Chapter 76 - Installation of Śiva’s image (śivamūrti-pratiṣṭhā)

Sūta said:

1. Henceforth, I shall mention the benefit accruing from the installation of the idol entirely, for the welfare of the world. The idol may be in accordance with one’s own wish.

2. After making the idol of the lord seated in an elegant seat along with Skanda and Umā and after installing it with devotion one shall fulfil desires.

3. In the manner I had heard, I shall mention the benefit that a man obtains by worshipping the lord along with Skanda and Umā (even) once (but) in accordance with the injunctions.

4-7. Until the dissolution of all living beings, he becomes a yogin and sports like Śiva in aerial chariots resembling crores of suns wherein everything desirable is available and where virgins of Rudra sing and dance. In the aerial chariots where everything desirable is available he enjoys great pleasures. He then goes to the following worlds one after the other viz:—the world of Umā, of Kumāra, of Īśāna, of Viṣṇu, of Brahmā and of Prajāpati. The deity of great splendour passes through the Janaloka and Maharloka. After reaching the world of Indra he assumes the role of Indra for ten thousand years. Again, after enjoying divine and brilliant pleasure in the Bhuvarloka, he reaches the Meru and rejoices in the abodes of Devas.

8-14. One shall attain Sāyujya (union) with Śiva by duly installing the omniscient, omnipresent lord in accordance with the injunctions of the Śāstras; the lord who has a single foot, four arms, three eyes and trident, the lord who is stationed after creating Viṣṇu from his left side and the four-faced Brahmā from the right side. The lord who created twenty eight crores of Rudras, and then the twenty-fifth^[1] principle Puruṣa, brilliant in all the limbs, from his heart; the lord who created Prakṛti from his left; cosmic intellect from the region of the intellect, the cosmic ego from his own ego and the Tanmātras therefrom. The great lord sportingly created the sense-organs from his own sense-organs. He created the earth from the root of his foot and water from the private parts. He created fire from the umbilical region, the sun from the heart, the moon from his neck, the soul from the middle of his eyebrows and the heaven from the forehead. One shall install the image of the lord who is stationed thus after creating the entire universe inclusive of the mobile and immobile beings.

15. By making the idol of Īśāna, the lord of the sacrifices^[2], who has three feet, seven hands, four horns and two heads, the devotee is honoured in the world of Viṣṇu.

16. The man will enjoy great pleasures there for a hundred thousand kalpas. He shall be happy and in due course return to his world as master of all sacrifices.

17-18. If the devotee makes the idol of the lord who rides on a bull accompanied by Umā and with the crescent moon as his ornament, he attains that merit which one usually obtains by performing ten thousand horse-sacrifices. He goes to Śiva’s divine city in a golden aerial chariot having clusters of tinkling bells and he is liberated there itself.

19. In the manner I have heard, I shall mention the benefit that one attains by making the idol of the lord accompanied by Nandin and Umā and surrounded by all Gaṇas.

20-21. He will go to the city of Śiva on the aerial chariots that resemble the solar sphere, that are tied to the bulls, that are difficult of access even to Devas and Dānavas that are occupied and beautified all round by the dancing nymphs. He shall then attain the chieftainship of the Gaṇas.

22-26. I shall mention the benefit that one attains by making any of the foilowing idols of Śiva and installing it with devotion viz:—the lord of the chiefs of Devas as in his dancing posture and accompanied by the daughter of the lord of mountains; the omniscient lord having a thousand arms or having four arms; lord Parameśvara surrounded by Bhṛgu and others as well as the groups of goblins; the bull-bannered Īśvara accompanied by the daughter of the lord of mountain, the deity as perpetually being bowed to by Brahmā, Indra, Viṣṇu, Soma (the moon) and all other Devas; Parameśvara as surrounded by Mothers and sages. He shall attain a crore times the benefit that accrues from all yajñas, penances, charitable gifts, pilgrimages to the holy centres and visits to the deities. He shall then go to the region of auspiciousness.^[3] Until the dissolution of all living beings he shall enjoy great pleasure there. When the next creation arrives be shall return to the region of mortals.

27-28. One shall attain identity with Śiva by making the idol of Śiva as follows and installing it with devotion; the lord as naked, white-complexioned, having four arms, three eyes and the serpent as girdle, with black curly hairs and holding a skull in his hand.

29-33. By making the idol of the lord as follows and installing it with devotion according to the extent of one’s affluence, one surmounts all obstacles and is honoured in the world of Śiva; the lord as tearing asunder the leading elephant^[4] as accompanied by Ambā, as the bestower of all desired objects; as smoke-coloured, red in eyes and adorned with the moon on the forehead, as having three eyes, wearing the sidelocks of hairs, holding the serpent-shaped hatchet, wearing the lion’s hide as his upper garment and the deer skin as the lower one, as having sharp curved fangs and armed with an iron club, holding the skull in his uplifted hand, the lord as rendering all the quarters resonant with loud shouts of “Hum” “Phaṭ” etc., holding the tiger skin^[5] and the conch^[6] shell in. two of his hands, laughing, roaring and drinking the black ocean^[7] (poison) as dancing in the company of Bhūtas (goblins) and surrounded by Gaṇas.

34-37. There (in the world of Śiva) he enjoys great pleasures until the dissolution of all living beings. By means of deliberation he gains perfect knowledge from the Ruḍras there and becomes liberated.

By making the idol of Śiva as follows and installing it with devotion the devotee is honoured in the world of Śiva. The excellent lord has half of his body in female form. He has four arms wherein, he holds the boon to be bestowed; the gesture of fearlessness, the trident and the lotus. He is stationed in the form of a woman as well as a man, bedecked in all ornaments. There (in the Śivaloka) he enjoys all great pleasures. He is then endowed with Aṇimā (minuteness) and other qualities. Therefrom he obtains the knowledge lasting as long as the moon and the stars and is liberated.

38-40. He who makes the idol of the omniscient lord of the chiefs of Devas, Nakulīśvara, who is surrounded by disciples and their disciples and who has uplifted his hand in expounding the principles and then installs it with devotion goes to the world of Śiva. The man enjoys extensive pleasures there for a hundred yugas. After attaining the path of knowledge he attains liberation there itself.

41-43. His abode is liked by all among Devas and Asuras. By making the idol of the lord as follows and by installing it, one is liberated from the ocean of worldly existence:—The lord shows gestures. He has the ashes from the funeral pyre for his unguent; he has the triple mark of Tripuṇḍra; he wears a garland made of skulls; he wears a single sacred thread constituted by the hairs of Brahmā; with his left hand he holds the excellent skull of Brahmā; as Parameṣṭhin he adopts the body of Viṣṇu.

44-46a. He who repeats even once the holy mantra of eight syllables, viz., “oṃ namo nīlakaṇṭhāya (Om obeisance unto the blue-necked lord), is liberated from sins. By worshipping the lord of the chiefs of Devas by means of this mantra with devotion after using scents and other things in accordance with one’s wealth, one is honoured in the world of Śiva.

46b-47. By making the idol of the lord as follows and installing it with devotion the devotee attains oneness with Śiva. The lord destroys Jalandhara who is severed into two. The lord is holding Sudarśana. By installing such images or any one of such images the devotee attains oneness with Śiva. No hesitation or doubt need be entertained in this regard.

48. By making the idol as follows and by installing it with devotion one is honoured in the world of Śiva. The Deva is the bestower of Sudarśana with the characteristics as mentioned before. He is worshipped by lord Viṣṇu who adores him by means of worship including the gift of his own eye.^[8]

49-51. One shall attain oneness with Siva by duly making and installing the idol of the lord as standing on the back of Nikumbha (a gaṇa) fixing his lotus-like right foot firmly on him and embracing the daughter of the mountain on his left side. His elbow rests on the tip of his trident. The serpents are suspended from the trident like so many tinkling bells. He is glancing at Andhaka who is standing at his side with palms joined in reverence.

52-54. He who makes the idol of Śiva, the lord of the chiefs of Devas, Iśvara the destroyer of the Tripuras, with bow and arrows in his hands, the crescent moon as an ornament, seated in a chariot accompanied by Umā and being charioteered by the four-faced lord (Brahmā), assumes that form (of Śiva) and goes to the city of Siva. He is happy and he undoubtedly sports like the second Śiva. O excellent brahmins, after enjoying great pleasures there, as much as he desires and having obtained perfect knowledge after due deliberation he is liberated there itself.

55-58. The intelligent devotee who makes and instate these idols along with Vighneśa shall attain oneness with Śiva:—The lord is seated comfortably holding the Gaṅgā and having the moon on his coronet; the lord is accompanied by the Gaṅgā and Umā is seated on his left lap; the lord is surrounded by Vināyaka, Skanda, Jyeṣṭhā, Durgā, Bhāskara, Soma, Brahmāṇī, Māheśvarī, Kaumārī, Vaisṇavī, Vārāhī, Varadā, Indrāṇī, Cāmuṇḍā, Vīrabhadra and Vighneśa.

59-63. By making the idols as follows and installing them with devotion one shall attain oneness with Śiva. The unchanging lord is in the form of a Liṅga surrounded by great clusters of flames; the moon-crested Īśvara as seated in the centre of the Liṅga. The Liṅga should be made in the ether with Brahmā with folded hands in the form of a swan standing on. the right and Viṣṇu in the form of a Boar standing beneath the Liṅga with his face turned down. The terrible great Liṅga is stationed in the middle of the great waters.

By making idols of the lord as the protector of the holy centre, and Kṣetrapāla as lord Paśupati and by duly installing them with devotion, one is honoured in the world of Śiva.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

pañcaviṃśatika [pañcaviṃśatikam]—the twenty-fifth principle, i.e., jīva (the individual soul).

[2]:

yajñeśa [yajñeśam]—agnirūpa [agnirūpam] Śivatoṣiṇī. of the form of fire.

[3]:

Śivapura [śiva-puram]—a mythical city ‘Śivapura’ on the the Himālayas, particularly on the Kailāsa peak is conceived as the abode of Śiva.

[4]:

ibhendradāraka [ibhendra-dārakam]—ibhendraḥ gajāsuraḥ taṃ dārayatīti—one who has slain the asura Gaya.

[5]:

Puṇḍarīkājina—one who is clad in the tiger-hide, (puṇḍarīka=tiger. Cf. “vyāghre tu puṇḍarīko nā”—Amarakośa.

[6]:

Kambuka [kambukam]—kamaṇḍula [kamaṇḍulam] Śivatoṣiṇī. a water-pot.

[7]:

Kṛṣṇasāgara [kṛṣṇa-sāgaram]—Śivatoṣiṇī. gives an alternate meaning: kṣīra-samudram, vide chapter 29. verses 29-31.

[8]:

When Viṣṇu fell short of a flower he plucked his own eye and offered it as a gift.