Skandapurana 17.9
English (machine translation) 17.9
- Language
- English
17.9.1
Brahmā said: / 'If the three worlds, moving and unmoving, were all created by me, / then, having abandoned this form, let Bhava now be created by me,
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so that the greatness of the Grandfather may be [confirmed]; let it be done quickly.' / Hearing Brahmā’s speech, [Rudra] was delighted by Viṣṇu.
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He arrived at the mountain summit that produced great wonder. / 'No doubt should be entertained by you; that which was spoken by Brahmā should be done.'
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Saying 'So be it,' the god Śiva vanished right there. / Brahmā went to the peak of Meru situated at the head of the mind.
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The lord of creatures performed austerity, devoted to the chanting of the Veda. / As the Grandfather was performing the chanting of the Atharvaveda,
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Rudra arose from his mouth, of fierce form, the remover of worldly existence, / with a body half-woman and half-man, hard to look upon, extremely terrifying.
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Saying 'Divide yourself!', Brahmā vanished in fear. / Being addressed thus, he divided himself twofold into femaleness and maleness.
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And he divided the maleness tenfold, and then once more. / These eleven Rudras, the lords of the three worlds, are declared.
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Having assigned names to all of them, they were appointed to the task of the gods. / Then, dividing herself from the all-pervading Śaṃkara, Īśānī,
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at the command of Mahādeva, approached the Grandfather. / Blessed Lord Brahmā said to her: 'Become the daughter of Dakṣa.'
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She too, by his direction, became manifest to the Prajāpati. / By the direction of Brahmā, Dakṣa gave that Satī to Rudra.
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Rudra, the trident-bearer, also received the daughter of Dakṣa, who was indeed his own. / Then Brahmā said to him: 'Perform creation, O lord of Satī.'
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Rudra said: / 'Creation should not be performed by me; it should be performed by you yourself. / Preservation is to be done by Viṣṇu; I am appointed as the destroyer.'
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Because I stand firmly like a pillar, therefore I become Sthāṇu.
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Those men who are of the nature of passion, goodness, and darkness— / all of them are to be made by you according to the division of the three qualities.
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When your work is through those of darkness, then be yourself fierce; / when your work is through those of passion, then be passionate; / when your work is through those of goodness, then be full of goodness.
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Īśvara said: / Having thus instructed Brahmā himself in the tasks of creation and the rest, / Rudra took Satī and dwelt on Kailāsa.
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After a long time, Dakṣa came to Hara's abode.
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Then Rudra arose and showed great respect; / yet Dakṣa did not value the worship, though properly offered.
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Then indeed, overcome with darkness, that noble brahmin, / seeking peerless worship, returned home in anger.
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Once, when Satī had arrived at his house, Dakṣa, deeply distressed in mind, / reviled her along with her husband and rebuked her in fury:
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"He has five faces, ten arms, and three eyes in his face; / he has matted hair, carries the crescent moon, and is blue and red;
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he carries a skull, holds a trident in his hand, and is wrapped in an elephant hide; / he has no mother, no father, no brother, and no kin;
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his neck is adorned with serpents and bones, having cast aside gold ornaments; / his food comes from begging—how will he provide food [for you]?
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Sometimes he goes to the east, and while going, he goes to the west; / his bull goes to the south, while he himself goes to the north;
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he moves sideways, upwards, and downwards; he neither goes nor stays still. / Such strange conduct of your husband is not seen in any other!
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He is without qualities, beyond qualities, devoid of affection, standing like a mute; / yet he is recited throughout the three worlds as omniscient, all-pervading, and all-being.
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Sometimes he does not know at all, does not hear, and does not see; / yet he gives [boons] to daityas, dānavas, and rākṣasas;
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he has no father at all, nor any brother; / all alone, mounted on a bull, naked he roams the earth;
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he has no house, no wealth, no lineage; he is without beginning or end, imperishable; / he has no steady intellect, yet he sports across the three worlds.
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Sometimes he is in Satyaloka, and sometimes he dwells in Pātāla; / he sleeps upon mountain ridges; though inauspicious, he is called Śiva.
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Discarding sandalwood and other perfumes, he is constantly smeared with ashes; / 'He gives everything' is the saying—yet what else will he give?
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Fie on you! Fie on that son-in-law! between whom there is mutual affection: / you are his beloved wife, and he is dearer to you than life.
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You have no concern with your father, nor with your mother, nor among your female friends; / you are devoted only to your husband; therefore depart from my house!
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All the other sons-in-law [are superior] to your bow-wielding husband; / go this very day, at once, from our house to your husband!"
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Hearing those words of his, that goddess, beloved of Śaṃkara, / reviled her father Dakṣa, meditated on the god Maheśvara,
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clothed in white garments, bathed in water, and burned herself by her own power. / But Śiva was solicited by her as her husband in another birth:
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"May Himavān be my father; may I be born from the womb of Menā!" / Meanwhile, Hara was pleased by the austerity of Himavat; / granting him his direct darśana, he spoke these words to Himavat:
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"This daughter is given to you; I shall marry her. / For the accomplishment of the purpose of the gods, you shall be the king of mountains."
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Knowing that she had entered his own form, the god Maheśvara, / enraged, came to Dakṣa's house and cursed Dakṣa:
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"Leaving this brahminical body, be born in the lineage of kṣatriyas! / Abandoning the state of being born from Svayambhū, O Dakṣa, become the son of Pracetas!
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You shall generate a son upon your own married daughter!" / Having thus cursed him, Mahādeva went to Mount Kailāsa.
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Even the son of Svayambhū in time became the son of Pracetas. / Having obtained Bhavānī as his daughter, the mountain Himālaya was delighted.
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Menā also, having obtained that daughter, considered her household blessed. / Seeing that fair-faced girl being born by her own mere will,
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Menā, wife of Himavat, spoke thus to the lord of mountains: / "Look, O king, at this girl whose face is like a blue lotus,
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born through austerity for the welfare of all beings, auspicious!" / He too, seeing the great goddess resembling the morning sun,
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having matted hair, four faces, three eyes, full of intense desire, / eight-armed, large-eyed, adorned with the crescent moon,
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bowed with his head to the ground, deeply agitated by her radiance; / frightened, with folded hands, rendered motionless, he spoke to the supreme goddess.
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Himavān said: / Who are you, O large-eyed goddess? Tell me, I have a great doubt.
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The goddess said: / Know me to be the supreme power resting upon Maheśvara, / non-different, imperishable, one, whom seekers of liberation behold.
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I give you a divine eye; behold my lordly form! / Having said this much, giving spiritual knowledge herself to Himavat,
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[she revealed her form] like an orb of light resembling ten million suns, undisturbed, / filled with thousands of garlands of flames, equal to a hundred cosmic dissolution fires,
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dreadful with fangs, fierce, adorned with a mass of matted hair, / [yet] tranquil, with a gentle face, endowed with infinite wonders,
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bearing the crescent moon as a mark, with splendor equal to ten million moons, / crowned with a diadem, holding a mace, adorned with anklets,
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wearing celestial garlands and garments, anointed with celestial fragrant pastes, / holding a conch and a discus, lovely, three-eyed, clad in an animal hide,
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dwelling within the cosmic egg and beyond it, external, internal, supreme, / composed of all powers, bright, endowed with all ornaments,
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whose lotus feet are praised by Brahmā, Indra, Upendra, and the lords of yogins, / with hands and feet on all sides, with eyes, heads, and faces on all sides.
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Pervading all and standing firm, he saw the supreme lord. / Having seen Nandīśvara, the god, and the supreme great lord along with the goddess, 58
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and seized with fear, that king, joyful in mind, / fixing the self within the self and contemplating the oṃkāra, 59
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having praised him with a thousand and eight names, that Himavat mountain, 60
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bowing again, the self of beings, with joined palms said this: / 'This lordly form of yours that has arisen, O supreme lady, 61
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I am terrified now having seen it; show another real form.' / Thus addressed by that mountain, the goddess Pārvatī 62
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withdrew [that form] and showed another supreme natural form, / resembling the petal of a blue lotus, fragrant like a blue lotus, 63
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two-eyed, two-armed, gentle, adorned with dark locks, / the soles of her lotus-feet red, her tender hands deep red, 64
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splendid, broad, well-rounded, radiant with a tilaka on her forehead, / her lovely limbs all adorned with ornaments, exceedingly delicate, 65
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bearing on her chest a broad garland fashioned of gold, / smiling gently, with fine bimba-like lips, adorned with the tinkling of anklets, 66
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her face serene, divine, the seat of the glory of lovely brows. / Beholding such a natural form, that best of mountains, / casting off fear, delighted in self, spoke to the supreme lady: 67
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Himavat said: / 'Today my birth has borne fruit; today my rites are fruitful, / since you, unmanifest, in person, propitious, have come into my sight. / Now what must be done by me? Tell me that, O great lady.' 68
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The great lady said: / 'Worship of Śiva must be performed by you always with meditation and austerity. / I must indeed be given to him for a certain purpose. 69
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Just as he has been seen by you, so indeed should he be meditated upon by you. / God Śiva is the one alone, the foundation of all, the bearer of the earth.' 70
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Sārasvata said: / And Rudra, having arrived at the Himācala, performed austerity. / In the presence of Śiva, Umā offered supreme devotion to him. 71
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For some purpose of the gods, the lord god was informed; / Hara wedded the goddess Umā, the ruler of the three worlds. 72
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He, the king Dakṣa, son of Pracetas, was formerly cursed by Śambhu. / Reviling [him] out of former enmity, he performed a sacrifice to Hari at Gaṅgādvāra. 73
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The gods were invited by Viṣṇu himself for their share in the sacrifice; / along with all the sages, the foremost among sages arrived. 74
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Seeing the whole host of gods arrived without Śaṃkara, / the brahmin-seer named Dadhīca then addressed the son of Pracetas. 75
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Dadhīci said: / 'He whose commands are obeyed by those beginning with Brahmā down to piśācas— / why is that Rudra not worshipped properly by you all now?' 76
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Dakṣa said: / 'In all sacrifices indeed no portion has been assigned [to him], / nor are mantras [chanted] with his wife; therefore Śaṃkara is not desired.' 77
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Laughing at Dakṣa, enraged, the great sage spoke words / while all the gods listened, being himself full of all knowledge: 78
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'He from whom creation proceeds, the soul of the universe, and who is the ruler of the world— / you do not worship Rudra, [yet] Hara is worshipped by the gods.' 79
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Dakṣa said: / 'Wearing a garland of bones, naked, a destroyer, tamasic is Hara, / poison-throated, trident in hand, skull-bearing, wrapped in serpents. 80
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The Lord is indeed the creator of the world, the master who is eternal; / he, the lord composed of sattva, is worshipped in all rites.' 81
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Dadhīci said: / 'Is this thousand-rayed Lord not seen by you, / the sole destroyer of all worlds, the soul of Time, the supreme lord? 82
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This is Rudra, Mahādeva, the matted-haired one, the leader, Hara, / the divine sun Āditya, blue-necked, deep red.' 83
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Dakṣa said: / 'These twelve Ādityas who have arrived to receive a share of the sacrifice, / all of them are to be known as suns; indeed there is no other Ravi.' 84
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When this was said, the sages who had arrived eager to see / said, 'Indeed,' to Dakṣa, being his helpers. 85
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Their minds overpowered by austerity, they did not see the bull-bannered one, / [though they were] in their thousands, their hundreds, and in great numbers. 86
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And all the gods, Vāsava and the rest, having arrived for their share, / did not see the god Īśāna, except Nārāyaṇa Hari. 87
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Seeing Rudra bent on anger, Brahmā departed from Brahmā's seat; / when the Lord had disappeared, Dakṣa [turned to] Nārāyaṇa Hari. 88
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Dakṣa himself went for refuge to the god who is the protector of the worlds, / and then, fearless, set that sacrifice in motion. 89
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The protector is the blessed Viṣṇu, protector of those who seek refuge. / Again at the sacrifice the blessed Dadhīca spoke to Dakṣa, O king: 90
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'O fearless Dakṣa, listen! The destruction of the sacrifice will occur, / because of worshipping the unworthy and abandoning the worthy of worship, O Dakṣa. 91
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A man incurs great sin indeed; there is no doubt of this. / Where the wicked are favored and the virtuous are treated with contempt, 92
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there terrible punishment inflicted by the gods falls instantly.' / Having spoken thus, that brahmin-seer cursed those who hate the Lord: 93
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'Since the supreme lord god has been excluded by you, / you shall all become outsiders to the three Vedas, haters of the Lord, 94
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following false customs and conduct, proclaiming false knowledge, / afflicted indeed by the evils born of Kali when the terrible Kali age arrives. 95
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Having exerted terrible power of austerity, you shall go to hell again, / and Hṛṣīkeśa, your master, will also turn his face away from you.' 96
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Sārasvata said: / Having spoken thus, that brahmin-seer, a treasury of austerity, fell silent; / in his mind he approached Rudra, the destroyer of all sacrifices. 97
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Meanwhile, the goddess Śivā, learning of Dakṣa's sacrifice, / went and made representation to Mahādeva, the great lord. 98
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The Goddess said:
"Dakṣa, who was my father in a previous birth, is performing a sacrifice.
By him you were formerly insulted, and I was made exceedingly sorrowful.
Destroy that sacrifice; this is the boon I choose."
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The Sārasvata sage said:
Thus addressed by the Goddess, the god of gods, Maheśvara,
at once created a Rudra with the desire to destroy Dakṣa's sacrifice.
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A thousand-headed, fierce one, thousand-eyed and mighty-armed,
thousand-handed, unassailable, resembling the fire at the end of the cosmic age,
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dreadful with fangs, terrible to behold, a lord bearing a conch and discus,
holding a staff in his hand, roaring loudly, equipped with a bow, adorned with ashes,
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renowned as Vīrabhadra, endowed [with the powers] of the god of gods.
As soon as he was born, he approached the lord of the gods with folded hands.
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He said to him: "Destroy Dakṣa's sacrifice, and let there be tranquility for you.
Reviling me, O leader of the gaṇas, he sacrifices at Gaṅgādvāra."
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Then, just like a lion playfully released from bonds,
a hair was plucked out by Vīrabhadra for Dakṣa's destruction.
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From that hair, thousands of Rudras were produced by that wise one;
they became renowned as the 'Hair-born', his helpers there,
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holding tridents, javelins, and maces in their hands, with staffs and stones in their grasps as well,
resembling the fire of destruction and Rudra, making the ten directions resound.
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All mounted upon bulls, accompanied by their wives, exceedingly terrifying,
they took refuge with the foremost of the gaṇa and went toward Dakṣa's sacrifice,
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which was filled with thousands of divine women, resounded with the songs of apsarases,
rich with the sounds of lutes and flutes, resounding with the recitations of the Vedas.
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Seeing Dakṣa seated together with the gods and brahmin seers,
that hero, mounted upon a bull, said to Dakṣa, as if smiling:
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"Indeed, we are all unskilled, [attendants] of Śarva of boundless splendor;
we have come desiring our shares; give us the desired portions.
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Let it be said: 'A share is to be given to you,' or 'Not to us.'
Then, having decided, we will act appropriately."
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Thus addressed by the leader of the gaṇas, [the gods] headed by Prajāpati [replied]:
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The gods said:
"Know that the mantras are surely our authority regarding the share."
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The mantras said:
"O gods, you have become filled with darkness, your minds struck down by darkness,
you who do not worship Maheśvara, the king of the sacrifice!"
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"Hara is the Īśvara of all beings, having the body of all the gods."
The gaṇa said:
"He is worshipped in all sacrifices; how could Dakṣa not worship him?
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The mantras have not been regarded as authoritative by you who are proud of your strength;
since this is unbearable to us, today I will destroy that arrogant one!"
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Having spoken thus, that god, the foremost of the gaṇas, struck the sacrificial hall,
and the enraged leaders of the gaṇas, having uprooted the sacrificial posts, hurled them away.
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The leaders of the gaṇas, all terrifying, seized the prastotṛ,
together with the hotṛ and the adhvaryu, and threw them into the stream of the Gaṅgā.
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Vīrabhadra too, radiant of soul and undefeated in spirit, paralyzed the hand of Hari
which held the thunderbolt, and likewise [the hands] of the other gods.
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Likewise, playfully plucking out Bhaga's eyes with the tips of his fingers,
and striking with his fist and with clubs, he brought down the Sun.
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Likewise, the powerful leader of the gaṇas, smiling,
playfully crushed the moon god with the big toe of his foot.
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Having cut off Agni's two hands and playfully plucked out his tongue,
he struck the sages and foremost seers on the head with his foot.
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Likewise, when Viṣṇu arrived along with Garuḍa, the exceedingly mighty one
paralyzed the Sudarśana [discus] and pierced [Viṣṇu] with sharp arrows.
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Then Bhadra created thousands of numerous Garuḍas,
greater than the son of Vinatā; they rushed against Garuḍa.
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Seeing them, the wise Garuḍa became bent on flight;
Mādhava, seated on him, [fled] with speed, like a cow tormented by a lion.
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When the son of Vinatā and Viṣṇu had disappeared, the lotus-born [Brahmā],
having arrived, restrained Vīrabhadra, who is dear to Śiva.
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Out of respect for the Supreme Lord, he propitiated him.
Those gods did not at all see or know that Rudra had arrived there.
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That god was recognized by Viṣṇu, by Brahmā, and by Dadhīci.
The lord Brahmā, Dakṣa, Viṣṇu, and the celestials praised [him],
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especially [praising] the goddess Pārvatī, who forms half of Īśvara's body;
and Dakṣa, bowing down with folded hands, [praised her] with various hymns.
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Then the goddess, laughing gently, said to Maheśvara:
"You alone are the creator of the world, its destroyer, and its protector.
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Dakṣa and the gods ought to be shown grace by the Lord."
Then the lord, the matted-haired, blue-and-red Hara, laughing gently,
said to the bowed gods and to Dakṣa, the son of Pracetas:
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"Depart, all you deities! I am pleased with you.
I must be worshipped first in all sacrifices and divine rites.
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And you too, O Dakṣa, listen to my words that protect everything:
Abandoning this desire for worldly things, strive to become my devotee.
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At the end of the cosmic age, by my grace, you will become a lord of the gaṇas.
Until then, remain content in your duties by my command."
Having spoken thus to Dakṣa of boundless splendor, he became invisible.
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Śiva was seen by Dadhīci and was petitioned concerning release from the curse:
"How shall they, by your command, overcome the curse given by me?"
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Śiva said:
"When the Kali age arrives, there will be those outside the three Vedas;
and those brahmins who recite the Vedas shall go to heaven.
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The scriptures composed by Viṣṇu that are recited by the twice-born—
they too shall go to heaven by my grace, without doubt.
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Those who, by the power of the Kali age, have no Vedic recitation
must practice the duties of a householder and perform my worship.
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I must certainly effect their release from sins.
Smeared with ashes, I wander for alms when midday has passed."
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wearing matted hair, tranquil, holding an alms-bowl, a twice-born.
And whoever gives me alms, that human being goes to heaven.
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Or shoes, or an umbrella, or a loincloth, or a water-pot—
whatever man gives [these] to ascetics is freed from sins.
Having granted boons to Dadhīci, he spoke with Viṣṇu:
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Rudra said:
“He who is your friend is my friend; he who is your enemy is my enemy.
He who worships you, O Viṣṇu, certainly worships me.
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He who praises you praises me; he who is dear to you is dear to me.
Where I am, there you are; there is no difference between us.”
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Kṛṣṇa said:
“So it is, O supreme God! What should be said is indeed so.
When the form of half-woman and half-man was seen by me long ago,
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this was not seen by me as a woman; indeed, my own form was seen,
holding the conch, discus, and mace, adorned with a garland of forest flowers,
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marked with the Śrīvatsa, clothed in yellow, gleaming with the Kaustubha jewel.
The second half was seen by me holding a trident, having three eyes,
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joined with the crescent moon, wearing matted hair and carrying a skull.
I have attained oneness [with you], as formerly, so now;
Gaurī may not see me [as distinct], and likewise I see [her].”
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Īśvara said:
“There is no difference between us two; indeed, we both have one form.
He who knows, knows; he goes to Satyaloka.”
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Having spoken thus, he went there to Kailāsa, the best of mountains.
And Kṛṣṇa went to Mandara on some business of the gods.
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Meanwhile, by the grace of Mahādeva, the king of the Daityas,
the son of Hiraṇyanetra, began to torment the three worlds.
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Having obtained immortality from Hara, blinded by desire, he did not see [rightly]:
the goddess who constitutes Hara’s body, of divine form and beautiful eyes,
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he thought, ‘She is mine,’ and begged [for her] from Hara.
Hara too, intent on his duty, left Mount Kailāsa
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and reached Mandara to see god Janārdana.
Having consulted with one another, he left the goddess on Mandara.
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In Nārāyaṇa’s house, the goddess stayed, surrounded by the retinue of goddesses.
In the meantime, Gautama had become defiled by cow-slaughter;
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in order to purify him, Hara assumed the form of a mendicant
and went to Gautama’s house, while Andhaka went to Mandara.
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The wicked one demanded Pārvatī and fought with Viṣṇu.
Defeated by all the attendants, the Daitya did not see the goddess.
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Assuming the form of a woman, Kṛṣṇa protected Gaurī in the palace.
There Hari created a hundred Gaurīs by his magical power;
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excellent women of divine form arose from Viṣṇu’s body.
Andhaka did not know at all: ‘Which one is Gaurī, which is Pārvatī?’
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A delay occurred there, as he was bewildered by Viṣṇu’s māyā.
Meanwhile, Śiva returned, having purified Gautama.
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By the mere alms of food, Gautama was rendered immaculate.
Enraged, Rudra then fought with Andhaka.
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Though immortal by Hara’s boon, he was impaled on a dreadful trident;
and positioned on the trident, he uttered praise, and Maheśvara was pleased with him.
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He gave him the status of Gaṇeśa until the dissolution of all beings.
Kṛṣṇa himself gave him goddess Umā in the form of his sister.
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The other women in the form of Gaurī were sent to the earth:
‘Having assumed names for all, you will be worshipped in the world.
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Those who will worship them will worship Śivā;
those who worship Śivā worship Hara and Hari.’
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Taking Umā, Hara went to the mountain, having mounted the bull, worshipped by gods and Asuras;
and Hari took delight with Ramā, while Andhaka having been subdued, the gods approached the king of gods.
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Those who listen to the wondrous life of the high-souled Brahmā, Īśa, and Nārāyaṇa, of virtuous mind,
are freed from sins born of the Kali age, and will go to heaven, praised by host of attendants.
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As time passed in this manner, Hara was on Mount Kailāsa;
and many boons were obtained from him by Rākṣasas, Dānavas, and Daityas.
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There was a fierce great Asura named Tāraka who had received a boon from Brahmā;
by him the entire world was pervaded, and the gods were routed by him in battle.
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He was to be killed in battle by a son of Mahādeva, so he brought forth him:
Kārtikeya, the son of Umā, born from the semen of Rudra.
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He was consecrated as commander of the army by all the gods led by Indra;
and by divine destiny, the one named Tāraka was struck down by him.
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Seated on the peak of Kailāsa, the God of gods, the teacher of the world,
content with Umā, was surrounded by Nandin, Bhadra, and others,
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joined with Skanda, the Elephant-faced, and the lord of wealth [Kubera].
Then, to the laughing God, Śivā spoke softly:
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“By what means, O God, do you attain satisfaction, O Śaṃkara?
By what gift, austerity, or observance of mortals?
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Or by what rite, O God, or again by what mantra?
By what ritual ablution, O Lord of gods, by what incense are you pleased?
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By what flower, my lord, by what leaf, O Śaṃkara?
With what hymn of praise are you satisfied, and indeed by what bold deed?
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And with what food offering, with what fire offering are you pleased?
By what hardship, O God, by what water-offering [are you pleased], my Lord?
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These sixteen questions have been asked by me; tell me the resolution.”
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Śaṃkara said:
“Well asked by you, O goddess! I will tell what is dear to me.
This method of Śiva’s worship is performed according to the word of the guru.
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Freedom from fear for all living creatures is the gift dear to me, O goddess.
Truth is declared as austerity, along with abstention from another’s wife.
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The observance dear to me, O goddess, is action that brings delight to the world.
This mantra, ‘Oṃ, homage to Śiva’, has been embraced by me.
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Freed from all sin, he is dear to me, O goddess.
Renunciation of sin is the ritual ablution; incense of bdellium is dear to me.”
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The dhattūra flower is dear to me; the bilva leaf is dear to me;
the praise saying 'Śiva, Śiva,' and courage in the act of battle. // 183
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Before that man who does not fear, I appear.
A grass-morsel given to cows, as an offering of food, is dear to me. // 184
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Through the final oblation, my supreme delight arises, O beautiful woman;
service is dear [to me], and the hardship of ascetics and performers of tapas. // 185
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At sunrise, O great goddess, at midday, and likewise at sunset,
the water offering that is given to the sun is dear to me, O beloved. // 186
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What use are gifts, what use are austerities, or what use are sacrifices devoid of devotion?
Compassion, truth, tenderness, non-stealing, free from deceit and slander—
whatever little is given with devotion, O goddess, that is dear to me. // 187
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While he was thus explaining the subtle questions as uttered,
just then Viṣṇu came there himself, along with the gods headed by Brahmā. // 188
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Viṣṇu said:
I am not able to protect [the world]; you grant many boons
to daityas, dānavas, and others, and to rākṣasas, O Maheśvara. // 189
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Afterwards they undergo perversion; alas, they must be slain by me.
Merely with a leaf, with a flower, with the syllable Oṃ, and with [the name] Śiva,
a man attains liberation, O god; who will perform devotion to Bhava? // 7.2.9.190
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The gods headed by Indra are also those whom [mortals] gratify through sacrifices.
Twice-born men do not perform sacrifices; you are pleased by the giving of alms. // 191
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Rudra said:
I have no concern with Indra and the others; what will Brahmā do for me?
By whatever means, the subjects must now be protected by you. // 192
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This indeed is my nature; how could I bring myself to abandon it?
I was appointed to the duty of granting boons by you, by Brahmā, and by the gods. // 193
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Even now, what is lost? Leaving the goddess before you,
having relinquished my form, I wander alone. // 194
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Having spoken thus, the god Śiva vanished right there.
When that Śiva had departed, an immense agitation arose there. // 195
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And Umā said to the gods headed by Indra, and likewise to the hosts of Brahmā and Viṣṇu:
'What must now be done by me with you who are bereft of Śiva?' // 196
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Meanwhile, the other gods also arrived there,
as well as seers and perfected ones, and likewise Nārada and Parvata. // 197
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The rivers Gaṅgā and Sarasvatī, the nāgas, and the yakṣas assembled,
deliberating with Brahmā and the others: 'How will this come to pass?' // 198
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Viṣṇu said:
Let us go together right there where the god Śiva has gone.
With little effort, let those men go to heaven by the command of Śiva. // 199
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Let men go to Satyaloka; let the gods go to the surface of the earth.
Let Śaṃkara bestow boons upon rakṣases, dānavas, and daityas. // 7.2.9.200
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Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit