Chapter 77 - The Temples of Śiva

The Sages said:—

1-2. The meritorious acts of preparation and installation of the Liṅga and the differences among the various types of Liṅgas have been heard as described by you. It behoves you to narrate the benefit that accrues from building Śiva’s temple by means of materials beginning with clay and ending with jewels.

Sūta said:—

3-6. If a devotee of Śiva is endowed with perfect knowledge he is not harassed by sons, wives, houses, etc. Then of what avail are the temples he should make for the lord? Still the devotee of the lord who is saluted by the chief of Devas and the lotus-born deity Brahmā makes divine and excellent temples or shrines even with bricks and stones. Even as a childish prank if they make the primordial Śiva’s image with clay or stone or even with dust and his abode also in the same manner and worship him, they do attain identity with him. Hence, for the achievement of virtue, love and wealth, the abode of Śiva should be made by devotees with devotion, assiduously.

7. By devoutly making the abode of Rudra of the type of Kesara, Nāgara or Drāviḍa one is honoured in the world of Śiva.

8. He who makes his mansion called Kailāsa, rejoices happily in the aerial chariots of the shapes of Kailāsa peaks.

9-11. Or the devotee shall make in accordance with the injunctions the temple of Mandara, for him. He shall devoutly make it in accordance with his means. It may be of the middling or inferior type. Thereby the man goes to the beautiful city of Śiva in aerial chariots which resemble the mountain Mandara, and which have faces all round, which are occupied by groups of Apsarases and which are difficult of access even to Devas and Dānavas. He enjoys all pleasures, attains the path of knowledge and finally the chieftainship of the Gaṇas.

12 -13. Even by means of great sacrifices no one attains that benefit which accrues to the person who makes the mansion called Meru. He attains all the benefits of sacrifices, penances, gifts, visits to holy centres and study of all Vedas. Like Śiva. he rejoices for a long time.

14. The intelligent devotee who makes the mansion Niṣadha with devotion attains Siva’s world and like Śiva rejoices for a long time.

15-17. O brahmins, ḥe who makes the splendid and excellent mansion called Himaśaila, goes to the splendid city of Siva by means of vehicles comparable to the mountain Himavat. Attaining the path of knowledge, he shall achieve the chieftainship of the Gaṇas.

I shall mention the benefit that a man obtains by making the splendid mansion named Nīlādriśikhara (the peak of the blue mountain). He need make it only in accordance with his riches. He shall dedicate it to Rudra with devotion.

18-21. He obtains all those benefits which I have mentioned to you before as the benefit of making the mansion Himaśaila devoutly [see verse 15]. Then he is bowed to by all Devas. Reaching the world of Rudra he rejoices along with them.

I shall mention the benefit that one attains by making the mansion named Mahendraśaila. He goes to the divine city of Śiva in the aerial chariot as huge in size as the mountain Mahendra, yoked to bulls. O leading sages, he enjoys all pleasures and attains perfect knowledge after deliberation with Rudras. He eschews worldly pleasures as though they were poison and attains Sāyujya (union) with Śiva.

22-23. He who makes jewel-studded mansion with gold, in accordance with the injunctions, of the type of Drāviḍa, Nāgara or Kesara or makes the peak^[1] or platform square or oblong in shape attains great merit. His merit cannot be mentioned even in hundreds of yugas.

24-28. If anyone repairs or rebuilds the old, dilapidated fallen or broken temples and reconstructs them with doors, etc. or if he repairs the mansion, platform, rampart or the ornamental gateway, he derives more benefit than even the original maker. There is no doubt about this. The man who does some job in the temple of Śiva though it be for his sustenance undoubtedly goes to the heavenly world along with his kinsmen. If a man does some job in the temple of Rudra even for once and for his own pleasure he attains happiness and rejoices. Hence, O excellent sages, the man who devoutly makes the temple by means of wood, bricks, etc., is. honoured in the world of Śiva.

29-32. O leading sages, for the grace of Maheśa, for the purpose of achieving virtue, love, wealth and liberation, the mansion of Maheśa should be built assiduously. O excellent sages, if one is incapable of building a mansion he shall serve the lord by means of sweeping and other activities. He who performs the sweeping job with a soft and delicate broom shall attain all desires. He obtains the fruit of a thousand Cāndrāyaṇa rites within a month. He who duly performs the rite of applying unguents to the lord with the scented cow-dung water filtered and purified by means of a cloth shall obtain the benefits of Cāndrāyaṇa for a year.

33-37. The place within the radius of half a Krośa from the Liṅga of Śiva is called Śivakṣetra (holy centre of Śiva). He who casts off his life (within that centre) usually very difficult to be cast off, shall obtain Sāyujya with Śiva. O sages of good holy rites, these are the measuring units of the self-born Bāṇa Liṅga. In the Svāyambhuva, O excellent brahmins, the measure of the holy centre shall be half, in the Ārṣa (pertaining to the sages) it shall be half of that. In the Mānuṣa (pertaining to human beings) it shall be still half of that. O excellent brahmins, the measure of holy centres in the abode of ascetics is thus.

O brahmins, he who casts off his vital breath in any of these places shall attain Sāyujya with Śiva viz:—Rudrāvatāra, Narāvatāra, the holy Śrīparvata^[2] and its boundary line. The benefit shall be extended to his disciples and the disciples of disciples.

38-39. The same is true of Vārāṇasī^[3] and particularly of Avimukta.^[4] He who casts off his vital breaths in Kedāra,^[5] Prayāga^[6] or Kurukṣetra^[7] attains extreme bliss.

40. He who dies in Prabhāsa,^[8] Puṣkara,^[9] Avantī,^[10] Amareśvara^[11] and in Vaṇīśailākula^[12] attains the nature of Śiva.

41-45. The person who dies in Vārāṇasī is not born again. He who casts off his vital breath in Triviṣṭapa,^[13] Avimukta, Kedāra, Saṅgameśvara,^[14] Śālaṅka,^[15] Jambukeśvara, in Śukreśvara, Gokarṇa,^[16] Bhāskareśa,^[17] Guheśvara, Hiraṇyagarbha, or Nandīśa attains the greatest goal. He who desiccates his body by means of observances and casts it off in any holy centre of Śiva whether it is of human or divine origin, whether it is built by sages or whether it is self-born, becomes a yogin and attains oneness with Śiva. O excellent sages, if the deity is self-born or installed by Devas, no doubt need be entertained in this regard. He who worships the lord and then collects fire into which he consigns his body, attains the greatest goal.

46-49. One shall abstain from taking any sort of food whatsoever and cast off one’s vital breaths in a holy centre of Śiva. O excellent sages, he shall attain Sāyujya with Śiva. He who cuts off his pair of legs and stays in the holy centre of Śiva, attains oneness with Śiva. No doubt need be entertained in this regard. The vision of a holy centre is meritorious. The entrance therein is hundred times more meritorious. The touching and the circumambulation is hundred times more meritorious. The ablution in the waters is hundred times more meritorious than that.

50. The bathing of the deity, O brahmins, in milk, is hundred times more excellent. It is mentioned that the ablution with curds has thousand times more merit. With honey it is hundred times more.

51-52. The ablution with ghee has infinite merit; that with sugar is hundred times more. One shall eschew cooked rice after reaching a river near the holy centre of Siva and plunging into it. He shall thus cast off his body. He is honoured in the world of Śiva. All the rivers near the holy centres of Śiva are very meritorious.

53-56. The wells, tanks and lakes are Śivatīrthas (sacred waters of Siva). O excellent brahmins, by taking his bath in those (wells, etc.) with devotion a man is undoubtedly liberated from brahmin-slaughter and other sins. O excellent sages, by taking his morning plunge in the sacred waters of Śiva, a man attains the benefit of horse sacrifice and goes to Rudra’s world. By taking a single plunge in the sacred waters of Śiva at midday with great devotion a man surely obtains merit equal to that of taking bath in the Gaṅgā. By taking bath after the sunset one shall attain the auspicious region of Śiva.

57-59. Casting off his slough of sins in the holy waters of Śiva the man attains the auspicious region of Śiva. O brahmins, by taking the threefold bath once in the sacred waters of Śiva, the man obtains Sāyujya with Śiva. No doubt need be entertained in this respect.

Once a boar saw a dog on the way. Due to fright it chanced that it plunged into the sacred waters of Siva and died. O excellent brahmins, he attained the chieftainship of the Gaṇas.

60. He who sees Siva, the lord of the chiefs of Devas, in the form of Liṅga at dawn attains a goal superior to all.

61. By seeing Mahādeva at midday one attains the benefit of sacrifices. By seeing the lord in the evening, one attains the benefit of yajñas and is liberated.

62. He is liberated from all great sins, mental, verbal and physical; subsidiary sins occurring as a sequel.

63. By visiting lord Īśāna in the form of the Liṅga at the time of transit of the sun from one sign of Zodiac to the next, one eschews sins committed in the course of month and he attains the auspicious region of Śiva.

64. By visiting the lord at the beginning of the southern or northern transit of the sun one dispels sins committed in the course of half a month. By worshipping, the lord, at the time of equinoxes, one attains the greatest goal.

65-66. The clean and pure man who circumambulates the mansion of times in the mode of Savya and Apasavya [clockwise and anticlockwise] and treads softly shall attain the benefit of aśvamedha at every step. He who screams and laments to Śiva, attains the auspicious abode. What else remains for him to attain?

67-73. (After sprinkling) with scented cowdung water the devotee shall make the mystic diagram of the auspicious lotus along with the pericarp. For this purpose the dust particles of pearls, sapphires, rubies, crystals, emerald, gold or silver may be used Those who are not sufficiently rich may use other powders similar in colour to the powders mentioned above. The mystic diagram shall extend upto ten Hastas. It should be described near Mahādeva. Mahādeva accompanied by the nine Śaktis shall be invoked therein: The devotee shall invoke the lord who bestows the desired things by means of five elements, six sense-organs and eight cosmic bodies. Again the devotee shall worship Īśāna in the ten-cornered (mystic diagram) through the eight cosmic bodies or the ten organs of sense and knowledge externally. After the worship the devotee shall bow down and offer food offerings to the lord of Devas. He shall thereby obtain the benefit of the charitable gift of earth. The indigent person shall make the mystic diagram of the lotus by means of the powdered grains of Śāli rice. Even then he shall obtain the merits as mentioned before.

74-80. The devotee shall draw the mystic diagram of twelve sides and then the excellent lotus by means of such powders as those of jewels, etc. In the middle of the mystic diagram he shall install Bhāskara along with the twelve deities and then worship the sun surrounded by the planets. He shall attain the excellent Sāyujya (the salvation of identity) with the sun. Similarly he shall draw the six-sided figure by means of red chalk to depict deities pertaining to Prakṛti. In the middle region he shall worship the goddess of Devas, Prakṛti, in the form of Brahman. To the right he shall worship the deity of Sattva-Guṇa; to the left that of Rajo-Guṇa and in front that of Tamo-Guṇa. He shall worship the goddess Ambikā in the middle. To the right he shall worship the five elements and the five Tanmātrās. To the north he shall worship the five organs of action and five organs of sense. In the six-sided figure he shall worship the two Ātmans, viz., Ātman and Antarātman as well as the cosmic intellect and ego along with the principle Mahat. He shall then attain the benefit of all sacrifices.

81. O leading brahmins, thus the great Prākṛta Maṇḍala (the mystic diagram pertaining to Prakṛti) has been mentioned to you. Henceforth I shall mention the means of achieving all desired objects.

82-85. The devotee conversant with the mantras shall sprinkle the ground duly with water and scrub it with cow-dung. He shall then make the mystic diagram in the form of a square measuring a gocarma (i.e. 150 Hastas a side). He shall then decorate it with canopies, or charming umbrellas. He shall embellish them with globe-like bubbles or crescentshaped trinkets made of gold or the leaves of Aśvattha tree. He shall decorate it with full blown white, red or blue lotuses; also strings of pearls shall be suspended from the extremities of the canopies. He shall embellish it with white banners and silken Vaijayantīs (Ensigns) or garlands of sprouts and fruits. There shall be white mud-pots and elegant water-jars filled with water. He shall have fifty lamps in a row and five kinds of incense.

86-94. The devotee shall make an excellent lotus with fifty petals by means of powders of different colours or only with white powder. The lotus shall extend to one Hasta in magnitude. It shall be made in accordance with the injunctions. He shall fix the lord Rudra, the lord of Devas along with the goddess in the pericarp. Beginning with the petal in the east and proceeding gradually he shall fix the syllables in the petals along with the Rudras. O sages of good holy rites, the syllables are to begin with the Praṇava and end with Namas, O excellent sages, after duly worshipping thus with scents and fragrant flowers, he shall feed fifty brahmins in accordance with the injunctions. He shall give those leading sages the charitable gifts of garlands of rosary, sacred thread, ear-rings, water-pots, seats, staff, turbans and clothes. He shall offer Mahācaru as Naivedya to Śambhu the lord of Devas and dedicate the black pair (i.e. a black cow and a black ox). In the end he shall offer the mystic diagram made of powders to the lord of Devas. He shall then offer materials of utility in a sacrifice to Śiva. The intelligent devotee shall perform the Japa of the letters one by one with Oṃkāra in the beginning. I shall briefly mention the benefit that a man attains after describing this excellent Maṇḍala amongst all with devotion.

95-98. By seeing the coloured Maṇḍala and by worshipping it one attains the same benefit as a yogin attains in the following circumstances:—When he has learned the Vedas duly along with their Aṅgas (ancillary subjects); when he has worshipped God by means of sacrifices, such as Jyotiṣṭoma etc., ending with that of Viśvajit; when (as a householder) he has procreated sons like himself; when he has adopted the stage of life of a forest-dweller with earnestness maintaining the sacrificial fire, and performing all rites such as Cāndrāyaṇa, etc.; when he has renounced all holy rites, learned Brahmavidyā assiduously and attained perfect knowledge and when with perfect knowledge he has seen what should be seen.

99-100. After scrubbing and cleaning the front yard of the shrine by any material, O excellent brahmins, if a devotee describes a mystic diagram in the form of a square to the north or south or to the west of the shrine and embellishes it with the powders, flowers, raw rice grains etc., and then worships the deity with flowers, raw rice grains, etc., he is liberated from all sins.

101-102. He, who devoutly scrubs and cleans the sanctum sanctorum all round, even once, scatters scented flowers all round, offers fragrant articles like sandal paste, camphor, etc., makes the place sweet smelling with incense of four kinds and prays to the lord Īśāna, goes to the world of Śiva.

103-104. The man enjoys pleasures for a hundred crores of kalpas. His body emits sweet fragrance like that of flowers with which he fills the temple of Śiva. Gradually he goes to the world of Gandharvas and is worshipped by the Gandharvas. He comes to this world in due course and becomes a powerful monarch.

105-106. Mahādeva is the primordial lord. He is the cause of creation, dissolution and sustenance. Sadāśiva is all pervasive and is the overlord of the worlds. The nectar of Śiva-Brahman should be known as the excellent means of salvation. One shall always worship the lord, the manifest and the un manifest being the lord beyond imagination.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kūṭa [kūṭam]—yantrarūpa [yantrarūpam]—ST. made of some mechanical device.

[2]:

Śrīparvata or Śrīśaila is one of the sacred hills of the south overhanging the Kṛṣṇā river. It contains the celebrated shrine of Mallikārjuna, one of the twelve jyotirliṅgas.

[3]:

Vārāṇasī—see p. 97 note. 120

[4]:

Avimukta—see p. 46 note. 64

[5]:

Kedāra—a very sacred Himalayan peak in Garhwal. It still retains its ancient name and sanctity.

[6]:

Prayāga—see p. 291 note 567.

[7]:

Kurukṣetra—It lies south of Thanesar, not far from Panipat in Haryana State.

[8]:

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

[9]:

Puṣkara—a sacred place near Ajmer famous for the lake Puṣkara.

[10]:

Avanti or Avantikā. It is identical with Ujjayinī or modern Ujjain.

[11]:

Amareśvara—in Oṃkāra Māndhātā. It is a sacred place of Śaiva pilgrimage in the Nimar district in Madhya Pradeśa.

[12]:

Vaṇīśaila—not identifiable.

[13]:

Triviṣṭapa—not identifiable. But Triviṣṭapa or tripiṣṭaka is the heaven of Indra, said to be situated on Mount Meru.

[14]:

Saṅgameśvara—a sacred place mentioned in Skandapurāṇa., VII.i.33 but not identifiable.

[15]:

Śālaṅka, Jambukeśvara and Śukreśvara are not identifiable.

[16]:

Gokarṇa: lit. “cow’s ear”. It is a place of pilgrimage sacred to Śiva, on the east coast, near Mangalore. It has the temple of Mahādeva, Śiva, supposed to have been established by Rāvaṇa. This Gokarṇa should not be confused with the town of the same name situated in Nepal on the Bhāgamatī river.

[17]:

Bhāskareśa, Guheśvara, Hiraṇyagarbha, or Nandīśa are not identifiable.