Skandapurana 7.8

Previous page (chapters 61–70) | Next page (chapters 81–90)

Sanatkumāra said:
While that Daitya Hiraṇyakaśipu was ruling then,
a great length of time passed, O Vyāsa, over the three worlds with their moving and unmoving beings. / 1
Possessed by immense arrogance, his mind deranged by pride in his prosperity,
he disdained all the gods and did not observe dharma. / 2
Infuriated with anger, he brought severe affliction
upon all the gods together, Śakra and the others, though banished from their own realm. / 3
Being tormented, they all went to Brahmā for refuge:
"O Lord, master of what was and is to be, grandfather, of great splendour! / 4
O sinless one, the Daitya Hiraṇyakaśipu, having obtained a boon from you,
has overrun all three worlds and seized our heavenly kingdom. / 5
And he constantly heaps humiliation upon us, inflicting the torment of enmity.
Routed by him, we have all come to you for refuge. / 6
Grant your grace, O lord of the gods, so that he may no longer be our enemy—
the powerful Hiraṇyakaśipu, who has abandoned dharma and become the foe of the world." / 7
Thus addressed then by the gods, the god whose vehicle is the lotus,
endowed with great wisdom, spoke this word bringing joy to the gods: / 8

[Apparatus and page number]
"The austerity of that wicked king of the Daityas is now exhausted—
that enemy who reduced you to misery and seized your kingdom. / 9
Formerly, he sought from me the supreme boon of being invulnerable to all.
And [a loophole of] vulnerability was stated to him by me while his senses were bewildered. / 10
As soon as the unconscious king of the Daityas stated that loophole,
right then I experienced satisfaction in my heart, O mighty ones! / 11

Go today to the supreme abode of Viṣṇu;
all of you together, speak to Acyuta for his destruction. / 12

Assuming the form of a man-lion, striking him just once, he will kill
the Daitya Hiraṇyakaśipu; then you will attain peace."
Saying "So be it," all those gods bowed down to the Grandfather,
and, filled with reverence, went together to the abode of Viṣṇu. / 14

Then, seeing the gods arrived, Viṣṇu of great splendour
spoke in a smooth voice words pleasing to hear: / 15
"Welcome to you all! For what purpose have you come?
You are all worthy of my worship, dearest friends of great importance. / 16
Whatever is in your minds, whatever deed I must do, O dwellers of heaven,
speak it quickly in brief; I shall do it without hesitation." / 17

Thus addressed then by Viṣṇu, the gods headed by Śakra
spoke with cheerful faces, praising Janārdana: / 18

"O Lord, from Hiraṇyakaśipu, the exceedingly powerful king of the Daityas,
great fear has arisen for us, and our kingdom in heaven has been seized. / 19
Humiliation has also been inflicted on us by him, O best of the gods.
He enjoys the entire world—that hater of Brahmā, son of Kaśyapa! / 20

[Apparatus and page number]
O slayer of all enemies, act in such a way that this Daitya is killed by you;
make it so, O Hṛṣīkeśa! Let this boon be granted to us." / 21

Then Viṣṇu, having meditated for a long time and reflected on the means of killing him,
spoke to the gods, the best of the deities, as if invigorating them with his word: / 22
"So be it, O best of gods! I will carry out all your words.
Since he is a king of Daityas of great strength, I tell you: / 23
Enter my body too, O you of virtuous vows!
Embodying all the gods, I shall slay your arrogant enemy." / 24

Then all the gods entered the body of Viṣṇu.
And he, becoming mighty and assuming a terrifying form, / 25
the man-lion of great splendour, adorned with claws and fangs,
Viṣṇu went, shining forth, to the city of Hiraṇyakaśipu. / 26

Having seen outside his garden, filled with flowers of all seasons,
the man-lion stood greatly astonished at [the garden of] the lion of the Daityas. / 27

It was adorned on all sides with campaka, aśoka, and jātī trees,
with kadambas and bakulas, and with fragrant flowers, / 28

with lakes covered with lotuses and adorned by swans and cakravāka birds,
and with trees bearing desired fruits—a forest resembling the celestial Vaibhrāja. / 29

Moving playfully, high with fury, the man-lion shattered it;
he agitated the lakes like an elephant fierce with rut. / 30

Standing in the midst of the forest, roaming here and there, he shone
like a loftily raised peak of Meru, the king of mountains. / 31

Then, approaching that man-lion, the forest-guards, filled with rage—
powerful though they were—sought to restrain him; and the mighty one struck them down. / 32

[Apparatus and page number]
Those asuras who survived the slaughter and fled from there,
they went and reported it to Hiraṇyakaśipu then. / 33
Hearing their words, the king of the Daityas of great strength
[summoned] Prahlāda, Anuhrāda, Namuci, Bāṣkali, and Bali... / 34

And summoning all the Dānavas headed by Vipracitti, / he said: 'Go swiftly, bind that lion, and bring him before me, / O leaders of the Daityas! He must not be killed by any means; / this lion cub will become a plaything for my queen.' / Having heard this, all the asuras, led by Vipracitti, / went together to the pleasure garden and saw Nṛsiṃha standing there. / Standing far off, they cast nets; Mādhava cut them to pieces. / Then the maned lion thoroughly routed the Dānavas. / Thereupon those Daityas, their comrades slain, went despondently / to the presence of the king of the Dānavas and recounted everything then. / Then the mighty King Hiraṇyakaśipu himself, enraged, / mounted his chariot, armed, and rushed furiously against Nṛsiṃha. / That mountain-like chariot, equipped with weapons, was whirled around / and quickly hurled down by the king of lions; it was reduced to powder upon the earth. / Then, with his chariot broken, his eyes red with rage, the Daitya / violently tore up a tree and flung it at Nṛsiṃha. / But when that tree fell upon the body of the lion king, / it was shattered to dust like a lump of clay dashed against a rock. / Then seizing Hiraṇyakaśipu all at once, / that lion struck him with his palm and quickly deprived him of his life. / Giving a great lion's roar, with his adamantine claws the omnipresent Lord, / Hari, tore open the Daitya's chest, which resembled a great mountain.

[Textual variants: 29. ...stu ye tatra - ka. 30. pravalīnāstu - ka., prapa... - kha. 31. ...stu tesurāḥ - ka., bhaye - kha. 32. krīḍanaḥ - kha. 33. ..stām̐śca - ka. kha. 34. mṛdagaṇḍa - ka., mṛdbhāṇḍa - kha. 35. ..ñcūrṇaṃ kha. 36. balenāhṛtya - ka.]

When that great Daitya was slain by Viṣṇu, O son of Śakti, / those Dānavas who were not killed entered Rasātala.

Śakra once again obtained the supreme kingdom of heaven, free of thorns, / and all the celestials returned to their own realms. / Then the trident-bearing God whose banner bears the bull arrived, / having been petitioned by the gods, O Vyāsa, as I told you,

to cause Viṣṇu, of wondrous deeds, to relinquish his leonine form. / Becoming then a Śarabha resembling a peak of the Himālaya,

with four legs growing from his back, sharp fangs, and great strength, / he went near Narasiṃha and roared with focused intent. / Then seeing the Śarabha arrived before him, / the lion, filled with great wrath, struck him with his palm.

Though struck by that lion, the Śarabha was not agitated at all. / Then, having struck the Śarabha of adamantine body and great strength,

he himself experienced pain by the mere touch of that great-souled one. / Then Viṣṇu, meditating for a long time, realized that Śaṅkara had arrived.

Bowing to him with his head, he began to praise him thus: / 'Homage to Śarva, to Rudra, to the commander of the army, and to the bestower of peace!

Homage to the supreme God and to the supreme Brahman! / Homage to Time, to the one whose form is Yama, and indeed to the Rod of Death!

Homage to the destroyer of the world, and to the one who takes away time in due time! / Homage to the bearer of the Pināka, and to the holder of fierce arrows!

To the fierce one, to Vāmadeva, and to the lord of all yogas! / Homage to the master of knowledge, homage to the lord of sacred lore!

[Textual variants: 37. nihatā - kha. 38. devarājyaṃ - ka. kha. 39. ... raṣṭradaṃṣṭro - ka. 40. ...vamatāḍayat - ka. kha. 41. mahābalaḥ - kha. 42. tasmai - ka. kha. 43. menaṃ - ka. kha. 44. sarvadāya - kha. 45. kālākālaharāya ca - kha.] / Homage to the slayer of the foremost asuras, homage to you, the wheel of Time! / To the circle of the cosmic fire at dissolution, and to the causer of universal dissolution! / To the lord of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, to the soul of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, / to the bestower of boons on me, and to the grantor of all desires!

To Śarabha of handsome form, clad well in tiger skin! / To the lord of the troops of Nandīśvara, homage to the lord of the gaṇas!

To the lord of the senses, and homage to the master of the mind! / Homage to the lord of primordial matter, homage to the lord of the gods!

Homage be to the lord of existence, homage to the lord of the elements of reality! / To the lord of the moving and unmoving, homage to the lord of beings!

To the master of the three worlds, and homage to the lord of the worlds! / Homage to the bestower of yoga upon me, and likewise to the granter of divine power, / to the bestower of invulnerability, and likewise to the bestower of what cannot be conquered! / O Lord, I am established in you, devoted to you, having you as my supreme refuge. / I have taken refuge in you; be ever gracious to me!' / Whoever listens to this constantly, pure and of restrained mind, / having attained the world of Rudra, becomes a leader of the God's gaṇas.

Reciting it, hearing it, and constantly remembering it / brings wealth, brings fame, grants long life, leads to heaven, and destroys sins.

Sanatkumāra said: / Thus praised by Viṣṇu, the Lord of the Universe / addressed this supremely revered word to Hṛṣīkeśa:

'To you, O Viṣṇu, has been granted by me this auspicious, meritorious boon: / that you, who were clinging to an unnatural form, are restored to your own natural state.'

[…] / You, that Viṣṇu of great splendour, having always received a boon from me, / [you] whom the ocean gave birth to on its shore as an animal: / all your work has been accomplished, Hiraṇyakaśipu has been slain. / Come, return to your own auspicious, exceedingly wondrous nature.’ / Then that best of śarabhas stepped upon that lion with his feet, / and once again united Keśava with his divine body. / Having thus granted to Viṣṇu the boon of destroying demons, he whose banner bears the bull, / saying, ‘Return to your natural state,’ vanished right there. / Having granted that matchless boon to Viṣṇu, the creator of the world, / the ability to destroy demons, being drunk in by the eyes of the women of heaven's city, / bearing a chest radiant like a dark cloud, the trident-bearer, / praised by the foremost sages, went to his own abode. / Thus in the Skandapurāṇa, in the story of Hiraṇyakaśipu, ends the seventy-first chapter, entitled ‘The Account of the Deliverance of Narasiṃha Accomplished by the Śarabha’.

Vyāsa said: / Lord, knower of all yoga, this excellent narrative has been heard. / I wish to hear what happened thereafter, O best of sages. / When he whose banner bears the bull had then removed the lion form of Viṣṇu, / what else did the wise one do? This I desire to know. / Sanatkumāra said: / Having brought Viṣṇu back to his own origin, the god of gods, Bhava, / then wandered upon Mount Mandara together with the goddess, full of great splendour. / Delighting in the charming forest regions and the mountain's cascades, / the lord of gods adorned them as he roamed all around.

[…] / Knowing that the imperishable god Śaṅkara was fond of gazing at the forest, / two seasons, autumn and spring, both appeared there together. / Then all the trees and lakes all around / suddenly and simultaneously shed diverse kinds of flowers.

Charming ponds were covered with blue and white lotuses, / frequented by swarms of bees, / and inhabited by swans and cranes.

Jasmines swiftly became rich with fragrance, together with campaka flowers, / aśokas, sweet-scented blossoms, and atimuktaka creepers.

Pleasant breezes bearing all fragrances approached the god together. / Beholding that excellent forest strewn with the flowers of all seasons,

the lord of the gods, the master of the world, taking the flowers himself, / with a joyful heart adorned the goddess, the daughter of the snowy mountain,

and Nandīśvara who was standing nearby, and himself, the lord of the gods. / Then, having bowed to the lord of gods, out of love Pārvatī

spoke this word, she the imperishable mother of the entire world: / ‘O god whose banner bears the bull, so that a son born of my body will come to be,

possessing your valour, your power, and revered by all the gods, / act accordingly, O Mahādeva, if you have affection for me.’

Addressed thus by the goddess, the god of gods, the three-eyed one, / full of great splendour, spoke thus, wishing to do what was pleasing to the goddess:

‘So be it, O ruler of gods! I shall make this petition of yours fruitful, / O Īśānī, so that you may have such a son,

foremost among all the rulers of the gods, endowed with the strength of great yoga, / under whose control this entire world will stand, O radiant lady!

[…] / When you went to perform that austerity, previously indeed this boon / was requested by you for the sake of a son; therefore I certainly grant it to you.’

Having spoken thus, those two deities, the mountain-born goddess and the lord of the world, / the teachers of the universe, wandering then together with Nandīśa,

viewing all the pleasure-gardens, went to the Vindhya mountain. / Having arrived at the excellent golden peak of the Vindhya, / crowded with ravines and caves, furnished with diverse waterfalls, / a mass of rocks made dense by clusters of clouds bearing lightning,

endowed with diverse trees and boulders, filled with various flowers, / delighting with the songs of various birds, shining and auspicious with gold and gems,

having created in its midst a city by thought, full of great prosperity, / divine, made of jewels and gold, enchanting to gods and asuras, / endowed with supreme sovereignty, united they entered the city. / And then the imperishable goddess commanded Nandin: / ‘Dear Nandin, lord of the gaṇas, stand thus at the doorway / so that no one may enter here, not even the subtle wind.’ / Placing that command on his head, Nandīśa, the lord of the gaṇas, / stood at the threshold of the door, generating an unbearable fiery splendour.

Engaged in yoga, the two deities, assuming their supreme forms, / the sources of the entire world, Pārvatī and the lord of the world, / full of great splendour, remained for a very long time for the sake of a son. / That cannot be described by me, nor by Brahmā, O great sage: / that great union of the goddess and the god of gods who holds the trident. / He, the supreme lord, is higher than Brahmā and those like me. / Yet it must certainly be told according to the tradition, as it occurred and as it was heard; / therefore I will tell it to you, Vyāsa, for you are my dear disciple.

[…] / While they remained thus, O great sage, engaged in union through yoga, / a thousand divine years passed by.

Then there arose terrible and terrifying omens: / the entire earth, with its mountains, woods, and forests, trembled; / the rivers then went dry; the ocean was agitated; / the sun lost its brilliance; a hot wind blew;

dreadful meteors fell, and the directions became utterly terrifying. / Thus the earth was terrified by portents, even though it was for an auspicious cause.

[The Earth] went for refuge to Viṣṇu, and having gone, reported her distress: / 'O God, many terrible portents have arisen exceedingly.

Greatly agitated by this, I have come to you today for refuge.' / Then the lord Viṣṇu proclaimed this to all the gods:

Thereupon all the gods, led by Bṛhaspati, / gathered together in one place and held discussions of many kinds.

Then the son of Aṅgiras, endowed with great intellect, spoke these words: / 'This Lord Śrīkaṇṭha, the God of gods, the three-eyed,

the greatly radiant one, has united with the daughter of the Himālaya for the sake of a son / by the yoga of Parameṣṭhin for a divine thousand years.

As he remains united with Pārvatī, terrible portents have arisen from it, / terrors for the world; what else should be contemplated here?

Let us all go together to praise the bull-bannered [god] with devotion, / so that, O lords of the gods, the son born of the goddess's body may be averted.

Let us quickly entreat the Lord of gods in this matter, O immortals!' / Then Vaivasvata spoke words bursting forth in anger:

'Why are all of you so exceedingly agitated? / If this son of the God of gods should be devoted to us,

and is born not an enemy, then we will tolerate him, O gods. / But if he proves harsh toward us, or becomes an enemy, / then I, binding this boy with the noose of Time, / shall bring him, cruel as he is, under my control along with Death, O immortals!

If not, then Purandara will hurl his thunderbolt at his head, / by which that fool, split in two, will abandon his hard-to-relinquish life-breaths.' / As he was thus speaking at length, his eyes reddened with anger, / the righteous Viṣṇu, who knows the ultimate truth, spoke these words:

'Ah, son of Bhāskara, you speak with utmost confidence, / falling under the sway of anger without knowing the ultimate truth! / The son of Śambhu who will be born of the Mountain's daughter— / will he be some fool, that he should come under your sway?

Is he a mere mortal or any other creature endowed with birth and death / that will be born, O son of Ravi, so that he would fall under your power?

When his allotted time is not fulfilled, even of an ordinary mortal, O son of Bhānu, / you are certainly not the destroyer; how much less of the Trident-bearer's son! / That splendor of the lord Śambhu which will be peerless, / how could it be liable to death by you or by Śakra, O lord?

I speak for your welfare, O gods, if my word is followed: / let us all go together to propitiate that Hara.

The boon which was granted to us at Śaṅkara's svayaṃvara, / that very foremost boon let us choose from the wielder of the bow Pināka,

so that no son born of the goddess's body will come to be, / [and] Śambhu will not produce a son harmful to us. / We ourselves are all the elder sons of the all-pervading Śaṅkara; / he cannot be seen through austerity nor through knowledge, O lords of gods;

that bull-bannered [god] can be seen only through supreme devotion. / Come, let us go where Śaṅkara abides, / so that, relying on supreme devotion, I may behold Śaṅkara. / And the god Fire, consumer of oblations, shall enter into his presence,

carrying the petition of all the gods, O best of gods.' / Having heard this speech of Viṣṇu of immeasurable splendor,

those celestial dwellers, led by Bṛhaspati, rejoiced in mind; / delighted, the foremost gods uttered words saying, 'Well done! Well done!'

Then, having Viṣṇu as their ally, they went to that excellent peak, / and spoke to the god Fire with words accompanied by praise: / 'O Agni, you work welfare for all the gods; you are everywhere imperishable. / Having entered, protect us all: announce [our arrival] to Śaṅkara.

Act in such a way, O best of gods, that Śaṅkara, emerging, / may look upon us, the gods standing humble and full of devotion.' / Thus addressed by all the gods, the fire-consumer replied: / 'Indeed, O gods, there is nothing improper for me to do on your behalf; / [yet] the supreme Lord of the god of gods is united with Pārvatī; / I have no power to look upon Hara, and you are exceedingly perturbed.

And your word cannot be transgressed; this is an extreme hardship for me. / I shall enter like a messenger, O gods; I shall perform a great daring deed.' / Having said this, he quickly went to the abode of the matted-haired god.

There he saw Nandin of supreme might standing at the door, / blocking the doorway, holding a blazing spear. / Seeing him then, looking all around, / [knowing that] 'there is no way for even a tiny creature to enter while he stands [here],' / having considered thus, he went to him alone for refuge; / the fire-consuming god praised Nandin with folded palms:

'Obeisance to the lord of the gaṇas! Obeisance to the fierce trident-bearer! / Obeisance to the commander of the army! Obeisance always to him whose self is Śarva!'

Homage to Rudra the deadly poison, homage indeed to Nīlarudra; / homage to […]rudra, and likewise to him who wears damp cloth. / Homage to you, the dream-Rudra; homage to you, the ash-Rudra; / homage to Rudra of the cremation ground; homage to you, Koṭīrudra.

Homage to Piṅgalarudra; homage to the lord of the Rudras; / homage to Pramatharudra; homage to you, Bhūtarudra.

Homage to the odd-eyed Rudra, homage to you, Śvetarudra; / homage to you always, O god; homage to you always, O Śiva.

Homage to you always, O gentle one; homage to you who are affectionate to devotees. / To me who am your devotee, O god, seeking the welfare of the gods,

grant a boon, O lord of Nandin! Do not be angry with us, O master!’ / Then Nandīśvara spoke to fire standing there and praising him:

‘I am pleased, O fire, with this devotion of yours, O best of gods. / Speak, O god: what desired thing may I do for you, O fire?

Then fire said to that Nandin who stood granting a boon: / ‘If you are pleased with me, O god, and if a boon is to be given to me,

40 sarvātmane - ms. ka. 41 prathamarudrāya - ms. ka. 42 bhaktivatsala - ms. ka. 43 karomyadya - mss. ka, kha. / 419 / O lord of the gods, let me enter on the business of the gods / into the dwelling of the God of gods; let this boon be mine, O all-pervading lord.’

Nandin replied this to him: ‘This boon is indeed difficult to grant. / You will not be able to see that lord of the gods absorbed in union [with the goddess],

the great lord together with the goddess, the imperishable creator of the world. / Even so, O fire, this boon must certainly be granted by me to you. / Go, having become very subtle, hard to perceive, O fire; / enter and come out quickly, your act of arrival unnoticed.’ / Permitted by Nandin, fire, filled with joy, / having become a light most subtle together with a ray of the sun,

entered the dwelling of Śambhu and then entered a jeweled pillar, / illuminating repeatedly that pillar containing a fiery gem.

There he saw the lord of the gods and the goddess, the ruler of the universe. / Then that carrier of oblations praised the two deities in his mind. / And being thus praised, showing love for the goddess, / Hara looked at the pillar and spoke these words to the goddess: / ‘This jewel of a pillar, O goddess, as if shining, O beloved, / praises me along with you; let me give him an auspicious boon.’

The goddess said: / ‘Do so, O Mahādeva, to this devotee of yours, O lord of the gods; / grant an excellent boon to him who praises you along with me.’

The God of gods said: / ‘I am pleased, O you who are within the jewel, by your devotion and humility. / State the purpose as you wish; all that shall come to pass for you.’

44 praveśo (?). 45 śaktosi - ms. kha. 46 yathāpyeṣa - ms. ka. 47 jātavedo - ms. ka. 48 vahneya - ms. kha. 49 bhāvayat - ms. ka. 50 vacasā - ms. kha. 51 vara eṣa bhaviṣyati - ms. kha. / 420 / Agni said: / ‘The gods standing outside wish to see you, O ruler of the universe. / O lord, act in such a way that they all may see you.’ / The God of gods said: / ‘So be it, O best of gods. Having gone out, I shall grant / darśana to the denizens of heaven, out of a desire to please you, O fire.’ / Having received assent saying ‘So be it’, fire departed from that [pillar]. / Having announced the matter to the gods, he remained fixed in yoga. / Then, stepping out, the lord, the God of gods who bears the Pināka, / went swiftly to the place where the gods were seated together.

Then, having seen Mahādeva whose banner bears the bull, / all the gods bowed with their heads, delighted, and praised him filled with joy:

‘Homage to the thousand-eyed one, and to the thousand-footed one; / homage always to the lord of the great, to the lord of the gods.

Homage to the one delighting in cremation grounds, beautifully dressed in tiger skin, / to the severer of Brahmā's head, and indeed the giver of boons to Viṣṇu. / Homage to the destroyer of Dakṣa's sacrifice, and homage to you, Tryambaka; / homage to the lord of spirits, and to the churner of primordial matter.

Homage always to the one holding the Pināka in hand, the yogin who is the self of all yoga; / homage to the blue-crested one, and homage indeed to him with his consort.

Homage to the one detached from desires, and homage indeed to the one attached to desire; / homage to Sarva, to Śarva, to the staff-bearer, to the matted-haired one. / Homage to the one who has become the self of all; grant us that which is in our minds.’ / Thus being praised by all the best of gods, / Mahādeva replied to those gods who stood bowing down:

52 dadāni - ms. kha. 53 stambhād - ms. kha. 54 namo brahmaśirohartre (?). 55 viṣṇave - mss. ka, kha. 56 namaśśarvāya - ms. kha. 57 sarvāya - ms. kha. 58 muṇḍane - ms. kha. / 421 / ‘I am thoroughly pleased, O gods! Tell me, what may I give to you?’ / Having bowed again, those gods spoke these supreme words:

‘The boon that was given by you to us at the Svayaṃvara, O lord, O all-pervading one— / together we ask for that; it is fitting for you to give that to us.

This union of yours with the goddess for the sake of a son, O ruler of the universe, / which has been carried on for many years—bring that to an end! Homage to you!

Inauspicious omens are being seen, O you of great splendor; / the earth is in distress, O god, and we are terribly agitated.

Therefore, in such a way that this son is not born in the goddess's body, / and yet may be born, O god, act for us in that manner.’ / Having heard those words of theirs, the God of gods spoke these words: / ‘This great boon has been requested by all the foremost gods; / yet I shall grant it, out of a desire to do what is pleasing to you. / However, this semen has been held by me for a long time;

look for a place for this, for this excellent [seed] cannot be in vain.’ / Then, addressed thus by the god, those gods, O best of sages, […]

The gods together, led by Brahmā, became silent.
Then in their midst, the fire said to the lord of the world:
'Offer this supreme fiery splendor into me, O god, protector of the three worlds.'
Then Bhava offered that supreme fiery splendor of his own into the fire.
Having offered it all into him, the supreme lord was pleased.
'Choose a boon, O fire,' said Śaṃkara.

Then the fire bowed to the lord and requested boons from the almighty:
'I would wish this son of yours to be renowned by my name.

May I be beyond the reach of curses, and may I see you constantly.
May I bear this with ease and release it [safely], O Śaṃkara.
Even while devouring everything, may I remain untainted, and let there be no sin for me.
May the gods and sacrifices find their support in me, O bearer of the trident!

May I be a lord of beings, and may I indeed be Paśupati.
May I be your body, your form, and dependent on you.'

'I desire this boon, O lord of gods, as it is being granted by you.'
Saying 'So be it,' the almighty granted all that to the fire.
Then, dismissing the gods, the god of gods, whose emblem is the bull,
entered the chamber again, and the goddess addressed him:
'Where did you go and then return here so quickly, O lord of the three worlds?
What was that very urgent matter on account of which you went outside?'
Then the lord of gods spoke to Pārvatī, whose face was angry:
'I went quickly, O goddess, having been petitioned by the gods, O beloved,