The earth consists of seven islands, many rivers, mountains and seven oceans. The Plaksha, Shalmali, Kush, Kraunch, Shak and Pushkar. Lord Shiva alongwith goddess Ambika and his ganas dwell in all these seven islands in one form or the other. The name of the seven oceans are Ksharod, Rasod, Surod,…
The almighty Shiva manifested in the form of Sthanu (Pillar) from his imperceptible form and looked at Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma then commenced his creation and established the norms of Varna ashrama. He also created ‘Soma’ which is required for the performance of ‘Yagya’. This world, including all the deities…
The sages asked Suta— Lord Shiva is formless then how come Shivalinga is worshipped? What is the significance of Shivalinga? What is the proper method of worshipping a Shivalinga? Suta replied— Once, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu developed serious different on the matter of superiority. A tremendous duel broke out…
Peet kalpa was followed by Pradhritta kalpa. Black was the predominant colour of this kalpa. Initially, the whole earth was submerged in the water and Lord Brahma desirous of commencing his creations wished for a son. As a result, a divine child manifested whose complexion was dark. Not only that…
The sages asked Suta as to how should a devotee meditate on Lord Triyambak following the path of Yoga. Suta then retold the tale which Mandishwar had once narrated to Sanatkumar– The first type of Yoga is called Mantra Yoga. In this type of yoga a devotee tries to attain…
Describing about the methods of installing a Shivalinga Suta says– A devotee should install a Shivalinga made of either gold, silver or copper. The shivalinga should be installed along with the altar. The altar of the Shivalinga symbolizes goddess Uma. Lord Brahma is said to manifest at the base of…
Before commencing the rituals of initiation, the Guru should purify the place where the rites are supposed to be performed. He should make an attar and draw an eight-petalled lotus at its center. He should then establish the various embodiments of Shiva like Aghor, Pranav, Vamadeva, on each of the…
A devotee should commence the worship of Lord Shiva only after taking permission from his Guru, Only such a person is worthy of being called a Guru who is virtuous and well versed in the scripture. A disciple should unwavering by be in the service of his Guru and should…
The learned and sages call Shiva by many names —Kshetragya, Prakriti Vyakta, Kalatma etc. The synonyms of Kshetragya and Prakriti are Purusha and Pradhan respectively.The delusionary net of the Prakriti is known as Vyakta (apparent). Kala (time) is the resultant by product of Pradhan and Vyakta. Some sages call Hiranyagarbha…
Lord Maheshwar is beyond the reach if any kind of bondage. He is totally liberated entity. It is only by his blessings that the Nature-Prakriti, creates intelligence–buddhi. Similarly, intelligence creates ego-ahamkara and subtle forms of matter–tanmatra creates the greatest of matter by the blessings of Lord Shiva. No word can…
The sages were curious to know why Lord Shiva was also known as Pashupati (lord of animals). Suta retold the same tale which sage Shiladi had once narrated to Sanatkumar — Once, Sanatkumar went to the hermitage of Sage Shiladi and asked him as to why was Lord Shankar also…
Describing about the greatness of Shadakshar mantra that consists of six letters, Suta said– The sacred mantra — OM NAMAH SHIVAY holds a supreme place among all the mantras. During the Meghavahan kalpa of the first Treta Yuga, there lived a brahmin named Dhoondhmook. He became a licentious person due…
On being asked by the sages about the sacred mantra– the chanting of which enabled a man to attain salvation Suta replied — Lord Vishnu gives salvation to those people who endeavour to seek Brahm– the Almighty God. A man whose mind is preoccupied with the thought of Lord Vishnu…
The sages were curious to know how Lord Shiva had bestowed the designation of Ganpatya and an ocean of milk to Upamanyu. They requested Suta to shed light on the two incidents. Suta narrated the following tale — Upamanyu was a brilliant child. There is an interesting story how he…
Once, the deities requested Lord Shiva to device some means so that they no longer had to live under the threat of the demons.The most merciful Lord Pinaki Shiva then took the incarnation of Ganeshwar. He had a human body but his heard resembled like an elephant. He held a…
The Sages were curious to know how Lord Vishnu in his incarnation of Varaha (Boar), had liberated the earth from the captivity of Hiranyaksha. They also wanted to know why Lord Shiva adorned himself with the horn of that boar. Suta narrated the following tale— Hiranyaksha–Andhak’s father was a tyrant….
On being asked by the Sages how Andhak–the demon was appointed as the lord of Ganas by Lord Shiva, Suta narrated the following tale to them.–The mighty demon, Andhak was Hiranyaksh’s son. By the virtue of his austere penance he had received a boon of immortality from Lord Brahma. In…
The Sages asked Suta as to how did Maya–The demon acquire three well fortified forts from Lord Brahma and how was lord Shiva finally successful in destroying them. Suta replied– After Tarakasur’s death his three sons, Vidyunmali, Kamlaksha and Tarakaksha did tremendous penance to please Lord Brahma. When Lord Brahma…
Ahuka came from the lineage of Yadu. He had two sons– Devak and Ugrasen. The eldest son, Devak had eleven children–four sons and seven daughters. The names of his sons were– Devavan, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devarakshit. All his seven daughters, which also included Devaki were married to Vasudeva. Ahuk’s youngest…
Yadu had five sons among whom Sahastrajeet was the eldest. Shatarjay was the oson of Sahastrajeet and himself had three sons–Haihya, Haya and Venu. Dharma was Haihya’s son. Dharmanetra was the son of Dharma and himself had two sons–Kirti and Sanjay.Sanjay’s son was Mahishman and Bhadrashrenya was Mahishman’s son. Durdam…
On being enquired by the Sages about the respective lineage of Aditya (Sun) and Soma (moon) Suta replied— Sage Kashyapa had a son–Aditya, from Aditi. Aditya had four wives–Sangya, Rajyi, Prabha and Chhaya. Sangya gave birth to Manu whereas Ragyi was the mother of Yama, Yamuna and Raivat. Prabha gave…
The Sages asked Suta how Shakti had been devoured by a demon named Rudhir. Sutiji replied— Once, Sage Vashishtha was presiding over a grand Yagya being organized by a king named Kalmashpad. Vashishtha had a rivalry with Vishwamitra. On seeing Vashishtha busy in that Yagya, Vishwamitra instigated Rudhir– a demon,…
On being enquired by the sages about the origin of deities, demons and other celestial entities, Suta said– Daksha being desirous of enhancing the population, created ten-thousand sons merely by his wish and instructed them to contribute in the propagation of population. His objective remained unfulfilled as Narada was successful…
The Sages asked Suta as to how Dhruva became successful in attaining immortality and supreme status among all the stars. Suta narrated the following tale— There lived a king named Uttanpad, who had two queens–Suniti and Suruchi. The eldest queen Suniti had a son named Dhruva. One day while Dhruva…
The Surya is the source to which all the living beings owe their existence. All the deities derive their effulgence from Surya, who in turn derives its own radiance from Lord Mahadeva.Time is determined with the help of Surya’s movement. One can not even imagine the various units of time,…
The chariot of Surya is believed to have been created by Lord Brahma. It is made up of gold and its wheels have five spokeseach. The chariot is very huge in size and its expanse covers the area of nine thousand yojan. It is pulled by seven horses which are…
The Sages requested Suta to describe how Lord Brahma assigned Lordships to all the deities and the demons. Suta replied— The Sun was made the lord of all the planets. Soma was made the lord of all the constellations and medicinal herbs. Similarly, Vaun was made the Lord of…
The movement of Sun is rapid when it is positioned south of equator (Dakshainayan), on the other hand its movement is slow when positioned north os equator (Uttarayan).The time is indicated by the various positions of Sun while it is on its course of movement in the horizon. While the…
Describing about the physical characteristics os all tje seven islands, Suta says — “Seven mountains are situated in Plaksha dweepa- Gobhedak, Chandra, Narada, Dundubhi, Soyak, Sumana and Vaibhraj. Similarly, the prominent mountain ranges situated in Shalmali dweepa are Kumud, Uttam, Balahak, Drona, Karkamahish Kumudman etc. Kushadweepa also has seven mountains…
Meru mountain is situated in the heart of Jambudweepa. The Meru range is spread in the area of 16 thousand yojan. Its towering peak is 84 thousand in height from the ground level and had even penetrated the depth of earth to the measurement of 16 thousand yojan. Meru mountain…
Agnighra–the ruler of Jambudweepa was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He had nine sons– Nabhi, Kimpurusha, Harivarsha, Ilavrata, Ramaya, Hiranyaman, Kuru, Bhadrashva and Ketumal. Agnighra appointed Nabhi the king of Hemakhya. Similarly, Kimpurusha, Harivarsha, Ilavrata, Ramaya, Hiranyaman, Kuru, Bhadrashva and Ketumal were given the kingdoms of Hemakoot, Naishadh, Meru,…
Lord Shiva is the source from where all the different worlds originate. People in their ignorance are unware of the fact that the whole universe is nothing but a medium through which Shiva manifests himself. The various worlds like Maha, Jana, Tapa, Satya etc. and all the natural elements like…
Shilad did a tremendous penance to please Lord Shiva. His penance continued for thousands of year. At last, Lord Shiva appeared before him and said–“I am extremely pleased by you devotion. I shall bless you with a son who will become famous for his knowledge and learning.” But, Shilad was…
Once, Lord Brahma did an austere penance to please Lord Shiva. Shiva manifestated as Ardhnarishwar (partly male partly female) from his forehead and said–‘I am your son’. But, the unberabale heat emanating from the effulgence of Ardhanarishwar burnt the whole world including Lord Brahma. Lord Shiva then separated the feminine…
Describing about the decline in moral values during Kali Yuga, Indra told Shilad– In Kali Yuga, people will be under the total influence of the worldly illusions. Ignorance diseases, fear and hunger will be prevalent everywhere. Famine and drought would occur quite frequently as the fall out of inadequate rain….
Shilad requested Indra to shed light on the special characteristics of each of the four eras. Indra replied—Lord Brahma created the four eras (yugas)–Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali. These eras keep on occuring in a cyclic order where the former is followed by the latter. Satva guna (Pure) prevails during…
Once, Shilad did an austere penance to please Indra. He was desirous of begetting a son. When Indra appeared he requested him to bless him with a son who was self-born as well as deathless. Indra expressed his helplessness in fulfilling impossible demand. Even Lord Brahma meets his end after…
When Lord Vishnu appeared before Kshoopa, he sought his help in defeating Dadhichi. Lord Vishnu expressed his inability by saying— I don’t punish a Brahmin, especially if he is a devotee of Rudra. Dadhichi is both, so forget about defeating him. Anyhow, I will try me best to make Dadhichi…
Lord Shiva revealed to the sages that a female sex organ was nothing but a symbolic expression of goddess Parvati where as a male sex organ symbolized his own self. He also cautioned them against making fun of hermits appearance. He said- “These hermits who appear absured by their looks…
Having realized their mistake, the sages returned to Daruk forest and engaged themselves in austere penance to please Shiva. They did a tremendous penance, which lasted for a year. Ultimately their wished were fulfilled as Lord Shiva appeared with ashes smeared all over his body. He had a begging-bowl in…
The sages were very curious to know about sage Shwet. Lord Brahma narrated the following tale — “Once, there lived a sage named Shwet. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He lived in a cave and engaged himself in severe penance, continuously chanting the holy name of…
Once upon a time, the sages were busy doing their penance to please Lord Mahadeva. Lord Shiva decided to test patience and visited daruk forest in naked position. By the virtue of his divine power, he was successful in corrupting the conduct of the sage’s wives. Those women became so…
On being enquired by Lord Brahma about his various incarnations, Lord Shiva said — “I shall incarnate as Shwet-Mahamuni during first Dwapar Yuga of Vaivaswat manvantar. My abode shell is at Chhogal peak of Himalaya mountain. I shall have four disciples who will be proficient in the Vedas.” “I will…
Lord Shiva revealed to Brahma that the Shwet-kalpa derived its name from his complexion. “I took incarnation attired in white apparels. My complexion was fair. You being self-begotten were able to recognize me. Goddess Gayatri had also manifested from my body and later on became famous as ‘Shwet-Lohit-Brahm’.” “The next…
At last, Lord Vishnu was successful in convincing Brahma of Shiva’s supreme status. Both of them eulogized and sang hymns in the praise of Lord Shiva.Lord Shiva became very pleased by their devotion. He requested Lord Vishnu wanted nothing else but undiluted devotion in him. Lord Shiva agreed and said…
The Sages requested Suta to elucidate how Lord Brahma emerged from the navel of Vishnu seated on a lotus flower. Suta replied— At the time of deluge Lord Vishnu went in his yoganidra lying on the back of Sheshnag. As the result of his divine play, a huge lotus flower…
At the time, when this incident of mystical Shivalinga had occurred and after which Lord Brahmand Vishnu had stopped quarelling, Lord Shiva appeared before them and said— “I am very pleased with both of you, Both of – “O Vishnu! You are the creator, Lord Shiva. This made Lord Shiva…
In the beginning of Vishwaroopa kalpa, lord Brahma, desirous of commencing creation was engrossed in deep meditation. This resulted into the manifestation of a divine cow, which puzzled lord Brahma very much. Actually, this divine cow was none other then Vishwaroopa Saraswati, but lord Brahma failed to recognize her. Lord…
The thirty-first kalpa was known as Peet Kalpa. The term ‘Peet’ means yellow and this Kalpa was named Peet because Lord Brahma had put on yellow apparels during this Kalpa. Once, while he was meditating on the form of Lord Shiva, a divine child manifested before him. The child had…
The sages asked Suta as to how was lord Brahma able to have a divine glimpse of Sadyojat. Suta replied- During the Kalpa named Shwetalohit, once lord Brahma witnessed the manifestation of a divine child who was of mixed (red and white) complexion. The child had a Shikha (topknot) on…
