LORD SHIVA - THE SUPREME LIBERATOR

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Submitted by Shripad ji.

LINGA PURANA SUTJI NARRATES THE DIVINE TALES OF LINGA PURAN Once, sage,

Narad arrived at Naimisharanya where he found many sages engaged in

austerities. All the sages were delighted to see him. They eulogized him in

reverence and offered him seat. Sage Narad narrated some amazing tales

describing about the greatness of Linga Puran. This made the sages even more

curious about Linga Puran. Right then, Sutji also arrived there and the sages

requested him to narrate the tales of Linga Puran. After making salutations to

lord Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and Sage Krishna Dwaipayan, Sutji said--- Sound is

the medium through which the almighty Brahma manifests himself. Brahma

manifests himself in the sacrosanct OMKAR mantra. Rigveda is his mouth,

Samaveda his tongue, Yajurveda his neck and Atharvaveda is his heart. He is the

Supreme Being and is beyond the reach of creation or deluge. He is one but

manifests himself as three distinct

deities---Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. These three deities are the _expression of

the three natural qualities respectively-Rajas, Satva and Tamas. He manifests

himself as Mahesh in his formless (Nirguna) identity. He manifests himself in

all the living creatures as well as imperceptible things in the form of seven

natural elements-Mahattatva (5 basic elements) Ahankara (ego), Shabda (Sound)

Sparsh (touch), Roop (appearance), Rasa (taste) and Gandha (smell). Lord

Brahma compiled the divine tales of Linga Puran. It covers wide range of

subjects like the beginning of creation, the origin of universe, description of

the time, tales of different Kalpas, the greatness of Linga and its worship,

tales related with Lord Shiva, characteristics of Shiva temple etc. It

specially elaborates upon the greatness of Shiva linga and its worship. FIRST

CANTO PRATHAM SARG Shiva is both invisible as well as the root cause of all

the delusions of the world.

This is why Shiva is also known as Alinga (unknowable). Linga is nothing but the

non-manifested (Auyakta) form of Shiva. This implies that the visible world is

the medium through which Shiva manifests himself. Nature (Prakriti) in itself

is devoid of qualities like smell, taste, touch etc. But, all these qualities

become apparent in it only because of Shiva, who is imperishable and whose

characteristics are the natural qualities like taste, smell, touch and sound.

The whole world along with the gross and subtle has originated from Alinga

Shiva. The whole world comes into being with the help of eleven components-10

sense organs and mind. It is pervaded by the delusions of 'Alinga Shiva'. The

three prominent deities---Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh are the manifestations of

Shiva. He is the creator in the form of Brahma, the nurturer in the form of

Vishnu and the annihilator in the form of Mahesh. Nature is pervaded by the

delusion of Shiva, which is also known as Ajaa

(unborn). The three basic colour -red, white and black are the symbolic

expressions of the three qualities Raja, Sat and Tamo respectively. Majorities

of people fall prey to the delusions of this world and get entangled in its

illusionary appearances, but there are few that understand the futility of this

illusionary world. With the desire of beginning creation, the supreme Almighty

manifest himself in the imperceptible which results into the creation of the

Mahattatva (five basic elements). From Mahattatva manifests the ego or

'ahankara which comprises of three gunas. From Ego manifests the Tanmantras or

subtle forms of matter-sound, form, taste smell and touch. Among these subtle

forms of matter, Sound came into being first of all and space originated from

it. The second tanmantra, touch originated from the space. Air manifested from

touch or sparsh. The third tanmantra, form or roopa originated from air or

Yayu. Fire or Agni manifested from roopa. The fourth tanmantra,

taste or rasa manifested from Agni. Similarly, water or Jal manifested from

Rasa, smell or Gandha from Jal and Earth manifested from Gandha respectively.

All the five organs of action (Karmendriya) sense organs and mind originated

from pure Ego (Satva ahankara). In course of time all these elements got

transformed into a mammoth egg (Anda), inside which Lord Brahma manifested

himself. The whole universe is said to be established inside the above

mentioned egg. The egg is covered by seven layers and Lord Brahma dwells

inside it, seated on a lotus flower. The mammoth egg contains crores of

universes inside its fold. THE BEGINNING OF CREATION The whole creation

lasts for the total period equivalent to Brahma's day. The almighty God created

during daytime and annihilated during night. One day of Lord Brahma is

equivalent to one Kalpa of this world. The cycle of four Yugas occur

periodically for 1000 times, during

which period altogether fourteen Manus take incarnation, one after another.

Satyuga consists of 4000 years. Fifteen Nimesha make one Kashtha (unit of time

measurement) Thirty Kalas make a Muhurta, fifteen Muhurta a day and night each.

The dark lunar phase is said to be the day, while bright lunar phase is said to

be the night of the manes. One year of this world consists of 360 days. The

deities' day lasts for the full period, when the sun is positioned towards the

north of equator. Similarly, the deities' night lasts for the total period when

the sun is positioned towards the south of equator. One year of the deities is

equivalent to thirty years of this world. Similarly three months of the deities

are equivalent to one hundred months of this world. Each of the four Yugas is

measured on the basis of divine years. Satya Yuga is equivalent to 40,000

divine years, while Treta Yuga is equivalent to 80,000 divine years. Dwarpar

Yuga is equivalent to 20,000 years of

the deities, while Kali Yuga is equivalent to 60,000 years of the deities. The

period of each Yuga given here is exclusive of the periods of Sandhya (evening)

and Sandhyansh (part of evening. ) Lord Brahma commences creation at the fag

end of night and all his creations exist for the whole day. When the night

descends, everything is annihilated. This is the time when Kalpa ends. THE

ORIGIN OF CREATION In the initial phase of his creation, Lord Brahma created

immovable natural things like trees, mountains etc-then birds and animals. In

the process of creation, he created various things and human being was his

seventh creation. First of all Lord Brahma created his Manasputras-Sanak,

Sanandan etc, who had no worldly desires. He then created the nine supreme

sages---Marichi, Bhrigu, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Daksha, Atri and

Vashishth by the help of his yogic powers. After that, it was the turn of the

twelve

Prajapatis-Ribhu, Sanatkumar, Sanatan etc. All of them were divine, extremely

virtuous and had realized the supreme - self, Brahma. Shatarupa had begotten

four children from Swayambhuva Manu-Priyavrata, Uttanpad, Aakuti and Prasuti.

Aakuti was married to a Prajapati named Ruchi, while Prasuti married Daksha.

Aakuti gave birth to two children-Dakshina and Yagya. Dakshina had twelve sons.

Prasuti-the youngest daughter of Shatarupa had begotten twenty four daughters

from Yaksha-Shraddha, Lakshmi, Dhriti, Tushti, Pushti, Megha, Kriya, Buddhi,

Lajja, Vapu, Siddhi, Keerti, Khyati, Sambhuti, Smriti, Preeti, Kshama, Sannati,

Anusuya, Urja, Swaha, Sura Arani and Swadha. Thirteen of them were married to

Dharma-a Prajapati. Khyati was married to sage Bhrigu while Arani married sage

Bhargava. Similarly various sages like Marichi, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Ritu,

Atri and Vashishth got married with Sambhuti, Smriti, Preeti, Kshama, Sannati

Anusuya and Urjaa respectively. Swaha was

married to Vibhavasu while Swadha married the Pitrishwaras. Dharma had begotten

all together 15 sons from his thirteen wives-Kaam, Darp, Niyam, Santosh, Alobha,

Shrut, Dand, Samay, Body, Mahadyuti, Apramadd, Vinay, Vyavasay, Kshem, Sukh and

Yash. Khyati-wife of sage Bhrigu gave birth to Shri who later became the

consort of lord Vishnu. She also had two sons named Dhata and Vidhata.

Prabhuti-wife of sage Marichi gave birth to two sons-Puranama and Maarich. She

also had four daughters-Tushti, Drishti, Krishi and Apachi. Kshama-wife of Sage

Pulaha had many offspring among whom Kardam & Sahishnu were prominent. Preeti,

wife of Sage Pulastya had two sons named Dattarnavr and Dahvahu. She also had a

daughter named Dwashdwati. Kratu's wife-Sannati had six thousand offspring who

became famous as Baalkhilyas. Smriti-Wife of Sage Angiras had given birth to

five daughters--- Sini, Vali, Kuhu, Raka and Anumati. Anusuya, wife of Sage

Atri had six children-five

sons and one daughter. The names of the sons were - Satyanetra, Bhavyamuni,

Murtiray, Shanaishchar and Somatha. Urjaa, wife of sage Vashishth gave birth to

seven sons-Jyayji, Pundarikaaksh, Raj, Suhotra, Bahu, Nishpaap, Shravan, Tapasvi

and Shukra. Agni's consort Swaha gave birth to three sons-Pavamaan, Paavak and

Shuchi. LORD SHIVA - THE SUPREME LIBERATOR Sati- daughter of Daksha had

married lord Shiva much against the wish of her father. Once, Daksha organized

a grand yagya in which he did not invite his son-in-law. Sati went to attend

the yagya ceremony inspite of Shiva's forbiddance. After seeing her, Daksha

calumniated Lord Shiva and made fun of him. This infuriated her to such an

extent that she gave up her life by jumping into the sacrificial fire. She was

born as Parvati in her next birth and once again got Shiva as her husband.

Once, Lord Brahma requested Shiva to create a world, which was free from death.

Lord

Shiva refused apprehending its disastrous consequences. Lord Brahma was left

with no other option than to commence creation on his own. Meanwhile, Shiva

became immovable just like the trunk of a tree (sthanu). Lord Shiva, who is

capable of attaining any form. He showers benediction on mankind. He is

engrossed in the supreme state of Yoga with effortless case. Nobody can attain

liberation without his grace. He is the bestower of religiousness (Dharma),

knowledge (Gyan), asceticism (Vairagya) and splendour (Aishwarya). Sinners who

do not take refuge in Shiva have to experiences the unbearable tortures of

countless hells. INCARNATIONS OF MANU & VYAS On being asked about the

incarnation of Sage Vyas during various eras and Manvantars, Sutji replied-O

Brahmin! Now I am going to mention the names of all the incarnations of Vyas

who existed during Vaivasvat manvantar of Varah kalp. The names are as

follows-Ritu, Satya, Bhargava, Angira, Savita,

Mrityu, Shatakratu, Vashishth, Saraswat, Tridhatma, Trivrit, Swayam, Dharm,

Narayan, Tarakshu, Aaruni, Kritanjay, Trina, Bindu, Ruksha, Muni, Shakti,

Parashar, Jatukarnya and Sri Krishna Dwaipayan. The names of Manu's belonging

to different manvantars of Varah kalp are-Swayambhu, Swarochi's, Uttam, Tamas,

Raivat, Chakchhus, Vaivaswat, Savarni, Dharmasavarni, Vishang, Avishang, Shabal

and Varnak. All of these Manu's were named according to their appearances and

complexions. For example vaivaswat Manu was of dark complexion. THE ESSENCE

OF YOGA Yoga means union with God. The state of yoga is impossible to attain

without the blessings of Lord Shiva. It needs a concentrated and focussed mind.

There are some specific spots in the human body concentrating upon which,

enables a man to attain the state of yoga-spot between the eyebrows, lower part

of the throat, Navel and six inches above it etc. The state of yoga can never

be

attained until and unless a person has fully controlled the tendencies of sense

organs. It can be achieved with the help of eight means-Yama (Penance), Niyam

(discipline), Aasan (Posture), Pranayam (Breath-control), Pratyahar (restraint

of passion), Dharan (retention), Dhyan (concentration) and Samadhi (deep

meditation). Each of them holds an important position in the path of yoga.

Describing about the methods of performing yoga, Sutji says--- A person should

sit with his legs crossed in Padmasan and try to concentrate his mind by fixing

his gaze between his eyebrows. He should keep his spine erect. He should

meditate either on the form of Omkar or on the form of lord Shiva. Breath

control is an important aspect of yogic exercise. A man should exhale deeply

for 32 times and then breathe in deeply. He should then retain his breath as

long as possible and visualize lord Shiva within his body. By constant practice

he will achieve mastery over this art and a time will come

when he will experience divine bliss. This divine bliss can not be experienced

unless one has attained a deep state of meditation (Samadhi). OBSTACLES IN

THE PATH OF YOGA A man experiences numerous obstacles in the path of

Yoga-laziness, restlessness confusion, a diseased body etc. The main reason for

being lazy is a bulky physique and one's inability to concentrate his mind. Lack

of concentration results in restlessness, which is a major obstacle in the path

of yoga. If a person in unsure about the results he becomes confused. It is

impossible for a person suffering from any disease to concentrate his mind.

All the above mentioned hurdles can be overcome by firm resolution. A man who

has successfully overcome all these obstacles might experience other obstacles

in the form of siddhis (divine powers). There is a real danger of getting lured

by these divine powers. As a result his mind may get distracted from his

original goal and he

may deviate from his path. The names of these siddhis or divine powers

are-Pratibha (having knowledge of past present & future incident), Shravan

(being capable of listening to abnormal sounds), Varta (whatever is said

becomes true), Darshana (capable of seeing things which can mot be seen by the

mortal eyes), Aaswada (being capable of experiencing divine (tastes), Vedana

(being capable of relieving other's pain by a mere touch). If a person

successfully overcomes all these allurements then he becomes a siddha- or man

of accomplishment and divine powers. REALISATION OF SHIVA Lord Shiva

showers his blessing on one and all without any discrimination, but virtuous

people have special privilege in the sense that it is easier for them to

realize Lord Shiva. Once, Parvati asked Lord Shiva as to how a devotee could

realize him. Lord Shiva recalled an incident when Lord Brahma had asked the

same question. Lord Shiva had told lord Brahma-"Anybody

can realize me by having deep devotion towards me. A devotee can meditate upon

me in the form of Linga with total devotion. It is only by deep devotion that a

man can achieve true knowledge as well as salvation. " VENERABLENESS OF

SADYOJAAT The sages asked Sutji as to how was lord Brahma able to have a

divine glimpse of Sadyojaat. Sutji replied-During the Kalpa named Shwetalohit,

once lord Brahma witnessed the manifestation of a divine child who was of mixed

(red & white) complexion. The child had a Shikha (topknot) on his head.

Considering him to be an embodiment of almighty God, Lord Brahma eulogized that

child. Suddenly four children appeared and formed a protective ring around

Sadyojaat. The names of these children were-Sunand, Nandan, Vishwanand, and

Upanand. All of them were of fair complexion and very handsome. Anybody who is

desirous of attaining to Rudraloka must take refuge in Sadyojaat. LORD

VAAMDEV

Once, during thirtieth kalpa named Rakta, Lord Brahma was meditating on

Parameshthi Shiva. Suddenly a divine child appeared before him who was of red

complexion and who had put on red apparels. He was none other than Lord

Vaamdev. Lord Brahma immediately realized the divinity of that child and was

convinced that he was the embodiment of Almighty God. Lord Brahma eulogized

Vaamdev who was pleased by his devotions. Four divine entities-Virija, Vivahu,

Vishoka and Vishwabhavana manifested from the body of Vaamdev. All of them had

great resemblance to Lord Vaamdev. Vaamdev preached them on the finer points of

religiousness so that mankind could be benefited by this knowledge. LORD

TATPURUSH The thirty-first kalpa was known as Peet Kalpa. The term 'Peet'

means yellow and this Kalpa was named Peet because Lord Brahma had put on

yellow apparels during this Kalpa. Once, while he was meditating on the form of

Lord Shiva, a

divine child manifested before him. The child had a halo of light all around him

and had put on yellow coloured clothes. Even his turban, sacred-thread and

garland were yellow in colour. His arms were abnormally long. Lord Brahma

immediately realized that the child was none other than Lord Maheshwar himself.

Suddenly a divine cow appeared from the mouth of Maheshwar, who had four faces

and possessed all the thirty-two qualities. The divine cow was none other than

Goddess Gayatri herself. Lord Brahma eulogized her and Maheshwar was very

pleased by his deep devotion. Maheshwar also blessed him with divine knowledge

and unrevealed the secret of yoga to him. Right then, many divine children

appeared from the body of lord Maheshwar. Each of them had put on yellow

apparels and had great resemblance to lord Maheshwar. They were extremely

virtuous and served the mankind by giving sermons. After having completed their

mission of spreading the message of virtuosity to the mankind,

all of them got united with Lord Maheshwar ultimately. A person, who is

desirous of getting liberated from all his sin, must seek the blessings of Lord

Maheshwar who is also known as Tatpurush. LORD AGHORESH Peet kalpa was

followed by Pradhritta kalpa. Black was the predominant colour of this kalpa.

Initially, the whole earth was submerged in the water and Lord Brahma desirous

of commencing his creations wished for a son. As a result, a divine child

manifested whose complexion was dark. Not only that he had put on black

apparels and a black crown on his head. A black sacred thread was hanging

across his shoulder. Lord Brahma immediately recognized Aghoresh and eulogized

him. Lord Aghoresh became pleased by his devotion and blessed him. Just like the

preceding Kalpas, four divine children manifested from lord Aghoresh's body. All

of them had great resemblance with Aghoresh in every respect. In course of time,

they did

tremendous penance and preached the virtue of religiousness to the mankind. A

person who worships Lord Aghoresh and has deep devotion in him becomes

liberated from gravest of sins like Brahmhatya (sin acquired due to killing a

Brahmin) etc. LORD ISHAAN In the beginning of Vishwaroopa kalpa, lord

Brahma, desirous of commencing creation was engrossed in deep meditation. This

resulted into the manifestation of a divine cow, which puzzled lord Brahma very

much. Actually, this divine cow was none other then Vishwaroopa Saraswati, but

lord Brahma failed to recognize her. Lord Brahma decided to take the help of

Lord Ishaan and started meditating on him. When Lord Ishaan appeared before

him, he was requested by Lord Brahma to shed light on the identity of that

divine cow. Lord Ishaan replied by saying-"The present kalpa is called

Vishwaroopa kalpa. It has originated from the left side of my body and is the

thirty-third kalpa. This divine cow

has also originated from me. She is goddess Gauri-the source of all creation.

After saying like this, Lord Ishaan created four divine entities from the body

of the cow-Jati, Mundi, Shikhandi and Ardhamund. All of them were very luminous

and virtuous. After preaching the world for thousands of divine year. They got

reunited with lord Rudra. THE ORIGIN OF SHIVA LINGA The sages asked

Sutji--- Lord Shiva is formless then how come Shiva Linga is worshipped? What

is the significance of Shiva Linga? What is the proper method of worshipping a

Shiva Linga ? Sutji replied--- Once, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu developed

serious different on the matter of superiority. A tremendous duel broke out

between them. As they were fighting a mammoth Linga appeared on the scence, the

effulgence of which made efforts both of them amazed. Both of them decided to

find out the origin of that divine Linga. Lord Brahma transformed his

appearance into that of a swan and

flew up in the sky to determine the height of that Linga. Lord Vishnu

transformed himself into a roar and entered the depth of earth to find the

source of that Shiva Linga. But both of them failed in their objectives and

returned to the same place exhausted. Suddenly, they heard a loud sound of AUM

emanating from the Shiva Linga. Very soon, the whole form of OM, consisting of

all the three letters A, U and M became visible. (The letters A, U and M

symbolize Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh respectively). At last, both of them

realized their mistake and stopped quarrelling. This way, Lord Shiva was

successful in subduing their arrogance. Lord Rudra is beyond sensual

perception. He is the supreme Almighty and the bestowers of divine bliss. The

mystical form of Shivalinga is a symbolical _expression of sacred mantra-AUM.

The letter A symbolizes Beeja (Seed), M the creator himself and U is the

symbolical _expression of Yoni (Vagina). Lord Rudra is beyond

sensual perception. He is the supreme Almighty and the bestowers of divine

bliss. The mystical form of Shivalinga is a symbolical _expression of sacred

mantra-AUM. The letter A symbolizes Beeja (Seed), M the creator himself and U

is the symbolical _expression of Yoni (Vagina). LORD SHIVA BLESSES BRAHMA &

VISHNU At the time, when this incident of mystical Shiva linga had occurred

and after which Lord Brahmaand Vishnu had stopped quarelling, Lord Shiva

appeared before them and said--- "I am very pleased with both of you, Both of

you, though having distinct identities have actually manifested from my

body-Brahma from my left side and Vishnu from my right. I am the supreme

almighty and distinct from all three of you-Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh." Lord

Vishnu expressed his undiluted devotion towards Lord Shiva. (note: this section

was corrupted in the original Purana summary - I have attempted to edit it, but

the full account is not entirely

clear.) Linga is the personification of the Almighty God. The term Linga means

fusion and the Shivalinga are said to be the symbolical _expression of all the

deities. THE MANIFESTATION OF LORD BRAHMA The Sages requested Sutji to

elucidate how Lord Brahma emerged from the navel of Vishnu seated on a lotus

flower. Sutji replied--- At the time of deluge Lord Vishnu went in his

yoganidra lying on the back of Sheshnag. As the result of his divine play, a

huge lotus flower along with a long tubular stalk emerged from his navel. Lord

Brahma was seated on the Lotus flower. When Lord Brahma saw Lord Vishnu, he

asked-"Who are you sleeping in this ocean?'' Lord Vishnu also asked the same

question as to whom was he and from where had he manifested. Very soon, a

quarrel ensures between them. Desirous of knowing the identity of the stranger,

Lord Vishnu entered Brahma's abdomen through his mouth. He was amazed to find

the existence of whole

universe inside Brahma's abdomen. He remained there for thousands of year but

could not find the end. Being exhausted, he came out and told Lord Brahma that

even his abdomen had the same unlimited expanse. Lord Brahma decided to check

the authenticity of Vishnu's statement and entered into his abdomen through the

mouth. Lord Brahma wandered inside the abdomen for thousands of year but could

not find the end. Mean while, Lord Vishnu has shut each and every opening of

his body which made it impossible for Lord Brahma to come out. Ultimately he

was successful in coming out through the tubular stalk of the lotus. As Lord

Brahma was not amused by Vishnu's behaviour, he started fighting with him.

Right at that moment, Lord Mahadev arrived there. His moments created high tide

and strong mind, which vigorously shook the lotus flower. Lord Vishnu

immediately realized that these signs forebode the arrival of Mahadev. He

revealed this fact to Brahma and about Manadev's

greatness. But Lord Brahma was not impressed. Lord Vishnu then said --- "Shiva

is the almighty God. He is the one, whom, enlightened people are always in

search for. He manifests himself in the form of an egg on account of the union

of his formless and with form appearances. In course of time the egg gets

divided into two halves, from which are created the different Lokas (world).

The egg is the very place from where originates the whole creation. Even you

(Brahma) own your existence to that egg. Your arrogance might invite the wrath

of Shiva. So, come let both of us eulogize and praise the holy name of Mahadev.

LORD BRAHMA BECOMES THE CREATOR At last, Lord Vishnu was successful in

convincing Brahma of Shiva's supreme status. Both of them eulogized and sang

hymns in the praise of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva became very pleased by their

devotion. He requested Lord Vishnu wanted nothing else but undiluted devotion

in him. Lord Shiva agreed

and said "So be it". Lord Shiva then blessed Brahma and made him the creator.

Lord Brahma did a tremendous penance, which continued for a very long period.

The severe penance strained his eyes as a result of which tears started rolling

down his cheeks. Poisonous snakes manifested from those teardrops. Lord Brahma

became disillusioned by his maiden creation and gave up his life. Eleven Rudras

emerged from his body and started wailing. They then brought Lord Brahma back to

life. After becoming alive, Lord Brahma eulogized Vishveshwar and goddess

Gayatri. He was amazed to see the existence of whole universe inside the body

of Lord Vishveshwar all the kalpas including the different incarnations of lord

Shiva about origin of these kalpas and various incarnations like sadya, etc.

DESCRIPTION OF DIFFERENT KALPAS Lord Shiva revealed to Brahma that the

Shwet-kalpa derived its name from his complexion. "I took incarnation attired

in white

apparels. My complexion was fair. You being self-begotten were able to recognize

me. Goddess Gayatri had also manifested from my body and later on became famous

as 'Shwet-Lohit-Brahm'. " "The next kalpa was known as Lohit kalpa because of

my red complexion, Goddess Gayatri had also incarnated in the form of divine

cow. I became famous as Vaamdev during this kalpa. " Lord Shiva then went on to

describe about the rest of the kalpas which had been named after his complexion.

He also gave in-depth description of various subjects like, the different

worlds, the vedas the four major castes etc. INCARNATIONS OF SHIVA DURING

VARIOUS DWAPAR YUGAS On being enquired by Lord Brahma about his various

incarnations, Lord Shiva said --- "I shall incarnate as Shwet-Mahamuni during

1st Dwapar yuga of Vaivaswat manvantar. My abode shell is at Chhogal peak of

Himalaya mountain. I shall have four disciples who will be proficient in the

Vedas. "

"I will incarnate as Sutar during second dwapar. At that time, Saddyojaat

Prajapati will be holding he post of Vyas. I will have four sons-Dundubhi,

Shataroopa, Richika and Keluma. " "During third dwapar and at the time when

Sage Bhargav will be acting as a Vyas, I will take incarnation as Daman. I will

have four sons-Vikrosh, Vikesh, Vipash and Paapnashak. " "During fourth dwapar

and at the time when Sage Angira will be acting as a Vyas, I will take

incarnation as Suhotra. I will have four sons-Sumukh, Durmukh, Durdhar and

Duratikram. " "I will take incarnation as Kank during fifth dwapar and at the

time when Sage Savita will be fulfilling the obligations of Vyas; I will have

four sons-Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan and Sanatkumar. " "During Sixth dwapar, I

will take incarnation as Laugakshi. At that time Sage Mrityu will be holding

the post of Vyas. My sons will be Sudhama, Viraja, Shankh and Padraj. " "Sage

Shataritu will act

as Vyas during Seventh dwapar. I will have four sons-Saraswat, Megh, Meghvah and

Suvahan. " "Sage Vashishth will be the vyas during eighth dwapar. I will take

incarnation as Dadhivahan. My sons will be-Kapil, Aasuri, Panch, Shikhomuni and

Vashkal. " "Sage Saraswat will act as Vyas during nineth dwapar. I will take

incarnation as Rishabh. I will have four sons-Parashar, Garg, Bhargav and

Aangiras. " "The tenth dwapar will see Tripad fulfilling the duties of Vyas. I

will incarnate as Bhavita Muni. I will have four sons-Bala, Bandhu, Niramitra

and Ketu. " "Sage Trivat will be the Vyas during eleventh dwapar. I will take

incarnation as Ugra. My sons will be-Lambodar, Lambaksha & Lambakesh. " "Sage

Shatateja will perform the duties of Vyas during twelfth dwapar. I will have

four sons-Sarvagya, Sambuddhi, Saadhya and Sarva. " "Dharma will be the Vyas

during thirteenth dwapar. I will take incarnation as Bali and live at the

hermitage of the Baalkhilya. I will have four sons-Sudhama, Kashyap, Vashishth

and Viraja. " This way, Lord Shiva elaborated upon his various incarnations

till the period of twenty-eight dwapar, which went as follows. DWAPAR VYAS

SHIVA SHIVA'S SONS 14th Tarakshu Gautam Atri, Devarudra, Shravan &

Shrivishthak 15th Traiyyaruni Vedshira Kuni, Kunibahu, Kusharir & Kunetrak

16th Deva Gokarn Kashyao, Shukracharya, Chyavn & Vrihaspati 17th Kritanjay

Guhavasi Utathya, Vamadev, Mahayoga & Mahabal 18th Ritanjay Shikhani

Vachashrava,Richik,Shyavashva & Yateeshwar 19th Bhardwaj Jatamali Hiranyabh,

Kaushal, Laungakshi & Kuthumi 20th Gautam Attahaas Sumantu, Varvari, Kavandh &

Kushi Kandhar 21st Vachashrava Daruko Rampkshoda, Bhayani, Ketuman & Gautam.

22nd Shushmayan Langli Bheem Dharmik, Mahayotri, Bhallavi, Madhupinga,Shwetu,

Ketu

& Kush 23rd Trinabindu Kalanjar Ushik, Vrihadashva, Deval & Kavirevach 24th

Riksha Shooli Shalihotra, Agnivesh, Unashva & Sharadvasu. 25th Shakti

Dandi-Mundishvar Chhagal, Kundak, Kumbhand & Prawahaj 26th Parashar Sahishnu

Ulook, Viddyut, Shambuk & Aashwalayan. 27th Jatuk Karnya Somsharma Akshapad,

Kumar, Ulook & Vatsa. 28th Dwaipayan Lakuli Kushik, Garg, Mitra & Kaurushya

RITUALS OF SHIVA-LINGA WORSHIP (PURITY) Once, Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva

about the proper methods of worshipping Shiva-linga. While Shiva was elucidating

upon the rituals, Nandi who was present there too got enlightened on this sacred

topic. In course of time, this knowledge was passed on to Sanat Kumar, who in

turn revealed it to Sage Vyas. Sutji came to know about it from Shailadi. Lord

Shiva had described the following three methods, by the help of which a devotee

should become pure before commencing his worship. Varun Snan (Taking bath in

open) Bhashma Snan (Smearing ashes on the body) Mantra Snan (Chanting of

mantra) Lord Shiva had stressed upon the importance of taking bath in a river

or a pond. According to him a man's mind, which is like a lotus, could never

blossom unless it received the radiance of the sun. Describing about the

methods of taking Bhasmsnan, he said-After washing his hands and feet, a

devotee should smear any of the following things on his body to make it

pure-mud, cowdung ashes etc. While smearing mud on his body, he should chant

the mantra -Uddhatashivarahen. After becoming pure according to the methods

mentioned above, he should then worship Lord Varun. Having done, this, he

should take a dip in the river after purifying the water by chanting the sacred

'Adhamarshan' mantra. He should then worship all the deities by sprinkling water

from the Shankh (Conch) and amidst the

chanting of mantras like 'Rudren Pavamanen' etc. He should then concentrate upon

the form of a Shivalinga. He should drink some water holding some Kusha grass in

his right hand simultaneously. A devotee should commence his worship only after

becoming pure. In the beginning he should perform Pranayam for three times so

that his lungs are filled up with fresh air. After this, he should concentrate

his mind on the form of Lord Trayambak in all his glory. He should purify all

the articles required for the worship by performing ablution and by chanting OM

NAMAH SHIVAY. He should also make offerings of flowers, rice grains, barley etc.

to the deity. Worship of Lord Shiva is believed to be incomplete without the

worship of his family-Nandi, Kartikeya, Vinayak and Goddess Parvati. So, the

devotee must not forget to worship them. LORD SHIVA TESTS THE PATIENCE OF

SAGES Once upon a time, the sages were busy doing their penance to please

Lord

Mahadev. Lord Shiva decided to test patience and visited daruk forest in naked

position. By the virtue of his divine power, he was successful in corrupting

the conduct of the sage's wives. Those women became so infatuated by his divine

appearance that they lost control omen themselves. They were desirous of

satiating their lust but Shiva maintained silence and did not oblige them.

When the sages saw the womenfolk in such a pitiable condition, they started

abusing Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva did not respond and disappeared from the scene.

Now, the sages became very frightened. All of them went to Lord Brahma and

narrated the whole incident. Lord Brahma reprimanded them by saying that how

unfortunate they had been in not recognizing Lord Shiva- the Almighty. Lord

Brahma said-"You have committed a grace sir by showing disrespect to your

guest. Your conduct was unlike Sudarshan-a Brahmin who by his hospitality was

able to win the lord of death. " Lord Brahma narrated the

following tale to them --- "Once there lived a kind hearted Brahmin named

Sudarshan. He was very hospitable and considered his guests, as Lord Shiva

himself. He had given strict instructions to his wife that under no

circumstance should a guest return unsatisfied from his home. " "Dharmaraj

wanted to test Sudarshan firmness in his belief. One day he arrived at

Sudarshan's hermitage disguised as a Brahmin. At that time he was not present

in his hermitage. Dharmaraj refused to accept anything in donation except

Sudarshan's wife herself. "Sudarshan's wife offered herself without any

hesitation. When he returned, not finding her wife started calling her name. At

that time he heard a voice saying that his wife was satisfying the lust of a

guest. Sudarshan remained unperturbed and requested his guest to carry on till

he is satisfied. " "Dharmaraj became pleased. He appeared before Sudarshan and

gave blessings. He appreciated his hospitable nature by

saying that by the virtue of his undiluted hospitality he had even vanquished

him (Dharmaraj). " The sages were very ashamed of their conduct and returned

Lord Brahma to explain as to how they could have devotion in Lord Shiva. Lord

Brahma elucidated on the virtue of devotion and narrated the tale of sage Shwet

who had subjugated even death by his devotion. SAGE SHWET The sages were

very curious to know about sage Shwet. Lord Brahma narrated the following tale

--- "Once, there lived a sage named Shwet. He was a great devotee of Lord

Shiva. He lived in a cave and engaged himself in severe penance, continuously

chanting the holy name of Shiva. When the time of his death approached, 'Kaal

arrived there to take his life. Sage Shwet started eulogizing Lord Shiva. He

challenged 'Kaal' that being a devotee of Shiva he was beyond the reach of

death. But, Kaal made fun of him and told him that nobody could escape death.

Sage Shwet

had unshakable faith in Lord Shiva. Pointing towards the Shiva Linga, he told

Kaal that he would remain unharmed because of Lord Shiva who was present in

that Shivalinga. Suddenly, Kaal tied him with his noose and said---See, Now

you are absolutely under my control and even your deity seems to be helpless.

To protect his devotee, Lord Shiva arrived on the scene accomplished by Goddess

Amba, Ganapati and Nandi. 'Kaal' got scared to such an extent that he fainted

and died. " The sages curiously asked Lord Brahma about the means with which

Shiva could be pleased. Lord Brahma told them that only deep devotion and

nothing else could please Lord Shiva. SAGES EULOGIZE LORD SHIV Having

realized their mistake, the sages returned to Daruk forest and engaged

themselves in austere penance to please Shiva. They did a tremendous penance,

which lasted for a year. Ultimately their wished were fulfilled as Lord Shiva

appeared with ashes

smeared all over his body. He had a begging-bowl in his hands and exhibited

strange mannerism. But this time the sages did not fail in recognizing him.

They begged for his forgiveness and sought his blessings. Lord Shiva became

pleased and blessed them divine sight, which made them enable to see his form

of Trayambak. The illumines appearance of Lord Trayambak cast a spellbound over

them. They eulogized Lord Shiva by singing praise in his name. This way, their

deep devotion in Lord Shiva had exploited them from their sin. LORD SHIVA

PREACHES THE SAGES Lord Shiva revealed to the sages that a female sex organ

was nothing but a symbolic _expression of goddess Parvati where as a male sex

organ symbolized his own self. He also cautioned them against making fun of

hermit's appearance. He said-"These hermits who appear absured by their looks

are my great devotees. They don't care about their physical appearance because

I predominantly

occupy their thoughts. Anybody making fun of these 'naked' hermits, whose bodies

are smeared with ashes is in fact making fun of me. " Lord Shiva then went on

to describe the purity of ash and said--- Ash is extremely pure, as it is the

residual element of matter, which is left after burning. It is sacred and

indestructible. This is why, I smear it on my body. A person who smears ash on

his body becomes liberated from all his sins. It is the destroyer of sin. It is

the symbolic _expression of my 'Veerya' (Semen). This way, Lord Shiva

enlightened them on various spiritual topics. DADHICHI SUBJUGATES KSHOOPA

There ruled a king named Kshoopa whose friend was Sage Dadhichi. Once they got

into argument over the superiority of their respective castes. King Kshoopa was

of the opinion that a Kshetriya was superior to Brahmin. Very soon, the dispute

took an ugly turn and a duel broke out between them. Dadhich punched

Kshoopa on his head. Kshoopa retaliated by attacking Dadhichi with his weapon

named Vajra. The assault proved to be for Dadhichi and he fell down, Before his

death he prayed to his guru-Shukracharya and sought his help. Realizing that his

disciple was in danger, Shukracharya rushed to the spot, but Dadhichi had

already died before he could arrive there. Shukracharya knew the secret

learning-Mritasanjivani Vidya. He brought back Dadhichi alive and advised him

to please Lord Shiva to attain invincibility. He also taught Dadhichi the

proper methods of worshipping Shiva. Dadhichi did an austere penance and

pleased Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appeared and blessed him with invincibility and

also made his bones as hard as Indra's thunderbolt (Vajra). Dadhichi then went

to fight Kshoopa. He kicked Kshoopa on his chest. Kshoopa retaliated by

attacking Dadhichi with his Vajra. But this time Dadhichi remained unharmed.

Kshoopa was surprised to see his assault going in vain. He

decided to take the help of Lord Vishnu and engaged himself in austere penance.

KSHOOPA ACCEPTS DEFEAT When Lord Vishnu appeared before Kshoopa, he sought

his help in defeating Dadhichi. Lord Vishnu expressed his inability by

saying--- I don't punish a Brahmin, especially if he is a devotee of Rudra.

Dadhichi is both, so forget about defeating him. Anyhow, I will try me best to

make Dadhichi devoid of his power. Lord Vishnu then went to Dadhichi's

hermitage disguised as a Brahmin. Dadhichi recognized him and came to know

about his intentions. He requested Lord Vishnu to go ahead with his demand. "I

have conquered fear on account of my total devotion in Lord Shiva" said

Dadhichi. Lord Vishnu did not like his arrogant behaviour. He said-"I know you

have conquered fear. But, just for once, say that you are fearful of me, as I am

Vishnu. " But, Dadhichi refused to obey his commands. This infuriated Lord

Vishnu and he

tried to kill Dadhichi with his Chakra. Dadhichi remained unharmed and said-How

can this Chakra harm me? Lord Shiva has given whose devotee I am it to you

whose devotee I am. Lord Vishnu tried to use his other weapons but failed to

cause any harm to Dadhichi. All the deities came to his help but still their

efforts of defeating Dadhichi went futile. Lord Vishnu then tried to impress

Dadhichi by his divine powers and showed his divine appearance in which the

whole world was visible. Dadhichi gave a befitting reply by showing the whole

universe including Lord Vishnu within his body. Lord Vishnu was amazed by his

divine powers. Ultimately, Lord Brahma persuaded Lord Vishnu to discontinue the

fight. Seeing his lord in such a helpless condition, Kshoopa had no other option

but to accept defeat. He tried to pacify Dadhichi anger by asking cursed him as

well as all the deities by saying--- All of you including the deities and

Vishnu will be destroyed in Daksha's yagya as the

consequence of Rudra's wrath. The place where Dadhichi's hermitage was situated

later on became famously known as Sthaneshwar. It is considered to be the most

sacred place of pilgrimage. SHILAD'S IMPOSSIBLE DEMAND Once, Shilad did an

austere penance to please Indra. He was desirous of begetting a son. When Indra

appeared he requested him to bless him with a son who was self-born as well as

deathless. Indra expressed his helplessness in fulfilling impossible demand.

Even Lord Brahma meets his end after the passage of crores of Kalpas"-said

Indra. Shilad tried to convince the validity of his demand by citing the

example of Daksha's son who according to his best of knowledge were self-born

as well as deathless. Indra told him that it was not true. To prove his point

Indra said-"Even Vishnu and Brahma are not self born. Lord Vishnu created

Brahma during Meghavahan Kalpa. Some are of the view that Vishnu and Brahma

manifested from the

left and right sides of Shiva respectively. So, your demand is unsubstantial and

without any base. " According to a mythological tale Lord Vishnu manifested

from in between the eyebrow of Lord Brahma. At that time Lord Shiva had arrived

there to bless both of them. After the departure of Lord Shiva, Vishnu took the

incarnation of Varah (Boar) and reestablished the earth in it's original

position. Lord Brahma then commenced his creation and in course of time the

earth came to be inhabitated by all kind of living creatures. THE

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOUR ERAS Shilad requested Indra to shed light on the

special characteristics of each of the four eras. Indra replied---Lord Brahma

created the four eras (yugas)--Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali. There eras keep

on occuring in a cyclic order where the former is followed by the latter.

Saoguna (Pure) prevails during Satyayuga. Rajoguna is the dominant quality

prevailing during

tretayuga. During Dwapar yuga both Rajoguna and tamoguna are present. Tamoguna

(Dark) is the dominant quality prevailing during Kaliyuga. During Satya yuga,

meditation was the means by the help of which a man could achieve salvation

while oblation, devotion and donation were said to be the means capable of

giving salvation during Treta, Dwapar and Kaliyuga respectively. The

inhabitants of Satyayuga were virtuous and free from sorrow. But, the vice of

desire started to raise it's head during Treta and people started being

troubled by it. Lord Brahma created the warrior caste Kshatriya for the

protection of virtuosity. Lord Brahma propogated the rituals of oblation during

Tretayuga. Everything was fine till Tretayuga but there was a drastic change in

the human behaviour during Dwapar Yuga. All the vices surfaced and people were

troubled by them. Some extraordinary lietarary feats were accomplished during

dwapar--Sage Vyas categorized the veda into four sections, all the

major puranas were compiled and smritis were written. Kaliyuga saw the devline

of virtuosity and religiousness. Ignorance and false knowledge prevailed

everywhere during this era. KALIYUGA Describing about the decline in moral

values during Kaliyuga, Indra told Shilad-- In Kaliyuga, people will be under

the total influence of the worldly illusions. Ignorance diseases, fear and

hunger will be prevalent everywhere. Famine and drought would occur quite

frequently as the fall out of inadequate rain. Sinners would outnumber the

virtuous people would deviate from the path of religiousness. Brahmins would

lose their superiority and Shudras would become the rulers. Brahmins will not

be respected and will be forced to serve the lowlye people. Majority of women

would be immoral and progenies would not obey the commands of their parents.

Predicting a grim scenario, Indra stressed great importance of religiousness

during Kaliyuga and

said-- A virtuous deed accomplished in Kaliyuga gives fruits in aday as compared

to Treta and Dwapar, which take one year and one month respectively.

MANIFESTATION OF BRAHMA Once, Lord Brahma did an austere penance to please

Lord Shiva. Shiva manifestated as Ardhnarishwar (Partly male partly female)

from his forehead and said--'I am your son'. But, the unberabale heat emanating

from the effulgence of Ardhanarishwar burnt the whole world including Lord

Brahma. Lord Shiva then separated the feminine part of his body (Goddess

Parmeshwari) and instructed her to begin creation. Both Brahma and Vishnu

manifested from the body of goddess Parmeshwari. Lord Vishnu divided his body

into two halves and created the world. Lord Brahma once again did a tremendous

penance which lasted for ten thousand years. Once again Shiva manifested from

his forehead, but this time as Neelalohit. Lord NeelaLohit became pleased by

Brahma's eulogy and

blessed him. MANIFESTATION OF NANDISHWAR Shilad did a tremendous penance to

please Lord Shiva. His penance continued for thousands of year. At last, Lord

Shiva appeared before him and said--"I am extremely pleased by you devotion. I

shall bless you with a son who will become famous for his knowledge and

learning. " But, Shilad was desirous of a self-born and immortal son. Lord

Shiva said--'Your desire will be fulfilled. Even Lord Brahma had requested me

to take an incarnation. I will take birth as your son and my name will be

Nandi. " In course of time, Shiva manifested from the oblation site. The

deities became pleased after seeing Nandi, who possessed three eyes, four arms

and a crown on his head. THE NETHER WORLD Lord Shiva is the source from

where all the different worlds originate. People in their ignorance are unware

of the fact that the whole universe is nothing but a medium through

which Shiva manifests himself. The various worlds like Maha, Jana, Tapa, Satya

etc. and all the natural e;ements like earth, Sky ocean etc, owe their origin

to Shiva. Underneath the earth lies the netherworlds which are all together

seven in number-- Tala, Vitalo, Sutala etc. The netherworld named Mahatala is

the dwelling place of Lord Muchkand and king Bali. Sutala is yellow in colour

while Vitalo shines brightly like a coral. Atala is of white colour and Tala

has a shade of white. All these netherworld have the same expanse as the

earth. Rasatal is the place where Vasuki resides. Talatal is the dwelling place

of mighty demons like Virochan and Hiranyaksha. It is also the place where hell

is situated. The netherworld named Sutal is the dwelling place where Tarka,

Agnimukh and Prahlada live. Tala is the dwelling place of mighty warriors like

Mahakumbh, Hayagreeva etc. THE SEVEN ISLANDS The earth consists of seven

islands, many

rivers, mountains and seven oceans. The Plaksha, Shaalmali, Kush, Kraunch, Shaak

and Pushkar. Lord Shiva alongwith goddess Ambika and his ganas dwell in all

these seven islands in one form or the other. The name of the seven oceans are

Ksharod, Rasod, Surod, Ghatodakshi, Dadhyarnav, Kshirod and Swadood. LOrd SHiva

manifests himself in all of them. Lord Shiva dwells in the ocean named

Kshirarnav. King Priyavrata was the grandson of Manu, who ruled during

Swayambhuva manvantar. He had ten sons-- Agnighra, Agnibahu, Meghatithi, Vasu,

Vayushmaan, Jyotishmaan, Dyutimaan, Havya, Savan etc. Priyavrata had made

Aghnighra the king of Jambudweepa. Similarly the islands of Plakshadweepa,

Shaalmali, Kushadweepa, Kraunchdweepa, Shaalvadweepa and Pushkar were given to

Medhatithi, Vayushmaan, Jyotishmaan, Dyutimaan Havya and Savan respectively.

Havya had seven sons who became rulers and the different territories they ruled

desired their names from them. BHARAT VARSH

Agnighra--the ruler of Jambudweepa was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He had

nine sons--Nabhi, Kimpurush, Harivarsha, Ilavrata, Ramya, Hiranyamaan, Kuru,

Bhadrashva and Ketumaal. Agnighra appointed Nabhi the king of Hemakhya.

Similarly, Kimpurush, Harivarsha, Ilavrata, Ramya, Hiranyaman, Kuru, Bhadrashva

and Ketumaal were given the kingdoms of Hemakoot, Naishadh, Meru, Neelachal,

Shwet, Shringavarsh, Maalvan and Gandhamoodan respectively. After this,

Agnighra renounced everything and went to do penance. Merudevi was Nabhi's

wife and the mother of Rishabh. After growing up Rishabh got married and became

the father of no less than one hundred sons. Among them Bharat was the eldest.

When Bharat grow up, Rishabh appointed him as his successor and after

renouncing everything went to the forest. Bharat went on to become a great

king and ruled over the whole territory southwards of Himalaya. Our country

derives it's name from him. Bharat had a son

named Sumati who succeeded his father as a king. THE MERU MOUNTAIN Meru

mountain is situated in the heart of Jambudweepa. The Meru range is spread in

the area of 16 thousand yojan. It's towering peak is 84 thousand in height from

the ground level and had even penetrated the depth of earth to the measurement

of 16 thousand yojan. Meru mountain is considered to be very sacred and is

believed to be the dwelling place of the deities. Yamraj's

abode--Vaivaswatipuri is situated in the souther part of Meru mountain. SOme

other holy places like Shuddhavati, Gandhavati and Yashomati are also situated

on this mountain where Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are believed to

have their respective abodes. The sun continuously shines over Meru mountain. A

river named Jambu flows down this mountain. There is also a tree by the same

name which is eternally ladden with fruits. The Meru mountain is surrounded on

all its sides by a country Ilavrita. The

residents of Ilavrita relish the fruits of Jambu tree. THE PROMINENT MOUNTAINS

Describing about the physical characteristics os all tje seven islands, Sutji

says --- "Seven mountains are situated in Plaksha dweepa-Gobhedak, Chaandra,

Narad, Dundubhi, Soyak, Sumana and Vaibhraj. Similarly, the prominent mountain

ranges situated in Shaalmali dweepa are Kumud, Uttam, Balahak, Drona,

Karkamahish Kumudman etc. Kushadweepa also has seven mountains among which

Vidhrabh and Hem are the prominent ones. All these seven islands are surrounded

by seven oceans. The mountain named Lokalok is so gigantic in size that half of

its part is always covered in darkness. The omnipresent Lord Shiva pervades

the whole universe. Once, being confronted by the effulgence of Lord Shiva, who

had disguised himself as a Yaksha, all the deities became devoid of their power.

Indra was amazed and asked the Yaksha as to who he was. Lord Shiva disappeared

without giving any answer and goddess Ambika appeared before the deities. Indra

asked her the same question to which goddess Ambika replied--- He was none

other than the almighty Shiva. I being the Prakriti (nature) do creation

following his instructions. He is the embodiment of Purush (Supreme almighty).

THE SUN The movement of Sun is rapid when it is positioned south of equator

(Dakshinayan), on the other hand its movement is slow when positioned north os

equator (Uttarayan). The time is indicated by the various positions of Sun

while it is on its course of movement in the horizon. While the sun is situated

in the South-East direction it is believed to be the morning time. Similarlt,

when the Sun has positioned itself in the south-west, North-west or South-East

direction, it is said to be the 'before-noon', 'after-noon' and Night

respectively. The Sun is believed to be mounted on a chariot while on its

course of movement in the

Horizon. All the deities, apsaras and gandharvas are believed to follow its

movement. The periods of day and night consist of 30 ghadi each. The Sun causes

rainfall due to the process of evaporation. Water is the source of life and is

the manifestation of Lord Shiva himself. LORD BRAHMA ASSIGNS LORDSHIPS TO THE

DEITIES. The Sages requested Sutji to describe how Lord Brahma assigned

Lordships to all the deities and the demons. Sutji replied--- The Sun was made

the lord of all the planets. Soma was made the lord of all the constellations

and medicinal herbs. Similarly, Vaun was made the Lord of water, while Kuber

was assigned the Lordship of wealth. Lord Vishnu attained the Lordship of

Aadityas, Pawak of Vasus, Daksha of Prajapatis, Indra of deities, and Prahlad

attained the Lordship of all the demons. Some other prominent species and the

assigned Lordships are as follows--- Animals = Rudra Women = Uma

Rudras = Neelalohit Obstacles = Gajanan Power of Speech = Saraswati

Mountains = Himalaya Rivers = Ganga Oceans = Ksheersagar Trees = Peepal

(Holy Fig) Gandharvas = Chitrarathi Serpents = Takshak Birds = Garuda

Prithu was made the lord of Earth and Lord Shiva the lord of whole universe.

THE CHARIOTS OF SUN MOON & OTHER PLANET The chariot of Surya is believed to

have been created by Lord Brahma. It is made up of gold and its wheels have

five spokeseach. The chariot is very huge in size and its expanse covers the

area of nine thousand yojan. It is pulled by seven horses which are of green

complexion. The movement of Sun results into the occurence of day and night.

The moon's chariot consists of three wheela and is pulled by ten white horses.

Each wheel is supported by one hundred spokes. The chariots of Mercury, Mars

and

Jupiter are believed to be pulled by eight horses each. The chariot of Saturn is

believed to be pulled by ten black horses. THE RADIANCE OF SURYA The Surya

is the source to which all the living beings owe their existence. All the

deities derive their effulgence from Surya, who in turn derives its own

radiance from Lord Mahadev. Time is determined with the help of Surya's

movement. One can not even imagine the various units of time, like Kshana,

muhurta day, night, fortnight, month, season etc. without the existence of

Surya. The Sun, which illuminates the whole world is nothing but the medium

through which the almighty Rudra manifests himself. The Sun sheds thousands of

rays among which seven are prominent-Sushumna, Rishikesh, Vishwakarma,

Vishwatyacha, Annadh, Sarvavasu and Swarah. DHRUVA -- THE SUPREME DEVOTEE

The Sages asked Sutji as to how Dhruva became successful in attaining

immortality

and supreme status among all the stars. Sutji narrated the following tale---

There lived a king named Uttanpad, who had two queens--Suniti and Suruchi. The

eldest queen Suniti had a son named Dhruva. One day while Dhruva was sitting in

his father's lap, Suruchi--his step mother, contemptuously pulled him from

Uttanpad's lap and made her own son sit in his place. Dhruva went to Suniti and

complained about his steps mother's behaviour. Suniti advised Dhruva that he

should seek for the supreme status, which is permanent. Following his mother's

advice, Dhruva went to the forest in search of that supreme status. In the

forest, he met Sage Vishwamitra who advised him to seek the blessings of Lord

Keshav by chanting the sacred mantra 'Om Namo Vasudevay'. Dhruva did an

austere penance for thousands of year. At last, lord Vishnu became pleased and

appeared before him mounted on Garuda. Lord Vishnu touched Dhruva's face with

his conch as a result of which he

attained Self knowledge. Lord Vishnu blessed Dhruva by saying --- I give you

the supreme place, which even the deities and the sages long for. This way,

Dhruva attained a supreme status among all the stars with the blessings of Lord

Vishnu. THE ORIGIN OF DEITIES On being enquired by the sages about the

origin of deities, demons and other celestial entities, Sutji said-- Daksha

being desirous of enhancing the population, created ten-thousand sons merely by

his wish and instructed them to contribute in the propagation of population. His

objective remained unfulfilled as Narad was successful in preaching them towards

the path of devotion. As a result all of them went to do meditation after

renouncing the world. Seeing his efforts go in vain, Daksha created ten

thousand more sons who were convinced by Narad to the path of renunciation once

again. Daksha then begot sixty daughters from his wife named Vairini. When

these girls grew up, Daksha married to different sages--ten of them were married

to Dharma, thirteen to Kashyap, twenty-seven to Soma, four to Arishtanemi, two

to Bhrigu's son, two to Krishashwa and the remaining two were married to

Angira. The named of Dharma's wives were Marutivati, Vasu, Aryama, Lamba,

Bhanu, Arundhati, Sankalpa, Muhurta, Sadhya and Vishwabhamini. Vishwabhamini

was the mother of Vishvedeva, while Sadhya gave birth to Sadhva. Similarly,

Marutvati, Bhanu, Muhurta, Lamba and Sankalpa gave birth to Varutwan, Bhanav,

Mahurtik Ghosh and Sankalp respectively. Vasu became the mother of eight Vasus.

Among the twenty seven wives of Kashyap the names of some prominent ones

were--Aditi, Diti, Arishta, Surasa, Muni, Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krodha,

Vasha, Ila, Kadru, Twishad, Anga etc. Kashyap had two sons from Diti,

Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Danu gave birth to one hundred sons among whom

Viprachit was very prominent. Tamra gave birth to six

daughters---Shuki, Sweni, Sugreevi, Gridhika, Bhasi and Shuni. Kashyap did an

austere penance and was blessed with two sons--Vatsar & Asit, Vatsar had two

sons--Naibudh and Raimbh. Asit married Ekparna and had one son from

her--Brahmanishth. Vashishth was married to Arundhati and had one hundred sons

from her among whom Shakti was the eldest. Shakti was married to Adrishyanti

and Parashar was his son. Dwaipayan was the son of Parashar and Shukra was

Dwaipayan's son. SAGE PARASHAR The Sages asked Sutji how Shakti had been

devoured by a demon named Rudhir. Sutiji replied--- Once, Sage Vashishth was

presiding over a grand Yagya being organized by a king named Kalmashpad.

Vashishth had a rivalry with Vishwamitra. On seeing Vashishth busy in that

Yagya, Vishwamitra instigated Rudhir-- a demon, to kill his sons. Rudhir

followed the instructions and devoured Vashishth's sons including Shakti. When

Vashishth learnt

about his sons death his heart was filled with grief. He desired to give up his

life but was prevented from doing so by his daughter-in-law. She informed him

about her pregnancy and said-- Very soon you will see your grandson. So, quit

the idea of giving up your life. Vashishth, though still mournful of his son's

death, postponed the idea of giving up his life for the time being. One day

while he was engrossed in the thoughts of his departed son, he was amazed to

listen the recital of a vedic hymn. He looked all around but found nobody.

Suddenly he heard a heavenly voice that revealed by his grandson who was still

inside the womb of his mother. In course of time, Arundhati gave birth to a son

who was named Parashar. One day young Parashar curiously enquired from his

mother as to why she did not put on ornaments like other women of her age do.

Arundhati kept quite but when Parashar kept on insisting she revealed to him

that it was not proper for a mournful women to adorn herself. She

also told him how his father--Shakti had been killed by Rudhir, the demon.

Parashar consoled Arundhati by saying that he would avenge his father's lord

Shiva. He then made an earthen Shivalinga and started worshipping it by

chanting the scared mantras of Shiva-Sukta and trayambak Sukta. Lord Shiva

became pleased by his devotion and blessed him with a divine vision which

enabled him to see his dead father. Parashar then commenced a yagya with the

purpose of annihilating the demons. All the demons started being tormented by

the extreme heat generated by that oblation. Vashishth prevented by that

oblation. Vashishth prevented Parashar from contiuing with that Yagya as many

innocent demons had suffered. Parashar stopped performing the rituals at his

father's request. Sage Pulastya had also been invited in that yagya. He was

very pleased by his devotion toward his father and blessed him with the

knowledge of all the scriptures. In course of time, Parashar became

famous for his treatise--Vishnu Puran. THE LINEAGE OF AADITYA On being

enquired by the Sages about the respective lineage of Aaditya (Sun) and Soma

(moon) Sutji replied--- Sage Kashyap had a son--Aaditya, from Aditi. Aadity

had four wives--Sangya, Rajyi, Prabha and Chhaya. Sangya gave birth to Manu

whereas Ragyi was the mother of Yama, Yamuna and Raivat. Prabha gave birth to

Prabhat while chhaya was the mother of three children--Savarni, Shani, Tapti

and Vrishti. Chhaya was extremely affectionate towards her step son-- Yama.

One day Yama kicked her in anger as a result of which his leg became inflicted

with incurable disease. He became cured of his disease only after doing penance

for thousands of years at as place called Gokarna. Manu had nine sons---

Ikshavaku, Nabhag, Dhrishnu, Sharyati, Narishyant, Naabhaag, Arisht, Karush and

Prishaghna. He also had three daughters--Ila, Jyeshtha and Varishtha who

coincidentally attained male physique later on in their life. Ila became famous

as Sudyumna and had three sons-- Utkal, Gopa and Vinitashva. Harishwa was the

descendant of Ikshavaku and had a son named Vasumana. Tridhanva was Vasumana's

son. He had attained the designation of 'Ganapatya' by virtue of accomplishing

one thousand Ashwamedha Yaga. Tridhanva had a son named Trayyarun and the name

of his son was Satyavrata. The same Satyavrata became famous as Trishanku, who

was the only person to attain to heaven with his mortal body. The most

truthful king Harish Chandra was the son if Trishanku. Harish chandra had a son

named Rohit. Sagar belonged to the lineage of Harish chandra. He had two wives--

Prabha had given birth to sixty thousand sons but Bhanumati had only one son

named Asamanjas. Anshuman was the son on Asamanjas. Anshuman's son was Dilip.

Sage Bhagirath was the son of Dilip. Some prominent personality who belonged to

the lineage of Ikshavaku were Shrut, Naabhaag,

Ambarish, Dirghabahu, Dilip (Dirghabahu's son), Raghu, Aja, Dasharath, Ram,

Laxman, Bharat, Shatrughna, Lav and Kush. The famous king Pururava also cause

from the same lineage. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. His son was

Nahush. Nahush had six sons among whom Yayati was the eldest. Yayati had two

wives--- Devayani and Sharmishtha. Yayati ruled over the whole earth. He had

conquered the whole earth with the help of divine weapons and chariot which he

had received from his father in law--Shukracharya (Devayani's father). Yayati

had two sons from Devayani-- Yadu and Turvasu. He also had three sons from his

second wife--Sharmishtha whose names were Drushya, Anu and Puru. Yayati

appointed his youngest son Puru as his successor because of his total devotion

towards his parent. Yadu was made the ruler of Southern province. YADU

DYNASTY Yadu had five sons among whom Sahastrajeet was the eldest. Shatarjay

was the oson of Sahastrajeet

and himself had three sons--Haihya, Haya and Venu. Dharma was Haihya's son.

Dharmanetra was the son of Dharma and himself had two sons--Kirti and Sanjay.

Sanjay's son was Mahishman and Bhadrashrenya was Mahishman's son. Durdam was

the son of Bhadrashrenya and Durdam's son was Dhanak. Dhanak had four sons

among whom the youngest --Kartaveerya Arjuna was very mighty. He was killed by

Parashuran. Kartaveerya Arjuna had many sons among whom Shoor, Shoorsen,

Dhrishta, Krishna and Jayadhuraja were prominent. Jayadhwaja had a very mighty

son named Talajangha. Talajangha too had many mighty and brave sons like

Veetihotra, Vrisha eetc. Vrisha had a son-- Madhu. Madhu's son was Vrishni.

Some other prominent kings of Yadu dynasty were--Praghrajit, Jyamagh, Shrut,

Vidarbh, Subhag, Vayu, Kratha, Kaushik, Romapad, Vabhru, Sughriti, Kunta,

Ranadhrista, Bheemarath, Navarath, Dhridharath, Karambha, Devaratha,

Devakshatrak and Madhu. The famous Kaurava dynasty came from the

lineage of Madhu. SRI KRISHNA Aahuka came from the lineage of Yadu. He had

two sons-- Devak andUgrasen. The eldest son, Devak had eleven children--four

sons and seven daughters. The names of his sons were-- Devavaan, Upadeva,

Sudeva and Devarakshit. All his seven daughters, which also included Devaki

were married to Vasudeva. Aahuk's youngest son, Ugrasen had nice sons among

Kansa was the eldest. Vasudeva had a son named Balaram from Rohini. Devaki,

one of his wives gave birth of lord Sri Krishna. Vasudeva had exchanged Sri

Krishna with the daughter of Yashoda as Sri Krishna's life was under threat

from Kansa. When Kansa tried to kill her, She slipped away from her hand and

ascended towards the sky. She then thundered. ''There is no use killing me. The

person who is supposed to kill you has already taken birth'. Her prophesy came

to be truth and Kansa was ultimately killed by Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna had

16108 Queens among

whom Rukmini was dearest. He did an austere penance to please Lord Shiva as the

result of which He was blessed with many sons like Charudeshna, Sucharu,

Pradyumna etc. He also had a son named Saamb from Jaambawati. Lord Krishna left

for heavenly abode after enjoying a long life of 120 years. He had destroyed His

whole clan before leaving His mortal body. A hunter named Jara who mistook him

to be a deer killed him. Due to the curse of Ashtavakra, Sri Krishna's wives

had been abducted by the dacoits. LORD BRAHMA BLESSES THE DEMONS The Sages

asked Sutji as to how did Maya--The demon acquire three well fortified forts

from Lord Brahma and how was lord Shiva finally successful in destroying them.

Sutji replied-- After Tarakasur's death his three sons, Vidyunmali, Kamlaksha

and Tarakaksha did tremendous penance to please Lord Brahma. When Lord Brahma

appeared. They expressed their desire of attaining immortality. Lord Brahma

refused to

oblige them. The demons after consulting each other demanded three invincible

forts from him and said 'Only such a person should be able to kill us, who is

capable of destroying all the three forts with a single shot of an arrow. '

Lord Brahma blessed them and disappeared. Maya, then did an austere penance and

with the help of divine powers attained from it, constructed three forts at

three different places. The fort made of gold was situated in the heaven, while

the silver-fort was situated in the space. The third fort, which was made of

iron, was situated on the earth. The gold-fort was given to Tarakaksha, the

silver-fort to Kamalaksha and the iron-fort was given to Vidyunmali. After

acquiring these invincible forts all the demons had become extremely arrogant.

They started tormenting the deities. The deities went to Lord Vishnu and

requested help. Lord Vishnu created thousands of spirits (Bhootganas) and

instructed them to destroy those three forts. But, the

Bhootganas were unsuccessful in their attempt and were charred to death.

Lamenting their death the deities went to Lord Vishnu and sought help once

again. Lord Vishnu was aware that the demons derived their power from Lord

Shiva. So, He decided to deviate them from the path of Shiva's devotion. He

then created an illusionary entity. The illusionary entity went to the place

where demons lived and was successful in influencing them by his illusionary

tactics. All the demons became so impressed by him that they stopped

worshipping Lord Shiva and became His disciples. This resulted into a total

degradation of moral values among the demons. Finding the time opportune, Lord

Vishnu eulogized Shiva who appeared and agreed to destroy those three forts.

Vishwakarma made a divine chariot for Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma became the

charioteer. Mounted on that chariot, Lord Shiva proceeded towards the demon.

All the deities followed him. Lord Brahma said---'Right now it is

Pushya yoga and it is very auspicious for launching and it is very auspicious

for launching an attack on the demon's forts. 'Lord Shiva then released his

arrow, which after destroying all the three forts returned to his quiver. The

deities became pleased and eulogized lord Shiva. APPOINTMENT OF ANDHAK AS THE

LORD OF GANAS On being asked by the Sages how Andhak--the demon was appointed

as the lord of Ganas by Lord Shiva, Sutji narrated the following tale to them.

--The mighty demon, Andhak was Hiranyaksh's son. By the virtue of his austere

penance he had received a boon of immortality from Lord Brahma. In course of

time he conquered all the three worlds. He started tormenting the deities and

as a result of which they had to take refuge in the causes of Mandarachal

mountain. The deities went to Lord Shiva and narrated their woeful tale to

him. They also requested him to kill Andhak so that they could live in peace.

Lord Shiva went to

the place where Andhak lived accompanied by all the deities. When Andhak saw

them coming, he attacked menacingly with his various weapons. The deities

became scared and started running helter-skelter. Lord Shiva then killed Andhak

with his trident. He then lifted the corpse with the help of his trident and

kept in that position for a very long period. The divine sight of Lord Shiva

had liberated Andhak from all his sins. Finding himself in a helpless position,

Andhak eulogized Shiva and begged for forgiveness. At last, Lord Shiva became

pleased and brought Andhak down after lowering his trident. He gave him the

designation of a Ganapati and made him the lord of his ganas. THE LIBERATION

OF EARTH The Sages were curious to know how Lord Vishnu in his incarnation of

Varah (Boar), had liberated the earth from the captivity of Hiranyaksha. They

also wanted to know why Lord Shiva adorned himself with the horn of that boar.

Sutji

narrated the following tale--- Hiranyaksha--Andhak's father was a tyrant. After

Vanquishing the deities, he had taken the earth to 'Rasatala'. The deities

sought the help of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu then took the incarnation of Varaha

(boar) and killed Hiranyaksha with his sharp horns. He then brought the earth

from Rasatala and kept it in its original position. The deities eulogized both

Lord Vishnu and mother earth. Lord Shiva adorned and himself with the ornament

carved out from the horn of that boar. This is the reason why he is also called

'Danshtri' (wild boar). KILLING OF JALANDHAR The Sages requested Sutji to

reveal how Lord Shiva had killed the notorious demon-- Jalandhar. Sutji

narrated the following tale--- There was a demon named Jalandhar. He had

manifested from the ocean. He had acquired divine power by the virtue of his

austere penance. Jalandhar had defeated the deities and conquered the heaven.

He even defeated Lord

Vishnu and boasted---'I have conquered everybody. Now! Only Shiva is lift to be

conquered. ' Jalandhar went to fight a battle with Lord Shiva accompanied by a

huge army. Lord Shiva was aware of the boon, which Lord Brahma had given to

Andhak and which had made him invincible. Jalandhar derived his power from his

wife- Vrinda who was an extremely chaste woman. As per the plans of the

deities, Lord Vishnu disguised as Jalandhar and went to breach the modesty of

Vrinda. Vrinda could not recognize Lord Vishnu and mistook him to be her

husband--Jalandhar. Ultimately, Lord Vishnu was successful in his motives.

Meanwhile, the battle had commenced between Jalandhar and Lord Shiva. Lord

Shiva destroyed the whole army of Jalandhar by the sight of his third eye.

Jalandhar became furious and tried to kill Lord Shiva with the Sudarshan

Chakra, which he had snatched from Vishnu. Butas soon as he lifted the

Sudarshan chakra, his body got cut into two parts. The death of

Jalandhar brought immense joy to the deities. THE ORIGIN OF LORD GANESH

Once, the deities requested Lord Shiva to device some means so that they no

longer had to live under the threat of the demons. The most merciful Lord

Pinaki Shiva then took the incarnation of Ganeshwar. He had a human body but

his heard resembled like an elephant. He held a trident in his hand. All the

deities eulogized Lord Ganesh--the Lord of wisdom and the remover of all

obstacles. Lord Ganesh is the first deity to be worshipped in any ritual as he

is believed to remove all the obstacles. A devotee of Lord Ganesh is free from

the fear of failures and achieves success in any endeavour he undertakes.

SHIV TANDAV The deities were curious to know the story behind 'Tandav'- the

famous dance of Lord Shiva. So, they asked Sutji how it started and what made

Shiva to perform Tandav. Sutji replied--- There lived a demon named

Daruk. He had acquired divine powers by the virtue of his austere penance. He

started tormenting te deities, sages and all the virtuous people. All the

deities went to Lord Shiva and requested him to give protection from the tyrany

of Daruk. Lord Shiva then requested Parvati to help the deities. One part of

Parvati's consciousness entered into the body of Lord Shiva. But, the deities

were not aware of this happening. Goddess Parvati then attained her physical

form with the help of poison stored in the throat of Lord Shiva. The effet of

poison had made her complexion dark. Lord Shiva then brought her out from

within his body through his third eye. The deities became frightened after

seeing her terrific appearance. She was none other than Goddess Kali. Goddess

Kali then killed Daruk with the permission of Parvati. But, even after the

death of Daruk, her anger did not subside and the whole world was ablaze due to

her anger. Lord Shiva then incarnated as a small

child and started crying as if he was hungry. Goddess Kali could not decipher

the illusions of Shiva and thought that the child was crying because of hunger.

She started feeding the child her breast-milk. In the process of sucking milk,

Shiva also sucked out her anger. The extreme anger of Kali had resulted into

the manifestation of eight divine entities who became famous as 'Kshetrapaal.

After her anger had subsided Goddess Kali became unconscious. Lord Shiva then

performed his famous dance--Tandav for the first time to bring Kali back to

consciousness. He was accompanied by all the Ghosts and spirits in his terrific

dance. When Kali regained her consciousness she found Shiva dancing. She too

started dancing and this is the reason why she is also called Yogini.

UPAMANYU The sages were curious to know how Lord Shiva had bestowed the

designation of Gaanpatya and an ocean of milk to Upamanyu. They requested Sutji

to shed light on the

two incidents. Sutji narrated the following tale --- Upamanyu was a brilliant

child. There is an interesting story how he became the supreme devotee of Lord

Shiva. Once, during his childhood he had gone to his maternal-uncle's place.

One day, while he was hungry he tried to drink some milk. But his cousin did

not allow him to drink milk and after snatching the bowl of milk drank himself.

Upamanyu started crying. He went to his mother who tried to console him by

giving a solution of powdered grains. But, Upamanyu did not want anything less

than milk. His mother said--'You should be satisfied with whatever you get.

Perhaps we did not worship Lord Shiva in our past lives. Our hardships are the

fallouts of those unpardonable sins. Only a devotee of Shiva is entitled to all

kinds of comfort and pleasure. ' Upamanyu decided then and there to please

Shiva by his penance and attain an ocean of milk from him. He went to Himalaya

mountain and started doing an

austere penance. His penance had resulted into the generation of unbearable

heat. The deities became terrified and went to seek the help of Lord Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu along with the deities went to Lord Shiva and sought his help. Lord

Shiva decided to test the devotion of Upamanyu. He disguised himself as Indra

and went to the place where Upamanyu was doing penance. He started abusing

Shiva which made Upamanyu so angry that he tried to kill him. When Upamanyu

failed in his attempt to kill Shiva, he tried to kill himself by chanting

'Aagneya mantra'. Lord Shiva was very pleased by his total devotion and

revealed his identity. He blessed Upamanyu and after accepting him as his son

granted the designation of Ganpatya. He also provided oceans of milk and curd

to Upamanyu. THE GREATNESS OF DWADASHAKSHAR MANTRA On being asked by the

sages about the sacred mantra-- the chanting of which enabled a man to attain

salvation Sutji

replied --- Lord Vishnu gives salvation to those people who endeavour to seek

Brahm-- the Almighty God. A man whose mind is preoccupied with the thought of

Lord Vishnu and nothing else is entitled to attain Salvation. Such a man is

also blessed by goddess Laxmi. " Describing about the greatness of Dwadakshar

mantra, Sutji said -- ''The sacrosanct Dwadakshar mantra consists of twelve

letters (as written in devanagri script--'OM NAMO BHAGAWATE VASUDEVAY' ).

This powerful mantra helps a man to achieve proximity with Lord Vishnu. 'Once

there lived a brahmin who used to stammer while talking. All his efforts of

making him speak distinctly went in vain as the child continued to lisp. When

the brahmin tried to teach his son. the dwadakshar mantra, he incorrectly

pronounced 'Vasudev as 'Etareva'. So the child was given the name 'Etareva'.

The brahmin became disgusted and married for the second time. He had many sons

from his second

wife, all of whom were very studious. Etareva's mother used to curse her fate

because of his habit of stammering. One day she said--'Look! I am no more able

to tolerate the humiliation of being a mother of a dull child--Look at your

step-brothers, who have achieved fame and respect on account of their learning.

I have decided to give up my life. ' Etareva became very sad. He started

chanting the dwadashakshar mantra regularly and as a result a day came, when he

could pronounce it correctly and without stammering. One day Etareva happened

to pass by a place where a yagya was being performed. As soon as he reached

that place, the priests found to their surprise that they had become dumb. All

the priests became restless, as the rituals were still incomplete. Looking at

their pitiable condition, Etareva chanted the dwadakshar mantra-- OM NAMO

BHAGAWATE VASUDEVAY. The priest regained their power of speech by the virtue of

the flawless pronunciation of the mantra.

Such is the greatness of dwadakshar mantra. Later on, Etareva went on to become

a renowned scholar. A person who chants this sacred mantra regularly become

liberated from all his sins and attains to Vishnu Lok. SHADAKSHAR MANTRA

Describing about the greatness of Shadakshar mantra that consists of six

letters, Sutji said -- The sacred mantra -- OM NAMAH SHIVAY holds a supreme

place among all the mantras. During the Meghavahan kalp of the first Treta

yuga, there lived a brahmin named Dhoondhmook. He became a licentious person

due to the curse of a sage. As a result he became a man of loose moral conduct.

His wife gave birth to a child on the inauspicious day of Amavasya. The

astrologers predicted a very bleak future for that new born child. When the

child grew up he became notorious for his sinful conduct. Dhoondhmook married

his son in a respectable family but his son being a man of loose character,

developed

intimacy with a woman belonging to a low caste. One day, Dhoondhmook that son

developed sharp differences with that woman on some matter and in a fit of

range killed her. When the family members of that woman came to know about her

death, they retaliated by killing Dhoondhmook his wife and his daughter-in-law.

Sinec, Dhoondhmook's son was not present in the house at that time he survived.

He avenged the death of his family members by killing the assasins. New

Dhoondhmook's son had become disillusioned with life. He started wandering

aimlessly and reached a hermitage. The sage who lived in that hermitage was a

great devotee of Lord Shiva and taught him the rituals of Pashupat Vrata as

well as the sacred Shodakshar mantra. Dhoondhmook's son performed the rituals

of Pashupat Vrat for twelve months. All the while he kept on chanting the

Shadakshar mantra. As the result of his devotion towards Lord Shiva and by the

virtue of chanting Sadakshar mantra he as well as all his

ancestors attained salvation. LORD PASHUPATI The sages were curious to know

why Lord Shiva was also known as Pashupati-- The lord of all animals. Sutji

retold the same tale which sage Shiladi had once narrated to Sanatkumar ---

Once, Sanatkumar went to the hermitage of Sage Shiladi and asked him as to why

was Lord Shankar also known as Pashupati. He also inquired about the reason of

man's ondages and how could he be liberated from them. Sage Shiladi

replied---All the living beings including Lord Brahma have been referred to

animals because of their attachment to worldly desires and ignorance. Lord

Shiva being the lord of them is also known as Pashupati. It is none other than

Lord Vishnu whose illusionary and divine powers keep them in bondages. It is

also only lord Vishnu who liberates them by bestowing the knowledge of

Gyan-Yoga. Nobody can attain salvation without the blessings of Lord Shiva.

The nothing but the 24

elements--10 sense organs, 4 type of consciousness, 5 basic elements from which

matter is made and 5 subtle forms of matter. A person who worships Lord Shiva

with total devotion becomes liberated because devotion is capable of destroying

all types of sins. THE MAJESTIC LORD MAHESHWAR Lord Maheshwar is beyond the

reach if any kind of bondage. He is totally liberated entity. It is only by his

blessings that the Nature-Prakriti, creates intelligence--buddhi. Similarly,

intelligence creates ego-ahamkara and subtle forms of matter--tanmatra creates

the greatest of matter by the blessings of Lord Shiva. No word can describe the

greatness of Lord Shiva. It is only with the permission of Lord Maheshwar that

our sense organs function the fire burns and all the living beings fulfill

their respective duties. Lord Shiva is the Almighty God and goddess Parvati is

also called Shivaa. He is the Purusha and she is the nature or Prakriti. The

matter

derives it's power from goddess Gauri. Everything that is capable of creating is

nothing but the form of Uma. The whole universe is established in the form of

Shiva Linga and hence everybody must worship Lord Shiva. THE SUN -

MANIFESTATION OF SHIVA'S POWER Lord Shiva manifests himself in the form of

Sun. The Sun radiates twelve different types of rays which have specific

impacts and influences on the world. The first ray is called Amrit and the

deities derive their power from it. The second ray is called Chandra and it

helps in the preservation of medicinal herbs. The third ray is called Shukla

and it helps in the propagation of religiousness in the world. It also helps

the food crops to become ripe. The name of the fourth ray is Harikesha and all

the constellations get their nourishment from it. The fifth ray is called

Vishwakarma and it gives the planet mercury. The sixth ray is

called Sanyadwasu and it nurtures the planet--Mars. The seventh ray is called

Arvavasu and it nurtures the planet Jupiter. The eighth ray is called Surat

and it nurtures the planet --Saturn. The nineth ray is called Susumana and it

nutures the moon, etc. SHIVA TATVA The learned and sages call Shiva by

many names --- Kshetragya, Prakriti Vyakta, Kalatma etc. The synonyms of

Kshetragya and Prakriti are Purush and Pradhan respectively. The delusionary

net of the Prakriti is known as Vyakta (apparent). Kala (time) is the resultant

by product of Pradhan and Vyakta. Some sages call Hiranyagarbha (Brahma) as the

Purush and Shiva as Pradhan. They consider Hiranyagarbha to be the creator and

Purush to be the enjoyer. Even these sages are of the opinion that

Hiranyagarbho, Pradhan, Purush and enjoyer are the manifestations of Shiva.

THE GREATNESS OF SHIVA

The almighty Shiva manifested in the form of Sthanu (Pillar) from his

imperceptible form and looked at Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma then commenced his

creation and established the norms of Vannashram. He also created 'Soma' which

is required for the performance of 'Yagya'. This world, including all the

deities are the embodiments of Soma. The deities eulogize Lord Shiva by

chanting the mantras of 'Rudrashtadhyay'. Once, Lord Shiva was sitting

surrounded by all the deities. On being requested by the deities to shed light

on his mysterious self, Lord Shiva said--- "I was present before the beginning

of time and I will be present forever. Everything originate from me and get

submerged in me ultimately. I am the Lord of Brahma. I am the truth itself. I

manifest myself in the forms of Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. I

am the light as well as the darkness. I am Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. One who is

aware of my omnipresence is the only

person who is worthy of being called an enlightened one. " This way, after

enlightening the deities on his myssterious self Lord Shiva disappeared. THE

IMPORTANCE OF GURU A devotee should commence the worship of Lord Shiva only

after taking permission from his Guru, Only such a person is worthy of being

called a Guru who is virtuous and well versed in the scripture. A disciple

should unwavering by be in the service of his Guru and should try to please him

by his devotion because only he (Guru) is capable of liberating him from the

miseries of world. A guru should try to test the worthiness of his disciple by

employing different means for three years. Once, the Guru has accepted a person

as his disciple, he should try to impart all the knowledge to him. He should

never discriminate on the basic of caste or creed of a disciple. It is the duty

of a Guru to make his disciple destitute of flaws and shortcomings.

THE RITUALS OF INITIATION Before commencing the rituals of initiation, the

Guru should purify the place where the rites are supposed to be performed. He

should make an attar and draw an eight-petalled lotus at its centre. He should

then establish the various embodiments of Shiva like Aghor, Pranav, Vamadeva,

on each of the eight petals. The Guru should then purify all the directions by

chanting different mantras. He should then meditate on the form of Lord Shiva.

After that he should make offerings in the sacrificial fire and purify himself

by doing aachaman. He should then have Panchagavya as prasadam and smear ashes

on his body. The Guru should instructed his old disciples to sit towards the

south of altar. He should make offerings of ghee into the sacrificial fire for

108 times amidst the chanting of Aghor mantra. The new disciple then arrive

blindfolded and circumambulate the sacrificial altar for three times. While

circumambulating everybody should chant either the mantras of Rudrashtadhyay or

Omkar mantra. The new disciple then smear ashes on their bodies amidst the

chanting of Aghor mantra. The Guru then sprinkles holy water on the new

disciples. In the end the disciple takes a religious vow. "I shall never have

food without worshipping Shiva". This way the ritual of initiation comes to an

end. INSTALLATION OF SHIVA LINGA Describing about the methods of installing

a Shiva Linga Sutji says-- A devotee should install a Shivalinga made of either

gold, silver or copper. The shivalinga should be installed along with the altar.

The altar of the Shivalinga symbolizes goddess Uma. Lord Brahma is said to

manifest at the base of Shivalinga while Lord Vishnu at its centre. After the

installment of Shivalinga it should be worshipped with appropriate rituals. The

Shiva linga should be adorned with clothes and its ablution should be performed.

A devotee should chant the Brahma vigyan mantras for the consecration of Lord

Brahma who is supported to manifest at the base of Shivalinga. Similarly, for

the consecration of Lord Vishnu dwelling at the centre of Shiva linga, Gayatri

at the centre of Lord Shiva is consecrated by the chanting of any of the

following mantras--- OM NAMAH SHIVAY; NAMO HANSA SHIVAY CHA A devotee should

then worship the Shivalinga and make offerings in the sacrificial fire.

VAJRESHWARI VIDYA The sages requested Sutji to elaborate upon the rituals of

Vajravahanika Vidya or Vajreshwari Vidya. Sutji replied--- Anybody who is

desirous of Vanquishing his enemy must perform the rituals of Vajreshwari

Vidya. The devotee should worship Vajra (a spear) and make offerings in the

sacrificial fire holding it (Vajra) in his hand. The following mantra should be

chanted while making offerings. OM BHURBHUVAH SWAH

TATSAVITURVARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA DHIMAHI DHIYO YONAH PRACHODAYAT; OM PHAT JAHI

HOOM PHAT CHHINDHI MINDHIJAHI HAN HAN SWAHA. In the past Lord Brahma had

taught this secret Vidya to Indra with the help of which he had killed the

ferocious demon vritrasur. A man can acquire all the types of supernatural

powers with the help of Vajreshwari Vidya. Describing about the rituals of

Mrityunjay Jap, Sutji said-- A person who chants Mrityunjay mantra with

appropriate rituals becomes free from the fear of death. A devotee is required

to make offerings of ghee in the sacrificial fire for one lakh times. Instead

of ghee he can also make offerings of ghee and sesame seeds OR dhoob grass,

ghee, milk and honey. DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA The sages asked Sutji as to

how should a devotee meditate on Lord Triyambak following the path of Yoga.

Sutji then retold the tale which Mandishwar had once narrated to Sanatkumar--

The first type of Yoga is called

Mantra Yoga. In this type of yoga a devotee tries to attain deep state of

meditation by chanting mantras. The chanting of mantras helps a man to

concentrate his mind. The second type of Yoga is known as Sparsh Yoga. In this

type of yoga, a man acquires perfection in breath-control by constantly

practicing various exercises like Rechak (Exhalation), Kumbhak (retention),

etc. These exercises helps to purify the nerves and blood vessels. The third

type of yoga is known as Bhava Yoga. This is the state in which a person's mind

is totally engrossed in the thoughts of Lord Mahadev. This state of mind can not

be attained unless the two former types of yoga have been mastered. The fourth

type of Yoga is called Abhava-yoga. When a man has mastered this particular

yoga his ego is subdued in totality. The fifth type of yoga is called Maha

yoga. It helps a man to understand his real self and get united with the

supreme Almighty. The secret of

Yoga should be revealed to worthy disciples--who are virtuous and religious. "

This way, Sutji described the divine tales of Linga Puran and blessed the

sages. The Linga Puran contains eleven thousand shlokas in it. The study of

Linga Puran fulfills all the four worldly aspirations of a man-Dharma, Artha,

Kaam and Moksha. It also helps a man to attain salvation.

Om Nama Shivaya

Deepa H

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