13.018
The greatness of the praise of Śiva.
Vaiśampāyana said.
Then the great yogin, the sage Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, spoke: "Recite, my son, may welfare be yours; may the great Lord be pleased with you." (13-18-1)
O son, long ago, while I was performing supreme austerity on Mount Meru for the sake of a son, O great king, this hymn was recited. (13-18-2)
O son of Pāṇḍu, I have indeed obtained those desires. In the same way, you too will obtain all desires from Śarva (Śiva). (13-18-3)
Then the four-headed Brahmā spoke: 'Ālambāyana, the beloved friend of Śakra, is indeed well-known as one of compassionate nature.' (13-18-4)
Having reached Gokarna, I performed austerities for a hundred years among those not born from the womb, who are self-restrained, knowledgeable in dharma, and endowed with great brilliance. (13-18-5)
O son of King Pandu, in ancient times, those who were ageless, free from sorrow, and lived for thousands of years obtained a hundred sons from Śarva (Śiva). (13-18-6)
Vālmīki, the venerable sage, also addressed Yudhiṣṭhira. During the dispute, the sages conciliatorily said to him, 'You are indeed a slayer of a Brāhmaṇa.' In a moment, O Bhārata, he was overcome by that unrighteousness. (13-18-7)
He—I, having gone to the sinless Lord as refuge, praised Him; I am liberated and freed from sin, helpless; then the destroyer of sorrow (Śiva) said to me, the destroyer of Tripura: "Indeed, your fame will be supreme." (13-18-8)
O dear one, the descendant of Jamadagni, the foremost among the upholders of dharma, standing in the midst of the sages, said to the son of Kunti, shining like fire. (13-18-9)
O eldest of the Pāṇḍavas, due to the killing of my father and a brāhmaṇa, I was afflicted. Having purified myself, I went to Mahādeva for refuge, O king. (13-18-10)
I praised the god with names, and then Bhava (Śiva) became pleased; the god gave me an axe and also divine weapons. (13-18-11)
Today, sin will not befall you; you will become unconquerable. Death will not overcome you; you will become glorious. (13-18-12)
The blessed one, Śikhaṇḍī, who has the form of Śiva, thus said to me: "All that I have obtained is by the grace of that wise one." (13-18-13)
Asita and Devala said to the son of Pāṇḍu, the king: 'Because of Śakra's curse, O Kaunteya, when I was consumed by fire, dharma did not enjoy my share.' Therefore, Bhava (Śiva) gave me dharma, fame, and the highest life. (13-18-14)
The seer named Gṛtsamada, the beloved friend of Śakra, who was as radiant as Bṛhaspati, spoke to Ajamīḍha. (13-18-15)
The venerable Vasiṣṭha, son of Cākṣuṣa Manu, during the inconceivable thousand-year sacrifice of Śatakratu, as the Sāman was being chanted by me, spoke these words. (13-18-16)
O best of the twice-born, the Rathantara does not exist properly in this way. Examine again with your intellect, having abandoned joy, O best of the twice-born. You, O very wicked-minded one, have committed a sin that does not lead to sacrifice. (13-18-17)
Having thus spoken, he, filled with great anger, again uttered words in anger; devoid of wisdom, sorrowful, always fearful, a forest-dweller; (he was so) for ten thousand years and also for eighteen hundred years. (13-18-18)
When water and barley-grass are lost, and the place is abandoned by animals and others, in a land of trees unfit for sacrifice, frequented by wild oxen and lions, you will become a cruel animal afflicted with great suffering. (13-18-19)
O Pārtha, at the end of his speech, I was indeed born as a deer; then, having taken refuge in me, the yogi, the great lord, spoke. (13-18-20)
May you both become ageless and immortal, free from suffering; may equality and happiness be yours, and may your sacrifice increase. (13-18-21)
Thus, the Lord, the all-pervading, does favors; He is the supreme supporter and ordainer, always in both happiness and sorrow. (13-18-22)
This Lord is beyond comprehension by action, mind, or speech. O dear one, O foremost among warriors, there is no learned person equal to Him by knowledge. (13-18-23)
The descendant of Jigiṣavya said.
O Yudhishthira, my eightfold sovereignty was formerly given by the Lord, and with little effort, by the powerful, in Varanasi. (13-18-24)
Gārgya said.
O Pāṇḍava, being pleased by my mental sacrifice on the bank of the Sarasvatī, he gave me the sixty-four limbs and the wonderful knowledge of time. (13-18-25)
A thousand sons who are brahmavādins are equal to me, but the lifespan of a man with a son is indeed a hundred thousand years. (13-18-26)
Parāśara said.
O king, having propitiated Śarva (Śiva) in former times with my mind, I contemplated him. Vedavyāsa, of great austerity, great brilliance, a great yogi, and of great fame, is the abode of prosperity, devoted to Brahman, and of compassionate nature. (13-18-27)
Thinking in his heart, 'Indeed, perhaps I might obtain the desired son from Maheśvara,' the best of the gods spoke this thought to me. (13-18-28)
Kṛṣṇa will be born from me as a result of him. In the creation of Sāvarṇi Manu, the seven sages will also exist. (13-18-29)
He is indeed the expounder of the Vedas and the maker of the Kuru lineage; likewise, he is the author of history and your son, a benefit to the world. (13-18-30)
He, the great sage, beloved of Mahendra, will be ageless and immortal; he is indeed your son, Parāśara. (13-18-31)
Having thus spoken, the illustrious Lord disappeared right there. Yudhishthira, the great yogi, who is powerful, imperishable, and eternal. (13-18-32)
Māṇḍavya said.
When I, though not a thief, was impaled on the stake on suspicion of theft, then Maheshvara, the great god, praised by the one present there, truly spoke to me. (13-18-33)
You will attain liberation; you will live for a full ten crores (of years) free from pain. Pain caused by pain will not befall you, O brāhmaṇa. You will be free from mental afflictions and diseases. (13-18-34)
O sage, from whose fourth foot the self has arisen, your future birth will be incomparable; indeed, make it fruitful. (13-18-35)
You will successfully complete the sacred bathing without any obstacle; O Brāhmaṇa, I grant you the imperishable heaven that you have earned. (13-18-36)
Thus, having spoken, the Lord, the most excellent, bull-bannered, great Lord, great king, clad in skins and of great splendor, along with his attendants, the best among the gods, disappeared right there. (13-18-37)
Gālava said.
Having been permitted by Viśvāmitra, I came to my father; then my mother, greatly distressed and weeping, said to me. (13-18-38)
O sinless one, your father does not see you, his young and self-controlled son, who has been permitted by Kauśika and is adorned with the Veda. (13-18-39)
Having heard his mother's words and despairing of seeing the guru, I, self-controlled, saw Mahadeva; he then spoke to me. (13-18-40)
Your father, mother, you, and your son are free from death; you will become so. Enter quickly, and at the end you will see your father. (13-18-41)
After being permitted by the venerable one, I, Yudhishthira, went home and saw that my dear father, having performed the sacrifice, had departed. (13-18-42)
After touching water, taking the sacrificial fuel and sacred grass, and having dismissed the elders from the shelter, my father, with eyes filled with tears, spoke to me. (13-18-43)
Having bowed, embraced, and smelled your head, O Pāṇḍava, by good fortune I see you, my son, accomplished in knowledge, arrived here. (13-18-44)
Vaiśampāyana said.
Having heard these very wonderful deeds of the great-souled one, as spoken by the sages, the son of Pāṇḍu felt astonishment. (13-18-45)
Then Kṛṣṇa, the foremost among the wise, again addressed Yudhiṣṭhira, who is ever devoted to righteousness, as the lord addresses Indra. (13-18-46)
The Ādityas, the moon, wind, fire, as well as the sky, earth, waters, the Vasus, and all the gods; Dhātṛ, Aryaman, Śukra, Bṛhaspati, the Rudras, the Sādhyas, Varuṇa, and the protector of wealth (Kubera) were present. (13-18-47)
Brahmā, Indra, the Maruts, the Veda, and truth; the Vedas, sacrifices, offerings, and those who carry the Veda; Soma, the sacrificer, whatever is offered and oblation; protection, initiation, and all rules, and whoever else there may be. (13-18-48)
Oblation, the sacrificial exclamation, Brāhmaṇas, the Saurabheyas; righteousness, the wheel, the wheel of time, movement; fame, self-restraint, wisdom, stability; auspicious and inauspicious, and the seven sages. (13-18-49)
The foremost intellect is by the mind in perception, and accomplishment in touch and in actions is also accomplishment. The groups of the gods are the eaters of warmth, the drinkers of soma, the scribes, the well-restrained, the contented, and the bodies of Brahman. (13-18-50)
The shining ones, those who subsist on fragrance, and those who subsist on sight; those who are opposed by speech and by mind. The pure ones, those devoted to liberation, the gods; those who feed on touch, those who feed on sight, and those who feed on clarified butter. (13-18-51)
O Ajamīḍha, those who are absorbed in thought, both the chief among the gods and other divinities, as well as Suparṇas, Gandharvas, Piśācas, Dānavas, Yakṣas, serpents, and Cāraṇas (celestial bards), all (were present). (13-18-52)
Know that all which is subtle, gross, soft, and not subtle; pleasure, pain, and what is beyond pleasure and pain; Sāṅkhya, Yoga, that which is of the supreme and the supreme itself; all this, arisen from Śarva (Śiva), is what I have declared to you. (13-18-53)
Those who arose together, the most excellent creators of beings; all the gods, protectors of this world. Having entered this earth, they protected the ancient creation of that god. (13-18-54)
I praise, seeking with my mind, a little of the truth of the cause of life, and I am bowed. May that god, praised at the navel, always grant us the desired boons; he is the imperishable lord. (13-18-55)
Whoever, having restrained the senses and become pure, recites this hymn with unbroken discipline for one year, he obtains the fruit which is gained by the horse-sacrifice. (13-18-56)
The Brāhmaṇa attains all the Vedas; the king conquers the whole earth; the Vaiśya gains profit and skill; and the Śūdra, after death, attains progress and happiness. (13-18-57)
Having composed this king of hymns, they fixed their mind on Rudra; it is the remover of all faults, meritorious, pure, and glorious. (13-18-58)
O Bhārata, as many hair follicles as there are in this body, for that many thousands of years a man resides in heaven. (13-18-59)
