Anushasanika Parva — Shata Rudriya Mantra

Yudhishthira said You should, O destroyer of Madhu, explain lo me that knowledge which you have acquired through the favour of Durvasas.

O foremost of all persons having intelligence, I wish to know everything about the great blessedness and all the names of that great one truly and in detail!

Vasudeva said I shall recite to you the good which I have acquired and the fame which I have won through the favour of that great one. I shall describe to you the subject, after having bowed unto Kaparddin.

O king, listen to me as I recite to you that Shatarudriya which I repeat, with controlled senses, every morning after rising from bed.

The great lord of all creatures, viz., the Grandfather Brahman himself, having penances for riches, composed those Mantras, after having observed especial penances for some time. O sire, it is Shankara who created all the creatures in the universe, mobile and immobile.

There is no being who is superior, O monarch, lo Mahadeva. He is the highest of all beings in the three worlds.

There is no one who is capable of attending before the great Being. Indeed, there is no Being in the three worlds who is his equal.

When he stands, filled with anger, on the field of battle, the very scent of his body deprives all foes of consciousness and they who are not killed tremble and fall down.

His roars are terrible, like the mutterings of clouds. Hearing those roars in battle, the very hearts of the celestials break in twain.

When the holder of Pinaka becomes angry and assuming a terrible mien merely casts his eye upon deity, Asura, Gandharva, or snake, that individual cannot obtain peace of mind by taking shelter in the recesses of even a mountain cave. When that lord of all creatures, viz., Daksha, desirous of celebrating a sacrifice, spread his sacrifice out, the brave Bhava, yielding to anger (at Daksha's slight of him), pierced the Sacrifice. Shooting his arrow from his terrible bow, he roared aloud.

Indeed, when Maheshvara became angry and suddenly pierced with his arrow the embodied form of sacrifice, the celestials became filled with sorrow, losing happiness and tranquility of heart.

On account of the iwang of his bowstring the whole universe became agitated. The celestials and the Asuras, O son of Pritha, all became cheerless and stupefied.

The Ocean rolled in agitation and the Earth trembled to her centre. The hills and mountains began to move from their bases and ran on all sides. The Vault of the sky became cracked.

All the worlds became covered with darkness. Nothing could be seen. The light of all the luminaries became darkened, along with that of the Sun himself, O Bharata.

The great Rishis, stricken with fear and desirous of doing good to themselves and the universe, performed the usual usual rites of propitiation and peace.

Meanwhile, Rudra of terrible prowess rushed against the celestials. Filled with anger, he tore out the eyes of Bhaga.

Excited with anger, he attacked Pushan with his foot. He tore out the teeth of that god as he satemployed in cating the large sacrificial ball (called Purodasha).

Trembling with fear, the celestials bent their heads to Shankara. Without being appeased, Rudra once more placed on his bowstring a sharp and blazing arrow.

Seeing his prowess, the celestials and the Rishis became all alarmed. Those foremost of gods began to pacify him.

Joining their hands in respect, they began to recite the Shata Rudriya Mantras. Thus lauded by the celestials, at last Maheshvara became gratified.

The deities then assigned a large share to him. Trembling with fear, O king, they sought refuge with him.

When Rudra became pleased, the embodiment of sacrifice, which had been cut in twain, became once more united. Whatever limbs of his had been destroyed by the arrows of Mahadeva, became once more whole and sound.

The Asuras gifted with great energy had formerly threc cities in the firmament. One of these had been, made of iron; one of silver; and the third of gold.

With all his weapons, Maghavat the chief of the celestials, was unable to pierce those cities. Afflicted by the Asuras, all the celestials then sought the protection of the great Rudra.

The highsouled celestials in a body addressed him, saying, O Rudra, the Asuras threaten to display their destructive influence in all deeds.

Do you kill the demons and destroy their city for the protection of the three worlds, giver of honours! Thus accosted by them, he replied, saying, So be it! and then made Vishnu his excellent shafthcad.

He made the deity of fire his shaftrced, and the SunGod's son Yama the wings of that arrow. He made the Vedas his bow and the goddess Savittri his excellent bowstring.

And he made the Grandfather Brahman his charioteer. Applying all these, he pierced the triple city of the Asuras with that arrow of his, consisting of three Parvans and three Shalyas.

Indeed, O Bharata, the Asuras with their cities, were all burnt by Rudra with that arrow which had solar effulgence and whose energy resembled that of the fire which appcars at the end of the cycle for consuming all things.

Seeing that Mahadeva changed into a child with five locks of hair lying on the lap of Parvati, the latter asked the celestials as to who he was.

Seeing the child, Shakra became suddenly filled with jealousy and anger and determined to kill him with his thunder. The child, however, paralysed the arm, appearing like a mace of iron, of Indra with the thunderbolt in it.

The celestials all became stupefied, and they could not understand that child was the Master of the universe. Indeed, all of them, along with the very Regents of the world, found their intellects stupefied about that child who was none else than the Supreme Being.

Then reflecting with the help of his penances, the Illustrious Grandfather Brahman found out that that child was the foremost of al! beings, the lord of Uma, Mahadeva of immeasurable prowess. He then lauded the Lord.

The celestials also began to sing the praises of both Uma and Rudra. The arm (which had been paralysed) of the destroyer of Vala then became restored to its former state. That Mahadeva, taking birth as the highly energetic Brahmana Durvasas, lived for a long time at Dvaravati in my house.

While living in my house he committed various mischief's. Thought difficult of being borne. I suffered them yet from magnanimity of heart.

He is Rudra; he is Shiva; he is Agni; he is Sarva; he is the defeater of all; he is Indra, and Vayu, and the Ashvins and the god of lightning.

He is the Moon; he is Ishana; he is the Sun; he is Varuna; he is Time; he is the Destroyer; he is death; he is the day and the Night; he is the fortnight; he is the seasons; he is the two twilghts; he is the year. He is Dhatri; and he is Vidhatri; and he is Vishwakarinan; and he knows all things.

He is the cardinal points of the compass and the subsidiary points also. Of universal form, he is of great soul. The holy and illustrious Durvasas is of the colour of the celestials.

He sometimes shows himself singly; sometimes divides himself into two parts; and sometimes shows himself in many a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, forms.

Even such is Mahadeva. He is, again, that god who is unborn. In even a hundred years, one cannot exhaust his merits by rccounting them.