Chapter 35 - Hymn in Praise of Śiva

Brahmā said:

1. When the marital ceremony of lord Śiva of unmeasured splendour was performed, Indra and other Devas were highly pleased. They eulogised the lord in glorious words and paid obeisance in reverence, in the following way.

Devas said:

2. Obeisance to the lord whose symbol is the mountain. Obeisance to the lord who is the wind in velocity. Obeisance to the lord, the destroyer of pain and the bestower of splendid riches.

3. Obeisance to the lord who has the blue tuft. Obeisance to the lord, husband of Umā. Obeisance to the lord in the form of the wind. Obeisance to the lord of one hundred forms.^[1]

4. Obeisance to the deity of terrible form, of deformed eyes, one thousand eyes and one thousand feet.^[2]

5. Obeisance to the deity in the form of Devas; obeisance, obeisance to the lord, the ancillary of the Vedas. Obeisance to the deity who stunned the arms of Indra,^[3] obeisance to the germinating sprout of the Vedas.

6. Obeisance to the overlord of mobile and immobile beings; obeisance, obeisance to one who suppresses sinners. Obeisance to the deity whose symbol is a water reservoir; obeisance, obeisance to one who annihilates the Yugas.

7. Obeisance to the deity with skulls for garlands; obeisance to the deity who wears skulls for the sacred thread; obeisance to the deity with a skull in his hand; obeisance to the deity holding a staff; obeisance to the deity holding the iron-club.

8. Obeisance to the lord, the master of three worlds; obeisance to the deity, interested in the world of mortals. Obeisance to the deity with the iron club in hand; obeisance to the lord who dispels the agony of those who bow down to him.

9. Obeisance to the destroyer of the head of sacrifice; obeisance to him who removed Kṛṣṇa’s tresses; obeisance to him who plucked the eyes of Bhaga;^[4] obeisance to the deity who removed the teeth of Pūṣan.^[5]

10. Obeisance to the wielder of Pināka,^[6]  trident, sword, dagger and iron-club. Obeisance to the destroyer of the god of Death, obeisance to the deity with the third eye.

11. Obeisance to one who annihilated the god of Death,^[7]  obeisance to the deity who resides on the mountain; obeisance to the deity with the necklace of gold; obeisance to one wearing ear-rings.

12. Obeisance to the destroyer of Yogic power of Daityas; obeisance to the Yogin; obeisance to the preceptor; obeisance to the deity with the moon and the sun for eyes; obeisance to the deity with an eye in the forehead.^[8]

13. Obeisance to one taking delight in cremation-ground; obeisance to the bestower of boons (staying) in the cremation ground; obeisance to the destroyer of the rude and the impolite. Obeisance to the deity devoid of garment; obeisance to the deity who laughs as boisterously as hundred thunderbolts; obeisance to the lord of mountain.

14. Obeisance to the householder saint, obeisance to the perpetual wearer of matted hair; obeisance to the celibate one; obeisance to one with shaven head, obeisance to one with partially shaven head; obeisance to the lord of Paśus.^[9]

15. Obeisance to one who performs penance in the water; obeisance to one who bestows Yogic lordship and prosperity; obeisance to one who is calm and tranquil; obeisance to one who has controlled his sense-organs. Obeisance to one who causes dissolution.

16. Obeisance to one who causes blessings; obeisance, obeisance to one who sustains the world. Obeisance to Rudra; obeisance to Vasil, obeisance to Āditya; obeisance to Aśvin.

17. Obeisance to the father of all; obeisance to the supreme being of perfect knowledge; obeisance to Viśvedevas; obeisance to Śarva, Ugra, Śiva, the bestower of boons.

18. Obeisance to the terrible one; obeisance to the commander-in-chief; obeisance to the lord of Paśus; obeisance to the pure; obeisance to the destroyer of enemies; obeisance to Sadyojāta.

19. Obeisance to Mahādeva; obeisance to the wonderful, obeisance, obeisance to the trident-bearing deity; obeisance to Pradhāna; obeisance to the incomprehensible; obeisance to the effect; obeisance to the cause.

20. Obeisance to you—Puruṣa; obeisance to one who-causes the wish of Puruṣa; obeisance to one who causes the contact of Puruṣa and the Guṇas of Pradhāna.

21. Obeisance to one who makes Prakṛti and Puruṣa function; obeisance to one who commits what is done and what is not done; obeisance to one who bestows union with the fruit of actions.

22. Obeisance to the knower of the time of all; obeisance to one who restrains all; obeisance to one who disturbs the equilibrium of Guṇas; obeisance to one who bestows means of subsistence.

23. Obeisance to you the lord of the chiefs of Devas; obeisance to you the creator of living beings; O Śiva be gentle in face to be looked at, O lord, be gentle to us.”

Brahmā said:

24. On being eulogised thus by all Devas, the lord of the universe, the lord of Umā spoke thus to the immortal beings.

Lord Rudra said:

25. O Devas, in regard to Devas I am both harsh and gentle. Tell me the boons you wish to choose. I shall grant them undoubtedly.

Brahmā said:

26-30. Thereafter, Devas bowed down to the three-eyed lord and said to him:

“O lord, let this boon be retained by you alone. When there is any task, you will grant the boon desired by us.”

Brahmā said:

After saying “Let it be so”, the lord bade forewell to Devas and other people. Thereafter he entered his abode together with the Pramathas.^[10]

He who recites this wonderful episode of festivities in the presence of Devas and brahmins shall become equal to Gaṇeśa, who has no parallel. After death he shall become happy.

O leading brahmins, he who listens to this hymn or reads it shall go to the world of the lord. He shall be worshipped by Devas, Asuras and others.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Rudra of one hundred firms.—P. E. has a long anecdote on Śatarudra. The Veda declares emphatically that there is a single Rudra: “Eka sva Rudro vatasthe na dvitīyaḥ” but at the same time it speaks of numerous Rudras that exist on earth: “asaṃkhyātā sahasrāṇi ye rudrā adhibhūmyām”.

[2]:

Sahasrākṣaḥ Sahasrapāt.—Thousand-eyed, thousand-footed. These epithets are applied to primeval being (Puruṣa) in ṚV X.90.

[3]:

Cf. Ch. 34, VV 33-34. The slayer of Vṛtra (Indra) lifted up his ana strike Śiva in the form of an infant lying in the lap of Pārvatī but his right hand remained stunned and he could not hurl hit thunderbolt.

[4]:

Who plucked the eyes of Bhaga—Bhaga is one of the twelve Ādityas. Devas assembled together and decided upon the share of Yajñas due to each of them and in thus fixing up shares they left out Rudra. Enraged at this neglect Rudra made a bow and fought against Devas. During the fight he extracted the eyes of Bhaga and the teeth of Pūṣan. Ultimately Devas satisfied and plea, sed Rudra who returned to Bhaga and Pūṣan the eyes and teeth which had been extracted.

[5]:

Who removed the teeth of Pūṣan.—Pūṣan—one of the twelve ādityas born. as sons of Kaśyapa Prajāpati, by his wife Aditi.

In a sacrifice which Śiva attended uninvited there was a fight between Devas and Śiva. In this fight against Śiva Pūṣan lost his teeth (Mbh. Sauptika. Parva Ch. 18).

[6]:

Pināka—name of Śiva’s bow.

[7]:

Annihilated the god of death.—Śiva gave Mṛkaṇḍu a boon that a pious son would be born to him but he would live only for sixteen years. The child was born and named Mārkaṇḍeya. He was educated in Vedas and Śāstras. When the hour of his death arrived, the boy embraced the liṅga idol of Śiva. When Yama, the god of death came to fetch him, the angry Śiva arose out of the idol and killed Yama. At the request of gods Yama was revived to life but Mārkaṇḍeya was granted youth for ever.

[8]:

An eye in the Forehead.—The two eyes of Śiva represent the Sun and the Moon; the third eye in the forehead is the eye of wisdom. But it emits fire when it opens at the time of Dissolution or even earlier when Śiva is angry.

[9]:

Lord of Paśus—lord of Jīvas or individual souls.

[10]:

Pramathas—gaṇas, Śiva’s attendants.