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that can be regarded as his equal. When he stands, filled with rage, on the field of battle, the very odour of his body deprives all |
foes of consciousness and they that are not slain tremble and fall down. His roars are terrible, resembling those of the clouds. |
Hearing those roars in battle, the very hearts of the deities break in twain. When the wielder of Pinaka becomes angry and |
assuming a terrible form merely casts his eye upon deity, Asura, Gandharva, or snake, that individual fails to obtain peace of |
mind by taking shelter in the recesses of even a mountain-cave. When that lord of all creatures, viz., Daksha, desirous of |
performing a sacrifice, spread his sacrifice out, the dauntless Bhava, giving way to wrath (at Daksha's slight of him), pierced |
(the embodied) sacrifice, shooting his shaft from his terrible bow, he roared aloud. Indeed, when Maheswara became angry and |
suddenly pierced with his shaft the embodied form of sacrifice, the deities become filled with grief, losing happiness and |
tranquillity of heart. In consequence of the twang of his bow-string the whole universe became agitated. The deities and the |
Asuras, O son of Pritha, all became cheerless and stupefied. The ocean rolled in agitation and the earth trembled to her centre. |
The hills and mountains began to move from their bases and ran on every side. The vault of the welkin became cracked. All the |
worlds became enveloped in gloom. Nothing could be seen. The light of all the luminaries became darkened, along with that of |
the sun himself, O Bharata! The great Rishis, penetrated with fear and desirous of doing good to themselves and the universe, |
performed the usual rites of propitiation and peace. Meanwhile, Rudra of terrible prowess rushed against the deities. Filled with |
rage, he tore out the eyes of Bhaga. Incensed with wrath, he assailed Pushan with his foot. He tore out the teeth of that god as |
he sat employed in eating the large sacrificial ball (called Purodasa). Trembling with fear, the deities bent their heads to |
Sankara. Without being appeased, Rudra once more placed on his bow-string a sharp and blazing arrow. Beholding his |
prowess, the deities and the Rishis became all alarmed. Those foremost of gods began to pacify him! Joining their hands in |
reverence, they began to recite the Sata-rudriya Mantras. At last Maheswara, thus praised by the deities, became gratified. The |
deities than assigned a large share (of the sacrificial offerings) to him. Trembling with fear, O king, they sought his protection. |
When Rudra became gratified, the embodiment of sacrifice, which had been pierced in twain, became once more united. |
Whatever limbs of his had been destroyed by the shafts of Mahadeva, became once more whole and sound. The Asuras |
possessed of great energy had in days of yore three cities in the firmament. One of these had been made of iron, one of silver, |
and the third of gold. With all his weapons, Maghavat, the chief of the deities, was unable to pierce those cities. Afflicted by |
the Asuras, all the deities then sought the protection of the great Rudra. Assembled together the high-souled deities addressed |
him, saying, 'O Rudra, the Asuras threaten to exert their destructive influence in all acts! Do thou slay the Daityas and destroy |
their city for the protection of the three worlds, O giver of honours!' Thus addressed by them, he replied, saying, 'So be it!' and |
then made Vishnu his excellent shaft-head. He made the deity of fire his shaft-reed, and Surya's son Yama the wings of that |
shaft. He made the Vedas his bow and the goddess Savitri his excellent bow-string. And he made the Grandsire Brahma his |
charioteer. Applying all these, he pierced the triple city of the Asuras with that shaft of his, consisting of three Parvans and |
three Salyas.[617] Indeed, O Bharata, the Asuras with their cities, were all burnt by Rudra with that shaft of his whose |
complexion was like that of the sun and whose energy resembled that of the fire which appears at the end of the Yuga for |
consuming all things. Beholding that Mahadeva changed into a child with five locks of hair lying on the lap of Parvati, the |
latter asked the deities as to who he was. Seeing the child, Sakra became suddenly filled with jealousy and wrath and resolved |
to kill him with his thunder. The child, however, paralysed the arm, looking like a mace of iron, of Indra with the thunderbolt |
in it. The deities all became stupefied, and they could not understand that the child was the Lord of universe. Verily, all of them |
along with the very Regents of the world, found their intellects stupefied in the matter of that child who was none else than the |
Supreme Being. Then the illustrious Grandsire Brahma, reflecting with the aid of his penances, found out that that child was |
the foremost of all Beings, the lord of Uma, Mahadeva of immeasurable prowess. He then praised the Lord. The deities also |
began to hymn the praises of both Uma and Rudra. The arm (which had been paralysed) of the slayer of Vala then became |
restored to its former state. The Mahadeva, taking birth as the Brahmana Durvasa of great energy, resided for a long time at |
Dwaravati in my house. While residing in my abode he did diverse acts of mischief. Though difficult of being borne, I bore |
them yet from magnanimity of heart. He is Rudra; he is Shiva; he is Agni; he is Sarva; he is the vanquisher of all; he is Indra, |
and Vayu, and the Aswins and the god of lightning. He is Chandramas; he is Isana; he is Surya; he is Varuna; he is Time; he is |
the Destroyer; he is Death; he is the Day and the Night; he is the fortnight; he is the seasons; he is the two twilights; he is the |
year. He is Dhatri and he is Vidhatri; and he is Viswakarma; and he is conversant with all things. He is the cardinal points of |
the compass and the subsidiary points also. Of universal form, he is of immeasurable soul. The holy and illustrious Durvasa is |
of the complexion of the celestials. He sometimes manifests himself singly; sometimes divides himself into two portions; and |
sometimes exhibits himself in many, a hundred thousand forms. Even such is Mahadeva. He is, again, that god who is unborn. |
In even a hundred years one cannot exhaust his merits by reciting them.'" |
SECTION CLXI |
"Vasudeva said, 'O mighty-armed Yudhishthira, listen to me as I recite to thee the many names of Rudra as also the high |
blessedness of that high-souled one. The Rishis describe Mahadeva as Agni, and Sthanu, and Maheswara; as one-eyed, and |
three-eyed, of universal form, and Siva or highly auspicious. Brahmanas conversant with the Vedas say that that god has two |
forms. One of these is terrible, and the other mild and auspicious. Those two forms, again, are subdivided into many forms. |
That form which is fierce and terrible is regarded as identical with Agni and Lightning and Surya. The other form which is |
mild and auspicious is identical with Righteousness and water and Chandramas. Then, again, it is said that half his body is fire |
and half is Soma (or the moon). That form of his which is mild and auspicious is said to be engaged in the practice of the |
Brahmacharya vow. The other form of his which is supremely terrible is engaged in all operations of destruction in the |
universe. Because he is great (Mahat) and the Supreme Lord of all (Iswara), therefore he is called Maheswara. And since he |
burns and oppresses, is keen and fierce, and endued with great energy, and is engaged in eating flesh and blood and marrow, he |
is said to be Rudra. Since he is the foremost of all the deities, and since his dominion and acquisitions are very extensive, and |
since he protects the extensive universe, therefore he is called Mahadeva. Since he is of the form or colour of smoke, therefore |
he is called Dhurjati. Since by all his acts he performs sacrifices for all and seeks the good of every creature, therefore he is |
called Siva or the auspicious one. Staying above (in the sky) he burns the lives of all creatures and is, besides, fixed in a |
particular route from which he does not deviate. His emblem, again, is fixed and immovable for all time. He is, for these |
reasons, called Sthanu. He is also of multiform aspect. He is present, past, and future. He is mobile and immobile. For this he is |
called Vahurupa (of multiform aspect). The deities called Viswedevas reside in his body. He is, for this, called Viswarupa (of |
universal form). He is thousand-eyed; or, he is myriad-eyed; or, he has eyes on all sides and on every part of his body, His |
energy issues through his eyes. There is no end of his eyes. Since he always nourishes all creatures and sports also with them, |
and since he is their lord or master, therefore he is called Pasupati (the lord of all creatures). Since his emblem is always |
observant of the vow of Brahmacharya, all the worlds worship it accordingly. This act of worship is said to gratify him highly. |
If there is one who worship him by creating his image, another who worships his emblem, the latter it is that attains to great |
prosperity for ever. The Rishis, the deities, the Gandharvas, and the Apsaras, worship that emblem of his which is ever erect |
and upraised. If his emblem is worshipped, Maheswara becomes highly gratified with the worshipper. Affectionate towards his |
devotees, he bestows happiness upon them with a cheerful soul. This great god loves to reside in crematoria and there he burns |
and consumes all corpses. Those persons that perform sacrifices on such grounds attain at the end to those regions which have |
been set apart for heroes. Employed in his legitimate function, he it is That is regarded as the Death that resides in the bodies of |
all creatures. He is, again, those breaths called Prana and Apana in the bodies of all embodied beings. He has many blazing and |
terrible forms. All those forms are worshipped in the world and are known to Brahmanas possessed of knowledge. Amongst |
the gods he has many names all of which are fraught with grave import. Verily, the meanings of those names are derived from |
either his greatness or vastness, or his feats, or his conduct. The Brahmanas always recite the excellent Sata-rudriya in his |
honour, that occurs in the Vedas as also that which has been composed by Vyasa. Verily, the Brahmanas and Rishis call him |
the eldest of all beings. He is the first of all the deities, and it was from his mouth that he created Agni. That righteous-souled |
deity, ever willing to grant protection to all, never gives up his suppliants. He would much rather abandon his own life-breaths |
and incur all possible afflictions himself. Long life, health and freedom from disease, affluence, wealth, diverse kinds of |
pleasures and enjoyments, are conferred by him, and it is he also who snatches them away. The lordship and affluence that one |
sees in Sakra and the other deities are, verily his. It is he who is always engaged in all that is good and evil in the three worlds. |
In consequence of his fullest control over all objects of enjoyment he is called Iswara (the Supreme Lord or Master). Since, |
again, he is the master of the vast universe, he is called Maheswara. The whole universe is pervaded by him in diverse forms. It |
is that deity whose mouth roars and burns the waters of the sea in the form of the huge mare's head!'"[618] |
SECTION CLXII |
"Vaisampayana said, 'After Krishna, the son of Devaki, had said these words, Yudhishthira once more asked Bhishma the son |
of Santanu, saying, 'O thou of great intelligence; O foremost of all persons conversant with duties, which, indeed, of the two, |
direct perception and the scriptures, is to be regarded as authority for arriving at a conclusion?' |
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