Varunapurana (Vāruṇapurāṇa)

Homage to the glorious Gaṇeśa.

In which name and form are imagined, though from the standpoint of ultimate reality / it is changeless and omnipresent: I worship that supreme brahman.

Long ago, on the bank of the Sarasvatī, Śaunaka and other great seers, / having, at the conclusion of their sacrificial session, offered the oblation to Varuṇa,

and propitiated Varuṇa, bathed in the river and offered water libations; / with tripuṇḍras of sacred ash on their foreheads, resplendent with ornaments of rudrākṣas,

devoted to the recitation of the five-syllable mantra, constantly engaged in worshiping the liṅga, / then spoke with supreme devotion to the divine Pracetas:

The seers said: / "O highly fortunate Pracetas, lord of rivers and streams! / We all propitiate you; please be pleased to consider our question.

Proclaim that undoubted knowledge by which we may perceive that state." / Thereupon Varuṇa, the bearer of the noose, having meditated upon the divine Pinākin,

and having bowed to the immeasurable One, spoke in the assembly of seers.

Varuṇa said:

"Homage to the changeless, eternal, all-pervading One who is universal liberation, / who is foundationless, the foundation of all, and to Śiva.

Homage to the Lord, the witness of the agents of creation, preservation, and dissolution. / O great seers headed by Śaunaka, I shall proclaim the supreme secret.

The acquisition of the Vedas by Vyāsa from Hiraṇyagarbha is proclaimed; / and that Creator, the creator Prajāpati, having obtained the Vedas from Maheśvara,

the omnipresent one set them in motion unweariedly, as in the former creation. / That illustrious Vyāsa also, having divided them into four parts,

then favored the seers of the Ṛg, Sāma, Atharva, and Yajur [Vedas]. / (The Vāruṇa secondary Purāṇa) / He uttered the Purāṇas as the very explanations of their meaning.

The sages indeed proclaim other secondary Purāṇas: / the first declared by Kumāra, the Nṛsiṃha, the Nāradīya,

the Vāsiṣṭhaliṅga, the Mārīca, the one named Nandi, and likewise the Bhārgava, / the Māheśvara, then the Auśanasa, the Āditya, and the Gāṇeśa,

the Kālikā, the Kāpila, the Dūrvāsa, the Śivadharma, / the one spoken by Parāśara, the Sāmba, and the Vāruṇa.

This eighteenth named the Vāruṇa, which is spoken by me, / listen to with attention, O seers freed from stain.

Attained by immortality through knowledge of me, through explanations, narratives, and the like, / this, which bestows the knowledge of Śiva, should be retained by the wise.

For the liberation of the bound soul from the bond, the supreme, imperishable self, / which is the eternal, immortal abode, the sovereign realm higher than the highest,

consisting of reality, consciousness, and bliss, devoid of name, form, and the like, / shining by its own light in entities endowed with name, form, and so on,

is known solely as reality; that which is known as consciousness in the self / and known as an object as 'mine', has the nature of bliss through joy.

Thus attained in quality, the imperishable sovereign reality in the perishable, / free from both the perishable and imperishable, the witness beyond darkness,

the cause of the diverse effects such as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Indra, and animals, / that which illuminates those bodies and senses and is their witness,

the Lord who is untouched by the suffering of the world, neither subtle nor gross: / that very unmanifest entity became manifest,

three-eyed, of noble form, attended by supreme Umā, / blue-throated, the great soul endowed with a transcendental body,

changeless, [praised] by all gods and even men, O chiefs of sages, / which is pure consciousness and truth, for the sake of attaining knowledge and bliss.

The qualities of the transcendental form are remembered as transcendental, / unlike the qualities of Viṣṇu and others who have entered into divine tasks.

Transcendental indeed are his divine plays, which embody spiritual knowledge; / the divine plays of the gods like Viṣṇu are remembered as material.

The divine plays of Śambhu of wondrous power are remembered as transcendental; / I shall relate some of them for the purification of the mind.

One should thus meditate upon the divine plays of Maheśa that reveal spiritual reality; / for those who hear and recite them, the self quickly becomes serene.

Thus ends the first chapter in the glorious Vāruṇa secondary Purāṇa.

The seers said: / "How are these divine plays transcendental, and how do they bestow knowledge? / For the materiality of divine plays is indeed declared by nature, O god.

Dispel this doubt of ours, since you are superior in knowledge." / Varuṇa said: / "Listen with attention, having restrained the mind and mastered speech.

Manifold is the supreme power of this god; / from his very nature arises that power of Maheśa, the bearer of the Pināka.

No one knows its beginning, end, and forms, O chiefs of sages; / there is none equal to him, nor superior, nor inferior; he is indeed one.

Deluded by māyā through the knowledge of duality, Brahmā and Mādhava [thought]: / 'I alone am the greatest in the world,' and Mādhava thought, 'Indeed, I alone.'

Out of ego, they did not perceive the end nor the top of the attributeless One; / that which is the liṅga is dissolution, and from it arises cosmic origin.

It is attributeless, supreme, visible, beyond material nature; / therefore that form and liṅga of Śambhu, who is brahman, is declared.

Characterized by the three guṇas, joined with Umā, three-eyed, yet the liṅga is attributeless: / this first supreme divine play is the destroyer of ego.

The second is the destruction of death and the like, destroying temporal division; / the third is the destruction of the three cities by Tripurāri.

Those three cities were remembered as the three cities consisting of sattva and the other guṇas; / the ascetic and independent Lord is that self, the divine ruler.

His austerity, which was established long ago, is remembered as the earthly body; / Brahmā is his charioteer, and he is declared to be the intellect.

The noble Vedas are the wheels, and the horses are declared to be the mind; / in these cities of the three guṇas, their sacrifice was the ultimate wealth.

The senses are his attendants, remembered as tranquility, self-control, and the like, / along with restraints, observances, and yogic practices that restrain the mind.

That which is Meru is the syllable Oṃ; that which is Viṣṇu is of the nature of the arrow; / the target, however, is devoid of qualities, for by burning it becomes attributeless.

That praise of the God of gods which bestows the meaning of Vedānta, / is declared to be the primeval, supreme [play]; the fourth is the destruction of Dakṣa.

Dakṣa is of the nature of ego; his wife of virtuous vows / is to be understood as active worldly involvement; the gods who were his sharers,

desire, anger, and the rest, were all regarded as having the Lord as their nature; / by ritual action, higher knowledge does not arise: this is demonstrated in the world.

The rejection of Maheśa by Dakṣa, whose nature was ego, / was done by relying on another, being bereft of the knowledge that he is the Self.

All that is indeed the knowledge of duality, and the abandonment of the body of Satī / is the flashing forth of the knowledge of brahman; its destruction is indeed proclaimed.

That destruction was great sorrow for him whose self was veiled by ego; / again, by the grace of Śiva, that which is called the fruit of heaven,

and the destruction following from heaven, by demonstrating great superiority, / is declared so that it may be known that liberation is not to be attained by action.

The fifth divine play of the God of gods is that which arose from the forehead of Brahmā; / the God is the cause of Brahmā, and from him he was born from the forehead.

Creating that body for him through expenditure, he entered that world; / commanded by Brahmā to [produce] offspring, [he created those] devoid of old age and death.

Having seen [them], the Lord was restrained by him as Sthāṇu because of being the witness; / to reveal the witnessing nature, Sthāṇu is to be known by those who see the Self.

From the station in the Devadāru forest, acting as the subduer of action— / having reached the Devadāru forest, that is traditionally remembered as the forest of ignorance.

The sages there who would be the guides are indeed desire, anger, and the rest; / their wives who are spoken of are laughter, auspicious and inauspicious.

Their suppression which is spoken of [is of] the foolish who rely on ritual action; / it is the suppression of the best manifestation of sacrificial works, public charities, and other duties.

And the granting of wisdom among them is the knowledge that gives awareness; / the discourse on worshipping Śiva and so forth is the means by which that knowledge is attained.

As the Lord Sambhu [went] then with a naked body, / the Lord did so to make known the state of those beyond the āśramas,

displaying non-attachment, renunciation, and dispassion. / He who is this Śambhu is the Self itself; she who accompanies him has the nature of a woman.

She is Viṣṇu, greatness, and māyā, emanated by nature from him. / The curse that was given of old, that is proclaimed as sin;

what was incurred was untouched, not united [with him] because of his non-attachment, / and because of activity [he bore] hides and skull-bowls with the attendants and others.

Nothing whatsoever exists apart from oneself—thus was that accepted, O twice-born! / The seventh divine play of the God of gods consists of his marriage.

The Goddess is indeed the Self, and that Goddess is proclaimed as brahmavidyā. / Himavān is spiritual awakening, and the birth of Skanda is likewise the eighth [play].

The play of burning Manmatha and so forth is the Self's freedom from desire; / and the God, the treasure of compassion, acted to reveal that light.

The ninth and tenth are proclaimed as the slaying of the demon Andhaka; / he who was Andhaka is indeed ignorance, which seized the Goddess.

Whatever [that was], let it be understood as the destruction of the light of consciousness. / By Śaṅkara of boundless splendour, with the strike of the eight[-pointed] trident,

he is the Self, the realization of the Self, and the slaying is the destruction of ignorance. / The dance of Śambhu that is transcendent embodies supreme bliss;

it is this very nirvāṇa of brahman, of single unbroken essence; / therein nothing else is yours or another's, nor does it belong to speech or mind.

This dance of the Supreme Lord is proclaimed by the wise; / experiencing it through revelation and instruction, the knower of brahman attains brahman.

From listening to this, one attains knowledge and direct realization. / These are material divine plays [only to one] devoid of material knowledge;

they are to be known as transcendental by knowers of truth, O rulers of sages! / From the hearing of this, sins are destroyed, without a doubt.

Even from hearing the account contained within each single chapter, / one becomes cleansed of sin and attains the realm of Śiva.

Thus ends the second chapter, the telling of the narrative, in the glorious Vāruṇa secondary Purāṇa.

The sages said: / Having heard in brief the divine plays of Śambhu that bestow knowledge, / how did that attributeless liṅga, whose nature is Śaṅkara, arise?

Varuṇa said: / The attributeless nature is self-established in him of boundless splendour; / this assumption of form by the Lord is adventitious, O twice-born,

in order to make known his attributelessness and to manifest the nature of the liṅga. / All the deities, O twice-born, are remembered as possessing embodied forms;

the liṅga of Maheśa, however, is attributeless, yet endowed with forms with attributes. / In order to make known the worship of the liṅga, he deluded the two gods.

Deluded at the time of dissolution, the two gods born from the left and right sides of the God of gods / entered into a supreme dispute at that junction:

"I alone am the creator of the world!" "I alone!" said the other. / To awaken the two of them, Hara assumed the form of a liṅga between them,

surrounded by a mass of flames, a mass of splendour, self-luminous. / It arose, and both the husband of Lakṣmī and the creator Brahmā were astonished and deluded.

Beholding this divine splendour, recognizing the Lord as the cause, / and [realizing] the standing of all effects as non-different from the cause,

then Prajāpati and Janārdana swiftly praised [him]. / The gods [said]: / "Obeisance to Rudra, to Soma, to Śaṅka of immaculate form!

Obeisance to Viśaṅka, the most worthy, the tawny one, the ruler! / Obeisance to Bhava, to Śarva, the wielder of the trident, the supreme deity of the liṅga!

Obeisance to the companion of Umā, the divine one, the golden lord! / Obeisance to the three-eyed one! Obeisance to you, the support of the universe!

Obeisance to Mṛḍa, to Nīlakaṇṭha, to the lord of lights! / Obeisance to you, the god with the sky for hair, who wear animal hide!

Obeisance to the overseer of the cave, the secret one, placed within the cave of the heart! / Obeisance to you, the giver of boons, the most worthy, the liṅga of light!"

Praising him thus, the two gods fell to the earth on their knees.
Not seeing the end or the beginning, having assumed the forms of a boar and a bird,

they went, highly astonished, recognizing the God of gods, the Lord. / Saying, "Let us return!" pleased, the sole cause of their pride [removed],

and not seeing the end or the beginning, despondent and bewildered in mind, / they returned there with the gods; approaching Agni, they then said:

The gods [said]: / "Go, O Agni, to the God of gods, the creator who has the form of a liṅga! / What is that incomparable liṅga? What is his power now?

Investigate and tell us, O Fire! Return quickly to us!" / Having heard the gods' words, Agni swiftly went to its vicinity.

Having reached it, seeing the mass of splendour, [asking,] "What deity are you here?"— / as soon as that was uttered by Fire, a voice arose from space:

"What great prowess is in you, O Agni? Reveal that now!" / Having spoken thus, a blade of grass was dropped there; he tried to burn it,

yet Fire, even though terrible, could not [burn it] despite great effort. / Saying, "Obeisance to you, I will go," he ran back to the gods.

The immortals then sent Vāyu with great speed to learn what the God intended; / he too returned, dismissed.

The gods sent the lord of sacrifice, the wielder of the thunderbolt, wishing to see the Lord; / but that splendour vanished.

All the immortals, seeing that auspicious Umā, māyā, / bowed and praised her with devotion, their minds and senses clear.

The gods [said]: / "Obeisance to you, boon-giving goddess, half of Śaṅkara's body! / By you this manifold world shines forth and dissolves, and its maintenance

is obtained here, O Great Goddess, Mahāmāyā, who are the Self of all!" / Then the Goddess laughed and, pleased, spoke to the immortals:

"This is the creator of the world, Hara in the form of the liṅga of light; / he is the leader and beginningless, and the two best gods were deluded,

Brahmā and Viṣṇu, as well as Agni, Vāyu, Indra, and the gods. / Knowledge of his essential nature is exceedingly difficult for you to attain.

Therefore, fashioning an image of the liṅga of the creator who is the form of light, / worship him with devotion in supreme contemplation,

duly with the head-vow and other rites, with [mantras such as] 'Agni is [ash],' / performing the Pāśupata observances, chanting the Śatarudrīya."

With the five-syllable mantra accompanied by the Oṃkāra, O best of gods, / worship Mahādeva, turning away from delusion and indolence.

That pranava, which is the form of brahman, is attributeless and possesses the form of the liṅga; / the liṅga of attributeless Maheśa is said to be attributeless.

Therefore, the liṅga is indeed non-different from brahman in the conception of form, / but for the rest of you, there is only a form with attributes.

Even my own form to be imagined there is spoken of [in that manner], O lordly sages; / with that very non-different form, the gods are established therein.

That very cause has been fashioned for me too, [encompassing] the moving and unmoving; / therefore, worship of the liṅga is meritorious, attributeless, and the cause of knowledge.

Having spoken thus, that lotus-eyed goddess disappeared.
The gods too, having reached their own abode, untiringly [engaged in] worship of the liṅga.

With devotion, they fashioned liṅgas according to their desires; / led by Janārdana, they always worship [them] with devotion.

Whoever tells this meritorious narrative with a wise man / attains the realm of Śiva and gains the knowledge of Śiva.

Thus ends the third chapter, named 'The Explanation of Liṅga Worship', in the Vāruṇa secondary Purāṇa.

Varuṇa said: / To demonstrate that he is unbounded by Time, the Lord / attained renown as Kālakāla, the death of Time, because he destroyed [Time].

I shall also tell you that sacred story in brief: / Formerly in the country of Pāñcāla, a king named Śikhidhvaja was renowned.

Born in the Lunar dynasty, the king was a kṣatriya true to his pledge, / a performer of sacrifices, devoted to generosity, heroic, the abode of diverse virtues.

His virtuous wife was a daughter of Pāñcāla named Bhogavatī, / who, in her prime and auspicious marks, was like Viṣṇu's Śrī, O brāhmaṇas.

From her, after a long time, a son was born to him; / the high-minded father named him Śveta.

Once, as he was playing like a second crescent moon, / Ṛṣabha, the best of sages, approached the king.

“Your son, shining like refined gold, O best of royal sages, / when less than sixteen years of age, will meet a terrible death.”

Hearing the words of Ṛṣabha, the king lost his composure; / with folded hands, the monarch then entreated Ṛṣabha.

The king said: / “What is the remedy here, O blessed one, so that my son may be free from death? / By the favor of [the Lord] gold-hued, may he be free from death?

This child should be shown grace by you. What was his previous life? / What sin was committed by him? Tell me that at length.”

Ṛṣabha said: / “This child […] the sage / seeing his son, the ruler of the earth did not honor [him].”

Ṛṣabha, the best of yogins, spoke an exceedingly harsh word: / “Formerly in a previous life, he lived as the son of a śūdra in a family […].

Afflicted by lust, he went to a certain brāhmaṇa's daughter; / by that sin, his lifespan was destroyed and he met his death.

Tortured by Yama with hundreds of severe torments in hell, / in that very birth, O king, he attained some merit.

In a temple of Śiva, he saw a certain exalted yogin; / he was told by him: ‘Bring bilva leaves for the worship of Śiva.’

Having gathered leaves of the bilva tree, he then gave them to him; / by the excellence of that merit, this son of yours was born, O king.

For his victory over death, the Supreme Lord is the refuge; / if he takes refuge in him, death is instantly turned away.

There is no other means at present for his victory.” / Then, having bound Śveta below with sacred ash, the high-minded yogin,

having imparted the five-syllable mantra and given a rosary of rudrākṣa beads, [said:] / “Perform the holy worship of the liṅga; death will then face you [in defeat].”

Having spoken thus and taken leave of him, the yogin departed wherever he wished.
Up to seven years of age, the boy was devoted to the worship of the Śiva-liṅga.

Having reached through asceticism the place named Śvetakānana, / he worshipped Mahādeva there, the remover of bonds for bound souls.

When that day of death arrived, [Yama's messengers] came to bind Śveta, / cruel, bearing rods, with swords, clubs, nooses, and scimitars in hand.

“Turn back from this effort of yours! What is this childish behavior of yours? / Looking upon us, no one can stand even for a moment!”

Thus they threatened him, but they could not [approach] at all due to the power of his worship.
Unable to bring him, they then reported to Yama.

Then, hearing the words of his soldiers, the lord of Saṃyaminī, / enraged, mounted his buffalo with rod and noose in hand, accompanied by his troops,

accompanied by Death, Fever, Consumption, and others, and approached near him. / Seeing the king’s son Śveta, tranquil and absorbed solely in meditation,

he bound him with the terrible noose of Time, roaring with an immense shout. / Seeing his body encircled all around by the noose of Yama,

Śveta, agitated with fear, praised [the Lord] with dear words. / Śveta said: / “O friend of the universe, Mahādeva, fierce one, terrible one, Manonmana!

O bearer of the trident, I have taken refuge in you, protect me! / O Śambhu, O Śaṅkara, O lord of the universe, whose mount is the lord of bulls!

O lord of Umā, lord of bound souls, served by Skanda and Nandin! / Protect me who have surrendered, O Śambhu, O Nīlakaṇṭha, imperishable Hara!”

Hearing that speech, the God arose from the liṅga.
While all the gods and Yama were listening, Maheśvara

said to Śveta, “Do not fear!” and with his trident, striking him separately / with his foot upon the chest, Śiva caused [Yama] to be lifeless.

Then there was a shower filled with garlands of flowers, / and the three worlds were filled with the sounds of divine drums; / the gods cried out, “Victory! Victory!”, and Hara revived Death.

Having granted Śveta a lifespan of a thousand years, he disappeared. / Whoever [hears] this sacred narrative of the slaying of Kāla for Śveta,

hears it endowed with faith, becomes free from untimely death, / and obtains a long life and pleasures; of this there is no doubt.

Thus ends the fourth chapter, named 'The Destruction of Kāla', in the Vāruṇa secondary Purāṇa.

[The sages said:] / “The divine narrative named 'The Destruction of Kāla' has been heard. / By whom and in what manner were those cities of Tripura and the rest destroyed?

Tell that in detail, the divine play of the great-souled Śambhu.” / Varuṇa said: / “Listen, all you sages, to the excellent story of Tripura.

By the boon-granting of Brahmā, those three became most formidable: / Tārākṣa, Makarākṣa, and Vidyunmālī, O best of men.

They had three cities, of iron, gold, and silver, / terrible, moving through the sky, causing torment to the worlds.

The gods, oppressed by them, went to Śaṅkara for refuge; / abandoning their abodes, Viṣṇu and the others, preceded by Brahmā and Indra,

having gone to Kailāsa, praised the Supreme Lord who delights in Kailāsa: / ‘Salutations to you, the lord of the heart's cave, Śaṅkara, the dispeller of distress!

Salutations indeed to the gracious one, who is reached by the surrendered, who delights in the cave! / To the fierce one, whose form is terror, the victorious archer!’”

Homage to you whose arms are golden, the lord of bound souls! / Homage to you the spear-bearer, formless, whose nature is holy merit!

Homage to you in the form of the liṅga, peaceful, glowing with heat! / Homage to you of sweet fragrance, terrible, Sadyojāta!

To Vāmadeva and the other divine forms, to Īśāna, to the one with matted hair, / to the blue-necked, auspicious, and cloud-residing one, homage, homage!

Having thus praised Mahādeva, having praised the supreme lord,
having seen and bowed to Mahādeva, and having recounted the deed of Tripura—

"By that granting of fearlessness I am pleased, O best of the gods!" / Having prepared his equipment: the earth as his chariot and vehicle,

the Vedas made into horses for him, the golden mountain as his bow, / Śeṣa the great serpent as his bowstring, the sun and moon as the two chariot wheels,

Hari as his arrow, and the Creator as his charioteer, the gods marched along. / Having thus equipped the god, meditating again with effort,

Hara mounted [the chariot] and advanced to destroy the Tripuras. / As he watched the battle thus for thousands of years,

at one time those three cities of the mighty ones came together; / seeing them as one, the lord of gods aimed his arrow at that target.

In that very instant they were burned up, even as the gods watched. / Then the Siddhas standing in the sky proclaimed, "Victory, victory!"

Cool breezes blew then, and the sun indeed rose. / The sages praised the god Hara with abundant words.

All the gods, with joined palms, bowed to the supreme lord, / and with delighted, supreme words, shouted, "Victory, victory!"

Then Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and the others praised him again with hymns of praise. / The gods said: / "Victory, O immeasurable one, beyond qualities! Victory, O steadfast one, higher than the highest!

Victory, O cause of the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe! / Victory, O destroyer of the Tripura demons, slayer of the exceedingly cruel foes!

Victory, O one beyond time and its parts! Victory, Tryambaka, Śaṅkara! / Victory, O Hara, greater than the universe, teacher of Vināyaka!

Victory, wishing tree of supreme bliss, abode of all virtues! / Victory, Śambhu, lord of gods! Victory, giver of dharma, giver of bliss!"

As they praised him thus, the husband of Ambikā was pleased,
and spoke to them: "O best of gods, tell me what is in your hearts.

I am pleased with you, O gods; I grant you everything supreme now." / Having heard this word of the god, the gods, with joined palms, then [said]:

The gods [said]: / "Homage to you, O divine lord! Homage to the wrath of Rudra! / And homage, homage to your two arms, O Śambhu, destroyer of Tripura!

O lord, we propitiate you with offerings of homage; / you are the lord of bound souls, O god: protect us from the state of bound creatures!

You are the lord of all the gods continually." / Saying "So be it," establishing those best of gods in the state of bound creatures,

and blessing them, the lord vanished there along with the goddess. / And all the gods, Indra and the rest, went to their respective abodes with joy.

In the same way Brahmā and Viṣṇu departed, mounting their vehicles. / Whoever [hears] this sacred narrative of the spear-bearer who destroyed Tripura,

whoever listens to it or recites it together with brāhmaṇas, O observers of good vows, / having obtained victory over enemies and enjoyed pleasures, that noble-minded one,

with a divine measure of holy merit, shall attain the realm of Śiva. / Hearing this very [narrative] in ancient times, Indra [slew] the mighty Vṛtra;

Kumāra conquered Tāraka and the others, and the Goddess [conquered] Bhaṇḍāsura and the rest. / Therefore, having heard this most sacred [story] for victory, O best of kings...

Thus ends the fifth chapter, entitled "The Conquest of Tripura," in the Vāruṇa secondary Purāṇa.

Varuṇa said: / Formerly, O lords of sages, the Prajāpati's son named Dakṣa / sacrificed with a horse sacrifice at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and the ocean,

without Viśveśvara, the god, while inviting the other gods. / As he was thus sacrificing there, Satī appeared,

along with tens of millions of attendants and her female companions all around; / coming there, the supreme goddess spoke to her father Dakṣa.

The glorious Satī said: / "Why has this great sacrifice been undertaken without summoning me? / Even the lord, the soul of the universe, is not seen in the assembly of gods.

He alone is indeed the king of sacrifice; why is he not worshiped in the great rite?" / Then, hearing the words of Satī, [Dakṣa said]: "This Maheśvara is not worthy of worship;

therefore, excluding you, Satī, I give the oblation assigned among the gods." / Thus addressing Dakṣa, [she said]: "Your sacrifice is ruined today!

This body was born from you; I cast it off through yoga." / Having thus cast off her body through yoga, the goddess

went again to Hara with her own divine body. / To crush the pride of that Dakṣa, [Hara],

summoning the mighty Vīrabhadra, [said]: "Destroy the great sacrifice today!" / Having bowed to the god, the leader of the attendants, Vīrabhadra, along with the attendants,

went and destroyed the pavilion of the wives, that leader of the attendants. / He seized the gods as well, striking them then with his mace.

He cut off the head of the Sacrifice which was running away in the form of a deer. / He cut Dakṣa with his sword and smashed the teeth of Pūṣan.

The noble-minded one struck down Viṣṇu, kicked Indra and the others with his feet, / and tore the bodies of the officiating priests.

And he drove the other gods to every quarter. / Going back, he reported to the god. The compassionate lord Hara

joined the head of a ram to Dakṣa, who acts without distress. / Praised again by him, the god, the husband of Girijā, the lord,

granted him the merit of a thousand horse sacrifices. / Then, to remove his own sin, Dakṣa devoutly