Prelude to Grihapati Avatara

Nandishvara said

Brahma's son, listen lovingly to the deeds of the moon-crested one. Shiva happily took an avatara in Vishvanara's house, named Grihapati, who became lord of Agni's world. The supreme lord is in all selves and his energy was like Agni's. On the banks of the Narmada is the beautiful city of Narmapura, where the sage Vishvanara once lived, pure in self, a devotee of Tripura's enemy, a brahmachari, always engaged in sacrifices to brahman, of Shandilya gotra, pure, self-controlled, with brahman's energy, who knew the meaning of all the texts and always followed good conduct, skilled in Shiva's rites and foremost among those who knew custom. After reflecting on the qualities a wife needed, Vishvanara married, by the rules, Kala's daughter, who suited him. He tended the sacred fire, performed the five yajnas, kept the six duties, and loved the gods, ancestors and guests, and so a long time passed. His wife, Shuchishmati, excellent in her vows, said to her husband: by his favour she had enjoyed every pleasure and every happiness a woman needs, but she asked for something long in her heart, proper for householders, which he should grant. Vishvanara replied that he was always devoted to her pleasure and nothing could be refused her; she should ask and he would give it at once, for by Mahesha's favour, who causes all good, nothing was beyond him in this world or the next. She heard her husband, whom she regarded as a god, and, delighted, clasped her hands and said: if she deserved a boon, give her a son equal to Mahesha; she wished for no other boon. Hearing her, the brahmana, pure in vows, sank into samadhi for a while and thought it over. This slender woman had asked for something extremely hard to get, he thought, a wish far off unless granted by the one who does everything. Perhaps Shambhu was stationed in her mouth as speech, for who else could do such a thing? Thinking so, the wide-minded sage, who held to a single wife, comforted her and left for austerities.

He quickly reached Varanasi, where the lord of Kashi himself lives. He saw Manikarnika, where he got rid of the three kinds of hardship accumulated over hundreds of births. He saw all the lingams, Vishveshvara chief among them, bathed in all the ponds, wells, tanks and lakes, bowed to all the Vinayakas, to Gouri and Sharva, worshipped Kalaraja Bhairava, who devours sins, carefully praised the ganas, Dandanayaka foremost, satisfied Keshava, Adikeshava foremost, and bowed repeatedly to the various Suryas, Lokarka foremost. Attentively he offered pindas at all the tirthas and gave food and other things to thousands of sages and brahmanas, and devotedly worshipped the lingams with full upacharas. He wondered which lingam would bring success quickly and where one wanting a son should steadily practise austerities. After thinking for a while the excellent sage Vishvanara praised the Viresha lingam as one that would quickly grant a son. Thousands upon thousands of siddhas have gained siddhi there, so Vireshvara is famed as a siddha-lingam, and anyone who devotedly worships the great lingam of Vireshvara gets long life, all he desires and innumerable sons and more. He resolved to worship Viresha three times a day and quickly get the son his wife wanted. The intelligent, patient brahmana bathed in Chandrakupa and kept the vow and rules. For a month he ate once a day, for another only at night, for another only what he had not asked for, for another he gave up all food, for another lived on milk, for another on fruits and vegetables, for another on a fistful of sesame, for another on liquids, for another on panchagavya, for another kept the chandrayana vow, for another drank only water taken from the tip of a kusha blade, and for another lived on air. So for a year he tormented himself with wonderful austerities and devotedly worshipped Viresha's excellent lingam three times a day.

In the thirteenth month, in the morning, the brahmana bathed in the waters of the three-streamed river. When he went to Viresha, in the centre of the lingam the store of austerities saw an eight-year-old child. The boy wore ash as ornament, his eyes reached to his ears, his lips were red, his lovely matted hair was tawny, and he smiled. Though his features and dress were those of a child he was clearly wise, and, laughing at his own play, was chanting suktas of the shruti. Seeing him the sage was delighted and his hair stood up. In his mind he bowed again and again. Successful Vishvanara praised Shambhu, great bliss in the form of the child, in eight verses that grant every desire. He said: brahman is one without a second, that is the truth and there is no other. Rudra is one without a second, so I take refuge in Mahesha alone. Shambhu, you are creator and destroyer of everything, one in form yet appearing in many, and without form. Dharma is one though it appears in many forms, so I take refuge in no other. A rope can seem a snake, an oyster silver, a mirage water, but these are not real. When he is known truth remains and the world's display melts away, so I take refuge in Mahesha. There is coolness in water, heat in fire, scorching in the sun, pleasantness in the moon, fragrance in flowers, ghee in milk; Shambhu, in that way you are in everything. You are the hearing of sound in the ears, smell in the nose, the power of the feet to come from afar, the eyes' ability to see and the tongue's to taste. Who knows you rightly? No one knows you directly, not Vishnu, not Brahma who made everything, not the lords of yogis, not Indra, not the foremost of gods. Only a devotee knows. You have no gotra, birth, destruction, form, notion of good conduct or country, yet you are lord of the three worlds and fulfil our desires, so I worship you. Everything flows from you and you are everything, Smara's enemy, Gouri's lord, naked and most serene, old, young and a child; there is nothing other than you, and I bow to you. Praising him so, the brahmana fell to the ground with joined hands. The child, older than the aged, spoke very gently, saying he was satisfied and very pleased with him, Vishvanara, best of sages, and he should ask an excellent boon. Delighted and successful, the sage got up and replied to Shankara in child form.

Vishvanara said that Maheshvara was omniscient and nothing was unknown to him, he was within all selves and the giver of everything, so why was he asking him to behave in a poor way and ask for something? Knowing this, he should do as he wished. Hearing the pure Vishvanara, who had kept a pure vow, the divinity in pure child form smiled and said that Shuchishmati had a wish in her heart which would be satisfied soon. Through Shuchishmati he would become Vishvanara's son, famous as Grihapati, pure and loved by all the immortals. The eight verses he had spoken would be the sacred Abhilashashtaka. Chanted three times a day for a year in Shiva's presence, it would satisfy all desires, give sons, grandsons and wealth, bring every peace, destroy every hardship and surely grant heaven, liberation and prosperity. It would equal all other stotras and always give what is desired. A person who rises in the morning, bathes, worships Shambhu's lingam and does japa of this stotra for a year will have a son. The Abhilashashtaka must not be revealed to anyone and must be kept secret. Through it the most barren woman will have a son, and any man or woman who follows the rules and does japa of this stotra in a lingam's presence for a year will certainly have a son. Having said this, Shambhu, refuge of the good, vanished from the child form, and the brahmana Vishvanara went home delighted.