Nandī’s Tapas at Jāpyeśvara

Nandī was born from the earth as the son of the ṛshi Śilāda. When he had learned the Vedas, he did tapas (austerity) by the river near Naimishāraṇya, repeating the mantra of Rudra. He did three crores of repetitions. A crore is ten million. After each crore Bhagavān Śiva appeared and offered a vara (boon), and each time Nandī asked only for the strength to do another crore. At last Parameśvara said “Enough” and gave him every vara. This place became the tīrtha (holy place) of Jāpyeśvara.

Śilāda’s vara and Nandī’s birth

The ṛshi Śilāda knew dharma and was a devoted worshipper of Śiva. He did hard tapas to Parameśvara with one prayer: “Give me a son who is ayonija (not born from a womb) and mṛtyuhīna (free from death).” He did not want a child by the ordinary way. He wanted a son born through Śiva’s grace alone, one who stood outside the limits of karma and saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death) from the very start. Parameśvara was pleased with this exact and devoted tapas, and gave the vara.

Śilāda was doing a yāga (ritual) and ploughing his own field, as the ritual required. His plough split open the earth, and a bright and splendid child came out. He blazed with the light of a thousand suns, his form was like Kumārasvāmī’s, and his voice was deep as a storm-cloud. The child cried “Tāta! Tāta!”, which means “Father! Father!”, and spoke to Śilāda. This was the son that Śaṅkara had promised. Śilāda named him Nandī and did all the saṃskāras (rites of life) as the śāstra says, the jātakarma, the nāmakaraṇa and the rest. Later he did Nandī’s upanayana and taught him the whole Veda. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

Nandī’s resolve

When Nandī had finished learning the Veda, he made a high saṃkalpa (resolve): to see Parameśvara face to face and to overcome death. He went to a holy river-bank near Naimishāraṇya and began tapas with one aim, by Rudra-japa. His faith in Mahāśiva was firm, and he began to count his japa. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

The first crore

When Nandī had done one crore repetitions of the Śiva mantra, Śaṅkara appeared before him in his shining form, with Devī Pārvatī and the bhūta-gaṇas, and offered him a vara. Nandī looked at Bhagavān Śiva and asked one thing only: “Give me the grace to do another crore of japa.” Parameśvara agreed without any condition and vanished. Nandī was again alone in his japa. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

The second crore

When the second crore was done, Parameśvara appeared again, the same blazing form with Pārvatī and the gaṇas, and offered the vara again. Once more Nandī asked for nothing but the grace to go on: “Give me a third crore.” Śaṅkara agreed and vanished again. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

The third crore: “Enough”

After the third crore, Parameśvara appeared a third time with his bhūta-gaṇas. Nandī asked again for a fourth crore of japa. This time Parameśvara spoke to him directly: “Enough. Stop your japa now.” Nandī had asked not for any gain for himself but only for the chance to offer more japa. The time had now come to raise him to his high place. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

The varas

Parameśvara then gave Nandī the full set of varas.

From that day Nandī would be free from jarā (old age) and mṛtyu (death). These were the two things his father Śilāda had first prayed against. He would live always at Parameśvara’s side. He would be the mahāgaṇapati, the highest master of all the gaṇas. He would be like a son to Devī Pārvatī and would bear the name Maheśvara. He would be a yogīśvara (master of yogīs) and the yoginī-neta (leader of the yoginīs). He would be the master of all the masters of gaṇas, with rule over every master of every kind of gaṇa. He would receive sarvalokādhipatya, rule over all the worlds. He would know all things. He would have power equal to Śiva’s own. He would receive Śiva’s divine knowledge directly. And he would live in Śiva’s loka until the end of the kalpa (age of the world), and then merge into Śiva himself. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

The abhisheka and the marriage

After he had spoken these varas, Parameśvara stayed there. He himself did Nandī’s formal abhisheka (anointing) as gaṇādhipati, the supreme master of all Śiva’s gaṇas. Śiva’s own hand did the anointing. Right after, Śiva arranged Nandī’s marriage to a maiden, the daughter of Marut, the deva of the wind. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

The tīrtha of Jāpyeśvara

The place where the three crores of japa and the anointing happened, the holy river-bank near Naimishāraṇya, became the tīrtha of Jāpyeśvara. It is named for the japa of the great gaṇa. It is declared to be the home of Mahādeva Śaṅkara himself.

Whoever does japa here reaches Rudrāloka. Whoever gives up his life here reaches Rudrāloka directly.

The nearby tīrtha of Pañcanadī is also most holy. Whoever bathes there and fasts for three days in honour of Maheśvara is freed from all pāpa (sin) and reaches Rudrāloka. (Kūrma Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41)

Sources

• Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarardha, Chapter 41