Greatness of the Shiva Purana and Its Components

Suta said

Virtuous ones, you have asked a virtuous question that will bring welfare to the three worlds. Out of affection for you, I will remember my guru and answer. Listen with attention. The whole essence of Vedanta is in the excellent Shiva Purana. It saves from a torrent of sins and yields the supreme goal in the world to come. Shiva's supreme fame destroys the sins of kali yuga. Brahmanas, it arises and always ensures the four aims as fruits. Best of brahmanas, as soon as one studies the supremely excellent Shiva Purana, one moves toward a desirable end. Sins, with the killing of a brahmana foremost among them, last only as long as the Shiva Purana has not appeared in this world. The great omens of kali yuga roam fearlessly only as long as the Shiva Purana has not appeared in this world. All the various sacred texts contest each other only as long as the Shiva Purana has not appeared. Shiva's own nature and greatness are hard to grasp only as long as it has not appeared. Yama's cruel messengers roam fearlessly only as long as it has not appeared. All the other Puranas roar in this world only as long as it has not appeared. The many holy places contest each other on earth, the many mantras, the many sacred fields, the many seats of power, the many kinds of gifts, the many gods, the many settled views, all only as long as the Shiva Purana has not appeared in this world.

Brahmanas, best of sages, I cannot describe the fruits of hearing a recital of this Shiva Purana. Still, faultless ones, I will tell you a little of its greatness, as Vyasa told me long ago. Fix your minds and listen. A person who devoutly reads one shloka or half a shloka of this Shiva Purana is freed at once from sins. One who as far as he can reads it devoutly and attentively every day is called jivanmukta. One who devoutly worships it from one day to the next doubtless gains the fruits of a horse sacrifice. Even one who, driven by some ordinary desire, hears it from someone other than me is freed from sins. One who bows to the Shiva Purana from a distance doubtless gains the fruits of worshipping all the gods. One who copies the text himself and gives it to Shiva's devotees gains all the rare fruits of those who study the sacred texts, the Vedas and their commentaries. A person who fasts on the fourteenth day and explains this Shiva Purana in an assembly of Shiva's devotees is excellent. He gains the wonderful fruit of chanting the gayatri letter by letter, gets everything he wants in this world and moves toward nirvana. Let me tell you the merit of one who fasts and keeps awake on the night of the fourteenth, reading or hearing it; this is true. At a total solar eclipse, the merit of giving brahmanas, with Vyasa foremost, wealth equal to one's own weight at all the holy places, Kurukshetra and the rest, is gained entirely by this person, doubtless. The gods, with Indra at their head, wait to carry out the orders of one who chants the Shiva Purana day and night. A person who does good deeds and constantly reads and hears this Shiva Purana has his merit multiplied a crore times. A person who controls himself and reads the illustrious Rudra Samhita within three days has his self purified even if he killed a brahmana. One who reads the Rudra Samhita silently three times a day near Bhairava's image gains all he desires. One who circles a banyan or bilva tree while reading the Rudra Samhita drives off the sin of killing a brahmana.

The Kailasa Samhita is said to be greater still. Its form is the brahman and it reveals the meaning of Pranava. Brahmanas, Shankara himself knows the whole greatness of the Kailasa Samhita; Vyasa knows half and I know half of that. I will tell you a little, for I cannot tell it all. When they know it, people's minds are purified at once. In this world I see no sin that the Rudra Samhita does not destroy. It always provides a path. Having churned the ocean of the Upanishads, Shiva happily produced it for Kumara. A person who drinks this nectar becomes immortal. One who wants to be saved from the sin of killing a brahmana and other sins should prepare to read this Samhita for a month, and will be freed. One who recites it destroys the sins of accepting what should not be accepted, eating what should not be eaten and forbidden talk. One who reads it in Shiva's temple or a bilva grove gains merit beyond words or understanding. One who devoutly reads it while feeding brahmanas at an ancestral rite sends all his ancestors to Shambhu's abode. One who fasts on the fourteenth and reads it under a bilva tree becomes like Shiva himself and is worshipped by the gods. The other Samhitas give all that is wished, but these two are special because they are full of higher knowledge and his play.

Such is the text called the Shiva Purana, as revered as the Vedas and the brahman, composed by Shiva. It is said that this Purana originally had twelve extremely sacred Samhitas as divisions: Vidyeshvara, Rudra, Vainayaka, Uma, Matri, Rudraikadasha, Kailasa, Shatarudra, Kotirudra, Sahasrakotirudra, Vayaviya and Dharmasamja. Brahmanas, I will give the whole count; listen attentively. Vidyeshvara had 10,000 shlokas; Rudra, Vainayaka, Uma and Matri 8,000 each; Rudraikadasha 13,000; Kailasa 3,000 and Shatarudra half that; Kotirudra 9,000; Sahasrakotirudra 11,000; Vayaviya 4,000 and Dharmasamja 12,000. All these divisions come to 100,000 shlokas for the Shiva Purana. Vyasa abridged it to 24,000, about a quarter of the original, and kept seven Samhitas. At the beginning the Purana composed by Shiva was a hundred crore shlokas, but composed in ancient times, that has long been forgotten. In the dvapara yuga Krishna Dvaipayana and the other Vedavyasas abridged it to 400,000 shlokas, divided into eighteen Puranas. The Shiva Purana is said to have 24,000, which, with its seven Samhitas, is as revered as the brahman. The first is the Vidyeshvara, the second the Rudra, the third the Shatarudra, the fourth the Kotirudra, the fifth the Uma, the sixth the Kailasa and the seventh the Vayaviya. With these seven this divine text is called the Shiva Purana, equal to the brahman, supreme, giving the highest destination. One who lovingly reads the whole of it is called jivanmukta. Hundreds of other texts, shruti, smriti, Puranas, Itihasa and agama, do not deserve to be counted as even a sixteenth of the Shiva Purana. This faultless Shiva Purana was recited by Shiva and later collected and abridged by Vyasa, Shiva's devotee. It benefits all living beings, wholly destroys the three kinds of hardship, gives every auspicious thing to the virtuous, sings of dharma free of deceit, and sets out the foremost higher knowledge of Vedanta. The learned, free of jealousy, come to know the three aims of life. The Shiva Purana is the crest of all the virtuous Puranas. It sings of the supreme one described in the Vedas and Vedanta. A person who lovingly reads or hears it is loved by Shambhu and reaches the supreme destination.