SHIVA MAHAPURANA: INTRODUCTION First of all, Sage Shaunak expressed his desire to Suta about knowing the means, which could help a man in this era of Kali to attainment lord Shiva, by cleansing all the impurities of his mind and rectifying his inherent demonic tendencies. Suta then described about Shiva…
Hari Vamsa Puranam in English As you have already been told, Brahma emerged from Vishnu’s navel. Brahma’s son was Atri, Atri’s son Soma, Soma’s son Pururava, Pururavas son Ayu, Ayu’s son Nahusha and Nahushja’s son Yayati. Yayati had two wives, Devayani and Sharmistha. Devayani had two sons, Yadu and Turvasu….
Describing Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as Parshurama, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–Sage Jamadagni came from the lineage of Bhrigu. He had pleased Indra by his tremendous penance and received Surabhi cow in return. In course of time he married the daughter of king Renuk whose name was Renuka. A child was born…
Describing about the superiority of Lord Vishnu among the trinity Gods’ Sage Vashishtha narrated the following tale–During ancient times, Swayambhuva manu had once gone to Mandarachal mountain to perform a yagya. Many scholars and learned men had come to attend that yagya. Very soon, they got into a debate as…
Parvati was listening to the divine tales of Sri Krishna with rapt attention. Lord Mahadeva told Parvati– ‘Paundrak was the king of Kashi. He did an austere penance for twelve years to please me. When I appeared before him, he requested me to make his appearance look like Sri Krishna….
Lord Mahadeva continued with the divine tales of Sri Krishna–O Parvati! Sri Krishna had a son from Rukmini whose name was ‘Aniruddha’. Aniruddha was very brave and had killed a demon named Shambasur. There is an interesting tale how Aniruddha married Usha. Once, Usha–the daughter of Banasur, saw a very…
Continuing with the divine tales of Sri Krishna, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–Sri Krishna had 16 thousand queens among whom Satyabhama, Kalindi, Mitravinda, etc. were prominent. King Sattajit had a priceless diamond named–Syamantak, which he had presented to his younger brother–Prasena. Sri Krishna was fascinated by that diamond and demanded it…
Lord Mahadeva told Parvati— When Jarasandh learnt about Kalyavan’s death, he attacked Balarama to avenge his friend’s death. But, very soon he realized that it was beyond his capacity to defeat Balarama, so he retreated alongwith his army. Sri Krishna and Balarama returned to Dwarka.In course of time, Balarama married…
Continuing with the divine tales of Sri Krishna, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–When Kansa failed in his repeated attempts to kill Sri Krishna, he instructed ‘Akrura’ to invite both Krishna and Balarama to Mathura on the pretext of attending a ceremony called Dhanush-yagya. Kansa had planned to kill Sri Krishna by…
Parvati requested Lord Mahadeva to narrate the divine tales of Vasudeva Krishna. Lord Mahadeva replied–Vasudev was the descendant of yadu. His father was Devameedha. He was married to Devaki–the daughter of Ugrasena.Ugrasena also had a mighty son named Kansa. Kansa was extremely affectionate towards his sister Devaki. After her marriage,…
Describing the coronation of Sri Rama Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–People of Ayodhya rejoiced at the return of Sri Rama. An auspicious day was chosen for his coronation and Sri Rama became the king of Ayodhya amidst the chantings of Vedic mantras. Sri Rama ruled over Ayodhya for one thousand years…
Lord Mahadeva continued with the tale of Sri Rama and told Parvati –Dasharath wanted to appoint Sri Rama as his successor but Kaikeyi did not like this idea. She wanted Bharata to be made the king of Ayodhya and Sri Rama to be sent into exile for 14 years. Once,…
Continuing with the tale of Sri Rama, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–Dasharath requested Vashishtha to perform the Jatkarm Sanskar of Sri Rama. In course of time Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharata–an incarnation of Panchajanya conch. Similarly, Sumitra gave birth to two sons– Lakshman and Shatrughan. Lakshman was the incarnation of Sheshnag…
Describing about Sri Rama’s incarnation Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–‘Once, Swayambhuva Manu had expressed his desire of having Lord Vishnu as his son to which Lord Vishnu had agreed. During Treta Yuga Manu manifested himself as Dasharath and Vishnu kept his promise by taking birth as his son–Sri Rama. Similarly, during…
Continuing with the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati — Prahlada had a son named Virochan.The most benevolent king–‘Mahabahu-Bali’ was Virochan’s son. Bali had defeated the deities and ruled over all the three worlds. Sage Kashyapa commenced the most austere penance–Payovrata to help the deities regain their lost…
Continuing with the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati — Sage Kashyapa had two mighty sons from Diti–Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha had once carried the earth to Rasatala. The deities requested Lord Vishnu to rescue the earth. Lord Vishnu took the incarnation of a boar and killed…
Once, goddess Parvati expressed her desire to know about all the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Lord Mahadeva replied– Lord Brahma had created numerous Prajapatis like Bhrigu, Marichi, Atri, Daksha, Kardam, Pulastya, Pulaha, Angira and Kratu. Marichi was the father of Kashyapa. Sage Kashyapa had four wives–Aditi, Diti, Kadru and Vinta.Aditi…
Sage Narada curiously asked Lord Mahadeva as to what made Shani such a volatile planet.Lord Mahadeva replied— Shani is extremely violent by nature and everybody is scarred of this planet. Once, the royal astrologer of Dasharath was petrified at the prospect of Shani entering the constellation of Rohini and warned…
Describing about the reason why river Ganga was brought down on the earth, Lord Mahadeva told Narada— King Bhagirath was the architect of Ganga’s arrival on the earth. He wanted to liberate his dead ancestorss from the curse of Sage Kapila. King Sagar came from the lineage of the famous…
Once, on being asked by the sages about the greatness of Badrikasharama, Suta narrated the same tale, which Lord Shiva had once told sage Narada — Lord Mahadeva had told Narada that altogether there were one lakh and twenty-five thousand mountains and Badrikashrama was supreme among them. Lord Mahadeva said—…
On being asked by Yudhisthira about the grandeur of holy places like Kashipuri, Kapardishwar and Gaya. Narada said — Just as Lord Mahadeva is supreme among all the deities, in the same manner Kashipuri holds a significant status among all the places of pilgrimage. Hence an individual should make it…
Continuing with his narration, Sage Vashishtha said— A man desirous of going on a pilgrimage should first of all visit Jambumarg, because it is revered even by the deities and the sages. By visiting this holy place a man acquires virtue equivalent to the accomplishment of an Ashwamedha Yagya and…
Once, sages requested Suta to describe about the most prominent places of pilgrimage situated in Bharatavarsha. Suta commenced his narration by describing the origin of creation and then switched over to the geographical characteristics of Bharatavarsha. Suta said—‘There are seven prominent mountain ranges in Bharatavarsha–Mahendra, Malay, Sahya, Shaktiman, Rikshavan, Vindhya…
Bhisma expressed his desire to know about the manifestation of goddess Lakshmi. Pulastya replied– Once, after being defeated by the demons, the deities went to Lord Vishnu and sought his help. Lord Vishnu instructed them to collect all the medicinal herbs, and put them in the Ksheersagar, so that after…
Pulastya says—Lord Brahma, the embodiment of Lord Vishnu has a lifespan of one hundred years. His lifespan is also called ‘Par’, and half of its period is known as ‘Parardha’. One ‘Kashtha’ consists of 15 Nimesha while a Kala consists of 30 ‘Kashthas’. A muhurta consists of 30 Kalas. The…
Having revealed the contents of all the Puranas to his son Ugrashrava, Sage Lomaharshan instructed him to go to ‘Naimisharanya’ and spread it among the sages doing penance over there. There is an interesting tale how this sacrosanct forest of Naimish derived its name — Once, the sages sought Lord…
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord) is one of the most loved scriptures of India. It is pan-Indian, even though its central character, Arjuna, discovered that the driver of his war chariot, Krishna, was the supreme lord of the universe, Lord Vishnu. If this claim were taken literally and…
Bali was present at so many times and places that the mythmakers had to employ one of their greatest discoveries, the various periods of the Manus (manvantaras), a repeating of the cosmic ages each with its own “first man” (Manu). Thus the stories of Bali and his deva (god) opponents…
There are numerous collections o f legends and stories about Tirumala and its god, Sri Venkatesvara or Srinivas. These are to be found in many o f the Puranas. A ll these have been collected and edited in a book, entitled the Venkatachalamahatmyam. Aninscription from Tirumala mentions aenkatachalamahatmyam read in the temple before the…
Ayodhya was the capital city of the kings of Ikshvaku. But it then became one of the seven most sacred cities in India because it was the birthplace of King Rama. Ayodhya was also where Rama ruled as king after he defeated Ravana. Ram Navami is the festival that…
The temple o f Tirumala received liberal patronage during the |ni ii id of the rule o f this dynasty. Two famous rulers o f this family. Krishnadevaraya and his brother, Achyutadevaraya, were ardent devotees o f Sri Venkatesvara and gave him many valuable presents. Krishnaraya visited the temple on 10th ebraury, 1513…
Bukka I is the first ruler of this dynasty that figures in the inscriptions from Tirumala. He gifted two villages for two offerings to be made to the god. (I-178) Mahamandalesvara Mangideva, a prominent feudatory, set up a golden kalasa on the sikhara of the vimana of the temple in…
The Chieftains of this family, who governed part of Tondamandalam first as Chola subordinates, then as Pandya feudatories and subsequently as independent rulers, were ardent i li vt dees and patrons of Sri Venkatesvara. Vira Narasingadeva is the earliest member ofthis family to be connected with the temple of Tirumala. This…
This change of control created great confusion in eastern Carnatic. Many people fled to the English settlement for safety. The Subedars of the Deccan exercised power over this region. Several Mughal and Maratha armies ravaged this area. The Mughal emperor, Shah Alam I, constituted the Carnatic into a separate Nawabi…
The Tirumala-Tirupati region is situated in what was familiarly known as Tondamandalam for a long time and as the Carnatic in later times. The early history of this region is lost in obscurity and only a few glimpses can be obtained. Tamilaham or the Tamil country stretched over a wide…
“I asked him as to who he was. Vishnu replied that he was the fulfiller of all of his desires. But I replied to him that I only was the creator, nurturer and the supreme soul of this world. Vishnu became angry and said that undoubtedly I (Brahma) was the…
Angiras appeared in many roles, some contradictory. The Rigveda called him the first of the fire-gods. As such he was a mediator between gods and men. At times he appeared as a maharishi, a composer of many Rigvedic hymns to the gods. He was also a prajapati, or…
In the Vedas, amrita was a characteristic or quality of a suitable offering in the fire sacrifices to the gods. Soma (the divine plant) had more amrita than other offerings. Later amrita (or amritam) was a substance produced by the Churning of the Milky Ocean (kshirabdhi-mathanam). There were different versions…
There are few interesting myths to tell about Aditi, but her status and roles change so remarkably that she illustrates the fluidity of Hindu myths. Her name literally means eternity (free, boundless, infinity), so philosophically she is a personification of time. Aditi slowly evolved as the prototype of…
Bhairav who was created by lord Shiva from his third eye, had severed one of the five heads of Lord Brahma on the instruction of lord Shiva. Now Brahma was left with only four heads. Carrying the skull of Brahma in his hand, Bhairava started wandering in all the three…
Once sage Narada decided to make a dana’ as the same was discussed in Brahmasabha. So he searched for a suitable land for the purpose but no where he got the land. As a result, he was in great grief and disappointed a lot. Somehow he learnt through sage Braghu….
After describing about the five chief incarnations of lord Shiva, Suta explained about the eight famous idols of lord Shiva- Sharva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati, Ishan and Mahadeva. These eight idols of Shiva symbolizes the eight natural elements which help in the process of creation, nurturement and annihilation. These…
Narada, who was listening to the divine tales of Shiva with rapt attention, was very curious to know about the reasons why lord Vishnu attended a yagya where Shiva was not invited and why did he fight a battle against Veerbhadra despite knowing about his invincibility. Lord Brahma told him…
After the death of Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued his lineage. Prahlada had a son, Virochan. Virochan in his turn had Bali as his son. The prowessive Bali was sent to the nether world by Vamana incarnation of Lord. Bali had one hundred sons among whom Banasur was the eldest. Kashyapa’s second…
Tataha Krodhena Tenaiva Dahagreevaha Sahanujaha| Agachchadatma Midhyartham Gokamasya Shramam Shubham || Valmeekeeye U. Cam 9 Sa. 46,47) Tatahaivabdherastate Lingam Gokama Ravanatvaya | Graheetva sthapitam Poorvam Ravanopi Graham Yayow || 142, 43 || Drastavai Dhanadhyaksham Pushpakshatam Tu Kaikasee | Putran Dhikkarayamasa Yooyam Sandhya Mratopamaha ||46|| Te Matmvachanam Shrutva Yayu Gokamayuttamam ||45|| (Anandarama…
A few lines on the importance of Shri Kshetra Gokarn: Gokarna Kshetra Nilayam Dvibhujam varadam satham | Sarvabheeshta Prasidhyartham Tannamami Gajananam || Lankanatha Dashananogra Thapasa Ganena Thustodbhava Kailasa Chalavasa Shankara Shiva Swaprana Lingandhadhow || Thallingam Navarathna Peetha Sahitham Vighneshwara Sthapitham | Gokamastha Mahablesha Mamalam Vandhe Bhavanipathim || Namashivaya Sambaya Saganaya…
Shrimanmahabalavibho Pranamami Nityam Kamam Dvishanpur Ripo Bhuvi Goshrutou Yat Dhyamnam Nidhe Tvamakarorvasatirmahesha Kshetraya Martya Nivayasya Sato Vibhooman||l|| Rudradavapya Bhavataha Paramatmalingam Kailasato Dashamukho Niragetsalankam Shnitvam N i vrittamatlia Tadbhuvi Vighnarajaha Sansthapanamcha Kritavanniyatebhuvosyaha ||2|| Lingatmakashcha Bhajatam Mahadevasam Tvam Bhangaya Bhasi Bhuvi Vishurta Goshrutisthaha Yamgayati Shrutiroopeeshwara Vishwaroopam Tvam Geyapunyacharitam Sharanam Prapadhye ||3|| Ksheerondadhou…
Shri Mahabaleshadev Sarvabhoumate Vimala Charana Nalina Yugala Mupani Grihnate Paripoomanandam Dehyumapate || Shailaraja Rajatadrivasa Poojita Amita Sukrita Bharita Hridaya Kuhara Samsthita Amarendopendra Druhina Samstuta|| Shri Maha II Ligaroopa, Tungajanghaxnaghanashana Bhanjitasurendra Ravanavalepana Varagokanakhya Kshetrabhooshana | Shri Maha. II Sarvareesha shekharamaresha Shankara Sarvadurita timiraharana tarunabhaskara Jagadeesha nanadam pranatashubhakara || Shri Mahabaleshwara …
Jaya Shiv Omkara Swami Bhaja Shiva Omkara Brahma Vishnu Sadashiva Ardhangi Goura Hari om Hara Hara Kara Mahadev || Ekanana Chaturanana Panchanana Raje Shiva Panchanana Raje Hamsasana Garudasana Vrishavahana Saje Hari om Hara Hara Hara Mahadev || Dobhuj Charu Chaturbhuj Dashabhuj Tuma Shobhe Shiva Dashabhuj Tuma Shobhe Teeno Lokanirakata Shivajit…
Now a few words about the historic antiquity of Gokarn. As already refered to and quoted about, there are free and frequent mention of Gokarn Kshetra in the major epics and Puranas such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata, Skanda Purana and many other theological scriptures. Kalidasa mentions the Lord of Gokarn…