Revākhaṇḍa ascribed to the Vāyupurāṇa (RKV) 16
English (machine translation) 16
- Language
- English
Contents
- 16.24 — 2 parts
16.1
Glorious Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Accompanied by the mothers and surrounded on all sides by terrifying hosts of spirits, the trident-bearer danced, / dressed in the skin of a great elephant as a covering, wishing to destroy the entire world.
16.2
Maheśvara, having a garland bound with many scriptures of all the lords of the gods, / his limbs smeared with fat, marrow, and blood, Śambhu danced during the burning of the three worlds.
16.3
Together with Kālarātri, that great-souled one carried away the entire threefold world at the end of time. / Named Saṃvartaka, possessing the splendor of the sun, Śambhu is the great-souled, supreme being of the universe.
16.4
Mixed with a shower of sparks and smoke, equal to a great meteor, a thunderbolt, lightning, and wind, / he then let loose a terrifying loud laughter, opening his mouth like the submarine fire.
16.5
By that loud laughter arising from Hara, resembling a thousand thunderbolts and lightning flashes, / the ten directions were filled, and all the great oceans were agitated.
16.6
That sound went to the realm of Brahmā; the entire vessel of the universe trembled. / 'What is this?'—their minds agitated, those sages became terrified.
16.7
Bowing at once in fear, all of them spoke to Brahmā, the ruler of supreme lords; / and then all those sages, frightened together with gods, asuras, and great serpents [spoke]:
16.8
'His terrifying body radiant with the luster of lightning, who is this playing upon the surface of the earth, / bearing this body [resembling] the fire of destruction, by whose loud laughter the universe is bewildered?
16.9
Terrified, it seemed on the brink of being destroyed in an instant; does he wish to consume the three worlds? / Along with you and the seven sons, the people of the Janas, Tapas, and Satya worlds are taking refuge.
16.10
Who indeed is this god wishing to destroy [all]? Tell this entire matter, O immeasurable one! / Such an extremity has never been seen before; you know the supreme truth, according to our judgment.'
16.11
Hearing their words, Brahmā then consoled the hosts of gods and others, and spoke:
16.12
The venerable Brahmā said:
"This Time himself, imperishable in nature, desires to destroy the entire heaven and the world. / When the full [number] of years has elapsed, the pervasive Lord sleeps—this is no wonder.
16.13
This god is the saṃvatsara, the parivatsara, the udvatsara, and the vatsara. / Though seen, he is unseen; he is offered into [the fire], luminous, gross, subtle, and an atom.
16.14
There is nothing higher than this in the world; this Lord, who speaks of the Self, is both the highest and the lowest. / May he whose form is identical with Time be pleased with me!" Having spoken thus, the venerable lord of the gods,
16.15
together with Sanatkumāra and the other foremost ones, restrained in mind, then propitiated [him].
16.16
Brahmā said:
"Homage to Sarva, whose form is exceedingly peaceful! Homage, homage to you, whose form is non-terrific! / Homage, homage to you, the self of all, O Sarva! Homage to you, the Great-souled One, O Lord of beings!
16.17
Homage, homage to you, adorned with the syllables Oṃ and Huṃ, the caller of svadhā and vaṣaṭ! / Homage to you, Maheśvara, the lord of the three guṇas, consisting of the three Vedas, whose self is the three guṇas!
16.18
You are Śaṅkara, you indeed are Maheśvara; you have entered the foremost Pradhāna. / You are Viṣṇu, Īśa, and the Great-grandfather; you have seven tongues, you have infinite tongues.
16.19
You are the creator and you yourself are creation, O all-pervading Lord! You are that which is to be known, the supreme treasure of the universe. / The twice-born knowers of the Veda call you the one to be chosen; you are higher than the highest, beyond the beyond.
16.20
And you are that which they proclaim to be subtler than the subtlest, from which words turn back along with the mind."
16.21
The venerable Mahādeva said:
"Praised by you with manifold mantras, I foster peace for you, O lotus-born one! / Behold me, blazing, forcibly seizing this world with my manifold mouths!"
16.22
Having spoken thus, the Lord of gods, the Lord of the universe, together with the Goddess, / consoled the Grandfather and disappeared right there.
16.23
Hearing this most holy, supreme hymn of praise, they attain a [lofty] destination here. / Those who are enveloped by manifold sins go to Rudra on spotless celestial chariots.
16.24
And fear will never arise for them, O dear one, for the foremost of the twice-born who recite this. / In battle, among thieves, in fire, in the forest, and likewise on the ocean, Śiva protects them—there is no doubt about this.
16.24.p1
Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, entitled 'The Description of the Praise of Śiva Performed by Brahmā,' in the glorification of the Narmadā, in the Revākhaṇḍa, in the fifth book [named] Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses belonging to the glorious Skanda.
16.24.p2
Revākhaṇḍa Chapter 17
Linked texts (1)
- Revākhaṇḍa (Vāyupurāṇa) — Sanskrit