Grihapati Avatara Continued

Nandishvara said

Hearing Narada, Vishvanara and his wife felt as if a terrible thunderbolt had struck. He cried "Alas" and beat his chest, and, in great grief over his son, lost his senses. Shuchishmati could not bear it either and wept loudly, her senses disturbed. Hearing her shrieks Vishvanara came to and cried out: what was this, where was Grihapati, he was like his breath of life outside his body, the lord of all his senses. The child Grihapati, a portion of Shankara, saw his parents wrapped in grief, smiled and asked what the reason was, why they were crying, where this fright came from. The dust of their feet was armour for his body, so what strength had fickle, insignificant time and destiny against him? He asked them to hear his pledge: if he was truly their son he would do what would terrify Death, he would worship Mrityunjaya, the omniscient giver of everything to the virtuous, and do japa for Mahakala, and he told them truly. Hearing him the aged couple forgot their torment, as if a shower of nectar had fallen on the thought of untimely death. They asked him to say it again and again, what would fickle, insignificant time and destiny do to him. He had named a great remedy for their torment, worshipping Mrityunjaya, and nothing is more beneficial than taking refuge in Shambhu, who does what is beyond wishes and destroys sins. Had he not heard the earlier story of Shvetaketu, bound in Kala's noose but saved by Tripura's destroyer? When Shilada's son was only eight, death seized him, yet Shiva made him one of his own, Nandi, who delights the universe. When the ocean was churned the terrible poison halahala rose, like the fire of dissolution, but he drank it and saved the three worlds. Jalandhara, very insolent, stole the prosperity of the three worlds, and Shiva made a discus with his lovely toe and slew him. The people of Tripura, confounded because they held the three worlds' prosperity, he brought down with one blazing arrow, drying them up like the sun. Kama had managed to defeat the three worlds, but while Brahma and the others watched Shiva cast a glance at him and beat him, giving him the title Ananga. He is the maker of Brahma, Vishnu and the others. So, they said, he should go and take refuge with Shiva, crest and protector of the universe. Taking their leave, he bowed at their feet, circled them and went out.

He reached Kashi, hard for Brahma, Narayana and others to reach, protected by Vishvesha, which destroys great whirlpools of torment, adorned by the divine river like a necklace round its neck, where Hara's radiant, wonderful wife also lives. The best of brahmanas went first to Manikarnika, bathed by the rules and saw Lord Vishveshvara. The wise one joined his hands above his head, filled with joy, and bowed to the one who gives life to the three worlds and saves them. Seeing that lingam his heart was repeatedly satisfied. He thought that supreme bliss had surely appeared, that no one in the three worlds was more blessed than he, who had been able to see handsome Lord Vishveshvara; the great sage Narada had come and said all that so that his good fortune would rise, and now his aim was achieved. In that bliss of nectar he performed all the needed rites. On an auspicious day he set up a lingam beneficial in every way, and took on terrible disciplines hard even for those with purified selves. He filled a hundred and eight pots with auspicious Ganga water, strained through pure cloth, every day for Shiva, pure in self. He offered a garland of blue lotuses and garlands of a thousand and eight flowers. Once a fortnight or a month he ate tubers, roots and fruits. For six months he lived on dried leaves, for six on air, and for six on mere drops of water. Narada, so the great-souled one spent a year, the brahmana tormenting himself with his mind fixed on Shiva alone.

In his twelfth year, as if to make Narada's words true, the wielder of the vajra appeared and said he was Shatakratu, pleased with his auspicious vows, and he should ask for the boon in his mind. Hearing great Indra, the sage's son praised him in sweet words but spoke patiently: Maghavan, Vritra's enemy, I know you, the one with the vajra in your hand; I do not want a boon from you, since Shankara will give me one. Indra said Shankara was not distinct from him, he was lord of the gods, and the child should give up this folly and ask him without delay. Grihapati said: husband of Ahalya, wicked one, enemy of mountains, chastiser of Paka, it is clear I will ask nothing from any god other than Pashupati. Hearing this Indra's eyes turned red with rage. He raised the terrible vajra and threatened the child. Seeing the lightning-like vajra, Grihapati remembered Narada's words and, overwhelmed by fear, lost his senses. But Shambhu, Gouri's husband, appeared before him, touched him as if reviving him and said, "Arise, get up, may this end well for you." He opened eyes like lotuses that had gone to sleep at day's end, got up and saw Shambhu with radiance greater than a hundred suns, the eye on Vrishadhvaja's forehead, the dark throat, the mountain's daughter on Chandrashekhara's left, his matted hair shining, the trident and Ajagava bow his weapons, his clear complexion white as camphor, clad in an elephant hide. By his guru's words from the agamas he recognised Mahadeva. His voice choked with tears of joy, his hair stood up and he covered his face with the hem of his garment. For a while he stood still like Mount Chitrakuta, like a man suddenly rich who has forgotten himself, unable to praise, bow or say anything.

When he could not, Shankara smiled and said: child Grihapati, Shakra raised the vajra and I know you were frightened. Do not be afraid, I only wanted to test you. Shakra, the vajra or the Destroyer can do nothing to my devotee. I used my powers to take Indra's form and scare you. I will give you a boon: you will have the status of Agni and be able to give boons to all the gods. You will be Agni in all beings, the Ishvara inside them, and get a kingdom in the direction between Dharmaraja's and Indra's. The lingam you set up will be known by your name, as Agnishvara, and will extend every kind of energy. Devotees of Agnishvara will have no fear from fire or lightning, never suffer indigestion or untimely death. Agnishvara gives every prosperity, and even a devotee who dies elsewhere than Kashi gains greatness in Vahni's world. Saying this, Shiva called his relatives and, as they watched, installed him as a guardian of a direction, and then entered that lingam. Nandi said to Sanatkumara that he had thus described the Agni avatara, also named after Grihapati. There is a beautiful, radiant supreme city, Chitrahotrapuri, giving happiness, where devotees of Jataveda live. A person firm in spirit who masters his senses and enters the fire, even a woman firm in spirit, gains all Agni's energy. Brahmanas who offer oblations to ancestors through agnihotra, and brahmacharis who keep the five fires, shine in Agni's world. A person who in winter gives bundles of kindling to those suffering from cold or makes firebricks dwells in Agni's presence. One who lights the funeral pyre for those without protectors, or gets others to do it because he cannot himself, gains greatness in Agni's world. For brahmanas fire is the supreme means of benefit; Agni is certainly guru, god, vow and tirtha. Anything impure is purified at once by contact with fire, so it is called Pavaka. It is directly in the inner self, as digestive fire digesting pieces of flesh in the stomach, though it does not digest the flesh in women's muscles. This energetic form of Shambhu is evident, with the power to burn. What else can one see that is creator, preserver and destroyer? Chitrabhanu is directly the eye of the lord of the three worlds, and in a world full of blind darkness what else can give light? Incense, lamps, naivedya, milk, curd, ghee and sugarcane juice are all offered into the fire and so reach the gods in heaven.