Chapter 24 - Incarnations of Śiva

Sūta said:

1. On hearing everything uttered by Rudra, Brahmā the Prajāpati bowed to Rudra, lord of Devas and spoke thus:

2. “O lord, lord of the chiefs of Devas, O multiformed, O Maheśvara, O husband of Umā, O great god, honoured by all, obeisance to you.

3-4. O muhiformed, O highly blessed god, when and in which age (yuga) will these bodies honoured by all be seen by the brahmins and by what penance or meditation of yoga? Obeisance to you, O lord Mahādeva”.

5. On hearing his words and seeing him in front, the great lord Rudra revealed by Ṛk, Yajus and Sāman smiled and said

6-9. Except through meditation, neither through penance nor by conduct nor through gifts and holy rites nor by visits to pilgrim centres nor through sacrifices with ample monetary gifts nor through the study of the Vedas^[1] nor through wealth nor through knowledge of various kinds is it possible for men to see me.

O Brahmā, in the Varāha kalpa—the seventh in number, Varāha, will be the illuminator of the kalpa and your grandson, Vaivasvata, will be the Manu.

10-13. In the course of that kalpa containing the four yugas, towards the end of Kali, I will be born to bless the worlds and for the welfare of the brahmins, O Brahmā. As the yuga proceeds further, when the great lord himself becomes Vyāsa, during the first Dvāpara age I will be born at the encl of Dvāpara^[2] as sage Śveta. I will be endowed with a tuft and will stay on the excellent mountain Chāgala^[3] a beautiful peak of the Himalaya mountain.

14-18. Then my disciples will be four noble brahmins, the masters of the Vedas and having tufts. They will be Śveta, Śvetaśikha, Śvetāsya and Śvetalohita. After attaining Brahman’s goal, they will approach me and will be devoted to the path of meditation and yoga. O Brahmā, in the second Dvāpara age lord Prajāpati will become Vyāsa, known as Sadya. Then, in the Kali age, I will be born by the name Sutāra for the welfare of the world, with a desire for blessing the disciples. My disciples then will be known by these names:

19-24. Dundhubhi, Śatarūpa, Ṛcīka and Ketumān. After attaining yoga and meditation and after establishing the Brahma^[4] on the earth they will attain the region and companionship of Rudra. In the third age, Dvāpara, Bhārgava will be the Vyāsa. Then, at the end of Dvāpara I will be born as Damana. There too four boys will be born to me, namely, Vikeśa, Vikośa, Vipāśa and Śāpanāśana. These four of great prowess will go to the world of Rudra through the same yogic path and will never return. In the fourth Dvāpara yuga, Aṅgiras will become Vyāsa. At that time I shall be born by the name Suhotra. There too, four ascetics will be born as my sons.

25. They will be excellent brahmins of steadfast rites and yogic souls. They will be known as Sumukha, Durmukha, Dardura and Dhṛtikrama.

26-28. By performing subtle yogic practices they will become pure and shall wash off their sins by taking recourse to the subtle yogic practice. Endowed with yoga and through the same path (as described above) these courageous souls will go to the world of Rudra and never return. In the fifth Dvāpara age Savitṛ will be the Vyāsa. At that time, I shall be born as a person of great penance with the name Kaṅka for blessing the worlds and propagating yoga among the people.

29-30. Four blessed persons of pure origin shall be my disciples. They will be yogic souls with steadfast rites. They will be known as Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanat. They will be devoid of ego, altogether.

31-38. In the end they will come to my abode and never return. In the sixth yuga, Mṛtyu will be the Vyāsa and I shall be known as Laugākṣi. Then also my disciples will be four, all yogic souls with steadfast rites, all blessed and popular. They will be known as Sudhāmā, Virajas, Śaṅkhapāda and Rajas. They all will be yogic, noble souls, pious and sinless, and endowed with yogic practices, Through the path of meditation they will come near me and never return.

In the seventh cycle of yugas, Śatakratu, who was famous in the previous birth as Vibhu the shining one, becomes the Vyāsa. Then at the end of Dvāpara and the advent of Kali I shall be born as Jaigīṣavya, the omnipresent, renowned, and the best of yogins. There too four sons will be born to me. They will be known as Sārasvata, Megha, Meghavāhana and Suvāhana, Devoted to the path of meditation those noble souls will, through the very same path, go to Rudraloka devoid of misery.

39-42. In the eighth cycle, Vasiṣṭha will become the Vyāsa. I will be born by the name Dadhivāhana. There too my sons will be yogic souls of steadfast rites and great yogic practice. There will be none equal to them. They will be known as Kapila, Āsuri, Pañcaśikha^[5] and Bāṣkala. These will be righteous souls of great prowess. After attaining the yoga of the lord they will burn their sins and come near me, never to return.

43-47. In the ninth cycle when Sārasvata will be the Vyāsa I will be born by the name Ṛṣabha. There too, my sons will be persons of great prowess. They will be Parāśara, Garga, Bhārgava and Aṅgiras—all brahmins well versed in the Vedas, exalted with the strength of their penance, and capable of cursing and blessing. Attaining the path of meditation in the the manner prescribed in the yogic system those ascetics will go to Rudraloka never to return.

48-51. In the tenth Dvāpara age, the sage Tripāda will be the Vyāsa. Then I will be born as a brahmin sage on the excellent hill Bhṛgutuṅga,^[6] a beautiful peak of the Himālayas. That peak adored by Devas is well known through the name of sage Bhṛgu. There too my sons will be steadfast in their holy rites. They will be known Balabandhu, Nirāmitra, Ketubhṛṅga and Tapodhana. They will be yogic and noble souls, endowed with penance and yoga. With their sins burned through penance they will go to Rudraloka.

52-54. In the eleventh Dvāpara age, Trivrata will become Vyāsa. Then I will be born at Gaṅgādvāra in^[7] the Kali age as a person of great splendour named Ugra, famous in all the worlds. There too I will have four sons of great prowess, viz.—Lambodara, Lambākṣa, Lambakeśa and Pralambaka. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudra’s world.

55-58. In the twelfth cycle the sage Śatatejas of great splendour, the best among the wise, will become Vyāsa. At that time, when Dvāpara ends, and Kaliyuga starts, I shall be known by the name Atri in the forest Haituka^[8]. There too will be born my sons who will have ashes for ablution and unguent, who will be such yogins, and who will be devoted to Rudra’s world. They will be known as Sarvajña Samabuddhi, Sādhya and Sarva. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

59-62. When the thirteenth cycle sets in due order, Dharma under the name Nārāyaṇa will be the Vyāsa. At that time, I will be born as the sage Vāli in the holy penance grove of Vālakhilya on the mountain Ghandhamādana^[9]. There too those ascetics will be born as my sons. They will be known as Sudhāmā, Kāśyapa, Vāsiṣṭha and Virajas. They will all be endowed with the power of great yogas, be devoid of impurities and will remain celibate. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to the world of Rudra.

63-66. In the fourteenth cycle Tarakṣu will be the Vyāsa. There too in the final yuga, I will be born in the excellent family of Aṅgiras under the name Gautama. That penance grove^[10] too will be named after Gautama. There too my sons will be born in the Kali age. They will be known as Atri, Devasada, Śravaṇa and Śraviṣṭhaka. They will be yogic noble souls, and endowed with yoga. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

67-71. When the fifteenth cycle comes in due order, Trayyāruṇi becomes the Vyāsa.

I will be born as a brahmin by name Vedaśiras. Then I shall have a powerful missile known as Vedaśiras. There will be a hill named Vedaśiras^[11] on the banks of the Sarasvatī^[12] behind the Himālayan slopes. There also four ascetics will be my sons, viz., Kuṇi, Kuṇībāhu, Kuśarīra and Kunetra. All of them will be yogic and noble souls who will remain ascetics throughout. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

72-75. In the sixteenth cycle of four yugas when Deva is the Vyāsa, I shall be born by the name Gokarṇa^[13] in order to spread yoga among the devotees of restrained souls. That forest (where I live and preach) will -become sacred and famous as Gokarṇa. There too the four yogins will be my sons viz., Kāśyapa, Uśanas, Cyavana and Bṛhaspati. They will be endowed with meditation and yoga. By following the same path and attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudra Himself.

76-84. When the seventeenth cycle sets in duly, O Lord Brahmā, Kṛtañjaya^[14] will be the Vyāsa, and I shall be born, under the name Guhāvāsa on the lofty and beautiful peak of the Himālayas, Mahālaya^[15]. I shall be known as Guhāvāsin. This Mahālaya will become a Siddhakṣetra the place of sanctity. There too my sons will be conversant with yoga and expounders of Brahman. They will be noble sons and devoid of ego. They will be known as—Utathya, Vāmadeva, Mahāyoga and Mahābala. At that time, in the practice of yogic meditation, they will have hundreds and thousands of disciples. Engaged in the practice of yoga, and meditating upon the great lord within their hearts, they after observing the footprints in the Mahālaya will attain the region of the lord. The other noble souls who engage their minds in meditation at the end of Dvāpara age and the advent of Kali will become sinless and pure in intellect. Devoid of distress they will go to Rudraloka, by my grace. By visiting the sacred Mahālaya, the region of the great lord, a devotee will cross the ocean of worldly existence and redeem his ten previous and ten future generations. Thus, including himself, he will redeem twenty one generations in Mahālaya. These being free from fever will go to Rudraloka, by my grace.

85-89. O lord, in the eighteenth cycle the sage Ṛtañjaya will become a Vyāsa. Then I shall be born in the name of Sikhaṇḍin in the most sacred region of the Siddhas which is adored by Devas as well as Dānavas. On the beautiful peak of the Himālayas there is a hill named Śikhaṇḍin,^[16] wherein is situated the penance grove of the sage Śikhaṇḍin, resorted to by the Siddhas. There too four ascetics will be born to me. They will be known as Vācaśravas, Ṛcīka, Śyāvāśva and Yatīśvara. They will be yogic and noble sons and masters of the Vedas. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

90-93. When the nineteenth cycle sets in duly, the great sage Bharadvāja will become the Vyāsa. Then I will be born by the name Jaṭāmālin on the beautiful peak of the Himālayas where the mountain Jaṭayu^[17] exists. There too four sons of great prowess will be born to me. They will be known as Hiraṇyanābha, Kauśalya, Laugākṣi and Kuthumi. Characterized by yogic virtues they will remain celibate. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

94-99. When the twentieth cycle of yugas sets in, the sage Gautama becomes a Vyāsa. Then I shall be born by the name Aṭṭahāsa, most liked by the people. There itself on the ridge of the Himavat a great mountain Aṭṭahāsa^[18] is the abode of Devas, Dānavas, Yakṣas, Siddhas and Cāraṇas. There too, powerful sons will be born to me. They will be yogic and noble souls, habitually meditating and performing the holy rites. They will be known as Sumantu, Barbari, Kabandha and Kuśikandhara. After attaining the Yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

100-102. When the twenty-first cycle sets in duly, the excellent sage Vācaśravas becomes a Vyāsa. Then I shall be born by the name Dāruka. Hence there will be a splendid and sacred forest of Deodars^[19]. There too my sons will be very powerful. They will be known as Plakṣa, Dārbhāyaṇi, Ketumān and Gautama. They will be yogic and great souls, well controlled and celibate. After practising the perpetual holy rites they will go to Rudra’s region.

103-106. In the twenty-second cycle when Śuṣmāyaṇa becomes a Vyāsa, I shall be born as a great sage by the name of Lāṅgalin the terrible, at Vārāṇasī^[20]. There the Devas including lord Indra will see me in the Kali age as Bhava and Halāyudha. There too my virtuous sons will be known as Bhallavī, Madhupiṅga, Śvetaketu and Kuśa. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will be engaged in meditation. Free from impurities and identical with Brahman they will enter Rudra’s world.

107b-111a. In the twenty-third cycle of four yugas when the sage Tṛṇabindu becomes a Vyāsa O Brahmā, I shall be born as the virtuous son of a sage under the name Śveta with a great body. At that time I shall be spending my days (in penance) on a mountain which will therefore be named Kālañjara^[21]. There too four ascetics will become my disciples. They will be known as Uśika, Bṛhadaśva, Devala and Kavi. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

111b-114a. In the twenty-fourth cycle, O lord, when Ṛkṣa will be a Vyāsa, I will be born at the end of Dvāpara, in that Kali age as a great yogin named Śūlin in the Naimiṣa^[22] forest, saluted by Devas. There too these ascetics will be my disciples viz.—Śālihotra, Agniveśa, Yuvanāśva and Śaradvasu. They too will go to Rudraloka by the same path.

114b-117a. When the twenty-fifth cycle of four yugas sets in, the son of Vasiṣṭha, Śakti by name, will become a Vyāsa. At that time, I will be born as Lord Daṇḍī Muṇḍīśvara with shaven head and a staff in the hand. There too these ascetics will be my sons, viz.—Chagala, Kuṇḍakarṇa. Kumbhāṇḍa and Pravāhaka. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will attain immortality.

117b-120. In the twenty-sixth cycle when Parāśara will become Vyāsa, at the end of Dvāpara and the advent of Kali age I shall be born by the name Sahiṣṇu. I shall go to the city, Bhadravaṭa^[23] where the four righteous sons will be born to me. They will be Ulūka, Vidyuta, Śambūka and Āśvalāyana. After attaining yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

120-124a. When the twenty-seventh cycle of four yugas arrives duly, the ascetic Jātūkarṇya will become a Vyāsa. Then I shall be born as the brahmin Somaśarman at Prabhāsa^[24] Tīrtha. I shall be known as a yogic soul by taking resort to yoga. There too four ascetics will be my disciples, viz. Akṣapāda, Kumāra, Ulūka and Vatsa. They will be great yogic souls, pure in intellect and devoid of impurities. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudraloka.

124b-133. When the twenty-eighth cycle of four yugas occurs in due order, the glorious son of Parāśara named Dvaipāyana^[25] will become a Vyāsa. He is Viṣṇu himself, the grandfather of the worlds. At that time, Vāsudeva, black in colour and the best among men and exalted among the Yadus, will be born of Vasudeva. At the same time, by the power of my yogic illusion I the Yogātman will be born as Brahmacārin and inspire awe among the people. On seeing a dead body left in the cremation ground without a claimant, I shall be entering it by the yogic power for the welfare of the brahmins. Along with you and Viṣṇu^[26] I will enter the divine and holy cave of the Meru.^[27] O Brahmā, at that time, I will be known as Lakuli. That holy place where I entered the dead body will be known as Kāyāvatāra—a name that will last as long as the earth lasts. There too the ascetic sons will be born to me. They will be known as Kuśika, Garga, Mitra and Kauruṣya. They will be great yogic souls and brahmins who will have mastered all the Vedas. They will remain celibate and free from impurities. After attaining the yoga of Maheśvara they will go to Rudra’s world, never to return.

134-140. All these enlightened souls will be the devotees of Śiva and will have their bodies smeared with ashes. They will be perpetually engaged in worshipping Liṅga. They will be steadfast and firm in body and the mind. With devotion towards me and by means of yoga they will be established in meditation and acquire self-control. The great Pāśupata yoga can snap worldly ties and illuminate the path of knowledge. It is also conducive to Real knowledge. There are several paths of yoga and several paths of knowledge. But without taking recourse to the five-syllabled Mantra^[28] one cannot attain eternal bliss. When a person performs penance eschewing Dvandvas (mutually clashing opposites) he can become a liberated soul, as one who has attained the ripe fruit. Even if a man performs Pāśupata rite for a single day he can obtain fruits, the like of which he cannot have either by Pañcarātra^[29] or Sāṅkhya.

Thus I have narrated the characteristics of incarnations in the course of twenty-eight sets of four yugas in due order, beginning with Manu and ending with Kṛṣṇa. The classification of the Vedas revealing Dharma will take place in the kalpa when Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana becomes a Vyāsa.

Sūta said:

141-144. On hearing about the incarnations of Rudra described thus by the supreme lord, Lord Brahmā, of great splendour bowed to him and eulogised him with pleasing words. Then he spoke to lord Śiva.

Brahmā said:

All the Devas and all the Gaṇas are identical with Viṣṇu. There is no other goal equal to the goal of attaining Viṣṇu. Thus sing the Vedas perpetually. Then how did this happen that the lord of Devas worshipped you in the Liṅga and remained ever devoted to you?

145-150. On hearing the worths of Brahmā lord Śiva was delighted on account of the weighty relevancy of the question. He looked at him as if he would drink him through his eyes. Facing him, he then described the method of worship of the Liṅga. It was after worshipping the Liṅga in accordance with the instructions that you (Brahmā), Viṣṇu and Indra, the best of Devas and the sages, had attained their respective status. O lord, hence they continue to worship me further. There cannot be steadiness^[30] in piety without the worship of the Liṅga; hence lord Viṣṇu worships me perpetually with due devotion and faith.

After saying this and blessing Brahmā by glancing at him once again, Śiva, the lord of Devas, vanished there itself.

After gaining enlightenment^[31] from Śiva to create everything afresh, Brahmā joined his palms in reverence and bowed to Śiva in the direction where he had vanished.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vedanaiḥ—śāstraiḥ Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa). by sacred books.

[2]:

Yugāntike—dvāpara-samāptau Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa).—at the end of Dvāpara age.

[3]:

Chāgala: This peak of the Himalayas has not been identified so far.

[4]:

Brahma-jñāna [jñānam] Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa).—knowledge of Brahma, the impersonal spirit, the supreme soul.

[5]:

Kapila is considered as the founder of the Sāṃkhya system of philosophy. Āsuri and his pupil Pañcaśikha, like the founder-teacher Kapila, are known only by their names. Perhaps they preached their cult by oral transmission. Their works, if any, are lost to us.

[6]:

Bhṛgutuṅga is one of the peaks of the Himālayas. According to Varāha (ch. 146, 45-46) it is a mountain in Nepal on the eastern bank of the Gaṇḍaka river where the celebrated sage Bhṛgu had a hermitage. The Vā. (81.33) locates it near the Vitastā (Jhelum) and Himavat. See [Geographical Encyclopaedia of Ancient and Medieval India] part 1. p.70.

[7]:

Gaṅgādvāra represents modern Haradvara. It is also known by other names like Haridvāra, Mokṣadvāra, Māyādvāra. Cf. Sāṅkhya Kārikā of Īśvarakṛṣṇa IV.1.7.114:—But according to Śiva-Purāṇa. Koṭirudrasaṃhitā of Śivapurāṇa. (25.3) Gaṅgā is said to have descended from Brahmagiri situated in the south (Ibid. 24.3) in the proximity of Nasik near Tryambaka. This place of Gaṅgā’s descent is said to be Gaṅgādvāra (Ibid. 27.6).

[8]:

Haituka vana. It is not identifiable.

[9]:

Gandhamādana. Its location is highly controversial. According to the Pauraṇic account this mountain forms the division between Ilāvṛta and Bhadrāśva to the south of Meru and is renowned for its fragrant forests.

[10]:

Gautamavana can be placed in the proximity of Brahmagiri near Tryambaka in which Godāvarī has its source where the sage Gautama had its hermitage.

[11]:

Himavat or Himalaya. This most celebrated mountain forms the northern boundary of Bhārata extending from the eastern to the western sea.

[12]:

Sarasvatī. This sacred river rises in the Sirmur hills of the Sivalika range in the Himalayas.

[13]:

Gokarṇa. The Gokarṇa forest referred to here is located in the Western Ghat. This place is sacred to Śiva and is celebrated for a jyotirliṅga of Śiva. There is also another Gokarṇa in Nepal on the Bāgamatī river.

[14]:

Devakṛtañjaya [devakṛtañjayaḥ]. Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa). takes Deva in the vocative case:

[15]:

This peak of the Himalayas has not been identified so far.

[16]:

Not identifiable.

[17]:

Not identifiable.

[18]:

Not identifiable.

[19]:

Devadamvana.lt is identical with Dāru or Dārukā vana and is placed close to the western ocean (Śiva-Purāṇa. Koṭirudrasaṃhitā of Śivapurāṇa 29.4).

[20]:

Vārāṇasī—ancient Kāśī. It came to be so called because it was situated between the two rivers: Barnā and Asi.

[21]:

Kālañjara: The Mahābhārata. (III.85, 56) associates Kālañjara with Citrakūta. According to this reference, it lies in the Madhya Bharata territory formerly known as Bundelkhaṇḍa. Cunningham (A.G. see map at the end) places it to the east of Mahoba, below Citrakūṭa.

[22]:

See p. 1. note 4.

[23]:

Bhadravaṭa: Cf. ŚP. SRS. 5.39. This town has not been identified so far.

[24]:

It is a celebrated place of pilgrimage in Saurāṣṭra, the southern part of Kathiawar.

[25]:

Dvaipāyaṇa Vyāsa: See p. 2. note 6.

[26]:

tvayā sārdhaṃ ca viṣṇunā.—Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa). construes tvayā with Viṣṇunā (tvayā viṣṇunā sārdham) and thus excludes Brahmā.

[27]:

Meru: It is situated in the centre of the earth. It is described in the Purāṇas as the four-armed svastika, evolving in four directions, each, with seven constituent members. It can be identified with the highland of Tartary, north of the Himalayas. It is variously called Sumeru, Hemādri (the golden mountain), Ratnasānu (jewel-peaked), Karṇikācala (lotus mountain), Amarādri, Devaparvata, ‘mountain of the Gods’. On its extent and identification with the Great Pamir knot of Asia, see The Geography of the Purāṇas:—S. M. ALI. Ch. III. pp. 47-52.

[28]:

The five-syllabled mantra of Śiva: namaḥ śivāya.

[29]:

Pañcarātra—a name of the sacred books of the various Vaiṣṇava sects.

[30]:

niṣṭhā—niscala-sthānam. Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa). a permanent abode.

[31]:

labdha-saṃjña [saṃjñaḥ]—prāptānujña [prāptānujñaḥ] Śivatoṣiṇī (a commentary on the Liṅgapurāṇa). sañjñā here means a direction, command or order. Ed.