Chapter 15 - Glory of Aghoreśa

Sūta said:

1. When the terrible kalpa of black colour passed by, Brahmā eulogised the supreme lord in the form of Aghora.

2-6. Thereafter the delighted lord Aghora blessed Brahmā and said to him: “Do not doubt that I, assuming this form, destroy all kinds of sin, including the terrible sin of brahmin slaughter. O blessed one, O deity of virtuous sacred rites, I destroy all minor and major sins of small or great power and poignancy. O Brahmā, I destroy verbal, physical, mixed and incidental sins committed wantonly and consciously. I dispel the natural and adventitious sins inherited from either parent. O lord, do not doubt that I destroy all miseries originating from sins.

7-13. O lord, by repeating one hundred thousand times the mantras of Aghora, even a brahmin-slayer is liberated from sins. O dear, for verbal sins half of this number is recommended. For mental sins, half of the previous number. If the sin is committed consciously the japa shall be four times that number. If the sin is committed out of fury, eight times that number. A slayer of a hero shall repeat the mantra a hundred thousand times; the destroyer of a child in the womb a crore times; a matricide a hundred thousand times; a destroyer of cows and women or an ungrateful wretch by repeating ten thousand times; a willing or unwilling drinker of liquor by repeating a hundred thousand times or half that number and the partaker of meals before taking bath a thousand times. The brahmin who abstains from japa or who takes meals before performing the daily sacrifice or abstains from giving charity should repeat this mantra a thousand times. The base man who steals the property of a brahmin or who steals gold is released from sin by repeating this mantra mentally a hundred thousand times. A person defiling the preceptor’s bed or slaying his own mother or a brahmin shall repeat this mantra mentally the same number of times, O Brahmā.

14-17. The sin resulting from contact with the sinner is equal to the sin of the original sinner. Still by repeating the mantra ten thousand times he is liberated from sin. The person imbibing sin by the contact with the sinner shall repeat the mantra a hundred thousand times if done mentally; if done in low tones four times that number; if in high tones eight times that number. It is enjoined that persons guilty of subsidiary sins need repeat the mantra only half the number enjoined for the main sinner; half that number if the sin is committed unconsciously. O brahmins, if a brahmin sinner commits the sin of brahmin slaughter, liquor drinking, theft of gold or defiling the preceptor’s bed he should do as follows:

18-22. He should gather together (i) urine of a tawny coloured cow repeating “rudra-gāyatrī”,^[1] (ii) freshly laid dung of the same or similar cow repeating the mantra “gandhadvāra”,^[2] (iii) ghee made from a similar cow repeating the mantra “tejosi śukram”,^[3] (iv) milk from the same or similar cow repeating the mantra “āpyāyasva”^[4] and (5) fresh curds made from the milk of the same or similar cow repeating the mantra “dadhikrāṇā”.^[5] To this mixture water taken with a tuft of kuśa grass should be added by repeating the mantra “devasya tvā”,^[6] and the mixture should be well stirred in a vessel made of gold, silver or copper, or in a cup made of lotus or palāśa leaf, repeating the aghora mantra. In this vessel he should place (different) gems and a piece of gold along with a tuft of kuśa grass.

23-26. He should repeat the mantra of Aghora a hundred thousand times and perform homa with ghee, cooked rice, sacrificial twigs, gingelly seeds, barley grains and unhusked grains. He should perforin homa, seven times separately with each one of these materials. If the materials are not available he should perform homa with ghee alone. O brahmins, he should perform homas as well as ablution for the lord with ghee while repeating the Aghora Mantra. He should bathe the lord with eight droṇa^[7] measures of ghee and wipe it off. He should then observe fast for a whole day and night, take holy bath and drink kūrca before the image of Śiva. After performing the rite of ācamana he should repeat Gāyatrī.

27-32. By performing this the following sinners become liberated form sins:—an ungrateful person, a slayer of brahmin, a destroyer of a child in the womb, a murderer of a warrior, a slayer of preceptor, a betrayer of faith, a thief, a gold-stealer, a defiler of the preceptor’s bed, a liquor-addict, a paramour, a low-caste woman, a ravisher of other men’s wives, a destroyer of brahmin’s property, a cow-killer, a matricide, a patricide, an idol-breaker and particularly the person who destroys liṅga images. If one who commits these sins is a brahmin, no matter if his sins are mental, verbal, physical or of any other type, even if he commits these a thousand times he is liberated from these by performing the aforesaid rites. Even if the sins are accumulated in hundreds of births he is liberated. This secret has been divulged by me in the context of lord Aghora. Hence a brahmin shall repeat the Aghora mantra perpetually for the expiation of sins.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Rudra-Gāyatrī: TĀ I.10.5: “tatpuruṣāya dhīmahi tanno rudraḥ pra codayāt”.

[2]:

TĀ. 10.1.10; Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 4.8.

[3]:

Vājasaneyisaṃhitā of Śuklayajurveda. 22.1.

[4]:

Vājasaneyisaṃhitā of Śuklayajurveda. 12.114; TĀ, 3.17.1.

[5]:

Vājasaneyisaṃhitā of Śuklayajurveda. 23.32; Tattirīya Saṃhitā. 1.5.11.4

[6]:

Vājasaneyisaṃhitā of Śuklayajurveda. 2.11; Tattirīya Saṃhitā.2.6.8.7.

[7]:

It is a measure of four āḍhakas equal to 1024 muṣṭis.