07.173
Dhritarashtra said:
Sanjaya, after the great charioteer Drona was slain there, what actions did my people and the Pandavas take next?
Sanjaya said:
When the great chariot-warrior Droṇa was slain by the son of Prishata, and the Kauravas were broken, the son of Kunti, Dhananjaya, stood firm.
Upon witnessing the extraordinary event that ensured his victory, the best of the Bharatas, by chance, encountered Vyasa and inquired of him.
In the battle, as I slay the enemies with pure arrows, I see a man in front of me, moving with a radiance like fire.
O great sage, when he raises the burning spear and proceeds in any direction, my enemies in that direction are destroyed.
He does not touch the ground with his feet, nor does he release the spear. Thousands of spears emerged from the spear by his energy.
The people think that all the enemies broken by him are my defeated ones. I burn the armies scorched by him from behind.
O Lord, please tell me who is that supreme person, the great Krishna, who holds a trident and shines like the sun.
Vyasa said:
The first radiant being among the lords of creatures, the all-pervading master of the world, earth, and heaven, the god and lord of all worlds.
O son of Pritha, you have seen Shankara, the lord who grants boons. Seek refuge in him, the god who is the origin of everything and the lord of the universe.
The great god Shiva, with matted hair and three eyes, mighty arms, known as Rudra, is the giver of boons granted by grace to his devotees.
His divine attendants appeared in various forms, including dwarfish figures, those with matted hair, shaven heads, short necks, and large bellies.
O son of Pritha, there are those with great bodies, great enthusiasm, large ears, and others with distorted faces, feet, and deformed appearances.
Mahadeva, the great lord, being worshipped in such a manner, O dear Shiva, radiant by grace, goes before you. Then, in that terrible and hair-raising battle, O Partha.
O son of Pritha, who could even conceive of overcoming that army protected by Drona, Karna, and Kripa, by great archers and attackers, except for the gods and the many-formed Maheshvara?
No one dares to stand before him, as there is no being equal to him in all the three worlds.
Even the scent of him in battle causes his angry enemies to become unconscious, mostly killed, trembling and falling.
Salutations to him are offered by the gods who reside in heaven, as well as by other humans on earth and those men who have conquered heaven.
Devotees who worship Lord Shiva, the boon-giver and consort of Uma, experience happiness in this world and ultimately attain the supreme state.
"O son of Kunti, always bow to him, the peaceful one, indeed to Rudra, the blue-throated, the youngest, the radiant."
To the matted-haired, fierce, tawny-eyed, boon-giving, restraining, unmanifested-haired, well-behaved Shankara.
To the desirable one, the one with eyes like a deer, the immovable one, the supreme being, and the one with golden hair, the shaven-headed one, the emaciated one, and the one who helps cross over.
To Bhāskara, Sutīrtha, the god of gods, the swift one, the one of many forms, Śarva, the beloved, and the one who resides in the beloved place.
To the one adorned with a turban and a beautiful face, who possesses a thousand eyes and is generous, the lord of the mountains, peaceful and the master, clad in bark garments.
Salutations to the one with golden arms, the fierce lord of the directions, and to the lord of rain and all beings.
To the lord of trees and waters, and to the one whose body is covered by trees, to the general and the central figure.
To the god who holds a ladle, the archer, the descendant of Bhrigu, the one of many forms, the lord of the universe, clad in bark garments.
Salutations to the one with a thousand heads, eyes, arms, and feet, who is omnipresent and all-encompassing.
O son of Kunti, having sought refuge in the gracious lord of the world, the consort of Uma, the three-eyed destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice, the unperturbed and eternal lord of all beings.
The one with matted hair, who embodies the symbol of the bull, with the navel of a bull, bearing the bull as a banner, the pride and lord of bulls, possessing the horn of a bull, and the supreme bull among bulls.
The great lord, marked with a bull, generous as a bull, having the appearance and attributes of a bull, with eyes like a bull, wielding a bull as a weapon, and possessing arrows like bulls.
The one with a great belly and body, who wears a tiger skin, is the lord of the world, bestows boons, is bald, devoted to Brahman, and dear to the Brahmins.
I seek refuge in the god who wields a trident, grants boons, bears a sword and shield, and is the lord of the worlds. He is the supreme lord, the protector, and is clad in bark garments.
Salutations to the lord of gods, whose friend is Vaiśravaṇa. Always bow to the well-dressed one, the one with good vows and a good bow.
To the deity holding a ladle, the god with a pleasant bow, the archer, Dhanvantari, the bow, the master of archery, and the archer, I offer my salutations.
Salutations to the fierce-armed god, the best among gods. Let there be salutations to the multifaceted one and the wielder of many bows.
"Salutations to the eternal firm one, the one with good vows and a good bow. Salutations to the destroyer of Tripura and fortune, indeed."
Salutations to the lord of trees, men, waters, and sacrifices, eternally.
Salutations to Pūṣan for the destruction of teeth, to the three-eyed, boon-giver, blue-throated, tawny, and golden-haired one.
I will recount to you the divine deeds of the wise Mahadeva, as I have understood and heard them.
When he is angry, neither gods, demons, celestial musicians, nor those dwelling in caves in the world find happiness.
In his anger, Shiva fearlessly pierced the sacrifice. Then, releasing an arrow with a bow, he roared loudly.
The gods could not find peace or tranquility at that time when the sacrifice was abruptly disrupted and Lord Maheshvara became angry.
The sound of the bowstring caused all the worlds to become agitated, and both gods and demons fell under its influence, O son of Pritha.
The waters were agitated, the entire earth shook, and the mountains crumbled. Directions were confused, and even the serpents were bewildered.
The worlds, blinded and enveloped by darkness, do not shine. The brightness of all lights was struck down along with the sun.
The fearful cried out, and similarly, the sages made peace, desiring happiness for all beings and themselves.
Śaṅkara, with a smile, approached Pūṣan and broke the teeth of the one consuming the sacrificial offering.
Then the trembling gods, having bowed, came out to him. Once more, they prepared the gods' sharp and shining arrow.
The gods, fearing Rudra, arranged a special portion of the sacrifice for him and sought refuge, O king.
With great anger, he commenced the sacrifice. The gods were attentive then, and even today they remain attentive towards him.
The demons had three ancient and powerful cities in heaven: one made of iron, one of silver, and another great one of gold.
The iron belonged to Tārakākṣa, the silver to Kamalākṣa. The gold was indeed supreme and belonged to Vidyunmālin.
Indra, despite having all weapons, could not break them. Then, all the gods, being afflicted, sought refuge in Rudra.
All the gods, along with Indra, addressed the great soul, saying: "O Rudra, the fierce ones will become animals in all actions. You, O Lord of the world, will destroy these demons."
He, having been thus addressed and having said 'so be it', stood like a pillar for a thousand years for the welfare of the gods.
When the three ancient entities came together in the sky, he used a three-pointed weapon with three parts to pierce them.
The ancient demons could not gaze upon him, as he was armed with an arrow infused with the destructive fire of time and the powers of Vishnu and Soma.
Umā, having placed the child in her lap, inquired of the gods, "Who is this Pañcaśikha?"
The Lord, in his divine power, restrained the arm of the angry Indra wielding the thunderbolt. He is the revered god, the master of all worlds.
The gods and all the lords of creatures could not comprehend him, the lord of the world, who shines like the rising sun.
Then Brahma, having approached and seen Maheshvara, recognized him as the supreme and bowed to him, the grandsire.
Then the gods appeased Umā and Rudra, and Indra's arm was restored to its natural state.
The Lord, pleased with them, accompanied by his consort and bearing the bull banner, is the foremost among the thirty gods and the destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice.
He is indeed Rudra, and he is also known as Shiva, Agni, Sharva, and the all-knowing one. He is Indra, Vayu, the Ashvins, and even the lightning.
He is Bhava, Parjanya, Mahadeva, Anagha, Chandra, Ishana, Surya, and Varuna, representing all these divine forms.
He embodies time, the end of life, death, Yama, the cycle of nights and days, months and fortnights, seasons, twilights, and the year.
He, who is the creator and ordainer, embodies the soul of the universe and the maker of all actions, supports all the deities with a form that is beyond form.
The god, praised by all the gods, manifests as one and in many forms, in hundreds, thousands, and indeed hundreds of thousands of ways.
Such is the great god, the blessed and unborn. Indeed, I cannot possibly enumerate all the qualities of the blessed one.
The one who is the refuge, when pleased, releases those who have sought refuge, even if they are seized by all the planets and endowed with all sins.
He bestows life, health, prosperity, wealth, and abundant desires upon humans, and he also takes them away again.
His sovereignty is acknowledged among Indra and other gods. He is indeed present in the spoken world of humans, influencing both auspicious and inauspicious outcomes.
He is called the lord of desires and power again. He is also the great lord of all beings and the great ones.
The universe, in its many forms, indeed pervades the world. The mouth of this god was situated in the ocean.
This deity is believed to reside perpetually in the cremation grounds, and there, people worship him as the lord of the place of heroes.
Men in the world speak of and perform many of his brilliant and terrible forms.
In the worlds, many names are explained here truly, due to their greatness, power, and actions.
In the Veda, the excellent Śatarudriya is mentioned as the worship of the great soul, known by the name Anantarudra.
He is the lord of all desires, the divine and human god, omnipresent and the great lord who pervades the entire universe.
The Brahmins and sages say that this being is the eldest. Indeed, this fire was the first to emerge from the mouth of the gods.
In every way, the one who protects and delights with the animals again and again, is remembered as their lord, hence known as the lord of animals.
Through constant celibacy, when this symbol is firmly established, the worlds honor and remember him as the great lord.
Sages, gods, celestial musicians, and nymphs indeed worship this symbol, which is also established upwards.
When worshipped, the great lord Śaṅkara rejoices, becoming happy, pleased, and truly delighted.
The entity that manifests in various forms, existing through past, present, and future, both immovable and movable, is thus remembered as having many forms.
The one-eyed, blazing deity, who is full of eyes everywhere, is also known as Śarva (Shiva) because he entered the worlds in anger.
The smoky form of his is known as Dhūrjaṭi. He is remembered as the universal form because all the gods reside in him.
When the lord of the world worships the three goddesses, he is remembered as the three-eyed one, encompassing the sky, waters, and earth.
That which always fulfills all purposes in all actions, desiring auspiciousness for humans, is remembered as Shiva.
Mahadeva, who is known as the thousand-eyed or ten-thousand-eyed, or even as one full of eyes everywhere, is revered because he protects the great universe.
"That which burns upwards, is situated as the origin of life, and is eternally present as a sign, is therefore remembered as the immovable."
The air, though situated unevenly in bodies, is equal among living beings here. It resides in uneven places within bodies that have prāṇa and apāna.
Whoever worships the idol or honors the symbol will always attain great prosperity.
The body is described as being composed of halves: one half from Agni and the other from Soma, symbolizing the dual nature of existence. The self is also divided, with Agni and Soma representing different aspects of life and spirituality.
The fiery and great body, which is brilliant and auspicious to the gods, is known as the terrible fire among humans.
This auspicious one practices celibacy, and by her body, whose more terrible form devours all, she is the lord.
Rudra is called so because he burns, is sharp, fierce, powerful, and consumes flesh, blood, and marrow.
This is the great god, O son of Pritha, who stands before you in battle, slaying enemies, and whom you have seen as the holder of the bow Pinaka.
This blessed god indeed leads you in battle, having provided you with the weapons by which you have slain the demons.
The Shatarudriya, known for its auspiciousness, glory, life-giving nature, and sacredness as described in the Vedas, has been explained to you, O Arjuna, by the God of gods.
It is meritorious, fulfilling all desires, destroying all sins, pacifying all evils, and removing all sorrow and fear.
A man who listens to this fourfold hymn regularly, after conquering all his enemies, is honored in the realm of Rudra.
The divine conduct of the great soul, related to battle, is auspicious. One who recites the Shatarudriya and listens to it while always standing is blessed.
A devotee of Viśveśvara, the god among humans, always receives boons and fulfills desires when Tryambaka is pleased.
"Go and fight, O son of Kunti, for you cannot be defeated when Janardana is your advisor and protector by your side."
Sanjaya said:
Having addressed Arjuna in the battlefield, the son of Parashara departed as he had come, O best of the Bharatas, O conqueror of enemies.
