Greatness of Vyadheshvara and Shivaratri

The rishis asked

Suta, your words have filled us with great bliss. Joyfully tell us in detail of this excellent vow. Who kept it in the past? And what excellent fruits come even to one who keeps it unknowingly?

Suta replied

Rishis, listen. I will tell you an ancient history of a nishada that destroys all sins. Long ago there was a bhilla in a forest called Gurudruha. This strong man had a family. He was cruel and did cruel deeds. Every day he went to the forest and hunted animals, and he also did much stealing. From childhood he had never done anything auspicious. A long time passed and the evil-souled man went on living in the forest. Once the lovely night of Shivaratri came, but the forest-dweller did not know it. That day the bhilla's mother, father and wife were hungry and said, "You who roam the forest, give us food." Hearing this, he took his bow quickly and set out, wishing to harm some animal. He roamed the whole forest, but by fate he found nothing. The sun set and he was deeply troubled. "What shall I do? Where shall I go? I have got nothing today. What will happen to my children and parents at home? I have a wife, what of her? I can go back only when I have caught something." Thinking so, the hunter went to a water-body where a path led down to the water. He stayed there, thinking, "Some creature is sure to come. I will kill it and go home happy, with my purpose served." Taking some water with him, the bhilla climbed a bilva tree, wondering, "When will something come so I can kill it?" and waited, hungry and thirsty.

In the first watch of the night a doe came there, thirsty and leaping lightly. Seeing her, wishing to kill her, he quickly fitted a shining arrow to his bow. As he did so, some water and bilva leaves fell on a Shiva lingam beneath. It was the first watch, and he had worshipped Shiva. By the greatness of that worship his sins began to dissolve. Hearing the sound, the doe was frightened. She saw the hunter and asked, agitated, "Hunter, what do you mean to do? Tell me the truth." He said, "My family is hungry. I will kill you now and feed them." Hearing this and seeing the harsh and crooked man, she wondered, "What shall I do? Where can I go? I must find a way." Then she said: "I am surely blessed. You will be satisfied with my flesh, and my body will serve some purpose. What merit is better than this? Merit comes from helping another, and it cannot be told even in a hundred years. But all my young are at home now. I will give their care to my sister and my husband and return. You who roam the forest, know my words are not false. I will certainly come back to you. The earth rests on truth, the oceans rest on truth, the flow of water rests on truth. Everything rests on truth." The hunter paid no heed. Surprised and frightened, she spoke again: "Hunter, listen. I take this pledge: I will return to you from my home. If I do not, may I be smeared with the sins of a brahmana who sells the Vedas, of one who skips the rites at the three sandhyas, of a woman who disobeys her husband, of an ungrateful person, of one who turns from Hara, of one who injures others, of one who breaks dharma, of one who betrays trust and one who deceives." When the doe took this pledge, the hunter believed her and said, "Go home." Glad, the doe drank the water and returned to the hermitage circle where her home was. So he passed the first watch without sleeping.

The doe had a sister, who, not seeing her, grew worried, followed her track and came looking for water. Seeing her, the bhilla drew his bowstring, ready to shoot. As before, water and leaves fell on Shiva's head. It was the second watch and Shambhu, the paramatman, was worshipped, which brought happiness to the hunter. Seeing him, the doe asked, "Forest-dweller, what are you doing?" He told her what he had said before, and she said what the other had said. "Hunter, hearing this I am blessed. My having a body has been made successful. This body is temporary but can be used to do others good. But my infant children are at home. I will leave them in my husband's care and return here." The hunter said, "I do not believe you. I will certainly kill you." Hearing it, the doe took a pledge in Hara's name: "Hunter, listen to what will happen if I do not return. A person who does not keep his word loses his merit. May I take on the sins of a man who leaves his wedded wife for another woman; of one who breaks Vedic dharma and follows something imagined; of one devoted to Vishnu who censures Shiva; and of one who does no rites on his parents' death anniversary and pretends to lament it later." The hunter said, "Go." The doe drank the water and went home. He spent the second watch also without sleep.

Then the third watch came. The stag was surprised at the delay, and, intent on searching, came and stood on the path leading to the water. The forest-roamer saw a healthy deer and was delighted. He fixed an arrow to his bow, ready to kill him. As he did so, by his earlier radiant prarabdha, some bilva leaves were dislodged and fell on Shiva. By his good fortune this was the third watch, and Shiva, worshipped, showed his compassion. Hearing the sound the stag asked, "What are you doing?" The hunter said, "I will kill you for my family." The deer was pleased in mind and quickly said: "I am blessed that my well-fed body will satisfy you. A body not used to do good to someone is useless. A person who is able and does not help another wastes all his ability, and in the next world goes to hell. But I have infant children, and I must leave them in their mother's care. I promise that after doing so I will return to you." The hunter was greatly surprised. His mass of sins was destroyed and his mind was pure. He said: "All who came here before were like you. They took a pledge and left, and never came back. They were deceivers. You, having met a difficulty, also resort to deceit. Deer, if I do this, how will I earn my living?" The stag said: "Hunter, listen. There is no falsehood in me. The whole universe, moving and unmoving, rests on truth. A deceiver's words dissolve his merit in an instant. Still, hear the truthful pledge I take. Sins gather on one who has intercourse at the sandhya hour, who eats on Shivaratri, who bears false witness in a dispute, on a brahmana who does not keep the sandhya rites, on one whose mouth does not say Shiva's name, on one who does not help others though able, on one who plucks a coconut on a parva day, on one who eats what should not be eaten, on one who does not wear ash, and on one who eats without first worshipping Shiva. If I do not return, may all those sins fall on me." The hunter said, "Go, and come back quickly." The stag drank the water and left.

Having made their pledges, all of them met at the hermitage. They told each other their accounts. Bound by the bond of truth, they resolved to return, comforted the children and, without hesitation, got ready. The elder doe said to her husband: "Deer, without you how will the children stay here? Lord, I took the pledge first, so I should go. You two stay." The younger replied, "I am your servant, so I must go now. You stay." The stag said, "I am the one who will go. You two stay here. Mothers protect their children." Hearing their husband, they did not think this accorded with dharma and cheerfully said, "Shame on life as a widow." They left the children in the care of others living there, and all went to where the excellent hunter was. Seeing this, all the young followed too: "Our path must be the one they have taken." The hunter, delighted, fitted an arrow to his bow. Again water and leaves fell on Shiva, and so the worship of the fourth watch was done. In an instant all his sins were burnt to ashes.

The two does and the stag said quickly to the hunter, "Show us compassion and make the bearing of our bodies successful." Hearing them, he was filled with wonder. By the power of worshipping Shiva he gained knowledge so hard to gain. "These deer are blessed. Though without knowledge they deserve reverence. They are giving up their bodies for others. What have I achieved in being born human? I feed my body by making others' bodies suffer. To feed my family I have committed sins every day. After these sins, what will be my destination? Having sinned since birth, where will I go? Shame on my life." Thinking so, as this knowledge arose, he held back the arrow and said, "Best of deer, go in peace." At this Shankara was pleased and showed his own form, worshipped by the virtuous. In his compassion Shambhu touched the hunter and said, "Bhilla, I am pleased with your vow. Tell me the boon you want." Having seen Shiva's form, the hunter gained liberation at once. He fell at Shiva's feet and said, "I have everything." Pleased, Shiva gave him the name Guha, glanced at him with compassionate eyes and gave him a divine boon: "Hunter, listen. You will now enjoy the divine pleasures you wish for and live in your divine capital Shringaverapura. Without obstacle your line will prosper and even the gods will praise you. Rama will certainly come to your house; he is my devotee and out of affection will become your friend. With your mind on me you will gain liberation, very hard to get." All the deer too bowed before Shankara and were freed from their births as deer. In divine bodies, riding a vimana, they departed. As soon as they saw Shiva they were freed from their curses and went to heaven. On the mountain called Arbuda, Shiva became Vyadheshvara Achaleshvara, and seeing or worshipping him there gives pleasure and liberation at once. From that day the hunter enjoyed the pleasures of the best of the gods, and enjoying Rama's compassion, he gained sayujya with Shiva. Though he kept the vow without intending to, he gained sayujya; what need to say of the auspicious who sink into intense devotion? After weighing the sacred texts and many aspects of dharma, the Shivaratri vow has been declared best. There are many vows, tirthas, gifts, sacrifices, austerities and repetitions, but none approaches equality with the Shivaratri vow. So all who want their own welfare should keep this divine, auspicious vow, which always gives pleasure and liberation. I have told you everything about the auspicious Shivaratri, a vow famed as radiant. What else do you wish to hear?