43 - Coronation of Nandishvara 

Nandishvara said: 

1. After bowing down to Maheśhvara, my delighted father immediately went back to his hut along with me like an indigent man after obtaining a treasure-trove. 

2. O great sage, when I went to the hut of Shilāda l eschewed my divine form and assumed a human shape. 

3-4. My divine memory was obliterated for some unknown reason. On seeing that I had assumed human form, my father, worshipped by all the worlds, became extremely miserable and he lamented. Surrounded by his kinsmen, he, the knower of everything, performed my postnatal and other holy rites. 

5-8. Shilāda son of Shälankāyana was highly fond of me his son. It was he who taught me all these: - viz, the recensions of Rugveda, Yajurveda and the thousand branches of Samaveda with their ancillaries and subdivisions. He taught me Ayurveda (science of medicine), Dhanurveda (science of arehery), Gāndharva (musicology), Ašhvalakșhana (characteristics of horses), the details of elephants and also the characteristics of men. When I completed my seventh year two excellent divine sages Mitra and Varuna, who were equipped with penance, and yogic power came to his hermitage to see me. It was at the behest of the lord that they had come there. 

9-11. On seeing me repeatedly the two noble sages said: “O dear one, though this Nandin has mastered all the scriptural topics, he is shortlived. This type of wonder has not been seen before. His life does not extend beyond a year 

When they said thus Shilada the leading brahmin, extremely fond of his son, embraced me. Excessively dejected he lamented with a highly discordant voice, "alas my son! my son, my son" He then fell down flat. 

12-13. He was sad and he said- “Alas! the power of the adverse fate and of the creator!" On hearing his lamentation, the residents of the hermitage gathered there in great bewil derment. They evolved amulets and observed auspicious rites to ward off the evil. They eulogised Mahadeva, the three-eyed lord of Umā. 

14. They performed homa repeating the mantra of Triyambaka, offering ten thousand times Durvā (Darbha grass) soaked in honey, and accompanied by other materials of worship. 

15. My father and grandfather lost consciousness. With all their activities ceased, they lamented, fell down as though dead. 

16-19. I was afraid of death. Ere long I bowed down to my father and grandfather who were lying down as though they were dead. I circumambulated them. I was then engaged in the repetition of Rudra mantra. I meditated on the three-eyed lord in the lotus cavity of my heart, the quiescent lord Sadashiva with ten arms and five faces. Even as I was standing in the middle of the holy river the delighted lord Mahadeva accompanied by Umà, and adorned by the crescent moon appeared and said- O dear Nandin of great arms, whence is fear from death for you? 

20-24. Those two brahmins had been sent by me alone. There is no doubt that you are like myself, O dear, this body of yours is factually worldly. It is not divine. O dear, what was formerly seen and worshipped by Shilada, Devas, sages, Siddhas, Gandharvas and Dänavas was divine. O Nandiśhvara this is the nature of the world that happiness and misery befall repeatedly one after the other. It is the duty of the discriminating man to avoid birth through the womb.²⁷⁷ After saying thus to me, Parameśhvara, lord Rudra, Hara, the great lord of all Devas, the destroyer of distress touched me with his splendid hands. 

277. Nruņāri yoniparityāgah: release from the bondage of Birth and Death, which is the goal of man's life. According to ST. yoni-parityāgaḥ= stri-samagama-tyagah. ST. cites Bhagavata in support of this meaning.  

25-28. After glancing at the goddess, Uma the daughter of the Himavat, and at the chieftains of the Ganas, the bull-emblemed Mahādeva, Lord of Devas, said with satisfaction in his heart, “Along with your father and friends you will be unageing and deathless. You will be devoid of pain and misery. You will be imperishable and unchanging. You will have my virility and exploit. You will be my favourite chief of Gaņas. I will be always fond of you. You will be at my side for ever. You will have my strength. You will be endowed with great yogic power." 

29-31. After saying this to me the lord accompanied by his attendants, took off his lotus garland. The bull-emblemed lord of great splendour tied it on me. With that splendid garland clinging to my neck I became as though a second Shankara with three eyes and ten arms. Then Parameshvara took me by the hand and said -"Tell me. What excellent boon shall I give you now?" 

32-35. The bull-emblemed lord then took the pure water embedded in his matted hairs. Saying “Be a river" he cast it down. Then it began to flow as a great river full of splendid, divine, white (shining) water with lots of lotuses and lilies in it. Mahādeva said to that extremely splendid river--"Since you began to flow as a great river from the waters of my matted hairs you will be an excellent holy river named Jatodaka." 

36-39. “Any man will be liberated from all sins by taking bath in you." Then lord Mahadeva said to the goddess “This is your son" and made me the son of Shilāda, fall at her feet. She kissed me on the head and stroked me with her hands. With three pourings of water as white as the conch, with three sons she bathed me with the affection due to a son all the while glancing at the lord of Devas. These three pourings flowed down to become a river with three branches. The lord Bhava therefore called it Trisrotas (river with three tributaries). 

40-43. On seeing the river Trisrotas the bull (vehicle of Shiva) was extremely delighted. It bellowed. From that bellowing sound another river originated. That river was called “Vrushadhvani" by the lord of Devas. The bull-emblemed lord placed on my head his divine golden crown that was made by Viśhvakarman, studded with all jewels, and that was variegated auspicious and wonderful. Mahādeva, Maheśhvara himself fitted in my ears his splendid divine earrings bedecked with diamonds and Lapis Lazuli. 

44-47. O sage, on seeing me honoured thus, the sun in the sky showered Shilādana with waters from the clouds. When he was thus showered, those waters flowed as a stream. Since this river originated from gold, the three-eyed lord of Devas called her Svarņodaka. Since another splendid river originated from the crown made of gold, they call that river Jämbunadi. Thus, the set of five rivers flowed near the lord Japyeśhvara. 

48. He who visits Pañchanada,²⁷⁸ takes the holy dip there and worships Lord japyeśhvara shall undoubtedly attain identity with Shiva. 

278. pañchanadam: a confluence of five rivers, viz. Jatodakă, Trisrotas, Vrushadhvani, Svarnodaka, and Jämbunadi. 

49. Then lord Mahadeva, Bhava, the lord of all living beings said to goddess Sharvāṇi, Umā, the unborn, and daughter of the mountain. 

50. O goddess, I am going to crown lord Nandiśhvara as the lord of goblins. I shall call him the leader of the Ganas. O unchanging goddess, what do you think? 

51-53. On hearing his words, the delight of Bhavāni was evident in her face. Smilingly she said to Bhava her lord, the lord of goblins, and the bestower of boons, “O lord of Devas, it behaves you to grant him the overlordship of the worlds as also the leadership of the Ganas, Shailādi is my own son." 

Thereafter lord Sharva, the lord of the chiefs of the world, the bull-emblemed lord, remembered all the divine chiefs of the Ganas.