Chapter 11 - Eminence of Koṭīśvara

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Pulastya said:

1. O foremost king! then one needs to visit the supreme God Koṭiśvara by having a look of which humans definitely attain fulfilment.

2. Before that O king! listen to one astounding incident that happened there. It was a proven fact that one crore prominent sages used to live in its southern side.

3-4. Competing among one another like in a game of play they all came to this Arbuda mountain presupposing within themselves that the sage arriving last would become a dog, and become devoid of devotion and faith.

5. In this way, playing in mutual competition like in a game, they all came to Arbuda mountain and then in conformity with time they all got themselves engaged in the performance of worship as a fulfilment of some mental resolve made respectively in their minds.

6. All the Brāhmaṇas were composed in mind, devout in religious austerities and adroit in the learning of Veda. Śaṃkara became eager to know their wish.

7. Driven by their feeling of devotion, Śaṃkara placed there with great kindness a crore of Liṅgas of Śiva worshipped in the form of stone separately from one another.

8. The glimpse of Śaṃkara in crores of number could be seen by everyone distinctly.

9. Seeing Śaṃkara all together, all the sages then keeping their eyes wide open in wonder said ‘excellent! excellent!’

10. All the Brāhmaṇas with devotion sang the Vedic hymns meant for Śaiṇkara. Being pleased, Śaṃkara started to say.

The gracious Mahādeva said:

11. O Sages! I am pleased with your highest faith. Now each one of you can have boon from me.

The sages said:

12. We all wish for a single boon in our minds that the good fruit be received by all of us taking a look of yours together.

The gracious Mahādeva said:

13. A look of mine never goes in vain for a Brāhmaṇa in particular. The fruit of pilgrimage is obtainable for those who have a look of mine.

The sages said:

14-15. O Śaṃkara! if it is definite that you have to give us a boon please make crores of Liṅgas like this worshipable in the form of stones and by taking a look of which people will get the fruits of crores of Liṅgas worshipped. O Śaṃkara! we desire such a type of boon.

Pulastya said:

16. With the sages making such a prayer together, the worshipable Liṅga of Śiva pierced out of this best mountain all of a sudden.

17-20. Just at that moment a voice from the bodiless came out and told those sages, “This Liṅga of mine will be famed by name Koṭiśvara in the world. Crore times fruits will be attainable by all those Brāhmaṇas who will worship it on the fourteenth day of the waning period of moon in the month of Pausa [Pauṣa?] (i.e., January). Whichever Brāhmaṇa from the Southern country performs the religious ceremony in memory of his ancestors here will get crore times fruits equal to the same such religious ceremony performed in Gayā. Therefore, people should worship this Liṅga of mine.”

Pulastya said:

21. The voice stopped after sounding like this. Then the sages with faith worshipped (the Liṅga) with incense and flavoured oil.

22. O king! the act of worship was done with great faith in this way and all the Brāhmaṇas after worshipping attained fulfilment with the grace of the worshipable Liṅga.