Shiva Purana
by J. L. Shastri | 1950 | 616,585 words
This page relates 鈥渕anifestation of rudra鈥� as found in the Shiva-purana, which, in Hinduism, represents one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. This work eulogizes Lord Shiva as the supreme deity, besides topics such as cosmology and philosophy. It is written in Sanskrit and claims to be a redaction of an original text consisting of 100,000 metrical verses.
Disclaimer: These are translations of Sanskrit texts and are not necessarily approved by everyone associated with the traditions connected to these texts. Consult the source and original scripture in case of doubt.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Chapter 15 - The manifestation of Rudra
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
狈腻谤补诲补 said:鈥�
1. O creator, O 叠谤补丑尘腻 the fortunate, you are blessed O foremost among Devas. A wonderfully sanctifying story of 艢颈惫补 has been narrated by you, today.
2. I have heard the wonderfully divine story of the origin of the 尝颈峁単补, the auspicious hearing of the efficacy of which destroys all miseries here.
3. Please narrate what transpired thereafter, the grandeur of the created things and particularly the mode of creation.
叠谤补丑尘腻 said:鈥�
4. You have requested very pertinently. I shall briefly narrate what transpired later as I have heard before.
5-6. When the eternal lord 艢颈惫补 vanished, O chief of brahmins, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 and I in a very happy mood withdrew our forms of Swan and Boar and wished for creation and sustenance of the worlds.
狈腻谤补诲补 said:鈥�
7. O Vidhi, O 叠谤补丑尘腻, O wise one, I have a great doubt. Please remove the same.
8. How is it that both of you assumed the forms of Swan and Boar instead of other forms? Please tell me the reason for the same.
S奴ta said:鈥�
9. On hearing these words of the noble-souled 狈腻谤补诲补, 叠谤补丑尘腻 spoke after remembering the lotus-like feet of 艢颈惫补.
叠谤补丑尘腻 said:鈥�
10. The swan has the power of going up steadily. It has the power of discriminating between the real and the unreal as in separating milk from water.
11. The swan understands the distinction between ignorance and knowledge. Hence I (叠谤补丑尘腻) the Creator, assumed the form of Swan.
12. O 狈腻谤补诲补! But I failed to cognize the refulgent form of 艢颈惫补 and therefore could not exercise my power of discrimination.
13. How can real knowledge dawn on one who is engaged in activities of creation? Hence though in the form of Swan I could not attain the power of discrimination.
14. A boar has the power of steadily going deep below. Hence 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, the wanderer in the forest, assumed the form of the boar.
15. Or 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, the protector of all the worlds assumed the form of a Boar to start a new Kalpa (Aeon).
16. Since the day he assumed the form of a Boar, the aeon by the title of 痴腻谤腻丑补 has started.
17. Or the 痴腻谤腻丑补kalpa can be considered to have started since the day we two decided to assume these forms.
18. O 狈腻谤补诲补, thus I have answered your relevant question. O sage, now listen. I shall resume the context. Remembering the lotus-like feet of 艢颈惫补 I shall explain to you the mode of Creation.
19. When God 艢颈惫补 vanished, I, 笔颈迟腻尘补丑补 (grandfather) of the worlds fell into contemplation pondering on the means of carrying out His words of direction.
20. Then after bowing down to 艢颈惫补, getting knowledge from 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 and attaining the highest bliss, I decided to start the work of creation.
21. After bowing to 艢颈惫补 and instructing me, O dear one, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 too vanished.
22. After getting the blessings of 艢颈惫补 and going out of the cosmic egg, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 made 痴补颈办耻峁囜弓丑补[1] his permanent abode.
23. Desiring to create, I remembered 艢颈惫补 and 痴颈峁ａ箛耻. In the waters that had already been created I offered handfuls of water as libation.
24. Then the cosmic egg arose consisting of twenty-four Principles[2]. O brahmin, then a splendid, huge form 痴颈谤腻峁� appeared and the form of waters was not seen.
25. Confusion arose in my mind and I performed a severe penance for twelve years meditating on 痴颈峁ａ箛耻.
26. At that time, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 appeared before me and touching my body lovingly and joyously he told me.
痴颈峁ａ箛耻 said:鈥�
27. O 叠谤补丑尘腻, thanks to the favour of 艢颈惫补, I am capable of giving you everything. There is nothing which cannot be given to you. I am delighted. Tell me the boon (you wish to have).
叠谤补丑尘腻 said:鈥�
28. O 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, the fortunate one, I have been entrusted to you by 艢颈惫补. Hence it is but proper that I should request you. Please give me who request you what He has told you (to give me). Obeisance be to you.
29. This 痴颈谤腻峁� form of the cosmic egg consists of twenty-four principles. There is no sentience in it. It is insentient.
30. O 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, you have now appeared before me; thanks to the blessings of 艢颈惫补. Confer sentience on this cosmic egg originating from 艢颈惫补鈥檚 power.
31. When I said this, the great 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 adhering strictly to the directives of 艢颈惫补 assumed infinite forms and entered the cosmic egg.
32. 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet[3] encompassed the cosmic egg touching the earth everywhere.
33. When 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 who was properly eulogised by me entered it, the cosmic egg consisting of the twenty-four principles became sentient.
34. 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 shone as the great Being, the lord of the seven worlds beginning with 笔腻迟腻濒补[4].
35. The five-faced lord 艢颈惫补 created for His residence the beautiful city of 碍补颈濒腻蝉补 that shone above all.
36. O celestial sage, 碍补颈濒腻蝉补[5] and 痴补颈办耻峁囜弓丑补 will never be destroyed even if the whole cosmic egg is destroyed.
37. O foremost among sages, I am staying in Satyaloka[6]. O dear one, I desired the activity of creation at the bidding of Siva.
38. Even as I stood desirous of creation, the Evil creation, viz. the set of five Illusions[7] appeared before me. It was of the nature of darkness endowed with knowledge.
39. Then I created the chief creation[8] consisting of immobile beings with a delightful mind. At the bidding of 艢颈惫补, I continued my meditation in a detached spirit.
40. While creating it I had thought it would be an aspirant after the 膧迟尘补苍. But the creation Tiryaksrotas turned out to be full of misery. And it was not an aspirant.
41-42. Realising that it was not an aspirant I began to ponder over the matter. Then the 厂腻迟迟惫颈办补 Sarga otherwise known as 弄谤诲丑惫补蝉谤辞迟补蝉 and Devasarga (Divine creation) took shape. It was really charming. But considering that it too was not aspirant I meditated on my lord.
43. Then the R膩jasasarga, otherwise known as 础谤惫腻办蝉谤辞迟补蝉鈥攖he human creation which was a great aspirant, appeared at the bidding of Lord 艢颈惫补.
44. Then again at the bidding of Lord 艢颈惫补 the Bh奴t膩dika Sarga (creation of the elements etc.) appeared. Thus five types of creation collectively called 痴补颈办峁泃补 were set in motion by me.
45-46. 叠谤补丑尘腻 evolved three types of creation from 笔谤补办峁泃颈. The first one was the creation of Mahat (the cosmic principle of intellect.) The second was that of the subtle elements. The third was 痴补颈办腻谤颈办补 of the nature of transformations and ramifications). Thus with five 痴补颈办峁泃补 types and three later 笔谤腻办峁泃补蝉 there were eight types of creation.
47. The 碍补耻尘腻谤补 Sarga was the ninth. It was both 笔谤腻办峁泃补 and 痴补颈办峁泃补. I cannot adequately describe the divisions and sub-divisions of all these types of creation.
48. Last of all, I shall mention the brahminical creation which is of very little utility. It is here that the great creation of Sanaka and others, referred to above as 碍补耻尘腻谤补 Sarga, took shape.
49. Sanaka and others, my mental sons, were five[9] in number. They were all on a par with Brahman, of good rites and averse to worldly attachment.
50. Despite my command they were not inclined to carry on the activities of creation; those scholarly sons turned their attention from worldly activities and were devoted to the exclusive meditation on 艢颈惫补.
51. O 狈腻谤补诲补, they were bold enough to retort to me whereat I became very furious and nearly senseless.
52. When I became nearly unconscious on account of excessive fury and agitation, drops of tears fell from my eyes.
53. At that time, on being mentally meditated upon, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 came there hurriedly and enlightened me.
54. O foremost among sages, I was instructed by 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 to perform the penance of 艢颈惫补. Accordingly I performed a severe penance.
55-56. While I was performing penance for creation, the merciful lord 艢颈惫补 of Trinity, came out of the spot called Avimukta between the eyebrows and the nose. He manifested himself as Half woman and Half man in full potency.
57-58. On seeing the unborn lord 艢颈惫补, a mass of refulgence, the consort of Um膩, the omniscent, the creator of everything, famous as 狈墨濒补濒辞丑颈迟补, straight in front of me I saluted him with great devotion and was highly delighted. I told the lord 鈥淧lease create various subjects.鈥�
59. On hearing my words, the lord of lords, Rudra, created many 骋补峁嘺蝉 identical with Himself.
60. I again told the great lord Rudra鈥斺�淥 lord, please create those subjects, tormented by the fear of birth and death鈥�.
61. O foremost among sages! on hearing my words the merciful lord Rudra laughed and said thus.
Lord Rudra said:鈥�
62. O 叠谤补丑尘腻, I shall not create the subjects tormented by the fear of birth and death. The inauspicious beings are immersed in the ocean of distress by their own actions.
63. In my manifestation in the form of preceptor I shall lift up these beings immersed in the ocean of distress by conferring on them perfect knowledge.
64. You alone, create all the miserable subjects, O Lord! At my bidding, you will not be bound by illusion.
叠谤补丑尘腻 said:鈥�
65. Saying this, the lord, the glorious 艢颈惫补 vanished along with His attendants even as I was watching.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
It is 痴颈峁ａ箛耻鈥檚 abode variously described as situated in the Northern ocean or on the eastern peak of mount Meru.
[2]:
According to the Paur膩峁噄c account of creation, the cosmic Egg constituted of twenty-four tattvas was entirely material. In the beginning, it was a dead egg and it remained so until it was activated by the principle of 叠谤补丑尘腻 which having entered into it split the egg into two halves by the process of fission.
[3]:
RV. X. go; V膩jasaneyisa峁僪it膩 (of 艢uklayajurveda) 31.1.
[4]:
[5]:
This city is located on the central peak of Hemak奴ta which is one of the loftiest peaks to the North of the M膩nasa lake. It is the abode both of Lord 艢颈惫补 and his friend Kubera who is the Lord of wealth.
[6]:
This is one of the seven lokas of the upper region. The other six lokas are 鈥渂h奴岣�, bhuva岣�, sva岣�, maha岣�, jana岣�, tapa岣� |鈥�. For the sanctity and position of this loka compare an unidentified quotation from the Dev墨 Bh膩gavata.
satya峁� tu saptamo loko brahma峁嘺岣� sadana峁� tata岣� |
sarve峁Ｄ佱箖 caiva lok膩n膩峁� m奴dhni santi峁ａ弓hate sad膩 ||
j帽膩nakarmaprati峁ａ弓h膩n膩ttath膩 satyasya bh膩峁峁嚹乼 |
pr膩pyate copabhog膩rtha峁� pr膩pya na cyavate puna岣� |
tatsatya峁� saptamo lokastasm膩d奴rdhva峁� na vidyate || (?)
[7]:
鈥淎vidy膩鈥� also designated as 鈥渧iparyaya鈥� is fivefold. Its five kinds are mentioned in the 尝颈峁単补pur膩峁嘺 (2.9.30).
tamo moho mah膩mohast膩misra iti pa峁囜笉it膩岣� |
andhat膩misra ity膩huravidy膩峁� pa帽cadh膩 sthit膩m ||
These are defined in the Devi Bh膩gavata in the following way:
tamo'viveko moha岣� sy膩danta岣ara峁嘺vibhrama岣� |
mah膩moha艣ca vij帽eyo gr膩myabhogasukhai峁峁嚹� ||
mara峁嘺峁� tvandhat膩misra峁� t膩misra峁� krodha ucyate |
avidh膩 pa帽caparvai峁(?) pr膩durbh奴t膩 mah膩tmana岣� ||
These are further divided into sixty-two kinds. Cp. 尝颈峁単补pur膩峁嘺 2.9.34-35:
tamaso'峁ａ弓avidh膩 bhed膩 moha艣c膩峁ａ弓avidha岣� sm峁泃a岣� |
mah膩mohaprabhed膩艣ca budhairda艣a vicintit膩岣� ||
a峁ａ弓膩da艣avidha峁� c膩hust膩misra峁� ca vicak峁峁嚹佱弗 |
andhat膩misrabhed膩艣ca tay膩峁ａ弓膩da艣adh膩 sm峁泃膩岣� ||
[8]:
The Paur膩峁噄c cosmology divides the cosmic creation into nine classes: viz (1) 鈥�mukhyasarga鈥�, creation of insentient objects (2) 鈥�tiryak sarga鈥�, creation of animals (3) 鈥�devasarga鈥�, creation of divine beings (4) 鈥�谤腻箩补蝉补蝉补谤驳补鈥�, creation of human beings (5) 鈥�产丑奴迟腻诲颈蝉补谤驳补鈥� creation of elements (6) 鈥�mahatsarga鈥�, creation of intellect (7) 鈥�蝉奴办峁补产丑奴迟补蝉补谤驳补鈥� creation of subtle elements (8) 鈥�惫补颈办腻谤颈办补蝉补谤驳补鈥� secondary creation (9) 鈥�办补耻尘腻谤补蝉补谤驳补鈥� primary and secondary creation.