Shiva's Greatness

Sanatkumara said

Hearing Upamanyu, Krishna was filled with great surprise and spoke to the serene great sage.

Vaasudeva said

Foremost of brahmanas, you are blessed. Who can match you in achievements? The lord of the gods is always present near you in your hermitage. Tiger among sages, Bhagavan Shiva shows himself to you: when will he show me his favour?

Upamanyu replied

Purushottama, within a short time Mahadeva will show you his favour and you will see him. In the sixteenth month you will get excellent boons from Maheshvara and his wife. Hari, why would the divinity not give you a boon? By your praiseworthy qualities you are always worshipped by all the gods. Achyuta, I will tell you something you should faithfully repeat. By the power of the japa you will truly see Shankara, and from Maheshvara you will get a son equal to you in strength. For japa the king of mantras is "AUM Namo Shivaya", which is divine and gives everything desired, enjoyment and liberation.

Sanatkumara continued

As they talked of Shiva's accounts, eight days passed as if a muhurta. On the ninth day the sage gave Krishna diksha and taught him Sharva's great Atharvashirsha mantra. Krishna grew matted hair and then at once shaved it. Controlling himself he tormented his body with austerities, standing on his big toes with arms raised. Parameshvara was satisfied in the sixteenth month, and with Parvati Shambhu showed himself to Krishna. The three-eyed divinity Chandrashekhara was with Parvati, praised by Brahma and the others and worshipped by crores of siddhas, in divine garlands and garments, gods and asuras devoutly bowing before him, specially adorned with many ornaments. Mahesha was beautiful and full of every wonder, without birth and decay. The lord was content, with many ganas and his two sons. Seeing him, Krishna's eyes widened in wonder and he joined his hands. Delighted at seeing Shankara so, he bowed eagerly and praised him with many hymns in eloquent words and worshipped him, shoulders lowered, praising the lord of the gods with his thousand names. Then gods, gandharvas, vidyadharas and great serpents rained flowers and applauded with pleasing words. Bhagavan, kind to devotees, glanced at Parvati's face, and satisfied Rudra, his energy spreading all round, spoke to Keshava. Shri Mahadeva said: Krishna, I know you are my devotee, always firm in keeping my vows; ask me for holy boons, even those very hard for the three worlds to obtain. Hearing him, Krishna lovingly folded his hands, bowed properly again and again and answered Shambhu Sarveshvara. Krishna said: lord of the gods, Mahadeva, I will ask eight excellent boons of you, which you have already thought of. Let my mind always be fixed in your dharma; let my fame be great and firm; let me always be near you; let me always have constant devotion to you; let my sons have ten sons each; let all my enemies, proud of their strength, be killed in battle; let me never suffer dishonour from any enemy; let me be very dear to all yogis. Lord of the gods, I bow to you; grant me these eight boons, since you are Sarveshvara and in particular my lord. Hearing him Bhagavan Bhava said all this would happen. The trident-wielder spoke again: you will have a very strong, valiant son named Samba; the sages cursed the Samvartaka sun that he would be born as a human, and he will become your son. You will get everything you asked. So Krishna got all the boons from Parameshvara, and satisfied him with many kinds of fires and hymns. Parvati Shivaa, kind to her devotees, was satisfied and spoke to great-souled Vaasudeva, the ascetic who was Shambhu's devotee: Vaasudeva, wise Krishna, faultless one, I am satisfied with you; accept agreeable boons from me, very hard to get on earth. Hearing her, the Yadava was pleased and, full of devotion, answered: Devi, if you are pleased and wish to give a boon because of my austerities, then by that truth let me never hate brahmanas in my mind; let me always worship brahmanas; let my mother and father always be satisfied with me; wherever I go let me be kind to all beings and serve them; since I have seen you let pleasant offspring be born in my line; let me satisfy Indra and the other gods with hundreds of sacrifices; let me always honour thousands of mendicants and guests, who always have food at my home purified by devotion; let my relatives be always happy and restrained; Devi, let me have thousands of wives who love me more than their own lives; Shankari, by your favour let my love for them never lessen; and in this world let my parents always be truthful in speech. Parvati, by your favour let me obtain these and other excellent boons. Hearing him Devi was surprised and told him it would be so: he would be fortunate for ever and gain all his wishes. Having shown Krishna her compassion and given these boons, Parvati and Parameshvara vanished.

Krishna thought he had succeeded in his aim and quickly went to the sage Upamanyu's excellent hermitage, bowed his head to him and told him everything. He said: Janardana, apart from Sharva, who in this world can be great lord of gifts or so impossible to bear when angry? No one is like Shambhu in knowledge, austerity, valour, steadiness and station. Govinda, hear of the divinity's prosperity and great fame. Hearing this, Krishna was full of faith and became devoted to Shambhu and asked the lord among sages about Shiva's greatness. Upamanyu said that earlier, in Brahma's world, great-souled Brahma, the yogi with a staff, had praised Bhagavan Shankara with a thousand names. Those who follow Samkhya sing these names, like a large glossary. Though people may find them hard to understand, this hymn gives them everything they desire. Krishna should go home happily and always remember Shankara, and he would always be foremost among Shiva's chief devotees. Thus addressed Vaasudeva bowed to the lord among sages, remembered Shambhu in his mind and left for Dvaraka.

So Krishna worshipped Shankara, who brings welfare to the worlds, was successful and could not be beaten by anyone. So Rama, Dasharatha's son, devoutly worshipped Shiva, and was successful in his aim and victorious everywhere. After very extensive austerities on a mountain Rama got Shiva's bow and arrows and supreme, excellent knowledge, built the bridge over the ocean, killed Ravana and his companions, got Sita back, and returning home enjoyed the whole earth. So Bhargava Rama worshipped the lord through austerities: miserable when kshatriyas killed his father, he worshipped Sharva and got a sharp battle-axe, and, having pleased Parameshvara, used it to wipe out the kshatriyas twenty-one times, becoming invincible and immortal. Even now siddhas and charanas see that store of austerities constantly worshipping the lingam. Rama is on Mount Mahendra engaged in austerities and at the end of the kalpa will again dwell in the rishis' abode. Because of hardships suffered earlier, the ascetic Devala, Asita's younger brother, seized the foundation of the world and was cursed by Purandara. The ascetic regained his stability by worshipping the lingam that gives dharma, satisfies desires and counters adharma. By a curse of Vasishtha, Gritasmada, son of Chakshusha Manu, became a deer in the desert regions and roamed Dandakaranya alone, but at his death, with Pranava, in his heart he devoutly remembered Shiva. So after dying he became a deer-faced gana, overcame the curse and gained freedom from age and death. Shankara showed him affection and made him Lambodara's constant companion. Sharva gave Gargya moksha, very rare on earth; the ability to visit all the great kshetras as he willed; knowledge of time; great prosperity; eternal skill in the words of the four Vedas; and a thousand sons equal to him. Parashara, a lord among yogis, satisfied the Pinaka-wielder, who gave him Vedavyasa, free of age and death, as a son. Mandavya was fixed on the top of a stake for a million years, and Shankara freed him and gave him life. There was a poor brahmana who kept his son Galava, earlier a householder, in his guru's house. Keeping him in the sage's house, whenever a mendicant came to the house for alms, he hid himself. He told his wife that they were poor with nothing to give, and she should tell visitors that her beloved could not be seen, as they lived in that house and what could they offer a guest? Once a guest came, suffering hunger and thirst, and asked her where her husband had gone; she said he could not be seen. The rishi had divine insight and learned the truth, and said that the brahmana who hid inside the house would die. With Vishvamitra's leave the son Galava returned home and heard of the terrible curse from his mother. By the rites for Shambhu he worshipped the divinity Shankara. When he left the house, remembering Shankara in his heart, the son saw his father, who folded his hands and said that by Mahadeva's favour, through what Galava had done, he had been successful, had wealth and sons, and though he had died he had been brought back to life. Upamanyu said he had told this but could not speak of Shambhu's qualities briefly or in detail, and even Shesha's mouths would not suffice.