104 - The eulogy of the lord

The sages said:

1. How was the elephant-faced Vinayaka, the leader of the Ganas, born? What is his power? O Suta, it behoves you to narrate this to us.

Suta said:

2. O brahmins, in the meantime, Devas including Indra and Upendra assembled together in order to create obstacles in the holy rites of Daityas.

3-6. Asuras, Yatudhanas, Rakshasas of ruthless activities and other beings of Tamasa and Rajasa nature on the earth worship the lord without impediment, by means of sacrifices and charitable gifts. The brahmins worship Brahma and Vishnu and acquire the desired boons. In the same manner they attain everything. It is due to this, O excellent Devas, that we are able to achieve victory always. It behoves you to eulogise him in order to make him create. Vighnesha the leader of Ganas for creating obstacles for them and for the destruction of obstacles in the way of the heaven-dwellers, for the sake of granting sons unto the women and for the achievement of holy rites unto men.

7. After saying thus to one another they eulogised the sinless lord Shiva.

“Obeisance to you the Atman of all; to the Pinaka-bearing lord, the omniscient one.”

8. Obeisance to the sinless Virincha,951 to the deity who bestows on the goddess everything that is of consequence; to one who has no body; to one whose body is of great substance; to one who removes the physical form of Vishnu.

951.Virinchaya - visheshena rechayati brahmandanyutpadayatiti Virinichas tasmai ST. the creator of the universe.

9. Obeisance to you stationed in the zone of the nectarine base, in the body; obeisance to the Kala (time) differentiated as Kruta, etc., obeisance to the force of Kala; obeisance to you.

10. Obeisance to one of the form of Kala, Agni and Rudra. Obeisance to one indicated by the eight words952 beginning with Dharma; obeisance to one whose body is sanctified by Kali; obeisance to you the cause of Kalika.

952. dharmadyashtapadaya — the lord of the guardians (Indra, etc.) of the eight quarters.

11. Obeisance to the great blue-necked lord, obeisance to you having the excellent vehicle; obeisance to you the lord of Ambika; obeisance to the lord of Hiranya.

12. Obeisance to you Hiranyaretas; obeisance to the trident-bearing lord identical with all; obeisance to one holding skull, staff, noose, sword, leathern shield and goad.

13. Obeisance to the husband of the daughter of Himavan; obeisance to you whitish and golden963 in complexion; obeisance to one whose semen is yellow in colour, obeisance to fire for the protection of Devas.

953. pita-shuklaya — of yellow and white complexion in the form of ardha-narishvara.

14. Obeisance to the fifth one;954 obeisance to the bestower of boons on the Panchayajnins;955 obeisance to you having the five-hooded serpent for necklace; obeisance to you the five - syllabled mantra itself.

954. panchamaya — one who is stationed beyond the four stages of consciousness — turiyatitaya ST. or one who can be realized by a system of worship comprising madya (wine), mamsa (flesh), matsya (fish), mudra (mystical gesticulation) and maithuna (sexual intercourse). The letter ‘m’ the best among the letters is variously interpreted by the right and left hand worshippers of Shakti.

955. pancha-mahayajna: The five daily sacrifices to be performed by a house-holder constitute and which are defined as.

15. Obeisance to the deity whose form is worshipped in five ways by the five KaivalyaDevas; obeisance to you whose vision is on the five syllables; 956 obeisance to you greater than the greatest.

956. panchkshara-drushe— one who sees or favours by the five-syllabled mantra ‘namas shivya’.

16. Obeisance to one of inexhaustible form; obeisance to one of adamantine limbs and jaws constituted by the sixteen vowels; 957 obeisance to you whose right and left hands are constituted by the five letters beginning with ‘k’ and the five letters beginning with ‘c’.

957. shodasha-svara — vide I. 17. 73-76.

17. Obeisance to you Rudra whose right and left legs are constituted by the five letters beginning with “t” and the five letters beginning with “t”. Obeisance to one whose penis is constituted by the five letters beginning with “p”; obeisance to one who holds seven limbs and seven constituents, lymph etc. constituted by the letters beginning with “y” 958

958. yadyanga — the seven letters beginning with ‘y’ and ending with ‘s’.

18. Obeisance to one whose form is the Atman ending with “s” 959 obeisance to one whose anger is constituted by the letter ‘h’ ending with ksha.960 Obeisance to one whose limbs are constituted by the letters l, v, r, h, and sh; obeisance to you devoid of limbs.

959. santatma— N.S. reads Shantatma-rupine but this reading is not supported by ST.

960. kshadanta— -the letter ending with ‘ks’, i.e. ‘ksh’ inclusive of the preceding letter ‘h’.

19. Obeisance to one who causes sounds in the heart of all living beings; obeisance to one who is always seen by devotees in between the eyebrows; obeisance to the excessive-raved.

20. Obeisance to one whose eyes are constituted by the sun, moon and fire; obeisance to the deity of the form of the supreme soul; obeisance to one who is stationed above the three Gunas, obeisance to one whose feet constitute the holy centre. 961

961. tirtha-padaya — tirtham samsara-taranopayah pado yasya sa tirthapadah ST. the worship of whose feet is the means of crossing the ocean of birth and death.

21. Obeisance to the essential principle of the holy centres; obeisance to you greater than the greatest; obeisance to Ruk, Yajus and Saman Vedas; Obeisance to Omkara.

22. Obeisance to one who stays above, after creating three- fold form in the Omkara;962 obeisance to the yellow one, to one dark in complexion; to the red one; to one of excessive refulgence.

962. triyidham rupam — the forms Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra.

23. Obeisance to one who is situated in five abodes 963 in five ways 964 within the Cosmic Egg and without in order; obeisance to Brahma, Vishnu, to you and to Kumara.

963. sthana-panchaka— i.e. earth, water, fire, wind and ether.

964. anda-bahih — as the sheath of the Cosmic Egg.

24. Obeisance to the lord of Uma; obeisance to you who move above all; obeisance to you of subtle form at the root; obeisance to you the gross as well as subtle.

25. Obeisance to you devoid of all conceptions; to you protected from all; to you devoid of beginning, middle and end; to you stationed in Chit.

26. Obeisance to you worshipped perpetually by Yama, Agni, Vayu, Rudra, Varuna, Soma, Indra and Nirruti and the guardians of different quarters.

27-29. Obeisance to you who are worshipped in everything and in all paths and always. Obeisance to Rudra, Rudranila, Kadrudra Pracetas. Obeisance to the bold Mahshvara; obeisance to Shiva. O lord, O destroyer of sacrifice, of Kama, of Yama, of Agni and of Dakshayajna, listen. Forgive the deceptive utterances and peculiar activities pursued by the leaders of Devas as well as Asuras and those other leaders Vishnu and Indra.

The devotee who devoutly reads the hymn glorified by Devas the chief of whom are Indra and Agni, or who narrates this attains the greatest goal.