Vyasa's Avataras

Krishna said

Illustrious one, I want to hear what Shiva said, to free those who take refuge in him, on knowledge of Shiva, the essence of the Vedas. It cannot be grasped by non-devotees, the unintelligent or those not engaged with him. It is secret and has five kinds of meaning. Those without wisdom criticize it. It is not against the dharma of varnas and ashramas, and in some cases it is the same. It has been adapted from the Vedas and Vedangas and from all of samkhya and yoga. The countless extensive texts have a hundred crore shlokas. Lord, what is said about how Paramesha should be worshipped? Who has the right to this worship? What about knowledge, yoga and the rest? Excellent in vows, tell me all this in detail.

Upamanyu replied

Shiva himself spoke what the Vedas say. I will briefly tell Shiva's dharma, neither praising nor criticizing it. It will at once be clear that he is the cause. It is divine and gives liberation, and with a guru's favour it can be obtained easily. I will speak of it briefly, for it cannot be told in full. The lord Sthanu Maheshvara Shiva holds both cause and effect within him. Wishing to create, he came forth from the unmanifest. The lord, above all the rishis in the universe, made the first of the gods, the lord Brahma. As Brahma was being born he looked toward his father, the divinity, and his father looked at him and commanded him. Glanced at in this way by Ishvara Rudra, the god made the universe. He set separate arrangements for the varnas and ashramas. For the sake of sacrifices he made Soma. From Soma came heaven, earth, fire, the sun, the sacrifice, Vishnu and Shachi's lord. They and other gods praised Rudra with hymns to Rudra. With a pleased face the lord stood before the gods. In his own play, Maheshvara took away their knowledge. Deluded so, the gods asked him, "Who are you?" Bhagavan Rudra answered: "I am the only ancient being. Best of gods, I was and will be first. No one will ever surpass me or exceed me. I alone satisfy the universe with my own energy. None is above me or equal to me. A person who knows me is liberated." Saying this, Bhagavan Rudra vanished.

Unable to see Ishana, they praised him with hymns of the Sama Veda. They relied on the Atharvashiras Upanishad and kept the Pashupata vrata. The immortals smeared ash over all their limbs. To favour the Pashus, the lord Ishvara Pashupati appeared before them with Uma and his ganas. There are yogis who have destroyed their sins, conquered sleep and conquered their breath, and they see the divinity within their hearts. In the same way the bulls among the gods saw him. They saw too the one called the supreme Shakti, who follows Ishvara's will, beautiful-eyed at Mahesha's left, and the lords of the ganas and other siddhas, who have freed themselves from samsara and gained a constant, supreme destination with Shiva. The gods praised Maheshvara with Devi, using Maheshvara's divine stotras from the shrutis and Puranas. Full of compassion, the divinity Vrishadhvaja glanced at the gods and, pleased, spoke in a naturally sweet voice: "I am pleased with you." Glad in mind, they bowed to Vrishadhvaja.

Lovingly the gods asked a question of deep meaning. The devas said: "Bhagavan, what path should be followed to worship you on earth? Who has the right to this worship? Tell us the truth." Hara, the supreme divinity, smiled and glanced at Devi. He showed his terrible supreme form, like the sun, supreme, full of every prosperity and energy, surrounded by Shaktis, images, accessories, planets and gods. He had eight arms and four faces, and half of that wonderful form was female. Seeing it, the gods led by Vishnu understood that Deva was the sun and Devi the moon. The five elements and all moving and unmoving things were in him. They bowed, offered arghya and said: "O you of the colour of vermilion, with an excellent disc, with golden ornaments, with lotus-petal eyes, who holds a lotus, cause of Brahma, Indra and Narayana. The arghya in this vessel is praised. It is filled with excellent jewels and golden water mixed with saffron, with kusha grass and flowers. We offer it to you. Bhagavan, be pleased. I bow to Shiva, the serene, with his ganas. You are the original cause, Rudra and Vishnu. You are Brahma and you have a form as Surya."

A person who controls himself and worships Shiva in the solar disc in the morning, at midday and in the evening, who offers an excellent arghya, bows and reads shlokas from the Upanishads, finds nothing impossible. If his devotion is firm he is liberated. So for dharma, artha, kama and moksha, in thought, word and deed, Shiva must constantly be worshipped in the form of the sun. Stationed in the disc, Maheshvara looked at the gods. Hara gave them the sacred text that completes all the agamas and vanished. They understood that brahmanas, kshatriyas and vaishyas have the right to this worship. The gods bowed to the lord of the gods and went back to wherever they had come from.

After a long time that sacred text was forgotten. Seated on her husband's lap, Maheshvari asked him about it. Urged by Devi, Deva, with the moon as ornament, told her the sacred text that completes all the agamas. Urged by Parameshthi, my guru Agastya and the great sage Dadhicha spread it in the worlds. To free those who take refuge in him and to teach their descendants, in the cycle of yugas the wielder of the trident himself takes avataras. Hear in order, by kalpa, of the lords of yoga who were the avataras of Vyasa: Ribhu, Satya, Bhargava, Angiras, the brahmana Savita, Mrityu, the wise Shatakratu, Vasishtha, bull among sages, Sarasvata, Tridhama, Trivrita, bull among sages, Shatateja, Dharma, who is heard to have been Narayana, Svaraksha, the wise Aruni, Kritanjaya, Kritanjaya again, Bharadvaja, the wise and excellent Goutama, the sage Vachahshrava, Sukshmayani, Shuchi, the sage Trinabindu, Krishna, Shakti, Shakti's son, Uttara, Jatukarnya, Hari and the sage Krishna Dvaipayana himself. Ones excellent in vows, these are the forms of Vyasa's avataras to the end of the dvapara yuga. They were avataras of the wielder of the trident, teachers of yoga, and their disciples. At different times the very energetic lord had four disciples, and those disciples had hundreds and thousands of their own. They were born and carried out Shiva's command in the world. Those very fortunate ones were supreme in devotion and were liberated.