Kṛshṇa’s Stotra to Śiva at Pāriyātra
This is a stotra of eleven verses in śloka metre. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa sang it to Bhagavān Śiva at Mount Pāriyātra, on his way back from the Pārijāta-haraṇa. In it he praises Bhagavān Śiva as Rudra, Paśupati, Maheśvara, Triambaka and Nīlakaṇṭha. It is found in the Vishṇu Parva of the Harivaṃśa (Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa), Chapter 76.
After the stotra, Bhagavān Śiva appeared, gave a vara (boon), said that he would be known at that place as Bilvodeakeśvara, and showed Kṛshṇa where the asuras of Shaṭpura lay below the mountain.
The setting
In the Pārijāta-haraṇa episode, Kṛshṇa fought Indra through a night at Mount Pāriyātra, and then rested on the mountain. By meditation he called the Gaṅgā, and she appeared before him. He did pūjā to the Gaṅgā and bathed. Then he took bilva leaves and water of the Gaṅgā and called on Bhagavān Śiva. Bhagavān Śiva appeared in shining form on the bilva leaf and in the water of the Gaṅgā. Kṛshṇa worshipped him with the Pārijāta flowers that he was carrying. Then he composed this stotra.
The stotra
Verse 1: The three names of Rudra
rudro devattvaṃ rudanād rāvaṇācca rorūyamāṇo drāvaṇāccāti devaḥ |
bhaktaṃ bhaktānāṃ vatsalaṃ vatsalānāṃ kīrtyā yuṅkshveśā’dya prabhavāmy antarēṇa ||
You are Rudra because you make beings weep (rudana). You are Rāvaṇa because you make them flee in fear. You are Rorūyamāṇa because of your fierce crying. So you are the deva above the devas. You are kind to your devotees and tender to the tender-hearted. O Īśa, join me with fame today. Through you I gain power.
Verse 2: Paśupati
grāvaryāraṇvānāṃ tvaṃ patin tvaṃ paśūnāṃ khyāto devaḥ paśupatiḥ sarvakarman |
nānyas tvataḥ paramo devadeva jagatpatiḥ suravīrāri hantā ||
You are the master of the mountain peoples and of the forests. You are the master of all paśus (living beings). You are the famous deva Paśupati, who is behind all actions. No one is higher than you, O Deva of devas, master of the universe, killer of the enemies of the heroes among the devas.
Verse 3: Īśvara of the Īśvaras
yasmād īśo mahatām īśvarāṇāṃ bhavyādyaḥ prītidaḥ prāṇadaś ca |
tasmād dhitvā mīśvaraṃ prāhur āśaṃsanto vidvāṃsaḥ sarvaśāstrārthatajñāḥ ||
You are the Īśvara of all the great Īśvaras. You are the source of what is, and you give joy and life. For this reason the learned, who know the meaning of all the śāstras, call you Īśvara with longing.
Verse 4: Bhava
bhūtaṃ yasmāj jagad atyantaghīra! tvattovyaktāt aksharādakshareśa |
tasmāt tvām āhur bhava ity eva bhūtaṃ sarveśvarāṇāṃ mahatām avyudāram ||
O deeply profound one! The whole created world has come from you, the unmanifest Akshara, the master of the perishable and the imperishable. For this reason the great masters of all beings call you Bhava (the one who is).
Verse 5: Maheśvara
yasmāj jitair abhishikto’si sarvair devāsuraiḥ sarvabhūtaiś ca deva! |
maheśvaraṃ viśvakarmāṇam āhus tvāṃ vai sarve tena devātidevam ||
You have been anointed by all: the devas, the asuras and all beings, O Deva. For this reason all call you Maheśvara, the maker of the universe, the deva above the devas.
Verse 6: Worshipped for ever
pūjyo devaḥ pūjyase nityadā vai śaśvac chreyaḥ kāṃkshibhir varadāmogha-vīryaḥ |
tasmād vikhyāto bhagavān devadevaḥ satām ishṭaḥ sarvabhūtam abhāvi ||
You are the deva worthy of worship, and you are worshipped always and for ever by those who seek the highest good. You give vara and your power never fails. For this reason Bhagavān Śiva, the Deva of devas, is famous. He is dear to the good, and he is the cause of all that exists.
Verse 7: Triambaka
bhūmitrayāṇāṃ deva! yasmāt pravishṭhā punar lokānāṃ bhāvanāmeyakīrtiḥ |
tryambaketi prathamaṃ tena nāma tavāprameyatridaśeśanādha! śarvaḥ śatrūṇāṃ śāsanādaprameyaḥ ||
O Deva! You have entered the three worlds and you sustain them, and your fame fills all the worlds. For this reason your first name is Triambaka (the three-eyed). O immeasurable master of the thirty devas, you are Śarva. You are immeasurable because you punish your enemies.
Verse 8: Śaṃkara and Īśāna
tathābhūyaḥ śāsanāccheśvareṇa sarvavyāpitvāc chaṃkaratvācca sadbhiḥ |
śabasyeśānaḥ śrīkarārkāgryatejaḥ ||
Again, because he commands as Īśvara, because he is all-pervading, and because he is Śaṃkara (the one who does good), the righteous call him Śabasyeśāna. His brilliance is the first among the rays of the sun, and he brings śrī (good fortune).
Verse 9: Śaṃkara
saṃsaktānāṃ nityadā yat karoshi śamaṃ bhrātṛvyān yad yanaishīḥ samastān |
tasmād devaḥ śaṃkaro’sya prameyaḥ sadbhir dharmajñaiḥ kathyase sarvanādhaḥ ||
You always bring peace to those who are bound, and you have driven away all rivals completely. For this reason the righteous, who know dharma, call you Śaṃkara (the one who does good) and Sarvanādha (the master of all).
Verse 10: Nīlakaṇṭha
dattaḥ prahāraḥ kuliśena pūrvaṃ taveśāna! surārājñā tivīrya |
kaṇṭhenailyaṃ tena te yatpravṛttaṃ tasmāt khyātaḥ tvaṃ nīlakaṇṭheti kalpaḥ ||
O Īśāna of great valour! Once the king of the devas struck your throat with his vajra. The blue colour that came to your throat from that blow is the reason you are famous as Nīlakaṇṭha (the blue-throated) from that kalpa on.
Verse 11: Śiva and Śakti as all
yalliṅgāṃkaṃ yac ca loke bhagāṃkaṃ sarvaṃ somatvaṃ sthāvaraṃ jaṃgamaṃ ca |
prāhur viprāḥ tvāṃ guṇinaṃ tattvavijñās tathā dhyeyā’mbikāṃ lokadhātrīm ||
All that in the world is marked with the liṅga and all that is marked with the bhaga, all that does not move and all that moves, and all that is sattva: the learned brāhmaṇas who know the tattvas call all this you, the guṇī (the one who has qualities). In the same way, Ambikā, who sustains the worlds, is also to be meditated on.
The answer of Bhagavān Śiva
Bhagavān Śiva was pleased with Kṛshṇa’s stotra. He stretched out his right hand and spoke to Nārāyaṇa: “Your wish will be fulfilled. You will take the Pārijāta. Do not grieve in your heart. When you did tapas on Mount Mainākā, I gave you a vara. Remember that and be strong. You cannot be killed and you cannot be beaten. You will become greater even than I. These words that I speak will not be in vain.”
Then he said: “From today I will be known as Bilvodeakeśvara. I will stay here and fulfil the wishes of all who come.”
He also showed Kṛshṇa that below Mount Pāriyātra lay Shaṭpura. It is a group of underground cities of asuras who could not be beaten, kept safe by a vara from Brahmā. He said that Kṛshṇa, in human form, was the only one who could destroy them. In this way Bhagavān Śiva also marked the place of the later battle of Shaṭpura.
Sources
- Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa (Harivaṃśa), Vishṇu Parva, Chapter 76