Chapter 39 - Importance of Offering Barley to the Worshipable Liṅga of Śiva

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Yayati said:

1-3. O bearer of spiritual knowledge! on the sidelines of narrating the glory of this (the centre of pilgrimage) you had stated in the very beginning that as a matter of obliging the satisfaction of gods, Maheśvara founded his worshipable Liṅga here permanently. The great soul Vālakhilya had uprooted the worshipable Liṅga at some juncture of time. But then how and when Maheśvara again came back there? I have a great curiosity in this regard. Accordingly, you the Great Sage, please speak out appropriately. What goodness awaits upon men by a visit there and by having a look of it?

Pulastya said:

4. The virtuous earthly being, now listen to the greatness of Maheśvara. I shall bring to you another version of the glorified story in this regard which has been narrated.

5-6. When due to humiliation of Dakṣya for not being invited to Yajña, Satī, i.e., the manifested force exhibiting the power and victory of truth got consumated by death, Kāmadeva taking his bow and arrow of flowers in hand arrived there swiftly. Seeing the invincible Kāmadeva, Śiva then put him as an arrow onto his bow.

7-8. Apparently out of fear Śiva disappeared. Then he, i.e., Kāmadeva moving about here and there, reached the hermitage of Vālakhilya which was bearing a beautiful look with a good tree outside it. Vālakhilya’s wives then got a glimpse of the handsome Kāmadeva.

9. Seeing the bare-bodied and amiable Śiva, all those women got enamoured and leaving their sons and homes behind followed him continuously making entreaties like ‘make me/us your own.’

10. The group of same women began to embrace the worshipable Liṅga following it up with kissing and repeated touching.

11. Yet, he is the detached supreme Sage and God Śaṃbhu. Pervading the entire world, he remains present in all living beings with their bodies serving as his dwelling unit.

12. He, the Lord Śaṃbhu therefore, was taking them ahead with himself remaining in the front and all those women were simply following his steps afflicted as it was with being enamoured by him.

13. The Sage saw change in the women manifesting all the possibility of their going wayward. Unaware as he was, the great soul simply got enraged with Mahādeva.

14. Heated up with distress, he (i.e., the Sage) therefore, to save his wives took out his curse on the worshipable Liṅga of Śiva saying ‘let this worshipable Liṅga fall down for having caused such evils/sins’.

15. A mere sight of the worshipable Liṅga which is reason enough for causing deceit among women is an immediate enemy of the body. Hence, there should be a downfall for this and let this Liṅga fall down.

16. With the omnipotent, i.e., unchangeable words of the royal Sage, the Earth then began to shudder. The peaks on the mountains began to crumble and with their submersion under water, the land gave a terrible sight.

17. Then considering that the prevailing situation is adequate enough for an untimely annihilation of the three worlds, all the gods, O king! got frightened enough.

18-19. Then going to their grandfather, i.e., Brahmā, all gods said, “O supreme God! signs of final destruction are visible. O best of gods and our Lord! we do not know what is this for”? After hearing such words of theirs, Brahmā receded into his usual state of contemplation.

Then he (i.e., Brahmā) said:

20-22a. All these difficulties and chaos having portents of giving rise to fear, have been solely due to Vālakhilya bringing down the worshipable Liṅga of Pināki (an epithet of Śiva). Hence, all of you gods accompany me there. The purpose of our journey there is to restore the worshipable Liṅga to its predesigned place. Until that is done, the possibility of final destruction of the world will continue.

22b-23. Speaking to one another like this, all of them i.e. the gods reached the Arbuda mountain. The fallen worshipable Liṅga was lying there in the hermitage of Vālakhilya. To please it the gods began to recite the varied hymns of the Veda.

The gods said:

24-29. Our homage to you O God among gods and the giver of fearlessness to the faithful followers. Homage to you who dwell in all and a reflection of all yajñas. Homage to you, O God of all gods as well as the Supreme Light. Homage to you O Creator! fit to be comprehensible either in the broadest or subtlest way. O Trayamvaka [Tryambaka?], O Bhima [Bhīma?], O the Bearer of the best bow and arrow or the Trident in hand, all these are like pearls tied up in a thread (of yours). Either the manifest diversities in the world in their best forms including the mobile as well as the immobile or hardly there is anything coarse or subtle in the three worlds which is not encompassed by you. The creation ranging from its evolution to dissolution can have no other causal agent behind it except you, O Lord Śaṃkara. The world with its attendant difficulties and sorrows is but a device as per your will. It will merge into your body subsequent to its dissolution. Hence O God of gods! replant your worshipable Liṅga in the same region of the mountain where it was there already for the welfare of subjects. Till that materialises, damages will continue to accrue for the subjects.

The God said:

30-34. It is out of sheer indifference that Vālakhilya has uprooted this worshipable Liṅga of mine. How can I accept it any further without its necessary purification. I can punish Vālakhilya appropriately as per my sweet will. But I consider Brāhmaṇas worthy of respect, O virtuous gods. My worshipable Liṅga here is unmovable. This is the only fixed place for it and I cannot think of any other way out. O Brahmā! if you have worshipped this worshipable liṅga previously, then all gods followed by Brāhmaṇas in due course will worship it here, as it is. As a result, peace will return to the world encompassing the mobile as well as the immobile.

Pulastya said:

35. As Śaṃkara said like this, then Brahmā, O best of kings! first of all began to worship the same (i.e., the worshipable Liṅga) then and there with sincerity of faith and devotion.

36. After Brahmā, Viṣṇu did the same. Subsequently, Indra followed up. Vālakhilya and other Brāhmaṇas also worshipped it reciting the difficult Śatrudriya incantations from the Veda.

37. Then the terrible disorderly situation soon began to recover. Happy days returned to the world with people becoming good-natured and gentle and fragrant breeze began to blow.

38. Then Mahādeva asked all the gods to seek boons as desired in their respective minds.

The gods said:

39-40. O God of gods! let the hurdles for all those evil-doer humans on their road to Heaven be destroyed by a simple touch of the worshipable Liṅga of yours here. O Lord and King of the gods! let you wish so that Indra’s sword of thunderbolt acts as a protective shield to this beneficial worshipable Liṅga of yours.

The God (Śiva) said:

41. O God born of the lotus (i.e., Brahmā)! such a wish has been equally gaining ground in my mind. Let Indra—the King of gods do so in the interest of growth and development of all religions.

Pulastya said:

42. Hence, Indra—the King of three worlds covered the worshipable Liṅga with his sword of thunderbolt which require to be won over or brought under control for any mortal being to get a look of the same (object of worship).

43. Even now, a mere touch of the (same) sword of thunderbolt entitles a man acquire proximity (to the worshipable Liṅga). It is beyond doubt that he gets liberated not only from sins but also from the cycle of birth and death.

44. So Śaṃkara has sung the glory of the worshipable Liṅga while it is Indra who by his thunderbolt gives it the protective cover on the surface of Earth.

45. Since then worshipping of Lord Śaṃkara has been commenced in the mortal world. Before this either his idol or some form of stone as a symbolic icon of him used to be worshipped in the three worlds.

46. This is the account, as to how the worshipable Liṅga used to be worshipped before and after its downfall since ancient days in this best of mountains called the Arbuda which you were asking.

47. One who makes offering of cooked food made of freshly harvested wheat to the unmovable worshipable Liṅga on that particular fourteenth day of the waning period of Moon in the month of Phālguna (i.e., February), which is (considered as) the great destroyer of all sins, will never have rebirth.

48. One who makes offering of food prepared of the same freshly harvested wheat to Brāhmaṇas with due faith will be entitled to enjoyment of the Heavenly World amounting to the same number of years as per the counted number of wheat seeds.

49. The offering of barley here by the sages observing austerities is specially appreciated. This the God Śiva has himself stated.

50. So why to undergo the religious act of making offering of various gifts or conduct of yajñas with greater details or undertake several pilgrimages or undergo penance?

51. The results of all these (given above) cannot even equal a sixteenth part of the effect that accrues to one by obtaining proximity of Maheśvara on that particularly auspicious fourteenth day of the waning period of Moon in the month of Phālguna (i.e., February).

52. O king! listen to an amazing incident which happened there in olden time. Once upon a time, a man due to some sin bn his part got down with leprosy as a result of which his body became frail and feeble.

53. For the sake of seeking alms, he came there joining a crowd of people. Then there O king! he earned twelve añjali^[1] barley as alms.

54. But due to pain in his body because of the disease, he could not eat it. His body as it is was quite hot. So without devotion he entered the water there for a bath and as the night descended, he went up to sleep, keeping the barley beside his head.

55. A dog came there when he was asleep and pulled it (i.e. the carry-bag containing the barley) away and began to eat it along with other hungry dogs.

56. But then O king! it is a matter of great wonder that he got reminded of his belonging to the lineage of king of Vidarbha and got born in the same king’s home.

57. He was the best of kings by name of Bhīma and was the father of Damayantī. He was already aware of the effect of barley there in that mountain.

58. Every year on the fourteenth day of the month of Phālguna (i.e., February), he used to go there and observing fasting and remaining awake throughout the night he used to make invocation to the God.

59. He used to make offering of (plenty of) barley as well as of gold to Brāhmaṇas there nearer to the abode of unmovable God. He also used to feed the same to animals including deer as well as birds.

60. Then the king, all sages with the prominent sage Gālava among them out of curiosity asked the king as to what could be the reason behind his making offering of barley there.

61. The sages asked, “You have got amazing power to make gifts of elephants, horses and chariots. Thus O king! why are you not willing to make offering of anything other than barley?”

Pulastya said:

62. After their (i.e., the Sages’) asking like this, the king then narrated the details of his previous life and impressed upon them the value of offering of barley in his context.

The King told them:

63-64. In the form of dog, I had previously stolen barley without faith. As a consequence of that I have got this life, O best of Brāhmaṇas. Now I am making the offering of barley here with due faith. I do not know what fruits shall be reaped out of this. (But) I am offering barley here out of this reason. I am only doing this here in this centre of pilgrimage with the sole purpose of regaining my faith.”

Pulastya said:

65. Then with pleasure, the sages uttered, “let there be your well being”. They began to make offering of barley there for themselves in a befitting manner and as per their affordability.

66. O king! this is all about the glory of making offering of barley. This is also how the truth of the greatness of Maheśvara has been acclaimed.

67. There is no doubt that one who listens to the glorified story of this with faith from the Brāhmaṇas will certainly get rid of his/her incessant sins.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Añjali refers to the cup-shape that is formed after lossely bringing together both palms of the hands.