SRI KALAHASTI

EASWARA MAHIMA

Published by:
PAVANISITARAMIAH
"KALPAKA"
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First Edition
Mahasivarathri, 19th February 1993
No. of Copies 1000
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 KANCHI AND KALAHASTI
The ancient Pallava Kingdom was adorned with
several grand temples dedicated to Siva. Among them the
temples associated with the prime elements of Earth (Pridvi)
and Air (Vayu) located at Kanchi and Kalahasti are
outstanding monuments of sculpture and architecture
commanding implicit devotion.
Many of the great Nayanmars have praised Siva in
these places in many of their devotional songs. The poet
Muka, after regaining the power of speech by the grace of
the Devi in these places, has composed hundreds of Slokas
m praise of Her. Adi Sankara established Kamakoti Peetam
at Kanchi and Jalandhara Peetam at Kalahasti.

c vu *n reCent UmeS HiS Holiness Paramacharya Chandra

Sekhara Saraswati Swamigal conducted Agama Sadas at
Kalahasti and identified a number of idols and deciphered
many ancient inscriptions. Recognising the spiritual
potency of this place he established a home for the aged
which is being ably managed by Rotarian Sri.N.R. Das. H.K
Sn.Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, besides renovating a
number of temples, has established another such home near
Kanchi The young Swami Sri. Vijayendra Saraswathi is a
tower of inspiration.

In all humility I pay my obeisance to these three

Acnaryas of Kanchi and express my gratitude to Sri N R
Das for encouraging me to undertake the task

- Pavani Sitaramiah
Dr. Sarvepalli Gopal “Girija”
97, Radhakrishnan Salai,
Mylapore,
Madras - 600 004

Foreword
India abounds with Oral traditions and many of
these cling to our ancient temples. The mixture of fact,
legend and fantasy is of fascinating interest to students
of our social and cultural history. Kalahasti in Andhra
Pradesh has for long years drawn piligrims from various
parts of the country and its story has lived on their lips.
Now Shri Pavani Sitaramiah has recounted it in these
pages with knowledge and devotion. It will be of interest
to many and especially to those who journey to Kalahasti.

S. Gopal
 VI

ANJALI

I prostrate before Sri Gnanaprasunamba sameta

Sri Kalahasteeswara and Sri Subhagamba sameta
Sn Vijayeswara (Ardhanareswara) the dynamic power
behind my endeavour.

I bow down before Sri Balaji Venkateswara and

acknowledge with thanks the grant of Rs. 10 000/-
(Rupees Ten Thousand only) by Tirupati Tirumala
Devasthanam, Tirupathi under their scheme of Aid to
Authors - financial assistance for religious publications.
1 offer pranams to His Holiness Jagadguru
Sankaracharya, Sri Sri Bharati Teertha Mahaswamhi of
Sn Snngeri Sarada Peetam for blessing me with a
brimukham for this book.

I thank Dr. Sarvepalli Gopal, the eminent historian

for lending me some useful books from his valuable
personal literary for reference and for his foreward.

of Sn^tf °f thG Almight^ for the welf«e

anH c Pf'RA ^alhaVa **0' Chiranjeevi Pavani Venugopal
mf ;G' Prasuna the encouragement they have
given, of Chiranjeevi M. Karthikeya and Kumari M. Kanchana
for processmg the manuscript, of Dr. (Smt.) V. Radha Rao
for the improvements suggested by hep of Sri B. Nagasundaram

Kshethra. 7 preparing a topo map of the

Finally I thank M/s. Sri Maruthy User Printers for

promptly and neatly printing this book.

— Pavani Sitaramiah
 Vll

THE HEAVENLY BLISS

There is ample evidence that Siva was worshipped in
one form or other in almost every country in the past. He
is worshipped in India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and
from Somanath to Kalighat. His various manifestations are
Ardhanareswara, Bhikshatana, Bhairava, Dakshinamurthi
and Nataraja famous for His cosmic dance. The popular
worship of Siva is in the form of a Linga, which is a symbolic
representation. He is worshipped as a Creator, sustainer
and annihilator. Saivism, a cardinal aspect of Hinduism, is
as old as India and perhaps even older.
In symbolic language of Hinduism, Sakti is the wife
of Siva. His Parasakti Uma lends variety, colour, beauty and
grandeur to Siva's form and is the very core of His being,
the very essence of His nature and the very core of His
existance. Twenty eight Agamas and ten Puranas extol Siva.
Saivism is a spiritual as well as a social organisation. It is
full of life, wisdom and burning devotion. Swami
Vivekananda pointed out, "Saivism is the most eloborate,
influential and undoubtedly the most intrinsically valuable
of all the religions of India". "It stands for all that is sublime
in the Siva Cult.Saivism has richly affliated itself with the
great stream of Indian philosophy," observed Dr.
Radhakrishnan.
We find in this great work the most luminous
utterances of human spirit.

Sri Kalahasti - Pavani Venugopai

 Vlll

THE HERITAGE
Sri.Sitaramiah belongs to the lineage of Pavani family
which is as old as the Kshetra. They were the Sabhapatis
presiding over the religious aspects of the temple. They
adopted Sri Gnanaprasunamba as their daughter and
worshipped Sri Kalahasteeswara as their son-in-law. The
Kalyanotsavam during the Brahmotsavam is being
performed at the precincts of their house even today.
Sri. Sitaramiah along with his brother Venugopal has
earlier published a book relating each of the eighteen
Mantras of Isopanishad to the temple. It is gratifying to note
that he has written this book with authoritative and
dedicated knowledge.
As all the rivers join the sea though they take different
routes, all the paths of devotion lead to Lord Siva. This great
truth is well established in every episode of this book. This
book is sure to enlighten readers with abundant
information.

ITI SIVAM
Tirupati - A.G. Prasuna
 Sri Chandrarnoulwswaraya fjamahe

SRI SANKARA
- BHAGAVADPADACHARYA PARAMPARAGATHA
H!S HOLINESS SR.I KANCH1 KAMAKOTI
H/5 KAMAKOTI, PEETADHIPATPrr
PEETADHIPATHI

Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya Swamigaf

SR5MATAM,. : : SAMASTHANAM.
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 Sri ChMdramoultosw«raya Yamaha

SRI SANKARA BHAGAVADPABACHARYA PARAMPARA^ATHA

| iWS HOLINESS SR1 RANCHI KAMAKOtl PEETADHIPATHI

Jagadgurti Sri. Sankaracharya Swamigai

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P.R. Madhava Rao, b.Sc.jb.l., Phones: 232 & 365
Former Chairman of the Trust Board, Jayaram Rao Street
Srikalahasteeswara Devasthanam. Srikalahasti - 517 644
(A.P) •

Date 12-02-1993

It is a great pleasure and privilege conferred on me to have been

asked to write a few words about the translation of the gist of Stalapurana
of Srikalahasti in English, by the illustrious Pavani Brothers namely Sri
P. Seetharamiah, B.A., and Sri P. Venugopal. The stalapurana in Sanskrit
language and the recent Telugu translation did not receive the publicity it
deserved.

I am very happy to note that the Pavani Brothers who hailed

irom an ancient family of Sabhapaties of this sacred place which is akin
to shariffs of the cities in our country have undertaken to write in English
language the Stalapurana. The English language is acknowledged as a
link language in our Country and I am sure this publication will receive
All India publicity and all Hindus will know the importance and sacred¬
ness of this place.

Being natives of this place and I being born and brought up and
educated in this place, I feel proud and also greatful to Pavani Brothers
for having undertaken this monumental piece of work. I humble self was
associated with our Temple administration for a decade and very much
obliged to the author for giving an opportunity to temple authorities to
give Ail India publicity since this work is in English language. May Lord
Srikalahasteeswara and his consort Sri Gnana Prasunambika shower their
choicest Blessings on Pavani Brothers and help them in their pursuit of
religious works that are being undertaken by them.

(PJR. Madhava Rao)

Chapter Page
25 Markandeya 99
26 Bhakta Kannappa - Part I 101
27 Bhakta Kannappa - Part II 105
28 Sri - The Spider 109
29 Kala and Hasti 113
30 Sudarsana Chakra 117
31 Ardhanareeswara
(The story of Vijaya and Subha ga) 119
32 Japala - The Staunch 123
33 Mrityunjaya 126
34 Devarishi Narada 129
35 Satyavrata Bhaskara Kshetra 133
36 Sri Dakshinamurthi and the sages 136
37 Kenopanishad 141
38 Saranga and Viswamohini 144
39 Varaguna Pandya 147
40 Rajendra Chola 150
41 Ananda Tandava of Nataraja 153
42 Chakradhara 159
43 The Princesses and the Yogi 161
44 Padmasena 163
45 Sarvam Sivamayam 167
EPILOGUE : The Temple and Isopanishad 170
Around Srikalahasti 181
Appendix - Slokas 186
Topomap
 1

PREFACE

SPLENDOUR OF SRIKALAHASTI
SriKalahasti in Andhra Pradesh has several
outstanding features qualifying it as one of most sacred Siva
Kshetras. Nature itself has gifted this place as a Somaskanda
- with the peak of Kailasa known as Sivaanandaika nilaya
representing the cosmic form of Lord Siva to the South, the
Kanakachala dedicated to Sri Durga on the north and the
hillock of Kumaraswamy in the middle. The sacred
Sivaanandyka nilaya peak with a number of caves and
forests, a north flowing river Swamamukhi with crystal
clear waters, naturally formed lingas and idols of Vishnu
along its course qualify this place as Satyavrata Bhaskara
Kshetra. Of the places dedicated to the lingas attributable
to the five prime elements namely space, air, fire, water and
earth, this place is graced by the Vayulinga (air). The linga
itself is a Swayambhoo, imposing it all of camphor hue and
shape like rudraksha beads. The nameless and the formless
one has assumed the name and form of his devotees. He is
named as SRIKALAHASTEESWARA after his staunch
devotees namely the spider (SRI), the serpent (KALA) and
the elephant (HASTI). In south India there are kshetras
dedicated to the nine planets and Sri Kalahasti is considered
as Rahu, Kethu Kshetra. The features of this kshetra,
supplemented by the deities of Dakshinamurthy the
devoted Kannappa , sparkling Gnanaprasunamba besides
the Vayulinga, whose swarupa is covered by a golden
screen, the idol of the Sim god, the ghee lamps dancing in
the sanctum sanctorum conform to the eighteen mantras of
Isavasyopanishad. The Sthalapurana declares that
Kenopanishad was propounded here. The presence of a
 2

magnificent Sahasralingeswara, Yakshaguha,

Sahasradevata theertha as well as the idols of Indra and
other Gods and Umaparvathi as Haimavati close by lend
credence to the upanishad revelation.
While the unique Vayulinga faces west in Srikalahasti
the exquisite idol of Balaji Venkateswara faces east. These
two idols, Swayambhoo and facing each other, are viewed
by a section of scholars as Siva and Durga.

Sri Kalahasteeswara was worshipped from time

immemorial by Gods, sages and sinners, creatures like
spiders, serpents and elephants. Among the several
thousands of devotees, Kannappa stands foremost.

This place is known variously as Dakshinakailasa,

Dakshina kasi, Dakshinamurthy kshetra, Sadyomukti
kshetra and so on. Due to the presence of the Gnana Vigraha
namely Gnanaprasunamba (fully blossomed flower of
knowledge) this place is known as Vignanakshetra.
Generally this kshetra is called Vayu lingakshetra as it has
one of the five lingas named after the five mahabhutas.

The construction of this temple clearly shows the

paths of Raja Yoga of Patanjali - the two vital nerves of
Ida and pingala (Soorya and Chandra) and the sushumna
which leads to Sahasrara. The twenty four steps and shat
chakras and the presiding dieties are located here. It is
essentially a shrine which trains the devotees to practise
pranayama. Tradition has it that while salvation can be
attained at Kasi only if one dies there, the mere entry into
SriKalahasti will bestow the same benefit. Some devotees
undertake Sadyomukti vrata by residing here for a whole
year observing several austerities, visiting the temple every
day and undertaking fasts on full-moon days and
worshipping the Lord with single-minded devotion.

The various Gods, Sages and other devotees who

performed severe penance in this place installed lingas.
 3

established teerthas and ashramas many of which can be

seen even to this day.
The temple itself was constructed in the dim distant
past. The Pallavas have carved exquiste figures of Nataraja,
Bhikshatana, Alinganamurthy and several other gods and
goddesses in the adjacent hill. The Thondamans, the Cholas,
the Pandyas and the Vijayanagar kings have made many
valuable additions to temple. The idols of Dhakshina-
murthy, Gnanaprasunamba, Panchamukeshwara,
Sahasralinga and Kannappa merit special mention. It is
said that each of the labourers who constructed the temple
got a piece of gold, based on their turnover, at the close of
the day in the river bed.
Sage Vedavyasa, Adi Sankara, nayanmars like Appar,
Sundarar, Sambundar and Manikyavachakar, Srinatha,
Durjati, Narkerar and several others have composed
beautiful songs and poems in praise of this kshetra and
Lord.
Adi Sankara was highly impressed with the harmony
that existed among the various groups who worshipped
Ganapathy, Subramanya, Siva, Parvati, Vishnu and the Sun
God, and this observation appears to be the basis for his
Shanmatha St'napana (establishment of the unity of the six
religions which prevailed then). The kshetra covers a vast
area with a radius of thirty miles around the main shrine.
Besides various shrines for Sankara, there are numerous
temples dedicated to several other Gods like Varadaraja,
Dharmaraja, Veerabhadra, Durga, Ganga. Every street has
a Ramamandir where people congregate and perform
Bhajans.
Every day is a festival day and among the festivals
Navarathri and Dhanurmasa are significant. The most
important festival is the Brahmotsava conducted in
Maghamasa (February- March) which attracts thousands of
pilgrims from far and near. Bhakta Kannappa occupies the
 4

foremost place in this festival which lasts for twelve days.

The Nandiseva on Mahasivaratri day, the Radhotsava on
the next day followed by Kalyanotsava are special
attractions. An interesting feature of the Kalyanotsava here
is that several hundreds of couples choose this occasion for
their wedlock to the accompaniment of music and vedic
mantras dedicated to the Lord. Giripradakshina covering
a distance of about fourteen miles twice a year is also a
speciality.
As this place is very close to Tirupathi and is itself a
very important kshetra favoured by Iswara, thousands of
pilgrims visit it throughout the year.
Even though engaged in various trades and
professions like agriculture, weaving, manufacturing of
bell-metal vessels, beads, combs, and Kalamkari, the
inhabitants of this place prosper by the grace of Sri
Kalahasteeswara.
A visit to this place is a must for the spiritual aspirants.
Srimad Dakshina Kailasa sikharam samasritah I
Yatradese pravartantae sadhavo dwija sattainah I
tatratya praninam muktih kimutatra nivasinam II

[ SIVA RAH ASYA KHANDAM]

STHALA PURANA
Sage Veda Vyasa, son of Sage Parasara, got
enlightenment at a very early age, studied the labyrinth of
Vedas and codified them. In order to enable lay people to
grasp the various injunctions of the four vedas he had
written Mahabharatha weaving the Vedic truths into a great
epic. Inspite of his erudition and vast general knowledge
he had no peace of mind. Unable to comprehend the reason
for his sadness, he spent several days in passive
contemplation.
To his good fortune Sage Narada visited him and after
exchanging due courtesies enquired why a great sage like
 5

Vyasa should be restless. Vyasa replied, "Of course, I have

thoroughly studied the Vedas, codified them and written
the great epic, Mahabharatha. Yet, I know not why I am so
sad. I am blessed by your arrival. Kindly help me in
regaining tranquility." The divine sage smiled and said,
"Dear Vyasa! In spite of your scholarship and ability to
produce an immortal epic you have failed to write anything
in praise of the Supreme with earnest devotion. Not
worldly knowledge, not scholarship, not erudition, that can
bestow peace of mind. Real happiness can be achieved by
Sradha and Bhakthi alone. So add several puranas
inculcating the spirit of bhakthi in them. Though the
episodes incorporated in these puranas are old, they will
convey a message which will always be fresh. That way
you will not only reach the goal but will also lead entire
humanity towards it.” At the behest of the Devarishi, Vyasa
wrote several puranas of which eighteen are famous. One
of these is 'Siva Purana' comprising several khandas.
SriKalahasti Sthala Mahatmyam finds a place as Siva
Rahasya Khanda of Siva Purana.
This Sthala Purana contains various teachings
propounded in the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Geetha,
epics and Puranas in the form of beautiful episodes. This
is at the same time an excellent treatise bn Siva Tatwa. In
this kshetra seekers followed different paths i.e. of action
(Karma), Knowledge (Gnana) , devotion (Bhakti) and
renunciation (Sanyasa). While some worshipped Siva
observing strict sastraic injunctions, the devotion of others
was crude and clumsy in the eyes of others. Yet others
focussed their attention inwards for self realisation. The
methods adopted by the numerous devotees were varied
and at times conflicting. But the common factor was their
earnestness which enabled all of them, treading different
paths, to reach the same goal of realising the Supreme.
Those that worshipped in SriKalahasti included Gods,
sages, common folk, animals and even insects. Sinners
 6

repented their past actions and earned the grace of Easwara.

With single minded devotion they worshipped the Lord,
created teerthas, installed lingas, constructed temples with
lofty gopurams, cut exquisite images of Lord in mountains
and established ashrams, many of which survive unto this
day.
Srikalahasti Sthala Mahatmayam was published in
Sanskrit as a separate book by the Maharaja of Venkatagiri
about one hundred years ago. An abridged version of it in
Telugu entitled "Srikalahasti Mahatmyam" was printed in
American Diamond Press and published in 1928 by Sri Kesa
Subrayalu Naidu garu. About sixty years back H.H. Swami
Vimalananda of Srikalahasti wrote an abridged version of
it in simple Telugu. This was published by Smt.
A.G.Prasuna in 1984. In the meantime the original was
translated incorporating all the ninety chapters with all its
details by Brahmasri Vidwan, Vedantha Vidya Praveena
Kotra Venkatanrisimha Sastri gam. This book shrouded in
tough Telugu saturated with Sanskrit words and phrases,
was published by Srikalahasti Devasthanam in 1973. A brief
account of the devotees of SriKalahasteeswara was written
by late Sri V.S. Venkatanarayana M.A., B.Ed and published
by Sri Kalahasteeswaraswamy Devastanam in 1986 under
the tile "The Glory of Srikalahasteeswara and Sri
Gnanaprasoonambika".
For the use of Siva Bhaktas visiting this place from
various parts of the country and also for the seekers at large,
we reverently place this concise volume at the feet of Sri
Gnanaprasunamba sametha Srikalahasteeswara. In all
humility, we solicit suggestions for the improvement of this
book.
-Sankarasya charitam kathamritam
Chandrasekhara gunanukeertanam I
Neelakanta tava paadasevanam
Sambhavantu mama janma janmani I I
PAVANISITARAMIAH
 7

OM
SRI MATRAY NAMAHA:
SRI KALAHASTEESWARAYA NAMAHA:

Chapter -1
THE SEVEN PATHS
Kailasavasi bhagavan kalahasteeswara sivaha
karotu nitya kalyanam karuna varunaalayaha:
In the ancient and auspicious forest of Naimisa a
number of sages headed by Saunaka were practising several
austerities and performing various kinds of sacrifices. They
were all anxious to improve their knowledge of Dharma.
The word Dharma comes down from the Vedas. Its
connotation is paradoxically vague and explicit. The Vedas
ask us to follow Dharma "Dharmam Chara" and broadly
indicate the essentials of Dharma and declare, "Yato Dharma
Stato Jayah", which means that Dharma ensures victory. It
is a way of life to be adopted and a duty to be performed.
The Dharma indicated in the Vedas has been elaborated in
the form of several stories in the epics and puranas.
Bhishma gives a treatise on Dharma to Yudhistira, Several
sages like Manu, Guatama, Vasista, Parasara and
Apastamba have made sutras or rules and regulations to
be followed in treading the path of Dharma. Of these
Dharma sastra of Manu is highly popular and widely
accepted.
Dharma is enumerated as the first of the four
purusharthas and is said to be the bedrock of the three
others namely Artha, Kama and Moksha. Dharma has been
prescribed by intelligent persons for the well-being of
society. Good character of individuals is absolutely
 8

necessary for an orderly society. With this in view the Vedas

and Dharma sastras have prescribed hundreds of rules to
be followed by people in general known as Samanya
dharmas. They are non-voilence, speaking truth,
non-stealing, purity, control of senses and desire to do good
to all living beings. Besides these, there are numerous
special regulations to be followed by different varnas
namely Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra and different
ashramas namely Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vanaprastha
and Sanyasa. Every person is advised to follow the special
Dharma prescribed for his vama and ashrama as the
adoption of other paths is not safe. Gita exhorts :
Sreyam svadharmo vigunah paradharmat svanusthitat
Svadharme nidhanam sreyah paradharmo bhayavahah
B.G. 3-35
One's own Dharma, though imperfect, is better than
the Dharma of another well discharged. Better death in
one's own Dharma; the Dharma of another is full of fear.
Steadfastness to duty svadharma strengthens man and aids
building of character. They have also provided several
exceptions to these rules and regulations for covering
special situations. They are known as Apad-dharmas. All
these Dharmas not only secure peace in society but also
elevates individuals in the spiritual plane. The Dharmas in
their totality cover the entire gaumet of human life - Social,
political, economical, moral, ethical and spiritual. Whenever
Dharma is in danger God incranates on earth to restore it.
While some sutra-karas emphasised on the secular
side others stressed upon the spiritual aspect of Dharma.
But the great expounder Apasthamba declares that
followers of Dharma gain both secular and spiritual
benefits. The main aim is spiritual and the secular benefits
are incidental. With the aim of reaping a good harvest of
fruits, a gardener sows a mango seed, and it grows into a
big tree. It not only yields fruits but also gives shade,
fragrance and other benefits. Just as the gardener gains
 9

benefits other than the fruits sought by him, the person

following dharma seeking punya or spiritual excellence will
get material gains also. Thus Dharma lays greater emphasis
on the spiritual aspect.
The rules and regulations and the exceptions
provided are so voluminous that a person aspiring to tread
the path of Dharma is confronted with several doubts at
each step. The labyrinth of the laws is bewildering. Great
acharyas like Bhishma and Drona could not answer
Draupadi when she asked them whether Dharma or
righteous conduct permitted her being dragged and
disrobed. They only remarked that the law was ambiguous
and expressed their inability to give a clear verdict.
The sages of Naimisa, who had learned vedas and
were practising the vedir rituals, were also confronted with
several doubts regarding Dharma. They were eager to clear
their doubts and to gain more knowledge. Fortunately for
them the great exponent of epics and puranas, Suta arrived
there. Saunaka and other sages were delighted to have the
great commentator amids/ them. They received the disciple
of Vyasa with great reverence and after he settled down,
expressed their desire to hear him. They addressed him,
"Oh learned Suta! Please let us know all the Dharmas.
Indeed what are Dharmas? Which of them have to be
followed? Which of them are considered best? Which of
them will make a man perfect and which will ensure
salvation? The Dharma indicated in the Vedas are
elaborately dealt with in epics and puranas. They are clear
and at times vague. We beseech you, the disciple of the
codifier of the Vedas and the commentator of epics and
puranas, to enlighten us, for you are the best person to clear
our doubts. We seek your guidance".
Suta was very glad to have the opportunity of
speaking on a subject dear to him. Appreciating their
eagerness to learn the several instruments of Dharma, he
invoked the grace of his guru Veda Vyasa and began:
 10

"The first and foremost of the tenets of Dharma is

SATYAM or Truth. Truth and Paramatma are one and the
same. There is no God higher than Truth. Vedas repeatedly
ask us to speak the truth - Satyam Vada. There is nothing
impossible for a person wedded to Truth. Inspite of several
obstacles great emperors like Harishchandra never swerved
from the path of truth. Such persons are dear to God and
man alike. Scriptures permit a deviation from speaking
truth in the protection of women, marriages, life, wealth,
self-respect, cows and brahmins. In the days of yore Sage
Romasa also emphasised the efficacy of truth to his disciple
Bharadwaja and asked him to propagate its value to
humanfolk. So truth is the highest of the Dharmas".

To enhance one's spiritual value and to secure peace

in society the scriptures enjoin us to tread the path of truth,
but one has to struggle hard to adhere to this path. There
are several exceptions provided by the law givers. For
example:

1. At a time of crisis in life and marriage untruth is

permitted Pramatyaye vivahe vaktavyam anrutam bhavet.
2. Business community may not speak truth in the
interest of trade Anrutenaiva visam sa srujata.
3. For political reasons kings and administrators may
suppress facts. Power and falsehood are intertwined
to some extent.
The scriptures themselves have given several
instances where this dharma was honoured in the breach.

When Shakuntala was brought in a state of advanced

pregnancy to the court of Dushyanta, he asked sage Kan wa's
disciples whether it was necessary for him, self-sufficient,
affluent and a king, to utter a lie or for a rishi having no
money and depending on others for food and clothing.
Sharp came the reply from the disciples,"The kings are
always trained to cheat others, for without cheating, their
 11

power cannot endure. But the sages are not trained that
way".
When Sri Rama, the personification of truth, was being
driven in a chariot by Sumanta from Ayodhya to the forest,
king Dasaratha in great grief shouted addressing Sumantha
to stop the chariot. But Sri Rama asked him to proceed. "If
the king on return to Ayodhya, questions why he did not
obey and stop, inform him that you did not hear him". Of
course Sri Rama suggested him to tell a delibrate lie to save
a lot of embarassement.
In Ashoka vana, when Hanuman left after meeting
Sita, the Rakshasi women asked who that monkey was and
what he spoke with her. Sita bluntly said she knew nothing.
In the Mahabharatha war the words
"Aswathamahataha Kunjaraha " emanating from the mouth of
Dharmaraja with the last word silenced by the conch of Sri
Krishna was deliberately connived at taking away the life
of Acharya Drona. Here expediency in warfare was the
reason.
Sage Bharadwaja comprehended several difficulties
in treading the path of truth. All cannot follow this Dharma
always. Nevertheless he was anxious to know the other
aspects of Dharma. So also were the sages of NTaimisa forest.
Having declared Satyam as the foremost of the paths
of Dharma, Suta proceeded to narrate the other six paths
as revealed by Sage Romasa to his disciple Bharadwaja.
"The second path leading to Dharma is SHAM A or
forbearance. A person should develop a balance of mind.
He should never gloat over his success or despair over his
failure. In fact it is a basic requirement for penance".
Shama means the control of the five sense organs
namely eyes, ears, nose, tongue and the skin, so that the
outer world does not disturb us. The inner equipment or
antahkarana comprising the mind, intellect, chitta and
 12

ahamkara have also to be controlled so that our own intellect

does not push the mind to the objects of the world outside
for fulfilling it's desires. The tempting objects outside are
perceived through the sense organs and the control of these
is dama. Brooding on the objects of senses we develop
attachment to them; from attachment comes desire, from
desire anger sprouts. From anger proceeds delusion; from
it confused memory and ruin of reason and ultimate
destruction.

Sabdaibih pancha bhi reva pancha panchatvamapuhu

swagunaih nibaddha
kuranga matanga patanga meena bhringa narah
panahabhiranchitah kim
- VIVEKA CHOODAMANI.
The deer, elephant, moth, fish and the black bee by
their own native tendencies fall prey to sound, touch, shape,
taste and smell respectively and meet destruction. Then
how about man whose five senses are active
simultaneously? So conquest of the senses is the means for
the attainment of excellence. Shama and dama practised
will integrate our personality and make us fit for tranquility.

But it is very difficult to achieve forbearance. The

minds of even sages who strove for perfection were carried
away impetuously by exicted senses. Sages Sanaka and
Sananda cursed Jaya andVijaya at the doorstep of Vaikunta.
Durvasa is a typical example of a Sage who lacked shama.
Losing control over senses Viswamitra was attracted by
Menaka and Indra by Ahalya. Dasaratha, Kabandha and
Parikshit were victims of the wrath of sages. Disappointed
in love Devayani cursed Kacha. Sri Rama lost his temper
and wanted to scorch the entire sea for not giving him way
to Lanka. Sri Krishna laid a limit of one hundred for his
tolerance and when it exceeded he killed Sisupala in open
court. When Gods and sages found it difficult to practise
this Dharma, what about ordinary folk?
 13

"The third path is TAPAS or penance" said Romasa.

"The sages performing penance in remote forests and caves
had discovered several truths and reached great heights.
Gods themselves descend to earth and grant boons to such
persons, be they manavas or asuras".

Bharadwaja was not unaware of the merit of tapas.

Great sages like Vasista, Sakti, Parasara, Yagnavalkya,
Pippalada, Kapila attained immortality by virtue of their
penance. As a result of severe tapas a number of sages
discovered several truths, sciences and mantras which were
handed over to posterity to secure peace and happiness.
Prompted by Rajasic and Tamasic nature others like
Hiranyakasipu, Hiranyaksha, Ravana and Kumbhakama
had performed unparallelled penance for the sake of self-
aggrandizement and invincibility and proved themselves
to be a menance. Ultimately they were vanquished. Thus
tapas is a double-edged weapon beset with hardship. Indra
was always there to disturb the tapas of sages. By virtue of
ardent tapas, sage Bharadwaja himself was in a position to
lavishly entertain the entire army and retinue of Bharatha.
Yet he was sure that this dharma was not an easy one.

The next one enumerated by Romasa was DAANA

or charity. "Persons enjoying all.their wealth without
sharing with others are considered to be thieves. So one
should make appropriate gifts to deserving persons at the
right place and time. Giving away food, annuducmci, is
considered to be the highest gift. It should invariably be
done during Yagna, pilgrimage, important vedic
ceremonies likemarraige and parayana of epics and puranas.
Shodasa (sixteen) daanas like gifting cow, gold, land are
considered a must on certain occasions. It should not be
done with a superiority complex. Emperors like Sibi, Bali
as well as Kama are remembered even today for their
generosity. Daana blesseth him that gives and him that
takes."
 14

Gifts of food and clothes should be made liberally by

affluent persons at the times of famine, floods and fire
havoc. Failing this, the suffering of persons would be
desperately driven to the necessity of resorting to dacoity
and looting. Gifts ungrudgingly made on such occasions
ensure stability of society and solace to the needy. In
making gifts the left hand should not know what the right
hand does.

It is common knowledge that gifts are usually made

most grudgingly or expecting returns. Some persons seek
to exploit the recipients by giving petty doles as gifts. Daana
made to persons of questionable character will end up in
wrong places like gambling houses and toddy shops. The
more you give the more will you be abused as a miser by
the recipients. The scriptures themselves make
contradictory injunctions "Be charitable" is quite opposite
of "Do not receive gifts". (Aparigraha). The ambition of man
being limitless like an ocean, you cannot satisfy any body
through gifts. So this path is not safe.

Romasa continued to elaborate on the next Dharma

as YAGNA or sacrifice. "Vishnu Himself is considered to
be the embodiment of Sacrifice. "Yagna vai Vishnuh" is the
vedic saying. The creator ordained that yagna would be
the milch cow, Kamadhenu, of men's desires. Gods are
supported by Yagna resulting, in their bestowing boons on
mankind. Thus gods and men obtain supreme good by
mutual support".

The Purushasukta says that this universe of names

and forms has come into existence by the sacrifice
performed by Yagnapurusha, Mahavishnu. SriKrishna tells
Arjuna that Yogis, who enjoy the nectar that has been left
over after the performance of a sacrifice attain eternal
Brahman. To the man who does not offer sacrifice; this
world is not happy; how then can the other be? There >re
several sacrifices, such as Deva yagna, Pitru yagna. Soma
 15

yagna, Aswamedha, Rajasuya, Putrakamesti. While some

are a must others are optional. The Karmakanda of the
vedas deals with the elaborate rituals, the qualification of
participants, the place and the animals to be selected, the
size and shape of the homakundas, the money to be
procured and the gifts to be made. Most of the sacrifices
are performed to gain material benefits and a few of them
for happiness here and hereafter. Taking it for granted that
their worldly longings are satisfied and pleasures of the
heaven are secured, they come down as soon as their punya
is exhausted. There is also a danger; if there are ommissions
and commissions, there will be adverse effects. The
sacrifices involve the slaughter of goats, horses, camels
and fowls. There is a famous sloka:
Yupam kritwa pasoon hatwa rudhiram kardamam I
Yaddhavyam gamyate swarge narake kona gamyate I I
Binding an animal to a post, killing it, making the
mire bloodly, if such a man goes to heaven, who else will
go to hell? Moreover some sacrifices proved to be
disastrous. Daksha's sacrifice ended up with the
self-immolation of his youngest daughter Sati. The
Rajasuya of Dharmaraja ensued vvith the game of dice,
banishment to forests and a devasting war. Dharmaraja
boasted that his Aswamedha, conducted after the great war,
was on par with that of emperor Marat, in that the pandals,
the dias, the carpets were all of gold.
A visitor asked Dharmaraja, "Have you served food
in gold plates?”.
Dharmaraja replied, "Yes".
Visitor, "What have you done to those plates".
Dharmaraja, "Of course, I had them cleaned and
securely locked in the store house".
Visitor, "But Marat Chakravarthi threw them in the
dustbin".
 16

Bharadwaja had thus his own doubts about the merit

of this path also.
Yet another means is GRAHASTYAM or maintaining
a household. This order ensures happiness to the individual
and society. Vedas declare "Atmavai putra naamasi". The
family traditions are upheld through children. Moreover,
progeny enables man to reach higher regions. The family
order supports the other three holy orders.
Good relationship, mutual respect, understanding,
sympathy and coexistence together form the basis of this
order. Vedas and Dharmasastras lay great emphasis on it
and recognise it as an essential constituent of an ideal
society.
Marriage is a sacrament or samskara and the marital
tie is unbreakable. A young man is wedded to a suitable
girl of another gotra to be his sahadharmacharini that is to
be a partner in treading the righteous path. They pledge
to persue Dharma, Artha and Kama together. The wife is
the light of the house and much depends on her. She aids
her husband in performing the manadatory five sacrifices
to 1. The Vedas 2. Forefathers 3. God 4. Creatures and 5.
Man (Brahma, Pitru , Deva, Bhuta and Manushya yagnas)
as well as in optional sacrifices that may be undertaken by
him. The couple has to follow the guidelines such as Soucha
(cleaniness), Viveka (discrimination), Arjava (identification
of purpose) to progress in the spiritual field. Vices such as
Kama (desire of sensual pleasures ) krodha (anger) have to
be avoided. In short they have to practice several virtures
and avoid vices with a spirit of service and sacrifice. Most
of the people follow the rules either out of fear of
punishment by the ruler here or by Yama after death.
In spite of the strict rules Adharma gains upper hand
over this Dharma. Hiranyakasipu and Ravana, who were
great vedic scholars and loved their kith and kin, brought
about their ruin in the name of Bhratru Dharma and
Rakshasa Dharma respectively. Dhritarastra, the head of a
 17

large household, who had able advisors like Bishma, Drona

and Vidura, was ruined due to greed. Many confuse
adharma as dharma. ( Adharma dharma iti ya manyate [B.G.
13-32]). Often the desire oriented grihastasrama itself
proves to be the root cause of several evils. In the mighty
ocean of samsara the sons become debtors and relatives
become thieves. There are crocodiles and whales in the
whrilpool of desires in this wrecthed ocean. So this dharma
is a dreadful one. What is the alternative?
"The final path is SANYASA", said Romasa. "One who
renounces samsara by thought, word and deed gains real
knowledge and the grace of Parameswara. A true sanyasi
attains the status of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. To
obtain the grace of Siva this is the best course".

Bharadwaja contemplated about this course also

Sanyasa is total sublimation, negating the phenomenon.
Sanyasa well practised will result in the attainment of
beatitude of Brahman. He is no more conscious of the body
and is liberated even while in body and becomes a jeevan
mukta. Devoted as he is to the meditation of Brahman, he
enjoys imperishable bliss.

But there are rigid rules governing this order. They

should be meagre in their food, clothing and association.
They can possess only a danda, kamandal and wooden
sandals. They have to sustain themselves by obtaining
Bhiskha from only a few houses. They should not stay
continuosly in a single place except during the rainy season.
Though learned they should not have a flair for exhibiting
it. They should have no enemies nor even friends. Abuses
and praises are both same for them. Above all they must
relinquish all kamyakarmas.

How many can practice these rigid injunctions? Is it

possible for one to close his eyes to the activities around
him? Has he not to depend upon families for his bare needs?
Many are the pitfalls in treading this path.
 18

Contemplating well, Bhardwaja concluded that all the

seven methods are generally resorted to by persons seeking
rewards. Desire forces people to take recourse to these
methods and it is almost impossible for human beings to
overcome desire. This unsalable desire ends up in misery.
So Bhardwaja requested Romasa to indicate if there was
any other safe course for obtaining the Lord's Grace.
Romasa smiled and said, "I only wanted to test your ability.
Your question is very pertinent. I will tell you the easiest
and the safest course indicated in the sastras for deriving
the grace of Eswara. Residing in Sivakshetra yields the
knowledge to attain His grace and this is available as a
result of the merit acquired in the course of several births".
Bharadwaja was thrilled and worshipped this mentor
who considered the entire world as pervaded by Lord Siva.
The disciple was eager to know more details about this
course. So also were the sages like Saunaka in Naimisa to
hear from the Pouranika Suta.
Chapter 2 of sthalapurana
Kailasasikharavaasam Himavadgiri samsritam I
Neelakantam Trinetramcha tanme mana Siva
sankalpamastu I I

Chapter 2
KSHETRAS AND THEIR TRAITS
Saunaka and other sages asked the great Pouranika,
Suta, to elaborate the various Kshetras and their distinctive
features as narrated by sage Romasa to his disciple
Bharadwaja.
Suta began by narrating the special features of holy
places: Invoking the grace of Paramasiva, the people of
 19

various castes residing there live in amity and cooperation.

They all practise humility, modesty, harmlessness,
forbearance, uprightness, service to the Guru, purity,
steadfastness, self-control and unswerving devotion to
Lord Siva. There are four castes based on their aptitudes
and work. They are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and
Sudras. All of them strictly perform the duties enjoined
upon their respective castes. Serenity, self-restraint,
austerity, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge and
constant effort to realise the supreme self are the traits of
Brahmins. They should smear vibhuti and wear Rudrakhas
and perform sandhya vandanam, vedaparayana
particularly srirudram, chant mantras, visit temples and
worship Siva by rendering shodasopacharas and also
practise nirgunopasana by meditating on The Unmanifest.
Heroism, vigour, constancy, resourcefulness, not fleeing
from battle, generosity and lordliness are the characteristics
of Kshatriyas. The Vaisyas follow agriculture, cattle rearing
and trade as their duties. The Sudras follow work in the
nature of service as their duty. All of them live in harmony
and in the service of Parameshwara. They also observe the
four ashramas of Brahmacharya, Grihasta, Vanaprastha and
Sanyasa as prescribed in the sastras. People discharging
the duties assigned to them as above and residing in a
Sivakshetra will surely attain salvation. Even sinners
residing in a Sivakshetra can receive the grace of the Lord.
If the kind- hearted Sankara is pleased even worms, insects
and birds can attain salvation. So said Romasa.
Bharadwaja was anxious to know the various
Sivakshetras conforming to the above traits. Romasa began
to elaborate:

Distracting your mind from the external objects of the

senses which eclipse the luminous self, listen carefully, of
the various holy places dear to Parameshwara, First and
foremost is Kailasa, which lies beyond the cosmos
inaccessible to human beings. Next are Mounts Spatika,
 20

Rajitadri, Himavanta, Mandara, Sweta Parvata,

Vrishabhachala, Shambhulasya (the favourite spot for Siva
to dance), Someshwara (where the Linga waxes and wanes
as the moon), Anandakanana, Kulakula, Gandharva-
ranyam, Swamachala, Kedara, Chittabhanga, Manobhanga,
Koormachala, Suryadhara, Dandadhara and Kashi these
being dear to Siva.
Further, Rudrakshakanana, Ganasthana, Bilvaka,
Ghanakala, Neelakantha, Rudrakoti, Prabhasa,
Brahmapura, Rakteshwara, Gomukta, Kurukulya,
Bhimothara, Varachala, Naimisharanya, Siddharanya,
Siddhapeetha, Ilavrita, Kalyana, Ratnakuta, Shivakankana,
Hamsaraja, Shikhavarta, Nagavarta, Kulachala, Kalipura,
Mangalavamsha, Sreevasa, Eleshwara, Devapeetha,
Vindhya, Mandhana, Hataka and Spatika, Draksharama,
Dharmaparikshasthana, Sandhya, Shaivapeetha, Mangala,
Govardhana, Mahakala, Sukanasha, Triambaka,
Champakeshwara, Anandakanana, Kulakulesha,
Brahmadwara, Haridwara,Shatayupa, Sararnava,
Kurukshetra, Jwalamukhi, Devadaruvana, Mayapura and
Jayapura are the favourite spots of Mahadeva.

Of great importance are Srisaila, Ratnasaila,

Bhadrashaila, Tungeshwara, Siddhavata, Kapileshwara,
Chandrashaila and Dakshina Kailasa graced by Sri
Kalahasteewara. These eight places bestow eternal bliss.

Gangadhareshwara, Vataranya, Vamsharanya,

Brahmapura, Vitankapura, Kanchipura, Kamapeeta,
Pakshiteertha, Pushparanya, Trikhanda, Virinchipura,
Medhapura, Dakshalaya, Gokarna, Ghantabhairava,
Srishwara, Vedanagara, Bilvaranya, Dakshinodhalaka,7
Chitrasabha, Chitrvedi, Putharjuna, Rihidruti,
Yameshwara, Vahneeswara, Vikramasthana, Atristhana
Trishulaka, Srisandhyanagara, Tamrakuta, Harihara,
Rameshwara, kotisthana, Gandhamadhana, Vasantha
dhutikaranya, Mankolaranya, Indrapura, Goshta,
 21

Malayaveera, Bhavaniyoga, Ambayoga, Ghateshwara,

Gayatrishwara, Andesha, Alasya, Kamakeshwara,
Gajaranya, Sugandheesa, Trishirasthana, Abhayeshwara,
Shaktipura, Pasupathisthala, Savyavartha, Nagesha,
Manigandha, Srivanchi, Srithala, Vedaranya,
Uttaradhalaka, Kumbhakona are important abodes of Siva.,
Of no less importance are Madhyarjuna, Gomukthi,
Goghureshwara, Tejasi, GauriMayura, Kalasapura,
Moolasthana, Chutapuri, kapotha, Suryashyama,
Pranavapura, Jhillikesa, Talamala, Tatakavana, Chidam¬
baram, Vriddhachala, Shaktishwara, Sudhaghateshwara,
Shwetaranya, Tirvikrama, Panchanadha, Trilokya,
Manikarna, Rishivindhya, Vasupriya, Pundarika,
Virddhashaila, Veereshwara, Viratahasa, Srikameshwara,
Annakoota, Hemaroopya, Tamra, Chitra, Shonachola,
Garakantha, Skandashrama, Ratipura, Ardheswhara,
Arateertha, Vajrapura and Karkotasushira. These are not
all; the list of Siva's abodes is an endless one. The above
kshetras possess varying degrees of importance in that they
yield salvations in the form of Sayujya, Saroopya, Samipya
and Salokya.
Romasa further pointed out that the human body itself
is a kshetra and every inch of it is pervaded by the Almighty,
the crown portion being the most exalted one. The six
wheels constituting Mooladhara, Swadhistana,
Manipuraka, Anahatha, Visuddha and Agnyachakra are the
auspicious seats of the Supreme. Of the seventy two
thousand nerves in the human body , hundred and one are
the favourite abodes of Parameshwara. Three of them
namely, Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are of utmost
importance. The Supreme Lord resides in the human body
as the onlooker, the nourisher and the protector. One gets
the human form after several births in lower forms. And
this human body endowed with several faculties is called
a Kshetra for it is the means to realise self. Sareeramadyam
khalu Dharma sadhanam.
 22

Romasa concluded the narration of the various

important Sivakshetras in the world (Adhibhoota) and in
the human body (Adhyatma).
Chapter 3 of Sthalapurana.
Idam Sareeram kaunteya kshetram iti abidhiyate
Eatad yo vetti tam prahuh kshetragna iti tadvidah
GITA
This body, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), is called the field
and him who knows this, those who know thereof, call the
knower of the field.
Antarullasita swachakti peeyusha poshitam I
Bhavat pujopa bhogaya sareeramida mastume I I
Let my body last long so that it may worship You and
contain the ambrosia of devotion to You.

Chapter 3
THE GREATNESS OF SRIKALAHASTI
Having learnt that living in a Siva kshetra was better
and easier than persuing the seven paths mentioned earlier
for the realisation of self, the sages of Naimisa asked Suta
to inform which among the various Siva Kshetras was the
best one to reside. Suta said that sage Bharadwaja asked
Romasa the same question to which the latter replied :

Among the numerous Siva Kshetras in the world, four

are considered very important. One of these four is Kasi,
where Sri Viswanatha whispers Taraka Mantra in the ears
of dying persons ensuring their deliverance from the cycle
of births and deaths. Dakshina Kailasa is a place a mere
 23

thought of which wards off all sins. Vriddhachala is a place

which enriches knowledge of the Supreme. The fourth is
Chidambaram where Siva revels in Anandha Thandava.
Garuda, Sages, Viswadevas, Marudganas, danavas,
human beings and countless teerthas are always present in
these places. Penance performed in any of these places is
blessed with quick rewards. Of these four kshetras, Kasi,
Vriddhachalam and Chidambaram will enable seekers to
attain salvation in the form of Sayujya while Dakshina
Kailasa yields maximum benefits. Knowledge, renunciation
and the grace of Siva can be obtained speedily by hearing
or praising the magnificance of Dakshina Kailasa. Even
sinners in distant places will get high rewards as it is the
most favourite place of Parama Siva. It is highly miraculous
and is capable of fulfilling the desires of devotees.

From time immemorial countless Gods, sages,

animals, saints and sinners have worshipped the unique
linga in this place and attained salvation. Never should the
splendour and secret of this holiest of the holy spots be
made known to persons devoid of austerities and devotion.
On the other hand it can be propagated among persons of
spotless character, the devotees of Paramasiva and persons
seeking salvation.

The sages were anxious to know the exact location of

Dakshina Kailasa and names of the great devotess who were
benefited there. Applauding their zeal. Sage Romasa
elaborated the marvel of that Kshetra. Among the fourteen
lokas this Bhuloka and in it Bharatavarsha are important as
several devotees of Siva reside there. In Aryavartha flows
the sacred Ganga sanctifying and enriching the region.
Gauda and Dravida are the other notable regions. In these
holy places people practise yoga to realise the Supreme.
Between the rivers North Pennar and South Pennar the
residents of the Dravida region worship Siva and get their
desires fulfulled. On the eastern bank of the north flowing
 24

river Swamamukhi, exists the glorious Dakshina Kailasa.

This is about 1000 miles to the south of Kasi, 250 miles to
the north of Rameswaram, 50 miles to the west of east coast
and of equal distance to the north of Kanchi. The
magnificent Kailasa mountain with five lofty peaks
representing the five heads of the great God is located here.
In its vicinity stands the imposing linga of Sri-
kalahasteeswara of camphor hue and rudraksha shape with
clear marks of spider, serpent and elephant impinged on it.

Originally this linga was worshipped by Vayu and so

is known as Vayulinga. In Kritayuga it was glittering like
gold and was worshipped by Brahma, Agastya, Parvati
Devi, Yogini Neela, Harahara, Mayura, Bheema, Chandra,
Surya and Indra. Creator Brahma brought the peak called
Sivanandaikanilaya from heavenly Kailasa and fixed it here,
while sage Agastya brought down the divine Ganga in the
form of the north flowing river Swamamukhi. In Tretayuga
the linga radiated like sliver and was worshipped by Hari,
again by Brahma, Lakshmi, Subrahmanya, Srirama,
Markandeya, Kannappa, Spider (Sri), Serpent (Kala),
Elephant (Hasthi) and Sudarsana respectively. In
Dwaparayuga it was steel like. A celebate couple Subhaga
and Vijaya, Japala the fanatic, Mrutyunjaya, Narada, Suka,
Sanatkumara, Parasara, a group of thousand gods
performed penance. In Kaliyuga this linga shines like a
rock with camphor glow. Saranga, Varaguna Pandya,
Rajendra Chola, Neelakantha, Chakradhara, twin
princesses Amritalatha and Kanthimathi, and Padmasena
were among the many who worshipped it. All these
devotees observed several austerities, performed penance,
created teerthas, installed Siva lingas and secured ever
lasting peace.

Thus this kshetra attracted devotees from time

immemorial and continues to draw thousands of pilgrims
to worship Srikalahasteeswara.
 25

Chapters 4,5 and 6 of Sthalapurana

Yo Rudro Agnau yo Apsu ya Oshadheeshu
Yo Rudro Bhuvanavivesa tasmai Rudraya namo astu
My salutations to that Rudra from whom all the
worlds, fire, the flora and fauna have emanated.
Gnana vairagyadam sakshat Siva sayujya karanam I
Tasmat sarvothamam sthanam idameva muniswarah I I
Oh Sages ! SriKalahasthi endows knowledge and
renunciation and enables one to reach Siva Himself.
Therefore this alone is the best of the Sivakshetras.

Chapter 4
THE CREATION
Applauding the zeal of Bharadwaja to know in detail
the greatness of Sri Kalahasti, Romasa began to explain how
creation has come to be.
Creation comprises cause, space and time.
Cause: The Great God desired to create the worlds
with his rnaya and enter into it. As the silk spider sends
forth and withdraws its thread, as the herbs grow on the
earth, as the hair grows on the body of a living person, so
from the Immutable arises the Universe. He creates,
supports and withdraws the universe at His will.
Space or Matter. The tiniest part of matter is known
as paramanu. It is the minutest part which has no shape
nor is it capable of action. Similarly, that quantum
 26

equivalent to the limitless atma is known as

mahatparimana. Thus, the entire matter falls between the
minutest and the largest.
Time: Similarly, time which is the power of
Parameswara is also divided into the minutest known as
paramanu kala and paramahatkala. The time taken by the
Sun's rays to pass a paramanu is known as paramanukala.
On the contrary, paramahatkala is the time taken by the sun
to pass over all the manifested worlds.
Multiplication table of time is as follows:

2 X paramanu = Dyanuka
3 X dyanuka = Trasarenu (trithi)
100 X trithi = Vedha
3 X vedha = lava
3 X lava = Nimisha
3 X Nimisha = Kshana
5 X Kshana = Kastha
17 X kastha = Lagu
15 X lagu = Ghatika
2 X Ghatika = Muhurta
7 X ghatika = Yama
8 X yama = Day (12 hrs of brightness + 12 hrs of night)
15 X day = Paksha
2 X paksha = Masa
2 X Masa = Ruthu
3 X Ruthu = Ayana
2 X Ayana = Samvatsara

One month of human beings is cognised as a day for

the manes. The life-span of human being is reckoned as
100 years. Time is measured with reference to the position
of the Sun. So Sun who represents time is worshipped.
Three hundred and sixty years of ours make a day for the
devas. Thousands of such years constitute the four yugas:
krita. treta, dwapara and kali. Thousands of such
Chaturyugas constitute a day for the creator Brahma. At
 27

the pleasure of Paramasiva numerous creators passed away

in course; of time. The exit of each Brahma is known as
pralaya or deluge.

In the beginning nothing existed, there were no

elements like earth, water, fire, wind or ether, nor the
derivations there of (Tan- matras) nor ahankara nor Vishnu,
Brahma, Sun, Moon, planets and stars nor marutganas nor
rivers and mountains nor oceans nor day and night. Only
the cause of all actions, accompanied by his power of
delusion (maya), Paramasiva existed. The eternal, pure,
intelligent, omnicient, omnipotent and Satchitananda,
Parameswara existed.

And the Great God desired to create the worlds and

with the powers of his maya he brought into existence the
five prime elements. With the interaction of these elements,
creation arose. By means of the all-powerful avidya,
Parameswara created, creator Brahma from His right and
the protector Narayana from His left. The destroyer
Kalagnirudra was brought forth by His mind. He ordered
Brahma to create the worlds with various animate and
inanimate objects. At first Brahma was reluctant to create
the worlds of indescribable miseries. Siva was taken aback
by his insolence and deprived him of cognising power.
Brahma blinked and prayed for mercy and restoration of
his intelligence so as to enable him to proceed with creation.

Parameswara asked Brahma to go to Maha Kailasa

and perform severe penance on the slopes of
Sivanandaikanilaya, topmost of the five peaks. He further
said "there exists a linga, as white as camphor, called
Vayulinga as it was originally worshipped by the wind god.
There is also a kaivalya teertha in its vicinity. You should
perform penance worshipping the Vayulinga with ardent
devotion. In due course you will regain your knowledge
and will be able to create the worlds." Brahma bowed before
 28

Him, reached Sivanandaikanilaya and undertook

meditation as directed by Siva. He also used the waters of
Saraswati teertha created by Mahadeva. In due course, the
Lord appeared before him and granted him the ability of
creation.

Thus endowed Brahma created Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka,

Swargaloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka
besides A tala. Vita la, Sutala, Rasa tala. Tala tala, Mahatala
and Patala. After creating these fourteen worlds, Brahma
became arrogant and began to gloat over his abilities. Then
he heard a voice accusing him of treachery to his father and
Guru, Siva resulting in his incapacity to proceed further.
He was asked to goagain to Kailasa and perform penance.
He heard the clear voice of Siva asking him to carry the
sacred peak of Sivanandaikanilaya and establish it in
Bhuloka and to perform tapas there. Brahma again went
to Mahakailasa and carried the said peak on his shoulders.
He descended on earth crossed Mt. Meru and the Himalayas
and approached Kasi. He did not know where to establish
the mountain. Providentially he learnt that he had to
proceed further south and deposit the peak in a place where
it became too heavy for him to bear. When he approached
the present Srikalahasti, Lord Siva entered the peak It
became very heavy and dropped down on earth and got
fixed there. Brahma engaged himself in tapas as directed

Chapter 7 and 8 of Stalapurana.

Kailasa sikhare ramye Sankarasya Sivalaye
Devata tatra modanti tanme mana Siva Sankalpa mastu

nf c meditate uPon that auspicious abode

happykara/ ^ Peak °f m°Unt Kailasa' where a11 gods are
 29

Chapter 5
STAGES OF EVOLUTION

Sage Bharadwaja requested Sage Romasa to reveal the

several branches of learning taught by Nilakantha to
Paramesthi as well as the various stages through which
evolution took place.

Romasa said that Parameswara gracefully blessed

Brahma with the knowledge of various branches of learning.
They are the four Vedas; Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana
and the six branches of vedas namely Siksha, Vyakarana,
Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotisha and Kalpa. He also learnt
itihasas, puranas, smriti, nitisastra, purvottaramimamsas
sankhya yoga, saivagamas, vedagamas and so on.
The omnipotent Parameswara manifested Himself as
Brahma, Vishnu and Kalagnirudra for the purpose of
creation, protection and destruction of the worlds. At first
Brahma created tamas, moha, mahamoha, taamisra and
andhatamisra; the five illusory branches of knowledge.
Recognising them to be sinful ones he created Sanaka,
Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujatha and asked them
to create human-beings. As these four sages possessed
supreme knowledge they declined and undertook penance.
Invoking Parameswara, Parameshti brought forth
Nilalohita whose one half was feminine and the other half
masculine. This Nilalohita multiplied himself as
ekadasarudras and brought forth several beings who were
fierce and cruel by nature. They began to indulge in horrible
deeds and devour everything they came across. The
awestruck Brahma prevented them and brought forth
Marichi, Atri, Angirasa, Pulastya, Krutu, Bhrugu, Vasistha,
Daksha and Narada. Then he created Kardama followed
by Vakdevi Saraswati. Infatuated by her beauty, Brahma
approached her. His sons Marichi and others heckled at
the behaviour of Brahma when he discarded the body in
 30

the form of Nihara or darkness. Assuming a new one he

meditated when the four vedas and their branches namely
Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Ghandharva and Sthapatya
(architecture) emanated from his tour heads. The four kinds
of yoga as well as the various meters and a number of other
sciences and arts emanated from him.

Afterwards Yakshas and Rakshasas of cruel nature

and various devatas, Sandhya, Ghandaravas, Apsaras,
Bhutaganas, Siddhas, Sadhyas, Pitrudevatas, kinnaras and
Kimpurushas were created. Subsequently serpents were
bom from the angry words of the creator while sages came
forth from the dejected Brahma. Brahma noticed that all the
beings created by him so far were unfit for further
development of mankind. From one half he created
Swayambhuva Manu and Satarupa from the other half By
their union two sons and three daughters were bom These
daughters were married to Ruchi, Kardama and Daksha
who filled the entire world with their progeny.

In the entire creation. Lord Parameswara pervades in

a smaller or bigger measure. He glows everywhere as the
onlooker, permeater, nourisher and protector.

Chapter 9 of Sthalapurana.
Bahula rajasae visuotpattau Bhavaya name namah I
rabala tamasae tat samharae Haraya namo namah I
Jana sukha kritae sattvo-driktau Mridaya namo namah I
rama-hari padae nistrigunae Sivaya namo namah I I

fnr th!aIUtat.i0nS B”hlna ta whom Pradominalors

whnrnT 0f ^ uriverse' salutations to Rudra in
te.(o,ih'd<simc,ii>ni'fites'"e
sanitations to vishnu in whom sattva preponderates for
whonfse^P,T
who ,,°Khe
is efulgent and “VinS
beyond the“W -taWto- “Z
three attributes.

(SIVA-MAHIMNAH STOTRAM - 30)

 31

Chapter 6

DESCRIPTION OF BHUGOLA
Sage Bharadwaja desired to know the full contours
and relief of the Bhuloka created by Brahma.

Romasa said that the Meru mountain occupies the

central part of the earth. Around it there are seven vast
islands (Saptadweepas), Seven Oceans, a number of
mountains, forests and rivers. To the north of Meru are the
mountains Sringi, Swetha and Nila as also the regions
known as Kuruvarsha, Hiranmaya and Ramyaka. To its
south are the mountains of Himavantha, Hemakuta and
Nishada as also the regions known as Bharatavarsha,
Kimpurusha and Harapurusha. To the east of the Meru are
mount Malyavanta and the region Bhadraswavarsha. To
the west are the Mt Gandhamadana and Ketumalavarsha.
Closely surrounding Mt. Meru is Illavruthavarsha. All the
mountains are adorned with forests yielding fruits like
mangoes and jambos. Besides there are four mountains
called Mandara, Merumandara and two Suparswas having
beautiful lakes in them. Flourishing cities called Marmavati,
Amaravati, Tejovati, Samyamini, Krisnagada,
Shraddhavati, Gandhavati, Mahodaya and Yashovati are
situated in Mt. Meru.

Rivers Sita, Alakananda, Chakshu, Badra have their

source near Marmavati in Mt. Meru; flowing east, south,
west and north respectively. Parameswara is manifest as
Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadyojata in the
regions of Bhadraswa, Bharatha, Ketumala and Kuruvarsha
respectively.

To the south of the Himalayas is the Karmabhoomi

of Bharatavarsha. Mountains Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya,
Suktimanta, Ruksha, Vindhya, Parytra are the sources of
several great rivers. There are several other minor hills.
 32

Mighty rivers like Ga.nga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati,

Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri and many other small rivers make
the region fertile. Bharat comprises the following provinces
of Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Kashmira, Lata, Gurjara, Malava,
Andhra, Dravida, Karnataka, Kuru, Kosala, Kuntala and so
on. The land is rich with precious metals, gems, forests,
lakes and animals which are all useful to mankind. Bharat
is known as Karmabhoomi. The people residing here follow
diverse paths and worship various gods. Their food habits
differ from place to place. Toiling hard, enjoying and
suffering they live a hundred years. As a result of their
good and bad activites they prosper or perish.

Entangled in Saivamaya, they revolve mechanically

in the wheel of Samsara. By good deeds they go to heaven
and by sinful deeds they go to hell. Staying there for a
limited period enjoying the pleasures of heaven or
undergoing the tortures of hell, they are reborn on earth to
experience old age and death. Mysterious are the ways of
Karma. Only few seeking refuge in Parameswara can
disentangle themselves from Samsara and gain Sayujya.

Chapter 11 of Sthalapurana.
Isavasyam idam sarvam yet kimcha jagtyaam jagat
All this, whatsoever moves in this universe including
the universes, is pervaded by the Lord.

Chapter 7
VIRINCHI'S WORSHIP OF VAYULINGA
Appreciating the eagerness of Bharadwaja to know
the detailed manner in which Brahma worshipped the
Vayulinga. Romasa began:
 33

Brahma settled down at a place to the south of

Vayulinga. He got up very early in the morning performed
ablutions in the Kaivalya Tirtha, decorated fifteen parts of
his body with the holy ashes, wore the holy rudraksha beads
in twelve places and proceeded to worship the Vayulinga.
Accompanied by a number of Gods and sages Brahma
collected several ingredients for abhisheka of the time-
immemorial, renowned Vayulinga.
He performed abhisheka with the scented oils, the
five products of cow (Panchagavya), the five amrutas
namely curd, milk, ghee, honey and water, juices of several
fruits like oranges, citrons, plantains, jackfruit, mango, the
dicoction of five tender leaves, amalakarasa, kusodaka,
panchachuma, maduratraya, tender coconut juice, jaggery
water, the water of scented flowers, water from conches and
pots sacntified by mantras, sandal and clear water from a
thousand pots (Sahasraghatabisheka). He then smeared the
scented sandal-paste to the linga and adorned the linga with
fine silk dhoties laced with gold. He further decorated the
linga with a crown studded with dazzling gems. He also
offered ear- rings set with diamonds, necklaces made of
pearls, corals and rudrakshas, serpentine sacred thread,
waist-belt studded with precious gems and jingling bells.
He created a brilliant throne resting on a eight-
petalled lotus. Over the lotus was designed a huge tortoise
on which rested several serpent kings like Ananta. The
splendid throne had eight elephants led by Iravata on eight
directions and was gaurded by dikpalas like Indra, Yama.
The throne was bedecked with several jewels. As evening
approached hundred thousand ghee lamps were lit and
arranged in several rows. The entrances and the halls were
decorated with plantain trees and festoons of mango leaves.
Several gold pots filled with aromatic waters were placed
at vantage points. Then Brahma performed worship with
champaka, punnaga, chamanti, vakula, potalabya, jaji,
karavira, asoka, nipa, kalhara, mallika, dronapushpa.
 34

duttura, amalaka, samspatra etc. With a thousand tender

bilva leaves he performed sahasranamarchana. Thereafter
he performed arti with incense and ghee-lamps. Different
kinds of tasty food stuffs, sweets, bevarages, coconuts and
fruits were offered by way of Naivedya. Betel-leaves along
with nuts, cardamoms, cloves, cashew-nuts, dates, almonds
were offered. Subsequently lights in the forms of a chariot
(Ratha-deepa), a five headed serpent (Nagadeepa), a human
being (Purusharupa mriga deepa), a bull (Vrishaba deepa),
a set of thousand lights (Sahasrarcha deepa), five separate
lamps (Sthalipanchaka), a pot (Kumbhadeepa) were
presented. The deeparadhana came to an end by offering
of camphor.
Vibhudi, an umbrella and chowrie (chatra-chamras)
were presented and mantrapushpa was chanted.
Shadangaparayana mimamsa, yogasutras, itihasas and
puranas were recited to please Paramasiva.
This was followed by music to the accompaniment of
Veena, Venu, mridanga, sanka and other instruments. He
reverentially prostrated circumbulated and again
prostrated. He performed the japa of Siva Panchakshari a
hundered thousand times and offered several mudras to
Parameswara. Observing non-violence, truth, peace,
self-restraint, humility, unostentations, forbearance, purity,
self-control, courage, non-attachment, renunciation,
devotion, solitude, even-mindedness in happiness and
misery, kindness to all beings, silence and perceiving Lord
Siva as pervading everywhere he spent the whole night in
meditation, (see Appendix I)
Lord Siva was very much pleased with the
unparalleled worship offered by Brahma. Adorned with a
gemset crown and a number of jewels, with the crescent
moon gently swinging on his fore-head, having the hide of
an elephant as his upper garment, bearing various weapons
like trident, anchor and sword, mounted on his favourite
bull Nandi accompanied by smiling Parvati and devout
 35

devas, yakshas, gandharvas, kinnaras, kimpurushas,

siddhas, sadyas, Vishnu and -Indra, Lord Parameswara
emerged from the Vayulinga on the full moon day of
Makhamasa, when the star Makha was in ascendancy.
Brahma was overjoyed and sang in praise of the Lord- who
blessed him with several boons: namely single minded
devotion, the withdrawal of Saivamaya engulfing him,
unlimited knowledge, restoration of powers of creation, a
permanent abode in the Satyaloka, the linga to be installed
by him to bear his name and gifting the persons who
worship that linga and use the Saraswati teertha as well as
those who contemplate on this episode with happiness in
both the worlds..
At the behest of Parameswara, Brahma installed a
beautiful linga with five faces, Tatpurusha, Aghora,
Sadyojata, Vamadeva and Isana. Brahma worshipped the
linga and initiated Brahmotsava for Siva. After completing
the festival, Brahma went to Satyaloka.
Chapter 15 and 16 of Sthalapurana
Brahma Muraari Suraarchita Lingam
Nirmala Bhaasita sobhita lingam
Janmaja dukha vinasaka lingam
Tat pranamaami Sadaasiva Lingam
I bow low before the Sadaasiva Lingam, ever being
worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and other gods which is
ever aglow in all its purity and which destroys the sorrows
of birth.

Chapter 8
SAGE AGASTYA
During kritayuga a number of celestial beings
including Vishnu, Brahma and Indra, heavenly sages like
Narada, the presiding deities of the various oceans and
 36

rivers and several others went to Kailasa to worship the

Great God Sankara. The conference, packed with these holy
personalities, was presided over by Sankara with his consort
Parvathi by his side. Lord Brahma got up and raised the
following questions.

"Which is the greatest among Dharmas? Who is the

greatest among the Gods whose worship means the worship
of all other Gods?" Sage Bhrigu rose and declared that the
worship of Lord Vishnu was the highest of all the Dharmas
for he was the greatest of all the Gods and his worship
included the worship of all the Gods.

Sage Agastya protested and said that Lord Siva was

the greatest God; the whole universe had its origin only in
Him. The creative power of Lord Barhma and protective
power of Lord Vishnu were only derived by the grace of
Sankara. In Him are all gods. So His worship is the worship
of all gods and it is the best Dharma. A verbal duel ensued
between them. Agastya had posed a challenge, "Who so
over bestows on me the supremacy of being the best, that
God alone is to be worshipped. I am going to perform severe
penance to achieve that aim". Bhrigu accepted the challenge.

At that stage Vishnu called Bhrigu aside and pointed

out that Paramasiva was the father of entire universe as
also of himself and all other Gods." I owe my powers only
to the great God. So also all other Gods." Thus enlightened
Sage Bhrigu accompanied by Vishnu paid obeisance to
Sankara. The conference ended. Sage Agastya left for
Dhakshina Kailasa to perform penance to achieve
superiority.

Agastya's penance had no parallel. It'was so intense

that the heat generated by it was scorching the three worlds
Devendra was afraid that his high position would be
occupied by some body dear to the sage. So he employed
urvasi, Menaka and Rambha to distract the penance of the
 37

sage by diverting his attention using their artful and

seductive blandishments and solicitations. He sent
Vasantha and Manmadha to aid these devine damsels.
Vasantha made the trees bloom with fragant flowers
and the birds sing lovely notes. The sages in the hermitage
fell a prey to the bewitching beauty of the heavenly dancers.
Sage Agastya contemplated as to the cause for the unusual
vernal bloom of the foliage and the mad behaviour of his
disciples. He recognised the cause and prayed to Bhairava,
the Kshetrapala. Bhairava assumed the form of a charming
person. Those heavenly harlots, who came to entice Sage
Agastya, were themselves enticed by Bhairava's captivating
personalty. Their passionate attachment was mercilessly
exploited by Bhairava. When those adulteresses were
completely deprived of their veils and guiles, Bhairava
stood before them in his real form. On seeing his ferocious
and houndish form those damsels were frightened and fled
to their heavenly abode in utter despondency, defeat and
disgrace. They were preceded by Vasantha and Manmadha.
The sages regained calmness and continued the penance.
Without any further disturbance sage Agastya
continued his tapas. He would stand amidst fire in hot
summer and in pouring rain in the rainy season. He would
stand naked in bitter winter. Neither scorching Sun nor
biting cold would affect his penance. He drastically
reduced his food. In due course Lord Siva was pleased and
appeared before him mounted on his favourite Bull and
accompained by his consort Uma and other deities.
Agastya's joys knew no bounds. He praised the Lord in
the words pregnant with Vedic connotation.
He requested the Lord to forgive Sage Bhrigu for
talking impertinently and to grant the wishes of those that
worship the Linga installed by him by repeating the verses
coined by him. The Lord was pleased to grant the boons
and declared that the Sage merited to be worshipped hence
forth by all the Gods.
 38

As the sage entered his cottage he heard a clear

heavenly voice.

"Oh! Sage, This lovely place looks like a night without

moonlight, a pond without water and a council hall without
scholars. This place with its heavenly Kailasa peak, the
Swayambhu Vayu Linga and several hermitages lacks a
river. You should strive to bring the heavenly Ganga to
flow nearby as a sacred river. You only can accomplish this
great task". The sage wondered.

He then met Vinayaka emerging from Patala after

vanquishing Gajasura and prayed him for success in his
endeavour. Directed by him he went to Brahmastala a few
miles west of his ashram to accomplish the task entrusted
to him.

Chapter 21 of Sthalapurana
Na tasya kaschitwariti rasti loke
Sa chesitaa naiva cha kasya lingam
He has no superior, or ruler, or any cause. Nor is there
any sign to point Him out.

Chapter 9
SRI PATALA VINAYAKA
Ekam Sad Vipra bahuda vadanti: Reality is one
sages call it by many names. The ocean of power is
indivisible. It focalises and polarises itself in various forms
No one can name or count all the manifestations of energy
but the Sages concentrated their attention on some of the
most important of them. Each aspect of the Divine Power
is regarded as a separate god. Virat Punish is conceived to
have thousands of heads, hands and feet and as such he
possesses thousands of names and forms. All names are
 39

His. If reality is one, Indra, Vayu, Yama, Rudra etc are all
certainly the names of the one God of universe. We worship
hundred different gods in hundred different ways, but we
are aware that essentially there is only one object of worship
and the same face is seen differently through hundered
coloured glasses.

The sages of yore had visions of that Reality and had

evolved techniques of meditation and worship, invoking
different mantras and symbolic idols represent various
aspects of the universal power. The most popular of the
Gods we worship is Lord Vinayaka, whose idols are found
in every house, every street corner, every village,
throughout the length and breadth of our vast country!
Through Mahayana Buddhism he has entered Tibet, China
and Japan. Vedas have extolled him in the famous hymn:
"Ganananthwa Ganapathigum Havamahe". Of the
upahishads he is invoked through (a) Ganapathupanishad,
(b) Ganesapurva tapinupanishad and (c) Ganesothara
Tapinupanishad. Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada has
composed several verses in praise of Him. No other god is
worshipped without first invoking Ganesa. Thus He
occupies the foremost place in the Hindu Pantheon.

Lord Ganesa is a symbol of the holy word OM. He

is light as feather (Krisa) and robust as an elephant (Sthula)
at the same time. He is the vanquisher of all obstacles and
evil forces. He is usually inactive but capable of dynamic
actions. He is the Lord of fulfilment (Siddhi) and intellect
(Buddhi). The whole universe is in Him.

The sages, sculptors and scholars could easily capture

his form symbolic of all attributes. His trunk is in form of
omkara. (Pranava Swarupa Vakra thundam). Though he
has an elephant's body, he is so light as to be carried on a
small mouse. To ward off obstacles and to supress evil
forces, he wields an Ankusa as his weapon. He represents
the inert energy of Muladhara at the very base, but once it
 40

is kindled and released, it can penetrate the six wheels and

the three obstructing knots and reach the highest
conceivable point of Bindu in Sahasrara. That is why he
assumes the form of a dwarf. As the Lord of fulfilment
and intellect he has two wives Siddhi and Buddhi. While
Subrahmanya is the commander of Deva Sena or the
Battalion of Gods; Ganapathi is in charge of Siva Ganas and
Bhuta ganas.
Ganesa is worshipped in different ways such as 1.
Maha Ganapathi, 2. Haridra Ganapathi, 3. Uchista
Ganapathi, 4. Navaneetha Ganapathi, 5. Swama Ganapathi,
6. Santhana Ganapathi. Several temples enshrine
Ganapathi in various forms, such as Bala ganapathi, Taruna
Ganapathi, Bhaktha Ganapathi, Veera Ganapathi, Sakthi
Ganapathi, Dwija Ganapathi, Siddi Ganapathi, Uchista
Ganapathi, Vighna Ganapathi, Kshipra Ganapathi,
Heramba Ganapathi, Lakshmi Ganapathi, Maha Ganapathi,
Vijaya Ganapathi, Nrithya Ganapathi and Urthwa
Ganapathi. He has four,five,six, eight or even ten hands,
with different weapons or signs (mudras). Special mention
has to be made of Yoga Ganapathi at Pillayarpatti, Ramnad
District, Ucchi Ganapathi on the top of a hill in Trichirapalli
and Pa tala Ganapathi deep down in the basement chamber
in Srikalahasti temple.
The following is the legend connected with this shrine
as narrated by Romasa to Bharadwaja in Srikalahasti Stala
Purana.
Once Parvathi decided to perform severe tapas at
Srikalahasti before reaching Kailasa. In order to ward off
obstacles she invoked the help of her own son Ganapathi
to keep gaurd and conferred the following attributes on him
1, Papaharaka 2. Vighna Haari 3. Parvathipujitha and 4.
Pustika. At that time a demon called Gajasura was causing
havoc on earth and came to distrub the meditation of
Parvathi. This Pusti Ganapathi chased Gajasura to Pathala
 41

loka and vanquished him. In the meantime sage Agasthya,

who was camping at Srikalahasti was directed by a divine
voice to provide a holy river at the place. He discussed the
matter with his disciples and sought their assistance in
fixing the proper mountain from which the river should
have its source. The holy ethereal Ganga had to be brought
down to earth in a proper place. Its course was to be through
sacred ashrams and lands which were to be made fertile.
The water was to be crystal clear and fit for worship by
Gods and sages and capable of turning saints out of sinners
before it joined the sea. As he was contemplating thus, he
met Lord Ganesa returning from Pathala at its entrance, a
few yards south east of the Vayu Linga.
He immediately gathered durva grass, Arka and
Dhatura flowers and worshipped Lord Ganesa as laid down
in the Skanda Purana. He offered different kinds of sweets
made of pure cow ghee and modakas and finally prostrated
before Him and praised Him as follows
"Oh son of Lord Siva! Vighna Raja ! the one with an
elephant head ! the vanquisher of Gajasura ! one who
radiates all the worlds ! Ekadanta ! Bestower of boons to
devotees ! yoif are worshipped by gods and demons. You
are dear to Siva as well as Vishnu. You are the elder brother
of Skanda ! your huge belly accommodates all animate and
inanimate beings. Your curved trunk is in the shape of
omkar. You are all knowledge and kindler of intellect".
Pathala Ganapathi was very much pleased with the
worship offered by the sage and smilingly asked him to
spell out his desires. Sage Agastya once again prostrated
before Him and asked the following boons
1) You should be renowned as Agasthya Vandita,
Bhaktha Vanchitardha prapuraka, Gajananari and
Pathala Gartha vasi.
2) Whosoever worships you with these four names
should over come all obstacles.
 42

3) A Teertha be created by the Lord by name

SarvaVighna Prasamak, a bath in which should be
highly beneficial.

4) Lord Vinayaka himself should be ever present in the

Pathala Bila (a resort deep down) granting boons to
His worshippers.

5) To indicate the sacred hill peak from which Akasa

Ganga should have its source to flow by the side of
Srikalahasthi, on its way to join the sea.

Lord smiled and granting these boons, first dug out

a teertha with His own tusk from which sprung the holv
Pathala Ganga and asked the sage to have his bath in it
Then He indicated that Bramhachala eighty miles to the
West of Kailasagiri, should be the starting place for the new
nver. Following these instructions meticulously the save
succeeded in bringing the Ganga and led its course, through
various holy spots and northwards at Srikalahasti and then
to sea. Because of its crystal clear waters it was called
Swarnamukhi. The river is also worshipped as Agasthya
Gmja and Agasthya nandini. A bath in this river
particularly at Srikalahasti is highly meritorious. Thus sage
Agasthya s success in bringing forth the holy river is due
mainly to his worshipping Pathala Vinayaka.
Chapter 22 of Sthalapurana
Agastya vanditam vande vanchitardha prapurakam I
Pranavam pranavakaram patala mukha vasinam I I
Pustikaya namastubhyam tustim pustim cha dehi mae I
iarvavighna haram devam sastangam pranamamyaham I I
[ B.Nagasundaram]
.K .u°htmi®hly Vtaayaka ■' Thou art victoriosly seated at
fte threshold of Patala (after vanquishmg the ™u7htv
demon Gaiasura) amH i_^

SSr ^^a„dr Soi l‘bt

 43

Chapter 10

RIVER SWARNAMUKHI
Sage Romasa continued
With the blessing of Pathala Vinayka, Sage Agasthya
went to Brahmachala to perform penance. The lofty
mountain was covered by a dense forest of Bilwa, Aswatha,
Banyan, Mango, Orange and several other trees,
flower-bearing shrubs and thick bushes. Celestial beings
like Gandharvas, Kinnaras and Kimpurushas had their
habitations there. As the atmosphere was serene several
sages selected that place for building their ashrams. It was
indeed a heaven on earth.

Sage Agastya was reverently welcomed by the sages

there. Requested by them he installed a Siva linga on the
mountain peak. He told the sages that the purpose of his
visit was to bring a sacred river to the region. He undertook
a severe penance. Perturbed by the sage's tapas Brahma
and other gods went to Kailasa and requested Parameswara
to pacify the sage. The Lord of Kailasa told Brahma that
the sage was engaged in the fierce penance for the sole
purpose of bringing a sacred river and make the place lovely
and prosperous. It was time for his selfless endeavour to
become fruitful. The Lord asked Brahma to tell Ganga that
he desired her to fulfil the wish of the sage by forming a
lovely river with its origin in the mountain peak. She should
then follow the course led by the sage. Brahma conveyed
the message to Ganga and soon both of them appeared
before the sage. He was overwhelmed with joy to see them
and to learn the command of the Great God. He requested
Ganga to manifest herself as a river with crystal clear waters.
And Ganga agreed.

Ganga transformed herself as a pretty river on the

summit of the mountain. The spot where Devi appeared
came to be known as Agastya Theertha. The sage led the
 44

way and the river followed him. Jumping with joy, she
descended the mountain. As the river flowed eastward
nvers Penna, Vijgrapada, Kulya joined. It then reached the
foot of the magnificent mount Venkatachala with its
dazzling seven peaks. People who take bath in the river
and worship Balaji of the Seven Hills would always get their
desires fulfilled. As the river flowed further down it passed
by the side of Kapila Teertha, where Sage Kapila
worshipped Siva in the distant past. Then it took its course
towards Parasara Teertha, Suka Teertha and Soma Teertha
A°,r?,1Skfnda hiUs j0ined U at a Place calIed teertha
A little later a stream from Swami Pushkarini, near Balaji
temple, joined it. Then the river took a turn to the north
As it continued to flow north-wards it reached the glorious
peak of Dakshinakailasa the abode of Lord SriKalahasteesa.
e grandeour of the place had increased by the flow of the
river. Further down it passed to the west of
PapavmhedalCshetra where the unique linga of
Ardhanaareswara stands. A little later the river took an
eastern turn and sanctified several ashrams and kshetras
jnaUy it joined the sea which welcomed it with its caressing

a u Thus the holy sage accomplished this task and

enhanced the sanctity of Dakshina Kailasa. By the advent
e nver the place has become complete with a lofty
mountain with forest and caves, a naturally formed 2
and a sacred nver. It has no parallel in all the three worlcfs

to hSScred°U8h
to ms credit. H'le ^ SlatUre h3Sthe
He suppressed V8ry big
naughty Vindhva
mountain and drank the entire sea water H !

E? 7 blinging SeVeral Mcred ™rs •» the South

woX^Sh SM Mid' ”ThiS great SaSa h« “be
worshipped by everyone. His worship on the banks of the
where fte8river7on ^ “7 Particu,arly SriKalahasti
flows north, is highly meritorious for
sage is none other than Pammeswara himself. The worses
 45

has to be completed by offering suitable gifts to holy

persons.".
As soon as the course of the river was settled sage
Agastya returned to Srikalahasti to have his bath in the river
and to worship the holiest of the holy lingas there. Brahma
told Vayudeva, "Along with the sage Agastya, a number of
other sages, Gods and gandharavas are going to take bath
in the river. You must go there and proclaim the twenty
five names fo the river. Future generations will prosper by
uttering the names which are effective mantras".

So Vayu went there in time and in a gentle but clear

voice tuned the names of the river. As the waters of the
river were as pure and valuable as gold it was called
Swamamukhi. The names spelt out by the wind god were:-

”1. Agastya girija 2 Brahmaputri 3. Agastya nandini

4. Viyat Ganga 5. Sarvateertha sevita 6. Saridwara
7.Avichinnaraya 8. Bahiratan malapada 9. Pavani
lO.Trijagadhatri 11. Pavitrikrita Digmukha
12.Sivanandakari 13.Akhanda Brahma, Vignana datri
14.Vegavati 15. Yasaswini 16. Mahabhaga 17 Vakraga
18.Ghana Naadini 19. Sudha 20. Divyodaka 21. Pasamula
nikrintari 22. Udanmukha vahini 23 Manogyasikata
24.Pancha panchasa chailabhedini 25 Swamamukhi.

These names of the river please Sankara. Gods

themselves vied with one another to have a bath in this
river. No doubt it makes people healthy, wealthy and wise.
As is Purushothama among Gods, as is the moon amidst of
the stars, as is Gayatri among mantras, so is this river
flowing northwards near Dakshinakailasa glorious among
the rivers."
Agastya and others were filled with awe to hear the
names uttered by Vayudeya. They took their holy bath and
worshipped Sri Kalahasteeswara and left the place with a
sense of fulfilment.
 46

People can wash off their sins by worshipping the

river chanting the following verses :
1- Agastyachala Sambhutam Poorva Sagara gamineem
Samasta papa hantreemtwam Swamamukhareem sraye I I
2. Mahapataka viplustam gatram mama subhodakai
Kshalayami jagaddatri Sreyasa purayaswa mam I I
A bath in the river on the eclipse and other holv
occasions is highly rewarding. J
Chapter 25 of Sthalapurana

Chapter 11

SRI GNANAPRASUNAMBA
Why was Bhavani cursed during Krita yuga? And
how was she redeemed of the curse and came to be known
as Gnanaprasunamba? These questions of SageBharadwaia
~ered by ^ ^ by follow

r . In *?ilasaLord Siva was in court attended by various

®BhaVani was sittinS next to Him in all her
splendour. The prime of her youth with startling display
her,8f!!f™S °maments' dazzled the whole fudience7
She saluted her Lord and asked him as to who was the
m^fT4 «?** G0dS' Which was the greatest of the
7h° WaS the most competent to impart Divine
Knowledge. Lord Siva appreciated her question and told
in thp ifanCHhakShan/ occuPyin8 central place in the Vedas
greate* am^^h Syn°nymous with His voy self, was the
greatest among the seven crores of mantras and that Ho
S the most competent to impart it. She implored Him to

she Tn the1pridthat Th^u ^ 101x1 Smiled and aW that

pnde of her bewitching beauty and rajasic
 47

qualities was then unsuited to receive the mantra as it could

be given only to persons endowed with Satva guna. She
beseeched Him to deliver the mantra to her as she had in
no way misused her youth or her wealth. The
compassionate Lord agreed and gradually lead her into the
preliminaries upto the order of silence (Mouna Deeksha).
Instigated by her authority/ youth, beauty and
foolishness Bhavani broke her silence and told her attendant
Malini that Lord Siva has agreed to impart the secret
Panchakshari mantra to her. The Lord perceived this and
to the bewilderment of all cursed her in the open court to
discard her proud heavenly body and be at once bom
among mortals. Parvati repented her foolishness and fell
at her Lord's feet and requested Him to pardon her fault.
Once pronounced the curse was irrevocable. So in all
kindness Mahadev Siva asked her to go to SriKalashathi in
her mortal body, where she would find her celestial body
in the form of huge bilva tree. She should perform penance
until she gained Satvika guna, when she would be
enlightened by the five lettered mantra by the Lord Himself.
Her associates Malini and others would also be there to
assist her.
Parvati accordingly discarded her heavenly body, and
assuming different forms appropriate to the various regions
in her downward sojourn, finally took human form on
reaching earth. She entered the Himalayas and was
enveloped in ignorance. She wandered in the vicinity of
Kedamath, unable to find her way to the Akhanda Bilva
forest. Seeing her plight Lord Siva asked Sage Narada to
assist her. Narada appeared before her and asked her to
invoke the help of Ganapathi. Thereupon Ganapathi came
to her and promised to lead her to the spot indicated by the
Lord. He guided her to the banks of Swamamukhi and
disappeared.
Lord Siva assumed the form of an old brahmin anc
enquired who she was and what she wanted to do. Parvat
 48

told him all her suffering and enquired which spot was
most suitable for her penance. The brahmin told her that
the place close to the south west of Vayu linga known as
VignanaKshetra was most suitable for her. She established
a teertha named after her (Gauriteertha) in Swamamukhi
for her daily bath and ablutions. She would worship the
Vayu Linga with ten thousand leaves picked by her friends
from the Akhanda Bilva tree which was none other than
her former celestial body. She invoked Durga to protect
her during her austerities. As she intensified her penance,
She gave up food and lived on dried leaves; gave up dried
leaves and lived upon water; then on mere air as her food.
The Lord wanted to test her steadfastness and the sincerity
of Durga and created an artifical deluge. The sages there
ran helter and skelter. Durga magnified her body and took
the entire ocean into -her palm and drank it. Hence Durga
came to be known as Hastatta Sagara. ButParvati continued
her tapas unperturbed.
She controlled her breath and by Pranayama, roused
Kundalini to cross Brahma and Vishnu Grandhis and finally
retained it near Rudra Grandhi close to her eyebrows.
Hundred years passed like this. The old Brahmin appeared
before her and made kind enquiries and assured her that
Siva would appear before her on Pushya Poumami. Thus
reassured Parvathi continued her penance.
As anticipated. Lord Siva accompanied by Brahma,
Vishnu, Yakshas, Gandharvas, etc., appeared before her on
his Holy Bull, Thus blessed Parvathi prostrated before her
Lord. Siva in all his compassion was moved on seeing her
emaciated body. He wanted to endow her with a body
hundred times better than her previous heavenly body. He
invoked Kailasa Ganga and asked Parvati to take bath in
the holy waters. This done she emerged with a wonderful
shine and fittingly stood by the side of Siva in all radiance
The accompanying celestials themselves danced with estacv
and worshipped the complementary pair.
 49

Uma (Parvathi) exclaimed "Oh! Lord with crescent

moon as' a jewel on your locks; Oh fived faced one;
representing the five letters of thy Holy name; undaunted
one with live serpents as ornaments; blue necked one; with
ashes on the forehead; thy sport creation, sustinance and
annihilation; pardon me". Siva assured that they would
ever remain unseparated in that Holy place and that people
worshipping them would get all their desires fulfilled.

Finally, Parvathi submitted that she had given up all

her Rajasik quality and entered Satvika and requested Him
to initiate her into Siva Panchakshari so as to gain
knowledge and wisdom (Gnana and Vignana). Siva said
with a smile, "Of all the seven crores of Mantras, Siva
Panchakshari is the best one. In Sivaagama and the Vedas
it forms the central piece. It is the verbal form of Siva's very
life. This Mantra ensures Bhukti and Mukti (Welfare and
Salvation). With the letter OM, it becomes six lettered.
Though single lettered OM has in it all the potency of a
banyan seed. One who repeats this Mantra is well
protected. Let him belong to any caste or creed, there i§ no
necessity to determine an auspicious day or time with
reference to an almanac. Any person may start practising
this Mantra at any time". So saying the Lord initiated her
into various orders (deekshas) and finally into Siva
Panchakshari. In consequence, she gained Siva Gnana and
was henceforth known as Gnanambika. She repeated this
Mantra 50 lakh times near the Vayulinga in all solemnity.
As the flower of her knowledge developed and fully
blossomed she was known as Gnana Prasunamba.

Durga was also relieved of her jet black complexion

and was endowed with a golden hue. Thus she came to be
called Kanaka Durga and her hill Kanakachala.
Chapters 26 to 30 of Sthalapurana
Anugraha tirobhava sriti sthiti laya kriyaam I
Nigamaaswara varam Gnanaprasunambam aham bhaje I I
 50

1 W0TshlP Gnanaprasunamba who is ever intent on

the five functions of regeneration, disappearance, creation'
protection and destruction of the universe and who is highly
praised by the Vedas. & y

Chapter 12

YOGINI NEELA

Btarad°^?s foS* :!he S'°ry °f lhe Yogtai NeeIa t0

. rn°h Bhfadwaja! To the south of the Himalayas there

is a country known as Malava. A river called MalaLrf
having its source in the Vindyas, flo Jin S

which"a bralr Sl'ZZ£’% “

very iMrnedai^ac^dr&ith^tUle "Yoga Vidya,^She,Ut^t,ad

learning and ^ Proud

her in the knowledge of Self Shp ^ 7T n° °ne equaI to
sages wherever she® w^At 5,. t0 ”«* at ^ed
met a great sage namedKaimtara* ?ached NePal a”d
defeat PretendingTlllumnr T'3 Whomshe “™ted to
and told him She had o she-Plated before him
there was no one equal tiTheT T™' ^S^and that
philosophical discussion he ,Imted him fOT *
 51

The Sage became angry at her arrogance and told her

" You are really a great learned person and there is none to
excel you, Please leave me alone . Please go to those who
are more learned. I know very little. You are all knowing".
But she was not satisfied and insisted that he should
encounter her in a verbal duel. Then the sage in the presence
of several other sages and inmates of his hermitage
addressed her, "Oh Ghanakala! Are you not well versed
with the knowledge of Brahman? Please tell me whether
you know Brahman or not?" This was an intricate question
of a Vedantin; but without understanding its implication
she replied that she knew Brahman. The sage pointed out
her foolishness and quoted the famous verdict "Yasya
Matam Tasya Matam, matam yasya navedasaha I avignatam
vijanatam, vignana mavijanatam I". It is a convention that
persons who have realised Brahman would say that they
do not know Brahman for it cannot be perceived by senses
nor expressed in words. Though you are aware of this vedic
truth in arrogance you said in the assembly of sages that
you know Brahman. In this way you say you had conquered
several sages. For insulting the sages may you become a
ghost".

Then Ghanakala realised her folly and prostrated

before the sage and requested him to redeem her of the
curse. The sage was pleased and said, "The curse cannot
be revoked. After wandering as a ghost for several years,
you will meet sage Agastya who will show a way out. You
will finally reach the most sacred place on earth known as
Kasi of South, suffer Bhairava Yatana for a short while and
attain redemption in the hands of Lord Siva.".

At once she became a terrible ghost with dark blue

complexion, with big teeth, red face, huge belly and other
ugly features. By virtue of her colour she came to be known
as Neela Pishachi. She wandered on the hills and in the
forests, ate flesh and drank blood but her hunger could
 52

never be satiated. People who saw her were terrified and

ran hither and thither. After several years of wandering
she reached the hermitage of sage Agastya near Deepa
teertha. r

On reaching the proximity of this holy place, she smelt

the fine fragrance of the homa air and regained a little of
her past knowledge. She wondered at the change of her
colour from utter darkness to pale blue. In the meantime
she saw the short sage Agastya coming near the pond and
prostrated to him from a distance. The sage could
comprehend her past through his mental eye and asked her
Are you not the great philosopher Yogavidya? By insulting
sages you have become a ghost. Nobody can alter fate. It
has only to be suffered." Encouraged by these endearing
words, she reverently said that she was really fortunate in
havmg his darsan. Her sorrow was ending and pleasantness
was sproutmg in her heart. Great sages would help peopl
like her m despair. She requested him to show her a wav
told her e"ir°mnh? b°ndage- The was ^nd to her and
told her, I will direct you to a very sacred place namely

nnrfhhern/ai ASa Wh6re fl°WS the river Swamamukhi

northwards On its banks the Vayu Linga of immense
power stands. To the south of this linga (afa distancTtwo
miles) there is a hill known as Siddhalaya. You go there and
perform penance for fifteen years and by repelhng the
Bhauavamantra and prayer of Srikalahasteeswara, you will
anf °btam etemaI bIiss" He ini«ated her into
the mantra and gave her the text of the prayer- She
repeated the mantra on the banks of Deepateertha

way tc olhL3^ h ^ ^

the sa“ag«,eC“;rto ““msh*r«c>Kd

Siddhalaya and performed penance repeating thT^nta

 53

and prayer for fifteen years. The hill where she performed,
tapas came to be known as Neelachala. At last by meditating
on the Bhairava mantra and repeating the stotra for the
prescribed period seven eighths of her sins were washed
off. She ardently prayed to Bhairava to finally redeem her
when he appeared before her on the third day of bright
moon of the month Vaisakha known as Akshayatadiya, took
her on the end of his trident, revolved it for a period of two
gadiyas and threw her northwards. Her body fell in
dakshina kasi by the side of the linga of Manikameswara
close to the main linga of Srikalashateeswara.

Accompanied by Parvathi, the Lord emerged from

the linga and laid the head of Neela on his lap and gently
stroked her body. She was still unconscious. The Lord told
Parvati, "In her previous birth, she was a learned brahmin.
In this birth she was a great yogini, who leamt Bhramavidya
form Emperor Janaka. Her pride brought her downfall and
by the grace of Agastya she gets her redemption". As the
Lord whispered Pranava in her right ear she breathed her
last and attained salvation.(Appendix II)

Lord Siva as Manikameswara whispers Pranava in

the right ear of persons in their last moments and grants
salvation. So Srikalahasti is also known as Dakshina Kasi.

Chapter 31 and 32 of Sthalapurana.

Tatha pyanugrahadeva I Tarunendu sikhaamane I
Adwaita vaasana pumsaam I Aavirbhavati naanyadha I I
Only by the grace of Chandramouli men can derive
the sense of nonduality and not by anything else.
 54

Chapter 13

HARAHARA

Sage Romasa narrated the story of Harahara as follows:

There lived in Kosala a brahmin named Sivadwija.
He was highly depraved. He was also a cheat. He assumed
a new name, Munjaka and secured the job of a supervisor
in the temple of Someswara. He used to steal the jewels of
the temple and give them to harlots. The priests of the
temple detected his treachery and got him imprisoned. He
suffered there for a long time and died a miserable death.
Subsequently he took the birth of mean animals several
times and was finally bom as a hunter called Karabha. Even
in this birth he was a savage; so he was discarded by his
wife and children. Thereupon he went to remote forests
and became a dacoit. He used to administer sedatives and
poison to various travellers and rob them of their
possessions. He lived for a hundred years and finally fell
in a well and died. His soul was condemned to that part
of the hell called Athighora the abode of eternal torture.

One day a sage named Sananda visited Yamaloka to

see Lord Yama. Yama received the sage with due honours
and worshipped him. The sage expressed his desire to see
the suffering sinners in the hell. The sage took pity on them
and uttered the Sacred Panchaksharimantra when all of
them were released from hell and flew to Kailasa to the
astonishment of Yama. Then the sage enquired if there were
any worse sinners in hell. Yama produced Karabha as the
worst of the sinners and gave a full account of his bad deeds
Sage Sananda uttered the words "Hara Hara" in a high pitch
of voice. The sinner took it as a great mantra and considered
the sage as a gum as gracious as Lord Parama Siva himself.
He felt blessed m the presence of the sage and prostrated
before him. The sage said that he would be bom as a
brahmin named Harahara in the sacred Dakshinakailasa.
 55

There he would create an ashrama and a teertha and install

a Siva Linga, all named after him. The sage also explained
the meaning of the words Hara Hara. Uttering the word
Hara once would redeem a person of the sins acquired in
the course of several births. By the utterance of the word
Hara for the second time one would get rid of the misery
of samsara and get out of the cycle of births and deaths.
Karabha paid obeisance to Yogi Sananda and left Yama
loka. Yamadharmaraja praised the yogi for his concern for
the sinners. Then the sage presented privately the garland
of one hundred names of Srikalashateeswara known as the
Satanamabjamala (see Appendix III) to Lord Yama who
gratefully received it.
Subsequently Sage Bharadwaja wanted to know about the
next birth of Karabha. Sage Romasa continued

In Dakshina Kailasa there lived a great devotee of

Lord Sankara by name Susheela. He belonged to Srivatsa
gotra and was well versed in Sivaagama. He married
Priyamvada of Vasista gotra. She was the daughter of
Sivarata who was a great scholar and an expert in the
worship of Lord Siva. Priyamvada was equal to Lopamudra
in devotion. Susheela and Priyamvada meticulously
observed Grihasta Dharma, observed several austerities and
performed several vratas invoking Parameswara. He
offered his all to Sankara and devoted all his time singing
His praise. But he was worried as he had no issues. Lord
Sankara appeared in his dream and enquired the cause of
his dejection. Susheela replied, "By your grace we have
everything except a son. The vedas declare that one's
indebtedness to his ancestors will be cleared only by
begetting a son. They exhort 'Atmavai Putra namasi'. Thus
son is verily the father of man. Son is the cause for one's
success. A grandson ensures immense happiness, and a
great grandson will secure a place in the bright Surya Loka.
We feel unfortunate in not having a son. We do not know
what sin we have committed". The Lord said "Three births
 56

ago you were the king of Kalinga and she was your second
wife. When she was killing the child of your first wife out
of sheer jealousy you were an accessory, mutely witnessing
the ghastly scene. That is the cause for your childlessness.
In order to beget a son you meditate the HaraHara mantra
for three years when your desire will be fulfilled".
Recollecting what Parameswara told him in the
dream, Susheela and his wife began the japa of the sacred
mantra. At the end of the third year Lord Siva beckoned
the Pramadhagana (Karabha) who was redeemed by Yogi
Sananda and asked him to be bom as the son of Priyam vada
and Susheela in order to get mukthi. In due course the
pious couple were blessed with a son.

They named him Trikalagna Sagara. When he grew

up, they performed his upanayanam and invested him with
the sacred thread. After the demise of his parents,
Trikalagna gifted away all his possessions to the devotees
of Siva. He chose a solitary place in Kailasagiri six miles to
the east of the Vayulinga called Mitrakshetra. In that place
there was a SwayambhooSivalinga worshipped bySiddhas.
With single minded devotion, subsisting on mere water and
always uttering the HaraHara mantra he performed puja
for over fifty years. On the seventh day of the bright moon
of Magha masa the Lord along wiht Parvati appeared before
him mounted on His faithfull Nandi accompained by
several gods and ganas. Trikalagna who was now called
HaraHara prostrated before the Lord and requested Him
to grant the following boons :

'This linga, hitherto worshipped by Siddhas, as well

as the teertha used by me may be named after me. Those
that worship the linga by loudly uttering 'HaraHara' should
be blessed with Sayujya Mukti". The boons were granted.
After being worshipped by Indra and other gods the Lord
disappeared in the Harahara Linga.
 57

Romasa concluded the narration by emphasising that

the persons who take bath in the HaraHara teertha and
worship the linga would certainly obtain Sayujya Mukti or
final liberation.

Chapter 33 and 34 of sthalapurana

Yasya smritya sarva papougha naasho I
Yatpujato ghora samsara naashaha I
Yasyastutya mukhtirapaiva soyam I
Neelagreevah paatumaam adi dhukam I I
Oh blue throated Siva! A mere thought of Thee
cleanses our sins, worship of Thee uplifts us from the
dreadful samsara and by praising Thee we get release from
the cycle of births and deaths. Please save us from eternal
misery.

[SIVARAHASYA KHANDAM]

Chapter 14
MAYURA
Bharadwaja requested Romasa Maharshi to narrate
the story of the Kerala brahmin Mayura.
Romasa began:
In the kingdom of Kerala, there lived a great scholar
by name Suhamsa. His wealth exceeded five lakhs. He had
a wicked son called Mayura who was a personification of
all vices. He used to squander his father's money on
unscrupulous persons and women of disrepute. He led an
irresponsible life. In his twenty fifth year he murdered his
father, when he was asleep, in order to acquire all his wealth.
To escape punishment, he pretended innocence, wept
bitterly and performed his father's funeral rites in all
 58

solemnity. Thereafter he continued to revel in his old habits

and spent most of the wealth. When he grew fifty years
old, he noticed signs of old age on his body and began to
contemplate on his past deeds. What did he gain by killing
his father and by squandering the wealth in sinful acts?
Remorse and repentance filled his mind. Fear overtook him.
As he was pensively immersed in such thoughts, his purohit
Chandraka visited him.
Mayura received him with due hospitality and
lamented, "I am a great sinner. All my bad deeds weigh
heavily on me. For the sake of money, I have killed my
noble father. I have spent all my youth in the company of
loathsome persons. I have indulged myself in wine and
women. I have not done even a single good deed but was
involved in every conceivable immoral act. How can I wash
away my sins? Oh! purohit you are my mother, father and
friend. I take refuge in you. Kindly save me". Chandraka
was much moved and advised him to visit the various
sacred teerthas and to make appropriate gifts after taking
bath in each of them. He offered to accompany him to
perform the prescibed rites in various places. Both of them
set out on teertha yatra.

They visited hundreds of teerthas which included

Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvathi, Sindhu, Godavari, Krishna,
Cauvery, Panchaprayagas in the north, Ganga Sagara
sangam in the east Dhanushkoti in the south and Pushkara
in the west. They covered the entire Bharata Varsha, took
bath in all the sacred rivers, lakes and sea-shores, observed
fasts, performed ceremonies to propitiate Gods and (manes)
Pithrudevathas and made enormous gifts to brahmins and
pious people. In spite of all these visits Mayura could not
gain peace of mind. Finally they reached a place called
Nageswara, ten miles to the east of Chandrasaila. There
two serpents named Kambala and Aswatara worshipped
Lord Shiva and became his ear rings. There they took bath
 59

in the Sacred Swamamukhi. As luck would have it, they

beheld at a distance a lofty mountain peak amidst a thick
forest. On seeing this a radiance dawned upon the faces of
Mayura and his purohit. And his purohit experienced a
strange tranqulity. The purohit exclaimed with joy. "This
mountain must be Dhashina Kailasa the cosmic form of
Lord Siva. It has several Siva lingas in it and the very sight
of it ensures tranquility and bliss". As they marched towards
the mountain they lost sight of it. They found themselves
amidst a thick forest.

They struggled hard to find their way out. Paramasiva

wanted to test their sincerity and steadfastness. He
summoned his rare Shakti (Maya) called Ajay and gave him
neccesary instructions. Suddenly they saw at a distance a
huge elephant rushing towards them trumpeting furiously.
It swirled the branches of the trees and trampled every thing
on its way. It looked fierce like Rudra at a time of Pralaya.
Chandraka was mortally afraid. He thought that a clever
man should somehow save his life in the face of such a
danger and instantly decided to run away. Abandoning
his trusted companion he bolted away with some of the
money and precious stones of Mayura. On the other hand
Mayura stood there calmly and offered his prostations to
the fierce elephant. By the time he opened his eyes after
prayer the elephant disappeared.

In its place stood an old brahmin with three lines of

vibhudhi smeared on several parts of his body. He wore a
white dhoti and holy beads of rudrakshas. His face was
calm, with a smile dancing on his lips. Mayura saluted him
and said, "O revered one I have never seen you before. On
seeing you I obtain peace of mind. I am a brahmin of Kerala
who has committed several sins. In my greed I have killed
my father and several other innocent persons. I have a lot
of money. At the behest of my purohit I have taken bath
in several teerthas and made gifts to brahmins. On reaching
 60

this place we saw a mountain peak on the eastern side the

sight of which had lightened our hearts. Unfortunately my
purohit left me and I am alone. I offer my all and myself
to you, Kindly protect me and show me a way out.". The
old brahmin was pleased with his renunciation, remorse
and surrender and took pity on him. He said, "My name is
Pashupathi and I dwell in this region. Every day I take my
bath in the river Swamamukhi and worship the Vayurlinga.
Earlier this linga was worshipped by Brahma, Vashista,
Agastya and several others. Faith is the only means to
acheive success in our efforts. Your purohit had neither
faith nor devotion and so he ran away. You follow me ".
He took him to Dashkina Kailasa, had him take his bath in
Swamamukhi, made him worship the Vayulinga and led
him to a place on the mountain six miles to the south of it.
The brahmin in disguise struck the earth with his dhanda
(staff) when a small teertha was formed. As instructed by
the old man he installed a Siva linga and began to meditate
upon it with Siva Astakshari. The brahmin assured Mayura
that Kalahasteeswara would bless him after one year. Saying
so he vanished. Wonder and sorrow struck Mayura. He
ardently worshipped the linga chanting the sacred mantra.
One year passed. On a full moon day in the month of
Bhadrapada, accompanied by Gnana Prasunamba and
several celestials Sri Kalahasteeswara emerged from the
linga. He spoke," O Mayura. You have been purified by
taking bath in several teerthas and finally in Swamamukhi
and the Dhanda teertha created by me, by my darshan as
an old brahmin and by repeating the Astakshari mantra
given by me. Here after this Dhanda teertha and the linga
worshipped by you will bear your name. I will be ever
present here granting boons to my worshippers. After
shedding this mortal coil you will reach my abode.".
Mayura shed tears of joy and prayed that the purohit, who
left him in distress, be forgiven. What a marvellous change
m that worst sinner! A sinner could be a saint here.
 61

Chapters 35- 36 of Sthalapurana.

Bahunatraki muktena yasya bhakti Siva dhrida I
Mahapapopa papaughai rapi grasto vimutchyate I I
[Siva Gita 1-20]
Even the worst sinner can be redeemed by staunch
devotion of Siva.

Chapter 15
BHEEMA THE DUMB POET
Having heard the anecdote of Mayura of Kerala, Sage
Bharadwaja requested Romasa to explain the reason for
Bheema's dumbness, how he secured the grace of
Gnanaprasunamba and how he praised the Goddess after
regaining fluency. Romasa began:
There lived in Goudadesa a brahmin called Bheema.
He was the son of Viswamara and the grand son of Harihara.
Bheema was a great scholar. He visited several sacred
places and various ashramas. He had holy dips in hundreds
of teerthas. At last he reached Vriddhachalam in the south.
There he gained the acquaintance of a devotee of Lord
Parameswara called Nathasarma. He was a great lover of
books and had a big library of rare books. He was respected
by all due to his good qualities. Nathasarma wanted to see
Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram. He entrusted his library to
his friend Bheema, took leave of him and proceeded to
Chidambaram. After worshipping Lord Nataraja he
returned to Vriddhachalam. He was grieved to note that
several of the rare books of his library were missing. He
enquired Bheema if he knew the person who had taken the
books. In his greed for the precious books, Bheema
pretended innocence and replied that he had no knowledge
of the loss. Nathasarma was very much grieved and cursed,
"If I am a real devotee of the great God and if my God is
 62

kind to me, the person who stole my books shall become

dumb". At once Bheema lost his power of speech. He
repented his misdeed. Confessing his guilt he returned all
the books appropriated by him. By making gestures he
requested his host to pardon him. Nathasarma said that he
could only excuse his treacherous act but had no ability to
reverse the curse. He asked Bheema to leave the place and
seek remedy elsewhere. The dumbman felt miserable and
wandered far and wide. At last he met me (continued
Romasa) at Srisailam and narrated his story by gestures of
hands. I took pity on him and said, "You have cheated a
trusted friend and brought this curse upon yourself. Only
Lord Siva can save you. I am giving you the powerful
mantra of Panchadasakshari. Go to Dakshina Kailasa and
worship the imposing Vayulinga after taking bath in the
sacred Swamamukhi. Choose a place closeby, instal a Linga
and worship Parambika by repeating the mantra. The
necessary rituals and disciplines have to be strictly followed.
By the grace of Gnanaprasunamba you will regain your
speech in due course". I have also taught him the details
of the Sankalpa, Rishi, Chandas, Devata, Beejam, Shakth-
Reelaka, Nyasa and Dhyana sloka relating to the
Panchadasakshari as well as the mudras to be displayed at
the time of its meditation. I asked him to chant the mantra
nine lakh times.

Being well initiated by me, he went to Dakshina

asa. After having his bath in the river and worshipping
the lustrous Vayulinga and Gnanambika he settled down
m Sakthi kshetra two and a half miles to the south of the
mam linga. He selected a place in the river for his daily
ablutions and installed a siva linga and named the teertha
and linga after himself. In the august presence of Sage
Pippalada, a disciple of Sage Agastya he commenced
editahon, scrupulously following the instructions relating

he^th^H83^’
the \
third day of theE?ht m°nthS
bright moonpaSSed
in the monthaway
and on
of
 63

Bhadrapada, Devi Gnanaprasunamba appeared before him

and conveyed her appreciation of the correct way in which
he meditated upon her through her favourite mantra. She
declared that the curse of dumbness inflicted upon him by
Nathasarma had been vacated by her grace. At last he
regained his speech. Bheema made three pradakshinas to
the Goddess and prostrated before her. Beautiful verses
poured forthfrom his mouth in praise of the Devi, (see
Appendix IV)
"Devi! you dwell in Sri Chakra the omnipotent
soverign. In its central place you are seated on a throne
whose four legs are Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Easwara.
There you are accompanied by Siva. Your body is shaped
by bindu-nada-kala. I worship thee as the root cause of the
various sounds, para, pasyanti, madhyama, Vaikhari and
as the propounder of pranava. You occupy with different
shapes the six chakras of living beings and shine in the
thousand petalled lotus sprinkling nectar from the top.
River Swamamukhi adorns you as a garland of pearls. You
are the mother of the worlds.
Nityaiswarya prade, Nitye , Nirapaye mahakriye
Mahakameswarankasthe jaya Tripurasundari"

This meaningful prayer pleased the goddess. Seated

majestically on her lioness and constantly praised by all
gods and goddesses, Sri Gnanaprasunamba gave him the
following boons.

1. Those that take bath in your teertha on the third day

of bright moon, accompained by the star Swati, in the
month of Bhadrapada will be cured of dumbness.
2. Those who on that day chant Panchadasakshari
mantra in the presence of Mukeswara will get all their
desires fulfilled.
3. The teertha and the linga would for ever bear the
name of Mooka.
 64

After granting these boons Paradevata disappeared

Subsequently Bheema reached me in Srisaila and got mukti
(delivarance) in this very birth.
Chapter 37 of Sthalapurana.
Mukani karoti vachaiam pangum lamghayate girim I
Yat krupa tamaham vande paramananda Madhavam I I
Oh omnipotent! Thy grace enables the dumb to
become eloquent and the lame to cross mountains. Oh
Blissful one! My salutations to Thee.

Chapter 16
CHANDRA
Bharadwaja was eager to know the reason for Chandra to
perform penance at Srikalahasti. Sage Romasa explained
Lord Brahma had entrusted the propagation of human
race to Daksha Prajapathi. So Daksha brought forth a
number of sons. Sage Narada approached them and taught
them the futility of leading a family life. Influenced by the
teaching of Narada they all became sanyasis and strove to
obtain moksha. Daksha was disappionted and became
angry with Narada and cursed him, "You have made my
sons abandon worldly pleasures. Each one of them is left
without a house to live in and wife to promote the race. So
you too go on wandering from place to place with neither
a house nor a spouse." Narada accepted the curse as a
blessing.

Thereafter the Prajapathi decided to populate the

world with the sons of his several daughters. He gave
twenty seven of them in marraige to Chandra the sovereign
of stars and the rest of them to the other gods. Chandra
loved Rohini so dearly that he neglected the rest of his wives.
He spent all his time, with Rohini and pleased her in several
 65

ways. He would not even look at the face of the others.

These sisters felt dejected and disappointed and complained
to their father, "Dear father! our husband is fascinated by
Rohini and does not care for us. Why did you marry all of
us to one person. Now we are miserable." Daksha felt sorry
for them and retained them in his own house.
Somehow, after a long time Chandra went to his
father-in-law's house and requested him to send back his
wives with him. He expressed his regret for the partiality
shown to Rohini and promised to bestow equal attention,
love and care on all the sisters. After a lot of persuasion
Daksha sent them all with Chandra in the fond hope that
they would be happy. But Chandra did not mend his ways.
In his infatuation for Rohini, he continued to adore her
always. He would not even look at the face of others, nor
even think of them. They lived like prisoners in their own
home. Learning about the continued ill treatment of his
twenty six daugthers by their husband, Daksha became wild
with rage. The sin of neglecting the properly wedded wives
was unpardonable. Earlier Chandra sinned with the wife
of his own preceptor. These two sins deserved a fitting
curse on his handsome personality. Daksha cursed that
Chandra should suffer from leprosy. The cursed Chandra
lost his brightness and became a leper detested by one and
all. Day by day his lustre faded though it was restored to
some extent by grace of Sun's rays. As his original shine
was lost as a result of his becoming an ugly leper, Chandra
became very sad. Repenting his sinful acts he visited several
holy places and took bath in innumerable teerthas. There
was no improvement in his condition.

At last providentially he reached Dandakaranya, met

Sage Agastya and stood before him hanging his dull and
repulsive head in shame. The sage being dear to Lord Siva
and a Sarvagna identified his visitor and cognised the
reason for his plight. "You have not only neglected your
duty as a husband but also sinned against your guru by
 66

covetting his wife. Thereby you incurred the wrath of your

father-in-law and brought this curse upon yourself. Now
you are repentant and seek deliverance. In the distant south
you will find the silvery peak of a mountain famous as
Dakshina Kailasa. It was established by Lord Brahma. By
its side flows the clear waters of the north flowing river
Swamamukhi brought to earth by me. There stands the
luminous linga of Sankara. That is the holiest spot on earth
capable of washing away the worst of the sins. The Lord
there can be easily pleased by offering a small drona flower
or a single bilva leaf. Close to the Vayulinga is a sacred spot
known as Prabhasa kshetra with a teertha with the same
name. You must go there and meditate upon
Srikalahasteeswara and gain redemption".

Chandra thanked the Sage, reached Srikalahasti

erected a small cottage near Prabhasa teertha, lying south
west of Vayulinga and worshipped the Lord as instructed
by the Sage Agastya. After praying in this manner for a
month Lord Kalahasteeswara appeared before him on the
third day of the bright moon in the month of Chaitra and
relieved Chandra of his leprosy. He regained his former
radiance and praised the Lord in gratitude. Thereafter he
became the chief of the stars and began to cast his benign
moonlight the life force by which crops, trees and herbs
thrive.

Chapter 38 of Sthalapurana
Sourastradese visadetiramye I
lyotirmayam chandrakalavatamsam I
Bhaktipradanaya Kripavateemam I
Tam Somanadham saranam prapadye I I
I take refuge in Sri Somanadha of the beautiful
Sourastra region who wears the crescent and emits
transcendental light and is benign to His devotees.
 67

Chapter 17
DAKSHA YAGNA AND THE RAGE
Sage Bharadwaja questioned Romasa, "Dear Sir! why
did Daksha Prajapathi bear illwill towards his own
son-in-law, Sankara and why did he not invite him for his
yagna? Romasa clarified his doubts by telling the following
story.
Brahma had created the universe, and entrusted the
upkeep of custom and tradition to DakshaPrajapathi.
Daksha married Veerini (Prasoothi), the daughter of Manu,
the Lawgiver. He had sixty daughters through her.
Fiftynine of them were married to gods in heavens. His
youngest daughter Sati remained at home.
Daksha Prajapathi ruled the universe with a firm
hand. He performed several ceremonies with great pomp.
Men and gods vied with one another to be recognised by
the Prajapathi. Whenever an occasion arose, they flocked
to the sacrifice hall and were impressed by its splendour.
Daksha's position was so well established that the gods
themselves began to bow down and worship him. He
surveyed his dominion with pride and was pleased with
what he saw.
In due course, his youngest daughter Sati came of age.
She adored Siva and was in love with him. Though her
father disliked the ways of the God of Kailasa, he reluctantly
gave her away in marraige to him.
One day, a conference was held in the cool atmosphere
of the snowclad silvergrey mountains of Kailasa. It was
presided over by Sankara with his consort Sati by his side.
The conference hall was packed to the full by Gods,
Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Yakshas, Kimpurushas and sages.
As the discussions were going on, Daksha entered the hall.
He being the son of Brahma, and father- in-law of Sankara,
the entire audience stood up and paid their respects to him
 68

individually. But Sankara being ageless would not bow

down before the aged Prajapathi even though he happened
to be his own father-in-law. The selfcentered and the
haughty headed Daksha misunderstood the Lord's motive.
He felt highly insulted as Sankara did not even get up from
his throne as a mark of respect due to an elder. Siva's
behaviour stung Daksha who was not used to being ignored.
The Prajapathi grew angry and made long and heavy
strides. The veins on his forehead swelled and throbbed
with rage. He began to scream out abuse after abuse on
Siva. " It is a shame and a disgrace that I have given my
daughter in marraige to you, a wandering begger with ash
from cremation grounds smeared all over the body. Your
dress is strange and your ways vagrant. You lack manners"
he roared in anger. He would have nothing to do with Siva
thereafter. He swore vengeance. But Siva ignored all these
abuses and remained calm. He was aware that paying
obeisance to one inferior to Himself (Daksha) would shorten

After some time' Daksha arranged for a great yagna

to be performed at Kanakhala kshetra. All theGods md
Goddesses were specially invited. So also the sages and the
J®3 al over lJe world- The onty exceptions were Sankara
hl!f?nSSrt Sa.^- 7116 entire Place was beared and well
j0rf, ' eautiful pandals were erected. Pots of gold
fi?dK uTi W! h m8redients like milk and honey adorned
e hall. Elephants, horses and chariots were kepf ready for
the invitees. Elaborate arrangements were made fi/the
comfortable slay of the celestials , .
Animals for the sacrifice were procured. m3n emgS'

Fifty-nine daughters of Daksha and their husbands

jewels. Gods and other celestials were hastening to reach

the spot. Sati saw their unusual rush towards theearth and
came to know about the sacrifice from her maid
 69

In her mind's eye she saw Daksha's great stately

mansion that had been her child-hood home. She wanted
to go to the Yagna and requested permission of Siva. He
said that it was not proper for her to go there uninvited,
but Sati pleaded that a daughter needed no invitation to go
to her father's house. Siva pointed out that she was not
loved by her father and so not wanted by him. He
added,"Your father hates me. As you are my wife, you will
not be welcomed". With tears in her eyes and in a low
voice Sati said that she longed to see her mother and sisters.
Atlast, Siva unwillingly nodded consent. She could not
wait to start. Accompanied by her maid servants and the
faithful Nandi, she went to the hall of sacrifice. It was
crowded with people. Priests were chanting mantras and
pouring out the libations. Vessels of gold and silver stood
gleaming like moons and stars. On one side, she recognised
her sisters and brothers-in-law well dressed. She saw them
nudge each other. She heard them snigger. She ran to the
place where her parents sat and prostrated herself at their
feet. Daksha turned and opened his eyes wide with anger.
His features contorted. He hissed," You shame-less girl!
Who invited you here". As his thought went out to Siva, his
face grew red with anger. He began to abuse the absent
Siva. Volleys of words poured out from the depths of hatred
within him. He continued to rail against Siva spitting out
insult after insult. Sati could not bear to hear the abuses.
Closing her ears with both her hands, she exclaimed "Siva,
Siva”. She decided to end her body as Daksha's daughter.
She sat down in yoga, controlled her breath and immolated
herself in the flames of her yoga. Daksha stood horrified
to see the flames engulf her body. Her mother screamed
and began to sob wildly. The ceremony ceased and the
priests started trembling. People stood dazed.
Nandi rushed towards the corpse panting and
weeping. Shaking his horns and calling earth and heaven
to bear witness, he cursed," Inhuman Daksha, your sin shall
 70

not go unpunished". He stood near the body for a minute

shedding silent tears and rushed to Kailasa to report the
ghasty incident. Sati's maids followed him.
In a moment, Nandi reached the snowy peaks where
Sankara was in deep meditation. In a mournful voice he
addressed," Oh Lord, Sati is dead". Siva woke up from his
yoga trance and was shocked to learn what happened. His
face was grim and drained of blood, white as the ash on his
body. He wept bitterly crying out" Sati, dear Sati, gentle
Sati, my belevod! What have you done!" He paced slowly
up and down. Suddenly his sorrow gave room to anger.
His pale face became red and his eyes were burning coal.
Restlessly he jumped hither and thither with wild strides.
Digging his hand into his matted locks, he drew out a single
strand of hair and hit it hard on a rock. With its impact,
volcanoes leaped up.

As the flames converged, a being took shape out of

their burning fury. He was red-faced and the fires of wrath
leaped out of every pore of his mighty body. He weilded a
curved sword and innumerable weapons in his several
arms. Nandi fell on his knees recognising the new creation
as Veerabhadhra the embodiment of Siva's anger. Several
demons smaller than Veerabhadhra and yet bearing
resemblance to him sprang up from the fires. Their
numbers multiplied every second. Veerabhadhra led his
army crying vengeance, blood, death, destruction!".

With the speed of lightning, they reached the cursed

spot and savagely set to work, wrecking, burning and
destroying. They kicked the vessels, smashed the lamps
and destroyed the idols. With coarse weapons, they
attacked every one. They dragged out Gods and Goddesses
and forced them to their knees. They danced on Indras's
head and broke the staff of Yama. Remembering that Bhrigu
sported his mustache and beard they tore them away
Agm's hands were cutoff and Bhaga's eyes were pierced.
 71

The sacrifice itself took the shape of deer and tried to escape.
Veerabhadra mercilessly cut off its head. With a mighty
blow of his weighty sword, the head of Daksha rolled on
until it fell in the sacrificial fires. At last it was the turn of
Surya for he could not hide anywhere. His own brightness
betrayed his location. "You Sun, did you not laugh
exhibiting all your teeth when Siva was abused?". With
these words he slapped on Sun's cheeck resulting in the fall
of all his teeth. His lustre was also grabbed. All this was
accomplished in no time.
Dead silence prevailed. Corpses, scattered vessels
and broken idols lay everywhere. At the centre of the hall
was the head- less body of Daksha gushing blood. His wife
sat mourning by its side. At a little distance lay the body of
Sati. The flames had only taken her life, but did not tarnish
her loveliness. She lay as if she was sleeping. Nobody knew
when Siva arrived and sat by its side shedding silent tears.
He sat by the side of Sati's body constantly staring at it. He
saw nothing else and heard nothing of the commotion. For
him all things had ceased to be. His mind came out of the
dark dungeon of grief when he heard Veerini weeping
nearby. He turned his eyes and saw the noble lady stand
before him begging for her husband's life. Recognising the
grey- haired one as the beloved mother of his sweet Sati he
whispered, "Let Daksha live ". Then he resumed silence. All
of a sudden, Daksha's blood-stained body began to move.
His headless trunk rose up with its hands groping blindly.
Horrified, nobody knew what to do. The demons were
amused. One of them thought that a goat's head would be
fit for the headless body. He cut-off the head of the goat
that was bleating there and slapped it on to the trunk.
Daksha's spirit blinked at the world out of the goat's eyes.
His words came in goat's reedy, quavering voice chanting,
"Samchamey, mayaschamey, priyanchamey" and so on. The
demons screamed with laughter and teased him with their
coarse jests.
 72

The hustle distracted the attention of the pensive Siva.

Absent- mindedly he turned his head, a smile lingered on
his pale lips. Gods and Sages expressed their sorrow and
bade farwell to Siva. He noticed the lack of staff in Yama's
hand and asked him to take another. He saw Brighu
without his beard and said he would be endowed with a
goat's beard. He had a word for a few other gods and
sages. The Sun God was standing at a little distance with
his head cast downwards. He used to frequently caress his
cheek. All his shine had gone and his mouth was toothless.
As his heat had gone he shivered. Siva took pity on him,
"Have flour for your food hereafter, but you must get back
your brightness and heat for the welfare of the world. To
regain them you go to Dakshina Kailasa and worship my
Vayulinga. Repent and perform penance. You will get your
redemption there.". The Sun god did as he was advised.
Daily he took bath in a teertha close to Vayulinga and
performed abhisheka with its waters. At last Siva appeared
before him and restored not only his brilliance but also his
power. He consented to Sun's request to use for his daily
abhisheka the waters of the well used by him by naming it
Suryapushkarini.

The Sun God was much pleased and went away to

the high skies to discharge his duties. Years later, Sati was
bom as Parvathi, the daughter of Menaka and Himavan
and married Lord Siva.

Chapter 39 of Sthalapuranam and Sati khandam of

Sivapuranam.

Note: Even to this day the waters of the

Suryapushkarini near the western gopuram of the temple
are used for the worship of the Vayulinga in
Srikalahasti.There is an imposing idol of Sri Veerabhadra
in a village called Singamala close to Sri Kalahasti.
 73

Kriyadaksho Dakshah kratupatir adhishas tanubhritaam I

Rishinaam arthvijyam Saranada sadasyah suraganaah I
Kratubhramsah twattah kratu phala vidhanavysaninae I
Dhruvam kartuh sradha viduram abhicharaya hi makhah I I
[SIVA-MAHIMNAH STOTRAM - 21]
Daksha Prajapati maha makha nasanaya
Yogaya yoganamitaya namashivaya
Thou giver of refuge! Even the sacrifice where Daksha
Prajapati, expert in sacrifices, was the sacrificer, rishis were
the priests, Gods were the supervisors, was destroyed by
Thee, though Thou art bent upon giving fruits of sacrifices.
Absence of devotion to Thee is surely injurious to the
sacrificer.
I bow to Thee, O Siva! the great yogi ever engrossed
in Yoga.

Chapter 18
REDEMPTION OF DEVENDRA
Subsequently Sage Romasa narrated the episode of
Devendra : It was the court of that lust crazy Devandra in
Swargaloka. He was seated in his beautiful peacock throne.
The court was full with all the gods seated in their
..ppropriate places. The occasion was Rambha's dance
performance. She was accompanied by several gayakas,
vainikas and players on Dumdhubhi, damaru, mridanga,
veena, conch and cymbals. The music provided was
remarkable for alliteration, resonance and dance rythm. In
addition to the beauty of her form and the great sheen of
her body, Rambha had mastery over the art itself - in the
fourfold abhinaya, thirty two varieties of hand movements,
eighteen modes of glances, six stances, three fold
movements, eight flavours tripartite musical rythm and
other factors.
 74

Various emotions were blooming forth as she danced

with new and ever new aesthetic creations of dance. After
giving a few recitals of nritya and natya she embarked upon
tandava and lasya alternately. With the thunderous stamp
of feet, swift whirling of hands and glances bubbling with
volcanic fire, to the accompaniment of banging of large
drums, rattling of damaru and shrill blowing of conch
Rambha's tandava was driving terror into the hearts of the
on-lookers. Suddenly the blaring music gave way to the
melody of samagana, soft notes of veena and the sweet
sound of flute as she switched over to lasya with graceful
movements of limbs and endearing glances of eyes. In swift
succession she would change from tandava to lasya and
vice versa. The audiance was spell bound. Above all, Indra
was all eyes and ears for the performance. When the dance
was in its highest pitch, Devaguru Bhrihaspathi entered the
court hall. Even though informed about the arrival of the
venerable one, Indra's attention could not be diverted.
Naturally Brihaspathi felt insulted and left the place cursing
Indra to lose his kingdom for his arrogance. The priest
disguised himself as an ordinary person and left for
bhuloka. As soon as the dance was over the chief of gods
came to know the curse and disappearance of his mentor.
Neither he nor his devas could trace their guru.

Demons, the eternal enemies of devas, came to know

about the happenings in Devaloka. Taking advantage of
the situation they easily conquered the Gods and drove
awayDevendra from Swargaloka. Poor chief of Gods left
his wife Sachi Devi in the cave of Mount Meru. He then
went to Brahmaloka, prostrated before the four headed God
an narrating his sad story, sought his blessings for
over<ommg the difficultly. Brahma took pity on him and
satd. Those who insult venerable persons are sure to lose
nnJ Pv f 3nd possessions- You cannot find Brihaspathi
"°WA0U *’ave‘“approach the three headed Viswampa,
was ra, and the nephew of the demons who is now
 75

in Pariyatra hills. He alone can help you at present Be

cheerful". Accordingly Indra met Viswarupa confessed his
follies and requested him to accept the priesthood of the
angels. The three headed Viswarupa agreed to obey the
orders of Brahma. With his blessings Indra vanquished his
enemies and regained his paradise.

Not satisfied with this victory. Indra now wanted to

gain permanent peace for his clan by totally eliminating the
demon race. For this purpose he requested his new priest
to perform a yagna. As these two were preparing for the
Yagna, the demons scented the forth coming disaster to
their race. They approached Twastra, the father of Trisira,
and requested him to save them from extinction. Twastra
sympathised with them. Promising to help them he met
his son and reminded him that the enemity between the
Devas and Asuras was an eternal one. He pointed out that
it was improper for him to cause the destruction of asuras.
He instructed his son to see that a portion of the havis
(offering) reach the demons so as to save their lives. As
duty bound Trisira agreed to obey his father. The Yagna
began in all solomnity; but to the astonishment of Devendra
not even a single foe of his was eliminated. Somehow he
came to know the secret design of his priest in sending a
portion of the offering to his foes. He became furious and
cut off the three heads of his new priest with a single stroke
of the Vajrayudha. By committing this heinous crime Indra
lost all his lustre. The demons once again occupied the
paradise and drove away its chief. His sins haunted him.
Once again Indra left his wife Sachi Devi in the cave of
mount Meru and went to Brahma. He offered prayer to
Brahma and explained the helpless situation in which he
was placed. If only he could get back his priest Brihaspathi
all his troubles would come to an end. He requested Brahma
to indicate the means of winning back the grace of his
mentor. Lord Brahma sympathised with him arkd said, "
The worship of Siva is the only way out for all Miseries.
 76

Go to Dakshina Kailasa on the banks of the holy

Swamamukhi, as that is the place very dear to Siva. You
worship the unique Linga there devotedly. The Lord will
be pleased and fulfil your desire".
Immediately he reached the sacred place, took bath
in the river and worshipped the Vayulinga there. Three
miles to the east of if he met several sages/created a holy
pond and installed a linga as instructed by them. Shedding
all his ego he offered prayers devoutly with thousands of
bilva leaves. After a few years the Great God, Mahadeva
appeared before him in all his glory. He was accompained
by Parvati, Karthikeya and Ganapati. The Lord said, 'I am
pleased with your sincere prayers. Ask for the boons and
they will be granted". Indra's joy knew no bounds. He
praised the Lord and asked him to facilitate the darsan of
Brihaspathi. In a moment the Devaguru appeared there.
Lord asked Brihaspathi to excuse Indra and continue his
preisthood in Swarga. Further the Lord Siva declared that
who so ever bathes in the Vajra teertha created by Indra
and worship the Vidweswara linga installed by him on the
second day of the bright half of Chitra would get their
wishes granted. Siva disappeared Brihaspathi and Indra
returned to Swarga. The demons were vanquished and
Indra gained back his sovereignty.

Chapter 40 of Sthalapurana.
Bahunaa kimuktena slokardhena vadamyaham I
Brahmahatyao satamvapi Sivapujaa vinaasayeth I I
Why so many words? I will tell you in one sentence,
"Worship of Siva will obliterate even the sins acquired by
murdering hundreds of Brahmins".

[BRAHMANDA PURANAM]
 78

a long time before your sins are washed off'. Cursing their
lot they descended to earth.
Bharadwaja requested Romasa to initimate how the curse
of the Lord had its course. Romasa continued :

Mayadevi had three sons named Surapadma,

Simhavaktra and Taraka and a vile daughter called
Ajamukhi. The three brothers performed a special
ceremony (Veerayaga) and pleased Sankara, who granted
them special powers. With their might they conquered all
the worlds except Kailasa. Their sister was an adultress.
She procured beautiful women of heaven and earth and
offered them to her brothers to enjoy. She used to forcibly
drag handsome men to satisfy-her lust. Once she could
seduce and copulate with Sage Durvasa as a result of which
Harivaktra and Gadaketu were bom as Vatapi and Ilvala.
These two brothers obtained several boons from Gods and
began to harm humanity. They were fond of human flesh
and intoxicating drinks. They would not even spare
brahmins as their flesh satisfied their appetite. Their tricks
with Sage Agastya were however, not successful. In the
process they both died.
Later they were reborn as the sons of Panchamedhra
and Sarama. These demons were called Raktapa and
Madyapa. They used to deceive sages by offering drinks.
One sage named Putimasha was also offered an intoxicating
drink. He scented their mischeif and cursed them to become
Palmyra trees. They were afraid and requested the sage to
indicate some way out. The sage took pity on them and
said, "You were devotees of Sankara and lived as Ganas in
Kailasa, You both deceived the Lord and stole a secret
mantra resulting in the curse to be bom as demons. You
will offer prayer to Siva as Palmyra trees a little to the
northeast of Vayulinga for some years and will be consigned
to flames in front of that linga on the full moon day of the
month of Karthika. Then you will regain your divinity and
go back to Kailasa".
 79

They hastened to Srikalahasti and became Palm trees

and awaited their redemption.
Chapter 41 of Sthalapurana
Note: Actually there were two palmyra trees adjacent
to the northeast part of the temple. The trees fell down a
few years ago and were consigned to flames.
Vedante paramam guhyam purakalpa prachoditam i
Na prasantaya datavyam na putraya sishyaya va punaha I I
The great secrets expounded in Vedas should not be
taught to fickle minded persons even if they are your own
sons or disciples.

Chapter 20
TRIPURA SAMHARA
At the behest of Bhardwaja, Romasa began to narrate
the story of Tripurasuras who attained release during
Tretayuga.
Lord Subramanya fought with the mighty demon
Taraka, killed him in an extraordinary battle and adopted
his cock and spear as his own symbols. Taraka's son also
lost his life in the battle. There after Taraka's grandsons
named VidyunmalL Tarakaksha and Kamalaksha
performed penance invoking the blessings of Lord Brahma.
After several years Brahma appeared before them and asked
them as to what they wanted. They bowed and requested
the God to grant them eternity. The Lord said that all the
living beings should die one day or other. As this wish could
never be granted, he asked them to ask for something else.
They thought for a while, consulted among themselves and
fearing no harm from Lord Siva, being His disciples, they
requested Brahma,"Gracious Lord! We wish to live in three
cities made of gold, silver and steel that should ever be
 80

revolving up in the skies. Our cities should meet for a while

only once in thousand years. Our cities should be destroyed
by one mounted on a chariot which is not a chariot, by a
bow which is not a real bow. The arrow should not be a
normal arrow and it should simultaneously destroy all our
three cities with one stroke. Thus should our end come-
only in that grand manner. Kind Lord,be pleased to grant
us these boons." Brahma nodded and said/'So be it."
The demons' joy knew no bounds. With the help of
the great architect Viswakarma they had three splendid
cities built of gold, silver and steel that would be revolving
in the skies. Each one was spacious, with beautiful houses,
grand temples for Siva and lovely gardens. Priests were
always chanting Vedic hymns and performing sacrifices
enjoined in the Vedas. The three brothers occupied one each
and travelled fearlessly above all the three worlds. The
speed of the new cities caused panic in the hearts of men
and gods alike, for the demons destroyed anything they
fancied. Every moment was a precarious one for all.
All gods went to Brahma who pleaded his inability
to kill them. They went to Sankara who flatly refused to
oblige them. He said,"They are my staunch Bhaktas. I will
never raise my little finger against my dear devotees. Go to
Vishnu. He is cunning and may show a way out.'The
helpless Gods then went to Vaikunta and submitted their
plight. Vishnu promised to help them in course of time. He
created Arihanmuni and asked him to draft a new code of
conduct denouncing Vedic methods and extolling wealth
and worldly pleasures. Soon the sage appeared before
Vishnu with his head completely tonsured. He held a
bundle of peacock feathers in his hand and submitted his
treatise to Vishnu. It was awesome in its rhetoric. It was
capable of distracting people and creating confusion in
them. Anybody would fall prey to the catchwords coined
by the sage. Vishnu appreciated,"The glamour of your
preachings is irresistable. The three Demons will easily fall
 81

prey and will dig their own graves. Just wait, I will arrange
for your proper introduction." Then Vishnu called his
favourite devotee and gave him appropriate instructions.
With his head completely shaven and holding a bundle of
peacock feathers Narada first went to the golden city of
Vidyunmali. He neither held Veena nor did he praise
Narayana. He entered the court of the demon uttering "Hail
Vidyunmali of the golden city, Ahimsa Paramo Dharmaha".
Vidyunmali was shocked to see Narada in his new attire
and the new words on his lips and exclaimed,"How strange
you look, holy sage! What has come upon thee? For the first
time I see you without your Tripundra mark on your fore
head and other parts of your body." He was really anxious
to know the cause at once. Narada explained, "Oh mighty
King, I came across a wonderful sage in Vaikunta. He is
preaching an entirely new code of conduct. I realised that
we have been fools all these days. His philosophy is real
and benificial. So have I changed and feel quite happy
now". The magic worked upon the demon and he was
anxious to meet this great redeemer of miseries. Narada
assured him that the redeemer would visit him shortly.
And Arihanmuni visited the golden city delivering
his new sermon. He was accompanied by four of his
disciples. All of them had their heads tonsured and held
peacock feathers in their hands. The new sage wandered
from street to street and preached his new doctrines from
every comer. People were inspired and gathered in large
numbers. They were attracted by their simplicity and sweet
words. The demon king was very happy to hear the news.
He personally went to one comer of the city to welcome
him and his disciples. The king pleaded that he had already
known the greatness of the sage through Narada and longed
to become his first and foremost disciple. The sage agreed
and began his sermon.
"The whole life is a misery. Everybody born is
destined to die. In spite of this people commit sinful acts
 82

and hope to get redemption by performing ceremonies and

sacrifices. They do not hesitate to cause harm to others and
cause bloodshed. They are prepared to kill even their kith
and kin. Can their sins be washed away by sacrificing goats?
Can their domains increase by killing horses and other
animals in the name of God?. Nonvoilence is the greatest
of good deeds Ahimsa paramo dharmaha. Similarly one should
not tell lies. They should be true to their own consceience.
Satyam vada. There is no God higher than truth. No doubt
man has many wants. He should satisfy them in the right
way. Enjoy by all means but adhere to righteousness.
Dharmam Chara. The epics extol every blood thirsty^
revengeful merciless person as an avatar, an incarnation of
God and a protector. One should have compassion. Once
again, no again and again I declare that no God can be
pleased by voilent methods. Ahimsa paramo dharmaha. Be
kind to every living being. Serve mankind. Do not blindly
follow conventions. Think rationally and apply your mind".
The Sage explained his philosophy to the demon king and
further elaborated it.
No doubt the king and his subjects were converted.
They at once discontinued sacrifices and other vedic
practices. Gods were pleased. They all went to Kailasa and
apparised Siva of the new developments in the three cities.
He felt sorry for His old devotees and cursed the fate that
brought about the change. In fact all the Gods were also
animals (pasus) and He being their Lord (Pasupati) had to
protect them. He also foresaw that the conjunction of the
three cities at the end of the thousand years was nearing
and felt the cities were doomed. He reminded the Gods of
the boons obtained by the demons from Brahma and asked
them to provide him with necessary equipments. The entire
celestial world was behind Siva in every form, but in an
impossible situation. The earth was the chariot which bore
Him, the Sun and Moon were the wheels under it. Brahma
was the charioteer. Vedas were the horses yoked to the car
 83

Mount Meru was the bow with serpent king Vasuki as its
string. Vishnu himself in conduction with fire (Agni) was
the arrow aimed at the Tripuras. All the gods were there
ready individually to help him.
Siva proceeded against the three demons with this
strange array of arms and equipment. He waited for the
moment when their cities gathered. Siva became a Rudra,
spilling terror, and stood on His chariot brandishing
different weapons in His innumerable hands. He made
powerful strides and finally stood like an archer in alidhu
pose, with His right knee advanced and the left retarded.
His main left hand was stretched to hold the weighty bow.
His right hand was stretched to hold the flaming arrows.
His entire figure pulled itself away from the target towards
which the arrow pointed. The very flames at the tip of the
arrow seemed to perform tandava dance of destruction in
their eagerness to consume the cities. The jata makuta with
its Crescent Moon reinforced the backward pull of Siva's
'head, with its long, intent and furious face. The slant of the
arrow and bow wielding arms in one direction and the pull
of His body in the opposite terrified the onlookers. His
enormous body radiated heroic energy and He was ready
to strike.

At that moment Vijayalakshmi, foretelling success,

came there and praised Siva. Vishnu, who formed the
an-ow about to be released, was visibly annoyed as she was
all praise for Siva.

Noticing Vishnu's annoyance Siva at once discarded

the bow and arrow and opened His third eye. The flames
emanating from it struck like a flash of lightning, scattered
all over, on the wide expanse of the brazen castles and
edifices and reduced them to a handful of ashes. In sheer
ecstasy Siva danced the dance of victory in the expression
of His might.
 84

All the Gods and Sivaganas joined Him in the dance

Kmnaras provided the music. Again Vijayalakshmi came
and praised the triumph of the Lord.

Vishnu, whose annoyance was doubled only stood

helplessly m a corner of the arena. Siva was angry with him
for not cooperating with Him in the critical moment and
urs xn\*° ose his Sabhapatitwa and Sarvavanditwa.
Narayana then realised his mistake. Being aware of his
present plight, he expressed remorse and prayed for
pardon. The Great God showed him a way out. He should
go to Dakshma Kailasa on the banks of Swarnamukhi and
perform penance. Narayana obeyed. He selected
Bhukamakshetra near Vayulinga offered prayers- and
per orm ^sereve tapas. At last Lord Siva appeared before
him as Ardhanareeswara and crowned him fs Sabhapathi
m the presence of Gods. The power of protection was also
restored to him. All the gods praised Vishnu and extolled
the magnanimity of Lord Sankara. Regaining his orient
VaitaaShnU W0ESh^ped SrikaIahasteeswara and left for

Chapters 42 and 43 of Sthalapurana

sss.rrsssr.ss.-ii’r1
vidheyaih kndanthyo ra khalu paratantraah Prabhudhiyah I I

[SIVA MAHIMNAH STOTRAM - 18]

When Thou wanted to burn the three cities whieh
°f StraW f° Thee'the earth was Thy chariot
the J cJlanoteer' the great mountain Meru Thy bow"
the sun and moon the wheels of Thy chariot Vish™, ti, '

Append re"dered by Sr* Vishnu 15 8iv™ in

 85

Chapter 21

PRANAVAM

Sage Romasa continued with another episode:

Accompanied by His consort Parvati, Lord Siva was
seated on a beautiful throne in Kailasa and was giving
audience to His devotees. Several Gods, yakshas, kinnaras,
and other celestial beings were rushing to Kailasa to have
His darsan and receive His blessing. They were led by Hari,
Brahma and Indra. On their way to Kailasa every one used
to worship Guru Guha, Son of Siva, and with his permission
go to Kailasa. But the haughty headed Brahma considered
Guru Guha only as a small boy much inferior to him in
learning. Ignoring Guru Guha, Brahma went straight to
Kailasa to worship Mahadeva. While returning also all the
Gods saluted Subrahmanya, but Brahma bypassed him with
disrespect. Consequently the six faced Guha felt insulted
and wanted to punish the four faced God. He therefore
ordered his servant to fetch Brahma before him. When he
was brought, Shanmukha said, "You impertinent Virinchi!
You seem to think that you are all knowing. Will you prove
it by answering my question in the presence of Sages?".
Brahma was so confident about his own knowledge that he
immediately agreed. Soon a meeting was arranged in which
Shanmukha asked Brahma to explain the characteristics of
the Vedas and the meaning of Pranava. Brahma tried to
recollect the meaning of Pranava but in vain. Skanda became
very angry and said, "Oh! Virinchi! you think too much of
yourself. You are not capable of assessing the worth of
others. Hereafter you will possess, only mediocre Rajasic
behaviour. You will lose discriminating powers”.

Guru Guha knew that Brahma could not answer his

question, for he had already lost the special significance of
Pranava due to a curse. It happened like this. Once the
 86

fom nfp1r°aChed lrahma and re^uested him to explain the

R , whlch ^the essence of all the four Vedas
Brahma said that he himself represented Pranava. The
sages were not convinced and requested Vedas to manifest
hcmselves and elaborate the point. Accordingly afthe
ur edas personified themselves before the gathering.

Rig Veda said. The great God by whom this whole

universe is created and by whom all the animateand
mammate objects were enveloped is indeed Pranava". "That
ic after obtaining the blessings of Lord Parameswara
^ves nothing else to be desired is Pranava “d
^ *7a' Samaveda elaborated by saying, "He by whom
L m°UValed'in the who eiTvt”
s contained, whose attributes the sages loug to reahS
Indeed He is Pranava". Finally, Adhfrva vik d«tad
e Lord of Sacrifice, the seer, the omnipotent the invisible'
pure conscience SadaSiva is Pranava". Even thouTaH the'

repr«en5Sa!,aTt,Ty
represents ^
I ranava, the adamant ‘hal persisted
Brahma W “>*»<feva
thai hp

wiihlv,! K P ' he omniPotent, the allc powerful

without beginning or end the cm^s- i
r^A
one
°ne
 87

Cursed first by Pranava and later by Skanda, Brahma

lost his power of discrimination and became sad. Seeing
his plight his wife Saraswathi sat by his side and
encouragingly said, "Oh dear! I see you are depressed.
Please do not lose heart. How have you forgotten that you
have acquired the power of creation by the grace of Lord
Siva by performing tapas at Dakshina Kailasa. You go there
again and perform penance, for the merciful Siva will
redeem you from the curses and rid you of your misery.
He will grant you all the boons you may ask". Brahma
consented.

Accordingly he went to Dakshina Kailasa and

performed tapas invoking Siva's grace. He worshipped the
Vayu Linga for several days. Siva was pleased and wanted
to help him. As soon as He thought of Skanda, His son
appeared, prostrated and enquired what was required of
him. Lord Siva pointed out that there was absolutely no
difference between himself and Skanda. Any insult or
praise for the one was equally applicable to the other. "Now
that Brahma repents and is performing penance invoking
me I feel like saving him from the curses. I hope you are
agreeable.".

Skanda said, "Will I ever disagree with your decision?

Dear father, you know what is the right course. He took
leave of his father. Accompanied by Gnanambika the Lord
appeared before Brahma and blessed him with the true
knowledge of Pranava and absolute devotion to Himself.

Chapters 44 and 45 of Sthalapurana.

Pranava dhyana saktaya I Sivaya pranamatmane I
Srikalahastinadhaya I pranaamostu Bhavayate I I
By incessant contemplation on Omkara Thou hast
become Pranava itself. Oh Lord of Srikalahasti ! thou art
Bhava. I prostrate before thee

7
 90

spot and began the worship as instructed. She chose a place

in the river Swarnamukhi for her daily ablutions.
Observing due formalities, she installed SriChakra close to
the Goddess. She contemplated on Parameswari, in
Chintamani Griha of Manidweepa, surrounded by the
ocean of Amruta (nectar). She set her mind on the
Manidweepa comprising nine prakaras of nine metals, like
copper, silver and gold, with several divine trees, bearing
delicious fruits and fragrant flowers. Beyond, there were
regions of nine gems, like Pushyaraga, Indraneela and
Manikya, where even the trees yielded gems. Crossing these
localities her thoughts pondered over nine chakras, such as
Thrailokya Mohana, Sarvardha Sadhaka and
Sarvasidhiprada. All these regions were presided over by
different Goddesses who were served by innumerable
maids. Finally, her mind rested on the innermost apartment
of Sri- Chakra, enclosed by three square-shaped Prakaaras,
having well gaurded gates on its four sides. Inside these,
were circles, lotuses and triangles. The centre of Sri Chakra
was the Bindu, where Parameswari sat in all her splendour
on the lap of Parameswara.
Lakshmi offered flowers, fruits and camphor with
deep devotion. After several years of such ardent prayer,
Sri Gnana Prasunambika, manifested herself from the Sri
Chakra and stood before her on the fifth day of the bright
moon in the month of Vaisaka. Lakshmi shed tears of joy
and sang in praise of the Goddess. Parvati said that she
was much pleased and she restored her lustre and power.
Soon Vishnu appeared on the spot, and accepted Lakshmi
and took her to Vaikunta.
Chapters 46 & 47 of Sthalapurana.
Mantraraaja japachaiva I Chakraraajaarchanam tadhaa I
Rahasya naama paatascha I Naalpasya tapasah phalam I I
The japa of the king of mantras, the worship of the
king of Chakras and the recital of the occult names (Lalita)
are fruits of no little tapas.
 91

Chapter 23
GURUGUHA
Sage Bhardwaja requested Sage Romasa to narrate how
Shanmuga became the preceptor of all. Romasa explained:
Oh Bhardwaja! once, when Lord Siva was having one
year old boy Skanda on his lap in the thousand pillared hall
in Kailasa, Parvathi requested Him to explain the meaning
of Pranava, which is the source of Vedas. As He was giving
a discourse on Prana va, this boy Skanda had also grasped
the instructions. With its potency he could conquer all the
demons and came to be known as Sivaswami. In due course
Skanda prostrated before his father and entreated Him to
impart knowledge in different branches and make him
proficient so as to occupy Vidya Peeta and become
Sarvadesika capable of teaching any subject. Lord Siva
smiled and observed that he had acquired the meaning of
Pranava without undergoing the necessary discipline of a
pupil. So he should return this to Him in a different way.
He asked His son to go to Dakshina Kailasha and perform
penance, where Sage Sumedha established a teertha known
as Vedahvaya and performed japa of Pranava. There
Pranava would become a lotus pond, with its Sakthi as a
stem and Vedas as leaves. Brahma kanda would be its root
and the letters A, U and M its flowers of red, white and
dark colours, "you should worship me daily with these
flowers. In this way you would return the Pranava to me.
I have pointed out the place of your tapas and the means
of getting rid of the blemish. Go. In due course I will grant
your wish".

From Kailasa Skanda came to earth and reached the

spot presided over by the great Vayu Linga and —
Gnanaprasunambika and where many Sages were engaged
in tapas. He took bath in the sacred waters and worshipped
the Vayu Linga and Gnanambika. Then he went to the
 92

Vedahvaya teertha and was delighted to see the pond with

lotuses of three different colours sprouting from a single
S}en}'. ^Wished a Siva Linga named Skanda Linga on
t e hill close by and created a river called Dharmakulya
which came to be known as Skanda Teertha. He
worshipped the Siva Linga with these rare flowers and
P®1. orme^ severe penance for one thousand years. On the
ifth day of bright moon of Magha month from the Skanda
Lmga emerged Lord Siva accompanied by Parvati, Vishnu,
Brahma, other Gods and attended by Yakshas, Kinnaras,
Gandharvas and Apsaras and offered to grant boons to
Skanda. Subrahmanya prostrated before Him and
worshipped "oh Lord of lords! master of all the worlds'
kmdhearted one! I have been purified by worshipping you.
lhe Sankhyas consider you to be passive. Yogis think you
an". Ja§a<^eeswara while the Upanishads proclaim you as
sa . chit ananda. Who can fully comprehend vou." Lord
Siva was delighted and established a MahaVidya Peeta on
a Ulock north east of Vayu Linga, enthroned Skanda as
atwardha Desika (a preceptor of the various philosophies)
and vanished. From that time Skanda came to be known as
uru uha. He explained the meaning of Pranava to
bramha and the nature of soul to Sri Ramachandra.
From this hillock he enlightens seekers with real
knowledge and fulfils the desires of his devotees.

Chapter 48 of Sthalapurana.
Mayuradhirudham mahavakya gudham I
Manohari deham maha chitta geham I
Mahadeva devam mahaveda bhavam I
Mahadevabalam bhaje loka palam I I

r A j q bow down before the beautiful son of Mahadeva,

r u ra manYa se^ted on a peacock, the posessor of the
secre s o ^ the great Vedas and the Mahavakyas; the abode
absoulte bliss; and the preceptor of Mahadeva Himself.
 93

Chapter 24
SRI RAMA CHARITAM
PART I: DESPONDENCY OF SRI RAMA

Sage Romasa continued

For the protection of the sages from the tyranny of
Rakshasas, Sri Maha Vishnu incarnated as Sri
Ramachandra, the son of King Dasaratha. With the
permission of their father, Rama and his brother Lakshmana
accompanied Sage Viswamitra to save his Yaga. He learnt
several skills from the sage and killed the wicked Tataki
and her son Subahu who attempted to disturb the Yaga of
the sage. The sage then took them to Mithila ruled by King
Janaka. Sri Rama won the hand of Janaka's daughter Sita
after breaking the bow of Lord Siva. While returning to
Ayodhya with his consort, Rama met the challenge of
Parasurama and subdued him. In pursuance of his father's
commitment to his third wife, Kaikeyi, Rama had to leave
for the forests. Lakshmana and Sita accompanied him
despite Rama's plea to them to stay behind. King Dasaratha
could not bear the separation from his dear son Rama and
passed away soon afterwards.
In order to protect the sages of the Dandaka forests,
Rama killed Viradha, Khara and Dushana and their entire
army. The Rakshasa king of Lanka named Ra vana employed
Mareecha to assume the form of a golden deer to lure Sita.
She pressed Rama to get it. Rama chased it and killed it.
Mareecha while dying cried'Ah Sita, Ah Lakshmana". At
the instance of Sita Lakshmana also left to the help of Rama
leaving her alone. Then Ravana stealthily abducted Sita
and confined her in his garden. Rama made friendship with
Sugreeva and killed Vali from behind a tree. Sugreeva's
minister, Hanuman traced Sita in Ravana's abode of Lanka.
At this stage Rama met sage Agastya, narrated his sad
plight and told him that he wanted to take revenge on
 94

Ravana by killing him and to take back Sita. After patiently

hearing Sri Rama the sage smiled and said, "Whence has
this dejection come upon you, oh Rama? You have mastered
the Vedas and yet you speak like a lay man. You are
identifying your body with the soul. Know that the body
is perishable while the soul is immortal. All of us, that is
you, I, Ravana, Sita and the entire creation form part of one
indivisible Atman. Know that to be indestructible by which
all this is pervaded. None can effect the destruction of the
Eternal. It slays not, nor is it slain. There is no friend, no
enemy. So become a Yogi and practise equanimity. Treat
friend and foe alike. Calm yourself, overcome your illusion
and give up your errand. Practice Yoga". Sri Rama was not
in a position to grasp the message of the sage. He said, "I
am a Kshatriya. My blood boils with a passion for revenge.
I cannot rest until I kill Ravana who had stealthily carried
away my dear Sita. As a true kshatriya I have to do my
duty; I must put an end to this evil person. Kindly guide
me and bless me with success in my effort." The sage took
pity on him and said that success was not possible without
the grace of Lord Siva. The means of gaining the grace of
Mahadeva are (1) Smearing the body with the holy ashes
(2) wearing the Rudraksha beads (3) initiation into Siva
Deeskha (4) worship of Siva Linga (5) Japa of Siva
Panchakshari (6) Siva sahasranama and (7) Siva Bhakti. So
explaining, the sage initiated him into Siva Deeksha. He
also gave him the sacred mantra 'Aditya Hridaya'. Rama
devoutly worshipped Sankara and by his grace crossed the
ocean and vanquished Ravana in a fierce battle. After
subjecting Sita to ordeal of fire he took her back to Ayodhya.
After the coronation he ruled over his vast mighty empire
for a long time. Based on a hearsay he with a heavy heart
banished innocent Sita to forest unmindful that she was
pregnant at that time. Sage Valmiki picked her up and took
her to his ashram where she gave birth to two sons. Lava
and Kusa. Valmiki made these boys proficient in every
 95

branch of learning and taught them to sing the Ramakatha.

In course of time Sri Rama performed Aswamedha Yaga.
Valmiki sent the two children to sing Rama Charitam on
the occasion. The sage disclosed the identity of the children
and Rama desired that Sita be brought to Ayodhya.
However, Sita could not bear the situation. She invoked
M other Earth to rescue her. Having proclaimed her chastity
to the world she disappeared deep inside the cavity of the
earth. Rama was grieved and continued to rule over his
kingdom with a heavy heart and troubled thoughts.

PART n. REMORSE , PENANCE AND

ENLIGHTENMENT OF SRI RAMA

Sage Romasa continued to narrate the story of Sri Rama:

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. The poignant
scene of his beloved Sita sinking into the bosom of mother
Earth haunted him. In spite of being the supreme emperor,
Sri Rama had no peace of mind. His own story melodiously
sung by his children was ringing in his ears. He began to
contemplate on the various incidents connected with his
life. Every action of his, appeared to him to contain a tinge
of dosha. In the first place, instead of killing the demon
Tataki, a woman, he should have deposited her in a remote
land as he had despatched her son Maricha. He was
required to take aim with the bow of Lord Siva, but he had
broken it . He knew fully well that Dasaratha in his heart
of hearts did not wish him to go to forest. Yet he went away
leaving his father in great distress to die soon afterwards.
Rama killed Khara and all the fourteen thousand soldiers
of his in order to protect a few sages. Again Vali was no
enemy of his. That invincible warrior was treacherously
killed by him from behind a tree. Even though the lord of
the seas was only discharging his duties Rama threatened
to scorch the entire seas and displayed unnecessary fury.
For the sake of Sita he wiped out an entire race. Even the
innocent Sita was made to undergo the ordeal of fire, later
 96

to be banished to forest in spite of her being pregnant. His

conscience pricked to think of the sufferings of noble Sita -
his sahadharmacharini. The events of his life disturbed and
upset him and made him miserable. Was it not possible for
a person of noble birth and good learning to lead a virtuous
life, without a blemish? Was there any redemption for his
sins?". Then he remembered the Sage Agastya whose
valuable advice began to ring in his ears. He began to
meditate on Lord Sankara and worship him in the sevenfold
manner taught by the sage. The Great God appeared before
him and spoke benignly, "Dear Rama ! Arise and shake off
your gloomy thoughts. Still you consider that the universe
you see around you as real and you are very much attached
to it. Now you require enlightenment and tranquility. Go
to Dakshina Kailasa on the banks of holy river Swamamukhi
where a graceful symbol of mine stands. In the first place
invoke spiritual enlightenment from my son Karthikeya in
the hill called Vidya Saila close by. Take bath in the holy
river, fast by day, wake by night and worship that unique
Linga with tender bilva leaves. Peace will be restored unto
you. Leave at once for that venerable spot. Your illusion
will be dispelled by the grace of Karthikeya"
Accordingly Sri Rama went to the place referred to
and performed severe penance. Shanmukha was pleased
and appeared before him. He gracefully touched Rama and
blessed him and said that he would reign in comfort and
luxury for a long period. But Rama was not enamoured
about unreal and temporal pleasures. He requested
Subrahmanya to impart him the knowledge of the supreme
self. The Lord consented and taught him supreme Self
knowledge or Brahma vidya.
"Rama! unborn, etemal,unchangeable, primeval, real,
pure, complete, pure knowledge, bliss, immutable, all
pervading, pure consciousness, peace, one without a
second, the source of everything animate and inanimate,
motionless, beyond the reach of thought or word, smaller
 97

than the smallest, bigger than the biggest'these are the

attributes of the supreme self. The universe appears as if
it is in existence. The real is Brahman. The universe is only
an appearance. It is a super imposition. Rama! by your
deluded mind you are taking this unreal universe which in
fact is a superimposition, to be real. You are witnessing a
duality which is the root cause of all fears and miseries.
"Paramatma Himself created the entire universe out
of the five great elements and entered it. The ego in these
objects has come to be known as jeevatma or individual
self. Due to the difference in the qualities of the various
objects or upadhis difference between various individuals
is noticed. This difference is caused only by illusion or
maya and so is not real. In reality the self and the supreme
self or Jivatma and Paramatma are one and the same. On
attaining this knowledge of self, the maya disappears and
the individual self is realised as the Supreme self'.
Creation of Universe: Skanda then began to teach how
the universe was created. He said, "Just as blue colour
appears in the clear colourless sky, in untainted Brahman
appears maya. This maya has two powers. One which makes
existing objects appear as non existing is known as Avarana
Sakti or ignorance. This power hides us the vision of
Brahman, the paramount principle of entire creation. The
other power, which enables the non-existing objects appear
as real, is called Vikshepa Sakti which means illusion.
Satwa, Rajas and Tamas are the characteristics of this
illusion. They are the causes for creation, sustenance and
destruction. First ether (Akasa), from it air (Vayu) from air
fire (Agni), from it water (Appu) and from water earth
(prithvi) were created. By the interaction of these five great
elements various manifestations arose.
"Due to the influence of Satwa guna on these five
elements the five sense organs namely skin, eyes, ears,
tongue and nose were produced. Due to Rajo guna mind
(manas), intellect (Budhi), will (chitta) and ego (ahamkara)
 98

as well as the^ five organs of action namely mouth, hands,

legs, anus and the genital organs were formed, out of them
emanated the five pranas (Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and
Samana). Tamo guna coupled .with the five fold interaction
of elements gave rise to the five sense objects. They are
taste/form, touch, sound and smell. All these twenty four
principles are technically known as Tatwas".
Then Guru Guha elaborated the nature of causal
(Karana), Subtle (sukshma) and gross (Sthula) bodies,
presided over by Pragyna, Tyjasa and Vaiswanara in the
deep sleep, dream and waking states respectively. "The
cosmic consciousness is reflected in the inner self as
Jeevatma. Thus Brahman is no other than one's own self
and this fact is substantiated by the sayings Tat Twam Asi'
and Tsavasvam idam Sarvam'. The term idam (this)
represents the whole universe- The tendency is to consider
the universe we see around as the ultimate reality. The wise
should realise that the entire creation is only a
superimposition of illusion on the immutable Atman". This
delusion should be discarded and Brahman realised.
"Rama! When others see, you behave as if you are the doer
but within yourself behave as if you are the non-doer. So
also for ail outward appearances behave as if you are the
doer of all works, but in your heart of hearts be like a mere
witness - non-doer. Then neither this kingdom nor Samsara
will bind you".
Thus enlightened Sri Rama prostrated before his
preceptor and at his behest installed a linga called Sri
Kothandarameswara in Valmiki Kshetra about five miles
from Sri Kalahasti. He worshipped it and the Vayu Linga.
He returned to Ayodhya to rule long over it.

Chapters 49,50 and 51 in Sthalapurana

Naa anyam pasyami bhaishajyam Antarena Vrisha dhwajam I I
I dont see any medicine to cure the disease of samsara
other than Lord Siva whose flag has the sacred bull.
 99

Chapter 25

MARKANDEYA

Bharadwaja requested Sage Romasa to narrate how

Sage Markandeya performed penance in Dakshina Kailu a
and what benefits he derived there from. Romasa narrated
as follows:
Once upon a time, Vyasa, Vasista, Pulaha, Kasyapa,
Atri, Markandeya, Kabandhi, Gautami, Kanwa and other
sages went to Kedara and worshipped Lord Sankara. As
they were about to return to their abodes. Sage Markandeya
requested the other sages to clear his doubts. "Who is the
God, the very thought of whom, redeems the sins of men?
Who is the God who can remove fear from the hearts of his
devotees?". Each of the sages assembled there had a seperate
answer. Vyasa said that to the very thought of Lord
Sankara's feet would purify the worst sinner and that He
was the God who could redeem the fears of men. Vasista
disagreed and declared that it was Vishnu. Pulaha said that
these two objects could be achieved by worshipping
Vidhata. Others said differently by mentioning Indra, Agni,
Sun God etc. Sage Markandeya's confusion was more
confounded. He felt "Samsayatma Vinasyati". A man with
doubts has no redemption. He was on the look out for some
one who could clear his doubts.
In due course he met sage Agastya. He bowed before
him and requested him to clear his doubts. The sage said,
"Your doubts are very pertinent. They cannot be cleared by
ordinary sages. I will tell you a way out. It is only Lord
Sankara, who rescued you from the clutches of Yama, who
can clear your doubts. Go to Dakshina Kailasa and meditate.
The benign Lord will clarify your doubts". Markandeya was
happy and went to Dakshina Kailasa the place directed by
sage Agastya. He took bath in the river Swamamukhi;
worshipped Vayu Linga and observed austerities. Next day
 100

he established a hermitage five miles to the South of Vayu

linga, in a place known as Mangalayana Kshetra. He
installed a Siva linga there, worshipped it .with great
devotion and started penance. The Lord appeared before
him on the first day of the month of Magha. He was
accompanied by several Gods and other celestial beings. He
was seated on His favourite bull. Lord Sankara said that
He was much pleased with his penance and asked what he
wanted. Markandeya said that his joy knew no bounds in
having thedarsan of the Lord and added that he approached
several sages for getting his doubts cleared. Different sages
gave different answers to him. Parameswara said, "Dear
son of Mrikandu ! The panacea for all the sins of people is
the constant remembrance of (smaranam) of Gurus's sacred
feet. In fact, I myself, Hari, Brahma and other Gods worship
Guru's Sacred Feet. You need not have any apprehension
about this. (1) One's own father (2) one who performs
upanayana and initiates one into the holy order (3) one who
is responsible for his learning (4) guardian and (5) one who
disples his fears - these five persons are said to be Gurus.
They should be worshipped as Indra, Brahma, Vishnu, Guru
and as myself respectively. Trust, as you require the help
of a sailor to cross a river in a boat, without the aid of a
proper Guru you cannot cross the ocean of Samsara, that is
the cycle of births and deaths. Only a Guru can make the
most esoteric teachings accessible and relevant. Just as a
face appears clearly in a spotless mirror, so in a mind
purified by the Guru's initiation, the self shines in all its
splendour. Only a Guru can redeem one of all fear, the main
obstacle in self realisation. This fact is testified by
upanishads such as Prasna and Chandyogya. Knowledge
is most efficient only when it is learned from a Guru. Know
Myself as the best of Gurus who can lead others from the
darkness of illusion to the bright light of knowledge". Thus
getting his doubts cleared, Markandeya saluted the Lord
and praised him "Oh, God, dear to Gnanaprasuna, you will
 101

bestow happiness on persons who show even a little amount

of devotion to you. You have annihilated Yama. You
destroyed Tripuras by just opening your third eye. You
wear Crescent Moon and Ganga on your head. You remove
the screen of illusion that blinds my vision and save me. In
fact you are the preceptor of all preceptors".

The Lord was pleased by the praise rendered by

Markandeya and said that Mangalayana teertha would
henceforth be known as Markandeya teertha and that he
would be ever present in the Linga installed by him to
bestow boons on its worshippers. Then Markandeya left the
place praising and preaching the glory of Sadasiva.
Chapter 52 of Sthalapurana
Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu Gururddevo Maheswaraha
Guru satchat Parabrahma tasmai Sri Gurave namaha I I
Guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. He is
Parabrahma Himself. Therefore I pay obeisance to Sri Guru
deva.

Chapter 26
BHAKTA KANNAPPA
Parti
Sage Bharadwaja wanted to know the story of Bhakta
Kannappa. Sage Romasa began the narration as follows:
Once there was a strong yaksha called Manimanta.
He was a very haughty person. He saw a beautiful deer
with golden fleece having spots like diamonds. Manimanta
caught hold of it and strangled it. Nandi saw this ghastly
act and grew wild. He said, "You cruel man! You have
killed the pet deer of Kubera mercilessly. As a result of this
sinful deed you will be bom as a hunter and wander in the
 103

forest eating raw meat". The Yaksha became sad and

shivered with fear. He folded his hands and prayed to
Nandi to indicate a way out. Moved by his repentance,
Nandi advised him to go to bhuloka and be bom as a hunter
named Theerna near Srikalahasti and marry a huntress
called Kanisha. You will be gifted with a son who will be
a great devotee of Lord Siva. Your son will be very famous.
You will discard the hunter's body immediately after your
son is bom. Then you will come back to this place". Soon
he was bom as a hunter in a village near Srikalahasti. In
due course he married Kanisha. As soon as the son was
bom, Theerna passed away and joined Kuberaloka. His
wife Kanisha named her son as Kanna because he had large
eyes. The child grew up day by day. He was freely roaming
about in the forest near the holy Kailasa mountain. He
always held a big bow and a number of arrows and was
fearful to look at. He sported the feathers of birds on his
head and was proud of his large eyes. He smeared the holy
ashes all over his body and wore holy beads. He was
ardently devoted to Siva, but his ways of worship were
strange or even crude. He used to fetch the river water in
his mouth for bathing the Sivalinga. He would bite pieces
of meat before offering them to God. He would first wear
garlands of flowers and bilva leaves and then decorate the
Linga. This crude way of worship was repulsive to the sages
who came to pray. But they were afraid of the hunter and
would not dare to question him.
Kannappa was so devoted that he would not even
drink water before praying Sivalinga. One day in hot
summer he became very thirsty after a long walk in the
forest. A pot full of water was available near by. But he
would not yield to temptation. He thought., "How can I
drink the cool water of this pot without taking bath in the
river and praying to the graceful Vayulinga by repeating
the Panchakshari mantra. If I quench my thirst before
performing Siva puja I am sure to go to hell. Many a person
 104

suffer in the stinking dungeon there, for satiating their

hunger without worshipping the Lord. Perhaps I may die
of thirst, but who on earth can escape death. One should
not care so much for this dirty body which is doomed to
perish. How many tom clothes have I not discarded. Just
like that a man discards this mortal coil and enter a new
body. No I will not touch the water at the moment. I have
taken births several times because I failed to worship
Sankara with all my heart." To end the misery of samsara,
Sankara had to be praised. So concluding he prayed,
"May Neelakanta who pervades the entire universe
save me. May the one fond of Samaveda, one who is beyond
maya and yet deludes people with maya protect me. May
the lord from whose left Vishnu and from right Brahma
emanated and who has neither beginning nor end be of
solace to me . May He whose very thought drives away
sins and confers salvation bring comfort to my tormented
soul. Thus meditating on Neelakanta he shed tears of joy.
Light showers occured and the steadfast hunter closed his
lips tightly lest drops of rain water should enter his mouth.
Providentially pangs of thirst ceased to trouble him.

He suddenly got up and took bath in the river close

to Vayulinga. He collected some water in his mouth,
plucked some bilva leaves and took some tasted pieces of
meat and offered them to the Linga in his own crude way.
Completely surrendering himself to the Lord he was
happily moving about in the forest. Not a day passed
without Siva puja and no moment was spent without His
thought. Days, weeks and months rolled on.

Several Sages arrived at Sri Kalahasti one evening for

pradosha puja when Lord Siva desired to show the intensity
of the hunter's devotion to the Sages. A tremor occurred
and the roof slabs began to fall. Seeing this the sages ran
away from the temple. But Kannappa stood there deeply
concerned about the safety of the linga. He thought that the
 105

Siva Linga should some how be saved from the damage by

the falling stones. Most daringly he covered the linga with
his own body. He was not afraid of being crushed. He
believed that death in the service of God was better than
the death by other means. A fearful sound emanated from
the temple and soon subsided. Lo! the temple appeared in
all its original glory. Neither the hunter nor the Linga was
hurt. The sages wondered at the bold act of the hunter.
They praised him as a devotee without par. They thought
that Kannappa had acquired lot of punya in his previous
births. No body on earth would act like this in the face of
certain death. They left for their hermitages.

Kannappa was happy for no damage was done to the

Linga. He worshipped it and went away.
Chapter 53 of Sthalapurana

Chapter 27
BHAKTA KANNAPPA
Part II
Sage Bhardwaja was thrilled to hear the steadfast
nature of Kannappa's Bhakti and requested Romasa to
inform him what the hunter was in his previous birth and
how he acquired such deep devotion to Sankara. Romasa
said:
Once upon a time there lived in the Himalayan forests
a hunter who was devoted to Siva. Every day he used to
hunt animals, cook meat in ghee and offer to the Great God.
After finishing his puja he would consume the offering
entirely without giving even a bit to others. One day a small
piece of the offered meat fell on the ground and was
immediately gulped by his pet cock. The hunter became
very angry with the cock and strangled it to death.
 106

Subsequently it was bom as a hunter carrying with it the

knowledge of its previous birth. As the hunter had
consumed food offered to Paramasiva he acquired
intelligence as well as bhakti. This hunter was none other
than Kannappa who became the chief of his tribe. He lived
near Srikalahasti and used to. worship the magnificent Vayu
Linga daily with several diamonds, flowers and bilva
leaves. As he grew old he made his son Kala the cheiftain
of his tribe and spent all his time in the worship of Vayu
Linga. He always carried with him a huge bow and a quiver
of arrows. He wore three lines of vibhuti on fifteen parts of
his body, rudrakshas around his neck and sandals on his
feet. He hunted animals, checked the taste of the meat before
offering to the Siva linga. He bathed the linga with water
collected in. his mouth from the river Swamamukhi. He
decorated the linga with tender bilva leaves and flowers.
Then he would offer meat pre- tested for taste chanting the
five lettered mantra (Namah Sivaya). Not a single day
passed without this routine.
Siva was amused. He decided to exhibit the
unparallelled devotion of Kannappa to others and also to
eliminate the residue of dehabhimana (attachment to body)
lingering in him due to his large eyes. On a day of eclipse
of the moon in the month of Phalguna a good number of
sages gathered at Srikalahasti to worship Sankara. The Lord
chose that day for the demonstration of Kannappa's fervent
devotion towards him. As Kannappa approached the linga
in a stately manner, the sages withdrew to a distance and
watched. All of a sudden tears and blood began to trickle
down the left eye of the linga. Noticing this unusual
phenomenon, they thought, it conveyed bad tidings. Bad
days were ahead of them in view of the hunter's unorthodox
ways of worship. They concluded that God was displeased
with the clumsy manner of abhiseka and offering of raw
meat. But they could not venture to ask the hunter to mend
his queer ways.
 107

Kannappa also saw the obnoxious tears on the face of

his beloved linga. For a moment he was engrossed in
thought. "Am I not sincerely worshipping the lord? Is the
god angry with me? Whatever the reason I must
immediately find a way of rectifying the defect. For the
protection of his devotees the lord should have good
eyesight. One eye will do for me". He decided to fix one of
his own eyes in the place of the affected eye of the linga.
Without a second thought he pulled out an arrow from his
quiver removed an eye of his and deligently fixed it in the
appropriate place. It fitted the linga very well. With the
other eye he could see how beautiful the linga looked with
his new acquisition. Kannappa was satisfied as his efforts
were successful..

However, his happiness did not last long. He was

pained to note tears and blood oozing out of his God's right
eye. He lamented "Oh God! Are you again affected. I cannot
bear to see you like this. Of what use are eyes to this
perishable body. My entire body belongs to you. I can
manage without sight for I am familiar with every inch of
this place. You will look more beautiful with my second
eye; you must have it". He at once decided to don the linga
with his second eye. But there was the rub. With total
blindness how could he locate the place where it had to be
fixed. A good idea struck his mind. Unhesitatingly he
placed one of his feet, with its shoe on, and marked the
position on the linga. He drew out an arrow and began to
remove his eye. All of a sudden his arrow was held by an
unexpected arm. He heard, "Oh Kannappa! stop! you have
successfully come out of my test. Your devotion is quite
unique and laudable. I offer you the top most place among
my devotees. Your eye sight is restored. Your fame will
last for ever. You occupy a place on the Kailasa mountain
closeby so as to always have my darsan. The place where
you used to take bath and collect waters for my abhiseka
will be known as Bhakti Mukthi Theerta promoting
 108

devotion and granting salvation to its users. Those that

read or hear this episode of yours will be blessed in their
worldly sojourn and reach Kailasa afterwards. You will
worship me for five more years and reach me on the full
moon day of Phalguna month".
As Kannappa prostrated, the Lord disappeared in the
Vayulinga. The sages were overawed. They were
convinced that Bhakti alone was the safe and sure way to
obtain salvation. "It is the sincerity of the Bhakti that counts.
What we eat, what we drink, what we do, should all be
sincerely dedicated to god. A green leaf, a small drona
flower, a tasty fruit and a little quantity of water are enough
to secure the pleasure of God and a place in Kailasa. Oh
Kannappa, you are marvellous". They showered praises on
the hunter and worshipped the Vayu Linga and went away
wondering at the happenings of the day.

Whether orthodox or hetrodox, a Siva bhakta is to be

adored by all.

OM NISHADE BHYASCHA NAMAHA

Chapter 54 of Sthalapurana
Maargaa-vartita-paadukaa Pasupater angasya kurchaayate I
Gandushaambu nishechanam Puraripor divya abhishekaayate I
Kinchid bhakshita maamsa sesha kabalam navyopahaarayate I
Bhaktih kim nakarotyaho vanacharo bhaktaava tamsayate I I
[SrVANANDALAHARi 63]
A wom footwear becomes the indicator to Siva's eye,
the pouring of water from the mouth becomes His sacred
bath, a piece of meat, partly bitten, becomes excellent dinner,
and a hunter becomes the best of devotees! What is there
that the love of God cannot accomplish?
 109

Chapter 28

SRI - THE SPIDER

Sage Bharadwaja asked Romasa to inform him about

the anecdote of the spider which attained salvation by
worshipping Sri Kalahasteeswara. Sage Romasa replied
that he would narrate the story of the spider which will
cleanse people of their sins.

On the banks of the River Tamrapami lived a noble

brahmin by name Satyasakha. As a result of the sins
committed by him in his previous birth he got a wicked
son. That boy discarded the brahminical ways as well as
his parents and relatives. He associated himself with the
weaver community and went from place to place. At last
he reached Konkan and was adopted by a rich weaver called
Patala who named the boy as Karamba. Karamba married
the daughter of another weaver and was engaged in
weaving and selling clothes. In due course Patala died.
Karamba duly performed the funeral ceremonies and gifted
away land, cow, bride (Kanya), milk, ghee, jaggery, curds,
honey, sesame (til), green gram (moong), wheat etc. Further
he gave away foot wear, umbrella, gold, silver, bronze,
copper and also precious gems. He dug several wells and
tanks on road sides. As a result of his good deeds he
acquired a great fame. In course of time he came into contact
with atheists and spent his money on people who had no
belief in vedic religion. He never kept his promises to
brahmins. He thought that his happiness was due to
discarding the brahminical ways and associating himself
with atheists. He was proud of the weavers whose practices
he had adopted. In course of time he became old and when
he was in his death bed a brahmin approached him with a
request to gift him a cloth for his Sivalinga. Karamba was
pleased to give him a nice cloth. Soon he died thinking
about the fine art of weaving. As a result of his drinking
 110

habit and his thoughts at the time of death, he was born as

a spider in Dakshina Kailasa. As he had gifted fine clothes
for Sivalinga he was devoted to Siva in his next birth as a
spider called SRI.
He took bath regularly in the river Swamamukhi and
visited the sanctum sanctorum of the Vayu Linga and
prostrated several times. From the yam emulating from the
body he decorated the vicinity with several chariots,
mandaps, towers, thrones etc. He made 32 offerings and
devoutly worshipped Lord Siva. This was continued for
several years. Lord Parameswara wanted to test the depth
of his devotion.
On the fourteenth day of the bright half of the moon
in the month of Chaitra, a Monday, the Lord caused all the
creations of the spider to be reduced to ashes. The spider
was disappointed and ended his life by entering the flames
of the lamp near-by. By the grace of God the spider regained
his original form. He beheld before him Lord Sankara
seated on His favorite bull and sang His praise:
"I worship Mahadeva residing in the Kailasa on the
banks of the river Swamamukhi. My salutations to the
blue-throated Mahadeva who is Eternal, Power, Knowledge
and Bliss.
I pray to Mahadeva whose half is Gnanambika and
who freely grants boons to His devotees. I worship
Mahadeva who annihilated the adamant Manmadha and
who carefully watches the activities of all beings. I worship
Mahadeva whose face is adorned by the impression of the
great devotee Kannappa's foot and who had relished the
meat offered by him. I worship Mahadeva who has ten
hands and Vishnu as arrow and who is the cause of all the
worlds. I worship Mahadeva the saviour of souls from the
cycle of births and deaths. I worship Mahadeva whom sages
perceive in their own hearts as pure and one without a
second.
 Ill

I worship Mahadeva who is very close to his devotees,

though they are far off and who is beheld through vedas.
I worship Mahadeva whom the vedas proclaim as
Karmaphalapradata (the bestower of fruits according to
one's deeds) and who is the wielder of Maya and the greatest
of Gods.
I worship Mahadeva who is not perceived by the
ignorant, as snake in a rope, and who is cognised only by
Sages.
I worship Mahadeva who creates jeevas from
Parabrahman just as sparks emanate from fire.
I worship Mahadeva whose commands are implicitly
obeyed by Bramha, Vishnu, Indra, and other gods.
I worship Mahadeva in whom all are seen and who
is seen in all and who has saved Mayura.
I worship Mahadeva who is smaller than the smallest
and bigger than the biggest and is one without a second.
I worship Mahadeva who causes the five acts of
creation, protection, annihilation, Anugraha (blessing) and
Tirobhava ((withdrawal).
I worship Mahadeva the father, protector and
preceptor of one, and all. I worship Mahadeva who has
created Brahma and has given him the Vedas;
I worship Mahadeva who for the protection of his
devotee Neela had manifested as Manikamikeswara with
a crescent moon adorning his crown; I worship
Mahadeva who wards off all kinds of fears and the
ignorance without a beginning and who is Sarvagna
(knower of all); I worship Mahadeva who with the vedas
as the horses for his chariot had reduced the three cities
(Tripuras) in a trice.
I worship Mahadeva who is the root of Salvation and
who has redeemed Chandra of his sins.
 112

I worship Mahadeva wearing a crown of diamonds

with a Crescent Moon on it and whose face is resplendent
with a smile.

I worship Mahadeva who with His kind looks bestows

boons on His devotees and who is the light of the mansions
of Upanishads.

Thus praising the Lord, the spider, stood reverently

before Parameswara, who said, "I am pleased with your
sincerity, your way of worship and your immolation as well
as the praises you have showered on me. You are really
blessed. Pray for any boons and they will be granted".

Oh God! said the spider, "Let the people who recite

this prayer of mine be relieved of their miseries and acquire
eminence as well as salvation. May I find a place in the
imposing Vayulinga. Let my name, Sri be associated with
yours, besides this kshetra and the mountain". ■

The Great God granted these boons. As the

Gandharvas danced and the celestials beat the drums the
spider Sri merged into the Vayu Linga. The Gods and sages
concluded that it was not the birth in high caste, nor through
various yogas but only steadfast devotion that merited
recognition of Sankara even if the devotee be an
insignificant worm. They all praised the Lord and
dispersed.

Chapter 55 of Sthalapurana
Suvamamukhari teera divya Kailasa vasine I
Vanditaayamarai sarvair Mahadevayate namah I I
Om; lutaarti mochakaya namaha I
[SIVA RAHASYA KHANDAM]
My salutations to Mahadeva residing in the sacred
Kailasa on the banks of Swamamukhi and worshipped by
311 Gods-1 Pray to the Lord who had redeemed the spider
named Sri. r
 113

Chapter 29

KALA AND HAST!

( The Serpent and The Elephant)

Sage Bharadwaja told Romasa that he was thrilled to

hear the way in which the spider attained salvation in
Dakshina Kailasa. "I am eager to know the episode relating
to the serpent and the elephant that got moksha there."
Romasa began:

"Once a brahmin well-versed in vedas lived in the

vicinity of Malaya mountain. He was very poor. For the
sake of others he would fast and keep awake on Sivarathri
days. He performed worship for the sake of some
consideration from a few devotees. But he was quite sincere
in his efforts. In due course he died bitten by a serpent. As
he accepted money for the pujas he performed in his
previous birth he was born as a mighty elephant. Even as
an elephant he was devoted to Lord Siva and never failed
to worship the luminous Vayulinga with tender bilva leaves
and blossomed lotuses. Even Gods applauded the depth
of devotion of the elephant.

Contemporarily there was another brahmin who lived

in a cave of the Himalayas. He was also very learned and
was devoted to Sankara. He witnessed a Gandharva who
used to spend entire days worshipping Siva with precious
stones. He approached the Gandharva and requested him
to inform him the effect of worshipping Siva with diamonds.
The Gandharva said, "Those who worship Siva with
daimonds were sure to reach Kailasa in this birth itself not
easily accessible even to Gods like Bramha". Then the
brahmin enquired where he could obtain such valuable
diamonds. The Gandharva replied, that he procured the
diamonds from the various sea-gods. "The easiest way for
you to get the precious stones is to be reborn as a serpent
and collect them from the Naga-loka where they are
 114

available in plenty". The brahmin thanked the celestial and

was soon bom as a serpent. Daily the serpent used to fetch
various kinds of gems from the serpent world and offer
them to the Vayu Linga.
While the serpent offered its puja with diamonds
every morning, the elephant selected noon-time for its
worship with tender leaves and fragrant flowers. To its
dejection, the elephant saw that heavy stones (gems) were
placed on the linga throwing away the offerings made by
it. On the other hand the serpent was worried to notice the
precious stones offered by it strewn all around and leaves
and flowers with thorns placed on the linga. It thought that
the thorns would pain his Lord. The elephant thought that
the stones would be a heavy burden on the idol dear to it
Thus each thought that the other was an enemy of Sankara
deserving severe punishment. Each decided to put an end
to the other in the service of the Lord.

On one Ekadasi day in the bright half of the month

of Magha the serpent hid itself behind the bilva leaves
adorning the Linga. The elephant was happy to see its
offerings undisturbed. As it tried to remove the withered
flowers with its trunk, the serpent suddenly entered its
nostrils, reached the head of the elephant and spit poison.
Unable to bear the pain and determined to end itself as well
as its foe, the elephant dashed its head against the rocks of
the mountain behind the Vayulinga. Both of them died
simultaneously.

At once both of them manifested themselves as

celestials having three eyes, each with crescent moon on
their foreheads and glowing radiance. On that Monday,
Lord Sankara accompanied by Gnanamba emerged from
the Vayu linga and appeared before them.

At the same time Brahma and Vishnu on their vehicles

of Swan and Garuda, Ganapati and Senapati on their
 115

mounts of mouse and peacock arrived at the spot to worship

Sankara. Sages like Bhringi and Vasista, Lokapalakas like
Indra and Gandharvas also came. Seas, rivers, mountains,
gardens like Devadaru, holy places like Kasi all assumed
divine forms and visited the place to pray to Parameswara.
The serpent, Kala and the elephant, Hasti together praised
the Lord as follows
"Oh Sankara! you are the lord of the entire universe.
You are the beloved of Haimavathi. You protect your
devotees. Your radiance permeates everywhere.. With the
predominance of Rajoguna you created the movable and
immovable objects in the universe. You are independent.
We worship you in the form of Brahma, the creator. With
the predominance of Satvaguna you protect the worlds.
You are omnipotent. We worship you in the form of Vishnu,
the protector. With the predominance of Tamoguna you
destroy the worlds. You are omniscient. We worship you
as Rudra, the destroyer. Oh God! you are the cause, the
material, the doer, the action as well as the distributor of
the fruits of our actions. The Sankhyas recognise you as the
twenty sixth tatwa namely Eswara. Yogis discern you by
control of breath. Mantrikas perceive you by repeating your
sacred name preceded and followed by anganyasa and
karanyasa. Sages cognise you through pure consciousness.
What is the need for pilgrimage to various places and for
performing laborious sacrifices when you can be reached
by meditating upon your glorious name? All the living
species are but animals (pasus) while you are their master
(Pasupati). You are called Rudra for the letter Ru denotes
Pranava or Nada or Veda. You are also called Rudra as
you. destroy the sins of your devotees. Because you kindle
happiness in your devotees you are called Siva. As you are
the prime cause you are known as Bhava. As you lavish all
wealth on your worshippers you are Easa. As you dwell
in the Vedas, in Prana va, in clouds and in mountains you
are Girisa. You are greater than all Gods; hence you are
 116

known as Mahadeva. You cause happiness - so you are

called Sambhu. You pervade everywhere, hence people call
you as Vishnu. Even Vedas are unable to fully comprehend
your attributes. Then how can ignorant creatures liks us?
We take refuge in you. Kindly save us".
After being praised in this manner Paramasiva was
much pleased and offered to grant boons they might wish
for. The serpent and elephant asked for the following
boons. &

1. They should merge with the Vayulinga.

2. The kshetra, the mountain and the Linga should bear
their names.

3. Those who discard their mortal coils in that holy place

should get salvation.
4. Devotees taking bath in the Kalateertha and
Hastiteertha and worship the Vayulinga with
precious stones or lotus flowers or bilva leaves should
also attain salvation.
5. The various Gods and the sacred rivers that have
arrived here should ever be present in the kshetra.
■ . ,^ankara srniied and benignly granted the boons, and
said. In this place a spider worshipped me earlier and had
asked for similar boons. Today onwards your three names
will be associated with the Linga, the kshetra and the
mountain; here after they will be known as
brikalahasteeswara, Srikalahastikshetra and
Snkalahastigiri The good deeds done in this place will be
rewarded manifold. Those that worship me reciting the
stotra rendered by you will be rewarded herein and
horA'5

To the wonder of all the Gods and sages present there

the serpent and the elephant merged with the Vayulinga '

Chapter 56 and 57 of Sthalapurana

 117

Note: The unique Linga bears the forms of the spider,

the serpent and the tusks of the elephant prominently.
Nagendra haaraya trilochanaaya
Bhasmaangaraagaya Maheswaraaya
Nityaya Sudhaya digambaraya
Tasmai Nakaaraya Namasivaaya I
I bow down to Maheswara Siva, the entemal pure and
naked; to the Three-eyed one, with His entire body smeared
with sacred ashes and with a huge serpent as a graland; to
the One connoted by the letter NA.

Chapter 30
SUDARSANA CHAKRA
Bharadwaja asked Sage Romasa to narrate how
Sudarsana Chakra came to acquire three sins and how it
was purified from them. Romasa obliged him by telling
the story.
Long ago Mahadeva created Sudarsana Chakra from
the tip of his toe for the purpose of destroying a demon
named Jalandhara. He gave it to Vishnu and he himself
wielded the trident representing three gunas - Satwa, Rajas
and Tamas. Together they both fought with Jalandhara and
killed him along with all his kith and kin. Afterwards
Vishnu killed several other demons with the help of
Sudarsana. In Vaikunta, Vishnu boasted before
Mahalakshmi and her attendants that he vanquished several
demons by the sheer strength of his mighty shoulders with
no assistance what so ever from others. Sudarsana which
was standing close by said addressing Vishnu, "It is not
proper for you to prattle like this just to please the lady folk.
In fact it was I that annihilated the Rakshasas. But forme
you could have achieved nothing". So saying it went away
 118

and began to wander as it liked. Thus by thought, word

and deed it defied Vishnu and came to be associated with
the three sins. Vishnu reported the misbehaviour of the
Chakra to Sankara. Siva pacified Vishnu by withdrawing
the power of the Chakra. Deprived of its power Sudarsana
had no strength even to stand. With a shameful face it
approached Sankara and pleaded guilty of haughty
headedness. As father, the Great God should pardon him
and restore him his strength. He promised to be obedient
Vishnu thereafter. Sankara said, "You have committed
the triple sins of thought, word and deed. You have to
perform penance in the holy Dakshina Kailasa to be purified
of your sins. Go there install a Linga, observe austerities
and meditate. Then you will get redemption".

Soon Sudarsana reached the northflowing river,

Swamamukhi, took bath in it, worshipped Vayu Linga with
bilva leaves. He then installed a Linga to the east of
Kanakachala close by and started intense tapas. In due
course the Lord manifested Himself from the Linga installed
by the Chakra. It was very happy to see the Lord and
praised him in several meaningful verses. The Lord restored
its original lustre and handed it over to Vishnu. Both the
Chakra and Vishnu gratefully thanked Mahadeva and paid
obeisance to him. Thereafter Chakra never parted Vishnu
and helped him in protecting the good and punishing the
wicked.
Chapter 58 Sthalapurana
jaya gnana daya sindho jayadevottamottama I
Jaya Srikalahasteesa jaya Gnanambikapate I I
Victory to the Ocean of knowledge and kindness;
Victory to the Supreme God of Gods; Victory to
SriKalahasteesa, Victory to the beloved of Gnanambika.
[SIVARAHASYA KHANDAM]
 119

CHAPTER 31

ARDHANAREESWARA AND THE

STORY OF VIJAYA AND SUBHAGA
Subsequnetly Sage Romasa began to describe the
glory of the Ardhanareeswara linga and narrated the
anecdote of a pious couple who worshipped it.

About two miles to the north of Vayulinga of Sri

Kalahasti, stands the shrine of Sri Ardhanaareswara in the
village of Visalapuram, which is known in purana as Papa
Vicheda Kshetra. This shrine is located on the bank of the
sacred north flowing river Swarnamukhi and has a
Swayambhu Linga which is unqiue. The Siva portion is
white in hue and is facing west whereas the Sakthi portion
yellow in colour is facing north-east. In fact our scriptures
declare that the west face of Siva is as white as cow's milk
GO KSHEERA PHENA PRABHAM and the northern face
is yellowish red - GOURAM KUMKUMA PANKILAM.
This Linga was worshipped in Kritayuga by Gods
themselves and was known as Satya Linga. Later in
Dwapara yuga, a celibate couple, Vijaya and Subhaga from
A vanthi worshipped this deity and attained salvation. Since
then, this Linga has come to be known as Subhagamba
sameta Sri Vijayeswara Swami.

The story of Vijaya and Subhaga is wonderful

thrilling and has no parallel.

In Avanti there lived a young and beautiful couple

by name Vijaya and Subhaga. Even from his childhood
Vijaya was drawn to Shiva's worship. He conquered his
senses and was determined to realise himself. One day he
met the great sage Markandeya and in all humility
requested him to enlighten him about Sivaadvaita and the
path of self realisation. The learned sage taught him the
course to be adopted and advised him to proceed to Srimad
 120

Dakshina Kailasa and get enlightenment by the grace of Sri

Kalahasteeswara and Gnanaprasunamba.
Accordingly, Vijaya came to Sri Kalahasti with his
wife Subhaga and lived in a small house. With the holy
ashes on his forehead and the sacred rudraksha beads
around his neck he used to go to the temple and worship
Sri Kalahasteeswara as advised by Sage Markandeya. He
would go home only to take a little food for sustenance and
immediately return to the temple to resume his worship.

One evening when Vijaya came home, his wife gave

him special delicious food, sweets and fruits. As he lay
down to relax his wife adorned herself with the best of her
jewels, discarded her clothes, sat close to his thighs and
requested him to enjoy the night with her. For Vijaya every
object, living or inert would appear only as pervaded by
Siva and her beautiful breasts only appeared to him as a
couple of golden Siva Lingas! In a worshipful mood he
offered flowers, scents and fruits kept by his wife to those
twin Lingas and went away to the temple. On his way he
wondered how a couple of such Lingas could come to his
house. As he pondered over, he realised that it was all due
to his young wife and doubted whether his continued stay
at home would hamper his spiritual progress. In his dream
Sri Kalahasteeswara directed him to go north, where he
would find an Ardhanaareswara double Linga so far
worshipped by Gods and sages. So Vijaya abandoned his
home, his wife and riches and reached Papa Vicheda
Kshetra and was happy to find the deity of his dream.

At home the disappointed Subhaga thought that it

was quite unnatural for human beings to run away from
wealth or women more so from a beautiful young and
obedient woman like her. Even her naked beauty did not
stir carnal desires in him. Gods and sages would have
yielded under these circumstances but not her husband. He
had reached a high stage of spiritual evolution and
 121

renunciation, as a result of severe practice and God's grace

The real goal being salvation through self realisation, the
sure and safe way for her was to follow the foot-prints of
her husband, a great devotee of Lord Siva. Thus
determined, Subhaga at once discarded all mundane
thoughts and took to severe austerities and intense worship
of Siva. Soon she was initiated by a Siva Yogi and learnt
the ways and means of salvation. She was keen on
per orming special offerings to one hundred lingas made
of mud everyday. Soon Lord Siva was pleased and wanted
to subject her faith to severe test.
In the disguise of a young, beautiful brahmin he
appeared before her and wanted to lure her. "What is the
use of sacrificing beauty in austerities? Come with me and
enjoy youth and wealth" he told her. Neither his sensuous
orm nor his endearing words had any effect on her. When
e tried to force her she closed her eyes and prayed to Lord
Siva to. save her. To her surprise she saw Lord Sri
Kalahasteeswara and Cnanambika before her, who told her
that they only wanted to test her. The Lord praised her "Oh
virtuous lady! Your disciplined life, steadfastness'and
chasity are highly commendable. Even celestials are not
equal to you. Ask for any boons". She wanted to be spared
urther cycles of births and deaths and to rest in Him He
gave her Sayuja mukti immediately.
.... , VWa hear<3 of her and intensified his own worship.
Wdhout food and sleep he performed Siva puja all the time.
But the Lord wanted to test him also. So He asked his
trusted Ganadyaksha Chandrahasa to assume the form of
Narayana and distract the attention of Vijaya and allure
him with material benefits. Chandrahasa appeared before
Vijaya m the form of Narayana and was offered reverence
This Narayana asked him whether any useful purpose was
served by the worship of Siva, the dweller of cremation
ground, who smeared ashes of dead bodies and begged
food in a skull for a living. Indeed only he Narayana was
 122

capable of sustaining the whole world with the help of his

consort Lakshmi. Even after death he could provide a place
in Swarga where his devotees enjoy the company of the
celestial damsels. Vijaya at once asked him to stop talking
further. Had he forgotten his dispute with Brahma for
supremacy when Siva appeared between them as a huge
pillar of fire, whose height and depth could not be measured
by either of them. Was it not due to Siva's grace that
Narayana enjoyed his position and power and said that
there was no use of talking to an ungrateful person. Then
Chandrahasa revealed his true self to Vijaya and assured
him that Lord Siva would soon appear before him.
On the full moon day of the month of Sravan, Sri
Kalahasteeswara and Gnanaprasuna emerged from
Ardhanaareswara Satya Ligna and gave darsan to him.
Vijaya's joy knew no bounds and he sang in praise of the
Lord. The Lord assured him that he along with his consort
be ever present in that Linga, which would thereafter be
known as Subhagamba sameta Sri Vijayeswara and be
fulfilling the desires of the worshippers. Yagna, Dana, Tapas
and other offerings at this place would be as effective as
those done at Sri Kalahasti.

Note:
[On days of religious importance such as Mondays,
Fridays, New Moon day. Eclipse and Mahasivarathri
several worshippers visit this place and get their desires
fulfilled.]
Chapters 59 to 68 of Sthalapurana
1. Uma Sankarayor bhedo naastveva paramardhatah I
Dwidhasau rupamasthaya sthita eko na samsayah I
2. Sama pradhanow sama sattvow samotayoh 1
Ssama saktirajaraa viswayonih I
3. Vande vaanchita laabhaya karma kim tanna kathyate I
Kim dampatimite bruyaa mutaaho dampatee iti I I
 123

1. Really there is no difference between Uma and

Sankara; though two in form they remain united as
one. There is no doubt whatsoever.
2. Equally important equally powerful, between them
interwoven is all the force, the ageless source of all
the universe.
[TRIPUROPANISHAD]
3. To get what I desire, I bow down - why is the object
not mentioned? Shall I say the 'couple' in singular or
in dual according to grammar?
[NILAKANTHA DIKSHITA]

Chapter 32
JAPALA THE STAUNCH
Long long ago there lived a pious brahmin by name
Nandi in a village at the foot of the Nandi hills not far away
from Sri Kalahasti. He practised Veerasaivam and would
not worship any God other than Siva. His faith in Siva was
so intense that he would not speak with persons devoted
to other Gods. His wife Japala assisted him in various ways.
After ardently worshipping Lord Siva for several years he
became very old and was bed ridden. Realising that his end
was near he called his kith and kin near his bed and said
to his wife, "Oh dear! you have served me faithfully all these
years. Your devotion to Lord Siva has no parallel. Listen
to my last wish. Do not immolate yourself on my funeral
pyre. You will do well to serve the devotees of Lord Siva.
Give them clothes and feed them well. Smear the holy ashes
 124

and wear the holy rudraksha beads always. The Lord will
surely bless you. Soon I am going to His abode. Farewell".

After Nandi passed away his wife performed the last

rites due to him. She adopted the austerities of a
Veerasaivite more rigorously. Every morning she used to
go to the distant Kurma Teertha for her bath and fetch its
waters for worship. She smeared the holy ashes on the
different parts of her body and wore the holy beads. She
hated to look at the face of a person who had no marks of
ashes on his forehead and beads around his neck. On the
other hand she would worship people with these saivite
symbols, give them not only food but also clothes. On one
knttika day during the month of kartheeka she fasted the
whole day kept awake the whole night and worshipped
Lord Subrahmanya. And the Lord was pleased.

On finishing her ablutions the next morning at the

urma lake, she saw at a little distance away a handsome
hunter with a bow and arrows. He had the holy ashes and
holy beads. He could not be a mere hunter for there was
divine radiance about him. Her duty was to worship anV
person with the auspicious marks dear to Siva. Low caste
should not hinder her. So she approached him reverantly
and requested him to visit her house, washed his hands and
feet and fed him. The God revealed himself to her. She was
pleasantly surprised to see Lord Subrahmanya himself
standing before her and praised his grace. The Lord told
her I am pleased with your sincere prayers. What can 1
do for you”. "Dear God!" she said, "What else do I want
except that my devotion to Lord Siva should so please him
In this old age i find it difficult to go to Kurma lake. Kindly
create a small pond close to my house". Skanda granted her
wish by creating a pond with one stroke of his Saktivel
naming it asJapala teertha. She used to bathe in its waters
and continued her worship with redoubled enthusiasm. At
last Lord Siva was pleased, but wanted to test her. One day
 125

he appeared near her house disguised as an ardent devotee

of Siva. She was happy to get a new guest for the day. After
washing his feet' she offered him food. As she was serving
payasam, pretending it to be too hot for him to bear, he let
it go exclaiming "Narayana, Narayana", the mention of
whose name she would not tolerate. The annoyed lady at
once hit his head with the laddie in her hand. The blow was
so hard that his head split into five pieces bleeding
profusely. In the place of her guest appeared a Siva Linga,
with its top broken into five. Japala stood astonished. Before
she could comprehend, she saw Lord Siva right in front of
her, with Parvati as his left half. He was seated on the bull
and accompanied by celestials and Siva ganas. He declared
that he was immensely pleased. "This Linga will hereafter
be known as Uttarakeswara. I will Be ever present in it
granting the wishes of its worshippers. Those that worship
it on the fourteenth day after the full moon in the month of
Chaitra will be very dear to me. Now is the time for you to
come to my abode Kailasa and stay with your husband
Nandi for ever".

The Lord vanished. Japala's mortal coil fell and those

present could behold her celestial body rise higher and
higher.

Chapter 69 of Sthalapuranam.
Note : This place is now known as Vyasa Ashram,
Yerpedu about 15 km to the west of Sri Kalahasti.

Suddha Saiva-miti proktarn Veera Saiva-matah srunu

Sarveshaamapi Saivaanaam Veera Saivam mahattarah I I
Veerasaivam is considered to be pure Saivam. So it is
better than other disciplines.
 126

Chapter 33

MRITYUNJAYA

Atthe request of Bharadwaja, Romasa began to tell the storv

or Mrityunjaya : J

Once upon a time there existed a city called

Dharmapraja on the banks of the river Kowsiki at the foot
of the Himalayas. This city was ruled by a king named
Mntyunjaya, son of Yamadhwaja. The king was a devotee
of Siva. He ruled his kingdom well. One day a great sage
Raikwa was waiting at the entrance of the palace He was
very hungry and expected the king to receive him and offer

Unfortunately the king did not notice the presence of

the sage, took his meals and fell asleep. After waiting for
a long time the sage asked the gate keeper to inform the
king about his waiting for food. Accordingly the servant
went inside and found the king fast asleep. He was placed
m a dilemma between a hungry sage outside and a sleeping
km| “e palace-As soon as he noticed the king turning
in the bed he ventured to inform him about the holy man
The king was upset for being disturbed, scolded the servant
for his indiscretion and asked him to tum away the sage
The poor servant deplored that it was a hard job to seiwe
others, and to serve a king was to do acrobat on the sharp
edge of a long sword. He narrated what had transpired
and requested the sage to seek food elsewhere. The holy
man became very angry and remarked that a busy king
shou d not neglect his duties and should not sleep during

WHnme' th3t the Wn8 WOuId soon lose his

kingdom as well as his kith and kin and wander in forest
for twelve years in hunger and despair.

S' kta8,WOke up to hear ,he and was

frightened. He sent for his purohit and consulted him The
purohrt was very Sony for the king and told him that there
 127

was no escape. Every man has to reap the consequences of

his good and bad deeds. Gahana karmano gatihi. Inscrutible
are the ways of Karma. As the two were discussing thus a
messenger came to inform the king that turks had invaded
his territory and were about to seige the palace. The king's
despair knew no bounds. Soon he discarded his royal robes,
disguised as a poor man and fled to forests. His queen
Bhanumati and her son Sudhama were led away by the
purohit to a safer place. The frightened king wandered
desperately from forest to forest. He could get neither food
nor water to satiate his hunger and quench thirst. He had
to live on raw meat and dirty water. Thus eleven years and
eight months passed away.
At last the emaciated Mrityunjaya happened to come
near the hermitage of Sage Markandeya on the banks of the
river Cauvery. The very atmosphere of the ashram gave
him a lot of relief. As he was wondering as to the cause of
this unusual exprience, he saw before him the great sage.
He prostrated before him and stood silent, too dazed to
utter a word. The sage recapitulated the whole story of the
king in his mind. Briefly narrating the events, the sage told
the king that his long suffering was to end soon. He would
regain his kingdom and be united with his family. He
advised the king to go to the holiest of the holy places,
Srimath Dakishna Kailasa and worship Srikalahasteeswara
by reciting His one hundred names. This garland of names
Satanamabja malika (See Appendix III) was originally given
by Yogi Sananda to Yama, who in turn had offered it to
Markandeya. The offering of this garland of names would
not only redeem the sins but also bestow great merit and
endure happiness. The king received the blessings of Sage
Markandeya and the sacred garland of hundred names and
soon set out for Srikalahasti.
He took bath in the clear waters of the north flowing
river Swamamukhi. He was delighted to see the imposing
Linga of Srikalahasteeswara worshipped from time
 128

immemorial by spider, serpent, elephant, Kannappa,

besides a number of celestials, sages, kings and others. He
worshipped it with bilva leaves prostrated before it.
Further he installed a beautiful west facing Linga in his
name close to the main deity and worshipped it daily
reciting the hundred sacred names. For enlightenment he
lighted several oil lamps near it. For obtaining divine
knowledge he used to bathe it with cows milk and decorated
it with bilva leaves and several flowers. Observing several
austerities he worshipped the Linga for several days.
After four months Srikalahasteeswara appeared
before him and blessed him with a holy sword and power
to conquer his enemies. He further granted the request of
the king that those who worship this Linga on Karthika
Purnima (Full moon day of the month of Karthika) should
get their desires fulfilled and finally reach God's abode.
The king soon reached his place and vanquished his
enemies with ease. His wife and son joined him. He ruled
over his kingdom happily for several years and finally cast
off his mortal coil to go to Lord shiva's abode.
Chapter 70-71 of original.
Note: During drought periods devotees erect a
temporary wall at the door way of the Shrine and reverently
pour river water over the Mritunjaya Linga. As soon as it
is completely immersed, dark clouds gather and sufficent
rain fall occurs.
Yayena loka rakshaardham yaa dathe bhavate puraa
Subhaa Srikalahasteesa preetida naama maalikaa I I
Imam Srikalahasteesa sata-naamaabja maalikam
Pathatwam satatam bhoopa sarvaapadvini vrittaye I I
This garland of hundred (names) lotuses dear to the
Lord of Srikalahasti is an ancient one designed for the
welfare of mankind. By constantly repeating these hundred
names, all difficulties can be overcome by His grace.
 129

Chapter 34

DEVARISHI NARADA

Sage Bharadwaj requested Romasa to inform the way

in which Devarishi Narada performed penance at
Srikalahasthi and how Skanda explained him about
Sivadharmas.
Romasa began Devarishi Narada praising Lord
Sankara went to Kailasa. The scene was awesome. Huge
drums were beating, conches were blaring and damaru was
rattling. To the accompaniment of this deafening music
Lord Siva was hectically dancing His favourite Tandava.
Under his heavy foot the earth trembled. His appearance
was also terrifying. He wore tiger skin clothes; His
ornaments were serpents and a garland of skulls. His locks
were dishevelled. He was trampling a demon called
Apasmaraka with His right foot, while His left foot was
raised. His weapons were the trident and fire. The hall
was filled with numerous dwarfs and abominable ganas.
The entire dance scene was bewitching. As soon as the
performance was over the sage prostrated before the Lord
and, taking leave of Him, left the place wondering at the
peculiarities of Kailasavasa. The sage began to ruminate as
to why Mahadeva should select a cremation ground as His
dwelling place in preference to lovely Menu mountain. Why
should He wear the skin of tigers, lions and elephants
instead of laced silk clothes? While He could get diamond
set jewels why should He prefer a garland of skulls? Why
are the damaru and trisula His weapons? Why is the old
bull for His vehicle? Why is this odd third eye and Why
are these armlets of serpents? There should be a special
significance for all these attributes of Pasupathi. And
Narada wanted to clarify his doubts.

Playing on his Mahati Veena, the sage went to Brahma

loka. Saluting Pitamaha he narrated all his doubts and said.
 130

"Dear father! Vast and mysterious are the attributes of Lord

Maheswara kindly elucidate Siva Tatwa". Brahma replied,
"Son! your doubts are quite pertinent. Strange indeed are
the ways of Lord Siva. He is at once the kind Sankara and
the terrible Rudra. Only the Great God and his son
Subrahmanya can clear your doubts. None else can
understand and explain the divine attributes of
Parameswara. Go to Dakshina Kailasa on the banks of the
Swarnamukhi, observing austerities invoke Lord
Subrahmanya in the hillock named Vidya Saila and worship
Sri Kalahasteeswara manifest there as a tall linga. Your
doubts will be cleared by the grace of Parameswara".

Then the sage went to the spot indicated by Brahma.

He worshipped the Vayu Linga, went to Vidya Saila, prayed
to Lord Subrahmanya, installed a Siva linga called
"Kailasanatha" established a teertha called Tatwa prakasa
teertha and started penance. After some days
Srikalahasteeswara appeared before him and instructed his
son Subrahmanya to explain Siva Tatwa to the sage in full
detail and disappeared.

Guru Guha explained as follows:

VRISABHA VAHANA : At the time of Pralaya, as
Siva was dancing the cosmic dance every thing in the
universe was getting destroyed. The only shining object
was Paramatma. At that time Dharma (rightuousness) took
the form of a bull and sought the protection of the Lord.
Lord thought that Dharma should never be destroyed as
every thing else had its support only in Dharma. In view
of the fact that he had the whole universe in himself he
decided to have the rightuousness in the form of the bull
as His Vahana. Thus Nandi carries Siva and is sustained
by Him.

HOLY ASHES AND CREMATION GROUND : As

indicated above every thing was reduced to ashes at the
 131

time of Pralaya. Only Siva remained in the Maha Smasana

or the great cremation ground. Skulls, bones and ashes
were scattered every where. In order to prove His
timelessness and immortality he wore a garland of skulls
and bones. As ashes were capable of shedding fear and
protecting people from ailments and ever shining they were
adopted by him. He smeared the ashes on several parts of
his body. The only fitting place for the Lord, whose sport
^destruction of all living beings, is the cremation ground
itself.
OTHER ATTRIBUTES: After the churning of the
Ocean of milk for Nectar, the Tortoise that supported
Mandhara mountain went amuck and was creating havoc.
Lord Siva destroyed it and wore its shell in his waist. Lord
Narayana took the form of a wild boar to kill Hiranyaksha.
Succeeding in its purpose the Boar began to attack
everything it came across. Paramasiva destroyed the
animal and triumphantly wore its horn in His neck. Again
the man- lion, Narasimha became uncontrollable after
vanquishing Hiranya Kasipu. Mahadeva took the form of
a ferocious Sarabha, destroyed the Lion and wore its skin
as garment.

Once the Lord manifested Himself as a handsome

young beggar and was wandering quite naked in PitruVana
where a number of sages were engaged in the performance
of homa. Their ladies were infatuated. They were not able
to turn their gaze away from the naked beauty and
passionately followed Him. Noticing this, the sages became
furious. Their curses had no effect. They propelled
Apasmara on Siva to deprive Him of His mental faculties.
The Lord dwarfed the demon and trampled over it with
His right foot. Chanting mantras they let lose a deer, a tiger,
a trident, snakes, fire and several goblins, on the beggar,
who subjugated them all. They became powerful weapons,
garments, loyal servants of the intruder. The various
 132

TS?tri!S .?harted hy the sa8es' whiIe performing the

Abhichanka Homa, were silenced and absorbed by the
incessant rattling of the damaru. The sages and their
women folk were perplexed and stood dumb. Then the
Lord revealed His true form and dispelled their illusion,
hey praised Mahadeva and recieved his blessings.

Once upon a time, a demon took the form of an

elephant and caused havoc in and around the sacred city
f. V^ranaf1'The dwelIers invoked Viswanatha for help
who lolled the elephant, tore its skin and wore it over His
back. That was how the hide of an elephant came to be
associated with Paramasiva.

r„ 8fing clarification for all his doubts from Gum

Guha, the divine sage Narada prostrated before him and
HimJlf ZraiSf °^Sl‘lKalahasteeswara who manifested
Th^ . f fr°m he Kailasanatha Linga installed by Narada
us it became an object of worship and since then the holy
kshetra is known as Naradapura. ^

Chapters 72 and 73 of Sthalapurana

s^ittbhC:lVaa;kreCKda Smarahara pishaachaah sahacharaa I

Schitaa-bhasmaa lepah sragapi nrikarotee parikarah I
Amangalyam seclam tawa bhavatu maamaiva makhilam I
tadhap, smartrunaam Verada paramam mangala-mapi I I

[SIVA-MAHIMNAH STOTRAM]
O Destroyer of the God of love;. O Giver of boons
thy play is m cremation grounds Thv rommninnr '
ghosts. Thou besmearest Thy body with the ashes of burnt
bodies and human skulls are Thy garland - ail Thy conduct
indeed is thus full of evil. But Thou Conducest to the Grea
good of those who remember Thee. ^ 6 f
 133

Chapter 35

SATYAVRATA BHASKARA KSHETRA

Addressing Romasa, Bharadwaja wanted to know the
greatness of the holy places, rivers and mountains as
enunciated by Sri Subrahmanya to the Sage Narada. Romasa
replied that, Sri Subrahmanya began the narration with the
rivers.
Ganga, Yamuna, Chandrabhaga, Saraswati, Sindhu,
Godavari, Bhadra, Narmada and Swamamukhi are holy
among the rivers. Of them Swamamukhi is the holiest one.
While a person is required to bathe several times in the
rivers mentioned first to wash away his sins, a single dip
in the river Swamamukhi is enough to achieve this. Hence
the waters of this river possess great efficacy.
Among the mountains Sri, Vridham, Grudhramu,
Goshona, Varna, Bilva, Mani, Himagiri, Sadaksha and
Dakshina Kailasa are notable. Of these Dakshina Kailasa is
the most beneficial one as it was a holy peak of heavenly
Kailasa implanted on earth by Lord Brahma at the time of
creation for his penance. A stay on the Mountain even for
a moment is more rewarding than laborious japas, penance,
sacrifices, etc. This mountain is the cosmic manifestation of
Lord Siva and has no parallel at all.
" There are several famous forests in the world. The
famous among them are Kanchivana,. Vataaranya,
Devadaruvana, Swetaaranya, Shrutivana, Pippalaaranya,
Taalaaranya, Tillivana, Vamsaaranya, Akhandabilva
kanana worshipped by several Gods, Naimishaaranva and
Tejinivana. Among these Akandabilva forest is the most
sacred one as it is the favourite of Siva and Paravati. The
people residing there acquire peace of mind and traquility.
The world is dotted with numerous kshetras, the
important ones being Kashi, Prabhasa, Prayaga, Naimisha,
Gaya, Kapila, Satya, Grudra, Kurma, Mamaka, Agastya,
 134

Chandra, Kuru, Kusavarta, Gomukta, Kula, Dharma,

Mahendra, Soma, Sri Dakshina Kailasa, Siddha, Prajapati,
Durga and Bhairava. Of these 24 Kshetras Dakshina Kailasa'
ranks first. The very thought of this holy place will rid the
people of their miseries. Residing in this place for a single
day is as beneficial as the stay for 100 years in other holy
places. As the Kshetra is dear to Sankara, it is considered
as a gem among the holy places.

There are countless naturally formed Lingas all over

the world the most renowned lingas are
1. Putaarjuna 2. Madhyaarjuna 3. Mayuranatha
4.Vrihivaneswara 5. Uddalakeswara 6. Rameswara
7.Panchanadesa 8. Pasupati 9. Vedaaranyesa
lO.Svetavanesa 11. Chayavanesa 12. Chutapuresa
13.Virddhachalesa 14. Pranavesa 'l5. Gomuktanatha
16.Taalavanesa 17. Vitankanatha 18. Pushpavanesa
19.Dakshinavartanatha 20. Nagesvara 21. Kumbhakonesa
22. Vedapuresa 23. Gangadharesa 24 Bilvavanesa
25.Margasahaya 26. Vatavanesa 27. Ksheerapriyesa
28.Kotisurarchita 29. Sudhaghatesa 30. Kaleswara
31.Hatakeswara 32 Vidyadharesvara 33. Srisailanatha
34.Dharmapuresvara 35. Sri Viswanatha 36.Vedacha-
leswara 37. Kedaranatha 38. Leelanata 39.Mahabaleswara
40. Bhaktapriyeswara 41. Mulasthana 42.Karivaneswara
43.Ekambaranatha 44. Shonachaleswara and 45. Sri
Kalahasteewara.
The Linga in Dakshina Kailasa is marvellous in that
it is one of the Panchabhutalingas, being Vayu Linga. It is
majestically tall, imposing, radiant with a yellowish tinge,
having the texture of Rudraksha, possessing wonderful
powers of creation, protection, destruction revelation and
disappearance, worshipped by Gods like Had and Brahma,
bearing the features of a spider, serpent and the elephant
and has no parallel. The offering of a single bilva leaf is
enough for Him to shower His blessings on the devotee. I
 135

have imparted to you the importance of the river, mountain,

the forest and the Linga in this kshetra.

Lord Sankara is ever present at a place endowed with

the following four characteristics:
1. a naturally formed Linga.
2. such a Linga should have been worshipped by Gods
like Vishnu and Brahma;
3. a river having its source in a sacred mountain with
kshetras of Siva and Vishnu all along its course,
bearing a single name from its source to its joining
the sea.
4. a mountain containing excellent caves and adorned
with beautiful forests and lakes.
A kshetra with the above mentioned four features is
called Bhaskara Kshetra and Srikalahasti meets all these
conditions. So it is the holiest of the holy places.
Narada ! I have told you that the Dakshina Kailasa
represents the cosmic form of Sankara and the Vayu Linga
is His individual form. Twice a year once on the day
following Makara Sankranthi and again towards the close
of the Brahmostava the idols of SriKalahasteewara and Sri
Gnanaprasunamba are taken around the Mountain. The
idols are well decorated and are preceded by Gods, sages
and devotees to the accompaniment of various musical
instruments. They take rest in a number of Mandapas en
route and accept offerings made to them. These occasions
are very auspicious. The Giri pradakshina is a highly
rewarding experience".
Having enlightened Narada about the sanctity of the
place, Sri Subrahmanya left for his abode in Vidya Saila.
Sage Narada felt very happy, worshipped the Vayu linga
and continued his endless travels singing in praise of
Mahadeva.
10
 136

Chapter 74 of Sthalapurana
Srimad Dakshinakailasaabhikhyam sthala varottamam I
Punah prokta seshamukti vidhaanam kadhitam param I I
Gnana vairaagyadam saakshaachiva saayujya kaaranam I
Tasmaat sarvothamam sthaanam idameva muneeswaraah I
Sthalastasyaitasya sadrisam na bhutam na bhavishyati I I
The sacred Kailasa of South (namely Srikalahasti) is
the best of the kshetras. It ensures liberation by bestowing
knowledge and renunciation to persons entering it.
Ultimately they become one with Siva Himself. Therefore
it is the most sacred place with no equal either in the past
or in the future.

[SIVARAHASYA KHANDAM]

Chapter 36

SRI DAKSHINAMURTHY
AND THE SAGES
Romasa narrated how Sri Dakshinamurthi enlightened the
sages :

Long long ago, on the occasion of a solar eclipse, a

number of sages gathered in the sacred Kurukshetra and
began to discuss about Individual self. Supreme self and
Universe. Great sages, Suka, Sanatkumara and Parasara
were among those present. A pure Advaitin called
Satyayagna expounded that Parabrahman and the
jeevataman as well as the universe are all one and the same
and the difference between them was only an illusion. The
Sage Sandilya got up and with his flowery speech coupled
with profound rhetoric emphasised that duality was the
 137

real truth and that advaita theory was only misleading

others. Satyayagna would not agree with the argument put
forth by Sandilya but lacked the ability to contradict him.
Supreme reality, being beyond the reach of words and
senses had only to be realised by deep meditation under
the guidance of a sadguru. So Satyayagna simply closed
his ears and walked out. Suka, Sanatkumara and Parasara
and the other sages were convinced that Dvaita or the dual
principle was the correct one and heckled Satyayagna by
clapping their hands. They also began to preach Dvaita
philosophy (dualism) to others.
Lord Virinchi, the creator, wanted to guide the people
correctly, came to Varanasi, and began to convert the sages
there as advaitins. Suka and the other two sages also met
the Lord at Varanasi and sought knowledge about Reality
- whether it was one or dual. The Lord said, "Oh sages! Just
as a person with disease of eye-sight perceives one moon
as two, due to their optical illusion, people think that the
duality they see as real. This illusion is caused only by Saiva
maya”. The Lord declared that Advaita was the correct one,
the realisation of which alone would enable one to get
release from the cycle of births and deaths and to attain
moksha. That would be possible only with great practice,
renunciation and grace of Lord Siva. Sought for further
guidance, they were directed to go to Dakshina Kailasa and
worship Sri Kalahasteeswara, who could enlighten them.

The sages accordingly went to SriKalahasti, took bath

in the sacred river, Swamamukhi, worshipped the unique
Vayu Linga and performed penance. In due course
SriKalahasteewara appeared before them as
Dakshinamurthi seated under a huge banyan tree. His jata
makuta was impressive. His magnificent head radiated
serene tranquility and transcendental aloofness. A gentle
smile was lingering on the crimson lips of His handsome
face. His half open eyes were fixed on the tip of his nose.
He held an axe and an antelope in his upper hands. The
 138

lower right hand was raised in the gesture of teaching in

silence (Chinh Mudra) while the corresponding left hand
rested on his knee. His broad chest indicated that he was
holding breath in pranayama. The Murthi was seated in a
heroic posture (Veerasana), His left foot resting on the knee
of the pendant, right leg and His body straight as the stem
of the tree. Under His right leg lay prostrate the dwarfed
demon (Apasmara) of forgetfulness.

The aged sages reverently prostrated before the young

Guru who had so gracefully appeared before them, and
beckoned them to sit in front of him and meditate. The
great Lord of Yoga, absorbed totally in transcendental
reality, began to teach in silence the Cosmic Truth to the
sages. Gradually and imperceptibly the revelation came.

Dakshinamurthi Himself represented the Supreme

soul while the banyan tree, with its several branches, leaves,
fruits, roots and birds stood for the created universe. The
sages contemplated on the tree. This huge tree arose from
a tiny seed and the seed itself contained the embryo. The
tree was in an unmanifest form at the beginning, got
manifested in the middle to become again unmanifest in
due course. Thus the world and the various objects seen in
it are not permanent. That which vanishes could not be
considered as real. The Supreme self had cast its seed in
Mahat to produce the mundane universe. Just as a spider
weaves its web from out of itself and later absorbs it within,
Paramatma releases and absorbs the universe from time to
time. As the various pots and articles made out of mud are
nothing but mud, temporarily bearing different names and
forms, the jeevatmas are not different from Paramatma.

The very posture of the Lord stood for steadfastness

and earnestness required of a seeker. His eyes fixed on the ^
tip of his nose indicated that the search for truth should be
directed inwards with the question "Who am I? Am I the
eyes, ears, nose or other parts of the body? What happens
 139

to me when the body perishes?" Such enquiries could only

lead to the realisation of self. One should also practise yoga
by controlling breath and observing austerities. Desire
towards sense objects should be checked and cast aside.
The axe and the antelope conveyed that the three
gunas that bind the soul have to be mercilessly axed and
the fleeting mind held firmly in a proper position. The jeeva
or individual soul forgets the fact that he is eternal and
falsely identifies himself with the body. This false
identification or agnana is the cause for all his troubles. This
huge demon of forgetfulness has to be reduced to the size
of a pigmy and firmly trampled. That is the significance of
the Apasmara under the foot of the Lord. One should regain
consciousness as to the true nature of self.

Finally the sages concentrated their attention on the

Chinhmudra the tip of the fore finger bending to touch the
tip of the thumb. Here was the greatest message for the
beholders. Of these two fingers, the thumb, stood for the
Supreme self while the forefinger represented the jeevatma.
Normally the forefinger i.e, jeevatma is in touch with other
three fingers namely the middle, the ring and the little
fingers signifying the three gunas - Satwa, Rajas and Tamas.
So long as jeevatma is associated with the three gunas of
prakriti it is in bondage. Its link with the Supreme self
appears to be severed and duality is preceived. There are
several passages in the scriptures indicating that these two
entities are different! But this duality has relevance only as
far as the material world is concerned. So long as the
individual soul is governed by the three gunas it cannot get
out of the cycle of births and deaths. It cannot attain moksha
unless bondage with gunas is axed down with the
knowledge of self.

Viewed from the spiritual angle all this plurality is

only an illusion. The entire universe appears as if it is in
existence. The rope appears to be a snake until the truth is
 140

nothtag ta. the indestructible, all pe™di“ete™, e f

The forefinger which is so far directed outwards™! off
Its ego, bends and becomes one with the thumb.

The Sages realised and experienced the great truth

Supreme wisdom - the knowledge of Self- Exisfance (Sat)
onsciousness (Chit) and Bliss (Ananda). The penetrating
‘nsight enabled them to become conscious of KS

imnJbu8 TT lhe SUPreme knowledge

SriKhiSmunhThV™^ srahma VWya
The blessed three reverenUy Sprostrated^beforer*theegreat
eacher of all the worlds. They installed th" e seoS
hngas close by and left the place beaming with wisdom and
proclaiming advaita to the world.. °

Chapters 75 to 78 of Sthalapurana

Note. [As one enters Srikalahasti main temple one',

attention is arrested hv • • . P e' one s
Dakshinamurthi facing south Thec*^0fSmf iC*01 °f
Vaidika Peeta as The 'S kn°W" b°th 3S
for the ido, one
There is a bronze (panchaloha) idol for the mZh u u
taken in procession during festi vals 'h' Wh‘ch 18

Guravesarva lokaanaam I Bhishaje bhava roginaam I

Nidhaye sarva vidyaanaam I Dakshinaa murL^Lh , 1

worIdIPthe the FrecePtor of all the

well as the repository of ain^ming5”™1^ W‘tb b‘rlh “
 141

Chapter 37

KENOPANISHAD AND
SAHASRA LINGA

Sage Bharadwaja told Romasa that he was enthralled

to hear the anecdote of the sages like Suka. " Now I request
you to tell me in detail the cause for the pride of the Gods
like Hari, Brahma, Indra and others" Romasa began to
explain:
"Long ago Siva and Parvati fully decked with priceless
ornaments started on their faithful bull to visit Sri Kalahasti.
In the course of their aerial journey from Kailasa, Sankara
pointed out the various Lokas like Vaikunta and described
to Parvati the specialities of each of them. Happily
conversing they proceeded towards Mt. Meru with
wonderful gems. During their journey Paravati noticed
various gods running hither and thither in great panic. On
her enquiry, Siva said that He withdrew His kindness on
the gods as they became arrogant. Consequently, the
Danavas gained easy victory over them and drove them
away.

Paravati taking pity on the plight of the gods

requested her God to be kind to the gods because they were
virtuous. In compliance with her request, Sankara cast his
benign looks on the Devas who vanquished the demons in
an easy fight.

The gods gloated over their victory and indulged in

self-praise. They attributed their success to the might of
their weapons. While Brahma extolled, the power of his
Brahmastra, Vayu lavished praises on his Vayuvastra.
Similarly Varuna, Vishnu, Agni and Indra boasted about
the invincibility of their Varunastra, Sudarshana,
Agneyastra and Vajrayuda respectively. This self-
agrandisement gave room to jealousy. The gods began to
 142

quarrel among themselves. Grieved at this development

Lord Siva took pity on them. By His grace, a voice boomed,
"O gods, the cause of your victory does not lie in your valour
or the efficacy of your weapons. It lies elsewhere. You
have become arrogant and are unnecessarily quarreling
among yourselves. To cognise the real cause and to
subjugate your pride you all must go to Sri Kalahasti and
perform penance meditating on Paramasiva. Then you will
be enlightened”.
The Gods wondered at the divine voice and decided
to follow its injunction. So they all went to Sri Kalahasti,
took bath in the river Swamamukhi, worshipped the
Vayulinga and established an ashram in a beautiful valley
five miles to the south of the Vayulinga. There they installed
a huge Sivalinga and performed penance for several years.
At last. Lord Siva appeared before them in the form of a
Yaksha; but they did not understand who he was. The gods
ignored him thinking that his presence would be.a
hindrance to their penance. So they asked him to go away.
The Yaksha reminded them the purpose of their tapas and
informed them that he had come there to guage the intensity
of their efforts. With the increase of their arrogance, their
knowledge had depleted. He offered to prove their lack of
ability if they approached him one by one. He stood at a
distance.
First and foremost, the Fire-God approached the
intruder. The spirit asked him who he was, and Agni
replied, "I am Agni, the ommiscient". "What power resides
in such as you?” asked the spirit. "Why, I can bum up
everything. What ever there is on earth" replied Agni. The
Yaksha cast a hay strand before him and asked him to bum
it. In spite of all his efforts, the Fire-God could not bum it.
He felt ashamed and returned to the camp. Then the Wind
God was asked to come forward and demonstrate his
valour. He could not move the strand even a little. Next it
was the turn of Brahma whose mighty Brahmastra had no
 143

effect. He was followed by Vishnu, Varuna and other gods,

all to return unsuccessful.
Finally Indra came forward wielding his Vajrayudha
to confront the Yaksha who had by then disappeared A
lightning flashed as Indra winked his eyes. Before him stood
wonderously fair Uma Haimavati, well adorned with
golden ornaments and smiling. Indra asked her who and
where that Yaskha was. She replied that the stranger who
was none other than Lord Siva who came to prove their
weakness. She pointed out that the victory they gained over
the demons was not due to their valour. She added, "It is
He who impels the mind to alight on its object. The Great
God is at the back of every form of power, movement and
life in this universe. The most striking phenomena of
lightning and the most insignificant function of winking are
due to him. He is what illumines the lightning. He is what
makes one wink. Because of Him the mind knows the
external world and remembers and imagines things. Your
victory was only a result of the grace of Siva. He is known
as Tadvana, the one to be worshipped as the Atman of all
living beings". The gods realised their faults and shed their
pride and humbly began to pray slowly proceeding towards
the cave in which the Lord vanished. The Lord appeared
before them and assured that by their intense penance and
deep devotion, their pride and ignorance were cut off and
that he would look after their welfare. The Great God
declared that the linga worshipped by them would be
known as Sahasradeva linga and the teertha used by them
as Shasradevatha teertha. The cave nearby would be known
as Yakshaguha. Granting various boons to the gods, the
Lord disappeared.

Chapters 79, 80 and 81 of Shtala purana

Note: [ There is a huge Sivalinga with 1008 small lingas
engraved in it amidst thick forest in a valley five miles to
the south of the town. There are also the idols of Indra and
 144

other gods close by a stream flowing there. This place is

known as Veyilingalakona or the valley of thousand lingas.]
Yaksham prapujya paramam prapumam
Yad vastu drugochara taam nayati
Tanmae Humae darsaya vastu divyam
Twam yami matah saranam Mahesi I I
[SRI JANARDANASARASWATI SWAMI]
I take refuge in Uma Haimavathi who has facilitated
the knowledge of the infinite nature of the most worshipful
Siva who manifested as Yaksha.

Chapter 38

SARANGA AND VISWAMOHINI

, v J?earinS the story of the thousand gods tested

by Yaksha, Sage Bharadwaja requested Romasa to narrate
how Saranga attained salvation in Sri Kalahasti. Romasa
started the narration :

Once upon a time, on the banks of the sacred river

Godavari there was a prosperous village known as
Viprakuta. In that village lived a renowned jeweller of
precious stones by name Souravrata. He was a Brahmin
who had earned fifty lakh sovereigns and had several good
deeds to his credit. In course of time he passed away leaving
ehmd his only son, Saranga. Saranga used to freely mix
™? P.TwS CrrteSanS and sPend his time and money
on harlots. While he was squandering his money recklessly,
a few villagers of Viprakuta left on a pilgrimage
 145

After visiting several kshetras these pilgrims reached

Sri Kalahasti where a king named Simhadwaja was
conducting a spring festival (Vasanthostava) for Sri
Kalahasteeswara. Various halls and arches were erected and
decorated with festoons and flags. During the nights the
entire arena was lit with numerous lamps. The idols of Sri
Kalahasteeswara and Gnanaprasunamba were richly
adorned with jewels and flowers and seated on splendid
chariots. A number of musicians and dancers vied with one
another in exhibiting their skills. At last a famous dancer
by name Viswamohini who was surpassingly beautiful and
extraordinarily talented entered the stage’ With her artful
glances and dexterous movements coupled with her
melodious voice and rhythmic steps, she held the audience
spell-bound. Even long after the performance was over
people lavished their praises on her. The pilgrims of the
village enquired more about her and came to know that she
charged one hundred gold coins for entertaining her
paramours. On reaching home they narrated their
experience in the various places visited by them. But
Saranga was all ears for the account they gave in respect of
Viswamohini. He was infatuated on hearing about her
handsome features and her dexterity in dancing. He at once
discarded his wife and children and left for Sri Kalahasti
with a lot of money. Securing a house close to hers he
invited Vishwamohini and told her that he heard about her
beauty and her ability in dancing. He confessed that he
was a brahmin by name Saranga who was eamoured by her
and requested her to entertain him every day. He agreed
to pay her a hundred gold coins per day in return. She
consented. For several days she pleased him by indulging
in various ways enjoined in the Kamasastra. He considered
himself to be in a heaven on earth till all his money was
exhausted. When he entered her house empty handed,
Vishwamohini mercilessly drove him out. Thoroughly
disappointed, he went back weeping bitterly.
 146

After a few days she visited his house and said, "O
foolish brahmin! you should know that the entire world
revolves on money. Even though a man indulges in bad
habits he is extolled as the most virtuous one if only he has
a lot of wealth. A pauper is shunned by one and all. For the
sake of money people stoop to do any base deed. We
particularly in this profession do not care for the
handsomeness, age or caste of our visitors. We are
concerned only with money- You have become old and yet
you do not follow the duties enjoined upon you as a
brahmin. Think for a while the stuff of which our bodies
are made. They consist of skin, bones, flesh, blood and
marrow. Our various organs emit foul smelling substances
like saliva, sweat, phlegm and filth. We cover them with
perfumes. Then why should you hanker after flesh. Ponder
whether you have done any good deed so far. Death is
waiting at the comer. Before it is too late you had better
divert your attention from women to God Sankara. Now
go and try to secure the means for salvation".
With her words, enlightenment dawned upon him.
He repented his past. Considering Vishwamohini as his
eye-opener he prostrated before her saying that she was his
mother and guru.

Saranga went to the river Swamamukhi and praying

her to wash away his sins, he took his bath. He approached
some of the brahmins who were reciting vedas nearby.
Narrating his story, he requested them to show the way for
his redemption. A senior scholar among them called
Kailasanatha took pity on him and accepted him as his
disciple. He taught him the most efficacious panchakshari
mantra, forming the part of the Vedas as well as the various
austerities to be observed. In deference to his preceptor,
Saranga installed a Siva Linga called Kailasanatha Linga on
the peak of Dakshina Kailasa. He worshipped it in the Vedic
ways taught by his guru. He meditated on the mantra ten
thousand times a day with ardent devotion for four years.
 147

On a new moon day in the month of Vaisakha

Srikalahasteeswara emerged from the linga and declared
that he was rid of all his sins and offered him instant
salvation.
Chapters 82 and 83 of Sthalapurana.
Lingaarchanaat paro dharmo Naasti naasti jagat traye I
Lingaarchanaat param srestam Na bhutam na bhavishyati I I
[SIVA TATWA SUDHANIDHI]
In the three worlds there is no dharma better than the
worship of Linga. Neither in the past nor in future is there
any form of worship greater than that offered to Linga.

Chapter 39
VARAGUNA PANDYA
Sage Bharadwaja requested Romasa to detail the
account of Varaguna Pandya. Romasa started:
The city of Madura was once ruled over by Varaguna
Pandya, a descendant of Sundara Pandya who belonged to
the Chandra dynasty. He was a great warrior and ruled
over his kingdom with modesty. Providentially a sage called
Pippalada visited his palace. The king having forgotten his
family deity Mahadeva questioned the sage as to the means
of obtaining release from Samsara. He requested him to
enlighten him. The sage reminded him that the king had
neglected the worship of Mahadeva. He continued, "One
can attain salvation by learning that Hari and Hara are
synonymous. There is no difference between the two. The
creation of universe and its preservation are caused by the
powers of Hari and Hara. There is no distinction between
Shakti and its wielder. But in actual usage there appears
to be very little difference between the two on account of
Maya (illusion). The Shakti of Maheswara is four-fold. The
 148

first is the power of experiencing enjoyment and suffering

called tbp Bhoga Sakti. The second relates to Vishnu with
his daz. ing chakra. The power of anger in a battle field
relating to Kali is the third one. The fourth represents Durga
who wards off Durgati (misery). Bhavani is pure
consciousness while Vishnu is predominantly goodnessand
happiness. The power of Bhadrakali denotes darkness as
bom of ignorance binding people with sluggishness and
slumber. Durga denotes the power of Rajas or energy
springing from thirst for worldly things and attachment.
Therefore, there is no difference between Siva and Kesava.
Siva is Vishnu and Vishnu is Siva and the names attributed
to one are equally attributable to the other. No doubt the
puranas extoll Siva in one place and Vishnu elsewhere. On
that account we should not consider one as superior to the
other. The same god is called by these two names. By
knowing the oneness of the two you can attain salvation".
Thus elaborating Sage Pippalada initiated the king
into the Pancha dasakshara mantra. He asked the king to
meditate upon it every day. The king followed the
instructions and ruled over his kingdom with equal faith
m Siva and Kesava. As a result of his meditation he could
visualize Sivakesava in his dreams..

In course of time the king came into contact with a

few Buddhists and was influenced by their teachings. He
was happy in their company and began o lavish money on
them. In due course he discarded the mantra and his guru
Pippalada by embracing Buddhism and learning the Skanda
Panchaka. Soon the Buddhists extracted all his money and
completely ruined him. By giving up the mantra of the
fifteen letters, he became a pauper and by neglecting his
preceptor he lost control over his senses and was on the
verge of madness.

After three years, sage Narada visited the king who

received him with due reverence and stood silently before
 149

the sage. The Divine Sage cognising the plight of the king
said that his misery was due to negligence. He added/
"Though you are wedded to truth and have conquered
passions; though you serve the elders and are kind to all
beings; though you are well versed in sastras and bom in
a noble family, you have given up the sacred mantra and
discontinued your reverence to your mentor. I freely go
about all the worlds and I know a place which is very sacred
i.e./ Dakshina Kailasa where the river Swamamukhi flows
northwards. On its eastern bank is situated the wonderful
town of Sri Kalahasti. A luminous Vayu Linga adorns the
place graciously showering boons on devotees. To ward off
your sins and regain your greatness, I advise you to go
there. Considering your guru and Paramasiva as one you
must meditate upon the holy mantra every day as
instmcted. There you will attain relief and salvation”."
The king lost no time in reaching the holy place. As
soon as he took bath in the river Swamamukhi he regained
his original senses. He established a Siva Linga close to the
Vayulinga and meditated upon it with steadfastness. He
worshipped in this manner for eight years. Pleased with his
devotion Sri Kalahasteeswara mounted on His Nandi and
accompanied by several gods appeared before the king, on
the third day of the month of Magha, Varaguna was
overjoyed and praised the Lord in several words. The lord
said that the king was purified from the sins acquired by
the company of the Buddhists and by neglecting his guru.
The king requested the Lord to give him darshan every day
in his dreams, to grant salvation after his death and to name
the town after him. Siva granted the boons and disappeared.
Thereafter SriKalahasti acquired the name of
Varagunapura. After discarding his mortal coil, Varaguna
attained salvation assuming the very form of Paramasiva.
Chapter 84 of sthalapurana.
Maheswarevaa jagataamadheesware
Janaardanaevaa jagadantaraatmani
 150

Na vastu bheda pratipatti rasti may

Tadhaapi bhaktih Tarunendu sekhare
Siva is the Lord of the Universe while Janardana is its
soul. There is absolutely no difference. Yet my devotion is
to Siva.

Chapter 40

RAJENDRA CHOLA
After narrating the story of Varaguna Pandya, Sage
Romasa told Bharadwaja the anecdote of Rajendra Chola:
To the West of Tiruchirapalli there exists a prosperous
town named Dharmapuri. In that town the people
belonging to various castes lived happily observing the
duties enjoined on them. That town was ruled by successive
generations of Bhoja and Chola twins who ruled the
kingdom righteously. Aswaroha one of the rulers of that
great dynasty was a great devotee of Siva and had a
generous disposition. He was a famous warrior and was
renowned for honouring the brahmins who were well
versed in vedas. He was blessed with a son by name
Rajendra Chola who was well known as a warrior, a scholar
and as one wedded to truth. He was also famous as a staunch
devotee of Lord Siva. He was generous in making gifts to
deserving persons. Above all he was ardent in his devotion
to Javvantinatha, the presiding deity.
During the same period there lived a great yogi named
Sivaratha well-versed in different sastras in a town called
Brahma vajravidhan in Kashmir. By his severe austerites he
earned the grace of Lord Siva. Once a wonderful idea
dawned in his mind. Discarding his gross body, he stealthily
entered Swarga and collected few plants of red javvantika
flowers transmitting divine perfume. He brought them to
earth and resumed his gross body. He developed the plants
 151

and with the fragrant flowers he used to worship the lin°a

at Dharmapuri which since acquired the name of
Javvantinatha. Only after worshipping with these flowers
he would just take a handful of water for his sustenance.
One day a brahmin gave one of the ja vvanthi flowers offered
to the Linga to the king. The king was astonished at the
colour and fragrance of the flower.
Prompted by greed he ordered his servants to collect
all the rare flowers and make three garlands to be presented
to him. Receiving the three garlands daily, he gave one to
his eldest wife Chandrarekha, the second one to his
youngest wife Kantimati and retained one for himself.
While the king and Kantimati wore the flowers themselves
the senior queen Chandrarekha devoutly offered it to the
Amritalinga in the palace. The Lord was pleased and blessed
Chandrarekha with a son capable of effectively ruling the
whole world.
Being left with no flowers to offer Sivaratha refrained
from drinking even the handful of water. Pitying the lot of
his devotee, Sivaratha, the Lord became angry with the
greed of the king. The east facing Linga of Javvanthinatha
suddenly turned west. This was followed by a terrible
dust-storm. Frightened by this unusual storm people ran
helter-skelter. The senior queen Chandrarekha was spared
from the attack. But many people including the second wife
Kantimati died in the deadly storm. The frightened king
Rajenadra chola fled northwards mounting on a speedy
horse. The storm pursued him whereever he went. On his
way he sought relief by worshipping Sivalingas at several
places like Rishividya, Vrudhachala, Shonachala,
Virinchipuri, Srivaraha, Vedapuri and Kanchipuri, but his
efforts remained unrewarded. Providentially he crossed the
river Swamamukhi and reached Sri Kalahasti. The storm
halted on the western bank of the river and poured dust
for three days. Meanwhile the king learnt the greatness of
tfle river and the kshetra from the local people. He also
11
 152

realised that Sri Kalahasti was the most sacred of all the
places on earth. He lost all interest in his family or kingdom
and began to worship Sri Kalahasteeswara according to
sastras. He selected Brahmavidya teertha closeby for his
daily ablutions. As a result of his stay in the sacred place,
his sincere devotion, and sanctity of Brahmavidyateertha
coupled with the efficacy of past good deeds, his heart
became pure. The Lord appeared in his dream as a yogi
and enquired as to why he was engaged in strict austerities.
The king replied that he was anxious to attain Sivasayujya
and requested the yogi to indicate the path. To test him, the
yogi said that he could bestow him the wealth of all the
gods. But the king refused to have them and reiterated that
he was interested only in salvation. In the same dream the
yogi revealed his identity as Sri Kalahasteeswara and gave
the asthakshari mantra and asked him to meditate upon it
to acheive his object.
The astonished king felt that he had at last gained the
grace of Paramasiva. He worshipped the lord meditating
on the mantra as imparted to him by installing a Siva Linga
near the Vayulinga. At last on the fifth day of the bright
hair of the month Chaitra, Sri Kalahasteeswara appeared
before him and granted him Sayujya mukthi.
Chapter 85 of Shtalapurana
Yaavacha Vedadharmaastu Yaavadvai Sankaraarchanam
Yaavacha suchikrityaadi Taavan naaso bhave nnahi
As long as the injunctions of Vedas are followed, as
long as the worship of Sankara is performed and as long as
virtuous deeds are done, there would not be any disaster.
 153

Chapter 41

ANANDA TANDAVA OF NATARAJA

After hearing the story of Rajendra Chola with great

interest Bharadwaja requested Sage Romasa to bless him
with the sacred account of Yogi Nilakantha who attained
salvation by witnessing the Ananda Tandava of Nataraja.
Romasa was pleased to narrate:

Once there lived in Srinagar in Kashmir a noble

brahmin, Somaka, who was well versed in vedas and other
scriptures and an ardent devotee of Sankara. His son,
Nilakantha was famous for his erudition in vedas and"
vedangas. He was gifted with the rare qualities of calmness
and self-restraint and was always engaged in the practice
of yoga. With the permission of his father, he undertook a
pilgrimage and visited a number of holy places. In due
course he reached Varanasi to worship Lord Viswanatha.
After taking his bath in the cleansing waters of Ganga and
worshipping the sacred linga, he met a number of sages
listening to Devarshi Narada. Describing the sanctity of the
various kshetras, the Divine Sage extolled in several words
the merits of Sri Kalahasti.

Nilakantha yogi was very much impressed with the

account given by Narada. He learnt that several sages
attained salvation by witnessing the dance of Nataraja at
Chidambaram. He yearned to have a vision of the Lord's
dance at the holiest of places, Sri Kalahasti. Soon he reached
the holy spot with enthusiasm, took bath in the river
Swamamukhi and worshipped the unique Vayulinga. He
selected Virakshetra two miles to the west of the Vayulinga
for meditation. He installed a Linga and created a teertha
for his daily worship and ablutions. By consuming just a
handful of water, he embarked upon a rigorous tapas
Possessing the virtues of Santhi, self-restraint, equal respect
for all beings, non-violence and equanimity, he performed
 154

penance aspiring to have the darsan of Nataraja dance. Five

years passed. Pleased with his remarkable penance lord
Siva decided to grant Nilakantha his desire. He summoned
the divine architect Viswakarma and asked him to erect a
suitable dance-hall with Dakshina Kailasa Mountain as the
back drop. Viswakarma accordingly erected a huge hall
with four entrances with walls set with gems and windows
of marble. The pillars of the hall were studded with ratnas
while the dias was rich with corals and blue diamonds. The
steps were engraved with rubies and domes were bedecked
with diamonds. The entire hall was decorated with festoons
of golden leaves. On completion the hall was resplendent
with matchless design. Viswakarma gave finishing touches
and reported the matter to Paramasiva and left.
Then Sri Kalahasteeswara manifested Himself from
the Linga installed by Nilakantha. He was accompanied
by Nandi, Gnanambika, Hari, Bramha, Indra and several
other Gods as also by several sages and scriptures that had
taken human form. Nilakantha was thrilled to have the
darsan of the Lord on the fifth day of the bright moon of
the month of Chitra which was a Monday. The yogi
prostrated before the Lord and recited several poems in
His praise. The Lord asked him what he wanted.
Nilakantha said, "O Mahadeva, I am not enamoured of
celestial worlds like Vaikuntha or worldly possessions. I
only want to have a darsan of your Ananda Tandava which
will ward off sins and grant salvation".
^ Paramasiva agreed. Several gods and goddesses
enthusiastically joined in creating the orchestra for Him.
Lord Brahma well-versed in Bharatasastra had taken up the
cymbals to keep time with dance. Nandi took charge of the
drum. Vishnu with his mridangam, Gouri with Kahalika,
Saraswati with her kacchapi, Indra with his flute, Bana with
the thousand faced Dambara, Lakshmi with Bhastrika and
ot er gods and goddesses with several musical instruments
were ready.
 155

Even as the orchestra was getting ready, Sri

Kalahasteeswara began to dress Himself appropriately for
the dance with minimum attire to better reveal His features
and limbs. The Tripundra mark, the sacred ashes smeared
with three fingers along the forehead, was prominent
emphasising the triple form of truth, in thought. Word and
deed. The hairdo of Siva was picturesque. The jatas were
intertwined with snakes having the red light of gems on
their heads, tinging the moon creating a wonderful colour
blend and signifying the removal of ignorance. Ganga's
head peeping from the jatamakuta looked like a lotus flower
and the streams like garlands of pearls. The Ganas were
busily engaged in assisting Him. The shouts of Ganas were
asking for ornaments and attributes to be brought and made
available quickly. Kala fastened the tiger hide. Nandi
tightened the locks with snakes and adjusted the crescent
moon. Ambika, herself gave final touches and placed a
garland of flowers around his neck long enough to reach
his knees.

Nataraja graciously entered the fully equipped hall in

the twilight of the evening. In order to enable his devotee
Neelakantha to comprehend the full implication of His
dance He gracefully bestowed him with divine sight.

At the very sign of His brow, Nandi sounded the

Naandi drum to start the dance of the evening. It was like
the uttarance of Pranava or Omkara at the commencement
of Vedic chants. This was followed by the orchestra of
veena, venu and mridanga by Saraswati, Indra and Vishnu
respectively, Brahma keeping time with a pair of cymbals.
As great exponents of music, it was the privilege of Lakshmi,
Saraswathi and Vijaya (Companion of Parvati) to join in
chorus to sing to the accompaniment of musical
instruments. As Nandi joyously played the drum set on his
lap, Nataraja commenced his dance with rythmic limb
movements. The bound up jatas loosened by the tempo of
 156

His dance and a spray of water from the heavenly stream

on His head sprinkled all around purifying the hall packed
with spectators. This was followed by swift movements
spreading jatas in the sky and scattering stars like jasmine
flowers. The vigorous movements of His hands scattered a
mist of sacred ashes almost creating the illusion of a white
curtain behind Him. The sages and celestials reverently
smeared the sprinkled ashes on their chests to cleanse their
sins. The dance gathered momentum with the song
sustained in the throat, meaning rendered by the hands, the
moods (bhava) delivered by the glances and the rythm
(Tala) marked by the feet. Where the hands moved, the
glances followed; where the glances went the mind
followed; where the mind went the mood followed and
where the mood went there was flavour (Rasa) and Ananda.

And every movement or expression was highly

suggestive to Neelakantha. Veena, Venu and Mridanga
were held as consecrated by mantras to ward off poisonous
thoughts. As he witnessed the dance, several mantras
surged forth in his mind, " Namo Dundubhyaya Cha
Hananyaya Cha; Namo Viroopebhyo Viswarupebhyas cha
Namaha; Sabhabhyo Sabhapathibhyas cha O Namaha" and
so on.

As Brahma and Saraswathi sung Sama Gana in a low

voice to the accompaniment of Veena, all other musical
instruments became silent. Light became dim. Nothing was
visible expect Paramasiva, who seemed to have withdrawn
the entire universe into Himself. It looked as though Siva
danced far beyond darkness in the effulgence of his own.
He paused for a while. Only the words OM NAMAH
SIVAYA were audible in a low but distinct tone.

In holy giddiness Neelakantha closed his eyes. He

contemplated upon five faces (Tatpurusha, Aghora,
Sadyojata, Vamadeva and Sadasiva) and on the
ashtamurthy form comprising the five elements. Sun, Moon
 157

and the sacrificer as the creator, the protector of the universe.

The five functions of the supreme unfolded themselves
(l)Sristhi or creation in the damaru in His hand (2) Sthithi
or maintenence in His lifted hand (3) Samhara or destruction
by the poisonous snakes all over His body (4) Tirobhava a
veiling or illusion in His matted locks, let loose in all
direction and (5) Anugraha or release in the lifted foot
pointed out by the lower arm. The circle of flames around
the great dancer signified not only Pranava but also His
poornatha or completeness. The yogi experienced the dance
of Sabapathi in the hall of consciousness in the lotus of his
own heart which vibrated with joy of such experience. He
opened his eyes with amazement.
Gradually the lights became bright and one by one
revealed itself. The hall, Nandi, gods, sages, ganas,
orchestra; everything appeared to be recreated by the Great
God, as He resumed the dance. The joyous Tandava of
Nataraja with His head adroned by the Crescent Moon to
the accompaniment of the sound of the waves of Ganga
mingled with the twinkling anklets and the sound of the
drum was splendid. Finally the performance came to a close
with Nataraja sounding the drums nine times and five,
desirous of calling up all evolved souls like Neelakantha
and others for liberation.

The devotee was thrilled on witnessing the soul

stirring scintillating and purifying dance of the Lord. His
joy knew no bounds. He bowed before the Lord and
requested Him, to be ever dancing in his lotus heart. Finally
Sree Kalahasteeswara blessed the yogi with peace and
prosperity, assured him of Sayujya and vanished in the
Linga established by him.

Chapter 86 of Sthalapurana and "Nataraja" by C.

Sivaramamurti

Note: A few yards to the south of the main temple of

Srikalahasteeswara, there is a mandap known as Nataraja
Ananda Tandavam of Nataraj
 159

Rangasthala with the sacred mountain as its back drop. In

this mandapa we find Siva as Nataraja, as also Ganapathi,
Subrahmanya in dance poses, Aalinganamurthi, Bhikshata
etc. exquisitely craved out in the rocky mountain.
Sandhya gharma dinaatyayo Hari kararaghaata prabhutaanaka I
Dwano vaarida garjitam divishadaam dhrastichataa chamd alaa I
Bhaktaanaam paritosha-bhaspa-vitatir vristir mayuree Sivaa I
Yasmin-ujjvala tandavam vijayate tam Neelakantam bhaje I I
[SIV A AN AND AL AH ARI 54]
I worship Neelakantha/blue-throated) the peacock
that excels by its beautiful dance, having the time of dusk
as the eve of summer, the sound of the drum beaten by
Vishnu as thunder peals, the eyes of the celestials as
lightening, the blissful tears of devotees as rain and the
divine mother Parvati as the peahen.

Chapter 42
KING CHAKRADHARA
After hearing with relish the account of Ananda
Tandava of the Lord, Sage Bharadwaja was eager to leam
the way in which king Chakradhara attained salvation at
Sri Kalahasti. Romasa commenced his narration thus :
The kingdom of Madura was once ruled by a
renowned warrior-king named Chakradhara, the son of
Vajrakirita. He possessed the four- fold army consisting of
the brigades of elephants, horses, chariots and soldiers. The
king ruled over his subjects with love and affection as a
father to his children. He had no sons. But he was happy
with his two daughters, Amritalata and Kantimati. As
goodness would have it, these two daughters were very
much devoted to Lord Siva. After some years the king came
into close contact with a few hypocrites feigning
Vaishnaism. Due to their influence King Chakradhara set
 160

forth on a conquering spree with the help of his invincible

four-fold army. Inspite of his valour and the might of his
army he was unable to gain victory anywhere. Proceeding
westward clockwise, he finally reached the south eastern
vicinity of Malaya mountain. As soon as he entered the
hermitage of sage Agastya, the consort of Lopamudra, he
had a strange experience. Regaining some peace of mind
the king approached the sage, prostrated before him and
occupied a seat offered by the sage. In all humility the king
told him the failure of his exploits. He said, "Though I have
unparalleled strength supported by my mighty army, I have
been facing defeat after defeat. I have a lot of wealth and
other accessories, but no peace of mind. Kindly be my friend,
guide and philosopher and guide me. I take refuge in you".
The sage was kindly disposed and said, "O king, I will
explain the reason for your failure in war and your
restlessness. In spite of many virtuous qualities, instead of
taking the advice of noble persons you flauntered and
committed sinful deeds. Your association with
unscrupulous persons had resulted in your present plight.
You believed in heritics and unscrupulously discarded the
worship of Lord Siva. Even now you continue to revel in
the company of those pretenders. The people of this group
are materialists opposed to right conduct and are enemies
of the Great God. They possess the base qualities of desire,
wrath and greed. They are full of pride and self-conceit
and their devotion to Vishnu is hypocritical. You have
abondoned the injunctions of scriptures regarding the
worship of Parameswara. So long as you hate Lord Sankara
and His devotees wearing the holy ashes and rudrakshas,
success will elude you. All the Gods dwell in Siva and by
worshipping Him all the Gods are pleased. As you have
neglected Him, all the Gods are unfavourable to you".
The king realised his folly and requested the sage to
inform him the way for leading a pleasant life on earth and
attaining salvation after death. The sage was kind enough
 161

to initiate him into a mantra known as Sri Kalahasteswara

prapatti. He gave the seventeen lettered mantra suffused
with Siva Sakhti, Sri Kalahasteesa charanau saranam aham
prapadye : I take refuge at the feet of Srikalahasteeswara".
He meditated on the mantra. By the grace of Sri
Kalahasteeswara and sage Agastya and by the efficacy of
the mantra, Chakradhara was purified, conquered vast
territory and ruled over his kingdom with great pomp. He
was blessed with a son named Rajasekhara. Chakradhara
coronated him and renouncing all luxuries, his kingdom
and family, he visited Sri Kalahasti on the fourteenth day
of dark half of the month of Magha. He took bath in the
sacred river Swamamukhi, went around the mountain
Kailasagiri and sat before the Vayulinga, the whole night
reciting the rare mantra taught to him. He peacefully passed
away by the next morning and attained the salvation by
entering the kingdom of Kailasa, rare to be attained even
by Yogis.
Chapter 87 of Sthalapurana
Anyadha Saranam naasti twameva saranam mama I
Tasmat karunya bhavena raksha raksha Maheswara I I
Oh Maheswara ! Protect me for I take refuge in Thee.
Thou art my sole Protector. Please save me.

Chapter 43

THE PRINCESSES AND THE YOGI

Sage Bharadwaja requested Romasa to inform him

how the daughters of Chakradhara attained mukti in Sri
Kalahasti. Romasa began:
As already mentioned the two daughters of the king
Chakradhara were immersed in the worship of Sankara.
 162

They remained virgins and spent every moment in

worshipping Siva.
They set apart one of their rooms exclusively for puja.
They would get up early in the morning and after finishing
their daily ablutions set to work. While the younger one
Kantimati collected various flowers and bilva leaves from
the royal garden, the elder one, Amritalata was engrossed
in cleaning the puja room, the utensils for worship and the
idols. Together they used to decorate the mandapa and
arrange the flowers. With single- minded attention they
used to offer flowers to the various names of Sankara and
Parvati. They also offered food specially cooked and fruits
by way of Naivedya. They would close the morning
sessions by lighting camphor and singing songs.

At noon they would receive reverently the devotees

of Siva who visited the palace. After attending to their
comforts, they used to listen to the experiences of the
visitors. While some described the greatness of various Siva
kshetras, others narrated the numerous exploits of the Lord.
The sisters also learnt several devotional songs from them.

In the evenings they would again clean the puja room

and decorate the mandapa and idols with different
ornaments set with gems. To the accompaniment of veena,
venu and mridanga they would sing in praise of the Lord.
In the nights they used to get pleasant dreams.

One morning, Amritalata told her sister, "Dear

Kantimati, I had a fine dream. A Siva yogi with clear marks
of ashes on his forehead and the sacred rudraksha beads
around his neck, appeared and informed me that he was
on his way back to Sri Kalahasti. On hearing our steadfast
devotion to Mahadeva he had visited us. In the dream he
gave me the sacred panchakshari mantra. Extolling Sri
Kalahasteeswara he vanished”. Kantimati said that she too
had exactly the same dream. As they were so discussing
their maid- servant Santa informed the arrival of a Siva yogi
 163

at the gate. To their surprise they noticed that he was the

man who appeared in their dreams the previous night. The
yogi accepted their hospitality, revealed that he was from
Sri Kalahasti, extolled the Vayulinga and initiated them into
the Panchakshari. He advised them to visit Sri Kalahasti
and meditate upon the mantra. He also offered them some
sacred Vibhuti capable of warding off hunger and thirst.
Instructing his disciple, Satyam to lead them to Sri Kalahasti
the yogi departed.
Accordingly the two princesses followed Satyam to
Sri Kalahasti. They had a holy dip in the crystal clear waters
of Swamamukhi and worshipped the splendid Vayulinga
with bilva .leaves. They installed Lingas in their names
nearby. Thus worshipping the Lingas meditating upon the
mantra as instructed by the Siva yogi, they spent five years.
On a full moon day in the month of Margasira, they shed
their human bodies. Donning the celestial bodies by the
grace of Sri Kalahasteeswara they entered the abode of
Kailasa.
Chapter 88 of Sthalapurana.
Durlabho vishaya tyago I Durlabham tatwadarsanam I
Durlabhaa sahajaavastah I Sadguroh karunaam vinaa I I
It is very difficult to renounce sense objects; It is very
difficult to perceive Tatwa; It is very difficult to gain self
perfection. Only the grace of a Sadguru can enable us to
overcome these difficulties.

CHAPTER 44
PADMASENA

Bharadwaja requested sage Romasa to enlighten him

about Padmasena who acquired lot of wealth by offering
prayers to Sri Kalahasteeswara. Romasa consented.
 164

In the good olden days, the city of Srinagar in Kashmir

was flourishing with pomp and prosperity. This city was
ruled by a king belonging to the Chandra race by name
Yamadwaja. He had two wives of unparalleled beauty
named Satyavati and Kanthimati. He had a son named
Padmasena through his first wife Satyavati. That boy was
not only dignified but also valorous. The son of his second
wife Hemaprabhu was surpassingly handsome. The king
who was enamoured of his second wife never failed to fulfil
her wishes. He was prepared to do anything to satisfy her.
He placed the kingdom with all its forts and treasures at
the disposal of his second son Hemaprabhu. His first wife
and eldest son were reduced to the position of slaves. They
had to be at the beck and call of the younger prince and his
mother. Satyavati was content to be in the presence of her
husband. In course of time, Hemaprabhu was scheming to
imprison his elder brother. Sensing this the king's purohit
called Satyamitra approached Yamadwaja and told him, "O
great king, you are well-versed in dharma. I am pained at
the recent developments and have come here to counsel
you. Being fond of your second wife you have discarded
your first son, Padmasena who is endowed with the noble
qualities of truth and contentment. He is righteous,
well-versed in the laws governing the kingdom. Instead of
bestowing the governance of the kingdom on your virtuous
son following the traditions of rulers, you have made the
second son wield all powers. Your action is fraught with
grave danger.

As your well wisher I would advise you to follow

one of the three courses mentioned below:

1. You must entrust the entire charge of the country to

the care of your first son;

2. Divide the kingdom into two halves and distribute

it between your sons equitably.
 165

3. You must send the eldest prince Padmasena to far off

lands.
After careful consideration you may decide the course
of action to be taken”. The embarassed king chose the thrid
course and banished Padmasena.
To the distress of the eldest queen her son left the
palace. The purohit accompanied him. After visiting
several places, they both left for Varanasi. They took bath
in the holy Ganga and had darsan of Sri Viswanatha. They
camped there for a month, during the course of which they
attended to the discourses of the divine sage Narada being
given to the sages gathered there. They learnt about the
great significance of Sri Kalahasteeswara and the river
Swamamukhi flowing there. With great enthusiasm they
reached Sri Kalahasti and offered reverential prayers to the
Vayulinga after taking bath in the river. During their stay
at the sacred place they met the sage Markendeya. In great
humility they offered their respects to the sage and narrated
their story. The divine sage remarked that it was to their
great fortune that they visited Sri Kalahasti. He called
Satyamitra aside and recognising his intelligence, he
imparted the manner in which a Siva Linga is to be installed,
the way in which the worship is to be conducted according
to Saivapancharnava Chaturanga Vidhanam. The sage also
composed a prayer- to be recited every day by Padmasena.
The sage asked him to pass on the sacred knowledge to
Padmasena and left the place.

See Appendix VI
Accordingly Satyamitra and Padmasena took bath in
the river Swamamukhi, worshipped the Vayulinga and
selected a place to the west of the Sivalinga for their daily
worship. In the manner ordained by Sage Markandeya,
Satyamitra had a Sivalinga installed by Padmasena and
initiated him into Sivapanchakshari japa in the chaturanga
way. After the prince settled down in the worship his
 166

purohit left for his native place. Ten years passed by. On
one Sunday, the 14th day of the bright half of the month
Pushya Sri Kalahasteeswara with his entourage manifested
himself before the prince. Deeply moved by the grace of
the Lord bestowed on him, Padmasena praised him. The
Lord said, "O prince, I am overwhelmed by your worship
performed according to sastras. You will be blessed with
an invincible army to the tune of a Padma (Satakoti) befittifng
your name. You will conquer many kingdoms and reajch
home to reign long over the empire. Your linga will ibe
known as Sampat Pradeswara". Sankara disappeared.
Subsequently Padmasena accumulated a large-army and
wealth and gained suzerainty over a vast empire. He was
welcomed by his parents. Recognising the might of
Padmasena, his younger brother started helping him in
every way. In the end, he entered Siva loka, the abode of
Sankara.
Having narrated these episodes. Sage Romasa blesspd
his disciple Bharadwaja. He advised the latter to install a
Siva linga and worship it with steadfast devotion. l[le
reiterated the greatness of Sri Kalahasteeswara, t he
splendour of the kshetra, the glory of the mountain and the
sanctity of the river. He added that he only gave a brief
account of the sinners and sages who attained deliverance
there. One will never be able to comprehend and narrate
the full mahima of the Lord. Romasa remained silent
focussing his entire thoughts on SriKalahasteeswara.
Chapter 89 of Sthalampurana
Bhishukopi sakalepsidaataa 1 Pretabhumi nilayopi
pavitrah I
Bhutamitramapi yo abhaya satree Twam vichitra
charitam Siva meede I I
Though a begger Thou grantest all desires; though a
resident of cremation ground Thou art holy; Thy friends
are fiends, yet Thou grantest (Abhaya) fearlessness; Thy
ways are wonderful! I pray Thee, O Siva.
 167

Chapter 45

SARVAM SIVAMAYAM
THE OMNIPRESENCE OF SIVA
Saunaka and the other sages of Naimisharanya, after
intently listening to the episodes of Siva and His Bhaktas
who attained salvation in Srikalahasti as enunciated by
Romasa to Bharadwaja, requested Suta, the great exponent
of puranas, to inform them how and where Sage Bharadwaja
performed penance and attained salvation. Suta, the
pouranika remarked that the sages of Naimisharanya were
very fortunate in attentively hearing the wonderful deeds
and unparalleded grace of Paramasiva. He then proceeded
with the final part of the series as to how Sage Romasa and
his disciple too attained Moksha.

In compliance with the instructions of his mentor, sage

Bharadwaja accompanied by a band of his disciples took
bath in the holy waters of Swamamukhi and worshipped
the blissful Vayulinga of Sri Kalahasteeswara. While he was
meditating, he heard a subtle divine voice whispering to
him, "O Bharadwaja, not far from here to the south there is
Saswatakshetra which bestows jeevan-mukthi. Go there and
worship me reciting 'Sri Rudram' forming part of vedas.
Those that comtemplate on the Vayulinga in the shape of
pure camphor are sure to reach me. For the benefit of my
seekers there exists a Linga and teertha. You perform
penance there". Sage Bharadwaja was thrilled. Soon the
sage accompanied by all his disciples reached the spot
surrounded by hills. He took his bath in the clear waters of
the tank near by and worshipped the Linga that
spontaneously manifested there and Paramasiva appeared.
The sage praised, "O Lord of Girija, I bow before thee. O
Parameswara, I pray thee. You are the root cause of the
universe. You are praised by the vedas and all effects
emanate from you. You are the passive witness of all the
12
 168

activities. You are one without a second. Knowledge shines

upon me through your grace. Again and again accept my
pranams".

SriKalahasteeswara was pleased and enlightened him

about Lingodbhava (manifestation of Siva-Linga). Sankara
was pleased and declared that the Linga worshipped by
him and the teertha nearby would henceforth be known by
his name and that all those worshipping the Linga after a
bath in the teertha would be liberated.

After Mahadeva disappeared. Sage Bharadwaja

having all his desires fulfilled, and having realised the self
gained tranquility.
In the mean time Sage Romasa took his bath in the
river Swarnamukhi, worshipped Sri Kalahasteeswara and
Gnanaprasunambika. Circumabulating he stood for a while
facing the idol of Dakshinamurthi. Between the two
threshholds of the southern entrance (Dakshina Dwara), he
set himself firmly in Padmasana on a deer skin laid over
kusha grass. Holding in one line his body, head and neck
gazing steadily at the tip of his nose, he controlled his mind
and concentrated on the Lord. He attained supreme peace
of mind and entered into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. The sage
perceived all creations, animate and inanimate in the
Supreme Lord and saw Him abiding in all creations. He
visualised Siva everywhere and also in himself. Finally the
realisation came that he was none other the Supreme soul.
His motionless lips seemed to utter, "Sivoham" and the
temple reverberated with the sound of Sivoham. A bright
flame appeared to pass from the sage to Sri
Kalahasteeswara.

The great exponent of the puranas, Suta, concluding

the discourse extolled Sri Kalahasteeswara and exhorted
the sages assembled there to go to Srikalahasti and get all
their desires fulfilled. Suta added that this wonderful and
beneficial story should not be narrated to wicked persons.
 169

Those who devoutly read or hear this book in front

of the idol of Mahadeva or under a bilva tree will be healthy,
wealthy and wise. They will also gain deliverance after
their exit from the world.
Finally, pouranika Suta, revelled in the Supreme
Sabda Brahma OM through the voices para, pashyanti,
madhyama and Vaikhari. Finally he transcended sabda and
merged with the Supreme Sudha Brahman.
Sivoham
Saravam Sivamayam
OM TAT SAT
Chapter 90 of Sthalapurana.
Na bhoomiraapo na cha vahnirasti I
Na chaanalo meysti nachaambaram cha
Evam viditwaa Paramaatma roopam I
Guhaasayam nishkalamadwiteeyam I
Samasta Saakshim sadasad viheenam I
Prayaati sudham Paramaatma roopam
[ KAIV AL YOPANISH AD]
The supreme Lord is neither earth nor water, nor fire, nor
air, nor ether. Thus realising the nature of Paramaatman
the one who dwells in the heart, who is without parts,
who is passive witness of all and one above duality
of good and bad - will acquire the very nature
of Paramatman.

SRI KALAHASTEESWARARPANAMASTU
 170

EPILOGUE
The Temple and Isopanishad

The three spearheads of Hinduism are the Upanishads,

Bhagavadgita and the Bmhmasutras each complementing the
other two.

Upanishads constitute the concluding portions of Vedas

and so are called Vedanta. The expression is significant also
in the sense that the teachings of the Upanishads represent
the goal- of the Vedas. They form the basis of Indian
Philosophy and provide inspiration to every captain of
thought. Everyone acquainted with the Upanishads, has
showered unstinted praise on them. For example
Schopenhauer felt so exalted as to exclaim, "That
incomparable book stirs the spirit to the very depths of the
soul. From every sentence deep original and sublime
thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and
holy and earnest spirit." Great thinkers like Sankara have
written elaborate commentaries on them. The Upanishads
contain the essence of Hinduism's spiritual message and
have guided and ispired greatest minds all over the world
for centuries. According to the Upanishads, Brahman the
ultimate reality is the soul or inner essence of all things,
infinite and beyond all concepts. It cannot be comprehended
by intellect nor can it be adequately described in words.
Even those sages who had a glimpse of it were unable to
find words to explain it. They declared:
"Yfl to vacho nivarthante aprapya manasa saha."
Yet they laboured hard to explain the inexplicable
atmananda to their disciples. The manistifation of Brahman
in the human body is called Atman and idea that Atman and
Brahman, the individual and the ultimate reality, are one is
the esscence of the Upanishads. This oneness has to be
realised and experienced through the inquiry into the source
of the universe and through the quest after the true self.
 171

The manifestation of the world out of Brahman is likened to

the ejection of the thread from a spider. Though the world
of plurality has emerged out of the one inner self the latter
is not affected by the defects of the former.
The first and the foremost of the Upanishads namely
Isavasya Upanishad opens with the statement that all this,
meaning the universe, is enveloped by Iswara. That is, the
universe derives its substance from Him. It is also the
shortest and sweetest of the Upanishads which gives a
scientific and mathematical definition of the Atman. In just
18 stanzas it deals with the problem of the material causality
of the world and the man's relation thereto, the nature of
the highest truth and the difference between reality and
unreality and between knowledge and ignorance. Speaking
of the opening verse of this Upanishad Mahatma Gandhi
said: "I have now come to the final conclusion that if all the
Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a
sudden to be reduced to ashes and if only the first verse in
the Isopanishad were left intact in the memory of Hindus,
Hinduism would live for ever".
The lofty concepts of the Upanishad relating to the
individual soul. Brahman and universe are much higher than
the spiritual level of the ordinary man. Even the
commentaries of great thinkers elude the grasp of many.
The message of the Upanishad had to be brought from the
Himalayan heights down to earth and explained to the
common man with concrete visual aids. The message came
and a clear path for the advancement of the devout was
laid in the form of a magnificant temple with many special
features around the swayambhu vayu linga at SriKalahasti
on the banks of the river Swamamukhi. This temple stands
as an excellent, silent and elaborate commentary on the
great Upanishad.

Let us examine how skillfully the Agama Shilpis, with

knowledge and devotion managed to accomplish the
 172

translation of the subtle concepts of the Upanishad into a

fine temple art by recounting its unique features. They are:
1. A swayambhu Vayulinga bearing the symbols of a
spider, serpent and elephant.
2. A golden screen placed in front of it.
3. One of the oil lamps always flickering in the sanctum
sanctorum.
4. Bhakta Kannappa being given precedence and
prominence.
5. An idol of Sungod in front of the linga facing it.
6. Devi being named as Gnanaprasunamba or flower of
knowledge.
7. The idol of Sri Dakshinamurthi right at the main
entrance.
8. The idol of Patala Vinayaka deep in a basement
chamber.
9. The outer Gopura leading us northwords.
In the Upanishad imagery and symbolism based on
the vedic hymns were freely employed and the builders of
the temple faithfully retained this symbolic expression in
explaining the philosophical theories.
The invocation Mantra and the first Mantra boldly
declare the great truth of vedantic conclusions over the
theme of transcendental infinite and its relationship with
the finite. All that, whatsoever moves in this Universe is
prevaded by the Lord.
Isavasyam idam sarvam Yatkim cha jagatyam jagat"
Yatkim Cha = Whatsoever; Jagatyam = on earth; Jagat =
all that moves.

The perennial river Swarnamukhi is flowing always

like the very endless stream of life and on its banks as one
looks forward or backward, up or down, one sees so many
lingas:- '
 173

1. Swayambhus like the Vayu linga, Kasi Visweswara,

Neelakanteswara, Manikanteswara, Nageswara and
Vijayeswara.

2. Those installed by Gods like Brahma

(Panchamukheswara), Yama, Surya, Chitragupta, Sri
Rama and Parvathi.

3. Those installed by great rishis like Veda Vyasa. Suka,

Vasishta and Bharadwaja.
4. By great devotees like Kannappa, Akkanna, Madanna
etc.

5. Thandava siva, Nataraja, Mrityunjaya, Kalabhirava,

Ashtothara linga, Sahasra Linga, Kala Bhirava, Veera
Bhadra, Nandikeswara and Chandikeswara are
present here. The mountains, mandapaas. Gopuras,
Vimanas, walls or pillars whatever you see, you see
only Iswara. Everything is enveloped by His radiance.
The words "Tena tyaktena " used in the first verse are
indicative of knowledge or guana. The Parameswari of this
place bears the name Gnanaprasunamba and it is only
through her grace, one can realise the Gneya namely Iswara.
Prasuna means flower and one requires the blessing of the
thousand petalled flower of knowledge namely
Gnanaprasunamba to realise the ultimate truth. It is for this
reason Abhisheka, Puja, Neivedya etc. are first offered to
the Devi. While Guana has been compared in the
Bhagavadgita to fire, boat, sword, Tapas, Yagna, sun, light
etc., in Kalahasti, Guana is more aptly compared to a flower.
The words "Kuroanneveha Karmani" used in the second
verse indicate Karma Yoga and word "Nare" in Na Karma
lipyate Nare in the same verse brings to our mind Arjuna,
the hero of Mahabharata. Arjuna was reborn as Kannappa
who became a Karma Yogi faithfully following the path of
Nishkama Karma as taught by Lord Krishna in Bhagavadgita.
We see a full sized idol, with a Kireeta and Gandiva
 174

majestically standing with the firm determination that death

in the discharge in one's own Dharma will bring Sreyas. He
is also alloted an elevated place on the hill overlooking the
temple. He is given priority in worship. Even the
Dhawajarohana of Kannappa is celebrated on a day prior to
that of SriKalahasteeswara at the time of Brahmotsava. The
second verse has thus been excellently expounded.
The third verse refers to "Asurya nama te loka"
enveloped in blinding darkness into which shall pass
whatsoever people slay the self and they are caught in the
stream of life and death. The ignorant people who forget
the ever present self are referred to as "slayers of self". We
have the story of Narkeera and what he had done was
nothing but slaying of self.
The fourth and the fifth verses can be translated as
below:

The Self is motionless, one swifter than the mind; the

Gods do not reach it as it speeds ahead of them; it overtakes
others that run, though itself standing still; by it Matarishvan
(the all pervading air) supports the activities of all the living
beings. (The element water).
The Atman moves and it moves not. It is far and it is
near. It is within all this and it is also outside all this.
These two verses give in matchless words the
description of the Supreme in terms of its qualities.
Anejadekam manaso javeeyo. Tadhavatho-anyan-athyaethi
thistat the meaning of these very difficult thoughts
reveals itself when one stands before the Vayu Linga. Atman
or Self is motionless as it is all-pervasive and it is swifter
than mind for the Reality is already there by the time our
thoughts could reach the spot. By denying motion and
asserting speed, the Rishis are explaining the magnitude
and implications of the first mantra, Isavasyam. The Self, like
Vayu (air), is not only all pervasive but also the very
substance and dynamism in all movements and the very
 175

force behind every activity. The same idea has been more
vividly explained by the closing line of the fourth stanza,
thasmin apo Mathariswa dadhati.
Matharishva means Vayu or air. Apo dadhati means
"bears water". It is a well known fact that Siva bears Ganga
on His head. Srikalahasteeswara is a Vayu Linga and there
are arrangements for performing abhisheka from a dharapatra
hung over it. As one sees the abhisheka, he realises that Vayu
is bearing water. The term apo also means Karma while
Matarishva refers to Jeeva. Taken together, these words
would mean tha t all activities of individual jeevas a re within
the Cosmic Self. The wind, the active principle in all
creatures on which depends the aggregate of causes and
effects and into which they are woven like warp and woof
is a sort of thread connecting the whole universe. Such
matarishva directs the functions of things such as flaming
and burning of fire, shining of Sun or raining of clouds. The
intricate meaning of the Upanishadic Mantra is made explicit
by the simple device of Abhisheka to the Vayu Linga.
Tadejathi tannei jathi, tadoorae tadwanthikae appearing
in the fifth mantra are contradictory terms trying to explain
the qualities of Atman or Parameswara. It moves, and it
moves not; it is far and. it is near; it is inside all this, it is
also outside all this.
There are two oil lamps burning in front of the Linga
in the Garbhagriha one of which is always flickering while
the other bums steadily. The flickering lamp is the proof of
the deity being Vayu Linga, as it moves as if kept in an airy
place. Even the Archakas are forbidden from touching the
Linga whereas it was freely touched and worshipped by a
spider, a snake and an elephant as also by Kannappa. Thus
it is far and it is near. In other words, it is not easily accessible
to the ignorant even after thousands of years and is therefore
distant from them. On the other hand, it is close to the Gnani
who realises that it resides inside (antah) him. Tad antaryasya
sarvasya. Atman, like air, is inside and outside all. Being
Sri Kalahasteeswara
Swarupam
 177

extremely subtle it is inside all the universe consisting of

name, form and action. Being pervasive, it is outside the
universe.
The next mantras beginning with Yastu Sarvani
Bhutani Atmani evanupasyanti declare :

He, who constantly sees all beings in Atman (his own

self) and Atman in all beings, does not shrink from any thing.

When to the knower, all beings have become one in

his own Atman what delusion and what sorrow can there
be to him who has seen oneness everywhere. (7)

One who sees all beings in Parameswara and

Parameswara in all beings has no aversion thence. In this
unique Linga, we can see the lowest of the creatures namely,
the spider, the serpent and the biggest of the creation, the
elephant. One sees all beings as Parameswara. Conversely,
having realised His omnipresence one sees Him in all
beings. With the darshan of Sreekalahasteeswara, a wise man
can discover the unity. All beings, big and small, good and
bad, are his very self leaving no room for delusion or
despair.

The eighth mantra is typical of the Upanishadic

literature which attempts at an exhaustive definition of
Easwara or Atman.— all pervading, bright, incorporeal,
sheathless, without veins, pure, unsmitten by evil, wise,
all-knowing, superposed and self existing. The Linga here
exactly conforms to this beautiful immortal description:
Chukram, Akayam, Avranam, Suddham, Apapaviddham, Kavir,
Maneeshi, Paribhu, Swayambhu. It is indeed, very tall, pure,
untouched, radiant and swayambhoo or self existing and it
is the light leading the seekers to realise Brahman.

Mantras 9 to 14 beginning with Andham tamah

pravisanthi ye avidyam upasathe refer to the blinding
darkness in the regions below to which mortals are led by
 178

Avidya and how they can attain immortality through Vidya.

Avidya mrithyum theertwa, vidyaya, amrithamasnuthae. In this
temple, there is a shrine of Pathala Vinayaka. One has to
get down a flight of steps to reach the utter dark shrine.
There sits the dispenser of all Vidyas, Sri Vighneswara, after
whose darshan, he is elevated to higher regions and enters
broad day light as if his soul is transcending from the dark
chamber of ignorance and mortality to the enlightened
regions of immortality. The seekers of worldly pleasures
and material benefits through their avidya will be in eternal
darkness while those seeking Adhyatma Vidya will be
redeemed from the cycle of births and deaths. They will
cross the portals of death and become one with the Eternal.
The strongest basis for considering that the tenets of
the Upanishad have been adequately expressed in this
Kshetra is provided by the arrangements in the Sanctum
Sanctorum. The fifteenth verse reads:
Hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham
tathvam Pusannapavrinu satya dharmaya dhristaye.
The face of Truth is covered by a golden disc; Oh Sun!
set aside the covering for me, so that I, devoted to truth,
may behold it. This mantra has been skillfully adopted in
word and spirit by placing a full sized golden screen called
the navagraha kavacha to veil the Linga. A few yards before
the Linga and facing it is an idol of Surya Bhagawan, whom
we invoke to remove the golden veil, the glittering
fascinations of the world, so that the face of Truth (Eswara)
can be seen. All that glitters is not gold. Unless this kavacha
is removed aside, we cannot have the darshan of the real
swaroopa of the Linga. To obtain Atmadarshan, one should
be able to see beyond the dazzling objects of material wealth
that envelope it; and only an earnest adherent of Truth can
have this darshan by the grace of Sun God.
Consequently, the sixteenth verse beginning with
Pushan says.
 179

Oh Sun God! Oh sole seer! Oh controller of all! Oh

son of Prajapathi! Disperse and gather up thy burning rays
— I behold the glorious and lovely form — He who is that
Purusha — He am I.
As soon as the seeker gets the darshan he jumps up
with joy and exclaims: "Namo Brahmane, Namaste Vayo,
Thwameva pratyaksham Brahmasi. May Pushan, the knower
of all, be auspicious to me. Salutations to Brahman and
salutations to Vayu. Thou, indeed, art the visible Brahman.
I shall proclaim Thee to be real. I seek Thy protection.” He
revels declaring, "Aham Brahmanl Sivoham Sivoham". Having
seen this extemely blissful form (Kalyana thamamyathe
roopam) he is filled with ananda and forgets himself. In sheer
joy, he lapses into a transcendental mood.
With the dawning of realisation, the Jeevan Muktha
entreats his prana to merge with the all-pervading air and
desires his body to be burnt to ashes. Exclaiming Oml he
warns his mind again and again to remember what all it
had done, (verse 17.) When the Jeevatma realises its identity
with Paramatma, he feels the mortal body to be too heavy a
burden to be shaken off. The Jeeva's envelopments such as
the body, prana, mind and intellect (Annam, prana, mano and
vignana) have to be discarded leaving only ananda. To shake
off the shakles, he invokes the wind, fire and water gods.
That his prana should merge with the all pervading air
means that he should merge with the Vayu Linga, letting
his body to be burnt to ashes. With these thoughts, he
applies the Vibhoothi from the Homakunda on the South
Eastern corner of the inner prakara, chanting:
Triyambakam yajaamahae sugandhim pushtivardhanam I
Vurvarukamivabandhanathmrityormukshiyamamamritath I I

He implores his mind again and again to remember

the Supreme experience of his Eswar darshan a while ago.
In the concluding eighteenth verse he prays to the Fire
God, "Oh Agni! Lead us on to wealth by a good path as
 180

Thou knowest all the ways. Remove the crooked attraction

of sin from us. We offer Thee our obeisance again and
again!" The wealth he wants is the Empire of Moksha. The
(Supatha) good path he refers to excludes the southern path.
He desires to be lead by the uttarayana marga, that is the
northern path which ensures release from the cycle of births
and deaths. Likewise, the pilgrim to Srikalahasti pays his
obeisance to Sri Gnanaprasunamba for the enlightenment
he got by Her grace and has the darshan of Mrityunjaya.
Finally, he sits before Dakshinamurthy and comes out of
the temple through the Northern Gopura.

The Vedas, the very breath of God are eternal books

of knowledge which contain fiery declarations of realised
Truth made by Rishis who had tried to capture the Infinity
in a web of finite words. By adopting a special style and
technique, the Upanishads bring the Truth nearer to us. The
very word Upanishad indicates that one has to sit near the
Master at his feet and get at the great mysteries. It is quite
apt that we sit at the feet of the Guru of Sarvalokas, the
Kshetrapalaka of Srikalahasti, Sri Dakshinamurthy, holding
a torch of flames in His upper left hand for our
enlightenment. Sages like Sanakasananda and
Sanathkumara got their doubts cleared by the silent
commentary conveyed by His Chinmudra.

Likewise,Srikalahasteeswara temple is indeed a silent

and salient commentary of the Samhitopanishad, Isavasya

That is whole; this is whole; from the whole the whole

becomes manifest. When the whole is negated from the
whole, what remains is again the whole. Om peace, peace
peace. r

Purna madah purnamidatn Purnath purnamuduchyathae

Purnasyapurm rrndaya Purnameva-vasishyathae.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi.

 181

AROUND SRIKALAHASTEESWARA
Dakshina Kailasa or Srikalahasthi Kshetra covers an
extent of thirty miles around the main shrine. There are
a number of swayambhu and installed lingas located in
and around Sriklahasthi,and worshipped by devotees for
ages. Some of them are indicated below :
1. Ardhanareeswara or Satya linga : This is a
swayambhu linga with two distinct features
representing Siva and Parvathi. The lord gave
darshan to Vijaya on the full moon day of Sravan.
Mahasivarathri, full moon and new moon days are
important.
Location : About 2 miles to the north of Srikalahasthi
on the eastern bank of the river. [Chapter 31]
2. Bharadwajeeswara and Bharadwaja Teertha : On the
full moon day in the month of magha the Lord gave
darshan to sage Bharadwaja. This Teertha is also
known as Sadyomukhti teertha.
Location : In a valley known as Lobhavi 1 mile to the
south of the main shrine. [Chapter 45]
3. Brahma teertha and Panchamukeshwara : The Lord
gave darshan to Brahma on the full moon day in
magha masa. Also known as Kailasa teertha.
Location : A few yards to the South of main shrine.
[Chapter 7]
4. Brahma Vidya Teertha or Suka Teertha: Sri Dakshina
murthi gave darshan to sage Suka and other sages on
the 10th day in the bright half of Chaitra masa.
Location: 1 mile to the south of main shrine. [ Chapter 36]
5. Chandra Pushkarini or Prabasa Teertha : The Lord
appeared before Chandra (moon God) on the third
day in the bright half of Chaitra masa.
 182

Location : Close to the Western Gopuram. Known as

Prabhasa Kshetra. [Chapter 16]
6. Durga Teertha and Durga Linga : On the 8th day of
the dark half of Sravan when the lord gave darshan
to Durga.
Location : Teertha is to the west and the linga at the
peak of Durga hill. [Chapter 11]
7. Gauri Teertha : Full moon day of Pushya when the
lord gave boons to Parvathi.
Location : Sannidhi revu of Swamamukhi.
[Chapter 11]
8. Gnana Prakasa Teertha or Agastya Teertha and
Agastya linga : 14th day of the dark half of Magha
when the lord blessed Sage Agastya.
Location : Kontiraya Mandapam in siddhi kshetra
presided by Sammohana kshetra pala Bhairava. 1
mile to the south of Vayu linga. [Chapter 8]
9. Harahara Teertha and Siddha linga : 7th day in the
bright half of Magha when the lord gave darshan to
Harahara.
Location: 3 miles to the east of the town in a beautiful
valley. [Chapter 13]
10. Japala Teertha or Uttarakeswara : 14th day of bright
half of Chaitra on which the lord was served hot by
Japala.
Location : 10 miles to the west of the town in
Vyasashram (Erpedu) [Chapter 32]
11. Kailasanatha : New moon day of Vaisakha when the
Lord gave darshan to Saranga.
Location : Opposite to kannappa's shrine in
Kailasagiri close to main shrine. [Chapter 38]
12. Manikamika Teertha and Manikameswara : 3rd day
of bright half of Vaisakha on which lord gave salvation
 183

to yogini Neela by whispering pranava in her last

moments.
Location : Very close to the southern gopuram
[Chapter 12] r
13. Markandeya Teertham and Markandeya lingam : 1st
day in bright half of magha on which the lord gave
darshan to Markandeya and the 13th day of the dark
half of all the months are important to worship here.
Location : In Mangalayana Kshetra about 5 miles to
the south of Srikalahasthi on way to the valley of 1000
lingas. [Chapter 25]
14. Mayura Teertha or (Danda Teertha) and Mayura
Natha : Full moon day of Bhadrapada masa when lord
blessed Mayura.
Location : About 4 miles to the South of the town via
Lobhavi in a beautiful valley amidst thick forest.
[Chapter 14]
15. Mooka Teertha and Mookeswara : On the 3rd day of
bright half of Bhadrapada Devi blessed the dumb
Bheema and restored his speech.
Location : Saktikshetra about 2 miles to the south of
the main temple on the bank of the river. [Chapter 15]
16. Nilakantha Teertha and Nilakanteswara : 5th day of
the bright half of Chaitra when the lord appeared
before Neelakantha.
Location: Veera Kshetra (Urandur) 2 miles to the west
of the town. [Chapter 41]
17. Padmasena Teertha and Sampatpradeeswara : Bright
fourteenth day of pushya on which the lord blessed
Padmasena with a mighty army.
Location: Kalyanakshetra two furlongs to the west of
Srikalahasteeswara near Ponnalamma shrine.
[Chapter 44]
13
 184

18. Rama Teertha and Kodandarameswara : 12th day in

the bright half of Margasira when Guru Guha
enlightened Sri Rama.
Location : Avidya sodhaka Kshetra in Tondamanadu
village 4 miles to the south west of the town.
[Chapter 24]
19. Sahasradevata Teertha and Sahasra linga: In the form
of Yaksha Lord Siva tested devathas and Devi
enlightened them Kenopanishad.
Location: Dharma Kshetra, Yaksha Guha in the valley
of 1000 Lingas five miles to the south of the town.
[Chapter 37]
20. Saraswathi Teertha : Full moon day of Magha.
Location: In the main temple close to the shrine of
Subrahmanya. [Chapter 4]
21. Surya Pushkarini : 14th day of the bright half of
Vaisakha when the Lord restored the brightnes of the
Sun God. The water of this Pushkarini is used for the
daily abhisheka of Vayulinga.
Location : Close to the western gopuram of the main
temple. Known as Prabhasa Kshetra. [Chapter 17]
22. Swamamukhi and Srikalahasteeswara : Every day is
important in particular in varsharithu when the star
Agastya (Maitra - Varuna) is in ascendence.
Location: The river flows from Agastyachala, gracing
Venkatachala and Dakshina Kailasa to the Bay of
Bengal. [Chapter 10]
23. Tatwa Prakasa Teertha or Narada Teertha and
Kailasa linga :
Eleventh day of bright half of magha when the lord
gave darshan to the sage Narada.
Location : Near the hillock of Subrahmanya
(Kumaraswamy tippa) in Srikalahasthi. [Chapter 34]
 185

24. Thejovivardhaka Teertha and trikhandeswara

Chakreswara: Fifth day in bright half of Chaitra when
the Lord blessed Sudarsana Chakra.
Location : In Muthyalamma gudi veedhi of
Srikalahasthi. [Chapter 30]
25. Vajra Teertha and Vidveswara linga : Second day in
the bright half of Chaitra when Indra was blessed.
Location : 3 miles to the east of the town in a valley
called Panasakona or Pasuvisasana kshetra. [Chapter
18]
26. Veda Teertha and Skanda linga or Parasurameswara:
Fifth day in the bright half of Magha masa. Guru guha
and Parasurama performed penance here.
Location : In Gudimallam about 20 miles to the west
of Srikalahasthi.
[Chapter 23]
27. Vighna Prasamana Teertha and Patala Vinayaka: 15th
day in the
bright half of Sravanam on which Patala Vinayaka
blessed Sage Agastya.
Location : In the main temple of Srikalahasteeswara
in a deep shrine. [Chapter 10]
Only a few of the important Teerthas and lingas have
been mentioned here. The distances and directions given
above are approximate.
 186

Appendix I - (Chapter 7)
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 187

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 188

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 189

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Appendix III - (Chapters 13 and 33)

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Appendix V - (Chapter 20)

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Appendix VI - (Chapter 44)

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