1008 names of Mahadeva: Prologue

Yudhishthira requests Bhishma to tell him all the names of Maheshwara

Yudhishthira said,

“O son of the River Ganga, you have heard all the names of Maheshwara, the Lord of the universe. Do you tell us, O grandsire, all the names that are applied, O puissant one, unto Him who is called Isha and Shambhu. Do you tell us all those names that are applied unto Him who is called Babhru or vast, Him that has the universe for his form, Him that is the illustrious preceptor of all the deities and the Asuras, that is called Swayambhu (self-creating) and that is the cause of the origin and dissolution of the universe. Do you tell us also of the puissance of Mahadeva.”

Bhishma requests Krishna to recite the virtues of Mahadeva

Bhishma said,

“I am quite incompetent to recite the virtues of Mahadeva of highest intelligence. He pervades all things in the universe and yet is not seen anywhere. He is the creator of universal self and the Pragna (knowing) self and he is their master. All the deities, from Brahman to the Pishachas, adore and worship him. He transcends both Prakriti and Purusha. It is of Him that Rishis, conversant with Yoga and possessing a knowledge of the Tattwas, think and reflect. He is indestructible and Supreme Brahman. He is both existent and non-existent. Agitating both Prakriti and Purusha by means of His energy, He created therefrom the universal lord of creatures, viz., Brahma. Who is there that is competent to tell the virtues of that god of gods, that is endued with supreme Intelligence?

Man is subject to conception (in the mother's womb), birth, decrepitude, and death. Being such, what man like me is competent to understand Bhava? Only Narayana, O son, that bearer of the discus and the mace, can comprehend Mahadeva. He is without deterioration. He is the foremost of all beings in attributes. He is Vishnu, because of his pervading the universe. He is irresistible. Endued with spiritual vision, He is possessed of supreme Energy. He sees all things with the eye of Yoga. It is in consequence of the devotion of the high-souled Krishna to the illustrious Rudra whom he gratified. O Bharata, in the Ashrama of Badari, by penances, that he has succeeded in pervading the entire universe. O king of kings, it is through Maheshwara of celestial vision that Vasudeva has obtained the attribute of universal agreeableness, an agreeableness that is much greater than what is possessed by all articles included under the name of wealth. For a full thousand years this Madhava underwent the austerest penances and at last succeeded in gratifying the illustrious and boon giving Shiva, that Master of all the mobile and the immobile universe. In every new Yuga has Krishna (by such penances) gratified Mahadeva. In every Yuga has Mahadeva been gratified with the great devotion of the high-souled Krishna.

How great is the puissance of the high-souled Mahadeva,--that original cause of the universe, has been seen with his own eyes by Hari who himself transcends all deterioration, on the occasion of his penances in the Ashrama of Badari undergone for obtaining a son. I do not, O Bharata, behold any one that is superior to Mahadeva. To expound the names of that god of gods fully and without creating the desire of hearing more only Krishna is competent. This mighty-armed one of Yadu's race is alone competent to tell the attributes of the illustrious Shiva. Verily, O king, only he is able to discourse on the puissance, in its entirety of the Supreme deity?”

Having said these words, the illustrious Bhishma, the grandsire of the Kurus, addressing Vasudeva, said the following words, dealing with the subject of the greatness of Bhava. Bhishma said,

“You are the Master of all the deities and the Asuras. You are illustrious. You are Vishnu in consequence of your pervading the whole universe. It befits you to discourse on those subjects connected with Shiva of universal form about which Yudhishthira has asked me. In days of yore, the Rishi Tandin, sprung from Brahma, recited in Brahma's region and before Brahma himself the thousand names of Mahadeva. Do you recite those names before this conclave so that these Rishis endued with wealth of asceticism, observant of high vows, possessed of self-restraint, and numbering the Island-born Krishna among them, may hear you. Do you discourse on the high blessedness of Him who is immutable, who is always cheerful and happy, who is Hotri, who is the universal Protector, who is Creator, of the universe, and who is called Mundin and Kaparddin.”

Vasudeva said,

“The very deities with Indra, and the Grandsire Brahma numbering among them, and the great Rishis also, are incompetent to understand the course of Mahadeva's acts truly and in all their details. Even He is the end which all righteous people attain. The very Adityas who are endued with subtile sight, are unable to behold his abode. How then can one that is merely a man succeed in comprehending Him? I shall, therefore, truly recite to you some of the attributes of that illustrious slayer of Asuras, who is regarded as the Lord of all sacrifices and vows.”

Krishna narrates about his Tapas to please Shiva

Having said these words, the illustrious Vasudeva began his discourse on the attributes of the high-souled Mahadeva endued with the highest intelligence, after having purified himself by touching water. Vasudeva said,

“Hear, you foremost of Brahmana's and you Yudhishthira also, O sire, and hear you too, O Ganga's son, the names that are applied unto Kaparddin. Hear you, how in former days, I obtained a sight, so difficult to obtain, (of that great god), for the sake of Samba. Verily, in those days was the illustrious deity seen by me in consequence of Yoga-abstraction.

After twelve years had expired from the time when Pradyumna, the son of Rukmini, who is endued with great intelligence, slew the Asura Shambara in days of yore, my spouse Jambavati addressed me. Indeed, beholding Pradyumna and Charudeshna and other sons born of Rukmini, Jambavati, desirous of a son, said these words unto me, O Yudhishthira,

“Grant me, O you of unfading glory, a son endued with heroism, the foremost of mighty men, possessed of the most agreeable features, sinless in conduct, and like unto yourself. And O, let there be no delay on your part in granting this prayer of mine. There is nothing in the three worlds that is unattainable by you, O perpetuator of Yadu's race, you can create other worlds if only you wish it. Observing a vow for twelve years and purifying yourself, you had adored the Lord of all creatures (viz., Mahadeva) and then begot upon Rukmini the sons that she has obtained from you, viz., Charudeshna and Sucharu and Charuvesha and Yashodhana and Charushravas and Charuyashas and Pradyumna and Shambhu. O slayer of Madhu, do you grant to me a son like unto those of great powers whom you have begotten upon Rukmini?”

Thus addressed by the princess, I replied unto her of slender waist,

“Let me have your permission (to leave you for some time), O queen. I shall certainly obey your behest.”

She answered me, saying,

“Go, and may success and prosperity always attend you. Let Brahma and Shiva and Kashyapa, the Rivers, those deities that preside over the mind, the soil, all deciduous herbs, those Chhandas (Rhymes) that are regarded as bearers of the libations poured in sacrifices, the Rishis, Earth, the Oceans, the sacrificial presents, those syllables that are uttered for completing the cadences of Samans, the Riks, the Pitris, the Planets, the spouses of the deities, the celestial maidens, the celestial mothers, the great cycles, kine, Chandramas, Savitri, Agni, Savitri, the knowledge of the Vedas, the seasons, the year, small and big divisions of time, e.g., the Kshanas, the Labhas, the Muhurtas, the Nimeshas, and the Yugas in succession, protect you, O Yadava, and keep you in happiness, wherever you may stay. Let no danger overtake you on your way, and let no heedlessness be yours, O sinless one.”

Thus blessed by her, I took her leave, bidding farewell unto the daughter of the prince of apes. Repairing then into the presence of that foremost of men, viz., my father, of my mother, of the king, and of Ahuka, I informed them of what the daughter of the prince of the Vidyadharas, in great affliction, had said unto me. Bidding them farewell with a sorrowful heart, I then repaired to Gada and to Rama of great might. These two cheerfully addressed me saying, “Let your penances increase without any obstruction.” Having obtained the permission of all of them, I thought of Garuda. He immediately came to me and bore me to Himavat (at my bidding). Arrived at Himavat, I dismissed him. There on that foremost of mountains,

I beheld many wonderful sights. I saw an excellent, wonderful, and agreeable Ashrama for the practice of penances. That delightful Ashrama was owned by the high-souled Upamanyu who was a descendant of Vyaghrapada. That Ashrama is applauded and reverenced by the deities and the Gandharvas, and seemed to be covered with Vedic beauty. It was adorned with Dhavas and Kakubhas and Kadambas and Cocas, with Kuruvakas and Ketakas and Jambus and Patalas, with banians and Varunakas and Vatsanabhas and Bilwas, with Saralas and Kapitthas and Piyalas and Shalas and palmyras with Badaris and Kundas and Punnagas and Asokas and Amras and Kovidaras and Champakas and Panasas, and with diverse other trees endued with fruits and flowers. That Ashrama was also decked with the straight stems of the Musa Supienta. Truly, that Ashram was adorned with diverse other kinds of trees and with diverse kinds of fruits forming the food of diverse kinds of birds. Heaps of ashes (of sacrificial fires) were thrown in proper places all around, which added to the beauty of the scene. It abounded with Rurus and apes and tigers and lions and leopards, with deer of diverse species and peacocks, and with cats and snakes. Indeed, large numbers of other animals also were seen there, as also buffaloes and bears. Delicious breezes constantly blew bearing the melodious strains of celestial nymphs. The babblings of mountain rivulets and springs, the sweet notes of winged choristers, the gruntings of elephants, the delicious stains of Kinnaras, and the auspicious voice of ascetics singing the Samans, O hero, and diverse other kinds of music, rendered that Ashrama extremely charming. The very imagination cannot conceive another Ashrama as delightful as the one I beheld.

There were also large houses in that Ashram, intended for keeping the sacred fire, and covered all over with flowering creepers. It was adorned with the river Ganga of clear and sacred water. Indeed, the daughter of Jahnu always remained there. It was decked also with many ascetics who were the foremost of all righteous persons, who were endued with high souls, and who resembled fire itself in energy. Some of those ascetics subsisted upon air and some upon water, some were devoted to Japa or the silent recitation of sacred Mantras, and some were engaged in cleansing their souls by practising the virtues of compassion while some amongst them were Yogins devoted to the abstraction of Yoga-meditation. Some amongst them subsisted upon smoke only, and some subsisted upon fire, and some upon milk.

Thus was that Ashrama adorned with many foremost of regenerate persons. Some there were amongst them that had taken the vow of eating and drinking like kine, that is, by giving up the use of the hands at once. Some used only two pieces of stone for husking their grain, and some used their teeth only for that purpose. Some subsisted by drinking only the rays of the moon, and some by drinking only froth. Some had betaken themselves to vow of living like deer. Some there were that lived upon the fruits of the Ficus religiosa, and some that used to live upon water. Some dressed themselves in rags and some in animal skins and some in barks of trees. Indeed, I beheld diverse ascetics of the foremost order observing these and other painful vows. I desired then to enter that Ashram. Verily, that Ashram was honoured and adored by the deities and all high-souled beings, by Shiva and others, O Bharata, and by all creatures of righteous acts. Thus addressed, it stood in all its beauty on the breast of Himavat, like the lunar disc in the firmament. The mongoose sported there with the snake, and the tiger with the deer, like friends, forgetting their natural enmity, in consequence of the energy of those ascetics of blazing penances and for their proximity to these high-souled ones."

Upamanyu’s Tapas to please Shiva

Vasudeva continued,

"In that foremost of asylums, which was delightful to all creatures, inhabited by many foremost of Brahmanas fully conversant with the Vedas and their branches, and by many high-souled Rishis celebrated for the difficult vows they observed, I saw, as soon as I entered, a puissant Rishi with matted locks on head and dressed in rags, who seemed to blaze forth like fire with his penances and energy. Waited upon by his disciples and possessed of tranquil soul, that foremost of Brahmanas was young in aspect. His name was Upamanyu. Unto me who bowed unto him with a nod of the head, he said,

“Welcome are you, O you of eyes like lotus petals. Today, by this visit of yours, we see that our penances have borne fruit. You are worthy of our adoration, but you adore us still. You are worthy of being seen, but you desire to see me.”

Joining my hands I addressed him the usual enquiries respecting the well-being of the animals and birds that resided in his Ashram, of the progress of his righteousness, and of his disciples. The illustrious Upamanyu then addressed me in words that were exceedingly sweet and delightful,

“You shall, O Krishna, obtain without doubt a son like unto yourself. Betaking yourself to severe penances, do you gratify Ishana, the Lord of all creatures. That divine Master, O Adhokshaja, sported here with his spouse by his side. O Janarddana, it was here that the deities with all the Rishis, in days of yore, gratified that foremost of deities by their penances and Brahmacharyya and truth and self-restraint, and succeeded in obtaining the fruition of many high desires. That illustrious god is verily the vast receptacle of all energies and penances. Projecting into existence and withdrawing once more unto himself all things fraught with good and evil, that inconceivable Deity whom you seek, O destroyer of foes, lives here with his spouse.

He who took his birth as the Danava named Hiranyakashipu, whose strength was so great that he could shake the very mountains of Meru, succeeded in obtaining from Mahadeva the puissance belonging to all the deities and enjoyed it for ten millions of years. He who was the foremost of all his sons and who was celebrated by the name of Mandara, succeeded, through the boon he had obtained from Mahadeva, in fighting Shakra for a million of years.

The terrible discus of Vishnu and the thunderbolt of Indra were both unable to make the slightest impression, O Keshava, in days of yore, upon the body of that great cause of universal affliction. The discus which you bear, O sinless one, was given unto you by Mahadeva after he had slain a Daitya that was proud of his strength and used to live within the waters. That discus, blazing with energy and like unto fire, was created by the great god having for his device the bull. Wonderful and irresistible in energy it was given unto you by that illustrious god. In consequence of its blazing energy it was incapable of being gazed at by any person save Shiva the wielder of Pinaka. It was for this reason that Bhava (Shiva) bestowed upon it the name of Sudarshana. From that time the name Sudarshana came to be current in all the worlds. Even the weapon, O Keshava, failed to make the slightest impression on the body of Hiranyakashipu's son Mandara, that appeared like an evil planet in the three worlds. Hundreds of Chakras like yours and thunderbolts like that of Shakra, could not inflict a scratch on the body of that evil planet endued with great might, who had obtained a boon from Mahadeva. Afflicted by the mighty Mandara, the deities fought hard against him and his associates, all of whom had obtained boons from Mahadeva.

Gratified with another Danava named Vidyutprabha, Mahadeva granted to him the sovereignty of the three worlds. That Danava remained the sovereign of the three worlds for a hundred thousand years. And Mahadeva said unto him, “You shall become one of my attendants”. Indeed, the puissant Lord further bestowed upon him the boon of a hundred millions of children. The Master without birth, of all creatures further gave the Danava the region known by the name of Kushadwipa for his kingdom.

Another great Asura, of the name of Shatamukha, was created by Brahma. For a hundred years he poured on the sacrificial fire (as offerings unto Mahadeva) the flesh of his own body. Gratified with such penances, Shankara said unto him, “What can I do for you?” Shatamukha replied unto him, saying,

“O you that are most wonderful, let me have the power of creating new creatures and animals. Give also unto me, O foremost of all deities, eternal power.”

The puissant lord, thus addressed by him, said unto him, “So be it”. The Self-born Brahma, concentrating his mind in Yoga, in days of yore, made a sacrifice for three hundred years, with the object of obtaining children. Mahadeva granted him a thousand sons possessed of qualifications commensurate with the merits of the sacrifice. Without doubt, you know, O Krishna, the lord of Yoga, him that is, who is sung by the deities. The Rishi known by the name of Yajnavalkya is exceedingly virtuous. By adoring Mahadeva he has acquired great fame. The great ascetic who is Parashara's son, viz., Vyasa, of soul set on Yoga, has obtained great celebrity by adoring Shankara. The Valikhilyas were on a former occasion disregarded by Maghavat. Filled with wrath at this, they gratified the illustrious Rudra. That lord of the universe, that foremost one of all the deities, thus gratified by the Valikhilyas, said unto them,

“You shall succeed by your penances in creating a bird that will rob Indra of the Amrita.”

Through the wrath of Mahadeva on a former occasion, all the waters disappeared. The deities gratified him by performing a sacrifice called Saptakapala, and caused, through his grace, other waters to flow into the worlds. Verily, when the three-eyed deity became gratified, water once more appeared in the world. The wife of Atri, who was conversant with the Vedas, abandoned her husband in a huff and said, “I shall no longer live in subjection to that ascetic”. Having said these words, she sought the protection of Mahadeva. Through fear of her lord, Atri, passed three hundred years, abstaining from all food. All this time she slept on wooden clubs for the purpose of gratifying Bhava. The great deity then appeared unto her and then smilingly addressed her, saying,

“You shall obtain a son. And you shall get that son without the need of a husband, simply through the grace of Rudra. Without doubt that son, born in the race of his father, shall become celebrated for his worth, and assume a name after you.”

The illustrious Vikarna also, O slayer of Madhu, full of devotion to Mahadeva, gratified him with severe penances and obtained high and happy success. Sakalya, too, of restrained soul, adored Bhava in a mental sacrifice that he performed for nine hundred years, O Keshava. Gratified with him the illustrious deity said unto him,

“You shall become a great author. O son, inexhaustible shall your fame be in the three worlds. Your race also shall never come to an end and shall be adorned by many great Rishis that shall take birth in it. Your son will become the foremost of Brahmanas and will make the Sutras of your work.”

There was a celebrated Rishi of the name of Savarni in the Krita age. Here, in this Ashram, he underwent severe penances for six thousand years. The illustrious Rudra said,

“I am gratified with you, O sinless one! Without being subject to decrepitude or death, you shall become an author celebrated through all the worlds!”

In days of yore, Shakra, also, in Varanasi, filled with devotion, O Janarddana, adored Mahadeva who has empty space alone for his garments and who is smeared with ashes as an agreeable unguent. Having adored Mahadeva thus, he obtained the sovereignty of the celestials.

Narada also, in days of yore, adored the great Bhava with devotion of heart. Gratified with him, Mahadeva, that preceptor of the celestial preceptor, said these words,

“No one shall be your equal in energy and penances. You shall always attend upon me with your songs and instrumental music.”

Hear also, O Madhava, how in former times I succeeded in obtaining a sight of that god of gods, that Master of all creatures, O Lord. Hear also in detail for what object, O you of great puissance. I invoked with restrained senses and mind that illustrious deity endued with supreme energy. I shall, O sinless one, tell you with full details all that I succeeded in obtaining from that god of gods, viz., Maheshwara.

In ancient times, viz., Krita age, O son, there was a Rishi of great fame, named Vyaghrapada. He was celebrated for his knowledge and mastery over the Vedas and their branches. I was born as the son of that Rishi and Dhaumya took birth as my younger brother. On a certain occasion, Madhava, accompanied by Dhaumya, I came upon the Ashram of certain Rishis of cleansed souls. There I beheld a cow that was being milked. I saw the milk and it appeared to me to resemble Amrita itself in taste. I then came home, and impelled by childishness, I addressed my mother and said,

“Give me some food prepared with milk.”

There was no milk in the house, and accordingly my mother was much grieved at my asking for it. My mother took a piece of (rice) cake and boiled it in water, Madhava. The water became whitened and my mother placed it before us saying that it was milk and bade us drink it. I had before that drunk milk on one occasion, for my father had, at the time of a sacrifice, taken me to the residence of some of our great kinsmen. A celestial cow, who delights the deities, was being milked on that occasion. Drinking her milk that resembled Amrita in taste, I knew what the virtues are of milk. I therefore, at once understood the origin of the substance that my mother offered me, telling me that it was milk. Verily, the taste of that cake, O son, did not afford me any pleasure whatever. Impelled by childishness I then addressed mother, saying,

“This O mother, that you have given me is not any preparation of milk.”

Filled with grief and sorrow at this, and embracing me from parental affection and smelling my head, O Madhava, she said unto me,

“Whence, O child, can ascetics of cleansed souls obtain food prepared with milk? Such men always reside in the forest and subsist upon bulbs and roots and fruits. Whence shall we who live by the banks of rivers that are the resort of the Valikhilyas, we who have mountains and forest, for our home, whence, indeed, O child, shall we obtain milk? We, dear child, live (sometimes) on air and sometimes on water. We dwell in asylums in the midst of forests and woods. We habitually abstain from all kinds of food that are taken by persons living in villages and towns. We are accustomed to only such food as is supplied by the produce of the wilderness. There cannot be any milk, O child, in the wilderness where there are no offspring of Surabhi. Dwelling on the banks of rivers or in caves or on mountain-breasts, or in tirthas and other places of the kind, we pass our time in the practice of penances and the recitation of sacred Mantras, Shiva being our highest refuge. Without gratifying the boon-giving Sthanu of unfading glory, him, that is, who has three eyes, whence, O child, can one obtain food prepared with milk and good robes and other objects of enjoyment in the world? Do you devote yourself, O dear son, to Shankara with your whole soul. Through his grace, O child, you are sure to obtain all such objects as administer to the indulgence of all your wishes.”

Hearing these words of my mother, O slayer of foes, that day, I joined my hands in reverence and bowing unto her, said,

“O mother, who is this Mahadeva? In what manner can one gratify him? Where does that god reside? How may he be seen? With what does he become pleased? What also is the form of Sharva? How may one succeed in obtaining a knowledge of him? If gratified, will he, O mother, show himself unto me?”

After I had said these words, O Krishna, to my mother, she, filled with parental affection, smelt my head, O Govinda, her eyes covered with tears the while. Gently patting my body, O slayer of Madhu, my mother, adopting a tone of great humility, addressed me in the following words, O best of the deities. My mother said,

“Mahadeva is exceedingly difficult to be known by persons of uncleansed souls. These men are incapable of bearing him in their hearts of comprehending him at all. They can retain him in their minds. They cannot seize him, nor can they obtain a sight of him. Men of wisdom aver that his forms are many. Many, again, are the places in which he resides. Many are the forms of his Grace. Who is there that can understand in their details the acts, which are all excellent, of Isha, or of all the forms that he has assumed in days of yore? Who can relate how Sharva sports and how he becomes gratified? Maheshwara of universal form resides in the hearts of all creatures. While Munis discoursed on the auspicious and excellent acts of Ishana, I have heard from them how, impelled by compassion towards his worshippers, he grants them a sight of his person. For the purpose of showing a favour unto the Brahmanas, the denizens of heaven have recited for their information the diverse forms that were assumed by Mahadeva in days of yore. You have asked me about these. I shall recite them to you, O son.

Bhava assumes the forms of Brahma and Vishnu and the chief of the celestials of the Rudras, the Adityas, and the Ashwins; and of those deities that are called Vishwadevas. He assumes the forms also of men and women, of Pretas and Pishachas, of Kiratas and Shabaras, and of all aquatic animals. That illustrious deity assumes the forms of also those Shabaras that dwell in the woods and forests. He assumes the forms of tortoises and fishes and conches. He it is that assumes the forms of those coral sprouts that are used as ornaments by men. He assumes also the forms of Yakshas, Rakshasas and Snakes, of Daityas and Danavas. Indeed, the illustrious god assumes the forms of all creatures too that live in holes. He assumes the forms of tigers and lions and deer, of wolves and bears and birds, of owls and of jackals as well. He it is that assumes the forms of swans and crows and peacocks, of chameleons and lizards and storks. He it is that assumes the forms of cranes and vultures and Chakravakas. Verily, he it is that assumes the forms of Chasas and of mountains also. O son, it is Mahadeva that assumes the forms of kine and elephants and horses and camels and asses. He assumes also the forms of goats and leopards and diverse other varieties of animals.

It is Bhava who assumes the forms of diverse kinds of birds of beautiful plumage. It is Mahadeva who bears the forms of persons with sticks and those with umbrellas and those with calabashes among Brahmanas. He sometimes becomes six-faced and sometimes becomes multifaced. He sometimes assumes forms having three eyes and forms having many heads. He sometimes assumes forms having many millions of legs and forms having innumerable stomachs and faces and forms endued with innumerable arms and innumerable sides. He sometimes appears surrounded by innumerable spirits and ghosts. He it is that assumes the forms of Rishis and Gandharvas, and of Siddhas and Charanas. He sometimes assumes a form that is rendered white with the ashes he smears on it and is adorned with a half-moon on the forehead.

Adored with diverse hymns uttered with diverse kinds of voice and worshipped with diverse Mantras fraught with encomiums, he, that is sometimes called Sharva, is the Destroyer of all creatures in the universe, and it is upon him, again, that all creatures rest as on their common foundation. Mahadeva is the soul of all creatures. He pervades all things. He is the speaker of all discourses (on duties and rituals). He resides everywhere and should be known as dwelling in the hearts of all creatures in the universe. He knows the desire cherished by every one of his worshippers. He becomes acquainted with the object in which one pays him adorations. Do you then, if it pleases you, seek the protection of the chief of the deities.

He sometimes rejoices, and sometimes yields to wrath, and sometimes utters the syllable Hum with a very loud noise. He sometimes arms himself with the discus, sometimes with the trident, sometimes with the mace, sometimes with the heavy mullets, sometimes with the scimitar, and sometimes with the battle axe. He it is that assumes the form of Shesha who sustains the world on his head. He has snakes for his belt, and his ears are adorned with ear-rings made of snakes. Snakes form also the sacred thread he wears. An elephant skin forms his upper garment. He sometimes laughs and sometimes sings and sometimes dances most beautifully.

Surrounded by innumerable spirits and ghosts, he sometimes plays on musical instruments. Diverse, again are the instruments upon which he plays, and sweet the sounds they yield. He sometimes wanders (over crematoria), sometimes yawns, sometimes cries, and sometimes causes others to cry. He sometimes assumes the guise of one that is mad, and sometimes of one that is intoxicated, and he sometimes utters words that are exceedingly sweet. Endued with appalling fierceness, he sometimes laughs loudly, frightening all creatures with his eyes. He sometimes sleeps and sometimes remains awake and sometimes yawns as he pleases.

He sometimes recites sacred Mantras and sometimes becomes the deity of those Mantras which are recited. He sometimes performs penances and sometimes becomes the deity for whose adoration those penances are undergone. He sometimes makes gifts and sometimes receives those gifts; sometimes disposes himself in Yoga and sometimes becomes the object of the Yoga contemplation of others. He may be seen on the sacrificial platform or in the sacrificial stake; in the midst of the cow-pen or in the fire. He may not again be seen there. He may be seen as a boy or as an old man. He sports with the daughters and the spouses of the Rishis. His hair is long and stands erect.

He is perfectly naked, for he has the horizon for his garments. He is endued with terrible eyes. He is fair, he is darkish, he is dark, he is pale, he is of the colour of smoke, and he is red. He is possessed of eyes that are large and terrible. He has empty space for his covering and he it is that covers all things. Who is there that can truly understand the limits of Mahadeva who is formless, who is one and indivisible, who conjures of illusions, who is of the cause of all actions and destructive operations in the universe, who assumes the form of Hiranyagarbha, and who is without beginning and without end, and who is without birth. He lives in the heart (of every creature). He is the Prana, he is the Mind, and he is Jiva (that is invested in the material case). He is the soul of Yoga, and it is that is called Yoga. He is the Yoga-contemplation into which Yogins enter.

He is the Supreme Soul. Indeed Maheshwara, the purity in essence, is capable of being comprehended not by the senses but through only the Soul seizing his existence. He plays on diverse musical instruments. He is a vocalist. He has a hundred thousand eyes, he has one mouth, he has two mouths, he has three mouths, and he has many mouths.

Devoting yourself to him, setting your heart upon him, depending upon him, and accepting him as your one refuse, do you, O son, adore Mahadeva and then may you obtain the fruition of all your wishes.”

Hearing those words of my mother, O slayer of foes, from that day my devotion was directed to Mahadeva, having nothing else for its object. I then applied myself to the practice of the austerest penances for gratifying Shankara. For one thousand years I stood on my left toe. After that I passed one thousand years, subsisting only upon fruits. The next one thousand years I passed, subsisting upon the fallen leaves of trees. The next thousand years I passed, subsisting upon water only. After that I passed seven hundred years, subsisting on air alone. In this way, I adored Mahadeva for a full thousand years of the celestials.

After this, the puissant Mahadeva, the Master of all the universe, became gratified with me. Desirous of ascertaining whether I was solely devoted to him and him alone, he appeared before me in the form of Shakra surrounded by all the deities. As the celebrated Shakra, he had a thousand eyes on his person and was armed with the thunderbolt. He rode on an elephant whose complexion was of the purest white, with eyes red, ears folded, the temporal juice trickling down his cheeks, with trunk contracted, terrible to look at, and endued with four tusks. Indeed, riding on such an elephant, the illustrious chief of the deities seemed to blaze forth with his energy. With a beautiful crown on his head and adorned with garlands round his neck and bracelets round his arms, he approached the spot where I was. A white umbrella was held over his head. He was waited upon by many Apsaras, and many Gandharvas sang his praise. Addressing me, he said,

“O foremost of regenerate persons, I have been gratified with you. Beg of me whatever boon you desire.”

Hearing these words of Shakra I did not become glad. Verily, O Krishna, I answered the chief of the celestials in these words:

“I do not desire any boon at your hands, or from the hands of any other deity. O amiable deity, I tell you truly, that it is Mahadeva only from whom I have boons to ask. True, true it is, O Shakra, true are these words that I say unto you. No other words are at all agreeable to me save those which relate to Maheshwara. At the command of Pashupati, that Lord of all creatures, I am ready to become a worm or a tree with many branches. If not obtained through the grace represented by Mahadeva's boons, the very sovereignty of the three worlds would not be acceptable to me. Let me be born among the very Chandalas but let me still be devoted to the feet of Hara. Without, again, being devoted to that Lord of all creatures, I would not like to have birth in the palace of Indra himself. If a person be wanting in devotion to that Lord of the universe, that Master of the Devas and the Asuras, his misery will not end even if from want of food he has to subsist upon only air and water. What is the need of other discourses that are even fraught with other kinds of morality and righteousness, unto those persons who do not like to live even a moment without thinking of feet of Mahadeva? When the unrighteous or sinful Kali Yuga comes, one should never pass a moment without devoting his heart upon Mahadeva. One that has drunk the Amrita constituted by the devotion to Hara, one becomes freed from the fear of the world. One that has not obtained the grace of Mahadeva can never succeed to devote oneself to Mahadeva for a single day or for half a day or for a Muhurta or for a Kshana or for a Lava (very small unit of time). At the command of Mahadeva I shall cheerfully become a worm or an insect, but I have no relish for even the sovereignty of the three worlds, if bestowed by you, O Shakra. At the word of Hara I would become even a dog. In fact, that would accord with my highest wish. If not given by Maheshwara, I would not have the sovereignty of the very Devas. I do not wish to have this dominion of the Heavens. I do not wish to have the sovereignty of the celestials. I do not wish to have the region of Brahma. Indeed, I do not wish to have that cessation of individual existence which is called Emancipation and which involves a complete identification with Brahma. But I want to become the slave of Hara. As long as that Lord of all creatures, the illustrious Mahesa, with crown on his head and body possessed of the pure white complexion of the lunar disc, does not become gratified with me, so long shall I cheerfully bear all those afflictions, due to a hundred repetitions of decrepitude, death and birth, that befall to the lot of embodied beings.

What person in the universe can obtain tranquillity, without gratifying Rudra that is freed from decripitude and death, that is endued with the effulgence of the Sun, the Moon, or the fire, that is the root or original cause of everything real and unreal in the three worlds, and that exists as one and indivisible entity? If in consequence of my faults, rebirths be mine, I shall, in those new births, devote myself solely to Bhava.”

Indra said,

“What reason can you assign for the existence of a Supreme Being or for His being the cause of all causes?”

Upamanyu said,

“I solicit boons from that great Deva named Shiva whom utterers of Brahma has described as existent and non-existent, manifest and unmanifest, eternal or immutable, one and many. I solicit boons from Him who is without beginning and middle and end, who is Knowledge and Puissance, who is inconceivable and who is the Supreme Soul. I solicit boons from Him whence comes all Puissance, who has not been produced by any one, who is immutable, and who, though himself unsprung from any seed, is the seed of all things in the universe. I solicit boons from Him who is blazing Effulgence, (beyond Darkness) who is the essence of all penances, who transcends all faculties of which we are possessed and which we may devote for the purpose of comprehending him, and by knowing whom every one becomes freed from grief or sorrow.

I worship him, O Purandara, who is conversant with the creation of all elements and the thought of all living creatures, and who is the original cause of the existence or creation of all creatures, who is omnipresent, and who has the puissance to give everything. I solicit boons from Him who cannot be comprehended by argument, who represents the object of the Sankhya and the Yoga systems of philosophy, and who transcends all things, and whom all persons conversant with the topics of enquiry worship and adore. I solicit boons from Him, O Maghavat, who is the soul of Maghavat himself, who is said to be the God of the gods, and who is the Master of all creatures. I solicit boons from Him who it is that first created Brahma, that creator of all the worlds, having filled Space (with His energy) and evoked into existence the primeval egg.

Who else than that Supreme Lord could be creator of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Space, Mind, and that which is called Mahat? Tell me, O Shakra, who else than Shiva could create Mind, Understanding, Consciousness or Ego, the Tanmatras, and the senses? Who is there higher than Shiva? The wise say that the Grandsire Brahma is the creator of this universe. Brahma, however, acquired his high puissance and prosperity by adoring and gratifying Mahadeva, that God of gods. That high puissance (consisting of all the three attributes of creation, protection, and destruction), which dwells in that illustrious Being who is endowed with the quality of being one, who created Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, was derived from Mahadeva. Tell me who is there that is superior to the Supreme Lord?

Who else than that God of gods is competent to unite the sons of Diti with lordship and puissance, judging by the sovereignty and the power of oppressing conferred upon the foremost of the Daityas and Danavas? The different points of the horizon, Time, the Sun, all fiery entities, planets, wind, water, and the stars and constellations, these, know you, are from Mahadeva. Tell us who is higher than the Supreme Lord? Who else is there, except Mahadeva, in the matter of the creation of Sacrifice and the destruction of Tripura? Who else except Mahadeva, the grinder of the foes, has offered lordship to the principal?

What need, O Purandara, of many well-sounding statements fraught with spacious sophisms, when I behold you of a thousand eyes, O best of the deities, you that are worshipped by Siddhas and Gandharvas and the deities and the Rishis? O best of the Kushikas, all this is due to the grace of that God of gods viz., Mahadeva.

Know, O Keshava, that this all, consisting of animate and inanimate existences with heaven and other unseen entities, which occur in this world, and which has the all-pervading Lord for their soul, has flowed from Maheshwara and has been created (by him) for enjoyment by Jiva. In the worlds that are known by the names of Bhu, Bhuva, Swah, and Maha, in the midst of the mountains of Lokaloka, in the islands, in the mountains of Meru, in all things that yield happiness, and in the hearts of all creatures, O illustrious Maghavat, resides Mahadeva, as persons conversant with all the topics of enquiry say.

If, O Shakra, the Devas (deities) and the Asuras could see any other puissant form than Bhava's, would not both of them, especially the former, when opposed and afflicted by the latter, have sought the protection of that form? In all hostile encounters of the deities, the Yakshas, the Uragas and the Rakshasas, that terminating in mutual destruction, it is Bhava that gives unto those that meet with destruction, puissance commensurate with their respective locations as dependent upon their acts. Tell me, who else than Maheshwara is there for bestowing boons upon, and once more chastising the Andhaka and Shukra and Dundubhi and Maharshi and many foremost of Yakshas, Indra and Bala and Rakshasas and the Nivatakavachas? Was not the vital seed of Mahadeva, that Master of both the deities and the Asuras, poured as a libation upon the fire? From that seed sprung a mountain of gold. Who else is there whose seed can be said to be possessed of such virtue.

Who else in this world is praised as having the horizon only for his garments? Who else can be said to be a Brahmacharin with his vital seed drawn up? Who else is there that has half his body occupied by his dear spouse? Who else is there that has been able to subjugate Kama, the god of desire? Tell me, O Indra, what other Being possesses that high region of supreme felicity that is applauded by all the deities? Who else has the crematorium as his sporting ground? Who else is there that is so praised for his dancing? Whose puissance and worship remain immutable? Who else is there that sports with spirits and ghosts? Tell me, O deity, who else has associate that are possessed of strength like his own and that are, therefore, proud of that strength or puissance? Who else is there whose status is applauded as unchangeable and worshipped with reverence by the three worlds? Who else is there that pours rain, gives heat, and blazes forth in Energy? From whom else do we derive our wealth of herbs? Who else upholds all kinds of wealth? Who else sports as much as he pleases in the three worlds of mobile and immobile things? O Indra, know Maheshwara to be the original cause (of everything). He is adored by Yogins, by Rishis, by the Gandharvas, and by the Siddhas, with the aid of knowledge, (of ascetic) success, and of the rites laid down in the scriptural ordinances.

He is adored by both the Devas and the Asuras with the aid of sacrifices by acts and the affliction of the ritual laid down in the scriptures. The fruits of action can never touch him for he transcends them all. Being such, I call him the original cause of everything. He is both gross and subtile. He is without compare. He cannot be conceived by the senses. He is endued with attributes and he is divested of them. He is the lord of attributes, for they are under his control. Even such is the place that is Maheshwara's. He is the cause of the maintenance and the creation (of the universe). He is the cause of the universe and the cause also of its destruction. He is the Past, the Present, and the Future. He is the parent of all things. Verily, He is the cause of every thing. He is that which is mutable, He is the unmanifest, He is Knowledge; He is ignorance; He is every act, He is every omission; He is righteousness; and He is unrighteousness. Him, O Shakra, do I call the cause of every thing. Behold, O Indra, in the image of Mahadeva the indications of both the sexes.

That god of gods, viz., Rudra, that cause of both creation and destruction, displays in his form the indications of both the sexes as the one cause of the creation of the universe. My mother formerly told me that he is the cause of the universe and the one cause of everything. There is no one that is higher than Isha, O Shakra. If it pleases you, do you throw yourself on his kindness and protection. You have visible evidence, O chief of the celestials, of the fact that the universe has sprung from the union of the sexes (as represented by Mahadeva). The universe, you know, is the sum of what is vested with attributes and what else is divested of attributes and has for its immediate cause the seeds of Brahma and others. Brahma and Indra and Hutashana and Vishnu and all the other deities, along with the Daityas and the Asuras, crowned with the fruition of a thousand desires, always say that there is none that is higher than Mahadeva. Impelled by desire, I solicit, with restrained mind, that god known to all the mobile and immobile universe, him, that is, who has been spoken of as the best and highest of all the gods, and who is auspiciousness itself, for obtaining without delay that highest of all acquisitions, viz., Emancipation.

What necessity is there of other reasons (for establishing) what I believe? The supreme Mahadeva is the cause of all causes. We have never heard that the deities have, at any time, adored the sign of any other god than Mahadeva. If Maheshwara be not accepted, tell me, if you have ever heard of it, who else is there whose sign has been worshipped or is being worshipped by all the deities? He whose sign is always worshipped by Brahma, by Vishnu, by you, O Indra, with all the other deities, is verily the foremost of all adorable deities. Brahma has for his sign the lotus, Vishnu has for his the discus, Indra has for his sign the thunder-bolt. But the creatures of the world do not bear any of the signs that distinguish these deities. On the other hand, all creatures bear the signs that mark Mahadeva and his spouse. Hence, all creatures must be regarded as belonging to Maheshwara. All creatures of the feminine sex, have sprung from Ulna's nature as their cause, and hence it is they bear the mark of femininity that distinguishes Uma; while all creatures that are masculine, having sprung from Shiva, bear the masculine mark that distinguishes Shiva.

That person who says that there is, in the three worlds with their mobile and immobile creatures, any other cause than the Supreme Lord, and that which is not marked with the mark of either Mahadeva or his spouse should be regarded as very wretched and should not be counted among the creatures of the universe. Every being with the mark of the masculine sex should be known to be of Ishana, while every being with the mark of the feminine sex should be known to be of Uma. This universe of mobile and immobile creatures is provided by two kinds of forms (viz., male and female). It is from Mahadeva that I wish to obtainboons. Failing in this, O Kausika, I would rather prefer dissolution itself. Go or remain, O Shakra, as you, O slayer of Bala, desire. I wish to have boons or curses from Mahadeva. No other deity shall I ever acknowledge, nor would I have from any other deity the fruition of all my wishes.”

Having said these words unto the chief of the celestials, I became overwhelmed with grief at the thought of Mahadeva not having been gratified with me not withstanding my severe austerities. Within the twinkling of an eye, however, I saw the celestial elephant I had beheld before me transformed into a bull as white as a swan, or the Jasminum pubescens, or a stalk of the lotus or silver, or the ocean of milk. Of huge body, the hair of its tail was black and the hue of its eyes was tawny like that of honey. Its horns were hard as adamant and had the colour of gold. With their very sharp ends, whose hue was a mild red, the bull seemed to tear the Earth. The animal was adorned all over with ornaments made of the purest gold. Its face and hoofs and nose and ears were exceedingly beautiful and its waist too exceedingly well-formed. Its flanks were possessed of great beauty and its neck was very thick. Its whole form was exceedingly agreeable and beautiful to look at. Its hump shone with great beauty and seemed to occupy the whole of its shoulder-joint. And it looked like the summit of a mountain of snow or like a cliff of white clouds in the sky.

Upon the back of that animal I beheld seated the illustrious Mahadeva with his spouse Uma. Verily, Mahadeva shone like the lord of stars while he is at his full. The fire born of his energy resembled in effulgence the lightening that flashes amid clouds. Verily, it seemed as if a thousand suns rose there, filling every side with a dazzling splendour. The energy of the Supreme Lord looked like the Samvartaka fire which destroys all creatures at the end of the Yuga. Overspread with that energy, the horizon became such that I could see nothing on any side. Filled with anxiety I once more thought what it could mean. That energy, however, did not pervade every side for any length of time, for soon, through the illusion of that god of gods, the horizon became clear.

I then behold the illustrious Sthanu or Maheshwara seated on the back of his bull, of blessed and agreeable appearance and looking like a smokeless fire. And the great god was accompanied by Parvati of faultless features. Indeed, I beheld the blue-throated and high-souled Sthanu, unattached to everything, that receptacle of all kinds of force, endued with eight and ten arms and adorned with all kinds of ornaments.

Clad in white vestments, he wore white garlands, and had white unguents smeared upon his limbs. The colour of his banner, irresistible in the universe, was white. The sacred thread round his person was also white. He was surrounded with associates, all possessed with prowess equal to his own, who were singing or dancing or playing on diverse kinds of musical instruments. A crescent moon, of pale hue, formed his crown, and placed on his forehead it looked like the moon that rises in the autumnal firmament. He seemed to dazzle with splendour, in consequence of his three eyes that looked like three suns. The garland of the purest white, that was on his body, shone like a wreath of lotuses, of the purest white, adorned with jewels and gems. I also beheld, O Govinda, the weapons in their embodied forms and fraught with every kind of energy, that belong to Bhava of immeasurable prowess. The high-souled deity held a bow whose hues resembled those of the rainbow.

That bow is celebrated under the name of the Pinaka and is in reality a mighty snake. Indeed, that snake of seven heads and vast body, of sharp fangs and virulent poison, of large neck and the masculine sex, was twined round with the cord that served as its bowstring. And there was a shaft whose splendour looked like that of the sun or of the fire that appears at the end of the Yuga. Verily, that shaft was the excellent Pashupata that mighty and terrible weapon, which is without a second, indescribable for its power, and capable of striking every creature with fear. Of vast proportions, it seemed to constantly vomit sparks of fire. Possessed of one foot, of large teeth, and a thousand heads and thousand Stomachs, it has a thousand arms, a thousand tongues, and a thousand eyes. Indeed, it seemed to continually vomit fire. O you of mighty arms, that weapon is superior to the Brahma, the Narayana, the Aindra, the Agneya, and the Varuna weapons. Verily, it is capable of neutralising every other weapon in the universe. It was with that weapon that the illustrious Mahadeva had in days of yore, burnt and consumed in a moment the triple city of the Asuras. With the greatest ease, O Govinda, Mahadeva, using that single arrow, achieved that feat. That weapon, shot by Mahadeva's arms, can, without doubt consume in half the time taken up by a twinkling of the eyes the entire universe with all its mobile and immobile creatures. In the universe there is no being including even Brahma and Vishnu and the deities, that are incapable of being slain by that weapon.

O sire, I saw that excellent, wonderful and incomparable weapon in the hand of Mahadeva. There is another mysterious and very powerful weapon which is equal or perhaps, superior to the Pashupata weapon. I beheld that also. It is celebrated in all the worlds as the Sum of the Shula-armed Mahadeva. Hurled by the illustrious deity, that weapon is competent to rive the entire Earth or dry up the waters of the ocean or annihilate the entire universe. In days of yore, Yuvanashwa's son, king Mandhatri, that conqueror of the three worlds, possessed of imperial sway and endued with abundant energy, was, with all his troops, destroyed by means of that weapon. Endued with great might and great energy and resembling Shakra himself in prowess, the king, O Govinda, was slain by the Rakshasa Lavana with the aid of this Shula which he had got from Shiva. The Shula has a very keen point. Exceedingly terrible, it is capable of causing everybody's hair stand on its end. I saw it in the hand of Mahadeva, as if roaring with rage, having contracted its forehead into three wrinkles. It resembled, O Krishna, a smokeless fire or the sun that rises at the end of the Yuga. The handle of that Shula, was made of a mighty snake. It is really indescribable. It looked like the universal Destroyer himself armed with his noose. I saw this weapon, O Govinda, in the hand of Mahadeva.

I beheld also another weapon, viz., that sharp-edged battle-axe which, in days of yore, was given unto Rama by the gratified Mahadeva for enabling him to exterminate the Kshatriyas. It was with this weapon that Rama (of Bhrigu's race) slew in dreadful battle the great Karttaviryya who was the ruler of all the world. It was with that weapon that Jamadagni's son, O Govinda, was able to exterminate the Kshatriyas for one and twenty times. Of blazing edge and exceedingly terrible, that axe was hanging on the shoulder, adorned with a snake, of Mahadeva. Indeed, it shone on Mahadeva's person like the flame of a blazing fire.

I beheld innumerable other celestial weapons with Mahadeva of great intelligence. I have, however named only a few, O sinless one, in consequence of their principal character. On the left side of the great god stood the Grandsire Brahma seated on an excellent car unto which were attached swans endued with the speed of the mind. On the same side could be seen Narayana also, seated on the son of Vinata, and bearing the conch, the discus, and the mace. Close to the goddess Uma was Skanda seated on his peacock, bearing his fatal dart and bells, and looking like another Agni. In the front of Mahadeva I beheld Nandi standing armed with his Shula and looking like a second Shankara (for prowess and energy). The Munis headed by the Self-born Manu and Rishis having Bhrigu for their first, and the deities with Shakra at their head, all came there. All the tribes of spirits and ghosts, and the celestial Mothers, stood surrounding Mahadeva and saluting him with reverence. The deities were engaged in singing the praises of Mahadeva by uttering diverse hymns. The Grandsire Brahma uttering a Rathantara, praised Mahadeva. Narayana also, uttering the Jyestha Saman, sang the praises of Bhava. Shakra also did the same with the aid of those foremost of Vedic Mantras, viz., the Shata-Rudriyam. Verily, Brahma and Narayana and Shakra, those three high-souled deities, shone there like three sacrificial fires. In their midst shone the illustrious God like the sun in the midst of his corona, emerged from autumnal clouds. I beheld myriads of suns and moons, also in the sky, O Keshava. I then praised the illustrious Lord of everything, the supreme Master of the universe.I said,

“Salutations to you, O illustrious one, O you who constitutes the refuge of all things, O you who are called Mahadeva! Salutations to you who assumes the form of Shakra, who are Shakra, and who disguises himself in the form and vestments of Shakra. Salutations to you who are armed with the thunder, to you who are tawny, and you who are always armed with the Pinaka. Salutations to you who always beares the conch and the Shula. Salutations to you who is clad in black, to you who is of dark and curly hair, to you who has a dark deer-skin for your upper garment, to you who presides over the eighth lunation of the dark fortnight. Salutations to you who is of white complexion, to you who is called white, to you who is clad in white robes, to you who has limbs smeared with white ashes, to you who is ever engaged in white deeds. Salutations to you who is red of colour, to you who is clad in red vestments, to you who owns a red banner with red flags, to you who wears red garlands and uses red unguents. Salutations to you who is brown in complexion, to you who is clad in brown vestments, to you who has a brown banner with brown flags, to you who wears brown garlands and uses brown unguents. Salutations to you who has the umbrella of royalty held over your head, to you who wears the foremost of crowns. Salutations unto you who are adorned with half a garland and half an armlet, to you who are decked with one ring for one year, to you who are endued with the speed of the mind, to you who are endued with great effulgence. Salutations to you who are the foremost of deities, to you who are the foremost of ascetics, to you who are the foremost of celestials. Salutations to you who wears half a wreath of lotuses, to you who has many lotuses on your body.

Salutations to you who has half your body smeared with sandal paste, to you who has half your body decked with garlands of flowers and smeared with fragrant unguents. Salutations to you that are of the complexion of the Sun, to you that are like the Sun, to you whose face is like the Sun, to you that have eyes each of which is like the Sun. Salutations to you that are Soma, to you that are as mild as Soma, to you that bears the lunar disc, to you that are of lunar aspect, to you that are the foremost of all creatures, to you that are adorned with a set of the most beautiful teeth. Salutations to you that are of a dark complexion, to you that are of a fair complexion, to you that have a form half of which is yellow and half white, to you that have a body half of which is male and half female, to you that are both male and female.

Salutations to you that owns a bull for your vehicle, to you that proceeds riding on the foremost of elephants, to you that are obtained with difficulty, to you that are capable of going to places unapproachable by others. Salutations to you whose praises are sung by the Ganas, to you that are devoted to the diverse Ganas, to you that follows the track that is trod by the Ganas, to you that are always devoted to the Ganas as to a vow. Salutations to you that are of the complexion of white clouds, to you that have the splendour of the evening clouds, to you that are incapable of being described by names, to you that are of your own form (having nothing else in the universe with which it can be compared). Salutations to you that wears a beautiful garland of red colour, to you that are clad in robes of red colour.

Salutations to you that have the crown of the head decked with gems, to you that are adorned with a half-moon, to you that wear many beautiful gems in your diadem, to you that have eight flowers on your head. Salutations to you that have a fiery mouth and fiery eyes, to you that have eyes possessing the effulgence of a thousand moons, to you that are of the form of fire, to you that are beautiful and agreeable, to you that are inconceivable and mysterious. Salutations to you that ranges through the firmament, to you that loves and resides in lands affording pasture to kine, to you that walks on the Earth, to you that are the Earth, to you that are infinite, to you that are exceedingly auspicious. Salutations to you that are unclad (or has the horizon alone for your vestments), to you that makes a happy home of every place where you may happen to be for the moment.

Salutations to you that have the universe for your home, to you that have both Knowledge and Felicity for your Soul. Salutations to you that always wear a diadem, to you that wear a large armlet, to you that have a snake for the garland round your neck, to you that wear many beautiful ornaments on your person. Salutations to you that have the Sun, the Moon, and Agni for your three eyes, to you that are possessed of a thousand eyes, to you that are both male and female, to you that are divested of sex, to you that are a Sankhya, to you that are a Yogin. Salutations to you that are of the grace of those deities who are worshipped in sacrifices, to you that are the Atharvans, to you that are the alleviator of all kinds of disease and pain, to you that are the dispeller of every sorrow.

Salutations to you that roars as deep as the clouds, to you that puts forth diverse kinds of illusions, to you that presides over the soil and over the seed that is sown in it, to you that are the Creator of everything. Salutations to you that are the Lord of all the celestials, to you that are the Master of the universe, to you that are endued with the speed of the wind, to you that are of the form of the wind. Salutations to you that wears a garland of gold, to you that sports on hills and mountains, to you that are adorned by all who are enemies of the gods, to you that are possessed of fierce speed and energy. Salutations to you that torest away one of the heads of the Grandsire Brahma, to you that have slain the Asura named Mahisha, to you that assumes three forms, to you that bears every form. Salutations to you that are the destroyer of the triple city of the Asuras, to you that are the destroyer of (Daksha's) sacrifice, to you that are the destroyer of the body of Kama (the deity of Desire), to you that wield the rod of destruction.

Salutations to you that are Skanda, to you that are Vishakha, to you that are the rod of the Brahmana, to you that are Bhava, to you that are Sharva, to you that are of universal form. Salutations to you that are Ishana, to you that are the destroyer of Bhaga, to you that are the slayer of Andhaka, to you that are the universe, to you that are possessed of illusion, to you that are both conceivable and inconceivable. You are the one end of all creatures, you are the foremost, you are the heart of everything. You are the Brahma of all the deities, you are the Nilardhita Red and Blue of the Rudras. You are the Soul of the creatures, you are He who is called Purusha in the Sankhya philosophy, you are the Rishabha among all things sacred, you are that which is called auspicious by Yogins and which, according to them, is without parts (being indivisible). Amongst those that are observant of the different modes of life, you are the House-holder, you are the great Lord amongst the lords of the universe.

You are Kubera among all the Yakshas, and you are Vishnu amongst all the sacrifices. You are Meru amongst mountains, you are the Moon among all luminaries of the firmament, you are Vasishtha amongst Rishis, you are Surya among the planets. You are the lion among all wild animals, and among all domestic animals, you are the bull that is worshipped by all people. Among the Adityas you are Vishnu (Upendra), among the Vasu you are Pavaka, among birds you are the son of Vinata (Garuda), and among snakes you are Ananta (Shesha). Among the Vedas you are the Samans, among the Yajus you are the Shata-Rudriyam, among Yogins you are Sanatkumara, and among Sankhyas you are Kapila. Among the Maruts you are Shakra, among the Pitris you are Devarat, among all the regions (for the residence of created beings) you are the region of Brahman, and amongst all the ends that creatures attain to, you are Moksha or Emancipation. You are the Ocean of milk among all oceans, among all rocky eminences you are Himavat, among all the orders you are the Brahmana, and among all learned Brahmanas you are he that has undergone and is observant of the Diksha.

You are the Sun among all things in the world, you are the destroyer called Kala. You are whatever else possessed of superior energy of eminence that exists in the universe. You are possessed of supreme puissance. Even this is what represents my certain conclusion. Salutations to you, O puissant and illustrious one, O you that are kind to all your worshippers. Salutations to you, O lord of Yogins. I bow to you, O original cause of the universe. Be you gratified with me that am your worshipper, that am very miserable and helpless, O Eternal Lord, do you become the refuge of this adorer of yours that is very weak and miserable. O Supreme Lord, it befits you to pardon all those transgressions of which I have been guilty, taking compassion upon me on the ground of my being your devoted worshipper. I was stupefied by you, O Lord of all the deities, in consequence of the disguise in which you showed yourself to me. O Maheshwara, I did not give you the Arghya or water to wash your feet.”

Having hymned the praises of Ishana in this way, I offered him, with great devotion, water to wash his feet and the ingredients of the Arghya, and then, with joined hands, I resigned myself to him, being prepared to do whatever he would bid. Then, O sire, an auspicious shower of flowers fell upon my head, possessed of celestial fragrance and bedewed with cold water. The celestial musicians began to play on their kettle-drums. A delicious breeze, fragrant and agreeable, began to blow and fill me with pleasure. Then Mahadeva accompanied by his spouse, and having the bull for his sign, having been gratified with me, addressed the celestials assembled there in these words, filling me with great joy,

“Behold, you deities, the devotion of the high-souled Upamanyu. Verily, steady and great is that devotion, and entirely immutable, for it exists unalterably.”

Thus addressed by the great God armed with the Shula, the deities, O Krishna, having bowed down unto him and joined their hands in reverence, said these words,

“O illustrious one, O God of the gods, O master of the universe, O Lord of all, let this best of regenerate persons obtain from you the fruition of all his desires.”

Thus addressed by all the deities, with the Grandsire Brahma among them. Sharva, otherwise called Isha and Shankara, said these words as if smiling unto me. The illustrious Shankara said,

“O dear Upamanyu, I am gratified with you. Behold me, O foremost of Munis, O learned Rishi, you are firmly devoted to me and well have you been tested by me. I have been very highly pleased with you in consequence of this your devotion to Shiva. I shall, therefore, give you today the fruition of whatever desires you may have in your heart.”

Thus addressed by Mahadeva of great wisdom, tears of joy came into my eyes and my hair stood on its end (through emotion). Kneeling down unto him and bowing unto him repeatedly, I then, with a voice that was choked with delight, said unto him,

“O illustrious god, it seems to me that I was hitherto dead and that it is only today that I have taken my birth, and that my birth bath today borne fruit, since I am staying now in the presence of Him who is the Master of both the deities and the Asuras! Who else is more praiseworthy than I, since I am beholding with these eyes of mine, Him of immeasurable prowess whom the very deities are unable to behold without first paying hearty worship? That which they that are possessed of learning and wisdom say is the highest of all topics, which is Eternal, which is distinguished from all else, which is unborn, which is Knowledge, which is indestructible, is identical with you, O puissant and illustrious one, you that are the beginning of all the topics, you that are indestructible and changeless, you that are conversant with the ordinances which govern all the topics, you that are the foremost of Purushas, you that are the highest of the high. You are he that hadst created from your right side the Grandsire Brahma, the Creator of all things. You are he that hadst created from your left side Vishnu for protecting the Creation. You are that puissant Lord who did create Rudra when the end of the Yuga came and when the Creation was once more to be dissolved. That Rudra, who sprang from you destroyed the Creation with all its mobile and immobile beings, assuming the form of Kala of great energy, of the cloud Samvartaka (charged with water which myriads of oceans are not capacious enough to bear), and of the all consuming fire. Verily, when the period comes for the dissolution of the universe, that Rudra stands, ready to swallow up the universe. You are that Mahadeva, who is the original Creator of the universe with all its mobile and immobile entities. You are he, who, at the end of the Kalpa, stands, withdrawing all things into yourself. You are he that pervades all things, that are the Soul of all things, you are the Creator of the Creator of all entities. Incapable of being seen by even any of the deities, you are he that exists, pervading all entities. If, O lord, you have been gratified with me and if you would grant me boons, let this be the boon, O Lord of all the deities, that my devotion to you may remain unchanged. O best of the deities, let me, through your grace, have knowledge of the Present, the Past, and the Future. I shall also, with all my kinsmen and friends, always eat food mixed with milk. And let your illustrious self be for ever present at our Ashrama.”

Thus addressed by me, the illustrious Maheshwara endued with supreme energy, that Master of all mobile and immobile, viz., Shiva, worshipped of all the universe, then said unto me these words. The illustrious Deity said,

“Be you free from every misery and pain, and be you above decrepitude and death. Be you possessed of fame, be you endued with great energy, and let spiritual knowledge be yours. You shall, through my grace, be always sought for by the Rishis. Be your behaviour good and righteous, be every desirable attribute yours, be you possessed of universal knowledge, and be you of agreeable appearance. Let undecaying youth be yours, and let your energy be like that of fire. Wherever, again, you may desire the presence of the ocean of milk that is so agreeable to you, there shall that ocean appear before you (ready for being utilised by you and your friends for purposes of your food). Do you, with your friends, always obtain food prepared with milk, with the celestial nectar besides being mixed with it. After the expiration of a Kalpa you shall then obtain my companionship. Your family and race and kinsmen shall be exhaustless. O foremost of regenerate ones, your devotion to me shall be eternal. And. O best of Brahmanas, I shall always accord my presence to your Ashram. Live, O son, whithersoever you likest, and let no anxiety be yours. Thought of by you, I shall, O learned Brahmana, grant you a sight of myself again.”

Having said these words, and granted me these boons, the illustrious Ishana, endued with the effulgence of millions of Suns, disappeared there and then. It was even thus, O Krishna, that I beheld, with the aid of austere penances, that God of gods. I also obtained all that was said by the great Deity endued with supreme intelligence. Behold, O Krishna, before your eyes, these Siddhas residing here and these Rishis and Vidyadharas and Yakshas and Gandharvas and Apsaras. Behold these trees and creepers and plants yielding all sorts of flowers and fruits. Behold them bearing the flowers of every season, with beautiful leaves, and shedding a sweet fragrance all around. O you of mighty arms, all these are endued with a celestial nature through the grace of that god of gods, that Supreme Lord, that high-souled Deity.”"

Vasudeva continued,

"Hearing these words of his and beholding, as it were, with my own eyes all that he had related to me, I became filled with wonder. I then addressed the great ascetic Upamanyu and said unto him,

“Deserving of great praise are you, O foremost of learned Brahmanas, for what righteous man is there other than you whose Ashrama enjoys the distinction of being honoured with the presence of that God of gods? Will the puissant Shiva, will the great Shankara, O chief of ascetics, grant me also a sight of his person and show me favour.”

Upamanyu said,

“Without doubt, O you of eyes like lotus-petals, you will obtain a sight of Mahadeva very soon, even as, O sinless one, I succeeded in obtaining a sight of him. O you of immeasurable prowess, I see with my spiritual eyes that you will, in the sixth month from this, succeed in obtaining a sight of Mahadeva, O best of all persons. You, O foremost of the Yadus, will obtain from Maheshwara and his spouse, four and twenty boons. I tell you what is true. Through the grace of that Deity endued with supreme wisdom, the Past, the Future and the Present are known to me. The great Hara has favoured these Rishis numbering by thousands and others as numerous. Why will not the puissant Deity show favour to you, O Mahadeva? The meeting of the gods is always commendable with one like you, with one that is devoted to the Brahmanas, with one that is full of compassion and that is full of faith. I shall give you certain Mantras. Recite them continuously. By this you are certain to behold Shankara.”

I then said unto him,

“O regenerate one, through your grace, O great ascetic. I shall behold the lord of the deities, that grinder of multitudes of Diti's sons.”"

Krishna reecives boons from Shiva and Uma

Vasudeva continued,

"Eight days, O Bharata, passed there like an hour, all of us being thus occupied with talk on Mahadeva. On the eighth day, I underwent the Diksha (initiation) according to due rites, at the hands of that Brahmana and received the staff from his hands. I underwent the prescribed shave. I took up a quantity of Kusha blades in my hand. I wore rags for my vestments. I rubbed my person with ghee. I encircled a cord of Munja grass round my loins. For one month I lived on fruits. The second month I subsisted upon water. The third, the fourth and the fifth months I passed, living upon air alone. I stood all the while, supporting myself upon one foot and with my arms also raised upwards, and foregoing sleep all the while.

I then beheld, O Bharata, in the firmament an effulgence that seemed to be as dazzling as that of a thousand Suns combined together. Towards the centre of that effulgence, O son of Pandu, I saw a cloud looking like a mass of blue hills, adorned with rows of cranes, embellished with many a grand rainbow, with flashes of lightning and the thunder-fire looking like eyes set on it. Within that cloud was the puissant Mahadeva. himself of dazzling splendour, accompanied by his spouse Uma. Verily, the great Deity seemed to shine with his penances, energy, beauty, effulgence, and his dear spouse by his side. The puissant Maheshwara, with his spouse by his side, shone in the midst of that cloud. The appearance seemed to be like that of the Sun in the midst of racking clouds with the Moon by his side. The hair on my body, O son of Kunti, stood on its end, and my eyes expanded with wonder upon beholding Hara, the refuge of all the deities and the dispeller of all their griefs.

Mahadeva was adorned with a diadem on his head. He was armed with his Shula. He was clad in a tiger-skin, had matted locks on his head, and bore the staff (of the Sanyasin) in one of his hands. He was armed, besides with his Pinaka and the thunderbolt. His teeth was sharp-pointed. He was decked with an excellent bracelet for the upper arm. His sacred thread was constituted by a snake. He wore an excellent garland of diversified colours on his bosom, that hung down to his toes. Verily, I beheld him like the exceedingly bright moon of an autumnal evening. Surrounded by diverse clans of spirits and ghosts, he looked like the autumnal Sun difficult of being gazed at for its dazzling brightness. Eleven hundred Rudras stood around that Deity of restrained soul and white deeds, then seated upon his bull. All of them were employed in hymning his praises. The Adityas, the Vasus, the Sadhyas, the Viswedevas, and the twin Ashwins praised that Lord of the universe by uttering the hymns occurring in the scriptures. The puissant Indra and his brother Upendra, the two sons of Aditi, and the Grandsire Brahma, all uttered, in the presence of Bhava, the Rathantara Saman.

Innumerable masters of Yoga, all the regenerate Rishis with their children, all the celestial Rishis, the goddess Earth, the Sky (between Earth and Heaven), the Constellations, the Planets, the Months, the Fortnights, the Seasons, Night, the Years, the Kshanas, the Muhurtas, the Nimeshas, the Yugas one after another, all the celestial Sciences and branches of knowledge, and all beings conversant with Truth, were seen bowing down unto that Supreme Preceptor, that great Father, that giver (or origin) of Yoga. Sanatkumara, the Vedas, the Histories, Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, the seven Manus, Soma, the Atharvans, and Brihaspati, Bhrigu, Daksha, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, Kasya, the Schandas, Diksha, the Sacrifices, Dakshina, the Sacrificial Fires, the Havis (clarified butter) poured in sacrifices, and all the requisites of the sacrifices, were beheld by me, O Yudhishthira, standing there in their embodied forms. All the guardians of the worlds, all the Rivers, all the snakes, the mountains, the celestial Mothers, all the spouses and daughters of the celestials, thousands upon thousands and millions of ascetics, were seen to bow down to that puissant Lord who is the soul of tranquillity. The Mountains, the Oceans, and the Points of the compass also did the same, the Gandharvas and the Apsaras highly skilled in music, in celestial strains, sang and hymned the praises of Bhava who is full of wonder. The Vidyadharas, the Danavas, the Guhyakas, the Rakshasas, and all created beings, mobile and immobile, adorned, in thought, word and deed, that puissant Lord.

Before me, that Lord of all the gods viz., Sharva, appeared seated in all his glory. Seeing that Ishana had showed himself to me by being seated in glory before my eyes, the whole universe, with the Grandsire and Shakra, looked at me. I, however, had not the power to look at Mahadeva. The great Deity then addressed me saying,

“Behold, O Krishna, and speak to me. You have adorned me hundreds and thousands of times. There is no one in the three worlds that is dearer to me than you.”

After I had bowed unto him, his spouse, viz., the goddess Uma, became gratified with me. I then addressed in these words the great God whose praises are hymned by all the deities with the Grandsire Brahma at their head. I saluted Mahadeva, saying,

“Salutations to you, O you that are the eternal origin of all things. The Rishis say that you are the Lord of the Vedas. The righteous say that you are Penance, you are Sattwa, you are Rajas, you are Tamas, and you are Truth. You are Brahman, you are Rudra, you are Varuna, you are Agni, you are Manu, you are Bhava, you are Dhatri, you are Tashtri, you are Vidhatri, you are the puissant Master of all things, and you are everywhere. All beings, mobile and immobile, have sprung from you. This triple world with all its mobile and immobile entities, has been created by you. The Rishis say that you are superior to the senses, the mind, the vital breaths, the seven sacrificial fires, all others that have their refuge in the all-pervading Soul, and all the deities that are adored and worthy of adoration. You, O illustrious one, are the Vedas, the Sacrifices, Soma, Dakshina, Pavaka, Havi, and all other requisites of sacrifice. The merit obtained by sacrifices, gifts made to others, the study of the Vedas, vows, regulations in respect of restraint, Modesty, Fame, Prosperity, Splendour, Contentment, and Success, all exist for leading to you.

Desire, Wrath, Fear, Cupidity, Pride, Stupefaction, and Malice, Pains and Diseases, are, O illustrious one, your children. You are all acts that creatures do, you are the joy and sorrow that flow from those acts, you are the absence of joy and sorrow, you are that Ignorance which is the indestructible seed of Desire, you are the high origin of Mind, you are Puissance, and you are Eternity. You are the Unmanifest, you are Pavana, you are inconceivable, you are the thousand-rayed Sun, you are the effulgent Chit, you are the first of all the topics, and you are the refuge of life. The use of words like Mahat, Soul, Understanding, Brahman, Universe, Shambhu, and Self-born and other words occurring in succession (in the Vedas), show that your nature has been judged (by persons conversant with the Vedas) as identical with Mahat and Soul. Verily, regarding you as all this, the learned Brahmanas win over that ignorance which lies at the root of the world. You reside in the heart of all creatures, and you are adored by the Rishis as Kshetrajna. Your arms and feet extend to every place, and your eyes, head, and face are everywhere. You hear everywhere in the universe, and you stay, pervading all things.

Of all acts that are performed in the Nimeshas and other divisions of time that spring in consequence of the puissance of the Sun, you are the fruit. You are the original effulgence (of the supreme Chit). You are Purusha, and you reside in the hearts of all things. You are the various Yogic attributes of success, viz., Subtlety and Grossness and Fruition and Supremacy and Effulgence and Immutability. Understanding and intelligence and all the worlds rest upon you. They that are devoted to meditation, that are always engaged in Yoga, that are devoted to or firm in Truth and that have subjugated their passions, seek you and rest on you. They that know you for one that is Immutable, or one that resides in all hearts, or one that is endued with supreme puissance, or one that is the ancient Purusha, or one that is pure Knowledge, or one that is the effulgent Chit, or one that is the highest refuge of all persons endued with intelligence, are certainly persons of great intelligence. Verily, such persons stay, transcending intelligence. By understanding the seven subtle entities (viz., Mahat, Ego, and five subtle primal elements called Tanmatras), by comprehending your six attributes (of Omniscience, Contentment of Fullness, Knowledge without beginning, Independence, Puissance that is not at fault at any time and that is infinite), and being conversant with Yoga that is freed from every false notion, the man of knowledge succeeds in entering into your great self.”

After I had said these words, O Partha, unto Bhava, that dispeller of grief and pain, the universe, both mobile and immobile, sent up a leonine shout (expressive of their approval of the correctness of my words). The innumerable Brahmanas there present, the deities and the Asuras, the Nagas, the Pishachas, the Pitris, the birds, diverse Rakshasas, diverse classes of ghosts and spirits, and all the great Rishis, then bowed down unto that great Deity. There then fell upon my head showers of celestial flowers possessed of great fragrance, and delicious winds blew on the spot. The puissant Shankara then, devoted to the good of the universe, looked at the goddess Uma and the lord of the celestials and myself also, and thus spoke unto me,

“We know, O Krishna, that you, O slayer of foes, are filled with the greatest devotion towards us. Do what is for your good. My love and affection for you is very great. Do you ask for eight boons. I shall verily give them unto you, O Krishna, O best of all persons, tell me what they are, O chief of the Yadavas. Name what you wish. However difficult of attainment they be, you shall have them still.”

Bowing my head with great joy unto that mass of energy and effulgence, I said these words unto the great Deity, with a heart filled with gladness,

“Firmness in virtue, the slaughter of foes in battle, the highest fame, the greatest might, devotion to Yoga, your adjacence, and hundreds upon hundreds of children, these are the boons I solicit of you”

“So be it”, said Shankara repeating the words I had uttered. After this, the mother of the universe, the upholders of all things, who cleanses, all things, viz., the spouse of Sharva, that vast receptacle of penances said with a restrained soul these words unto me,

“The puissant Mahadeva has granted you, O sinless one, a son who shall be named Samba. Do you take from me also eight boons which you choose. I shall certainly grant them to you.”

Bowing unto her with a bend of my head, I said unto her, O son of Pandu,

“I solicit from  you non-anger against the Brahmanas, grace of my father, a hundred sons, the highest enjoyments, love for my family, the grace of my mother, the attainment of tranquillity and peace, and cleverness in every act!”

Uma said,

“It shall be even so, O you that are possessed of prowess and puissance equal to that of a celestial. I never say what is untrue. You shall have sixteen thousand wives. Your love for them and theirs also for you shall be unlimited. From all your kinsmen also, you shall receive the highest affection. Your body too shall be most beautiful. Seven thousand guests will daily feed at your palace.”

Having thus granted me boons both the god and the goddess, O Bharata, disappeared there and then with their Ganas, O elder brother of Bhima. All those wonderful facts I related fully, O best of kings, to that Brahmana of great energy, viz., Upamanyu (from whom I had obtained the Diksha before adoring Mahadeva).”

Rishi Tandi’s hymns to Shiva

Vasudeva continued,

“Bowing down unto the great God, Upamanyu said these words to me. Upamanyu said,

“There is no deity like Sharva. There is no end or refuge like Sharva. There is none that can give so many or such high boons. There is none that equal him in battle.

There was in the Krita age, O sire, a Rishi celebrated under the name of Tandi. With great devotion of heart he adored, with the aid of Yoga-meditation, the great God for ten thousand years. Listen to me as I tell you fruit or reward he reaped of such extraordinary devotion. He succeeded in beholding Mahadeva and praised him by uttering some hymns. Thinking, with the aid of his penances, of Him who is the supreme Soul and who is immutable and undeteriorating, Tandi became filled with wonder, and said these words,

“I seek the protection of Him whom the Sankhyas describe and the Yogins think of as the Supreme, the Foremost, the Purusha, the pervader of all things, and the Master of all existent objects, of him who, the learned say, is the cause of both the creation and the destruction of the universe; of him who is superior to all the celestials, the Asuras, and the Munis, of him who has nothing higher, who is unborn, who is the Lord of all things, who has neither beginning nor end, and who is endued with supreme puissance, who is possessed of the highest felicity, and who is effulgent and sinless.”

After he had said these words, Tandi beheld before him that ocean of penances, that great Deity who is immutable and un-deteriorating, who is without compare, who is inconceivable, who is eternal, and who is without any change, who is indivisible, who is whole, who is Brahma, who transcends all attributes, and who is endued with attributes, who is the highest delight of Yogins, who is without deterioration, who is called Emancipation, who is the refuge of the Mind, of Indra, of Agni, of the god of wind, of the entire universe, and of the Grandsire Brahma; who is incapable of being conceived by the Mind, who is without mutation of any kind, who is pure, who is capable of being apprehended by understanding only and who is immaterial as the Mind; who is difficult of comprehension, who is incapable of being measured, who is difficult of being attained by persons of uncleansed souls, who is the origin of the universe, and who transcends both the universe and the attribute of darkness; who is ancient, who is Purusha, who is possessed of effulgence, and who is higher than the highest. The Rishi Tandin, desirous of beholding Him who making himself endued with life-breaths, resides in what results from it viz., Jiva, in the form of that effulgence which is called the Mind, passed many years in the practice of the severest austerities, and having succeeded in beholding Him as the reward of those penances, he praised the great God in the following terms. Tandi said,

“You are the holiest of holies and the refuge of all, O foremost of all beings endued with intelligence. You are the fiercest energy of all kinds of energy. You are the austerest penance of all penances. You, O puissant one, are the liberal giver of blessings. You are the supreme Truth. Salutations to you, O you of a thousand rays, and, O refuge of all felicity. You are the giver of that Nirvana which, O puissant one, Yatis, standing in fear of birth and death, strive for so hard. The Grandsire Brahma, he of a hundred sacrifices, (viz., Indra) Vishnu, the Vishwadevas, the great Rishis, are incapable of comprehending you and your real nature. How then can persons like ourselves hope to comprehend you?

From you flows everything. Upon you rests everything. You are called Kala, you are called Purusha, you are called Brahma. Celestial Rishis conversant with the Puranas, say that you have three bodies viz., those pertaining to Kalas, those pertaining to Purusha and those pertaining to Brahma or the three forms namely Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. You are Adhi-Purusha, (occupying the physical flame from head to foot) you are Adhyatma, you are Adhibhuta, and Adhi-Daivata, you are Adhi-loka, Adhi-Vijnanam and Adhi-Yajna. Men of wisdom, when they succeed in knowing you that reside in themselves and that are incapable of being known by the very gods, become freed from all bonds and pass into a state of existence that transcends all sorrow.

They that do not wish to know you, O you of great puissance, have to undergo innumerable births and deaths. You are the door of heaven and of Emancipation. You are he that projectest all beings into existence and withdrawest them again into yourself. You are the great giver. You are heaven, you are Emancipation, you are desire (the seed of action). You are wrath that inspires creatures. You are Sattwa, you are Rajas, you are Tamas, you are the nether regions, and you are the upper regions. You are the Grandsire Brahma, you are Bhava, you are Vishnu, you are Skanda, you are Indra, you are Savitri, you are Yama, you are Varuna, Soma, you are Dhatri, you are Manu, you are Vidhatri and you are Kubera, the Lord of treasures. You are Earth, you are Wind, you are Water, you are Agni, you are Space, you are Speech, you are the Understanding, you are Steadiness, you are Intelligence, you are the acts that creatures do, you are Truth, you are Falsehood, you are existent and you are non-existent. You are the senses, you are that which transcends Prakriti, you are immutable. You are superior to the universe of existent objects, you are superior to the universe of non-existent objects, you are capable of being conceived, you are incapable of being conceived.

That which is supreme Brahman, that which is the highest entity, that which is the end of both the Sankhyas and the Yogins, is, without doubt, identical with you. Verily, rewarded have I been today by you in consequence of your granting me a sight of your form. I have attained the end which the righteous alone attain to. I have been rewarded with that end which is solicited by persons whose understandings have been cleansed by Knowledge. Alas, so long I was steeped in Ignorance; for this long period I was a senseless fool, since I had no knowledge of you that are the Supreme Deity, you that are the only eternal Entity as can be only known by all persons endued with wisdom. In course of innumerable lives have I at last succeeded in acquiring that Devotion towards you in consequence of which you have shown yourself to me. O you that are ever inclined to extend your grace to those that are devoted to you.

He that succeeds in knowing you is enable to enjoy immortality. You are that which is ever a mystery with the gods, the Asuras, and the ascetics. Brahman is concealed in the cave of the heart. The very ascetics are unable to behold or know Him. You are that puissant deity who is the doer of everything and whose face is turned towards every direction. You are the Soul of all things, you seest all things, you pervade all things, and you know all things. You make a body for yourself, and bear that body. You are an embodied Being. You enjoyest a body, and you are the refuge of all embodied creatures. You are the creator of the life-breaths, you possess the life-breaths, you are one that is endued with life-breaths, you are the giver of the life-breaths, and you are the refuge of all beings endued with life-breaths. You are that Adhyatma which is the refuge of all righteous persons that are devoted to Yoga-meditation and conversant with the Soul and that are solicitous of avoiding rebirth. Verily, you are that Supreme Lord who is identical with that refuge.

You are the giver unto all creatures of whatever ends become theirs, fraught with happiness or misery. You are he that ordains all created beings to birth and death. You are the puissant Lord who grants success to Rishis crowned with success in respect of the fruition of their wishes. Having created all the worlds beginning with Bhu, together with all the denizens of heaven, that upholdest and cherishest them all, distributing yourself into your well-known forms numbering Eight. From you flows everything. Upon you rests all things. All things, again, disappear in you. You are the sole object that is Eternal. You are that region of Truth which is sought by the righteous and regarded by them as the highest. You are that cessation of individual existence which Yogins seek. You are that Oneness which is sought by persons conversant with the soul. Brahma and the Siddhas expounding the mantras have concealed you in a cave for preventing the deities and Asuras and human beings from beholding you.

Although you reside in the heart, yet you are concealed. Hence, stupefied by you, deities and Asuras and human beings are all unable to understand you, O Bhava, truly and in all your details. Unto those persons that succeed in attaining to you after having cleansed themselves by devotion, you showest yourself of your own accord, O you that reside in all hearts. By knowing you one can avoid both death and rebirth. You are the highest object of knowledge. By knowing you no higher object remains for one to know. You are the greatest object of acquisition. The person that is truly wise, by acquiring you, thinks that there is no higher object to acquire. By attaining to you that are exceedingly subtile and that are the highest object of acquisition, the man of wisdom becomes immortal and immutable.

The followers of the Sankhya system, well conversant with their own philosophy and possessing a knowledge of the attributes (of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas) and of those called the topics of enquiry, those learned men who transcend the destructible by attaining to a knowledge of the subtle or indestructible, succeed, by knowing you, in freeing themselves from all bonds. Persons conversant with the Vedas regard you as the one object of knowledge, which has been expounded in the Vedantas. These men, devoted to the regulation of the breaths, always meditate on you and at last enter into you as their highest end. Riding on the car made of Om, those men enter into Maheshwara. Of that which is called the Devayana (the path of the deities) you are the door called Aditya. You are again, the door, called Chandramas, of that which is called the Pitriyana (the path of the Pitris). You are Kashtha, you are the points of the horizon, you are the year, and you are the Yugas. Yours is the sovereignty of the heavens, yours is the sovereignty of the Earth, you are the Northern and the Southern declensions.

The Grandsire Brahma in days of yore uttered your praises, O you that are called Nilarohita (blue and red), by reciting diverse hymns and urged you to create living creatures. Brahmanas conversant with Riks praise you by uttering Riks, regarding you as unattached to all things and as divested of all forms. Adhyaryus, in sacrifices, pour libations, uttering Yajus the while, in honour of you that are the sole object of knowledge, according to the three well-known ways. Persons of cleansed understandings, that are conversant with Samans, sing you with the aid of Samans. Those regenerate persons, again, that are conversant with the Atharvans, hymn you as Rita, as Truth, as the Highest, and as Brahma. You are the highest cause, whence Sacrifice has flowed. You are the Lord, and you are Supreme.

The night and day are your sense of hearing and sense of sight. The fortnights and months are your head and arms. The seasons are your energy, penances are your patience, and the year is your anus, thighs and feet. You are Mrityu. you are Yama, you are Hutashana, you are Kala, you are endued with speed in respect of destruction, you are the original cause of Time, and you are eternal Time. You are Chandramas and Aditya. with all the stars and planets and the atmosphere that fills space. You are the pole-star, you are constellation called the seven Rishis, you are the seven regions beginning with Bhu. You are Pradhana and Mahat, you are Unmanifest, and you are this world. You are the universe beginning with Brahman and ending with the lowest forms of vegetation. You are the beginning or original cause of all creatures. You are the eight Prakritis. You are, again, above the eight Prakritis.

Everything that exists, represents a portion of your divine Self. You are that supreme Felicity which is also Eternal. You are the end which is attained to by all things. You are that highest existence which is sought for by the Righteous. You are that state which is freed from every anxiety. You are eternal Brahman! You are that highest state which constitutes the meditation of persons learned in the scriptures and the Vedangas. You are the highest Kashtha, you are the highest Kala. You are the highest Success, and you are the highest Refuge. You are the highest Tranquillity. You are the highest cessation of Existence. By attaining to you, Yogins think that they attain to the highest success that is open to them. You are Contentment, you are Success, you are the Shruti, and you are the Smriti.

You are that Refuge of the Soul after which Yogins strive, and you are that indestructible Prapti which men of Knowledge pursue. You are, without doubt, that End which those persons have in view that are habituated to sacrifices and that pour sacrificial libations, impelled by specific desires, and that make large presents on such occasions. You are that high End which is sought for by persons that waste and scorch their bodies with severe penances with ceaseless recitations, with those rigid vows and fasts that appertain to their tranquil lives, and with other means of self-affliction. O Eternal one, you are that End which is theirs that are unattached to all things and that have relinquished all acts. You, O Eternal one, are that End which is theirs that are desirous of achieving Emancipation from rebirth, that live in dissociation from all enjoyments, and that desire the annihilation of the Prakriti elements. You are that high End, O illustrious one, which is indescribable, which is stainless, which is the immutable one, and which is theirs that are devoted to knowledge and science. These are the five Ends that have been declared in the Vedas and the Scriptures and the Puranas. It is through your grace that persons attain to those Ends, or, if they fail to attain to them, it is through your grace being denied to them.”

It was thus Tandi, who was a vast heap of penances, praised Ishana. And he sang also that high Brahman which in ancient days was sung by the Creator himself (in honour of Mahadeva).Thus praised by that utterer of Brahma, Viz., Tandi, Mahadeva that illustrious and puissant Deity, who was accompanied by his spouse Uma, said these words. Tandi had further said,

“Neither Brahma, nor Indra nor Vishnu, nor the Viswedevas, nor the great Rishis, know you.”

Gratified at this, Shiva said the following words. The holy one said,

“You shall be indestructible and eternal. You shall be freed from all sorrow. Great fame shall be yours. You shall be endued with energy. Spiritual knowledge shall be yours. All the Rishis shall seek you, and your son, through my grace, shall become the author of Sutras, O foremost of regenerate persons. What wishes of yours shall I grant today? Tell me, O son, what those objects are which you desire.”

At this, Tandi joined his hands and said, “O Lord, let my devotion to you be steady.” Having given unto Tandi these boons and having received the adorations of both the deities and the Rishis, the great Deity disappeared there and then. When the illustrious deity, O lord of the Yadavas, thus, disappeared with all his followers, the Rishi came to my Ashram and said unto me all that had happened to him. Do you hear, O foremost of men, all those celebrated names (of Mahadeva) that Tandi said unto me for your spiritual success. The Grandsire had at one time recited ten thousand names that apply to Mahadeva. In the scriptures, a thousand names occur of that illustrious deity. These names are not known to all. O you that transcends destruction, in days of yore, the Grandsire Brahma uttered these names for adoring the high-souled Deity. Having acquired them through the grace of the Grandsire, Tandi communicated them to me!””

1008 names of Mahadeva