Chapter 38 - Kapardi-Vināyaka

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The Devī said:

1-2. In regard to your earlier statement that one should visit Kapardin at the outset, I have a doubt. It behoves you to clarify it. O Lord of Devas, O Śaṃbhu, is he not your attendant though highly lustrous? According to a convention the honouring of a servant should take place only after that of the master.

Īśvara said:

3. Listen, O goddess, I shall explain how Kapardin is the most adorable. He is the foremost of all the Devas. He is Lord Vighneśvara.

4. O great goddess, Someśvara, Sadāśiva who is stationed in Prabhāsa Kṣetra in the form of a Liṅga is beyond the ken of sense-organs.

5. On his left is stationed Viṣṇu who is remembered as Varāha (the Boar). Brahmā, the Prajāpati (Lord of the subjects), is stationed on his right. Since he is angry with Sāvitrī he has adopted the form of Kapardin.

6. In Kṛta Yuga, his name was Heraṃba; in Tretā he was Vighnamardana. In Dvāpara he was Laṃbodara and he is remembered as Kapardin in Kali Age.

7. Thus his incarnation is distinct in every Yuga. He is born again and again in accordance with the task on hand.

8. At the advent of the twenty-eighth Caturyuga Kapardin was born there as Kāraṇātman (in the form of the original cause). Listen how he was born so.

9. Formerly at the junction of Dvāpara when Kaliyuga began, women, barbarians, Śūdras and those who were sinners used to go to Svarga quickly after viewing Lord Someśvara.

10. There were no Yajñas, no austerity, no Dāna, no study of the Vedas and no Vrata. Men who never performed any of these things, O goddess, used to go to the abode of Śiva.

11. As a result of this power of Someśvara, O goddess of Suras, all holy rites beginning with Agniṣṭoma (sacrifice) became extinct.

12. Thereupon boys, old men, sages who had mastered the Vedas, Śūdras and even women used to attain the highest state.

13. At a time when the festivities of Yajña were extinct, the whole of the earth became vacant and heaven became filled with persons of raised arms (Since there was no living space left in the crowded heaven, all could stand only with raised arms).

14. Thereupon, the Devas beginning with Mahendra, became miserable on being attacked and defeated by human beings as it were. They sought refuge in Śaṅkara.

15-18. With palms joined in reverence all the excellent Suras beginning with Indra said: “O Śaṅkara, due to your favour this Svarga has become over-crowded with human beings.

They are boasting to one another, “I am the most excellent one, I am the most superior one” and move about everywhere as they please. O Lord, suggest some place for us to stay.

Dharmarāja, the highly virtuous one, is reviewing their auspicious and inauspicious Karmas recorded by himself. He keeps quiet with extreme surprise.

The extremely terrible Kuṃbhīpāka, Raurava and Śālmali hells had been kept ready by him for these sinners. But on seeing those very persons well-settled in heaven he felt embarrassed. So he has abandoned his work.

Śrī Bhagavān said:

19. When I was pleased with the devotion of Soma I had promised him everything. My presence (proximity to Soma) in this holy spot was promised.

20. What has been promised by me cannot be altered. Those who visit me there will thus go to Svarga.

21. Agitated by fear, the Devas looked at Pārvatī present everywhere and spoke to her with palms joined in reverence, “Do be our refuge”.

22. After saying so, they knelt on the ground. With joined palms kept over the head all those Devas eulogized her by means of this prayer.

The Devas prayed:

23. Obeisance to you, O goddess of the chiefs of Devas. Obeisance to you, O mother of the Universe. Obeisance to you with eyes like lotus-petals. Obeisance to you, O goddess with golden lustre.

24. Obeisance to you, O great annihilatrix and creatrix. Obeisance to you, O beloved of Śaṅkara. Obeisance to you, O Kālarātri (Durgā identified as the goddess of the night of annihilation) Obeisance to you, O daughter of the Mountain.

25. O fair lady, O noble lady, O Viśālākṣī (large-eyed one)! Obeisance to you, to the most beautiful lady of the world. You are Rati (pleasure). You are Dhṛti (fortitude). You are Śrī (fortune). You are Svāhā. You are Svadhā and Satī.

26. You are Durgā, you are Mati (intellect) you are Medhā (retentive power of memory). You are everything. You are the earth, the repository of rich wealth. This entire range of the three worlds consisting of mobile and immobile beings has been pervaded by you.

27-28. We have been looking for you in rivers, tops of mountains, oceans, caves, forests, altars and sanctuaries, battlefields, hermitages—all those places in the three worlds where, O goddess, you were not present. In view of all this, O Viśālākṣī, save us from the great danger.

Īśvara said:

29. That goddess was prayed to thus by the Devas with Indra as their leader. Out of mercy you caused your own body to be massaged and pressed by those Devas.

30. A great deal of dirt issued forth as you were being pressed and massaged. It was there that the four- armed charming Gajendrāsya (one with the face of a leading tusker) appeared.

31-33. You mercifully spoke to all the Suras: “This is the being created by me with a desire for your benefit. He will cause all obstacles to the living beings. Men overwhelmed with great delusion, with intellect overpowered by lust, will never see Somanātha. Hence they will fall into hell.”

34. All the Devas were delighted in their minds on hearing these words of yours. They went back to their respective abodes shedding off all fear arising from human beings.

35. Then, O goddess, the Elephant-faced One spoke to you humbly: “O large-eyed one, what shall I do? May some command be given to me.”

Śrī Bhagavatī said:

36-38. Go to the holy place of Prabhāsa where Hara is present and protect it. See that the Liṅga of the Lord of Devas which is installed by the Moon himself does not fall within the range of vision of human beings.

On being commanded by you thus, he causes obstacles to men always. Kapardin begins to cause great obstacles to everyone on seeing him proceeding to Somanātha, the Lord. Hence Kapardin is highly adored by people.

39. He creates unto him the great infatuation of sons, wives, houses, fields, wealth and food-grain. As a result the man does no see Hara.

40. Or he may generate some illness like goitre, swelling in the neck etc. and the man afflicted with those illnesses becomes deluded and never sees Hara.

41. Hence with a desire to (attain) Someśvara one should assiduously worship him (Kapardin) always and remember him day and night.

42. Gaṇādhyakṣa, the protector of Prabhāsa Kṣetra, should be propitiated, O goddess of Devas, by means of this prayer that destroys all obstacles.

43. O great goddess, I shall proclaim to you that prayer which suppresses obstacles, the prayer to Kapardin. Listen with attention.

Prayer (44-51): (Prayer to Kapardin)

44. Oṃ, obeisance to the Lord of obstacles. O Kapardin, obeisance to you. Obeisance to the Lord of great and fierce fang-like teeth, to the resident of the holy spot of Prabhāsa.

45. After bowing down to Kapardin for the sake of freedom from obstacles in the course of the pilgrimage, I shall eulogize Vighnarāja, the splendid lover of Siddhi and Buddhi.

46. (I adore) Mahāgaṇapati, heroic one, unconquered one, one who enhances victory, single-toothed one, double-toothed one, four-toothed one, four-armed one.

47. (I adore) the three-eyed one, the trident-armed one, the red-eyed one, the bestower of boons, the invincible one, the pike-eared one, the fierce one, the leader of the army, one with iron staff held up, Hutavaktra (one in whose mouth the sacrificial articles are consigned), and Hutapriya (one fond of the performance of Homa).

48. I bow down to that Gaṇādhyakṣa, the terrifying and fierce son of Umā, who, if not worshipped, causes obstacles in all the activities of men.

49. I bow down to that Vināyaka who is full of inebriation, who has uneven (three) eyes, whose lustre is befitting the elephant-faced deity, who is firm and motionless, and who is quiescent.

50. With a previous physical form you adopted the guise of an elephant for the fulfilment of the tasks of Devas. You then terrified all the Dānavas.

51. You have revealed your leadership of the sages and the Devas.

52-55. O son of Bhava, you are adored at the outset by the Suras after being eulogized thus.

A devotee shall propitiate you, O Gaṇādhyakṣa, having the lustre befitting the elephant-faced Lord. The devotee should eulogize the steady, motionless, quiescent Lord surrounded by the glory of victory. For the realization of any task the devotee should wear red garments and worship with red flowers and the waters (rendered fragrant) with red sandal-paste. He should restrain himself and restrict his food intake. He can worship once a day or twice a day. The Lord of all obstacles shall control everyone, be it a king, king’s son, king’s minister or the kingdom.

56. By remembering Lord Vināyaka, one obtains that benefit which results from visiting all the Tīrthas and performing all the Yajñas.

57. He will never meet with difficulty. He will face no defeat or discomfiture, nor will he have any obstacle. The man shall become competent to remember the previous birth.

58. He who recites this hymn shall be granted boons within six months. He will obtain Siddhi within a year. There is no doubt about this.

59. Lord Someśvara favours him and comes within the view of that devotee. Since his belly has the shape of a Kaparda (a courrie used as a coin, a shell) the noble-souled one has come to be named Kapardin.