"Vaisampayana said, 'After Vasudeva had ceased to speak, the great Yogin,
viz. the Island-born Krishna, addressed Yudhisthira, saying,--"O son, do
thou recite this hymn consisting of the thousand and eight names of
Mahadeva, and let Maheswara be gratified with thee. In former days, O
son, I was engaged in the practice of severe austerities on the breast of
the mountains of Meru from desire of obtaining a son. It is this very
hymn that was recited by me. As the reward of this, I obtained the
fruition of all my wishes, O son of Pandu. Thou wilt also, by reciting
this same hymn, obtain from Sarva the fruition of all thy wishes."--After
this, Kapila, the Rishi who promulgated the doctrines that go by the name
of Sankhya, and who is honoured by the gods themselves, said,--"I adore
Bhava with great devotion for many lives together. The illustrious Deity
at last became gratified with me and gave me knowledge that is capable of
aiding the acquirer in getting over rebirth."--After this, the Rishi named
Charusirsha, that dear friend of Sakra and known otherwise under the name
of Alamvana's son and who is filled with compassion, said,--"I, in former
days, repaired to the mountains of Gokarna and sat myself to practise
severe penances for a hundred years. As the reward of those penances, I
obtained from Sarva, O son of king Pandu, a hundred sons, all of whom
were born without the intervention of woman, of well-restrained soul,
conversant with righteousness, possessed of great splendour, free from
disease and sorrow, and endued with lives extending over a hundred
thousand years."--Then the illustrious Valmiki, addressing Yudhishthira,
said,--"Once upon a time, in course of a dialectical disputation, certain
ascetics that were possessors of the homa fire denounced me as one guilty
of Brahmanicide. As soon as they had denounced me as such, the sin of
Brahmanicide, O Bharata, possessed me. I then, for cleansing myself,
sought the protection of the sinless Isana who is irresistible in energy.
I become cleansed of all my sins. That dispeller of all sorrows, viz.,
the destroyer of the triple city of the Asuras, said unto me,--'Thy fame
shall be great in the world.'"--Then Jamadagni's son, that foremost of all
righteous persons, shining like the Sun with blazing splendour in the
midst of that conclave of Rishis, said unto the son of Kunti these
words:--"I was afflicted with the sin, O eldest son of Pandu, of
Brahmanicide for having slain my brothers who were all learned Brahmanas.
For purifying myself, I sought the protection, O king, of Mahadeva. I
hymned the praises of the great Deity by reciting his names. At this,
Bhava became gratified with me and gave me a battle-axe and many other
celestial weapons. And he said unto me,--'Thou shalt be freed from sin and
thou shalt be invincible in battle; Death himself shall not succeed in
overcoming thee for thou shalt be freed from disease.'--Even thus did the
illustrious and crested Deity of auspicious form said unto me. Through
the grace of that Deity of supreme intelligence I obtained all that He
had said." Then Viswamitra said,--"I was formerly a Kshatriya. I paid my
adorations to Bhava with the desire of becoming a Brahmana. Through the
grace of that great Deity I succeeded in obtaining the high status of a
Brahmana that is so difficult to obtain."--Then the Rishi Asita-Devala,
addressing the royal son of Pandu, said,--"In former days, O son of Kunti,
through the curse of Sakra, all my merit due to the acts of righteousness
I had performed, was destroyed. The puissant Mahadeva it was who kindly
gave me back that merit together with great fame and a long life."--The
illustrious Rishi Gritsamada, the dear friend of Sakra, who resembled the
celestial preceptor Vrihaspati himself in splendour, addressing
Yudhishthira of Ajamida's race said,--"The inconceivable Sakra had, in
days of yore, performed a sacrifice extending over a thousand years.
While that sacrifice was going on, I was engaged by Sakra in reciting the
Samans. Vasishtha, the son of that Manu who sprung from the eyes of
Brahma, came to that sacrifice and addressing me, said,--'O foremost of
regenerate persons, the Rathantara is not being recited properly by thee.
O best of Brahmanas, cease to earn demerit by reading so faultily, and
with the aid of thy understanding do thou read the Samans correctly. O
thou of wicked understanding, why dost thou perpetrate such sin that is
destructive of sacrifice.'--Having said these words, the Rishi Vasishtha,
who was very wrathful, gave way to that passion and addressing me once
more, said,--'Be thou an animal divested of intelligence, subject to
grief, ever filled with fear, and a denizen of trackless forests
destitute of both wind and water and abandoned by other animals. Do thou
thus pass ten thousand years with ten and eight hundred years in
addition. That forest in which thou shalt have to pass this period will
be destitute of all holy trees and will, besides, be the haunt of Rurus
and lions. Verily, thou shalt have to become a cruel deer plunged in
excess of grief.'--As soon as he had said these words, O son of Pritha, I
immediately became transformed into a deer. I then sought the protection
of Maheswara. The great Deity said unto me,--'Thou shalt be freed from
disease of every kind, and besides immortality shall be thine. Grief
shall never afflict thee. Thy friendship with Indra shall remain
unchanged, and let the sacrifices of both Indra and thyself increase.' The
illustrious and puissant Mahadeva favours all creatures in this way. He
is always the great dispenser and ordainer in the matter of the happiness
and sorrow of all living creatures. That illustrious Deity is incapable
of being comprehended in thought, word, or deed. O son, O thou that are
the best of warriors (through the grace of Mahadeva), there is none that
is equal to me in learning."--After this, Vasudeva, that foremost of all
intelligent men, once more said,--"Mahadeva of golden eyes was gratified
by me with my penances. Gratified with me, O Yudhishthira, the
illustrious Deity said unto me,--'Thou shalt, O Krishna, through my grace,
become dearer to all persons than wealth which is coveted by all. Thou
shalt be invincible in battle. Thy energy shall be equal to that of Fire.'
Thousands of other boons Mahadeva gave unto me on that occasion. In a
former incarnation I adored Mahadeva on the Manimantha mountain for
millions of years. Gratified with me, the illustrious Deity said unto me
these words:--'Blessed be thou, do thou solicit boons as thou wishest.
Bowing unto him with a bend of my head, I said these words,--'If the
puissant Mahadeva has been gratified with me, then let my devotion to him
be unchanged, O Isana! Even this is the boon that I solicit.'--The great
God said unto me,--'Be it so'--and disappeared there and then."
"'Jaigishavya said, "O Yudhishthira, formerly in the city of Varanasi, the
puissant Mahadeva searching me out, conferred upon me the eight
attributes of sovereignty."
"'Garga said,--"O son of Pandu, gratified with me in consequence of mental
sacrifice which I had performed, the great God bestowed upon me, on the
banks of the sacred stream Saraswati, that wonderful science, viz., the
knowledge of Time with its four and sixty branches. He also bestowed
upon me, a thousand sons, all possessed of equal merit and fully
conversant with the Vedas. Through his grace, their periods of life as
also that of mine have become extended to ten millions of years."
"'Parasara said,--"In former times I gratified Sarva, O king. I then
cherished the desire of obtaining a son that would be possessed of great
ascetic merit, endued with superior energy, and addressed to high Yoga,
that would earn world-wide fame, arrange the Vedas, and become the home
of prosperity, that would be devoted to the Vedas and the Brahmanas and
be distinguished for compassion. Even such a son was desired by me from
Maheswara. Knowing that this was the wish of my heart, that foremost of
Deities said unto me,--'Through the fruition of that object of thine which
thou wishest to obtain from me, thou shalt have a son of the name of
Krishna. In that creation which shall be known after the name of
Savarni-Manu, that son of thine shall be reckoned among the seven Rishis.
He shall arrange the Vedas, and be the propagator of Kuru's race. He
shall, besides, be the author of the ancient histories and do good to the
universe. Endued with severe penances, he shall, again, be the dear
friend of Sakra. Freed from diseases of every kind, that son of thine, O
Parasara, shall besides, be immortal.'--Having said these words, the great
Deity disappeared there and then. Even such is the good, O Yudhishthira,
that I have obtained from that indestructible and immutable God, endued
with the highest penances and supreme energy."
"'Mandavya said,--"In former times though not a thief and yet wrongly
suspected of theft, I was impaled (under the orders of a king). I then
adored the illustrious Mahadeva who said unto me,--'Thou shalt soon be
freed from impalement and live for millions of years. The pangs due to
impalement shall not be thine. Thou shalt also be freed from every kind
of affliction and disease. And since, O ascetic, this body of thine hath
sprung from the fourth foot of Dharma (viz., Truth), thou shalt be
unrivalled on Earth. Do thou make thy life fruitful. Thou shalt, without
any obstruction, be able to bathe in all the sacred waters of the Earth.
And after the dissolution of thy body, I shall, O learned Brahmana,
ordain that thou shall enjoy the pure felicity of heaven for unending
Time.'--Having said these words unto me, the adorable Deity having the
bull for his vehicle, viz., Maheswara of unrivalled splendour and clad in
animal skin, O king, disappeared there and then with all his associates."
"'Galava said, "Formerly I studied at the feet of my preceptor Viswamitra.
Obtaining his permission I set out for home with the object of seeing my
father. My mother (having become a widow), was filled with sorrow and
weeping bitterly, said unto me,--'Alas, thy father will never see his son
who, adorned with Vedic knowledge, has been permitted by his preceptor to
come home and who, possessed of all the graces of youth, is endued with
self-restraint.'--Hearing these words of my mother, I became filled with
despair in respect of again beholding my sire. I then paid my adoration
with a rapt soul to Maheswara who, gratified with me, showed himself to
me and said,--'Thy sire, thy mother, and thyself, O son, shall all be
freed from death. Go quickly and enter thy abode; thou shall behold thy
sire there.'--Having obtained the permission of the illustrious Deity, I
then repaired to my home, O Yudhishthira, and beheld my father, O son,
coming out after having finished his daily sacrifice. And he came out,
bearing in his hands a quantity of Homa-fuel and Kusa grass and some
fallen fruits. And he seemed to have already taken his daily food, for he
had washed himself properly. Throwing down those things from his hand, my
father, with eyes bathed in tears (of joy), raised me, for I had
prostrated myself at his feet. Embracing me he smelt my head, O son of
Pandu, and said.--'By good luck, O son, art thou seen by me. Thou hast
come back, having acquired knowledge from the preceptor.'"
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these marvellous and most wonderful
feats of the illustrious Mahadeva recited by the ascetics, the son of
Pandu became amazed. Then Krishna, that foremost of all intelligent
persons, spoke once more unto Yudhishthira, that ocean of righteousness,
like Vishnu speaking unto Puruhuta.
"'Vasudeva said, "Upamanyu, who seemed to blaze with effulgence like the
Sun, said unto me,--'Those sinful men that are stained with unrighteous
deeds, do not succeed in attaining to Isana. Their dispositions being
stained by the attributes of Rajas and Tamas, they can never approach the
Supreme Deity. It is only those regenerate persons who are of cleansed
souls that succeed in attaining to the Supreme Deity. Even if a person
lives in the enjoyment of every pleasure and luxury, yet if he be devoted
to the Supreme Deity, he comes to be regarded as the equal of forest
recluses of cleansed souls. If Rudra be gratified with a person, he can
confer upon him the states of either Brahma or of Kesava or of Sakra with
all the deities under him, or the sovereignty of the three worlds. Those
men, O sire, who worship Bhava even mentally, succeed in freeing
themselves from all sins and attain to a residence in heaven with all the
gods. A person who razes houses to the ground and destroys tanks and
lakes indeed, who devastates the whole universe, does not become stained
with sin, if he adores and worships the illustrious Deity of three eyes.
A person that is destitute of every auspicious indication and that is
stained by every sin, has all his sins destroyed by meditating upon Siva.
Even worms and insects and birds, O Kesava, that devote themselves to
Mahadeva, are enabled to rove in perfect fearlessness. Even this is my
settled conviction that those men who devote themselves to Mahadeva
become certainly emancipated from rebirth.' After this, Krishna again
addressed Yudhishthira the son of Dharma in the following words.
"'Vishnu said, "O Great King, Aditya, Chandra, Wind, Fire, Heaven, Earth,
the Vasus, the Viswedevas, Dhatri, Aryyaman, Sukra, Vrihaspati, the
Rudras, the Saddhyas, Varuna, Brahma, Sakra, Maruts, the Upanishads that
deal with knowledge of Brahman, Truth, the Vedas, the Sacrifices,
Sacrificial Presents, Brahmanas reciting the Vedas, Soma, Sacrificer, the
shares of the deities in sacrificial offerings or clarified butter poured
in sacrifices, Raksha, Diksha, all kinds of restraints in the form of
vows and fasts and rigid observances, Swaha, Vashat, the Brahmanas, the
celestial cow, the foremost acts of righteousness, the wheel of Time,
Strength, Fame, Self-restraint, the Steadiness of all persons endued with
intelligence, all acts of goodness and the reverse, the seven Rishis,
Understanding of the foremost order, all kinds of excellent touch, the
success of all (religious) acts, the diverse tribes of the deities, those
beings that drink heat, those that are drinkers of Soma, Clouds, Suyamas,
Rishitas, all creatures having Mantras for their bodies, Abhasuras, those
beings that live upon scents only, those that live upon vision only,
those that restrain their speech, those that restrain their minds, those
that are pure, those that are capable of assuming diverse forms through
Yoga-puissance, those deities that live on touch (as their food), those
deities that subsist on vision and those that subsist upon the butter
poured in sacrifices, those beings that are competent to create by fiats
of their will the objects they require, they that are regarded as the
foremost ones among the deities, and all the other deities, O descendant
of Ajamida, the Suparnas, the Gandharvas, the Pisachas, the Danavas,
Yakshas, the Charanas, the snakes, all that is gross and all that is
exceedingly subtile, all that is soft and all that is not subtile, all
sorrows and all joys, all sorrows that come after joy and all joy that
comes after sorrow, the Sankhya philosophy, Yoga, and that which
transcends objects which are regarded as foremost and very superior,--all
adorable things, all the deities, and all the protectors of the universe
who entering into the physical forces sustain and uphold this ancient
creation of that illustrious Deity,--have sprung from that Creator of all
creatures. All this that I have mentioned is grosser than that which the
wise think of with the aid of Penances. Indeed, that subtile Brahma is
the cause of life. I bow my head in reverence to it. Let that immutable
and indestructible Master, always adored by us, grant us desirable boons.
That person who, subjugating his senses and purifying himself, recites
this hymn, without interruption in respect of his vow, for one month,
succeeds in obtaining the merit that is attached to a Horse-sacrifice. By
reciting this hymn the Brahmana succeeds in acquiring all the Vedas; the
Kshatriya becomes crowned with victory, O son of Pritha; the Vaisya
becomes successful in obtaining wealth and cleverness; and the Sudra, in
winning happiness here and a good end hereafter. Persons of great fame,
by reciting this prince of hymns that is competent to cleanse every sin
and that is highly sacred and purifying, set their hearts on Rudra. A man
by reciting this prince of hymns succeeds in living in heaven for as many
years as there are pores in his body."'"