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"Yudhishthira said, 'It behoveth thee, O slayer of Madhu, to expound to
me that knowledge which thou hast acquired through the grace of Durvasa!
O foremost of all persons endued with intelligence, I desire to know
everything about the high blessedness and all the names of that
high-souled one truly and in detail![616]
"Vasudeva said, 'I shall recite to thee the good that I have acquired and
the fame that I have won through the grace of that high-souled one.
Verily, I shall discourse to thee on the topic, after having bowed unto
Kapardin. O king, listen to me as I recite to thee that Sata-rudriya
which I repeat; with restrained senses, every morning after rising from
bed. The great lord of all creatures, viz., the Grandsire Brahman
himself, endued with wealth of penances, composed those Mantras, after
having observed especial penances for some time. O sire it is Sankara who
created all the creatures in the universe, mobile and immobile. There is
no being that is higher, O monarch, than Mahadeva. Verily, he is the
highest of all beings in the three worlds. There is no one who is capable
of standing before that high-souled Being. Indeed, there is no Being in
the three worlds that can be regarded as his equal. When he stands,
filled with rage, on the field of battle, the very odour of his body
deprives all foes of consciousness and they that are not slain tremble
and fall down. His roars are terrible, resembling those of the clouds.
Hearing those roars in battle, the very hearts of the deities break in
twain. When the wielder of Pinaka becomes angry and assuming a terrible
form merely casts his eye upon deity, Asura, Gandharva, or snake, that
individual fails to 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 performing a sacrifice, spread his sacrifice out, the
dauntless Bhava, giving way to wrath (at Daksha's slight of him), pierced
(the embodied) sacrifice, shooting his shaft from his terrible bow, he
roared aloud. Indeed, when Maheswara became angry and suddenly pierced
with his shaft the embodied form of sacrifice, the deities become filled
with grief, losing happiness and tranquillity of heart. In consequence of
the twang of his bow-string the whole universe became agitated. The
deities 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
every side. The vault of the welkin became cracked. All the worlds became
enveloped in gloom. Nothing could be seen. The light of all the
luminaries became darkened, along with that of the sun himself, O
Bharata! The great Rishis, penetrated with fear and desirous of doing
good to themselves and the universe, performed the usual rites of
propitiation and peace. Meanwhile, Rudra of terrible prowess rushed
against the deities. Filled with rage, he tore out the eyes of Bhaga.
Incensed with wrath, he assailed Pushan with his foot. He tore out the
teeth of that god as he sat employed in eating the large sacrificial ball
(called Purodasa). Trembling with fear, the deities bent their heads to
Sankara. Without being appeased, Rudra once more placed on his bow-string
a sharp and blazing arrow. Beholding his prowess, the deities and the
Rishis became all alarmed. Those foremost of gods began to pacify him!
Joining their hands in reverence, they began to recite the Sata-rudriya
Mantras. At last Maheswara, thus praised by the deities, became
gratified. The deities than assigned a large share (of the sacrificial
offerings) to him. Trembling with fear, O king, they sought his
protection. When Rudra became gratified, the embodiment of sacrifice,
which had been pierced in twain, became once more united. Whatever limbs
of his had been destroyed by the shafts of Mahadeva, became once more
whole and sound. The Asuras possessed of great energy had in days of yore
three 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 deities, was unable to pierce those cities. Afflicted by the
Asuras, all the deities then sought the protection of the great Rudra.
Assembled together the high-souled deities addressed him, saying, 'O
Rudra, the Asuras threaten to exert their destructive influence in all
acts! Do thou slay the Daityas and destroy their city for the protection
of the three worlds, O giver of honours!' Thus addressed by them, he
replied, saying, 'So be it!' and then made Vishnu his excellent
shaft-head. He made the deity of fire his shaft-reed, and Surya's son
Yama the wings of that shaft. He made the Vedas his bow and the goddess
Savitri his excellent bow-string. And he made the Grandsire Brahma his
charioteer. Applying all these, he pierced the triple city of the Asuras
with that shaft of his, consisting of three Parvans and three
Salyas.[617] Indeed, O Bharata, the Asuras with their cities, were all
burnt by Rudra with that shaft of his whose complexion was like that of
the sun and whose energy resembled that of the fire which appears at the
end of the Yuga for consuming all things. Beholding that Mahadeva changed
into a child with five locks of hair lying on the lap of Parvati, the
latter asked the deities as to who he was. Seeing the child, Sakra became
suddenly filled with jealousy and wrath and resolved to kill him with his
thunder. The child, however, paralysed the arm, looking like a mace of
iron, of Indra with the thunderbolt in it. The deities all became
stupefied, and they could not understand that the child was the Lord of
universe. Verily, all of them along with the very Regents of the world,
found their intellects stupefied in the matter of that child who was none
else than the Supreme Being. Then the illustrious Grandsire Brahma,
reflecting with the aid of his penances, found out that that child was
the foremost of all Beings, the lord of Uma, Mahadeva of immeasurable
prowess. He then praised the Lord. The deities also began to hymn the
praises of both Uma and Rudra. The arm (which had been paralysed) of the
slayer of Vala then became restored to its former state. The Mahadeva,
taking birth as the Brahmana Durvasa of great energy, resided for a long
time at Dwaravati in my house. While residing in my abode he did diverse
acts of mischief. Though difficult of being borne, I bore them yet from
magnanimity of heart. He is Rudra; he is Shiva; he is Agni; he is Sarva;
he is the vanquisher of all; he is Indra, and Vayu, and the Aswins and
the god of lightning. He is Chandramas; he is Isana; he is Surya; 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
twilights; he is the year. He is Dhatri and he is Vidhatri; and he is
Viswakarma; and he is conversant with all things. He is the cardinal
points of the compass and the subsidiary points also. Of universal form,
he is of immeasurable soul. The holy and illustrious Durvasa is of the
complexion of the celestials. He sometimes manifests himself singly;
sometimes divides himself into two portions; and sometimes exhibits
himself in many, 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 reciting them.'"
