Haracaritacintamani 14.p1

Om! Homage to glorious Kapaṭeśvara! / On the road of cyclic existence, disturbed by the unfathomable, terrible, and mighty illusion, I am bewildered: what should I perform, or whom should I desire to serve? / But right now, knowing You in Your other form here under a single disguise, may I find an indescribable peace, O enemy, in what is made of wood and composed of You! 1

Here, when others alive act as though inert, / the Lord, the soul of the universe, delivers creatures even in their inert condition. | 2

In the Kṛtayuga of old there was a dānava named Puloman: / self-restrained, truth-speaking, offering refuge, and knower of Brahman. | 3

He had two daughters, beautiful throughout the three worlds. / Of the two, he gave the elder, Uṣā, to Bhṛgu as a sacrificial fee during a rite. | 4

He gave the younger, named Śacī, to Kaśyapa; / and she was given by Kaśyapa right then to the wielder of the thunderbolt. | 5

The other sons of Puloman, because of their dānava nature, / fought constantly with the gods again and again, eager to conquer all worlds. | 6

Seeing her brothers slain in battle by the gods, Uṣā wept, / and entreatingly begged Bhṛgu with the wish to revive them. | 7

Recalling the Sañjīvanī lore given by the Lord, / Bhṛgu revived even those who had been killed by the gods. | 8

Then, seeing their enemies brought back to life though dead, / the gods went for refuge to Puruṣottama, who reclines on the ocean. | 9

Bowing down to him and uttering thousands of praises, / the gods, their composure worn away, addressed Madhusūdana: | 10

"The Lord stands sovereign above all beings; / by his command, O Kṛṣṇa, you have been engaged in the work of maintenance. | 11

So today that very order of ours is overturned: / Bhṛgu revives the dānavas slain in battle. | 12

Know that Bhṛgu's wife, Uṣā, is the sister of the dānavas. / Cut off her head; there is nothing else for us to do." | 13

Hearing their words, Keśava then and there / cut off Uṣā's head for the sake of helping the gods. | 14

Her head severed, Uṣā fell lifeless upon the earth, / the reaches of the quarters drenched by streams of blood. | 15

Having learned of this event, Bhṛgu arrived in all haste, / and joined his wife, lying thus, with her head. | 16

Recalling the Sañjīvanī lore given by Mahādeva, Bhṛgu / revived his wife before eyes filled with wonder. | 17

Then, as if awakened from sleep, having regained her own form, / she repeatedly asked her husband, "What is this?" / And after some time her husband informed her of what had occurred. | 18

Then, as if vomiting a meteor from anger with her blood-red gaze, / striking the ground for a long time, she spoke harsh words: | 19

"I am a chaste woman; that Govinda is an ignorant fool driven on by the gods. / In his insolence that wicked-minded one, a great sinner, has harmed me. | 20

Therefore, by my word now, let the thoughtless denizens of heaven / be born as stones, logs, and grass in Satīdeśa! | 21

Let that evil-minded one who is called Keśava also meet destruction, / and abandoning his unborn nature, be born on earth again and again!" | 22

When this was spoken by that chaste woman whose speech was truthful, / Bhṛgu then spoke sweet words, comforting her with the tip of his hand: | 23

"The gods have been cursed by you, my beloved, to become stones, logs, and grass; / why has Keśava been cursed, when he performs maintenance by the command of the Lord? | 24

The Supreme Lord is the refuge of all of us as well. / Through this curse upon Keśava, beloved, Śaṅkara will become enraged." | 25

Hearing the words of her husband, her eyes clouded with tears, / giving way to even greater anger, she spoke dreadfully: | 26

"Why do you say that Keśava carries out maintenance by Mahādeva's command? / Yet speech from my mouth never proves untrue. | 27

Or else, let even that Lord Mahādeva, by my word, / now take up residence in the form of a log in Satīdeśa! | 28

If this Maheśvara does not descend in the form of a log, / then my truthfulness has been offered in vain to the Goddess!" | 29

When this was said by her, while Bhṛgu cried "Alas, alas!", / a voice arose at that moment, purifying the entire world: | 30

"Myself and the Goddess are a single form; cast off that delusion. / The song that 'You speak the truth' will not fail. | 31

All the gods and Keśava will not transgress your word. / O Uṣā, I too will descend with Umā, embodied as a log." | 32

Hearing this bodiless voice at that time, / Uṣā held an even firmer devotion toward the Blessed One. | 33

From then on, the Lord of gods, who assumed a form by deceit, / became famous under the very name of Kapaṭeśvara in the form of a log. | 34

The Goddess, Kumāra, and Vighneśa, and likewise the attendants headed by Nandin, / all surrounded him in Satīdeśa in the form of logs. | 35

The state of being a nāga was assumed there by Saṅkarṣaṇa for the sake of service, / who is famous throughout the three worlds by the name Pāpasūdana. | 36

The four-faced [Brahmā] assumed the form of a log to serve the Lord; / a devoted attendant constantly follows none other than the master. | 37

Then, as Śambhu descended out of regard for his devotee, / Uṣā and Bhṛgu rendered an even firmer, extraordinary devotion. | 38

On this occasion, certain great seers performing austerities / on the holy bank of the Dṛṣadvatī saw the Lord in a dream. | 39

Bowing down with their knees placed on the earth, / they all petitioned him thus with a serene mind: | 40

"O Blessed One, heap of compassion, accessible solely through devotion, / be now our protection as we perform dreadfully fierce austerities!" | 41

Hearing their words, he whose emblem is the bull spoke: / "I have descended in the form of a log, desiring to show grace to the worlds. | 42

At the great tīrtha Hayaśīrṣa and at pure Hastikarṇa, / when served for a long time, I will reveal myself to you there." | 43

When Śambhu vanished after saying this, the great seers awoke. / Then, describing the dream to one another, those rich in asceticism | 44

regarded the word of the gracious Great Lord as true. / Then, assembling together, they all went to the realm of Kaśmīra. | 45

At that excellent tīrtha they beheld the god in the form of a log. / There was not even a little water there for their bathing. | 46

Then, their minds filled with doubt, some moved the logs; / and merely upon touching them, they attained the state of Rudra and vanished at that time. | 47

Some did not see the god Dhūrjaṭi at that excellent tīrtha, / in the auspicious abode of the nāga, and fell into doubt. | 48

Some saw an aged jackal surrounded by jackals, / facing north, terrifying, uttering harsh hissing sounds. | 49

Others saw a jackal facing toward the northern quarter, / with a stunted body, resembling darkness, playing there; they did not know it stood dense. | 50

Then pieces of stone, rising like logs of wood from the tīrtha, / reached the dry-land path again and again when the sun had risen. | 51

At the time of sunset, they fell back down right there; / by the touch of them, some then attained the state of Rudra and found liberation. | 52

Beholding this wonder, Vasiṣṭha, best among the wise, / then touched Dhūrjaṭi who had assumed the form of wood. | 53

With bristling hairs from surging devotion, standing on the bank of the tīrtha, / he undertook arduous asceticism directed toward the Supreme Lord. | 54

Then, pleased by his asceticism, Dhūrjaṭi spoke in a dream: / 'For what purpose, my son, do you perform such exceedingly terrible asceticism? | 55

Having touched the pieces of wood in this tīrtha, the state of Rudra has indeed been attained by many; / therefore now, let this very path be desired by you as well.' | 56

Hearing this speech of the Lord, the eminent sage, / with hands joined in reverent salutation, spoke in a voice stammering with joy: | 57

'What wonder is it that you are seen by those who have attained greatness, O Lord? / My desire is to see you with the fleshly eye itself. | 58

Therefore, O Mahādeva, if you are pleased by this asceticism of mine, / then may I see you again and again in this very body!' | 59

Hearing these words of the sage, Mahādeva, intent on compassion, / swiftly granted a vision [of himself] to him when he awoke. | 60

Mounted on the bull together with the Goddess, marked by the trident, bearing the moon as crest-ornament, / followed by Nandin, Śambhu was seen before him by the sage. | 61

Seeing Vasiṣṭha bowing down in devotion, Dhūrjaṭi then / spoke, surpassing the radiance of the moon together with its rays: | 62

'I am pleased, my son, with your asceticism. Behold now, / your fellow celibate students have been led by me to the world of Rudra. | 63

The sages by whom I was ever touched here in the form of wood— / they all, having attained the state of Rudra, go to the supreme beatitude. | 64

May a divine eye arise for you in this very body, / through the grace of which knowledge of the past and future proceeds. | 65

Now behold me, my son, as Śiva existing everywhere; / this Goddess stands united with me as one self. | 66

Nandirudra, Mahākāla, Diṇḍi, and Lambodara, / and all these attendants of mine are indeed my very self; of this there is no doubt. | 67

Behold here, by my command, me named Jambuka, Viṣṇu disguised in fraud, / the yakṣa Vaiśravaṇa, the Woman, and the Mother.' | 68

Then Vasiṣṭha, having understood everything, bowing in devotion to Maheśvara, / spoke while raising his joined hands to his crest, his hair bristling with awe: | 69

'Seeing you, O God, all knowledge has been attained by me; / now be intent on showing grace to everyone here.' | 70

Hearing Vasiṣṭha's words, the moon-crested god then, / saying 'So be it,' spoke again with a smile: | 71

'Know that the sign of my arrival in the month of Vaiśākha / is by the abundance of water and the heavy raining of clouds. | 72

From touching it, in the Kṛta age the state of Rudra arises right then; / in the other ages, it is at the end of the body for embodied beings—this is certain. | 73

This attendant Nandin remains by my word in the form of a mosquito, / and always graces people by mere touch.' / Having spoken thus, Mahādeva vanished along with the Goddess. | 74

From that time forward, that sage too was devoted to Śiva. / Thus Sanatkumāra, of purified self, was petitioned by Vyāsa; | 75

in this way he unfolded the greatness of venerable Kapaṭeśa / at the great tīrtha named Pāpasūdana in the land of Satī. | 76

The God is perpetually present along with the Goddess and accompanied by his attendants; / the Rudras abide in the form of wood, bestowing grace upon the worlds. | 77

In this Kali age, they purify men by mere touch; / Gaṇeśvara ever dwells there under the name of Acala. | 78

The three-eyed god comes himself at times by his own will; / by the pouring clouds and by the waters swelling profusely, | 79

the arrival of the Supreme Lord is signaled, there is no doubt of this. / Mahādeva, in the form of light, out of compassion for living beings there, | 80

where Śivā is the female messenger, the divine goddess—this is an extraordinary tale. / There is a delightful mountain known there by the name of Rudrapāda, | 81

strewn with hundreds of various gems, variegated with diverse ores, / covered in places with abundant kadamba blossoms and bees, | 82

adorned in places with golden lotuses having lapis lazuli stems, / resorted to in places by sporting gandharvas, kinnaras, and yakṣas. | 83

There in the garden of Mahādeva is an excellent mountain, / blazing with great flowers resembling the newly risen sun. | 84

There lotuses bloom day and night in the pools, / and blue water lilies of supreme fragrance bloom everywhere. | 85

By various kinds of excellent trees bearing fruit of ambrosial nature, / both celestial and earthly, an indescribable splendor is produced here. | 86

Here deer and peacocks sport at will in places; / in places brilliant swans reside with sweet cries. | 87

There, in places, kinnara women abide singing, / and gandharva maidens dance here and there. | 88

The wind there, gentle with the touch of ketakī flowers / and sprinkled with drops of water from the pools, delights all the limbs. | 89

Brahmins equal to Brahmā, devoted to chanting the Sāmaveda, / and many sages, eager for the delight of serving the God of gods, | 90

some devoted to the vow of silence, others devoted to Sāṅkhya and Yoga, / followers of Kaṇāda and followers of the Upaniṣads stand there on all sides. | 91

At that tīrtha, Mahādeva is seen by those imbued with devotion, / who are astonished by the faith and devotion arisen from the true scriptures. | 92

Whatever Brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, and those in other births / give at this tīrtha, that yields manifold fruit. | 93

Whatever rites for gods or ancestors one may perform here with devout contemplation, / that indeed becomes inexhaustible, bringing success free from obstacles. | 94

Those who are free of deceit and completely rid of sin, / to them this excellent tīrtha grants the highest, eternal destination. 95

Abandoning duplicity, Maheśvara is to be worshipped there / with wealth acquired by righteousness and with a sinless mind. 96

If someone procures wealth by causing affliction to another, / Mahādeva never accepts his worship. 97

Those deceitful sinners who are greedy and cruel in tormenting others, / them Parameśvara casts down into Avīci hell right here. 98

Right here is Kārtikeya, worthy of being seen by men, / who guards the wide Plantain Doorway in the southeastern direction. 99

By the grace of Kārtikeya, the door of the Lord is reached; / and there, too, the God of gods created a tīrtha in ancient times. 100

There is also the confluence of the Śatahradā and Nalinī rivers; / by bathing here, the sin of devotees is utterly destroyed. 101

On the fourteenth or the full-moon day, taking a golden vessel / covered with a lotus, one should give it there to a devotee of Dhūrjaṭi. 102

Having bathed in Pāpasūdana with single-pointed mind, / the devout behold Dhaneśvara there in embodied form. 103

Whatever sacred places and tīrthas exist on earth, / all of them truly abide here at the Pāpasūdana tīrtha. 104

When the sun reaches the middle of the sky, whoever touches Pāpasūdana / obtains the fruit of giving the entire earth as a gift. 105

The reward that people attain by giving a hundred brown cows, / that very [reward belongs] to those who touch Pāpasūdana at dawn. 106

If someone should give the earth filled with crops when the sun is eclipsed by Rāhu, / or at an equinox, in Kurukṣetra, to one of virtuous deeds— 107

that very reward belongs to the tranquil person who has bathed in the waters of Pāpasūdana / on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight; of this there is no doubt. 108

Having bathed here on the fourth or on the sixth day, the concentrated / should diligently worship the glorious god Kapaṭeśvara. 109

In this place always dwells the tīrtha named Sodarā, / frequented by gods such as Brahmā and Viṣṇu, and by perfected ones. 110

The Kapālamocana tīrtha, that named Sauma, as well as Puṣkara, / Śatahrada, and Prabhāsa are ever present there. 111

Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Kumāra, the Sun, and the Wind, in order to serve / Kapaṭeśvara, abide right here in the form of tīrthas. 112

The Kapilā and Cakra tīrthas always dwell right here; / what more [can be said]? This very place is the abode of all gods! 113

Whoever, having washed away sins, always bathes here with devotion, / goes to Śiva at the end of the body; of this there is no doubt even in a dream. 114

Crowded with white royal umbrellas, adorned with pearl necklaces, / splendid with multitudes of apsarases, honored by perfected beings and vidyādharas, 115

bringing pleasure through various savory articles such as food and drink, / resounding with hundreds of bells, attended by hosts of singing kinnarīs, 116

blazing with heaps of gems like the solar orb— / such a heavenly chariot appears of its own accord before him at the end of his body. 117

Whoever performs an ancestral offering there with food, or with roots and fruits, / his ancestors are thoroughly satisfied by the grace of Śambhu. 118

The purification that a twice-born achieves by a thousand cāndrāyaṇa penances, / that comes about here by the mere touch of water; there is no doubt. 119

The man who gives food measuring [the size of] a sesamum seed here to a petitioner, / receives [the measure of] Mount Meru by the grace of the tīrtha. 120

That man who circumambulates the Pāpasūdana tīrtha / attains the fruit of an agniṣṭoma sacrifice and rejoices in heaven. 121

Ascending the mountain there on the first day of the month of Vaiśākha, / a person attains the fruit of a vājapeya sacrifice. 122

His misfortune perishes, his luster increases, / and he remains happy for a whole year—whoever climbs that mountain here. 123

Having bathed here, whoever with concentrated mind worships the lord of wealth, / obtains inexhaustible treasures; of this there is no doubt. 124

Having bathed according to rule in this tīrtha, glorious Jambukeśvara is to be worshipped / with milk and other auspicious substances and with flowers, with an auspicious mind. 125

Here, in the form of a jackal, the lord of the gaṇas made a howl / renowned as the jackal-howl (śivāruta), which thereafter brings the favor of his glance. 126

Dhūrjaṭi favored the Vālakhilyas who were practicing austerities, / and right here, out of compassion, he established the solar shrine. 127

Having thus heard the nectar of Śiva's story from the son of Brahmā, / Vyāsa went to Pāpasūdana with a mind filled with devotion. 128

Having bathed there and worshipped Mahādeva manifested as Kapaṭeśvara, / he obtained a son who knew Brahman, namely Śuka. 129

Who would not discuss the wondrous story of Maheśvara in wooden form, / as he comes and goes at that tīrtha? 130

Sometimes coming after many years, Kapaṭeśvara / causes long longing among those whose minds are purified by faith. 131

And sometimes coming every single year, the Lord / frees creatures from sin merely by their seeing him. 132

One should bathe the god Kapaṭeśvara with the five nectars and other substances, / and having worshipped him with saffron and flowers, with a concentrated mind, 133

and with abundant offerings of food, as well as dances, songs, and the like— / whoever serves the Lord in this way, he is indeed a Rudra; there is no doubt. 134

Here, the wooden god was praised day and night by the Vālakhilyas, / rich in asceticism, with this king of hymns: 135

"Om! Homage to You whose body is enveloped by trees, the Supreme, the Supreme Self, / the god of manifold forms, the self-existent! 136

To Śiva, to the blue-necked one, whose eyes are the moon, the sun, and fire; / to the terrible one, of terrible form, the frightening, the immortal! 137

To the fierce one, to Caṇḍarudra, whose hand holds the tip of the fierce trident; / to the yogin, devoted to Brahman, bearer of all weapons!" 138

Homage to you, the lord of Umā, the lord of beasts! / Homage to the lord of the three worlds, to the lord of the mantras of the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas! || 139

Homage to the lord of the moon, the sun, fire, the winds, and the waters! / To the white, to the black-colored, to the yellow, and to the variegated! || 140

To the reddish-brown, to the tawny, and to the source of the origin of all! / To him who has a bull, whose body is terrible, who is with Umā, and who is with Guha! || 141

Homage to you who are with your retinue, homage be to you who are with Nandin! / Homage to him who is accompanied by the elephant-faced one and accompanied by Bhṛṅgin! || 142

You are indeed praised by the Viśvedevas, the Sādhyas, by Brahmā, and by Keśava; / You, whose intellect contemplates the Self, are constantly praised by the gods and the sages. || 143

There is no end to the multitudes of your praiseworthy virtues, O Śaṅkara! / O lord of the gods, the gods and the ancestors, the sages, the Siddhas, and the progenitors— || 144

You always appoint them, O God, each to their own respective duties! / You are the womb of yoga for yogins, and the creator of yoga, O Śaṅkara! || 145

Constant, imperishable, unborn, eternal, the destroyer, the creator of beings, / of universal form, infinite, inherently eternal, having the bull as your vehicle! || 146

Unconquered, immeasurable, illuminator of the world and non-world, / sovereign, the most choice, the Blessed Lord, knower of the distinctions of castes and stages of life! || 147

Extremely subtle, imperishable, all-pervading, the boat across the ocean of worldly existence, the omnipresent lord! / Those fools who do not know you do not attain the supreme path. || 148

Rendered helpless by their actions, they are born and they die. / But having conquered desire, having conquered anger, having conquered the pairs of opposites, having conquered the senses, || 149

and having known you, embodied beings perpetually go to the supreme state. / You are the three-eyed, the lord of Tripura, the destroyer of Tripura, the supporter of the earth, || 150

the protector of the three worlds, Parjanya, the destroyer of time, desire, and bodily form. / Of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Indra, and the Rudras, and of other embodied beings as well, || 151

O Lord of the gods, at the time of destruction you stand having overthrown their memory. / You are the object of meditation for yogins established in yoga and for sages of purified soul. || 152

And all of them have praised you, the destroyer of all sorrow. / You are the yogic attainment of yogins, the cause of the arising of yoga! || 153

Abide constantly in my heart, O essence of heroic power, best of the gods! / Situated in both eyes, and in the heart, as well as between the brows! || 154

Indeed, those who meditate upon the partless see you as Sadāśiva. / You are established fivefold within the bodies of embodied beings. || 155

Through breath controls you destroy the taint arising from the universe. / Of the gods beginning with Brahmā, and of other embodied beings as well, || 156

there is no other giver of happiness: this is my firm conviction. / For us too, O Lord of gods, whose minds are agitated by our actions, / be a refuge for us who are frightened, traveling on the path of worldly existence! || 157

No other path exists, O Mahādeva, for those seeking refuge / except devotion to you, O Lord, whose crest is made of the moon! || 158

Through your bodily forms you indeed sustain the world, the stationary and the moving. / I see no other, O Lord of the gods, who pervades both the moving and the unmoving! || 159

From Mahādeva, the highest boon was desired through asceticism / by those of the size of a thumb-joint, born from the splendor of Brahmā. || 160

For us, who are immersed in the ocean of transmigration and desiring extensive fame, / O God, Lord of gods, you ought to grant grace! || 161

There is no knowledge, nor meditation, nor asceticism, nor indeed sacrifice; / for those bereft of all states of mind, you are the refuge, O Maheśvara! || 162

You are the protector of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Indra, friend of the brāhmaṇas, foremost among knowers of the Brahman, / a celibate student, the supreme vessel, the blue-necked one, residing in the cave of the heart. || 163

Thus praised day and night by the Vālakhilyas, / Mahādeva was pleased, having the bodily form of Kapaṭeśvara. || 164

Whatever man reads every day this Purāṇic hymn / composed by the Vālakhilyas to the god Kapaṭeśvara, || 165

his diseases perish, his wealth, grain, and the like increase, / his lifespan attains length, and his offspring flourishes; || 166

he attains enjoyment and liberation, and his worldly transmigration is destroyed. / For all who merely listen to it, this very same fruit shall be obtained. || 167

Whatever man reads this hymn even while traveling on a road, / he attains every supernatural power—such is the true command of the Great Lord. || 168

This holy text must never be given to an evil person; / on the other hand, it must by all means be given to one pleasing through faith and devotion. || 169

Ah, how wonderful is this deed of the Blessed One, of Maheśvara, / who, even having assumed a deceptive form, instantly causes the afflictions of worldly existence to cease for humanity! || 170

Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named 'The Description of the Incarnation of Kapaṭeśvara,' in the Haracaritacintāmaṇi composed by the great Śaiva master, Jayadratha. || 14