Chapter 2 - Upamanyu’s instruction

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Sanatkumāra said:—

1. On hearing the words of sage Upamanyu the great soul, devotion to lord Śiva was generated in Kṛṣṇa and he spoke to the sage.

Lord Kṛṣṇa said:—

2. O dear, O Upamanyu, be merciful to me. Please mention the details of the persons who have attained their desires by propitiating Śiva.

Sanatkumāra said:—

3. On hearing the words of Kṛṣṇa, that sage Upamanyu, the great devotee of Śiva, the storehouse of mercy praised him and said.

Upamanyu said:—

4. O leading scion of the family of Yadus, I shall enumerate the various devotees, by whom the cherished desires of their hearts have been realised through the propitiation of Śiva. Please listen.

5. Formerly Hiraṇyakaśipu attained the glory of the suzerainty over all the gods for a period of a million years from the moon-crested lord Śīva.

6. His excellent son Nandana was very famous. Thanks to Śiva’s boon he kept Indra under him for ten thousand years.

7. O Kṛṣṇa, the terrible discus of Viṣṇu and the thunderbolt of Indra became shattered against his person during a great battle.

8. The weapons, missiles, discus, thunderbolt never became effective in the body of Graha of great might during battles, thanks to the Dharma of that intelligent one.

9. The gods were harassed by Graha the mighty one. Leading Asuras to whom the lord had granted boons killed gods with impunity.

10. Śiva, the lord of all worlds, when satisfied granted the lordship over the three worlds to Vidyutprabha for a period of a hundred thousand years.

11. Śiva blessed him with ten million sons also and said “You will become my follower for ever.”

12. O Kṛṣṇa, the delighted lord Śiva, lovingly gave him an auspicious kingdom in Kuśa Dvīpa.^[1]

13. The Daitya Śatamukha created by Brahmā, performed the penance of Śiva formerly for a hundred years and obtained a thousand sons.

14. The famous sage Yājñavalkya glorified in the Vedas, propitiated him and acquired excellent knowledge.

15. The sage Vedavyāsa who had acquired unequalled glory propitiated him and attained knowledge of the three times—past, present and future.

16. The Bālakhilyas harassed by Indra secured from Śiva the invincible Garuḍa who brought them Soma juice.

17. When all the waters became dried up and lost by the prior fury of Śiva they were worshipped and made to flow again by the gods through the skull.

18-19. Anasūyā, the chaste wife of Atri observed fast for three hundred years sleeping only on the threshing rod. She secured the three sons—the sage Dattātreya, Durvāsas and the moon, thanks to Śiva’s favour. She made Gaṅgā flow in Citrakūṭa.^[2]

20. O Madhusūdana, after pleasing Mahādeva the bestower of happiness to the devotees, Vikarṇa obtained great Siddhi.

21. King Citrasena of steady devotion delighted Śiva and attained freedom from the terror of all other kings and unequalled pleasure as well.

22. Śrīkara, the son of a cowherdess, became his devotee on seeing the worship of Śiva performed by the king and attained great Siddhi.

23. O Kṛṣṇa, prince Citrāṅgada, the husband of Sīmantinī, was drowned in Yamunā but was saved by Śiva’s blessings

24. He went to the abode of Takṣaka^[3] and gained his friendship. The delighted prince of good rites then returned to his house with diverse riches.

25. O Kṛṣṇa, his beloved wife Sīmantinī who regularly performed Somavrata acquired excellent blessedness and fortune, thanks to Śiva’s grace.

26. While she was performing this Vrata a certain brahmin boy, out of greed, had assumed the guise of a woman fraudulently. Due to her power he became a woman permanently.

27. Cañculā, a vicious harlot, heard a virtuous story from a brahmin at Gokarṇa and became a devotee of Śíva. She attained the great goal.

28. Binduga^[4] the sinning husband of Cañculā heard Śivapurāṇa through the good offices of his wife and attained the good goal of Siva.

29. Piṅgalā a notorious prostitute and the base brahmin Mandara worshipped the bull of Śiva and attained the supreme goal.

30. A certain prostitute Mahānandā devoted to Śiva, dedicating herself at the feet of Śiva delighted him and attained good goal.

31. Kaikeyī, a brahmin girl, respectfully performing Śiva’s Vratas attained great happiness, thanks to the regular performance of Śīva’s vrata.

32. O Kṛṣṇa, king Vimarṣaṇa adopting Śiva’s devotion attained great goal formerly, thanks to Śiva’s blessings.

33. Durjana, a sinful knavish king running after women attained Śiva, thanks to devotion to Śiva. He was unaffected by all actions.

34. A hunter Śaṅkara performing Śivavrata along with his wife and attached to the Bhasma from the funeral pyre attained the great goal by his devotion.

35. O Kṛṣṇa, a cāṇḍāla woman Sauminī performed the worship by ignorance and attained the goal of Śiva by the blessings of the lord.

36. A hunter Mahākāla, a wild Kirāta habitually injuring others, worshipped Śiva with devotion and attained the goal of the good.

37. Durvāsas a leading sage popularised his cult in the world, thanks to the blessings of Śiva. He spread Śiva’s cult of devotion that yields salvation to the devotee.

38. Propitiating Śiva, the benefector of the worlds, Viśvāmitra a Kṣatriya became a brahmin. Ho was as though a second Brahmā since he created a new heaven.

39. O Kṛṣṇa, by worshipping Śiva with devotion Brahmā, the most excellent devotee of Śiva, became the creator and grandfather of the worlds.

40. O Kṛṣṇa, it was due to Śiva’s blessings that the excellent sage Mārkaṇḍeya, the holy lord and foremost among Śiva’s devotees, became long-lived.

41. O Kṛṣṇa, thanks to Śiva’s blessings, Devendra, a great devotee of Śiva, enjoyed the three worlds formerly. He became the lord of all the gods.

42. Bāṇa^[5], the son of Bali, was a great devotee of Śiva and had great control over senses. Thanks to Śiva’s blessings he became the leader of the universe and lord of all.

43-44. Śakti became Viṣṇu due to great devotion, Dadhīca became a great Īśvara, Rāma became a devotee of Śankara. Kāṇāda, Bhārgava, Guru and Gautama became great masters and lords due to devotion to Śiva.

45. O Kṛṣṇa, Śākalya, the praiseworthy soul propitiated Śiva for nine hundred years by means of mental sacrifice.

46. The lord was satisfied and said:—“O dear, you will become the writer of a book. Your fame in the three worlds will never fade.

47. Your family will never be extinct. It will be adorned by the sages. O excellent sage, you will be the composer of Aphorisms later on.”

48. O descendant of Yadu, thus the great sage secured boons from Śiva and became well known and honoured in the three worlds.

49. In the Kṛta Yuga there was a sage famous as Sāvarṇi. He performed penance for six thousand years.

50. Lord Rudra spoke to him directly—“O faultless one, I am satisfied with you. You will become the writer of a book and attain fame. You will be free from death and old age.”

51. Such is lord Śiva. Worshipped by the meritorious devotees of yore he confers all auspicious desires as wished by them.

52. I am incompetent to describe with a single mouth the qualities that exist in the lord even in hundreds of years.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Wilford (Asiatic Researches Vol. VIII. P. 302) identifies Kuśadvīpa with a pari of the Arabian Peninsula. See S. M Ali. Geography of the Purūṇas P. 183.

[2]:

It is a mountain in the Himavat region round the lake Mānasarovara in the vicinity of the peak Kāñcanajaṅghā. It is distinct from the hill of that name on the Paisuni river in Bundelkhand on which the hermitage of Bharadvāja was founded.

[3]:

The mythical abode of Takṣa or Takṣaka, the serpent chief is placed in the nether region.

[4]:

For details 3-5 Chapters 3-5 on the glory of Śivapurāṇa.

[5]:

Bāṇa, the eldest son of Bali and the ruler of Tripurī, was the descendant of Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was a staunch devotee of Śiva. For details sec Śiva-purāṇa R.S. yuddh. Chapters 52-56.