text
stringlengths
0
182
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 thou that transcendest 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!'"[87]
SECTION XVII
"Vasudeva said, 'Concentrating his mind, O Yudhishthira. the regenerate Rishi Upamanyu, with hands joined together in
reverence uttered this abstract of names (applying to Mahadeva), commencing from the beginning.'
"Upamanyu said, 'I shall adore that great Deity who deserves the adorations of all creatures, by uttering those names that are
celebrated over all the worlds,--names some of which were uttered by the Grandsire Brahma, some by the Rishis, and some of
which occur in the Vedas and the Vedangas. Those names have been applied (unto the great Deity) by persons that are
eminent. Those names of him that are, again, true and fraught with success and are capable of accomplishing all the purposes
which the utterer may have in view, have been applied unto Mahadeva by Tandi after calling them from the Vedic lore with the
aid of his devotion. Indeed, with those names that have been uttered by many well-known persons of righteousness and by
ascetics conversant with all the spiritual principles. I shall adore him who is the foremost, who is the first, who leads to heaven,
who is ready to confer benefits upon all creatures, and who is auspicious. Those names have been heard everywhere in the
universe, having spread from the region of Brahma (where they were originally invented). All of them are fraught with the
element of Truth. With those names I shall adore him who is Supreme Brahman, who has been declared (unto the universe) by
the Vedas, and who is Eternal. I shall now tell thee, O chief of Yacht's race those names. Do thou hear them with rapt attention.
Thou art a devoted worshipper of the Supreme Deity. Do thou worship the illustrious Bhava, distinguishing him above all the
deities. And because thou art devoted to him, I shall therefore, recite those names in thy hearing. Mahadeva is Eternal
Brahman. Persons endued with Yoga; Yoga's achievements are unable to know in even a hundred years, the glory and
puissance of the great Deity in their entirety. Verily, the beginning, middle or end of Mahadeva cannot be apprehended by the
very deities. Indeed, when the case is such, who is there O Madhava, that can recite the attributes of Mahadeva in their
entirety? For all that, I shall through the grace of that illustrious and supreme Deity of perfect wisdom, extended to me for my
devotion to him, recite his attributes as embodied in an abstract of few words and letters. The Supreme Lord is incapable of
being adored by any one if he does not grant his permission to the adorer. As regards myself, it is only when I become
fortunate enough to receive his permission that I succeed in adoring him. I shall indicate only a few names of that great Deity
who is without birth and without destruction, who is the original cause of the universe, who is endued with the highest Soul,
and whose origin is unmanifest. Hear, O Krishna, a few names, that were uttered by Brahma himself, of that giver of boons,
that adorable deity, that puissant one who has the universe for his form, and who is possessed of supreme wisdom. These
names that I shall recite are extracted from the ten thousand names that the great Grandsire had uttered in days of yore, as ghee
is extracted from curds. As gold represents the essence of rocky mountains, as honey represents the essence of flowers, as
Manda represents the extract from ghee, even so have these names been extracted from and represent the essence of those ten
thousand names that were uttered by Grandsire Brahma. This abstract of names is capable of cleansing every sin, however
heinous. It possesses the same merit that is attached to the four Vedas. It should be comprehended with attention by spiritual
aspirants and engraved on the memory. These names fraught with auspiciousness, leading to advancement, destructive of
Rakshasas,[88] and great cleansers should be imparted to only him that is devoted to the great Lord, to him that has faith, to
him that believes. Unto him that has no faith, him that is an unbeliever, him that has not subjugated his soul, it should never be
communicated. That creature, O Krishna, who cherishes malice towards the illustrious Mahadeva who is the original cause of
everything, who is the Supreme Soul, and who is the great Lord, has certainly to go to hell with all his ancestors before and all
his children after him. This abstract of names that I shall recite to thee is looked upon as Yoga.[89] This is looked upon as the
highest object of meditation. This is that which one should constantly recite as Japya. This is equivalent to Knowledge. This is
the highest Mystery. If one, even during his last moments, recites it or hears it recited unto him, one succeeds in attaining to the
highest end. This is holy. This is auspicious, this is fraught with every kind of benefit. This is the best of all things. Brahma, the
Grandsire of all the universe, having in days of old composed it, assigned to it the foremost place among all excellent hymns.
From that time, this hymn to the greatness and glory of the high-souled Mahadeva, which is held in the highest esteem by all
the deities, has come to be regarded as the king of all hymns. This king of all hymns was first conveyed from the region of
Brahman to heaven, the region of the celestials. Tandi then obtained it from heaven. Hence is it known as the hymn composed
by Tandi. From heaven Tandi brought it down on Earth. It is the most auspicious of all auspicious things, and is capable of
cleansing the heart from all sins however heinous. O thou of mighty arms, I shall recite to thee that best of all hymns. This
hymn relates to him who is the Veda of the Vedas, and the most ancient of all ancient objects, to him who is the energy of all
energies, and the penance of all penances; to him who is the most tranquil of all creatures endued with tranquillity, and who is
the splendour of all splendours; to him who is looked upon as the most restrained of all creatures that are restrained, and him
who is the intelligence of all creatures endued with intelligence; to him who is looked upon as the deity of all deities, and the
Rishi of all Rishis; to him who is regarded as the sacrifice of all sacrifices and the most auspicious of all things fraught with
auspiciousness; to him who is the Rudra of all Rudras and the effulgence of all things endued with effulgence; to him who is
the Yogin of all Yogins, and the cause of all causes; to him from whom all the worlds start into existence, and unto whom all
the worlds return when they cease to exist; to him who is the Soul of all existent creatures, and who is called Hara of
immeasurable energy. Hear me recite those thousand and eight names of the great Sarva. Hearing those names, O foremost of
all men, thou shalt be crowned with fruition in respect of all thy wishes,--Om! thou art Immobile, thou art Fixed, thou art
Puissant, thou art Terrible, thou art Foremost, thou art boon-giving, and thou art Superior.[90] Thou art the Soul of all
creatures, thou art celebrated over all creatures, thou art all things, thou art the Creator of all, and thou art Bhava."[91] Thou art
the bearer of matted locks on thy head. Thou wearest animal skins for thy vestments. Thou wearest a crest of matted hair on thy
head like the peacock. Thou art he who has the whole universe for thy limbs.[92] Thou art the Creator of all things. Thou art
Hara in consequence of thy being the destroyer of all things. Thou art he that has eyes resembling those of the gazelle. Thou art
the destroyer of all creatures. Thou art the supreme enjoyer of all things. Thou art that Pravritti whence all actions flow. Thou
art that Nivritti or abstention from acts. Thou art observant of fasts and vows, thou art Eternal, thou art Unchangeable. Thou art
he that residest in crematoria, thou art the possessor of the six well-known attributes of Lordship and the rest, thou residest in
the heart of every creature, thou art he that enjoys all things with the senses, thou art the grinder of all sinful creatures.[93]
Thou art he that deserves the salutations of all, thou art of great feats, thou art he that has penances for his wealth, thou createst
all the elements at thy will, thou concealest thy real nature by putting on the guise of a lunatic. Thou art the Master of all the
worlds and of all living creatures. Thou art of immeasurable form, thou art of vast body, thou art of the form of Righteousness,
thou art of great fame, thou art of high Soul, thou art the Soul of all creatures, thou hast the universe for thy form.[94] Thou art
of vast jaws (for thou swallowest the universe when the time comes for the dissolution of all things). Thou art the protector of
all the lokas (the worlds). Thou art the soul residing in the inner heart and as such devoid of ahamkara originating from
ignorance[95] and is one and undivided; Thou art anandam (gladness). Thou art he whose car is borne by mules. Thou art he
that protects Jiva from the thunderbolt of rebirth. Thou art adorable. Thou art obtained by purity and self-restraint and vows.
Thou art again the refuge of all kinds of vows and observances including purity and self-restraint.[96] Thou art the celestial
artificer that is conversant with every art. Thou art Self-create (for no one has created thee). Thou art the beginning of all
creatures and things. Thou art Hiranyagarbha, the Creator of all things. Thou art inexhaustible puissance and felicity.[97] Thou
hast a hundred eyes, thou hast eyes of vast power. Thou art Soma.[98] Thou art he that causest all righteous creatures assume
shapes of glory for shining in the firmament. Thou art Chandramas, thou art Surya, thou art the planet Saturn, thou art the
descending node (of the moon), thou art the ascending node, thou art Mangala (Mars), and thou art Vrihaspati (Jupiter) and
Sukra (Venus), thou art Vudha (Mercury) thou art the worshipper of Atri's wife, thou art he who shot his shaft in wrath at
Sacrifice when Sacrifice fled away from him in the form of a deer. Thou art sinless.[99] Thou art possessed of penances that
have conferred upon thee the power of creating the universe. Thou art possessed of penances that have rendered thee capable of
destroying the universe. Thou art high minded (in consequence of thy great liberality towards thy devotees). Thou fulfillest the
wishes of all who resign themselves to thee. Thou art the maker of the year (for it is thou who settest the wheel of Time
revolving, by assuming the form of the sun and the planets). Thou art Mantra (in the form of Pranava and other sacred words
and syllables). Thou art the authority for all acts (in the form of the Vedas and the scriptures). Thou art the highest Penance.
Thou art devoted to Yoga. Thou art he who merges himself in Brahman (by Yoga-abstraction). Thou art the great seed (being
the cause of causes). Thou art the displayer of what is unmanifest in the manifest form in which the universe exists. Thou art
possessed of infinite might. Thou art he whose seed is gold.[100] Thou art omniscient, (being as thou art all things and the
great knower). Thou art the cause of all things. Thou art he that has the seed of action (viz., ignorance and desire) for the means
of sojourning from this world to the other and the other to this.[101] Thou hast ten arms. Thou hast winkless eyes (for thou
seest at all times). Thou hast a blue throat (in consequence of thy bearing in thy throat the poison that arose upon churning the
ocean and which, if not so borne, was capable of destroying the universe). Thou art the Lord of Uma. Thou art the origin of all