Suvad follo!ed the instruction of that beautiful lady. ,e immersed the ashes in the !aters of +armada. ,e sa! his mother attaining a divine body. ,is mother blessed Suvad and then attained to the abode of 1ord Shiva. ;.@ )ahabal Shiva 1inga 4escribing about )ahabal Shiva 1inga, Sutaji said to the sages( ")ahabal Shivalinga is situated at 'okarna area. devotee !ho has a darshan of )ahabal Shivalinga on the eighth or fourteenth day of # rdranakshatra falling on )onday, becomes free from all of his sins and attains to the Shivaloka." ,aving a darshan of this Shivalinga on any other day too helps a man to attain to the abode of lmighty. ll the deities, ancestors, holy rivers like 'anga and the +agas stand guard on all the four entrances of )ahabal temple" "2ven the most degraded sinner attains salvation if he !orships )ahabal Shivalinga on the fourteenth day of )agha 6dark lunar phase7. *n this day people come from all over -ndia to see the grand festival." ;.A "he 0eason %ehind Phallic &orship "he sages curiously asked Sutaji about the purpose !ith !hich Parvati had decided to appear in the form of a .agina. Sutaji narrated the follo!ing tale: "1ong long ago, some sages used to do penance in a Shiva temple situated near 4aruk forest. *ne day they !ent to collect !oods needed for the /agya. 1ord Shiva !anted to test their devotion, so he arrived before the sages# !ives in naked position holding his o!n phallus in his hand. "he !ives of the sages became frightened by Shiva#s appearance. "&hen the sages returned after collecting !oods, they became very furious to see a naked person luring their !ives. "hey asked Shiva to reveal his identity.

&hen Shiva did not give any reply, they cursed him to become a phallus." ""he Phallus fell do!n from the hand of 1ord Shiva and generated so much of heat that all the three !orlds started to burn. "he sages became very nervous and !ent to seek the help of lord %rahma. 1ord %rahma revealed to then that the person !ho they cursed !as none other than 1ord Shiva himself. ,e also instructed them to please goddess Parvati, as she only could have them from Shiva#s !rath by appearing in the form of .agina and holding the Phallus." ""he sages follo!ed the instruction of 1ord %rahma. 'oddess Parvati appeared in the form of .agina and held Shiva#s phallus in herself. "he sages then !orshipped the Shivalinga. "his jyotirlinga became famous by the name of ,aatkesh!ar." ;.B "he *rigin of %atuknath 1ong long ago there lived a brahmin by the name of 4adhichi. ,is !ife to a lo! caste, though his son ( Sudarshan !as very learned. "he name of his !ife !as "ukula. She had her husband under total control and influence. Sudarshan had four sons. *ne day 4adhichi planned to go out due to some !ork. ,e entrusted the job of Shiva#s !orship to Sudarshan. Sudarshan !orshipped the idol of Shiva daily !ithout any fail. *n the Shivaratri day, Sudarshan too had observed a fast like rest of his family members. ,e !orshipped Shiva#s idol in the morning as usual and then !ent to his home. 4uring the night time, he had a se8ual relationship !ith his !ife. fter that, he sat do!n to !orship !ithout purifying himself. 1ord Shiva became very furious by his action. ,e immobili?ed him by his curse. 4adhichi !as very sad to see the condition of his son. ,e commenced a tremendous penance to please goddess Parvati. fter being pleased by his penance, Parvati requested 1ord Shiva to liberate Sudarshan from his curse.

1ord Shiva became pleased and blessed Sudarshan by saying that he !ould become famous as %atuknath and also that the !orship of %atuknath !ould amount to the !orship of lord Shiva. ;.C "he *rigin of Somnath "he moon had t!enty seven !ives, one of !hom !as 0ohini. "he moon loved 0ohini very much, !hich made the rest of his !ives very jealous and angry. "hey !ent to their father ( 4aksha and complained about )oon#s behaviour. 4aksha !ent to )oon and advised him to give proper attention to all of his !ives. %ut it did not have any effect on him and he continued giving special treatment to 0ohini. &hen 4aksha came to kno! about this, he became very curious. ,e cursed )oon to become !eak and devoid of radiance. "he moon then sent the deities to lord %rahma to seek his help. t first, lord %rahma became very angry !ith )oon, but later on he cooled do!n and told the deities, that )oon can get liberated from the curse, if he chants #)ahamrityunjaya mantra# by going to Prabhus area. )oon !ent to Prabhas area and chanted )ahamrityunjaya mantra for ten crore time after sitting in one posture. 1ord Shiva appeared before him and asked him to demand anything he !ished. )oon requested lord Shiva to liberate him from the curse given by 4aksha. 1ord Shiva told moon that the !ords of 4aksha can never became untrue. ,o!ever he blessed moon by saying that he !ould !ane during the dark lunar phase due to the curse, but !a8 during the dark lunar phase due to his 6Shiva#s7 blessings. 1ord Shiva also provided moon that he !ould be present along !ith Parvati near him 6moon7. "hus 1ord Shiva established himself as Somanath. "he deities constructed a #$unda# named 5handrakunda. -t is believed that the )oon because liberated from the curse by taking a bath in this Punda.

;.D "he *rigin of )allikarjuna *nce, under the influence of Sage +arad, $artikeya had gone to the $raunch )ountain to do penance. Shiva and Parvati could not bear the pain of his separation for long. %oth of them !ent to the $raunch mountain to see him. &hen $artikeya sa! them coming he moved to some other place. &hen lord Shiva sa! this he established himself in the form of Gyotirlinga, !hich later on became famous as )allikarjuna jyotirlinga. ;.9F "he *rigin of )ahakalesh!ar "here used to live a brahmin at vantikapuri. ,e !as a great devotee of lord Shiva and used to !orship dialy. "his brahmin had four sons !hose names !ere 4evapriya, )edhapriya, Sukrit and 4harmabahu. %y the blessings of lord Shiva the brahmin enjoyed a very happy and contented life. fter his death, the brahmin#s son continued the tradition of Shiva#s !orship. "here !as a mountain named 0atanak on !hich a demon named 4ushan used to live. %eing into8icated by the boons received from 1ord %rahma, he used to torment all the people. ,e had all the surrounding area under his control e8cept the house in !hich the brahmin family lived. 4ushan ordered his fello! demons to bring the brahmin after capturing them. ll the demons !ent to vantikapuri and created havoc. "hey !ent to the brahmins and told them about 4ushan#s order. "he brahmins !ere busy doing !orship at that time so they did not give ear to their !ords. "he brahmins continued !ith their !orship. "he demon became very angry and tried to attack them. Suddenly the earth cracked !ith a tremendous sound and lord Shiva manifested from !ithin the cracks. ,e killed all the demons. ,e then !ent to the 0atnamala mountain and killed 4ushan. ,e again returned to the

brahmins and e8pressed his desire of fulfilling their !ishes. "he brahmins e8pressed their desire of getting liberated from the bondage#s of this !orld. "hey also requested him to remain at that place. 1ord Shiva accepted their request and established himself in the form of )ahakal. ;.99 "he *rigin of *mkaresh!ar *nce, +arad had gone to meet .indhya mountain. .indhya !as very arrogant in his behaviour. +arad told him that Sumeru mountain !as even greater than him and so his false pride had no basis. .indhya became very dejected and disheartened. ,e !ent to mgresh!ar and started !orshipping Shiva after making a Parthiv linga. 1ord Shiva became very pleased by his penance. ,e appeared before .indhya and blessed him. fter sometime the sages too arrived there and !orshipped Shiva. "hey requested lord Shiva to remain at that place forever. 1ord Shiva established himself as Paremesh!ar 1inga. *ne Shivalinga already e8isted at maresh!ar, !hich became famous as *mkaresh!ar. ;.9: "he *rigin of $edaresh!ar "!o incarnations of 1ord .ishnu by the names of +ara and .ishnu did penance at %adrikasharam. %oth of them used to !orship the idol of Shiva daily. 1ord Shiva used to arrive in his subtle form and accept their offerings !ithout being noticed by them. *ne day 1ord Shiva appeared before them. +ara and +arayana eulogi?ed him and requested to remain at that place forever. 1ord Shiva accepted their request and established himself as #$edaresh!ar jyotirlinga#. ;.9> "he *rigin of %heema Shankar %heema ( the demon, !as the son of $umbhakarna and $arkati. fter $umbhakarna !as killed by Sri 0am. $arkati and %heema !ent to live at Sahya mountain.

&hen %heema gre! up he asked $arkati about his father. $arkati told him that his father had been killed by 0am. %heema s!ore to avenge his father#s death. ,e did a tremendous penance to please lord %rahma. %rahma appeared before him and blessed him !ith insurmountable po!er and strength. %heema then drove out the deities from heaven. ,e !ent to $amarupa and defeated the king. ,e captured the king and put him in prison. "he helpless king used to pass his time by chanting the mantra( *m +amah Shivay. ,is !ife !orshipped the Parthiva linga of Shiva for the release of the king. ll the deities !ent at the bank of river )ahakeshi and !orshipped the Parthiva linga of lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva appeared before them and assured them that the end of %heema !as near. 1ord Shiva !ent to the king !ho had been held captive by %heema. ,is ganas too accompanied him. ll of them !aited for the opportune time to kill %heema. )ean!hile somebody informed %heema that the king !as doing !orship of Shiva in the prison, !ith the objective of getting %heema killed. %heema arrived at the spot in the prison !here the king !as !orshipping the Parthiva linga of 1ord Shiva. ,e made fun of Shiva and struck the Shiva linga !ith his s!ord. 0ight then, 1ord Shiva appeared. tremendous battle !as fought bet!een both of them. "he battle continued for a long period. Sage +arad requested lord Shiva to kill %heema as soon as it !as possible. 1ord Shiva produced fire by his loud roar. -n a very short time the fire spread in the !hole forest. ll the demons including %heema !ere burnt to death. "he deities and the sages arrived there. "hey requested 1ord Shiva to remain there. 1ord Shiva accepted their request and established himself in the form of %heema Shankar Gyotirlinga. ;.9; "he *rigin of .ishvesh!ar

&ith the desire of giving liberation to the living creatures of this !orld, lord Shiva had kept some portion of land on his "rishul after separating it from the rest of %rahma#s creation. "he name of this sacred place is )anikarnika. "he Shiva linga by the name of vinukta !as established by lord Shiva himselfL 1ater on this sacred place !as brought do!n from the "rishul and established on the land of Shiva. "his sacred place of pilgrimage later on became famous as $ashi and the Shivalinga as vimukta .ishesh!ar. ;.9@ "he *rigin of "rayambakesh!ar 4uring the ancient time there lived a famous sage named 'autami. "he name of his !ife !as hilya. *nce it did not rain for one hundred years as the result of !hich the !hole area !as affected by drought. Sage 'autami did a tremendous penance to please .arun appeared before 'autam, he !as requested to cause rain. %ut .arun e8pressed his inability in causing rain. ,e told 'autam to please lord Shiva so that his !ish could be fulfilled. 1ater on .arun instructed 'autam to dig a up a pit, !hich he 6.arun7 filled !ith !ater. .arun blessed 'autam by saying that this pond !ould never dry up. "he sages !ho had abandoned that place returned there. 2verybody became happy and satisfied. *ne day, sage 'autam instructed his disciples to fetch some !ater from that pond. &hen the disciples reached there, they found the !ives of numerous sages present at the bank of the pond. "he sages# !ives did not allo! them to take !ater and instead they rebuked them. "he disciples returned back to the hermitage and narrated the !hole story to sage 'autam. hilya pacified the angry disciples and !ent to the pond to fetch !ater. From that day on!ards this became very daily routine. *ne day hilya met the !ives of the sages. "hey tried to prevent her from fetching !ater. +ot only that they !ent back to his respective hermitages and filled the ears of their husbands. ll the sages became very angry. "he sages !orshipped lord 'anesha to please him. &hen 'anesha appeared,

they requested him to drive 'autam out from that place. t first 'anesha !as reluctant to accept their demand but !hen they kept a persisting he agreed at last. 'anesha entered the field of 'autam in !hich barley !as being cultivated. 'anesha had disguised himself as a co!. ,e started gra?ing the barley crops. &hen 'autam sa! the co! gra?ing crops, he tried to drive her out from the field by hitting a grass on her back. "he artificial co! died instantly. 'autam !as very sorry for his act. )ean!hile all the sages from the surrounding area arrived there. "hey forced 'autam to abandon that place at once. 'autam left that place and made his hermitage at a little distance from there. *ne day he came to the sages and asked them as to ho! could he atone for his sins. "he sages told him that his sins could be atoned only !hen he circumambulates the !hole earth thrice, all the !hile saying, #- have killed a co!#. "hey also told him that after that he !ould have to perform austerities for one month. -f this is not possible then you !ill have to help 'anga manifest herself and take bath in her !ater. *ther!ise you !ill have to !orship three crores Parthiva lingas. *nly then, you can get liberated from the sin of killing a co!," said the sages. 'autam made the Parthiva lingas and started !orshipping them. 1ord Shiva became very pleased by his devotion and appeared before him. Sage 'autam requested lord Shiva to liberate him from the sins of killing a co!. ,e also requested lord Shiva to manifest the stream of river 'anga that place. 1ord Shiva tried his best to make him understand that he !as innocent and the real culprits that he !as innocent and the real culprits !ere those !icked sages. %ut, 'autam !as unconvinced. t last lord Shiva instructed 'anga to appear in the form of a !oman. 'autam eulogi?ed 'anga. %y the blessings of lord Shiva 'autam !as liberated from his sins of killing a co!. fter that 'anga e8pressed her desire to go back but lord Shiva asked her to remain on the earth till the t!enty(eighth nanvantar. 'anga accepted to do that, on the

condition that 1ord Shiva along !ith Parvati too !ould remain present on the earth. 1ord Shiva established himself as "rayambakesh!ar Gyotirlinga and 'anga became famous as 'autami 'anga. ;.9A "he *rigin of %aidyanath "he demon king( 0avana did a tremendous penance to please lord Shiva and to get a boon from him. 2ven after his severe penance !hen lord Shiva did still not appear, he started offering his heads one by one to lord Shiva. "his !ay he already severed his nine heads and offered them to Shiva. &hen he !as about to severe his last remaining head, just the lord Shiva appeared before him. ,e blessed 0avana !ith unparalleled po!er and strength. 1ord Shiva also made him a ten headed demon once again. %ut 0avana !as not satisfied. ,e requested lord Shiva to come along !ith him to 1anka. 1ord Shiva gave 0avana s Shivalinga and !arned him against keeping it on the earth, as then no po!er on the earth could lift that Shivalinga from there. 0avana proceeded !ith the Shivalinga. *n the !ay he felt the urge of urinate. 0avana gave that Shivalinga to a co!herd boy and !ent to urinate. "he co!herd boy held the Shivalinga for sometime. ,e felt that the Shivalinga !as becoming heavier and heavier. ,e could not bear the !eight of the Shivalinga for too long. ,e kept it on the ground. &hen 0avana returned he became very sad after seeing the Shivalinga on the ground. ,e kne! that, no! it !as impossible to lift it from that place. 0avana established the Shivalinga there, !hich became famous as #%aidyanath jyotirlinga#. ;.9B "he *rigin of +agesh!ar Gyotirlinga 4uring ancient times, there lived a demon named 4aruk. "he name of his !ife !as 4aruka. "hey used to torment the people living in that area. "he residents of that area !ent to sage # ursh# and narrated about their miseries and requested him to end this menace. # ursh# assured them that very soon their hardships !ould come to an end. ,e

then !ent to do his penance. "he deities appeared before him after being pleased by his tremendous penance. Sage # ursh# requested the deities to kill the demons. "he deities !ent to fight !ith the demons. "he demons got scarred and started thinking about the means by !hich their lives could be saved. 4aruka the !ife of 4aruk had received a boon from goddess Parvati due to !hich she had gained unparalleled po!er. She carried the !hole forest and placed it in the middle of the sea. "his !ay the demons again lived !ithout being perturbed by the threat of the deities# attack. *ne day the demons sa! many boats sailing in the sea, on !hich !ere many people on board. "he demons made all the people captive. "here !as a man named Supriya !ho !as great devotee of 1ord Shiva. ,e used to !orship lord Shiva daily, even though he sa! held under captivity. 0est of the people too got influenced by his devotion and everybody started !orshipping lord Shiva."his !ay, si8 months had passed. *ne day a demon sa! Supriya !orshipping the idol of lord Shiva. ,e !ent to 4aruk and informed him. 4aruk became e8tremely furious. ,e asked Supriya as to !hom !as he !orshipping. Supriya still engrossed in his !orship did not give any reply. "his made 4aruk even more angry. ,e tried to kill Supriya. 1ord Shiva appeared and killed all the demons. 4aruka#s heart became full of grief at the ne!s of her husband#s death. She !ent to Parvati and told her ho! lord Shiva had killed 4aruka. Parvati met lord Shiva and both of them decided to protect there respective devotees by establishing themselves at that place. "hus, +agesh!ar jyotirlinga came into e8istence. ;.9C 2stablishment of 0amesh!ar fter ,anuman brought the ne! that Sita had been held captive by 0avana at 1anka, Sri 0am proceeded to!ards 1anka !ith a huge army. fter receiving the seashore he faced the problems of crossing over the sea.

Sri 0am made a Parthiva linga of Shiva and !orshipped it. 1ord Shiva became very please !ith him and appeared. ,e blessed Sri 0am to be victorious. Sri 0am on the other hand, requested him to establish himself in that Parthiva linga, to !hich lord Shiva agreed. "his !ay #0amesh!ar jyotirlinga# came into e8istence. ;.9D "he *rigin of 4hushmesh Gyotirlinga "here used to live a brahmin by the name of Sudharma, !ho belonged to the lineage of sage %hard!aj. ,e !as a great devotee of lord Shiva. Sudeha !as his !ife. Sudharma had no son. Sudeha desires for a son. She e8pressed her desire to Sudharma but he did not listen to her pleas. *ne day Sudeha had gone for an outing accompanied by her companions. -ncidentally a quarrel ensured among them and her companions made fun of her issue less status. Sudeha became very sad. fter returning to her hermitage, she narrated the !hole incident to Sudharma. Sudharma meditated on the form of Shiva and thre! t!o flo!ers, to!ards his !ife. ,e thought that if Sudeha picks up the flo!er, !hich he had thro!n !ith his right hand, then certainly a son !ould be born. %ut if she picks up the another flo!er then there is no chance of her giving birth to a son. 3nfortunately Sudeha picked up the flo!er !hich Sudharma had thro!n !ith his left hand. Sudharma told his !ife that she !as never going to become a mother. ,e advised her to dedicate her life in the devotion of lord Shiva. &hen Sudeha learnt that there !as no chance of her becoming a mother, she insisted her husband to marry for a second time, so that he could become a father. %ut Sudharma refused to marry for the second. Sudeha brought her younger sister(4hushma to the hermitage and married her !ith reluctant Sudharma. 4hushma proved to be a very faithful !ife. She engaged herself in the service of Sudharma and Sudeha. She also used to !orship the Parthiva(linga of Shiva daily.

fter her !orship she used to immerse the Parthiva lingas in a pond. "his !ay, !hen she had accomplished the !orship of one lakh Parthiva lingas, lord Shiva blessed her !ith a son. Sudharma !as e8tremely pleased but Sudeha became jealous of her o!n sister. &hen the child gre! up, he !as married to a beautiful brahmin girl. 4hushma instructed the bride to take a special care of Sudeha. So the bride engaged herself in the service of everybody. She took special care of looking into the needs of Sudeha. %ut still, Sudeha#s jealousy did not diminish. *ne day engripped by e8cessive jealousy and anger, she killed 4hushma#s son !hile he !as asleep. She cut his body into many pieces and thre! those pieces into the same pond, in !hich 4hushma used to immerse the Parthiva lingas. &hen the daughter in la! noticed a piece of flesh on the bed she started crying. She !ent to 4hushma and narrated the !hole story. ,earing the ne!s of her son#s killing, 4hushma too started crying Sudeha also !ept artificially. Sudharma arrived there. "hough he himself !as very sad yet he instructed 4hushma to do the daily !orship of Parthiva linga as usual. 4hushma obeyed the command of her husband, She !orshipped the Parthiva lingas and !ent to the pond of immense. %y the blessings of lord Shiva, her son !as standing at the bank of the pond alive. ,e came to!ards his mother and said( ")other< - have become alive even after my death." 4hushma !as still engrossed in her thoughts of lord Shiva, so she could not listen to her son. 1ord Shiva appeared and blessed 4hushma. ,e also e8pressed his desire to punish her !icked sister ( Sudeha for her evil deed, but 4hushma requested him to forgive her. She also requested lord Shiva to stay there forever. 1ord Shiva accepted her demand and established himself in the form of 4hushmesh!ar Gyotirlinga. Sudharma and Sudeha arrived at that place and !orshipped Shiva. t last everybody returned home happily.

;.:F 1ord .ishnu 0eceives Sudarshan 5hakra "he deities !ent to lord .ishnu, after being tormented by the demons. "hey requested him to annihilate the demons. fter assuring them, 1ord .ishnu !ent to $ailash mountain to do his penance. %ut even his tremendous penance !as not enough to please 1ord Shiva. 1ord .ishnu then !orshipped lord Shiva by chanting the mantras of Shiva Sahastranamavali. ,e also offered one thousand lotus flo!ers to lord Shiva in course of his !orship. *ne day Shiva !anted to test the devotion of lord .ishnu. ,e stole one lotus flo!er from among the one thousand flo!ers. &hen lord .ishnu began his !orship he found that there !as one flo!er less. "o make up for this deficiency, he offered his one eye to lord Shiva ( his eye !hich has been compared !ith a lotus flo!er. 1ord Shiva !as very mush impressed by his e8ceptional devotion. ,e appeared before .ishnu and asked him to demand any boon he !ished. 1ord .ishnu demanded a divine !eapon to annihilate the demons. 1ord Shiva gave him a sparkling Sudharshan 5hakra. *n the request of 1ord .ishnu he established himself in the form of ,arish!ar Shivalinga. t last lord .ishnu killed the demon !ith his Sudarshan 5hakra. ;.:9 Shiva Sahastranaam Sutaji told the sages that lord .ishnu had !orshipped lord Shiva !ith the help of his one thousand names. Some of the chief names of Shiva are Shiva, ,ar, )rid, 0udra, Pushkar, Pushpalochan, rthigamya, Sadachar, Sharv, Shambhu, )ahesh!ar, etc. ;.:: "he 'reatness of Sahastranaam devotee !ho chants these one thousand names of lord Shiva attains all the accomplishments. 5hanting it during distress helps a man to become free

from all kings of misfortune. 1ord .ishnu could kill the demons only because of the po!er he derived from the chanting of Sahastranaam. ;.:> "he 4evotees of Shiva 4escribing about the numerous devotees of Shiva !ho !ere famous for their devotion to!ards lord Shiva, Sutaji named a fe! of them like 4urvasa, .ish!amitra, 4adhichi, 'autam, $anad, %hargav, .rihaspati, .aishampayam, Parashar, .yas, 3pamanyu, /agyavalkya, Gaimini and 'arg etc. ,e also narrated a tale connected !ith $ing Sudyumna. *nce Sudyumna had gone into that forest !hich !as gifted to Parvati by lord Shiva, !ith the !arning that any man !ho dares to enter it !ould become a !oman. s soon as Sudyumna entered that forest he got transformed into a !oman. ,e became very sad. ,e !orshipped lord Shiva to regain his masculinity. 1ord Shiva pleased by his devotion, he blessed him to be as a man for one month and again as a !oman for the same period of time alternately. ;.:; usterities E Fastings 5onnected !ith ShivaIs &orship *nce Parvati asked lord Shiva as to !hich !ere the austerities !hen on being performed by a devotee, helps him to attain both !orldly accomplishments as !ell as liberation. 1ord Shiva told her about ten austerities connected !ith his !orship and their methods. ,e said( "*n the eighty day of every month a devotee should !orship me by observing a fast for the !hole day and breaking it in the night. %ut on $alashtami a devotee must observe the fast for the !hole day and night. ,e must not have food on that day. *n the eleventh day of the dark(lunar month, a devotee must !orship me and observe fast during the day. ,e should break the fast in the night. %ut on the eleventh day of the bright lunar month, a devotee should observe a fast for the !hole period of day and night. *n the

thirteenth day of dark(lunar month a devotee must observe fast for the !hole period of day and night, !hereas on the thirteenth day of a bright lunar phase he should observe a fast during the day and break it in the night. fast observed on )onday should be broken only in the night." ;.:@ )ahashivaratri 1ord Shiva continued !ith his statements( " mong all the austerities and fastings )ahashivaratri holds a supreme place. -t falls on the fourteenth day of the dark lunar month of Phalgun. *n this day the devotee should take a vo! to observe a fast after a!akening in the morning and finishing his daily choirs. ,e must observe a fast for the !hole day and night. -n the night he should !orship me either in the temple or in his o!n home according to his convenience. ,e should !orship me !ith the help of si8teen modes of !orship 6Shodasopachar7. ,e should either chant the mantras of 1aghurudra or perform #abhishek# during the course of !orship. &hile doing !orship he should eulogi?e me and perform #artis# in my praise. ,e can perform #abhishek# !ith either of the follo!ings ( )ilk, !ater, sacred !ater of belonging to a place of pilgrimage, sprinkling !ater !ith $usha, Sugarcane juice, ,oney and 'hee etc. "he devotee should engage himself in my devotion for the !hole day. -n the end he should feed the brahmins and make donation to them. fast observed in t his !ay gives infinite virtues to the devotee." ;.:A ccomplishment of Shivratri 63ddyapan7 fter observing fasts for fourteen consecutive years on each of the Shivaratri days, a devotee should perform #3ddyapan# 6religious rites performed on the accomplishment of an observance7. *n the day preceding the 3ddyapan ceremony, a devotee must have food for one time. "he ne8t day a devotee should perform 3ddyapan after making a religious vo! and according to the appropriate methods. devotee !ho performs 3ddyapan in the above mentioned !ay attains to the Shivaloka.

;.:B "he 'reatness of Shivaratri "here used to live a poor bheel named 'urudruha. ,e !as very poor. *ne day finding no food available in his house, he !ent to the forest to hunt an animal. 3nfortunately he did not find any animal !hich he could hunt. %eing hungry, he sat do!n on the bank of a pond and pondered as to !hat !ould happen to his family members !ho !ere hungry too. ,e thought that if he !aited there, then he might get a chance to kill a thirsty animal, !hich arrives there to drink !ater. 'urudruha climbed up a bael tree and !aited for his prey. Shivalinga !as established just under that tree and co incidentally it !as a Shivaratri day. &hen the first three hours of the night had passed, he sa! a female deer arriving !ith her young ones. ,e got ready !ith his bo! and arro! and aimed his arro! to!ards the female deer. %y coincidence some leaves from that bael tree fell on the Shivalinga along !ith some drops of !ater from the vessel in !hich he !as carrying !ater. 'urudruha had accomplished the !orship of Shiva during the first #Prahar# of the night una!aringly. fter hearing the noise made by falling drops of !ater, the female deer looked up. She sa! 'urudruha sitting !ith his bo! and arro!s. She asked him about his desire. 'urudruha told her that he !anted to kill her, so that he could feed his family members. "he female deer requested him to allo! her to go so that she could leave her young ones in the safe custody of her husband. She promised to come back. t first 'urudruha !as reluctant but !hen the female deer started giving illustrations from the scriptures, he allo!ed her to go. )ean !hile the sister of female deer arrived there !ith her young ones. &hen 'urudruha so! her, he got ready to kill her. Suddenly his movements on the tree, made some leaves of bael and fe! drops of !ater to fall on the Shivalings. -t !as the second Prahara of the night and 'urudruha had again performed the !orshiped of Shiva una!aringly.

&hen the female deer 6Second7 heard the noise made by falling drop of !ater She looked up to!ards 'urudruha. She asked him about his desire. &hen 'urudruha told about his desire, she requested him to allo! her to go so that she could hand over her young ones in the safe custody of her husband. -nitially, 'urudruha !as reluctant to allo! her to go, but !hen she promised to return back, he allo!ed her to go. 'urudruha sat on the branches of the bael tree !aiting for his prey. "he second prahar of the night !as coming to an end and the third prahar about to begin. "he deer arrived there searching his !ife and children. 'urudruha again made himself ready to kill that dear. gain some leaves and fe! drops of !ater fell on the Shivalinga. "he !orship of Shiva during the third Prahara had been accomplished by 'urudruha, though una!aringly. *n hearing the noise made by the falling drops of !ater, the dear looked up and asked 'urudruha about his desire. 'urudruha told him about his desire. "he deer requested 'urudruha to allo! him to meet his !ife and children for once. "he deer promised to return back. fter becoming satisfied by his intentions, 'urudruha allo!ed him to go to meet his family. 'urudruha sat on the bael tree !aiting for the deers an8iously. "he third prahar of the night !as approaching its end and the fourth prahar !as about to begin. Suddenly 'urudruha sa! all the three deer#s coming to!ards the pond. ,e became e8tremely pleased at the prospect of getting flesh of three animals. ,e got read !ith his bo! and arro!s. ,is movements on the bael tree again made some leaves and fe! drops of !ater to fall on the Shivaling. 'urudruha had successfully accomplished the !orship of Shiva even during the fourth Prahar. +ot only this he had also remained a!ake for the !hole night of Shivaratri. "he fast observed by 'urudruha on Shivaratri along !ith the !orship of Shiva though una!aringly had made him on enlightened person. "he thought

of killing the deers remained no longer in his heart. ,e thanked all the deers for their help in his attainment of enlightenment. 1ord Shiva became e8tremely pleased and appeared before him. ,e blessed 'urudruha that in his ne8t birth he !ould get an opportunity to serve Sri 0am and !ould become famous as +ishad. 1ord Shiva also told 'urudruha that by the blessings of Sri 0am he !ould attain salvation by the blessings of Sri 0am he !ould attain salvation. Sutaji !hile describing about the virtues of observing fast on Shivaratri told the sages that if a fast observed un!aringly on Shivaratri gives such virtues then !hat could be said about a fast !hich is observed deliberately. ccording to Sutaji such a fast !ould besto! both !orldly pleasures and salvation. ;.:C 4ifferent Stages of 1iberation 0egarding the different stages of liberation, Sutaji told the sages that there !ere five stages of liberation capable of freeing a man from the sorro!s of this !orld. 97 Sarupya 6Similitude !ith the lmighty7, :7 Salokya, >7 Sannidhya 6living in the pro8imity of the almighty7, ;7 Sayujya 6getting united !ith the almight7, @7 $alvalya 64evotion to!ards 'od7 *nly lord Shiva is capable of besto!ing liberation. *ne can attain dharm 6virtuosity7, rtha 6&ealth7 and $aam 6desires and !ishes7 by the !orship of other deities, but lord Shiva besto!es all the four of them. 1ord %rahma is believed to be the master of the three elementary qualities i.e. Sat, 0aja and "ama. Shiva is beyond these qualities and even the nature itself. ,e is formless. 1ord Shiva is a mystery !hich remains unsolved even though many sages and even lord %rahma have tried to solve this mystery called Shiva. "he fifth stage of liberation is called $aivalya !hich is attained by having complete devotion to!ards lord Shiva. -n the present era of $ali, !here the attainment of self kno!ledge is very difficult, devotion is relatively an easier

path. 2ven devotion has been categorised into t!o types: a7 Sagun 6&ith form7 b7 +irguna 6Formless7 -f man !orships lord Shiva !ith total devotion he attains self kno!ledge. 2ach and every objects of this !orld is nothing but the manifestation of Shiva#s po!er. "he creation achieves e8pansion only !hen he desires. Shiva is omniscient but himself invisible. Gust as the fire, !hich already e8ists in the !ood but is visible only after it is rubbed, similarly only the #'yanis# can e8perience lord Shiva even though he is omnipresent. Gust as there is no difference bet!een cause and effect, but is appears so due to our ignorance, similarly an ignorant man can never e8perience the omnipresent Shiva by his sense organs. "he living things possess ego but lord Shiva is egoless. man can successfully subjugates his ego by becoming kno!ledgeable and attains liberation after uniting !ith lord Shiva. "his kno!ledge !as received by lord .ishnu from Shiva. 1ord .ishnu later on revealed it to lord %rahma and %rahma in turn revealed it to his manasputra ( Sanak, etcH "he manasputra revealed this kno!ledge to +arad and +arad revealed it to .yas. @ 3ma Samhita "his 5hapter contains :F sections. @.9 5onversation %et!een $rshna E 3pamanyu *nce, 1ord $rishna !ent to $ailash mountain to do penance !ith the desire of having a son. ,e found )aharishi 3pamanyu engrossed in his meditation. ,e told 3pamanyu about his desire and requested him to describe about the greatness of lord Shiva. 3pamanu described about his o!n e8perience !hen he had divine glimpses of lord Shiva !ho !as meditating

"*nce - sa! Shiva !ho !as surrounded by all the deities. 1ord Shiva !as engrossed in his deep meditation. Shiva had in his possession all the divine !eapons like ( "rident, 8e, +oose, Sudarshan etc. 1ord .ishnu and %rahmaji !ere also present there. - eulogi?ed lord Shiva !ho became pleased !ith me. 1ord Shiva !anted to bless me !ith a boon. - requested lord Shiva to bless me !ith three things( 97 - should al!ays remain his devotee b7 to be able to kno! about the past, present and future events, c7 )y family should never feel the scarcity of rice and milk." "1ord Shiva not only blessed me !ith all these three things, but also to be able to see the .aivasvat kalpa." fter completing his story, sage 3pamanyu told $rishna he must !orship lord Shiva if he !as desirous of a son, because 1ord Shiva can be pleased quite easily. @.: Sri $rshna 4oes Penance Sri $rishna then proceeded to do his penance after getting initiated by 3pamanyu !ith the mantra ( *m +amah Shivay. ,e did a tremendous penance for fifteen months by standing on his toe. -n the si8teenth month lord Shiva and Parvati appeared before him after being pleased by his penance. 1ord Shiva e8pressed his desire to bless $rishna. $rishna demanded eight boon. 97 )ay his intelligence al!ays remain inclined to!ards religiousness. :7 )ay he attain immortal fame, >7 )ay he has his abode in Shiva#s pro8imity, ;7 )ay his faith and devotion in Shiva be uns!erving, @7 )ay he have ten valiant sons, A7 )ay he be victorious against his enemies, B7 )ay all his enemies be destroyed and C7 )ay be dear to all the yogis. fter receiving eight boons from 1ord Shiva, $rishna demanded one boon from goddess Parvati )ay he al!ays be in the service of his parents and the brahmins. Sri $rishna then !ent back to 3pamanyu and narrated the !hole story. t last he returned to 4!arka. @.> 5lassification of 'rave Sins 4escribing about the sins, Sutaji told the sages that altogether there !ere

t!elve types of sins committed by a man by his actions, thought speech. *ut of them having a desire for another person#s !ife, being desirous of another#s !ealth, having evil designs against other people and drifting to!ards sinful path are considered to be sins committed by one#s thoughts. "he follo!ing sins are supposed to be committed by speech ( 5onversating !ith a !oman !ho is having periods, telling lies, 3npleasing talks and back biting. "he follo!ing sins are committed by one#s actions eating things, !hich are not !orth eating#s, indulging in violence and uncivili?ed activities and taking other#s !ealth by improper means. 2ven among all these sins some are considered to be graver, like critici?ing teacher, hermit and parents etc, stealing the property of temple or a brahmin. person commits )ahapap 6grave sin7 if he indulges in any of the follo!ing: not having devotion to!ards one#s preceptor abandoning one#s preceptor, sleeping on the preceptor#s bed, drinking into8icating drinks, having illicit relationship !ith one#s teacher#s !ife, taking back the !ealth !hich has already been donated, earning !ealth by employing improper means. man !ho commits the follo!ing sins are considered to be the grave sinners ( burning a co!shed, a forest or a city, not marrying a girl !ith a suitable man, having illicit relationship !ith daughter in la!, and sister in la!. @.; "he 4escription of ,ell 2ach living being has to taste the fruits of his #$armas#, !hen his soul reaches the abode of /ama after his death. "he soul of a virtuous man enters the hell from the +orthern side, !here as that of sinful man enters from the southern side. /amanagri ( "he abode of /ama is situated at a distance of eighty si8 thousand yojans 6*ne /ojans ( 2ight miles7 from the surface of the earth.

"he virtuous soul reaches there !ithout any problem because of his virtuous deeds. *n the contrary, the soul of a sinner reaches /amanagri tasting the fruits of his sins all along the !ay. )oreover, !hen the soul of a sinner reaches /amanagri, it gets punished by the #/amadutas#. "he lord of death then gives the final judgement on the basis of each individual#s sins. From the hell the virtuous soul leaves for the heaven. "here are many categories of hells all filled up !ith filth. @.@ 5harity and its -mportance Sutaji !hile !arning the sages told( "People !ho engages themselves in virtuous deeds through out their lives and !ho have been kind of others, cross the terrifying path of the hell quite easily. person, !ho donates shoes or !ooden sandals to brahmins, reaches the hell riding on the horse. Similarly, a person !ho donates an umbrella to brahmins reaches the hell under the shade of an umbrella. )aking donations of bed or chairs to brahmins, help a man to reach the hell after taking adequate rest on the !ay. )aking donations of 'old or silver to brahmin helps a man to attain to heaven." man !ho donated food grains enjoys all the pleasures of life, because food grains sustain life. 2ven, making donation of !ater is considered to be of supreme value because life can not e8ist !ithout it. man, !ho digs up !ells and ponds for the benefit of people, acquires great virtues. Planting trees, especially !hich gives fruits or flo!ers are considered to give immeasurable virtues. )aking donations of co!, land, kno!ledge and such objects that can be !eighed are considered. )aking donations of 'old, Sesame, elephant, girl, maid, servant, house, chariot, diamond, co! !hose colour is pure !hite and food grains are

considered to be )ahadan 6great donation7. "he donations should be made only to !orthy brahmins. @.A "he 4escription of the +ether!orld 6Patal 1oka7 "he earth is balanced on the hood of Sheshnag. 1ord .ishnu is the nurturer of this !orld. "here are seven more !orlds beneath the earth, !hich are tala, .itala, Sutala, 0asatala, "ala, "alatala and Patal. 2ach of these !orlds is ten thousand yojans in length and t!enty thousand yojans deep. ll these !orlds are full of invaluable and priceless diamonds. "he residents of each of these !orlds enjoy all the lu8uries and pleasures of life. "he demons and the +agas reside in these !orlds. @.B 1iberation From ,ell 2ven farther than these seven !orlds is situated the hell, &here the soul of the sinner goes to after the death. Some of the main names of hell are ( 0aurav, Shukar, 0odh, "aal, .ivasan and )ahaj!ala etc. "he soul of a sinner goes to each of these hells according to the magnitude of his sins. man should !orship lord Shiva and sing hymns in his praise to get liberated from his sins. @.C "he 4escription of Seven -slands "he !hole earth is divided into seven islands or d!eepas. "he name of these islands is Gambu, Plaksha, Shalmali, $raunch, Shaaka and Pushkar. ll these islands are surrounded by such oceans on all sides. "he content of each of these oceans is salt. Sugarcane juice, ghee, milk, curds and honey respectively. Gambud!eepa is also kno!n as -ndia. -t stretches from south of ,imalaya to the north of ocean. "he total area is about nine thousand yojans. -t is further subdivided into nine land segments, seven mountains, and seven sacred rivers near the seven places of pilgrimage and many other rivers.

Similarly the #Plaksha# island is surrounded by ocean of salt on all sides and spread up in the area of one thousand yojans. "he area of Shalmali island is t!ice as that of Plaksha island. -t is surrounded by the ocean of honey. "he are of $usha island is t!ice as that of Shalmali island and is surrounded by the ocean of ghee. Similarly the $rauncha is surrounded by the ocean of curd and its area is thrice as that of $usha island. "he area of Shaka island is t!ice as that of $raucha island and is surrounded by the ocean of milk. "he ocean of s!eet !ater surrounds the Pushkar island. -ts total length is five thousand yojans and five lakh yojans respectively. "he mountain )anas is situated in this island. "he residents of these islands never attain old age. 1ord %rahma resides in )ahaveet section of this island. "he people living in this island get food !ithout making any effort. @.D "he 4escription of Planets s far as the light of Sun and )oon reaches the earth, it is called #%hoo loka#. Surya loka is situated one lakh yojan above the %hooloka. "he 5handra loka is situated one lakh yojan above Surya loka. ll the constellations as !ell as the planets are spread in the area of the ten thousand yojans above the )oon. )ercury is situated above the moon .enus above the )ercury and )ars is situated above the .enus. Gupiter is situated above )ars and Saturn above Gupiter. "he Saptarshi mandals are situated at a distance of one lakh yojan above Saturn. "he #4hruva# is situated at a distance of one lakh yojan above the Saptarshi )andals. ll the planets are situated bet!een the earth and 4hruva star in the form of three lokas ( %hooloka, %huvar loka and S!arga loka 6heaven7. )ahar looka is situated even beyond the 4hruvaloka. "his is the !orld !here

the manasputras 6Sanak sanandan etc7 of lord %rahma reside. Gana loka is situated above )ahaloka !here as the "apaloka is situated at a distance of t!enty si8 lakh yojans above )ahaloka. Satyaloka is situated si8 times the distance bet!een )ahaloka and "apaloka. Satyaloka is also kno!n as %rahmaloka. %eyond %rahmaloka is situated the .aikuntha loka. Similarly the !orld of $artikeya $umar loka is situated beyond .aikunth loka. fter $umar loka comes the 3ma loka and then comes the Shiva loka, !hich is the farthest loka. 'oloka is situated near Shivaloka !here lord $rishna lives !ith the co! names Sushila, !ith the permission of lord Shiva. @.9F 5ategories of usterity 6"apa7 "ruth or Satya is the best among all the types of austerity. truthful man is the supreme devotee and a great accomplisher. usterity helps a man to attain all the !orldly pleasures of life and ultimately salvation. usterities have been classified into three types on the basis of three basic qualities or gunas i.e. Satvik tapa, 0ajassi tapa and "amassi tapa. usterities observed by the deities# hermits and celibates come under the category of Satvik "apa. usterities maintained by the #daitya8# and man come under the category of 0ajasi("apa. usterities maintained by the demons and those people !ho indulge in evil and cruel deeds come under the category of "amasi "apa. @.99 "he *rigin of %ody "he food intaken by a man gets transformed into #semen# in the body. "he semen is transformed to the !oman#s !omb during the time of intercourse !here it gets mi8ed !ith the blood. -t then develops into an egg. 'radually all the organs start to manifest themselves. "he body then attains the vital force and ultimately comes out from the mother#s !omb after suffering great pains. %ut after taking birth he forgets all about those pains. ,e then lives his

life by reaping the fruits of his past $armas. @.9: Purification of the %ody %efore taking birth, the body lives a very filthy environment in mother#s !omb. -t becomes so dirty that even Panchagavya can not make it pure. 0emembrance of Shiva is the only means to make it pure. @.9> 5ontrol over 4eath 6-chchha )rityu7 Sutaji told the sages that a person !ho !ants to control death should first be seated on a pure seat. ,e should then perform Pranayama by holding his breath. &hile doing this e8ercise care should be taken that lamp is not burning. %oth the ears should be shut by the inde8 fingers for the period of one hour. fter doing this he !ould be able to hear the sounds emerging from !ithin. ,e should try to concentrate his mind on that sound. -f this e8ercise is practiced daily for t!o hours, then he !ill have full control over his death. "his particular e8ercise helps a man to attain great accomplishments, self( kno!ledge and salvation. @.9; "he 4escent of 'anga *nce, emperor Sagar performed an sh!amedha /agya. -ndra abducted the horse used in this /agya and kept it in the hermitage of Sage $apil. ll the si8ty thousand sons of Sagar !ent to search the horse and found it in $apil#s hermitage. ,earing the commotion and noise, sage $apil !ho !as engrossed in his meditation opened his eyes and came out to see !hat !as happening. ,e !as very angry. ,e looked angrily to!ards the sons of Sagar. ll of them !ere burnt to death e8cept four. -n due course of time, Sage %hagirath became successful in bringing river

'anga to earth !ith the blessings of lord Shiva. %hagirath !as the descendants of Sagar. %hagirath made all of his ancestors alive !ho had met an untimely death by sprinkling the !ater of 'anga on their bones. 0iver 'anga is also kno!n as %hagirathi because of %hagirath. @.9@ "he usterities of .ed .yasa +arrating about the life of Sage .ed .yas, Sutaji said to the sages( "*nce !hile sage Parashar !as on his pilgrimage, he arrived at the bank of /amuna. Satyavati, !ho emitted the smell of fish, helped him cross the river. Sage Parashar !as very pleased !ith her. ,e transformed the bad smell emitting from her body into fragrance. ,e also told her that she !ould be fortunate to give birth to a son as mighty as lord .ishnu. -n due course of time Satyavati gave birth to a child. "he child !as given the name $rishnad!aipayan by Satyavati#s father. Soon after his birth the child told his mother that he !as going to do penance and he !ould come back to see her the moment she desired. "he child did tremendous penance and became famous as .ed .yas. &ith this deep kno!ledge and insight he categori?ed the different sections of .eda. fter the accomplishment of his penance. .ed .yas !ent on a pilgrimage. ,e came to $ashi !ith a desire to !rite the Puranas. "o get the blessings of 1ord Shiva he !orshipped the )adhyesh!ar linga. 1ord Shiva became pleased by his devotion and blessed him. .ed .yas created numerous puranas like ( %rahma Purana, Padma(Purana, .ishnu Purana, Shiva Purana, %haga!at Purana, %havishya Purana, +arad Purana, )arkandeya Puran, gni Puran, %rahma .aivarta Puran, 1inga Puran, .arah Puran, $urma Puran, )atsya Puran, 'aruda Puran, .aman Puran, Skanda Puran and %rahmanda Puran. @.9A -ncarnation of )ahakali *nce upon a time king Surath after loosing his kingdom to his enemy fled to the forest. fter !andering for some time he reached the hermitage of sage )edha. ,e started living there, as he had no place to go. "he dejected king

used to pass his time !ondering about his future. *ne day, Surath met a man named Samadhi, !ho !as driven out from his house by his o!n sons. ,is sons had captured all the !ealth. %oth of them !ent to sage )edha and narrated about their !oeful tales. Sage )edha advised both of them to contemplate on the form of )ahamaya %haga!ati Surath and Samadhi !ere curious to kno! about %haga!ati Sage )edha said( ""he demons, )adhu and $ailash !ere produced from the filth !hich came out from the ears of lord .ishnu, !hile he !as resting on the back of Sheshnag during the time of total annihilation." "*n seeing lord %rahma sitting on the lotus flo!er, !hich emerged from the navel of lord .ishnu, both the demons tried to kill him. 1ord %rahma eulogi?ed yoga nidra. So that lord .ishnu could be a!akened from the sleep. 'oddess %haga!ati became pleased and told %rahma that in a short !hile from no! she !ould be manifesting herself to kill the demons." "%haga!ati manifested herself in the form of $ali from the mouth and eyes of lord .ishnu. )ean!hile lord .ishnu a!akened from his sleep. ,e fought !ith the demons for one thousand years but could not defeat them. t last the demons told lord .ishnu that they !anted to bless him !ith a boon. 1ord .ishnu demanded their death. Seeing !ater on all sides the demons told him that he could kill them !here no !ater !as found. 1ord .ishnu then severed their heads after laying them on his thighs." @.9B -ncarnation of )ahala8mi )ahishasur ( the son of 0ambhasur had captured the heaven after defeating the deities. "he sorro!ful deities came to seek the help of lord .ishnu and 1ord Shiva. 1ord Shiva and 1ord .ishnu became e8tremely furious after hearing about the misdeeds of )ahishasur. 0adiant lights appeared from the bodies of .ishnu, Shiva and other deities and collectively manifested into a single form

of )ahala8mi. ll the deities presented their respective !eapons to her. )ahala8mi !ent to fight )ahishasur, !ho fought valiantly by changing his appearance, but ultimately got killed by her. "he deities became very pleased by the death of )ahishasur. "hey eulogi?ed and !orshipped her. @.9C -ncarnation of )ahasarasvati fter being tormented by the demons Shumbha and +ishumbha, the deities !ent to goddess Parvati and requested her to protect them. $aushiki manifested from the body of goddess Parvati. 'oddess $aushiki assured the deities and disappeared. %y coincidence the attendants of the demons ( Shumbha and +ishumbha, happened to see $aushiki and became enchanted by her divine beauty. "hey !ent to Shumbha and +ishumbha and praised about her beauty. %oth the demons sent a messenger to Summon her. $aushiki asked the messenger to convey the message to the demons that only such a person can become her lord, !ho defeats her in a battle. "he messenger returned and gave the message to Shumbha and +ishumbha. %oth the demons !ere enraged. "hey sent a huge army to bring $aushiki forcible, under the commandership of 4humralochan. &hen 4humralochan reached there, he told her about his master#s command. $aushiki gave the some reply that only such a person can become her master, !ho defeats her in a battle. 4humralochan then tried to abduct her forcibly. $aushiki gave a loud roar in her anger as a result of !hich 4humralochan !as burnt to death. "he !hole army !as annihilated by her vehicle(lion. &hen Shumbha and +ishumbha learnt about the death of 4humralochan and the destruction of his army, they sent many mighty demons like 5handa, )unda, 0aktabeeja etc to fight her. %ut each of them got killed by goddess $aushiki. 3ltimately Shumbha and +ishumba themselves came for!ard to fight. %oth

of them attacked $aushiki !ith volley of arro!s. $aushiki destroyed their !hole army. "he !hole battle field became flooded !ith blood. fter that $aushiki killed +ishumbha !ith special types of arro!s, !hich did not allo! single drop of blood to fall on the ground. ngered by his brother#s death, Shumbha attacked $aushiks !ith his .arious !eapons, but she neutrali?ed all of them. t last, she killed Shumbha !ith her trident. @.9D 3ma &arns the 4eities *nce, after having defeated the demons the deities had become very arrogant and proud. "hey started indulging in self praise. Suddenly they !ere started by the emergence of radiant light before them. ll the deities became scarred and !ent to -ndra. -ndra sent .ayu to test the po!er of that radiant light. s soon as .ayu reached there, he found that he had become po!erless. *ne by one all the deities came but returned after being defeated. t last -ndra himself !ent there. s soon as -ndra reached there, he found that he had become bereft of all his po!ers. Suddenly goddess 3ma manifested herself and !arned -ndra against becoming arrogant. -ndra reali?ed his mistake. @.:F "he -ncarnation of Shakambari "he most valiant demon 4urgam had acquired all the four .edas from lord %rahma after pleasing him. 1ord %rahma had also given a boon of invincibility to him. 4urgam became very arrogant and started tormenting the !hole !orld. s the consequence it did not rain for one hundred years and the !hole !orld !as hit by drought. "he deities !ent to goddess )ahesh!ari 6Parvati7 and narrated about their

!oeful tales. 'oddess )ahesh!ari !as so moved by their plights that tears rolled do!n from her eyes for nine continuous days and nights. "he tear tool the form of a river as the result of !hich the phase of drought came to an end. "he deities then requested her to recover the .edas, !hich !ere in possession of 4urgam. "hey then !ent back to their abode. &hen 4urgam sa! that people !ere living happily, he attacked !ith a large army. t that very moment goddess manifested herself and fought a tremendous battle !ith 4urgam. From her body manifested the ten )ahavidyas and many other goddesses. t last goddess )ahesh!ari killed 4urgam !ith her trident and recovered the .edas from his possession. She then handed over the .edas to the deities. )ahesh!ari is also kno!n as Shakambhari as she had created river by her tears and saved the lives of People. 97 - should al!ays remain his devotee b7 to be able to kno! about the past, present and future events, c7 )y family should never feel the scarcity of rice and milk." "1ord Shiva not only blessed me !ith all these three things, but also to be able to see the .aivasvat kalpa." fter completing his story, sage 3pamanyu told $rishna he must !orship lord Shiva if he !as desirous of a son, because 1ord Shiva can be pleased quite easily. A $ailash Samhita "his 5hapter contains A sections. A.9 5lassifications of /oga 4escribing about the various types of /oga, Sutaji told the sages that there !ere three types of /oga ( 'yan /oga, $riya /oga and %hakti /oga. "2ach of them is capable of giving salvation to a man. &hen the mind or intellect unites !ith the soul it is called 'yan /oga. &hen the soul gets attached !ith e8ternal objects, it is called $riya yoga. "he unification of one#s !hole being

!ith goddess %haga!ati is called %hakti /oga. ll these three yogas combinedly are capable of giving salvation to a man. man becomes a devotee by his actions or $armas. 4evotion or %hakti helps a man to attain 'yan or kno!ledge. 'yan or $no!ledge gives salvation. /oga is the path through !hich a man can attain liberation !hereas $riya(yoga is the chief means to attain it. A.: 5onduct of a Sanyasi Sanyasi should !ake up early in the morning. fter getting up he should remember his preceptor or 'uru and then he should pray to e8press his gratitude to!ards his 'uru. fter that he should practice Pranayama and try to concentrate his mind on the si8 chakras present in his bodies. fter the completion of Pranayama and concentration on the si8 chakras he should finish his daily routines. fter applying #ashes# on his body he should chant the sacred mantras and perform #tarpana#. Subsequently he should perform achaman and then practice Pranayama for three times. fter that he should remember the sages or rishis. &hile going to do !orship, he should maintain silence all along the !ay. ,e should do !orship only after !ashing his feet and performing achaman. A.> )ethods of Shiva &orship Sanyasi should paste the ground !ith co! dung and construct a quadrangular #)andap#. ,e should then keep a broad leaf of Palm tree at its centre. ,e should then fence the area !ith coloured threads from all the four directions. fter that he should dra! a eight petalled flo!er in the centre of the )andap, upon !hich he should dra! a Shiva /antra. t last he can commence his !orship of the Sun god. A.; "he 'reatness of Pranay )antra Sage .amadev !as a great devotee of lord Shiva from his birth. ,e never

used to remain at a place for long. *ne day he had gone to a mountain peak named $umar, !hich !as situated to!ards the south of Sumeru )ountain. ,e met $artikeya !ho revealed to him that Pranam )antra directly signifies the almighty 'od. $artikeya also told him that !ith the help of that mantra a person can attain lord Shiva ( !ho liberates from all the bondage of life. "hough, .amadeva himself kne! about the po!er of Pranav mantra yet he requested $artikeya to shed some more light on it. $artikeya told him that any one could have the pro8imity of lord Shiva, by the help of the means prescribed in the Shrutis and the Samritis. 0egarding the methods of Shiva#s !orship, $artikeya told .amadeva that though Sadashiva !as one, yet he !as kno!n by various names like )ahesh!ar, 0udra, %rahma and .ishnu. )ahesh !as created from the thousandth part of Sadashiva. "he goddess of all illusions ( %haga!ati d!ells in the left side of Sadashiva, therefore he is the lord of all the actions of the universe. Sadashiva plays his desire acts by indulging in creation, nurturement and annihilation of this !orld. A.@ -nitiation of a Sanyasi .amadeva requested $artikeya to enlighten his mind !ith that kno!ledge, !ithout !hich a Sanyasi can never attain liberation. $artikeya then told him about the methods ho! a Sanyasi should get initiation from his guru. disciple should !orship his guru in any of the follo!ing months ( Shravan, sh!in, $artik, gahan and )agh. ,e should then establish a $alash and !orship it. ,e should again !orship his guru considering him as the form of Shiva. "he guru should then initiate him !ith the Shiva mantra. fter getting the )antra, the disciple should chant it considering himself as Shiva(Shivoaham. fter this the disciple should get his head tonsured. "he barber !ho is supposed to shave off the hairs should be given pure clothes to !ear. "he barber should also !ash his hands !ith mud and !ater. "he instruments and apparatus, !hich he is supposed to use, should be made pure by the # stra#

mantras. First of all the front portion of the head should be shaved off after that the back portion of the head should be shaved off. "he disciple should then get his beards and moustache shaved off. fter this the disciple should massage his body !ith mud and take bath by taking t!elve dips in a pond. fter taking his bath he should !orship his 'uru and meditate on lord Shiva. A.A 1ast 0ites of an scetic 6Sanyasi7 $artikey told Sage .amadev that an ascetic does not die but takes a Samadhi, therefore instead of being cremated he is buried. "herefore an ascetic must practice the art of Samadhi to perfection. -f he has not yet perfected the art of Samadhi, then he should keep on practicing yoga till he attains mastery over the art of Samadhi. ,e should try to concentrate his mind on the *mkar mantra, !hich is eternal. -f his body has become !eak and feeble and incapable of doing physical e8ercises like Pranayama then he should indulge himself in Shiva remembrance. "his !ay an ascetic can attain to heaven. fter his death the rest of the ascetics should perform the rituals at his place of death for ten days. n alter should be constructed on the eleventh day. Five quadrangular mandals should be made facing to!ards the northern direction. -n each of these mandas, deities like 4evesh!ari, ti!ahak etc. should be established first and then !orshipped. "he !orship should be done as per the instruction of 'uru by offering #Prasada#. "his Prasada should be, given to a virgin girl or co!, later on. "he articles used in the process of !orship should be immersed in the river or pond. -n this !ay, the Parvan shraddh ceremony of the deceased ascetic is accomplished. -t is !orth nothing that #2kodishta# Shraddh is not performed after an ascetic death. fter the completion of #Parvan Shraddh# the ascetic should perform the 2kadashah Shraddh as per the instructions of their 'uru. *n the t!elfth day, the ascetics should invite the brahmins, after getting up in the morning and taking their bath. "hese brahmins should be feeded.

"he ascetics should then take a vo! to !orship their 'uru by holding a #$usha# grass in their hands. fter that, they should !ash the lotus feets of their 'uru and !orship him. 2ven the !orship of 'uru#s teacher should be done. fter the !orship is over, the 'uru should get up by saying #Shubhamastu#( benediction to all. ,e should then sprinkle the purified rice by chanting mantras. t last donations should be made to the invited brahmins. B .ayviya Samhita "his 5hapter contains 88 sections. B.9 "he *rigin of .idya 6$no!ledge7 "here are fourteen types of learning or .idyas ( four .edas, Si8 .edangs, )eemansa, +yay, Puranas and other religious scriptures. "hese fourteen learning along !ith yurveda, 4hanurveda, 'andharvaveda and rthashastra becomes eighteen. ll these eighteen learning#s originate from lord Shiva. 1ord Shiva created lord %rahma to felicitate the process of creation and besto!ed him !ith all these eighteen learning#s. ,e also empo!ered lord .ishnu to protect the creation. "he four .edas emerged from the mouth of 1ord %rahma, on the basis of !hich !ere created the numerous scriptures like .edangs etc. Since these .edas !ere difficult to understand, therefore lord .ishnu took incarnation of .yas and created the Puranas, so that they could be understood easily. "he Puranas contain four lakh shlokas and they help us to understand the essence of the .edas. B.: "he "ale of +aimisharanya *nce, lord %rahma released his )anomaya chakra and instructed the sages to follo! it. ,e also told them that the place at !hich the )anomaya chakra broke do!n !ould be very auspicious for doing penance.

"he sages follo!ed the )anomaya chakra, !hich after travelling for a long time fell do!n on a large segment of land and its circumference 6+emi7 broke do!n as predicted by lord %rahma. "his segment of land became famous as +aimisharanya. "he sages decided to perform a /agya at that sacred place. "his !ay the very place, sitting !here lord %rahma did creations. ll the sages commenced their /agya, !hich continued for ten thousand years. *n the completion of /agya, the deity arrived there and blessed them as per the instruction of lord %rahma. B.> "ime N "he 0adiance of Shiva 4escribing about the time 6$ala7, .ayudeva told the sages that #$ala# or time is the radiance of lord Shiva. $ala or time is also kno!n as #$alatma#. "he time flo!s smoothly !ithout being disturbed. "ime is under the control of lord Shiva. Since the time contains the element of Shiva 6Shivattatva7, hence its momentum can not be checked by any other po!er, e8cept that of Shiva. *ne, !ho understands the meaning of $ala, has a darshan of lord Shiva. B.; "ime N 5alculation "he smallest unit for measuring the time is called #+imesh#. "he time taken to drop one#s eyelid is called one +imesh. kala consists of fifteen +imeshas and thirty $alas make a #)uhurta#. day and a night consist of thirty #)uhurtas#. month consists of thirty days, divided into t!o fortnights. *ne fortnight is kno!n as #$rishna Paksha 6dark lunar phase7 and the other is kno!n as Shukla Paksha 6bright lunar phase7. -n Pitarloka the day consists of one fortnight and night of the same number of days. Shukla Paksha is the day of the Pitraloka and $rishna Paksha the night.

*ne # yana# consists of Si8 months. year consists of t!o # yanas#. *ne year of the earth is equivalent to a day and a night of the deities. "he si8 months !hen Sun is in the southern hemisphere of the earth, is actually the time !hen the deities e8perience night. *n the contrary, the si8 months !hen sun is in the northern hemisphere, is the day time of the deities. *ne year of the deities is equivalent to three hundred and si8ty years of this !orld. "he yugas are counted on the basis of the years of the deities. ccording to the scholars there are four yugas ( Satyayuga, "retayuga, 4!apar yuga and $aliyuga. satyayuga is equivalent to four thousand years of the deities. "reta yuga is equivalent to three thousand years of the deities. Similarly a d!apar yuga is equivalent to t!o thousand years of the deities and a $aliyuga to that of one "housand years of the deities. "his !ay all the four yugas collectively are equivalent to t!elve thousand years of the deities. $alpa consists of one thousand 5haturyugas. seventy one 5haturyugas. )anvantar consists of

*ne $alpa is inhibited by fourteen )anus one after another in succession. %rahma#s day is equivalent to one divine $alpa. %rahma#s year is equivalent to one thousand $alpas. %rahma#s yuga consists of eight thousand such years. %rahma#s # Savan# consists of his one thousand yugas. %rahma#s life span is complete after three thousand such Sa!anas. Five lakh and forty thousand numbers of -ndras succeed one after another during the !hole life span of %rahma.

.ishnu day is equivalent to the !hole life span of %rahma. "he !hole life span of .ishnu is equivalent to a day of #0udra#. "he !hole life span of 0udra is equivalent to a day of lord Shiva. -n the !hole life of lord Shiva five lakh and four thousand numbers of 0udras come and go. Shiva#s day commences !ith the creation and before the end of the night the !hole creation gets annihilated. Sadashiva is eternal. B.@ )editation 4escribing about )editation .ayudeva told the sages that to concentrate one#s restless mind during meditative state, a man needs some kind of form 6S!arupa7 or appearance. -dol !orship is very helpful in this regard. -f an idol of the deity is !orshipped !ith full devotion, then a time comes !hen a man can have its sight even in an empty space. -dol !orship also helps a devotee to reach to!ards the almighty 'od, !ho is formless. -t is easy for a devotee !ho believes in #Sakar# 6!ith form7 to change over to the +irakar 6formless7 !orship of 'od. %ut it is very difficult for a devotee !ho believes in the formless almighty to s!itch over to Sakar mode of !orship. "he kno!ledge of Shiva#s essence is a must attain salvation in both the modes of devotion. B.A 0ituals 5onnected !ith ShivaIs &orship *ne being asked by the sages about the rituals !hich gives salvation, .ayudeva told them that by having devotion to!ards lord Shiva, a man can achieve all the pleasures of the !orld and even attain salvation. .ayudeva also told them about Pashupat .rata and the benefits derived from it. "he !hole Pashupat .rata is divided into five parts ( $riya, "aipei, "apa, 4hyana and 'yan. "he Shaiva(dharma is the supreme religion and the rituals pertaining to it are based on the Shruits and the Smritis. Pashupat .rata has been mentioned in the .edas as the besto!er of Supreme kno!ledge. -t also contains all the eight organs of yoga, !hich !ere created by lord Shiva himself. 1ord Shiva is easily pleased if !orship is done by this method. "he devotee attains supreme kno!ledge and becomes liberated from all the

bondage#s of this !orld. B.B Pashupat .rata and its 0ituals Pashupat .rata has been mentioned even in the tharvasheersha 3panishad. -t begins on the full moon day, in the month of 5haitra. -t can be performed any!here ( a Shiva temple, any sacred place of pilgrimage, forest or garden. devotee should get up early in the morning, on the thirteenth day of bright lunar phase 6t!o days preceding the full moon day7 and after finishing his daily duties he should make salutations to his 'uru. &ith the permission of his guru, the devotee should then put on !hile coloured clothes and a sacred thread of the same colour. ,e should also !ear a !hite garland around his neck and apply sandal !ood paste on his body. ,e should then sit on the seat made of $usha grass and take a vo! by holding a $usha grass in his hand. fter this he should do ,avana by offerings articles into the sacred fire. ,e should observe a fast for the !hole day and break it only in the night by having #Prasada#. "his ritual should be repeated on the follo!ing day but the fast should not be broken in the night. *n the final day, that is full moon day he should repeat all the rituals and after putting off the fire of the ,avana $unda, he should smear his body !ith the ashes. ,e should then take his bath and put on dear#s skin or bark of the tree. ,e should also hold a stick and put on a !aist band 6)ekhala7. fter that he should again rinse 6 chaman7 his mouth and smear ashes on his body. ,e should perform the e8ercise of shtanga yoga. "hree times in a day as per the instructions of his guru. "his !ay a man is freed from the beastly qualities present in him. Pashupat .rata can be performed by a devotee as long as he is alive or he can continue it for t!elve years of three years or one year or si8 months or one month, or t!elve days or three days or even one day.

*n the completion of Pashupat .rata, a devotee should establish a Shiva idol and !orship it !ith all the si8teen modes of !orship 6Shodasopachar7. t last he should perform !aran Pujan and then !orship his guru. "hrough out the period of fast, a devotee should have fruits only and he should sleep on the bare land. Pashupat .rata done in such a !ay helps a devotee to attain to the abode of lord Shiva. B.C -ntroduction of the 3niverse .ayudeva told the sages !ho had assembled at +aimisharanya that goddess 'auri !as the manifestation of Shiva#s po!er and Shankar the omnipotent almighty. %oth Shiva and goddess Shiva contain fathomless splendours of !hich only a fraction is visible in this !orld. "his !orld is under the control of Shiva and goddess Shiva. %oth of them are inseparable. Gust as the light of the sun can not e8ist !ithout the Sun in the same !ay goddess Shiva can not e8ist !ithout lord Shiva. Gust as a lifeless body is of no use similarly the !orld can not e8ist !ithout goddess Shakti. "his illusionary !orld is tied up !ith the delusionary ropes of Shiva and Shakti. "he !hole creation is the appearance of lmighty Shiva. "he ignorant sages describe it in different !ays according to their o!n perceptions. %ut, the fact is that Shiva is one and this !orld is the creation of his illusions. man can attain liberation from this illusionary !orld only !hen he has the blessings of Shiva. 1ord Shiva is beyond the reach of lust, attachment and pleasures. ,is e8istence is separate from the nature, delusion, intelligence and ego. ,e is free from all the bondage#s. B.D 4uties of a %rahmin n ideal brahmin is supposed to perform the follo!ing duties:( a7 "rikal Sandhya 6!orshipping thrice a day7

b7 ,avan 6offerings made to the sacred fire7 c7 &orship of Shivalinga d7 )aking donations brahmin should also have the follo!ing qualities:( a7 "o see god in each soul b7 5ompassion c7 .irtuous conducts d7 Satisfaction e7 %elief in 'od f7 +on violence g7 4evotion h7 0egular study of the .edas i7 Practicing /oga j7 Preaching the teachings of .edas k7 'iving lectures on the religious scriptures. l7 %eing a celibate m7 Penance n7 ,aving a Shikha and a scared thread etc.

brahmin should never have food during the night and should contently chant the #*m +amah Shivay# mantra. 1ord Shiva is not pleased that much by rituals as by faith and devotion. man !ho !orships lord Shiva !hile maintaining the rules of #.arnashram 4harma#, has the blessings of lord Shiva and all of his desires are fulfilled. B.9F 5hanting of )antras fter getting initiated !ith the Shiva mantra, a devotee should chant it for once crore times or fifty lakh times, or t!enty lakh times or ten lakh times, !hile !orshipping Shiva. #,avana# should be performed for tenth part of the total chanting. #"arpan# should be performed for tenth part of the number of ,avana. Similarly #)arjan# should be performed for the tenth part of the numbers of "arpan. "he numbers of %rahmins selected for feeding should be equivalent to the tenth part of the numbers of )arjan. t last the disciple should give donations to the brahmins and engage himself in the !elfare of society as per the instructions of his 'uru. B.99 2stablishing 4eities in the form of lphabets !ithin the %ody 6) "0-$ +/ S7 sceticism 6+yas7 are of three types ( Sthiti 6posture7 3tpatti 6origin7 and 1aya 6fusion7. 2stablishing and chanting the cryptic mantras 6alphabets7 from the thumb to the little finger is called #Sthiti nyas#. 2stablishing and then chanting the cryptic mantras from the right thumb to the left thumb is called "3tpatti nyas#. 2stablishing and then chanting the cryptic mantras from the left thumb to the right thumb is called #1aya +yas#. #Sthiti# nyas should be practiced by the householders #3tpatti nyas# should be

practiced by the celibates #1aya nyas# should be practiced by those people !ho have relinquished the !orld 6.anprasth7. !ido! should practice Sthiti +yas. n unmarried girl should practice 3tapatti +yas. "hese modes of +yas should be practiced only after being taught by the 'uru. B.9: )ental &orship of Shiva &hile doing a mental !orship of Shiva, a devotee should !orship lord 'anesha by follo!ing the #+yas# mode of !orship. fter that he should !orship various deities related !ith lord Shiva like +andi etc. "hen he should bring the form of lord Shiva into his imagination and !orship him mentally by making mental offerings. "he devotee should then perform ,avana in the navel of lord Shiva by offering ghee. "he !orship should be accomplished by meditating on the form of Shiva. B.9> )ethod of 4oing )ental &orship "he devotee should take his seat only after purifying it. ,e should take a vo! after completing all the necessary rituals like # chaman#. Pranayam, tying a knot in his Shikha etc. fter doing the #4eepa Pujan# he should !orship various deities like Sun god, )oon god, .arun, 'anesha and $artikeya etc. ,e should then !orship both Shiva and Shakti by employing all the si8teen modes of !orship 6Shodasopachar7. "he devotee should perform #arti# in the end. -n the speciali?ed form of Shiva#s !orship # !aran Pujan# of Shiva is done along !ith the normal pujan. !aran Pujan means !orship of all the articles connected !ith lord Shiva like his trident his drum etc. -n this speciali?ed !orship the Shiva#s idol should be bathed first of all. "hen the idol should be

clothed. sacred thread should be offered to the Shiva#s idol along !ith the other offerings like #tilak#, kshat etc. fter this the #a!aran pujan of Shiva should be done along !ith the !orship of Shiva#s family. -f the devotee feels that something !as lacking in the !orship, he should atone for that mistake by chanting the Panchakshar mantra *m +amah Shivay. B.9; )ethod of Performing ,avan &hile performing a Shiva /agya a devotee should make offerings to the #havanakunda# made of iron or mud. Fire should be ignited in the havankunda follo!ing the methods as prescribed in the scriptures. ,e can then commence the actual !orship. "he devotee should make of offerings of ghee !ith Sruva 6a !ooden spoon7 and other articles !ith his hands. "he offerings should be first made in the names of lord %rahma 6Prajapati7 then to the nine planets and other deities. fter that offerings should be made in the name of the chief deity. "he devotee should then make nine offerings to each of the deities like gni, .ayu and Surya etc. t last he should perform the arti and atone for those mistakes, !hich he might have committed during the !hole process of !orship. ,e should also give donations to the brahmins and feed them. B.9@ uspicious 4ays for Performing Shiva &orship "he eighth day and the fourteenth day of both the fortnights of each ,indu month are considered to be the most auspicious for the !orship of lord Shiva. Similarly the solstice day 6Sankranti7, !hen the sun is positioned north of equator and eclipse day are considered to be very auspicious. *n these days a special !orship of lord Shiva should be done by bathing the Shiva idol !ith Panchagavya and having it is prasadam. -t frees a man from the gravest of sins. Similarly the day of #Pushya# +akshatra falling in the month of #Pausha# is considered as very auspicious and performing arti of Shiva on this day

gives immense virtues. )aking donations of 'hee and blankets on #)agha +akshatra# falling in the month of )agh gives immense virtues. "he follo!ing days are considered to be the most auspicious for the !orship of lord Shiva. ( 3ttara Falguni +akshatra on the same day as Purnima, in the month of Falgun. ( 5hitra +akshatra falling on the same day as Purnima in the month of 5haitra. ( .ishakha +akshatra falling on the same day as Purnima, in the month of .aishakh. ( )oola +akshatra falling in the month of Gyeshtha. ( 3ttarashadha +akshatra falling in the month of # shadha#. ( Shravana +akshatra falling in the month of Shravana. ( 3ttara bhadra +akshatra falling in the month of #%hadra#. (Purnima in the month of sh!in. ( $artika +akshatra falling on the same day as Purnima in the month of $artik. ( rdra +akshatra falling in the month of )argasheersha B.9A 4esirable 0ituals 6$amya $arma7 0ituals can be categori?ed in to t!o types(

97 0ituals performed !ith the objective of fulfilling !orldly desires. :7 0ituals pertaining to 3ltra mundan desires. -n general, rituals can be classified into five categories ( rituals, penance, chanting of mantras, meditation, and all the four collectively. For performance of rituals a man needs po!er and strength and one can not achieve po!er unless and until Shiva !ishes it. -t is only !ith the blessings of Shiva that a man can attain both !orldly pleasures as !ell as liberation. "hese rituals 6$amya $arma7 are performed by making a mandal facing to!ards east and doing #a!aran pujan# as !ell as !orship of lord Shiva. &orship of lord Shiva done in this !ay fulfills all the desires of a man. B.9B 0ituals Pertaining to Shiva &orship 6Shaiva $amya $arma7 "he methods for the !orship of five #a!arans# of Shiva have been mentioned in Shivamahastotra. 2ach of the #a!arans# have separate presiding deities, the !orship of !hich should be done according to the methods as described in the Shivapuran or as per the instruction of 'uru. B.9C -nstallation of Shiva 1inga ccording to the scriptures, a Shiva linga should be made in an auspicious moment. "he land, !here the Shivalinga is supposed to be installed should be purified by performing #%hoomi(Pujan#. fter bhoomi(Pujan, !orshipping lord 'anesha should be done. fter that, the Shiva linga should be purified by !ashing it !ith panchgavya and after !orshipping it, it should be immersed in the !ater. "he Shivalinga should be then taken out from the !ater and after !orshipping it, it should be laid do!n on the bed meant for him. -t should be then installed at the desired place and should be consecrated by chanting the mantras. ll the rituals should be performed as per the instructions of 'uru.

B.9D 5lassification of /oga /oga means such actions, !hich after pacifying all the human tendencies helps a man to unite !ith Shiva. Follo!ing are the five divisions of yoga( 97 )antra /oga, :7 Sparsh /oga 6union of touch7, >7 %hava /oga 6union by devotion7, ;7 bhava yoga 63nion !ithout being emotionally attached7, @7 )ahayoga 6"he great union7. )antra yoga helps a man to understand the meaning of mantras and uniting !ith Shiva by the concentration of mind. &hen )antra yoga is perfected by the practice of Pranayama it is called #Sparshyoga#. %havayoga means meditating and chanting !ithout uttering a !ord. bhava yoga means such a union !hen the devotee contemplates on the final annihilation, !ithout being emotionally attached !ith the !orld. man !hose mind is preoccupied !ith the thoughts of Shiva is supposed to have attained the state of )ahayoga. yogi can unite !ith Shiva after purifying his body !ith the help of Pranayama etc. B.:F ,urdle in the Path of /oga "here are possibilities of numerous hurdles being faced by a man !ho practices yoga like la?iness, disease, carelessness, lack of concentration, confusion and sorro! etc. &hile practicing yoga, one must try to keep

himself free from such demerits. fter becoming liberated from these fla!s a man can easily attain si8 types of accomplishment ( talent 6Pratibha7, super po!er of hearing 6Shravan7, e8cellent conversational po!er and po!er of speech 6.rata7, 4ivine sight 64arshan7, 4ivine po!er of taste 6 s!ad7, 4ivine po!er of touch 6.edana7. "he capability of seeing things situated at distant places is called #Pratibha#. "he ability to listen !ithout making any effort is called #Shravan#. "he ability to decipher the meaning of animal#s language is called #.rata#. %eing able to see divine things !ithout making any effort is called #4arshan#. "he po!er, !hich enables a man to kno! about the taste of a thing !ithout actually tasting it, is called # s!ad#. #.edana# means the kno!ledge of all types of touch. B.:9 Shiva /oga devotee can attain all types of accomplishment merely by having devotion to!ards lord Shiva and by meditating on him. -n the beginning, a yogi should try to meditate on the form of Shiva 6Saguna7, but later on the s!itch over to Shiva#s formless 6nirguna7 quality. )editating on nirguna form of Shiva is not easy. -t can be mastered only by constant and steady practice, &hen mastered it besto!s all kinds of accomplishment. )editation combined !ith Pranayama gives four types of accomplishments peace 6Shanti7, tranquility 6Prashanti7, luster 64ipti7 and boon 6Prasad7. devotee can have a darshan of lord Shiva if he does meditation !ith non attachment. B.:: Sanat$umar 0eceive Shiva('yan from +andi "he sages thanked .ayudeva for giving the kno!ledge of 'yan(/oga. "he ne8t day, they took bath in river Saras!ati and performed their !orship and rituals. fter that they proceeded to!ards $ashi.

t $ashi after taking their bath in river 'anga they had a darshan of lord .ish!anath. "hey sa! very radiant effulgence appearing in the sky, in !hich they sa! thousand sages !ho had accomplished Pashupat .rata getting merged. "he radiant effulgence vanished in no time. "he sages !ere very curious to kno! about that radiant effulgence, so they !ent to lord %rahma and asked him about it. 1ord %rahma told them that the radiant effulgence had actually instructed them to accomplish Pashupat .rata and attain Salvation. 1ord %rahma then instructed them to go to the Sumeru mountain !here +andi !as supposed to come and teach the methods of doing Pashupat .rata to Sanat $umar. *nce Sanat $umar became very arrogant of his asceticism. *ne day lord Shiva arrived at his place but Sanat $umar did not get up to greet him. t this +andi became furious and cursed him to become a camel. Sanat $umar got transformed into a camel. 1ord %rahma !orshipped Shiva to liberate his son ( Sanat $umar from the curse. 1ord Shiva became pleased and blessed Sanat $umar, as the result of !hich he regained his human body. fter regaining his human body Sanat $umar commenced a tremendous penance. 1ord Shiva instructed +andi to go to Sumeru mountain and preach Sanat $umar. "he sages reached Sumeru mountain as per the instruction of lord %rahma. "hey sa! many sages meditating at the bank of a pond. "hey also sa! Sanat $umar engrossed in his meditation at a little distance from the other meditating sages. "he sages !ent near Sanat $umar and told him about their penances done for ten thousand years. "hey also revealed to him about the purpose of their arrival. 0ight then, +andi arrived there, accompanied by his ganas Sanat $umar and all the sages !elcomed him.

Sanat $umar introduced all the sages to +andi and told him about their tremendous penance done for ten thousand years. +andi became very pleased and blessed them. ,e then preached Sanat $umar and all the sages on the Shiva(tattva. Sanat $umar passed on that kno!ledge to Sage .yas, !ho again passed it on to Sutaji. Sutaji then revealed this kno!ledge to those sages !ho had assembled at Prayag. fter receiving that kno!ledge from Sutaji all the sages !ent to Prayaga teertha and took their bath. s they sa! the signs of approaching $aliyuga, they !ent to $ashi and performed the Pashupat .rata. ll of them attained liberation !ith the blessings of 1ord .ishnu. 1istening to Shiva )aha Purana for one time liberates a man from all of his sins. 1istening to it for t!o times helps him to develop devotion in lord Shiva. 1istening to Shiva )aha Purana for three times, helps a man to attain to the abode of Shiva.