216 - Greatness of Shrungeshvara

Brahmä said: 

1-2. When the great lord Tryambaka in the form of deer left, the gods were consulting one another and me as to where the three parts of the horn could be duly consecrated. 

3. Indra installed the tip in one place. I installed the middle part also in the same place. 

4. Devas, Devarşhis, Brahmarşhis and Siddhas proclaimed it as Gokarna. 

5. Then Vishnu installed the base of the horn in Devatirtha. It then came to be known as Shrungeśhvara. 

6. When the three parts were thus installed in two places, the Lord bestowed two (of his hundred parts), one on cach. 

7. In the deer he had divided his energy into hundred parts. Two of these were bestowed on the three parts of the horn. 

8. With the rest of the deer form, the Lord went to the foot of the Himalaya. 

9. To worship the Lord in these three pieces of the horn is to get hundred times the benefit of worshipping him elsewhere. 

10. Devas and Asuras worshipped him with severe penance and got many boons. 

11. Devas, Asuras, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Yakşhas and Uragas went round the whole Shleşhmātaka region in pilgrimage 

12. Proclaiming the benefits of that rcgion and of the tirthas therein, they returned from there to their own places. 

13-14. When the gods had left, Rāvana with his brothers and other Rakshasas came there and began to worship the great Lord Gokarneśhvara with severe penance. 

15. Shiva became pleased with him and offered him boons.

16. He sought the boon of victory for him in the three worlds. 

17. Getting it from the great Lord, he immediately set out for the conquest of the three worlds. 

18. He conquered the three worlds and defeating Indra, pulled out the tip of the horn installed by him and carried it away along with his son Indrajit. 

19. On the way, Rävaņa placed it on the shore of the ocean for a while and went for performing Sandhyopāsanā. 

20. When he returned he found that it had fixed itself on the ground. 

21. His attempt to pull it out with all his might simply failed because it had so strongly cemented itself, and so leaving it there, he returned to Lankā. 

22. That place came to be known as Dakşhiņagokarņa (Southern Gokarna) where Shiva, the lord of all beings, consecrated himself. 

23-24. Thus have I told you in detail about Uttaragokarņa, Dakşhiņagokarna, Shrungeśhvara and Shaileśhvara and how the Lord came to be in each of these places. 

25. I have told you, O son, about the greatness of these places and tīrthas there. What else do you wish to know?