Anushasanika Parva — The Hymn of Maheshvara.

Vaishampayana said After Vasudeva had stopped, the great, Yogin, viz., Krishna Dvaipayana, addressed Yudhishthira, saying, O son, recite this hymn consisting of the thousand and eight names of Mahadeva, and let Maheshvara be pleased with you.

Formerly, O son, I was engaged in the practice of penances on the breast of the mountains of Meru for getting son. It is this very hymn that was recited by me.

As the reward of this, I acquired the fruition of all my wishes, O son of Pandu! You will also by reciting this same hymn, get from Sharva the fruition of all your wishes.

After this, Kapila, the Rishi who preached the doctrines of Sankhya, and who is honc ired by the gods themselves, said I adored Bhava with great devotion for many lives. The illustrious god at last became pleased with me and gave me knowledge which can help one in avoiding rebirth.

After this, the Rishi named Charushirsha, that dear friend of Shakra and known also as Alambana's son and who is filled with mercy, said I in former days went to the mountains of Gokarna and sat myself to practise hard austerities for a hundred years. As the reward of those penances, I got from Sharva, O son of king Pandu, a hundred sons, all of whom were born without the agency of woman of wellcontrolled soul, conversant with righteousness, gifted with great splendour, free from disease and sorrow, and endued with lives extending for a hundred thousand years.

Then the illustrious Valmiki, addressing Yudhishthira, said Once upon a time in course of a disputation, certain ascetics who possessed the Homafire condemned me as one guilty of Brahmanicide.

As soon as they had condemned me as such, the sin of Brahmanicide, O Bharata, possessed me. I then, for purifying myself, sought the protection of the sinless Ishana who is irresistible in energy.

I became purged of all my sins. That remover of all sorrows, viz., the destroyer of the triple city of the Asuras, said to me You will acquire great fame in the world.

Then Jamadagni's son, that foremost of all pious persons, effulgent like the Sun in the midst of that assembly of Rishis said to the son of Kunti.

I was possessed by the sin, O eldest son of Pandu, of Brahmanicide for having killed my brothers who were all learned Brahmanas. Purifying myself, I sought the protection, O king, of Mahadeva.

I sang the praises of the great God by reciting his names. At this Bhava became pleased with me, and gave me battleaxe and many other celestial weapons.

And he said to me you will be freed from sin and you will be invincible in battle. Death himself shall not succeed in overcoming you for you, will be freed from disease.

Thus did the illustrious and crested god of auspicious form said this to me. Through the favour of that god of great intelligence I got all that He had said.

Then Vishvamitra said I was formerly a Kshatriya. I paid my worship to Bhava with the desire of becoming a Brahmana. Through the favour of that great god I succeeded in getting the high status, that is so difficult to acquire, of a Brahmana.

Then addressing the royal son of Pandu, the Rishi Asita Devala said Formerly O son of Kunti, through the curse of Shakra, all the merit of my pious deeds was destroyed. The power, Mahadeva kindly gave me back that merit together with great fame and a long life.

The illustrious Rishi Gritsamada, the dear friend of Shakra, who resembled the celestial preceptor Brihaspati himself, addressing Yudhishthira of Ajamidha's race said.

The inconceivable Shakra had formerly celebrated a sacrifice extending for a thousand years. While that sacrifice was going on, I was engaged by Shakra in reciting the Samans. Vasishtha, the son of that Manu who originated from the eyes of Brahman, came to that sacrifice and addressing me, said O foremost of twiceborn ones, the Rathantara is not being recited properly by you.

0 best of Brahmanas cease to acquire demerit by reading so faultily, and with the help of you understanding. do you read the Samans correctly. O you of wicked understanding why do you perpetrate such sin destructive of Sacrifice.

Having said these words, the Rishi Vasishtha who was very wrathful, yielded to that passion and addressing me once more, said Be thou an animal shorn of intelligence, subject to grief, ever filled with fear, and an inhabitant of trackless forests destitute of both wind and water and abandoned by other animals. Do you thus pass ten thousand years with ten and eight hundred years in addition.

That forest in which you will have to pass this time will be shorn of all holy tress and will, besides, be the haunt of Rurudeer and lions. Verily, you shall 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 changed into a deer. I then sought the protection of Maheshvara. The great god said to me You will be freed from disease of every sort, and besides immortality shall be yo urs. You will never suffer from grief. Your friendship with Indra shall remain unchanged and left the sacrifices of both Indra and yourself multiply.

The illustrious and puissant Mahadeva favours all creatures in this way. He is always the great dispenser and ordainer of the happiness and sorrow of all living creatures.

That illustrious god is incapable of being comprehended in thought, word, or deed. O son, O you who are the best of warriors, there is none who is equal to me in learning.

After this, Vasudeva, that foremost of all intelligent men, once more said Mahadeva of golden eyes was pleased by me with my penances.

Pleased with me, O Yudhishthira, the illustrious god said to me You will, O Krishna, through my favour, become dearer to all person than riches which is coveted by all.

You will be invincible in battle. Your energy shall be equal to that of Fire. Mahadeva gave me thousands of other boons at that time.

In a former incarnation I worshipped Mahadeva on the Manimantha mountain for millions of years.

Pleased with me, the illustrious god said to me those words Blessed be you, do you solicit boons you wish for.

Bowing him I said these words I the powerful Mahadeva has been pleased with me, then let devotion to him be unchanged, O Ishana! This is the boon that I solicit. The great god said mc Be it so! and disappeared there and then.

Jaigishavya said O Yudhishthira, formerly in the city of Varanasi, the powerful Mahadeva, finding me out, conferred upon me the eight attributes of sovereignty!

Garga said O son of Pandu, pleased with me, on account of a mental sacrifice which had performed, the great God bestowed upon me, on the banks of the sacred river Sarasvati, that wonderful science, viz., the knowledge of Times, with its sixtyfour branches.

He also conferred upon me a thousand solis, all possessed of equal merit and fully conversant with the Vedas. Through his favour their periods of life as also mine have become extended to ten millions of years.

Parashara said Formerly I pleased Sarva, O king. I then cherished the desire of getting a son who would be endued with great ascetic merit, and superior energy, and addressed to high Yoga, that would acquire worldwide fame, arrange the Vedas and become the home of prosperity, that would be devoted to the Vedas and the Brahmans and be famous for mercy. Such a son was desired by me from Maheshvara.

Knowing that this was the wish of my heart, that foremost of gods said to me through the fruition of that object of yours which you wish to get from me, you will have a son named Krishna. In that creation which shall be known after the name of SavarniManu, that son of yours 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 behoof to the world, Gifted with severe penances he shall, again be the dear friend of Shakra.

Freed from all sorts diseases, that son of yours, O Parashara, shall besides be immortal! Having said these words, the great god disappeared there and then, Such is the good, O Yudhishthira, that I have got from that indestructible and immutable God,, gifted with the highest penances and supreme energy.

Mandavya said Formerly, suspected wrongly of theft, I was impaled. I then worshipped the illustrious Mahadeva who said to me You shall soon be freed and live for millions of yours. The pangs due to imprisonment shall no be yours.

You will also be freed from all sorts of affliction and disease. And since, O ascetic this body of yours has originated from the fourth foot of Dharma, (viz., Truth), you will be peerless on Earth. Do you make your life fruitful.

You will, without any obstruction, be able to bathe in all the sacred waters of the Earth. And after the dissolution of your body, I shall, O learned Brahmana, ordain that you will enjoy the pure felicity of heaven eternally. Having said these words to me, the worshipful god having the bull for his carriage, viz., Maheshvara of peerless splendour and clad in animal skin, O king, disappeared there and then with all his companions.

Galava said Formerly I studied from my preceptor Vishvamitra. Getting his permission I started for home the object of seeing; my father. My widowed mother stricken with sorrow and, weeping bitterly, said tu me Alas, your father will never see his son who, endued with Vedic knowledge, has been allowed by his preceptor to come home and who, having all the graces of youth, is endued with selfcontrol.

Hearing these words of my mother, I became stricken with despair about seeing again my father. I then paid my adoration with a rapt soul to Maheshvara who, pleased with me, appeared before me and said Your father, your mother and yourself, O son, shall all be freed from death, Go quickly and enter your abode; you shall see your father there.

Having got the permission of the illustrious god, I then went home, O Yudhishthira, and saw my father, O son, coming out after having finished his daily sacrifice.

And he come out, having his hands a quantity of sacrificialfuel and Kusha grass and some fallen fruits. And he appeared 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, raised me, for I had prostrated myself at his feet, and embracing me smelt my head, O son of Pandu, and said By good luck, O son, are you seen by me. You returned having acquired knowledge from your preceptor.

Vaishampayana said Hearing these marvellous and most wonderful deeds of the great Mahadeva sung by the ascetics, the son of Pandu became amazed.

Then Krishna that foremost of all intelligent persons, then spoke once more to Yudhishthira, that sea of virtue, like Vishnu speaking to Puruhuta.

Vasudeva said Upamanyu, who appeared to shine like the sun, said to me Those sinful men who are sullied with impious deeds, do not succeed in attaining to Ishana. Having their nature sullied by the qualities of Darkness and Ignorance they can never approach the Supreme Deity. It is only those twiceborn persons who are of purified souls that succeed in attaining to the Supreme Deity.

Even if a person enjoys every pleasure and luxury, yet if he be devoted to the Supreme Deity he is considered equal to hermits of purified souls.

If Rudra be pleased with a person he can confer upon him the dignity of either Brahma or of Keshava or of Shakra with all the gods under him, or the sovereignty of the three worlds.

Those men, O sire, who adore Bhava even mentally, succeed in freeing themselves from all sins and live in the celestial region with all the gods.

A person who raises houses to their foundations and destroys tanks and lakes, indeed, who lays waste the entire universe, does not become stained with sin if he adores and worships the illustrious three eyed god.

A person who is shorn of every auspicious mark and who is stained by every sin, destroys all his sins by meditating upon Shiva.

Even worms, insects and birds, O Keshava, that devote themselves to Mahadeva are enabled to move about fearlessly.

This is my belief that those men who devote themselves to Mahadeva become, forsooth, freed from rebirth.

After this, Krishna again addressed Yudhishthira the son of Dharma in the following words.

Vishnu said The Sun, the Moon, Wind, Fire, Heaven, Earth, the Vasus, the Vishvedevas, Datri, Aryaman Shukra, Brihaspati the Rudras, the Saddhyas, Varuna, Gopa, Brahman, Shakra, Maruts, the Upanishads that teach a knowledge of Brahma, Truth, the Vedas, the Sacrifices, Sacrificial Presents, Brahmanas reciting the Vedas, Soma, Sacrificer, the shares of the gods in sacrificial offerings, clarified butter poured in sacrifices, Raksha, Diksha, all kinds of restraints in the form of vows and fasts and rigid observances, Svaha, Vashat, the Brahmanas, the celestial cow, the foremost acts of piety, the wheel of Time, Strength, Fame, Selfcontrol, the Steadiness of all intelligent persons, all acts of goodness and otherwise, the seven Rishis, Understanding of the foremost order, all kinds of excellent touch, the success of all deeds, the various tribes of the celestials, those beings that drink heat, those that are drinkers of Soma, Likhas, Suyamas, Tushita, all creatures having Mantras for their bodies, Abhasuras those beings that live upon scents only, those that live upon vision only, those that control their speech, those that restrain their minds, the pure, they who are capable of assuming diverse forms through Yogapower, those celestials who live on touch those celestials who live on vision and those who live upon the butter poured in sacrifices, those beings who can create by their will the objects they require, they who are regarded as the foremost one among the celestials, and all the Other celestials O Ajamidha the Suparnas, the Gandharvas, the Pishachas the Danavas, the Yakslias, the Charanas, the snakes, all that is gross and all that is subtile, all that is soft and all that is not subtile, all sorrows and all joys all sorrow that comes after joy and all joy that comes after sorrow the Samkhya philosophy, Yoga and that which is above all objects regarded as foremost and very superior all adorable things, all the celestials and all the protectors of the universe who entering into the physical forces sustain and uphold this arcient creation of that of that illustrious Deity have originated from that creator of all creatures.

All that I have mentioned is grosser than what the wise think of with the help of Penances. Indeed, that subtile Brahma is the cause of life. I bow respectfully to it. Let that immutable and indestructible Lord, always worshipped by us, grant us desirable boons.

That person who, governing his senses and purifying himself, recites this hymn, continually for his vow, for one month, succeeds in acquiring the merit of a Horsesacrifices.

By reciting this hymn the Brahmana succeeds in acquiring all the Vedas; the Kshatriya becomes crowned with victory, O son of Pritha; the Vaishya, in acquiring riches and cleverness; and the Shudra, in acquiring happiness here and a good end hereafter.

By reciting the best of hyinns that can cleanse every sin and that is highly sacred and purifying, highly illustrious persons set their hearts on Rudra.

A man by reciting this best of hymns succeeds in living in the celestial region for as many years as there are pores in his body.