Śivaśarman’s Journey Through the Worlds
Śivaśarman was a brāhmaṇa of Mathurā who spent his life in study, in earning wealth and in raising sons. In old age he saw how little he had done for his own good, and he set out on pilgrimage to the seven moksha-purīs, the seven cities that give liberation. After his death his jīva (the living self) was carried through all the worlds in turn, up to Satyaloka. The puṇya (merit) of his pilgrimage took him there. Brahmā himself praised Kāśī to him, and at the end Śivaśarman gained liberation.
This account is told in Chapters 7 to 24 of the Kāśī Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa. Agastya tells it to Lopāmudrā.
Śivaśarman and his resolve
In Mathurā there lived an excellent brāhmaṇa. His son was Śivaśarman. He grew up to be a very learned man. He:
- Studied the Vedas fully and understood their meaning
- Mastered the Dharmaśāstras and the Purāṇas
- Learned all six Aṅgas (the subjects that serve the Vedas), logic, and both Pūrva and Uttara Mīmāṃsā
- Mastered Dhanurveda, dance, the science of government, and the sciences of horses and elephants
- Became expert in Mantraśāstra, in the languages of other countries and in foreign scripts
- Earned wealth by honest means, enjoyed pleasures, had sons of good qualities, and shared his wealth among them
In old age Śivaśarman saw grey hairs and felt that old age had come to his ears. He was seized with worry for his own spiritual good. He thought over his whole life. He had not worshipped Śiva, Vishṇu, Gaṇeśa, Sūrya or Mahāmāyā. He had not performed yajñas, planted trees, given cows, land or gold, built temples, or given anna-dāna (gifts of food). His whole life had gone to worldly aims, and time was running out.
He decided to put things right by pilgrimage. He set out for the seven moksha-purīs: Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā (Haridvāra), Kāśī, Kāñchī, Avantikā (Ujjain) and Dvārakāvatī. (Kāśī Khaṇḍa, Chapter 7)
The pilgrimage to the seven cities
Śivaśarman went through all seven cities. He bathed at their tīrthas and did all the rites laid down. He began at Ayodhyā, the city of Bhagavān Rāma. He went on to Mathurā, the city of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa. Then he came to Haridvāra, where the Gaṅgā comes down to the plains. Last he reached Kāśī, the highest of the moksha-purīs.
When he had finished the round of all seven cities, Śivaśarman died. The puṇya of his pilgrimage was ready to carry him through the worlds. (Kāśī Khaṇḍa, Chapter 7)
The journey through the worlds
Yamapurī (Chapter 8)
After death the jīva of Śivaśarman was led to Yamapurī. Dharmarāja weighed his karmas, the pāpa (sin) of his worldly life against the puṇya of his pilgrimage. The puṇya of bathing at the tīrthas of the seven cities was greater than his pāpa. He was sent upward toward the higher lokas.
Apsarā-loka and Sūrya-loka (Chapter 9)
Śivaśarman visited Apsarā-loka, the world of the apsarās, and then went up to Sūrya-loka. In the world of Bhagavān Sūrya the seventy names of Sūrya (Saptati Nāma) were recited. They call on Sūrya in seventy forms: the light of the universe, the master of time, the cause of all life, the witness of every act, and the giver of liberation through right knowledge.
Vahni-loka (Chapter 11)
Śivaśarman visited the world of Agni, the deva of fire. Here the account of Viśvānara was told. He is also called Gṛhapati, the fire of the householder. He was born of Ātharvaṇa and Śāntī. Brahmā set him up in the fire-pit of every householder as the sacred home fire. Through the five daily sacrifices, this fire joins the householder to the world of the devas.
Varuṇa-loka and Nirṛti-loka (Chapter 12)
Śivaśarman visited the world of Varuṇa, the master of the waters and of ṛta (the order of the cosmos), and the world of Nirṛti, the master of the south-west direction.
Gandhāvatī and Alakā (Chapter 13)
Śivaśarman visited Gandhāvatī, the sweet-smelling world of Vāyu, the deva of the wind. He then came to Alakā, the golden city of Kubera, the keeper of wealth. In Alakā the account of Yajñadatta and Kubera was brought in as a teaching.
Somaloka (Chapter 14)
Śivaśarman visited the world of Candra, the deva of the moon. There the amṛta (nectar) of the devas is filled up in the bright half of the month. The devas drink it in the dark half. It is offered to the pitṛs on the new moon day.
The stars and the planets (Chapters 15 to 18)
Śivaśarman passed in turn through these:
- The world of the stars (nakshatra-maṇḍala)
- Śukra-loka, the world of Venus (Chapter 16)
- The worlds of Maṅgala (Mars), Bṛhaspati (Jupiter) and Śani (Saturn) (Chapter 17)
- The world of the seven ṛshis (Saptarshi-maṇḍala) (Chapter 18)
Dhruvaloka (Chapters 19 to 21)
In the world of the seven ṛshis, Śivaśarman heard the account of Dhruva. Dhruva was the five-year-old son of Uttānapāda. His stepmother Suruci put him to shame. Nārada guided him, and he did great tapas at Madhuvana. He was given the direct sight of Bhagavān Vishṇu (the Dhruva Stuti). He was set in place as the pole star above the Saptarshi-maṇḍala. He became the axis around which all the stars and planets move. The account of Dhruva in these chapters teaches the power of bhakti (devotion), even in a child of five.
Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka (between Chapters 21 and 22)
Śivaśarman went up through the three lokas above the Saptarshi-maṇḍala: Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka. These are the worlds of those who reached great spiritual height but have not yet reached the realm of the creator.
Satyaloka and Brahmā’s praise of Kāśī (Chapter 22)
At last Śivaśarman reached Satyaloka, the home of Brahmā. In this highest created world, Brahmā himself gave Śivaśarman a long praise of Kāśī. He said that liberation at Kāśī is greater even than the puṇya of reaching Satyaloka. Kāśī, the Avimukta Kshetra, is the one place that goes beyond all the worlds Śivaśarman had just passed through. Even those who live in Satyaloka will meet dissolution in time. Those who die in Kāśī reach liberation directly.
The Caturbhujābhisheka (Chapter 23)
Śivaśarman had passed through all the worlds by the puṇya of his pilgrimage. He now received the Caturbhujābhisheka, the four-armed consecration. It gave him the svarūpa (own form) of Bhagavān Vishṇu: four arms, holding the śaṅkha, the cakra, the gadā and the padma, shining with divine splendour. This consecration is the change of the ātmā from the bound self to the liberated divine form.
Śivaśarman gains liberation (Chapter 24)
Śivaśarman gained final liberation, mukti, through the puṇya of his pilgrimage to the seven cities and of his journey through the worlds. His account shows that pilgrimage to the seven moksha-purīs is a full path in itself. It equals travelling through the whole cosmos from Yamapurī to Satyaloka and beyond, and it ends in liberation greater than all the lokas of svarga.
Who tells the account
Agastya tells the account of Śivaśarman to Lopāmudrā as the clearest example of the power of tīrtha-yātrā (pilgrimage). He tells it in his talk on the seven holy cities in Chapter 7. This comes right after his talk on the mānasa tīrthas (the tīrthas of the mind) in Chapter 6. Even a man who spent his whole life without any spiritual practice can, by honest pilgrimage to the moksha-purīs in old age, pass through the whole order of the worlds and reach liberation.
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Kāśī Khaṇḍa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 7 to 24
- Chapter 6 (mānasa tīrthas) and Chapter 7 (the seven moksha-purīs), as the setting of Agastya’s talk to Lopāmudrā