Chapter 90 - Greatness of Vṛṣavāhaneśvara (Vṛṣavāhana-īśvara)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Īśvara said:

1-3. Thereafter, O great goddess, a pilgrim should go to the excellent shrine of the fourth Rudra. The Liṅga named Vṛṣabheśvara is a Kalpaliṅga, a favourite of Suras.

There, O great goddess, Brahmā himself is stationed in the form of a boy. This shrine is situated within a distance of three Dhanus on the northern side.

A man devoid of merits does not comprehend this primordial Liṅga of great efficacy. I shall now enumerate to you the names of the Liṅga in different Kalpas.

4-5. O great goddess, the deity was remembered as Brahmeśvara in the earlier Kalpa. O my beloved, it was propitiated for ten thousand years by Brahmā, the Lord who was desirous of creating the world. Maheśvara was pleased thereby. Thereafter, Pitāmaha carried out the creation of the four types of Bhūtas (living beings).

6. The name Brahmeśvara was formerly applied to the Liṅga since Hara was pleased with the status of being the Lord unto Brahmā.

7. Then, O lady of excellent complexion, when the second Kalpa arrived, the shrine became well-known on the earth by the name Raivateśvara.

8. There was a king named Raivata in the Cosmic Egg consisting of mobile and immobile beings. As a result of the power of that Liṅga, he conquered this world.

9-10. Therefore, the Liṅga of great lustre came to be known by the name Raivateśvara.

Again, O lady of excellent complexion, at the advent of the third Kalpa the name of that Liṅga was Vṛṣabheśvara. Vṛṣa (Bull) is my vehicle and it is Dharma (Virtue, Piety) who has taken the form of a bull.

11. That Liṅga was worshipped by him for a thousand years as per celestial reckoning. The bull attained Sāyujya (merging into the divinity), a type of salvation, when the Lord was pleased, O goddess of Devas.

12-13. Hence that Liṅga became known as Vṛṣabha on the earth.

At the advent of the fourth Kalpa named Vārāha, at the beginning of the twenty-eighth Tretāyuga there was a king named Ikṣvāku. He was an ornament unto the Solar race.

14. Excessively sanctified through devotion, he worshipped the Liṅga thrice a day. He took food only once a day. He conquered the craving for food and all the sense-organs. He slept on bare ground.

15. Thus, much time elapsed. Then Maheśvara became pleased. He granted highly prosperous kingdom and progeny in the form of sons and grandsons.

16-17. Therefore, this excellent Liṅga became known by the name Ikṣvākvīśvara. He who devoutly worship the Bull-vehicled Lord gets rid of sins incurred in the course of seven births. There is no doubt about it. That holy spot extends upto thirty Dhanus on the four sides.

18. Whatever is performed in that Tīrtha such as bath, Jāpya, oblation, Homa, adoration, eulogy and chanting of Vedic Mantra, shall be everlasting.

19-25. By measurement and magnitude, the holy spot is rectangular. One who spends a night in the vicinity of that Liṅga, observes celibacy, and keeps awake at night doing dance, (amidst) vocal and instrumental music gets rid of all sins.

A man may be a cow-slayer or a Brāhmaṇa murderer, yet he is rid of all evil deeds if he performs Homa and Japa and meditates. The pilgrim should delight Brāhmaṇas by means of different kinds of edible things. Feeding only one Brāhmaṇa here is as good as feeding ten million.

O goddess, the following eight Tīrthas are well settled in that Liṅga: Bhairava, Kedāra, Puṣkara, Drutijaṅgama, Vārāṇasī, Kurukṣetra, Mahākāla and Naimiṣa.

24-26. He who keeps awake at night on the fourteenth lunar day in the dark half of Māgha and worships the Lord duly, shall get the fruit of (visiting) the (above) eight Tīrthas.

If a pilgrim offers rice-balls in the vicinity of Śiva, on the day when the Moon is not visible (New-Moon day) the Pitṛs become pleased with him till the close of the day of Brahmā.

A devotee should adore that Liṅga at night with curds, ghee, milk, the five products from a cow, water from Kuśa grass, saffron, agallochum and camphor.

27. If the devotee utters the Aghora Mantra and meditates on Lord Sadāśiva, O great goddess, he is rid of the five sins.

28. If a Brāhmaṇa bathes the deity with curds on the eighth and fourteenth lunar days, he shall undoubtedly become well-versed in all the four Vedas.

29. O goddess, if he bathes the deity Vṛṣabheśvara with milk, he obtains the great fruit of offering seven thousand cows as gift.

30. O beautiful woman, the sins committed in the previous births and also committed now are destroyed, O my beloved, through the ablution (of the Liṅga) with curds.

31. O goddess, he who bathes Vṛṣabheśvara with the five products from a cow burns all sins and obtains the fruit of all Yajñas.

32-33. On seeing him, if a person endeavours to propitiate that Liṅga, the following sinners are rid of all their sins: a Brāhmaṇa-slayer, a cow-slayer, a thief, a defiler of preceptor’s bed, a murderer of one seeking refuge, one who betrays friends, all evil-minded sinners, slayers of mother and father.

34. He who worships the great Liṅga Brahmeśvara during the whole of Kārttika month along with Brahmā shall be rid of sins.

35. If anyone worships Vṛṣabheśvara, the Lord of all the Devas, he is as good as one who gives away everything, who pleases all the preceptors, who performs Śrāddha in Gayā Tīrtha.

36. Thus the greatness honoured by the Devas has been wholly told to you, O goddess. O beautiful woman, the greatness of Lord Vṛṣabheśvara, the Kalpaliṅga,, has been told.

37. He who listens to the greatness of the Lord of Devas, O great goddess, attains the greatest goal even if he be a fool or a scholar.