Phani
Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers for Class 11 & 12
It’s our great pleasure in our part to present ISC The best guide to Rhapsody makes an honest and thoroughly attempt to bring the context with easy paraphrasing Scene wise abridgement, Mcqs, Reasoning, Short type and long type of question and answers. The Rhapsody Workbook Solutions analyses and tackles differently and untraditional by following the latest syllabus and norms of I.S.C. It is specially designed to cater to the needs of the students who are preparing for I.S.C 2024 onwards examinations. The answers are relevant, concise, and self-explanatory. Students will not have to seek any external help to comprehend them. It is hoped that it will definitely give a good clearance to the doubts cropped in the minds of the students. It has been written to meet the requirements of the students in the desired way.
Rhapsody Workbook Solutions for ISC Class 11 & 12
- Poem 1 Abhisara-The Tryst
- Poem 2 Why I Like the Hospital
- Poem 3 Sonnet-116
- Poem 4 Death of Naturalist
- Poem 5 Strange Meeting
- Poem 6 Telephone Conversation
- Poem 7 Tithonus
- Poem 8 Beethoven
- Poem 9 Small Towns and the River
- Poem 10 Death Be Not Proud
Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Questions and Answers for Class 11 & 12
This Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Questions and Answers for Class 11 & 12 are meant for the students, appearing for the I.S.C. Examination to be held in and after the year 2007. The questions have been written under immense research and studies in accordance with the standard of the school level. Each and every poem has been thoroughly explained, and it is followed by annotations, summary, long Questions and their answers, short question and their answers, and text-based multiple-choice questions. we shall feel amply rewarded if these answers can make the task of the learners easier and more interesting.
- Poem 1 Abhisara-The Tryst Questions and Answers
- Poem 2 Why I Like the Hospital Questions and Answers
- Poem 3 Sonnet-116 Questions and Answers
- Poem 4 Death of Naturalist Questions and Answers
- Poem 5 Strange Meeting Questions and Answers
- Poem 6 Telephone Conversation Questions and Answers
- Poem 7 Tithonus Questions and Answers
- Poem 8 Beethoven Questions and Answers
- Poem 9 Small Towns and the River Questions and Answers
- Poem 10 Death Be Not Proud Questions and Answers
This Rhapsody: A Collection of ISC Poems Workbook Answers for Class 11 & 12 has been written in a simple language and lucid style to enrich with useful knowledge of Shakespearean style. The questions will be student-friendly and they would be able to grasp the context in an enthusiastic manner. A large number of MCQs, reasoning, short and long type of questions have been provided. Assignments from each Act will help the students to nurture their minds and make their approach to their answers in a fruitful way. The foremost thing is about the pattern of Council questions which will be helpful for the Preparation of ISC students. The questions cover the entire drama in a reasonable way. Students will find it easy to get authentic answers to any single question.
Bonku Babu’s Friend Summary, Theme by Satyajit Ray
Bonku Babu’s Friend Summary, Theme by Satyajit Ray
Bonku Babu’s Friend Summary
‘Bonku Babu’s Friend’ is a short story written by Satyajit Ray. This story portrays Bonku Babu, a soft-spoken and timid person who teaches Geography and Bengali at Kankurgachi Village Primary School. Each year, whenever a new batch of students replaced the old one, the tradition of teasing Bonku Babu continued years after years. Some drew his cartoon on the blackboard; some put glue on his chair and others do some other mischievous activities to taunt him. Bonku Babu did not get upset.
Only sometimes, he cleared his throat and said, “Shame on you, boys!” Bonku Babu kept on tolerating these because he could not afford to do otherwise and also he loved the good students who were attentive in class and also respected him. Fie used to spend his weekdays with his students who loved him, but in weekends, whenever he used to go to Sripati Babu’s house, he felt like, he must not go there again because even his fellow-mates, Nidhu Babu, Chandi Babu and others used to poke fun at him.
Bonku Babu used to get sad and angry sometimes, but he never expressed himself to others. One day, the topic of conversation was space – as in, they were talking of spaceships and space-travel. After sunset, a moving point of light was seen in the northern sky. A similar kind of light was seen three months back, which had led to many assumptions.
But at the end, it had turned out to be a Russian satellite, called Khotka or might be Phoska. This satellite was supposed to be going round the earth at a height of 400 miles, providing a lot of valuable information to scientists. That evening, Bonku Babu was the first who spotted the light and told Nidhu Babu about it. But Nidhu Babu took full credit about it among their fellow-mates and Bonku Babu remained silent. But he kept on thinking about it. Everyone gave their different opinions but Bonku Babu was lost in his own thoughts.
When the meeting was over and Bonku Babu was on his way to home, he saw the light, coming from the bamboo grove. Suddenly, his ears began ringing. He felt as if someone was humming loudly — a long, steady noise and it was not stopping. Bonku Babu was scared, but curiously drove him further forward. As he went past a cluster of bamboo stems, he saw an object. It was like a giant glass bowl turned upside-down, covering the pond wholly. A gentle pink light was shining out from its strong, translucent shade, that turned the whole area bright.
Soon, he met with Ang, an alien who came out of the ship and greeted Bonku Babu. Though he was amazed, yet kept on talking with him. From him, he gathered knowledge and also got a chance to express himself to him. Ang helped him boost his self-confidence.
When Ang left, Bonku Babu found himself to be a completely different person who now did not fear to express himself to others. Bonku Babu became a happy and bright personality who now knew what he was and what he could do to stop ill-beahiour and bad-mouthing.
Bonku Babu’s Friend About the Author Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian filmmaker, one of the greatest directors of the twentieth century. Born in the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata) on May 2, 1921-April 23, 1992, to a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and letters, Ray studied at Presidency College and at the Visva- Bharati University, at the poet Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan.
His grandfather was a writer and illustrator, and his father, Sukumar Ray, was a poet. Writer and illustrator of Bengali. Ray grew up in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and was looked after by his mother. He entered a government school, where he was taught chiefly in Bengali, and then studied at Presidency College, Calcutta’s leading college, where he studied in English. He graduated in 1940, he was fluent in both English and Bengali languages.
Ray Returned to Calcutta from Santinikatan, in 1943 got a job in a British-owned advertising agency, became its art director within a few years, and also worked for a publishing house as a commercial illustrator, becoming a leading Indian typographer and book-cover designer. In 1949 Ray was encouraged in his cinematic ambitions by the French director Jean Renoir, who was then in Bengal. The success of The Bicycle Thief (1948), convinced Ray that he should attempt a film Pather Panchali.
Pather Panchali was completed in 1955 and turned out to be both a commercial and a tremendous critical success, first in Bengal and then in the West following a major award at the 1956 Cannes International Film Festival. This assured Ray the financial backing he needed to make the other two films of the trilogy: Aparajito (1956; The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (1959; The World of Apu).
He consciously avoided repeating himself. As a result, his films contain an unusually wide gamut of mood, milieu, period, and genre, with comedies, tragedies, romances, musicals, and detective stories treating all classes of Bengali society from the mid-19th to the late 20th century.
Some of Ray’s finest films are Charulata (1964), Teen Kanya (1961), Ghare Baire (1984) were based on the novels or other works by Rabindranath Tagore. The rest of Ray’s major works include Ahsani Sanket (1973), Aranyer Din Ratri (1970), Mahanagar (1963) and a trilogy of films made in the 1970s, Pratidwandi, Seemabaddha (1971), and Jana Aranya (1975).
After a gap, Ray made Pikoo (1980) and then fell ill with heart disease. He revived the children’s magazine Sandesh (which his grandfather had started in 1913) and edited it until his death in 1992. Ray was the author of numerous short stories and novellas, and in fact writing, rather than filmmaking, became his main source of income. His stories were translated and published in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
The story ‘Bonku Babu’s Friend’ centres around Bonku Babu, a cool-head teacher who lived a simple life. Though he had been teaching for 22 years in a school yet he received the teasing of the students of new batches. But Bonku Babu did not leave his job because it was his necessity and also he felt really good when some good students used to respect him and study attentively in class. He spent his days while spending his time in class, with students who were fond of him.
Though he used to spend his weekends at Sripati Babu’s place, yet every time whenever he came back, he felt of not going there ever again because not even the children but also the adults used to make fun of him. Bonku Babu was basically lonely until he met Ang. an alien who was landed on earth from a spaceship. His conversation with Ang became interesting and thought-provoking.
They had a long chat and through this, Ang became the most friend person in Bonku Babu’s life. Ang’s influence, though short, made Bonku Babu self-confident. He made him think positively. Fie turned into a new leaf who knew that he was also important and valuable.
Bonku Babu’s Friend Theme
A. Bonku Babu, a Simple, knowledgeable yet timid person: Bonku Babu was a teacher of Geography and Bengali at a village primary school. He was a knowledgeable person but his simplicity, politeness and soft-hearted nature often made him a victim of ill-behaviour. Not only the students but also the adults did not spare a chance to tease him.
B. A Sudden Meeting: One day, while returning from Sripati Babu’s place, Bonku Babu saw a strange object. Soon he came to know that it was a spaceship from which a strange creature came down. He introduced himself as Ang. Ang knew 14000 languages and so he talked with Bonku Babu fluently. They had a long conversation which became a turning point in Bonku Babu’s life.
C. The Reawakening: When Ang left, Bonku Babu understood that he also was valuable no matter what people say about him. When he again went to Sripati Babu’s place to attend the gathering, he was a changed person with a new attitude, self-confidence and free mind. Ang unknowingly became his inspiration and a true friend.
Bonku Babu’s Friend Title of the Story
The story ‘Bonku Babu’s Friend’ is a short story written by Satyajit Ray. The story deals with Bonku Babu and his loneliness. He is a school teacher. He is calm and composed, knowledgeable and sincere to his work. Yet, he gets victimised by the people around him.
He gets teased, not only by his students, but also by his fellow-mates. He feels sad yet he does not have the courage to voice protest or give them suitable replies. Things go on like this until he meets Ang. Ang is an alien who comes to the earth in a spaceship.
Ang is very much knowleageable, smart and amicable. In the bamboo grove, they had a long and interesting conversation. In this conversation, Bonku Babu gets a chance to open up his mind. He understands that he too can speak up his mind.
Though Ang was on earth for a very short period of time, he becomes Bonku Babu’s one and only true friend, a friend who made him believe in himself and taught him to take a stand. The story ends on a good note. Thus, the title of the story ‘Bonku Babu’s Friend’ is apt.
Bonku Babu’s Friend Setting of the Story
A setting of a story generally means the time and the place in which a Story is told. Almost every story has a setting. The story, ‘Bonku Babu’s Friend’ too has a strong setting. The author Satyajit Ray knitted the story in a well-constructed plot and setting. The story talks about Bonku Babu, his loneliness and his one true friend Ang.
The story goes on in its usual flow until it takes a turn when Bonku Babu gets a chance to meet Ang, an alien. In a bamboo grove, at night, he sees a spaceship from which Ang comes out, meets him and they have a friendly conversation. In this place, he finally gets to know about himself. He gets a chance to know about true friendship and self-importance. Though Ang could not be able to stay with him forever, yet he taught him some life lessons, unknowingly. Therefore, after going through the story it can be said, that the setting of this story made if thought-provoking and the characters strong.
Bonku Babu’s Friend Main Points to Remember
- Bonku Babu was a calm-head and simple person who used to teach Geography and Bengali at a Primary school.
- His students used to tease him but he never behaved strictly with them.
- In spite of ill-behaviours, he maintained him calm because he could not afford to do otherwise and he also loved the good students who were attentive in his class and also respected him.
- He did not even wanted to visit Sripati Majumdar’s place because even adults used to tease him and made poked fun on him.
- One day, the topic of conversation was space in which Bonku Babu and others gave their different viewpoints.
- That particular evening, Bonku Babu saw a strange light and he told about it to NidhuBabu. But Nidhu Babu took the full credit of it among their group.
- Bonku Babu remained silent but he kept on thinking.
- Suddenly, he met with Ang, an alien who came to the earth in a spaceship and the long conversation with him changed Bonku Babu from inside.
- Bonku Babu who was soft-spoken, timid and afraid was now turned into a new leaf.
- Though Ang left, he left his impression on Bonku Babu and made himself his true friend.
- KEERTHANALU – కీర్తనలు
- NEETHIKATHALU – నీతికథలు
- PANDUGALU – పండుగలు
- POOJA – పూజ
- PRAPATTULU – ప్రపత్తులు
Bonku Babu’s Friend Annotations and Vocabulary
Temper — composure
Tease — to make fun of
Spook — ghost
Enthralled — to hold spellbound
Prank — a mischievous act
Endurance — the ability to withstand hardship or adversity
Obscure — dark or dim
Humbug — nonsense
Feigned — not genuine or real
Amazement — a feeling of astonishment
Radiant — bright
Provocation — incitement
Impenetrable — incapable of being penetrated
Foliage — flora
Amiable — friendly
Occurrence — something that occurs
Striding out — to stand astride
Guffaw — a loud burst of laughter
splattering — to scatter or fall in.
Treasure Chest A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers
A Living God Summary, Theme, Critical Appreciation by Lafcadio Hearn
A Living God Summary, Theme, Critical Appreciation by Lafcadio Hearn
A Living God Summary
Lafcadio Hearn Koizumi Yagumo wrote “A Living God” in September, 1896, three months after Japan’s Sanriku tsunami. The story was included in Gleanings in Buddha-Fields, published in September 1897 by Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston & New York. Hamaguchi Gohei lived in a Japanese coastal village and was called the “Muraosa” or the Chief of the village.
The livelihood of the villagers depended on cultivation of crops, or rather, peasantry. Hamaguchi was the richest man in the village although there was no marked difference among the farmers in terms of riches. They all lived in perfect peace and happiness. But Hamaguchi was specially respected by the villagers for his prudence and wisdom.
There being a rich harvest, the villagers were going to celebrate it by a dance. The entire village was decorated and they were in a festive mood. Old Hamaguchi was leisurely looking at those from his balcony and suddenly felt a different kind of earthquake. A sixth sense made him look at the sea which was fast receding from the coastal line.
Curious men and children ran towards the beach to discover the hitherto unseen sea-bed and the sand ribs. The sea was still receding. Seemingly, Hamaguchi received an electric shock and asked his grandson to give him a Pine-Torch immediately. His grandson complied and Hamaguchi ran to his stacks of rice and set those on fire.
In no time, it became a towering inferno and drew every villager’s attention. Sensing some imminent danger, the huge bell of the Hill Temple started its gong on seeing the blaze. People came running from every comer of the village suspecting some danger. Some people wanted to douse the fire, but Hamaguchi stopped them.
No sooner did the villagers assemble at the blazing terrace of Hamaguchi, than the sea, like a raging monster and a towering cliff, pounced back on the village. It withdrew and then came back raving over everything in the village again and again. Hamaguchi only said that that was the reason why he had set fire to the rice-stacks.
Finding no time to send alarms to the villagers to escape from the tsunami, he set fire to his rice-stacks as a signal for all. Hamaguchi lost his worldly possessions in order to save the villagers. His sacrifice elevated him from the level of an ordinary man to a divine identity. People started calling him God after this apocalypse.
A Living God About the Author Lafcadio Hearn
Koizumi Yakumo (1850-1904), born Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, was an Irish – Greek- Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West. His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collection of Legends and Ghost Stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. Before moving to Japan and becoming a Japanese citizen, he worked as a journalist in the US, primarily in Cincinnati and New Orleans. His writings about New Orleans, based on his decade-long stay there, are also well known.
A Living God Theme
The theme of “A Living God” by Lafcadio Hearn is simple but moving. The story revolves round an ordinary peasant of a coastal village, who is subsequently elevated to the lofty height of a divine identity by dint of wisdom, prudence and sacrifice. Hamaguchi, the village -chief and an old man as well, felt the approach of a deadly tsunami when the sea receded from the beach.
He had no time either to send signals or messages to the merry-making villagers. His wisdom prompted him to set fire to his stacks of rice. Soon the fire became an inferno and the fire and the accompanying smoke attracted the attention of the Buddhist Temple at the hill-top who started ringing their huge bell and the Attention of the villagers was drawn. People rushed to him and then saw in awe how a monstrous tsunami ravaged the village. But their lives were spared.
Hamaguchi did not know what his family would eat the next day, but his sacrifice elevated him from the state of an ordinary peasant to a divine identity. He is transformed from manliness to Godliness. His apotheosis is complete.
A Living God Critical Appreciation
Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God” is a simple but moving story set in a Japanese coastal village. The description of the verdant village and its location is flawlessly narrated with special reference to Hamaguchi Gohei, the central character and village chief. Whereas the principal occupation of the villagers has been described to be crop cultivation, it is not quite clear as to why they did not take up fishing as an additional part of their livelihood since the village stood by the sea.
However, the story rolls on smoothly. The diction is well applied. Hamaguchi’s extra sensory perception about the impending tsunami, and his prudence, coupled with sacrifice of burning his rice-stacks so as to alert the villagers, makes him an outstanding personality among the peasantry. The portrayal of ferocity of the tsunami and the description of the landscape during and after the tsunami deserves applause for accuracy. Hamaguchi’s elevation to Godliness from manliness is well portrayed.
A Living God Characters
Hamaguchi Gohei:
Hamaguchi Gohei was the “Muraosa” or the headman of a coastal village. Like other villagers, his principal occupation was cultivation. He was liked as well as respected by the village peasantry. People also called him “Ojiisan”, or rather, grandfather of the village.
Being the richest among the village peasantry, he was sometimes officially referred to as the “ Choja”.He advised the small farmers about their interest, arbitrated when they disputed, advanced them money at need, and helped them sell their rice on the best possible terms. Gohei, the central character and village chief.
Whereas the principal occupation of the villagers has been described to be crop cultivation, it is not quite clear as to why they did not take up fishing as an additional part of their livelihood since the village stood by the sea.
However, the story rolls on smoothly. The diction is well applied. Hamaguchi’s extra sensory perception about the impending tsunami, and his prudence, coupled with sacrifice of burning his rice-stacks so as to alert the villagers, makes him an outstanding personality among the peasantry. The portrayal of ferocity of the tsunami and the description of the landscape during and after the tsunami deserves applause for accuracy. Hamaguchi’s elevation to Godliness from manliness is well portrayed.
A Living God Title of the Story
Lafcadio Hearn’s “A Living God” tell us the story of Hamaguchi Gohei, a simple natured village-chief in a Japanese coastal village, and his elevation to Godliness from the state of manliness. The principal occupation of the villagers was cultivation of crops and Hamaguchi was no exception save and except that he was a little more well- off than other villagers. Life was very peaceful in the village.
But things do not always roll on as smoothly as expected. When a monstrous tsunami hit the village, the villagers were busy celebrating a rich harvest. Old Hamaguchi, with his experience and extra sensory perception, realized the foreboding ; but finding no time and means to alert the merry-making villagers , set all his stacks of rice in fire.
The fire and the accompanying smoke attracted the attention of the Buddhist Temple on the hill¬top who started ringing their huge bell, and then, the villagers, now aware of an impending danger, rushed to Hamaguchi. Some of them tried to douse the fire of the rice- stack, but Hamaguchi stopped them as it was still sending the signal of a danger.
Old Hamaguchi didn’t know what his family would eat the next day. The tsunami raved the village and the crops. But Hamaguchi could save the lives of the villagers by dint of his prudence, wisdom and sacrifice. This action elevated him to a state of divinity from manliness.
People started worshipping him and thought that he would thus save them. In future distress. Their faith was so deep rooted that they built even a temple with one of his images inside. His apotheosis was complete. The title thus, is justified.
A Living God Setting
Setting in “A Living God” is important in the sense that the proximity of the village where the story is founded upon is close to the sea which finally played the Nemesis to destroy the villagers. The village is situated on a plateau, surrounded on three sides by wooded summits.
“From its outer verge, the land slopped down in a huge green concavity, as if scooped out to the edge of the water; and the whole of the slop, some three quarters of a mile long, was so terraced as to look, when viewed from the open sea, like an enormous flight of green steps, divided in the centre by a narrow white zigzag – a streak of mountain road.”
From the description, it is evidently clear that the Japanese coastal village seems to have risen almost from the sea. In such close proximity to the sea, it is easier for the sea to play the Nemesis in the lives of the villagers in cases of any sea related disaster, especially a tsunami, adding thus, is perfect.
- MANTRALU – మంత్రాలు
- BHAKTI GEETHALU – భక్తి గీతాలు
- BHAKTI YOGAM – భక్తి యోగం
- DANDAKALU – దండకాలు
- CHALISALU – చాలీసాలు
- KAVACHALU – కవచాలు
A Living God Annotations and Vocabulary
Submarine volcanic action — volcanic explosion / reaction in under the sea
Tsunami — A series of large waves of extremely long wave length, and period, usually generated by a violent, impulsive undersea disturbance, or activity near the coast or in the ocean.
Era of Meiji — the Meiji era is an era in Japanese history which extended from 1868 until 1912
Muraosa — a village Chief in Japan
Choja — Richest member if a Japanese village community
Arbitrate — reach an authoritative judgment or settlement
Plateau — An area of fairly level high ground
Hemmed — Turn under and sew the edge of (usually a piece of cloth; but here it is conjoined)
Verge — An edge orborder
Concavity – Hollowed or rounded inward like inside of a bowl
Scooped — to pick up and move (something) with a scoop, a spoon etc
Shinto Temple — Buddhist Temple
Straggling — move along slowly so as to remain at some distance behind the person or people in front
Ujigami — It is a guardian god or spirit of a particular place in the Shinto religion of Japan
Seismic — Relating to earthquake or other vibrations of the earth and its crust
Offing — The most distant part of the sea in view
Ebb — Gradually decrease
Apparition — A ghost or ghost like person
Ribbed — Having a pattern of raised bands
Tinder – Substance that burns easily
Acolyte – A person assisting a priest in a religious service
Sallow — Unhealthy, yellow or pale brown colour
Speckled — Covered or marked with a large number of small spots or patches of colour
Succor — Assistance or support in times of hardship and distress
Mura — A Japanese word, meaning unevenness, irregularity, lack of uniformity etc.
Smote — Strike with a firm blow
Menace — A person or a thing that is likely to cause harm; a threat or danger
Wrack — To utterly ruin
Shingle — A mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on seashore
Stupefaction — The state of being stupefied
Prism A Collection of ISC Short Stories Workbook Answers
Sivapuranam in English – Vidyeshwara Samhita
Sivapuranam is a sacred Tamil text that extols the greatness of Lord Shiva.
Sivapuranam in English – Vidyeshwara Samhita
Vidyeshwara Samhita
Thus spoke Sage Soota :
‘After many yugas (Aeons) began the present Shwetavaraha (White hog) Kalpa, a time span consisting of 4 yugas. At the start of this kalpa span, a group of six wisened and snow white haired sages of pious blood lines came together at the holy confluence of three sacred rivers, the Triveni Sangam to discuss who the Truth Ultimate, Para-Brahma could be? The debate failed to provide conclusive answer. So, the group of six went to the creator, Lord Brahma to pray for the enlightenment.
Interaction Between Brahma And The Sage Group
The interaction took place as the following:
Asked the sages – ‘O Creator Brahma! Who is the Ultimate One referred to as ‘Para’ that eludes definition?’
Revealed Brahma – ‘It is Rudra, the Shiva Eternal.’
Asked the sages – ‘How can we grasp His element, the core truth?’
Explained Brahma – ‘It is possible only through His blessing and the grace of His side glance (which indirectly empowers one with mystical comprehension). He himself inspires the chosen faithful gradually into greater devotion by His grace extraordinary.
Whatever is achieved by one is the fruit of His benignity. His benevolent grace leads one into the comprehension of His mysticism. And that comprehension or power of understanding reveals the elementary truth about Him, the core reality of His state.’
Asked the sages – ‘Amongst so achievables which one is the most important? What is the exercise that gains the achievement? Who exactly is the achiever or seeker?’
Replied Brahma – ‘The most desirable achievement is accessing the feet of Shiva (accessing the grace and benevolence of Lord). A seeker (who in success becomes achiever) is the one who has great reservoir of discipline, self-control and fortitude. His life is ordered according to the sacred rules prescribed by holy Vedas, in birth, custom and tradition he confirms to the ashram regimes and after performing all his acts surrenders their proceeds to Shiva.
Such a seeker without any doubt gains Kailasha, the domain of Shiva. For accessing His lotus like feet, gaining Kailasha the essential exercises are; hearing, pondering, studying and praying (shravan, chintan, manan and keertan). Hearing (here) means listening to the recitations of katha episodes of His glory, acts and grace. Pondering means retaining in mind what has been heard. Studying means contemplating over what the mind has retained. Praying means singing hymns in praise of Shiva.’
Ask the sages – ‘Please elaborate on the three exercises (shravan, manan and keertan. Chintan needed no elaboration)’.
Elaborated Brahma – ‘Listen please. Shravan is hearing recitation of His deeds, glory, grace and power. The physical world we see with our eyes. But more exciting is to hear about Lord Supreme, not perceivable to eyes, not utterable by lips or tongue (for want of correct words for description) and not conceivable to mind.
Driven by curiosity and thirst for knowledge one just has to listen about Him (revealed by enlightened ones). For this purpose a guru is imperative. As a young man gets attracted towards a girl of beauty, similarly hearing the (beautiful) tales of His glory would wean one to His devotion. That is shravan.
Now take keertan. It is the exercise of singing prayers of His glory and deeds in defence of the goodness and to punish the wicked and evil sinners. The praying must be carried on all the day and for ever.
Then, manan is exercising the mind to intellectually perceive the Lord Supreme, the saviour, protector, provider, benefactor and merciful. Alone, He can deliver and salvage one to grant moksha.
All the three exercises have a common ground of Satsanga, the association with men of wisdom, devotion, knowledge and piety. The company of such holy ones makes it possible for one to hear noble talk. Such hearing eventually leads to enlightenment.
One engaged in the three exercises continues to add more and more spiritual riches and inches closer and closer to Him. But without the benefit of His grace it is not possible for one even to make a beginning by taking the first step towards the right direction desired.’
Vyasa Learns Shivaism From Sanatakumara
The great Puran scholiast Soota continued: “My guru Ved Vyasa, the sage was -in meditation and making penance. One day, Sage Sanata Kumara arrived there. Ved Vyasa received the guest with great reverence and treated him to traditional welcome rituals like upacharas. Sanata Kumara felt very obliged and by way of thanks he taught Ved Vyasa the regimes of Shivaism as the following –
‘O son of Satyavati!
The ultimate objective of meditation and penance making must be the truth, the basic truth. And there is no truth better than the truth of Shiva. In this light, a seeker like you should be able to see Him. Tell me what had you been meditating over (when I arrived here)?’
Answered Sage Ved Vyasa :
T have studied the various exercises through which a man could attain the four principal objectives of life namely, spiritual enlightenment (Dharma) prosperity (Artha), physical satisfaction (Kama) and final salvation (Moksha), remaining true to the religious orders and social codes. But I could not gain the sublime knowledge (Jnan) that can work for the final salvation. I was pondering over that fact’.
Smiled Sanata Kumara and spoke :
‘Why should you worry about it? I too had gone through that kind of suffering troubled by doubts and anxieties and made penance in the past. By the grace of Shiva, I happened to come across (enlightened) Nandikeshwara who put me at ease. He revealed to me that only through shravan, chintan, manan and keertan (hearing, pondering, studying and praying) a seeker could access to Him (which assured the final salvation).
O progeny of Sage Parashara! You too must take recourse to the same three exercises. Banish all other ideas. Cool and determind, you must be. With perseverance pursue your aim
Sanata Kumara flashed towards the domain of Brahma, along with his followers after saying that.
Sage Soota said, ‘For the same reason, shravan, chintan, manan and keertan should be accepted as the only path to reach Him’.
Spoke the Sage Shaunaka and the group :
“Fine is what you have said. But this three-point exercise called Sadhana Trikam involves a long time span to accomplish. In Krita and Treta ages it was possible. Even in Dwapara age they were effective with some perseverance. Human beings in this Kaliyuga have short life spans. For a brief life, is there an easy (practical) way?”
Thus replied Sage Soota :
“There is an easy way to gain moksha in any age, not only in Kaliyuga. And that way is to worship Shiva by paying homage to Lingam, His symbolic idol. A faithful can have (miniature) Lingam on his palm, or in a special (pooja) room, in a place of worship or a temple. It can be at some sacred pilgrim centre. Thus worshipped, Shiva surely grants one moksha.
One can earn great credit through exercises of meditation, invocation, installation (of idol), worshipping with (alit) lamp, burning camphor, offering oblations of fruits, flowers or water etc. as ordered by the scriptures or worship manuals, and conducting all sixteen upcharas, the prescribed rituals with true devotion.
The faithfuls who can’ not go through the elaborate rites and rituals may simply worship the Lingam in a normal way considering it an idol. The perfection and all-inclusiveness of Shiva makes him worshipable as an image (inspite of His abstract reality). The other deities carry their identities rested in their idol forms having no abstract aspect or unmanifest form. Because of this exclusive aspect Shiva is also called ‘Sarveshwara’, the all-inclusive Supreme Deity.”
After hearing this scholium, the sage group asked :
“That is amazing. But how can Shiva gain all shapes and forms and still be abstract or ethereal having no shape, form or property? Please let us know that.”
Responded Sage Soota :
“I will reveal it to you. In the deep past sage Markandeya asked Shiva about it and He explained it. The same explanation I will repeat for your benefit:
Origin Of Shivalingam:
Thus spoke Nandikeshwara (Soota) :
Once, in the very early beginning of the creation Creator Brahma, the lord with five faces sitting atop a lotus (the stalk of which sprouted out of the navel of Vishnu) approached to Lord Vishnu, the most handsome lord who was then asleep on his serpent-bed of Adishesha.
His wife Laxmi was beside him. Brahma had grown an ego for being the creator of the universe. He considered himself to be the Holy Father of all. As Vishnu did not rise up to receive him, he took it as an affront to him. Brahma called out to him to wake up to show due honour to the Father of the creation. So, much so that Brahma addressed Vishnu as ‘son’.
Vishnu lost his temper as Brahma had come into existence on the lotus top that had sprouted out of his navel. Thus, Vishnu thought he infact, was the father of Brahma who had no right to admonish him. After all he was the sustainer of the creation.
However Vishnu used restraint and smiled. But the words spoken by him were sarcastic. He asked why the son had come to his father and disturbed his sleep? Then, he began to brag about his power, greatness and divine qualities. Brahma retaliated by citing his own virtues and craftsmanship. Soon, the two were engaged in heated exchange of unsavoury words. Their altercation took an ugly turn.
Each one of them thought he was the real God and the other one an impostor who deserved to be
tought a lesson. When words could not decide the’ issue they decided to fight it out. Vishnu got on his carrier Garuda and Brahma jumped on to astride his Hansa. The battle began. Both were seriously trying to kill each other. Dangerous divine weapons were being used by them.
Vishnu inflicted crippling blows on the chest of Brahma. Brahma also hit back with charges that hurt Vishnu. Suddenly the two resorted to their ultimate weapons like Maheshzvara and Pashupata which were diabolic enough to destroy everything. The gods, sages and other celestials were shocked and in that state they ran (Shiva) to pray to Him to save the worlds. Shiva accepted their prayer and disappeared. Suddenly, a huge pillar of luminosity materialised between warring Vishnu and Brahma.
The weapons released by them were swallowed in by the mysterious pillar. The blinding brilliance of the pillar made Brahma and Vishnu blink. The fight had gone out of them. In a stupor they appeared. They were mystified at the appearance of that luminous pillar which defied any explanation. It had no beginning or end at either side.
To discover its origin Vishnu transformed into a white hog and ran downwards to delve deep at its root. Brahma flew upwards in the form of a swan to find the top end of the pillar. They failed in their quests. No bottom or top was found. On his down flight Brahma saw a Pandanus flower adrift in the air. Brahma persuaded the Pandanus to support his claim that he had reached the top of the pillar where that flower had blossomed.
Brahma along with Pandanus returned to the spot from where he and Vishnu had began their journeys. Vishnu was there already sulking in defeat. Brahma proudly claimed victory and produced Pandanus (Ketaki) flower as proof and his witness. Vishnu sportingly accepted defeat and superiority of Brahma over him. He honoured the victor in traditional custom and rituals.
Shiva Materialises – Honesty Honoured And Falsehood Flayed
In the moments of defeat Vishnu had become a symbol of humility. He had become cleansed of his ego, self conceit and megalomania. All the evil effects of may a had vanished. After self correction, Vishnu had beamed his mind into Lord Shiva and was chanting his name in true devotion. He was repentful of his earlier misconduct. It supremely pleased Shiva.
From the pillar of luminosity He walked out in an altered form. Now Shiva had an eye on his forehead in addition to the two normal eyes. Resplendent and majestic, He looked with the blue throat, crescent moon crested in his plaited hair-nest and gleaming trident in his hand. With moist eyes He looked at Vishnu who overwhelmed with devotional fever quivered, feeling ecstasy sweep his heart and mind.
Shiva declared, “Vishnu! Your truthfulness has pleased me. So, now on you shall be as worthy a divinity as I am.” Then, Shiva turned his attention to Brahma who had used falsehood to gain a victory that could install him as God Supreme, superior mostdivinity. Shiva was angry at him. From his third eye Shiva produced His fiery form of Bhairava.
To Bhairava He ordered to grab Brahma and sever his heads. Bhairava caught Brahma by his hair chopped off his fifth head with his sword. Before the sword of Bhairava could deal the same fate to other heads Brahma fell at the feet of Bhairava and begged for mercy and pardon.
Vishnu prayed to Shiva to forgive Brahma as he had realised his mistake and he was needed for the continuation of the creation. Shiva agreed to spare the life of Brahma but put a curse, “You used untruth to become the Supreme Divinity. Now you shall be worshipless and bereft of celebration and place of honour. Merely a figure head deity you become.”
Brahma prayed to Shiva to lessen the severity of his punishment and restore his fifth head. Shiva said, “The head shall not be restored. There needs to be an example for others to see the consequences of wrong doing. But I give you boon to be the preceptor of my servitors and no yajna will be complete without your worship.”
Shiva Materialises – Honesty Honoured And Falsehood Flayed
In the moments of defeat Vishnu had become a symbol of humility. He had become cleansed of his ego, self conceit and megalomania. All the evil effects of may a had vanished. After self correction, Vishnu had beamed his mind into Lord Shiva and was chanting his name in true devotion.
He was repentful of his earlier misconduct. It supremely pleased Shiva. From the pillar of luminosity He walked out in an altered form. Now Shiva had an eye on his forehead in addition to the two normal eyes. Resplendent and majestic, He looked with the blue throat, crescent moon crested in his plaited hair-nest and gleaming trident in his hand. With moist eyes He looked at Vishnu who overwhelmed with devotional fever quivered, feeling ecstasy sweep his heart and mind.
Shiva declared, “Vishnu! Your truthfulness has pleased me. So, now on you shall be as worthy a divinity as I am.” Then, Shiva turned his attention to Brahma who had used falsehood to gain a victory that could install him as God Supreme, superior most divinity. Shiva was angry at him. From his third eye Shiva produced His fiery form of Bhairava. To Bhairava He ordered to grab Brahma and sever his heads. Bhairava caught Brahma by his hair chopped off his fifth head with his sword.
Before the sword of Bhairava could deal the same fate to other heads Brahma fell at the feet of Bhairava and begged for mercy and pardon. Vishnu prayed to Shiva to forgive Brahma as he had realised his mistake and he was needed for the continuation of the creation.
Shiva agreed to spare the life of Brahma but put a curse, “You used untruth to become the Supreme Divinity. Now you shall be worshipless and bereft of celebration and place of honour. Merely a figure head deity you become.”
Brahma prayed to Shiva to lessen the severity of his punishment and restore his fifth head. Shiva said, “The head shall not be restored. There needs to be an example for others to see the consequences of wrong doing. But I give you boon to be the preceptor of my servitors and no yajna will be complete without your worship.”
Pandanus Punished
The Pandanus trembled in fright. Shiva said to it, “Pandering Pandanus! Now you shall not be acceptable in any worship. Forbidden flower you become.” The Pandanus begged for mercy. Shiva relented and said His faithfuls could use it in worship ritual but it will remain unacceptable for direct worship of Shiva. The flower could be used for the worship of other deities.
Importance Of Ungam Worship Glory Of Shivaratri
After the pronouncements of rewards and punishments, Shiva reverted to his benign state. Vishnu and Brahma stood respectfully on his flanks. They got Shiva beseated on a high seat of honour. Then, the two chastised duo of Vishnu and Brahma sang odes to Shiva and worshiped Him in an elaborate manner with all due rites, customs and rituals.
It propitiated Shiva duly and in a benign mood he spoke, “Sons, I am very pleased with your worship. I want to make this memorable for ever. It shall be celebrated as ‘Maha Shivaratri’. I had manifested as luminous pillar on 14th day of second moon phase (fortnight) of Margashirsha month on the full moon day.
On this day, whoever keeps fast in my name and spends a wakeful night hearing recitation of My katha or singing hymns in My praise shall gain the credit of having worshipped Me one whole year The day will be auspicious for installation of Lingam, and for laying foundation of Shiva temples. This day and night would be dedicated to worship and celebrating Me.
The faithful who visions Me with Parvati or displays pageant of My idol or Lingam earns My grace of great magnitude. Viewing my idol and worshipping it will gain one endless rewards. By manifesting in Lingam form My divinity has increased manifold. This land shall be known as Lingam site. For the convenience of the people, this endless luminous Lingam will become very small.
The Lingam shall gain one very many worldly rewards and moksha as well in the end. Its viewing, touch and thought will deliver one from transmigration. Because of the materialisation of Lingam of the pink luminosity here, this place shall be known as ‘Arunachala’, the abode of pink. Great many holy centres would come up here.
Two forms I have, Shiva is My physical manifestation and Lingam of luminosity represents My unmanifest Abstract Reality. I can also manifest in propertyless, formless, infinite and unprecedented form. I manifested as Lingam to reveal my universality. Shiva manifestation shows My supreme divinity. Lingam is My symbolic form and it gains one the access to Me.
One who installs Lingam with true devotion gets unified with my divine reality and achieves final salvation in the process. The idol of Shiva form for worship is for those faithfuls who can not comprehend My abstract reality.”
Penta-Acts Of Shiva (Panchakrityas)
Brahma and Vishnu listened to the revelations made by Shiva in awe and they prayed Him to reveal the mystic of His five principal acts.
Elaborated Shiva to them :
‘It is difficult to understand the five divine duties I perform but in grace I shall reveal to you. The five are namely – Creation, Maintenance, Destruction, Regression and Grace. The start of the universe is Creation, sustaining its evolutionary process is Maintenance. Dooming the creation is Destruction.
Tendency of moving backwards is Regression (It is antonym of progression, a natural reaction to it.) A soul desires to go back into its origin, the Soul Supreme. The deliverance from these four exercises is possible by My Grace, which is the fifth act I perform.
My faithfuls see these acts in physical states – Creation in earth, Maintenance in water, Destruction in fire, Regression in air and Grace in sky or space. The earth creates, the water fosters, the fire burns all, the air carries from one place to another and the space obliges all. To carry out these five acts I have five faces, four facing the four directions and the fifth in the centre.
By My grace Brahma and Vishnu create and sustain respectively. The destruction and Regression are taken care of by Rudra and Maheshwara; My two unmanifest dimensions, who have the same mount, carrier, seat and image as Mine being of only reflective nature. As far as the grace is concerned it is dispensed only by Me, the Shiva form.”
After revealing this, Shiva remarked Vishnu and Brahma had degraded themselves by being jealous of each other. He advised them to attend to their respective allotted duties without growing ego. For penance making Shiva gave them a holy mantra for chanting and explained its mysticism.
His five faces issued five phonetic effects which combined to make the holy letter u (Om) which represented Supreme Force. The essence of Pentasyllable Ode of Shiva also grew out of it to make the greatest mantra – ‘Om-na-ma-shi-va-ya’ which is symbolic of manifest Shiva
(The ‘Om’ part is the symbol of abstract Power Supreme). The Pantasyllable mantra inspired the creation of great Gayatri mantra from which all Vedas issued forth and they created millions of mantra. Different mantras gain one different rewards, physical and spiritual both.”
Said Soota further :
‘Shiva made Vishnu and Brahma sit facing north and initiated them to the mantra properly. Later He blessed them with Yantra and Tantfas also, Yantra was a way of worship through mystical geometric design and Tantra prescribed the rites and rituals that went with it. The two accepted Shiva as their Guru Supreme and installed His idols at the places appointed for preceptor in their own abodes. As oblation the two pledged their souls to Shiva.
Sage Soota continued :
‘Sages and holy sirs!
Pentasyllable mantra if chanted continuously on the 14th day of the ascending moon phase of the month under star Arudra gains the devotee countless blessings and rewards. Worshipped be Lord Shiva’s symbol Lingam, duly installed by self or through true brahmin, with sixteen prescribed rites and rituals to ensure a place after death in the divine domain of Shiva.
Shivalingam :
Installation-Worship Rites
Lingam be installed at the bank of a holy river in an auspicious hour chosen to the convenience of all the faithfuls participating for daily worship.
Lingam can be made of clay or iron and a proper rectangular or triangular pedestal to install it on. Lingam and pedestal should be made of the same material. A portable Lingam should be small and handy (for easy transportation). Only an inch-tall Lingam can serve the purpose in such cases; for a devotee who only seeks salvation having transcended the temptations of the mundane world.
In case of grounded Lingam the size of Lingam should be about 12 finger breadths of the faithful or more is advised. The grounded Lingam should be provided a canopy and walls around adorned with pictures or sculptures of other deities or divinities. The doorways of the sanctum be embellished with precious stones.
Two door, one on east and other on west side are ordered. The ground below the installed Lingam may first be founded with nine types of gem stones planted with mantra incantations. The place be sanctified with havana rites and priest given money, and kith or kin satisfied with gifts. In this worship exercise faithful must take part with his family. Shiva’s ganas, guards and retinue be also invoked.
In case of planted Lingam, in a dug hole gold and nine kinds of gems be put with mantra incantations and invocation of Shiva. Then, with citations of ‘Om’ mahamantra Lingam be planted with pedestal in the hole. Then, a pretty idol of Shiva too be installed above with due rites and time honoured customs with incantation of Pentasyllable mantra. In worship of such pair, do not forget to honour the person who conducts or presides over this holy exercise.
After installing Lingam in such manners a faithful must worship it daily to gain mundane and ethereal rewards including a place in the domain of Shiva.
Expansive Aspect Of Lingam
Lingam in general sense has very diverse implications and its forms are infinite. In universal Shiva spirit every object or creature of all worlds is His manifestation and is like Lingam that. represent Him and hence is worthy of worship. The trees and plants are Sathawar Lingams (botanical forms). Watering them is the worship.
Then there are nature-made oblong rock Lingams, ice lingams (Amarnath) or of chemical compounds (Yellow Stone Park, U.S.) in caves, burning process creates Flame Lingams or smoke Lingams, water fall Lingams, root vegetable Lingams, foodgrain Lingams etc. besides the man crafted or moulded ones.
On religious format, Lingams can be made of sand, clay, jaggery, butter or kneaded flour. The faithful must bear such Lingam on his thumb and worship it with incantation of Pentasyllable mantra of Shiva observing all rites prescribed in the standard worship manuals.
A faithful can forego elaborate ritual route by donating a Lingam (of precious material or a simple Lingam with monetary charity).
A faithful must chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ (Pranava) ten thousand times a day, does it himself or gets it done by a brahmin priest in the spirit of being formally initiated into Shivaism.
Incantation of Pentasyllable mantra five crore times raises one to the status of Shiva. Four crore chants of the same gains one the holiness of priesthood. One thousand incantations of Gayatri mantra propitiates Shiva whose grace grants the faithful a place in the Kailasha domain. Remember that nightly worship of Shiva is more rewarding and gains more credit.
Those wishing the grace of Shiva shall gain by living in Shiva-domains (Shiva Kshetras).” Upon hearing this from Puran scholiast Soota, enquired the sages and holymen-‘Please reveal which places are considered Shiva Kshetras?’
Domains Of Shiva
Answered Sage Soota :
By the grace of Shiva and carrying out His command, the earth bears the burden of countless mountains and rivers. To shower His grace on the inhabitants of earth Shiva determined areas here and there as his domains of special effect. Some of those Kshetras are self born by being at right place or blessed naturally, others are created by celestials devoted to Him and the rest are founded by sages and holymen. Many such places dot the sea shores and the banks of rivers.
One such principal place is Kashi, situated on the bank of Ganga. Narmada river is another such domain bathing in which, coupled with fasting begets the faithful leadership qualities and virtue. Holy Godavari is also His domain. The mere invocation of its name cleanses one of all sins. It is the river most worshipful.
Kashi (Benaras) is most famous Shiva domain. A dip in Ganga here earns one the blessings one hundred evening prayers can gain one. One hundred such dips spiritually empowers one to take the first step towards mastering yoga. The blessings gained by daily bathing in Godavari are too great for words to describe.
This river has the power to cleanse all the sins of a faithful to grant him a place in Kailasha domain of Shiva. One is required to be pious and devout in all these domains of Supreme Divinity. The sins committed in the domains will lead the defaulter into burning hell. One having evil mind at a sacred place deserves no mercy as he is bereft of any faith.
Benefaction And Sins
Both these above mentioned acts have three aspects :
- The seed (Potential)-With wisdom and knowledge it can be destroyed (or rendered harmless).
- The Progression-The growth of the sinning acts can be stemmed by noble and charitable acts.
- The Experience-The sins can be cleansed by spiritual enlightenment and charitable acts but the experience gained can not be washed away. It remains as residue (or collateral) to some extent.
The maleficent consequences of the sins can be avoided in four ways :
- Worship of Shiva
- Benefaction to the deserving candidate.
- Vesting one’s mind in meditation and making penance.
- Voluntarily undergoing extreme hardships in repentance.
The fourth way is an after thought. It does not prevent one from sinning, gaining its rewards and experiencing. Hence, one is advised to earn credits by doing noble and charitable acts to counterbalance sins.
Righteous Conduct
Asked Shaunaka and the group of holymen: How should one conduct oneself in the ideal manner prescribed by religious code?
Expounded Sage Soota :
The correct conduct is for one to rise early at dawn, answer the call of nature and wash clean. One’s chosen deity must be invoked and meditated over.
Next, he may attend to his physical self, financial and expenditure aspects. A person must invest time in money earning exercise to enable him to survive, conduct correctly and do noble deeds. It is essential to nurse one’s own health, strength capabilities and social standing. Income and expenditure be carefully assessed and planned. They all require serious thought and erudite consideration.
After these mental exercises, one may take his bath. Daily prayer and worship rituals come next. Gayatri and other chosen mantras be chanted. At home or in a temple these can be done. One remains family man till seventy before leaving home for Vanprastha ashram, to live as an ascetic. An ascetic must invoke ‘Om’ mantra at least twelve times a day.
In all aspects one’s life must confirm to the orders of religion, dharma. All acts must pass its test. Money may be earned through means prescribed and manner ordered by dharma. Spending must also follow dharma code. The physical indulgences in pleasure should not exceed the limits set by religious tenets or orders.
The best dharma of Kaliyuga is benefaction, the charity. It is equal to hard penance making in other yugas. Violence is worst kind of anti-dharma act. Generally, making others happy is dharma. Do no harm or hurt anyone. Thus, dharma is the foundation of peace and joy in individual and society’s life.
Yajnas-Types
Prayed the seeker sages :
‘Holy sir! Please shed light on Yajna for our benefit.’
Obliged scholiast Soota :
‘Yajna is a very sacred religious exercise in which various gods and deities are invoked and oblations offered into holy fire in their names. It empowers them with divinity. The fire is the symbolic mouth of all gods.
For a yajna a lot of materials and ingredients prescribed by scriptures are required to be procured. Oblations are offered with invocation of the name of the particular deity along with incantations of Vedic mantras by priests and sages conducting it. In deva yajna Indra is invoked besides other gods. The daily recitation or study of Vedas is called ‘Brahma Yajna’.
In an early age Shiva determined the days of week (Vars) dedicated to various gods. Sunday is dedicated to Him. Wednesday (Budhvar) is dedicated to Vishnu. Thursday (Brihaspati) is for Brahma. The worship of the related deities on various days of week is as good a credit earner as yajna performed in the name of those deities. These are yajnas without fire and so is Brahma yajna. The yajnas are begetters of long life, health, offspring, happiness, prosperity, rains and knowledge.
A yajna exercise involves chants of mantra recitations, invocations, holy fire rituals and offering of oblations followed by benefaction, charity to the poor and mass fest of the participants and poor.
For different objectives there are different yajnas with specific procedures, rites and mantras. Some sages or priests specialise in particular type of yajnas.’
Here Soota took a breather.
Requested Shaunaka group :
“Please elaborate on Devayajna, the suitable time and place for it.”
Responded Sage Soota :
‘The most suitable places for Devayajna, are a neat and clean house, a cowshed, a holy river bank, bael tree (underneath), basil plant (in proximity) and under peepul tree. And a mountain peak is the best place, ten times better than sea shore which is itself ten times worthier than the river bank. Yajnas yield diminishing returns as yugas (ages) pass on.
Kaliyuga yajnas are far less rewarding than those of earlier ages. Any day calculated as auspicious of religious act in the religious almanac is fine for this yajna. But still better are solstice ends, sun eclipse and moon eclipse days in that order. Yajna regimes don’t follow strict formats. Various houses and families have their own yajna traditions and distinct norms.’ Then, Soota revealed how worship of the idols protected a householder and his family from calamities.
Idol-Worship
Get clay from the river bed. Knead it with sandalwood powder and milk. Make a beautiful idol of any god like Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Parvati, Shiva or Lingam with it. Sit in cross legged, Padmasana posture and worship with devotion with the materials prescribed for a standard pooja. Do not offer water or milk over the idol as it will melt idol. In case of clay idol only flowers be showered or placed on. Use incense, lamp and naivedya items in worship for better results.
If the deity chosen for worship has a weekday dedicated to him, then choose that week day for worship alongside other considerations. Proper worship should be followed by a feast to family, friends and relatives besides the poor. For long life, Shiva be worshipped on 4th day of the waning moon phase of the month of Margashirsha. The month of Kartika is good for worship and praying to all the gods and deities.
Bindu-Naad Mystery (Dot-Hum Secret)
In Shivalingam, the male and female sex organ shapes are assimilated which symbolises the birth of universe. Hence, there is a separate regime of worship for Shiva to pay tribute to the creative exercise. Entire cosmos is reflection of Pinuiu-Naad. Bind is the symbol of Female Power. Naad, the hum of cosmic echo is Shiva.
The universe is the union of the two. Hum is the base of Dot (Bindi) and Dot is base of the universe. Into the base is planted what is based on. All inclusiveness is the spirit of the creation. Shivalingam is the unified form of the gender organs in symbolic shape. So, it is also called the cause of the creation. Bindu (Dot) represents the power of feminity and Shiva is cosmic echo, Naad. Parvati is the manifest form of Bindu. Hence the two are the parents of the universe; in their worship we pay homage to our original forebears.
Since the very birth a creature falls prey to various worldly temptations and remains trapped in transmigration. For a creature only hope of deliverance lies in the grace of Shiva. Shiva Lingam may be bathed and ointed with Panchamrita (cow milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar).
Offer oblation of mixture of milk and food grains to Shiva with chant of Aum (Om). The one word Om mantra is also called Bindulingam, Naadalingam, Makarlingam (From planted lingam), Ukarlingam (From portable lingam) and Akarlingam for being symbol of initiator guru. They be worshipped to gain moksha.
The Power Of Pentasyllable And Pranava (Om)
Implored the sage audience to Soota :
‘Kindly tell us more about Pentasyllable mantra (Panchakshari).’
So did scholiast Sage Soota :
Really, only Shiva can reveal the full mysticism of Pentasyllable mantra but I shall tell you whatever I comprehended according to my lights.
First know about Pranava, the ‘Om’ which initiates all mantras taking the position of Prefix. This one letter symbol of Power Supreme is like a boat (Nava), a divine boat (Para-nava) in which Shiva carries us all across the ocean of mundane life. Pranava is micro aspect of mantra. The Pentasyllable mantra of Shiva is macro aspect. Together they make the most potent mantra ‘Om Nama Shivaya’.
We can say that Pranava part is the soul and Pentasyllable is the body part of the mantra. For the ardent devotees of Shiva, although they be family people, the Pentasyllable mantra is macro Pranava, the micro part of it being present silently due to the relation with Shiva. A family person devotee may be at three levels of devotion to Shiva-namely Kripa yoga, Tapa yoga and Japa yoga in that order. The highest is the level of Japa yogi.
Kriya yogi uses his resources and riches to aquire best worship materials, makes obeisance and tries to gain the grace of his deity. Tapa yogi carries on the worship exercise, eats frugal meals and controls exterior sensory organs. Japa yogi inculcates noble qualities, lives piously and with a steady mind keeps up the holy chant (of Pentasyllable mantra) orally or mentally all the time (like a penance maker).
Bondage And Deliverance
(The mention of the grihastha, the family people made it mandatory for Soota to explain the worldly bondages and deliverance.)
Sage Soota said :
An individual born in the mundane world is held in bondage by eight factors, namely nature, intellect, ego and five elements (Prakriti, Buddhi, Ahamkara and Panchbhootas-earth, water, fire, air and space). One so bonded is trapped in a vicious cycle of birth and deaths in changing body forms. That is transmigration. To attain deliverance from this cycle one has to transcend these factors by His grace. Shiva is above nature. So, seeking refuge in Shiva is the only way of salvation from transmigration.
He is bereft of any fault and consciousness. In that sense there really is little need of worship to Him. In His abstract reality He has no form (Nirakar) and no property (Nirgun). But for the benefit of devotees He may manifest in deity form and have various qualities or character. Then worship becomes purposeful. With body, mind and actions under control by His grace, an individual gains spiritual piety eventually leading to salvation and a place in the domain of Shiva.
Ego is banished and the intellect is distilled into wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. An individual becomes yogi with mind and cerebral power under control of wisdom. One is then in the image of Shiva.Deliverance from transmigration is possible only through devotion and worship of Shiva and Lingams, His symbolic forms.
Classified Lingams
For brahmins Rasalingam (juice, liquid) is prescribed, for kshatriyas Banalingam (arrow); Swarna Lingam for vaishyas, Sunderlingam for shudras, Clay Lingam for unwidowed women, Crystal Lingam for all females and persons of all ages for rejuvenation effect and Miniature Lingam that one can hold on his palm is advised for those who have refrained from doing sinful act.
They can offer worship to palm based Lingam and oblation of naivedya too before taking food. A miniature Lingam can also be worn around neck like a locket. This mysticism was taught to me by my guru, Sage Ved Vyasa and I pass it on to you. May you be able to earn the grace of Shiva.
Further elaborated Sage Soota, after a pause:
In Kritayuga, Tretayuga, Dwapara and Kaliyuga, respectively Diamond Lingam, Gold Lingam, Rasalingam and Parthiva (stone) Lingam prevailed and are in use presently in this age. And amongst Parthiva (stone) the Clay Lingam is the best for propitiating Brahma, Vishnu and Indra besides Shiva, of course. The five point rule (Panchasootra) prescribed for idol making do not apply in the case of Parthivalingams. Lingam must just be made whole, one piece, materially uniform but the
planted one be in two pieces, buried Lingam part and installed above Shiva part. For the one in the know of Lingam mysticism, it itself is Shiva, the Deity Supreme.
The worship of the Lingam should be performed according to the general rites and rituals detailed in scriptures (general texts) and Shastras (the books of religious tenets and codes for various rites and worship) subject to the orders contained in Purans and scriptures related to Shiva or Shivaism. “A devotee can say prayer of his own if it comes from his heart, in glory of Lord and to seek His grace. Originality in devotional sentiment is no bar. Holy sirs! The worship of Lingam is a great fulfiller of wish and it gives one the credit of innumerable yajna performances.
Numbers Of Worship
Asked the holy group :
‘O scholiast Soota! How many Lingam worships are required to gain fulfilment of wishes?
Replied Sage Soota :
The number of worships depends on the kind of wish the faithful has. For gaining spiritual wisdom one thousand worships are required, fifteen hundred for riches, five hundred for material, one thousand for land, three thousand for the merciful disposition, two thousand for desire for pilgrimage and one crore worships for salvation or moksha, performed in proper and prescribed manner.
Nothing is more rewarding and pious deed than worship or Shivalingam. Daily worship as a ritual wards off all troubles. Invoke all the forms and aspects of Shiva in the worship. While worshipping the devotee may sit on the south side of Lingam or idol facing north. One should not sit on the other three sides.
For faithfuls of Shiva there are three special ingredients for worship-
- Holy ash,
- Rudraksha rosary and
- Bael leaves.
If ash is not available the clay can be used as the substitute for applying three-forked Tilak (Tripunda). There is misconception about Naivedya, the edible offerings to Lingams or Shiva as being forbidden for consumption of the faithfuls as prasadam. It is not correct. Nothing is wrong in eating it as gift of Shiva. Infact, the very sight of it is rewarding. Its consumption as prasadam is spiritually satisfying for a worshipper.
Prayed Shaunaka and the holy group :
Learned Soota! Tell us the legend of Bael tree and the beneficience of Holy Ash (Bhasma) and Rudraksha.
Answered enlightened Soota :
The Legend Of Bael (Bilva)
Bael tree is considered to be the botanical manifestation of Shiva. In the roots of this tree lie the holiness of all the centres of pilgrimages. Worship under Bael blesses the faithful with growth and flourishing of his bloodline. Lighting up lamp under Bael tree gains one Shiva knowledge (Jnan).
Feeding a brahmin under this tree earns one the credit equivalent to feeding one crore people. A faithful will not be stalked by poverty if he offers kheer and ghee in devotional sentiment to the poor people under this tree. A devotee may water Bael tree because water fed roots of it pleases Shiva. Remember its roots are Lingam symbols. Hence, worship be done near the roots.
Greatness Of Sacred Ash (Bhasma)
Now listen to the sanctifying aspect of Bhasma, the sacred ash. Bhasma is of two kinds: Mahabhasma and ‘Swalp Bhasma’. The former has its three types-Shrota, Smarth and Laukik. The first two are meant for brahmins to be used with proper rituals and incantation of mantra. The third is for general devotees for use without invocation of mantras.
The sacred ash is prepared from cowdung cakes sanctified by fire. It is Agni Bhasma. It can also be procured from holy fire pits (Havan kunds) of yajnas, havans and other religious exercises involving fire rituals as residue of the holy practice. The sacred ash may be smeared on the body. It may be applied on the forehead in Tripunda (Three Forks) shape, from the centre of eyebrows upwards, two side lines drawn up with ring fingertip and the middle one with thumb.
Each of the three lines is abode of nine deities. It gains one worldly pleasures and moksha after death. While applying ash or making Tripunda chant Shiva mantra. With Tripunda on forehead and Rudraksha in hand or neck a devotee announces his deep faith in Shiva. Catching a sight of such person is in itself blessingful. One who does not chant His Pentasyllable name, does not apply bhasma to body or wears no Tripunda and goes about without Rudraksha rosary, a wretched one is he! So say the spiritually enlightened ones.
Rudraksha-Its Glory
Continued Soota with his revelations :
In benignity, blessingfulness, reward gaining, joy giving and moksha granting Rudraksha is as potent as Shiva self. It literally means ‘Tears of Rudra’ i.e. Shiva self. The story of its origin will reveal its glory and efficacy as He himself once confided to His consort, Parvati.
In the early aeons of the creation once Shiva made penance for thousands of divine years with steady mind. Then, anguished by thought of being the carrier of the burden of the welfare of universe, He opened His eyes on purpose. His eyes shed tears that sprouted up as trees of Rudraksha at places of Gaur land, Mathura, Ayodhya, Kashi, Lanka, Malyachala mount etc.
That was the divine inspiration behind it. Rudraksha dried up fruit-seed can be in sizes of a gram grain to amla, the Indian goose berry. The Rudraksha beads are blackishbrown in colour. Stringed into rosary they can adorn the devotee’s neck or wrist. In the neck, a Rudrakshamala is like a necklace of divine pearls.
Rudraksha rosary can wipe the tears of its wearer, the faithful of Shiva. Such is the glory of Rudraksha. The bigger the size of Rudraksha, the bigger is its efficacy. So, the goose berry size Rudrakshas are very precious. Still rare bigger ones are treasurable and blessingful. The mala of Rudraksha is very convenient for Japa
(The chant of a mantra or a deity’s name) for count when the specific number of an exercise is required. The large grain (goose berry size) Rudraksha reduces malefic aspects. A small Rudraksha red on top and black underneath can fulfil wishes of one’s heart. So, smaller ones are extra efficacious. Stinged into a rosary they act like a spiritual weapon against evil and lend aura to the user or wearer.
The rounded, strong, deep brown and having grainy surface are blessingful and auspicious. Disfigured, broken, worm infected, moth eaten and non-round Rudraksha should not be acceptable. When intended to be stringed Rudraksha a hole can be drilled manually if it does not have a natural. hole. But ones with natural hole are more efficacious.
A person wearing 1100 grains of Rudraksha in the form of rosaries becomes Rudralike. One can wear a crown made of 550 Rudrakshas. The most accepted rosary of Rudraksha consists of 108 grains. Chanting Pentasyllable mantra (Panchakshari) with Rudraksha on is very potent spiritual exercise.
Three faced Rudraksha blesses skillfulness, four faced is divine and sin cleanser, five faced fulfils wishes and grants moksha, six faced is like Kartikeya, seven faced begets money, eight faced gains one a long life and Rudrakshas with still more faces are progressively more potent and benefic. The one with 14 faces is like Almighty.
Thus, explained Sage Soota the glories and efficaciousness of Bilva, Bhasma and Rudraksha to greateful Shaunaka and the holy group. He also revealed the procedures of various exercises related to them and the prescriptions. And that brought the Vidyeshwara chapter to end.
Sivapuranam Lyrics in Tamil English Hindi Telugu with Meaning, Sivapuranam Pdf Free Download
The Puran itself is the creation of Lord Shiva himself, the mystical wisdom crafted in words, moulded into one hundred thousand couplets or quartets (Shlokas), divided into twelve chapters (Samhitas); and first revealed in grace to the creator, Lord Brahma who relayed it to his favoured son, Narada. Then, it was relayed in succession to Sanat Kumara and Ved Vyasa. The latter condensed the massive volume into 24,000 shlokas categorised under seven chapters namely: Vidyeshwara Samhita, Rudra Samhita, Shatarudra Samhita, Kotirudra Samhita, Uma Samhita, Kailasha Samhita and Vayuviya Samhita.
The enlightenment with the mysticism of Shiva-Jnan was truly possible only for Sage Ved Vyasa, a literati of the sacred texts as he was. He could abridge the original text of Shiva Puran to make it sharp and focussed with distilled mysticism. By the grace of Shiva, the inspiration behind his endeavour was to remove the diluting impression a voluminous text carried, out of compassion to all and to impart the enlightenment to others in digest form. A man of great literary talent he was. Later, he visualised the entire epic of Mahabharata in his mind. Upon the suggestion of Brahma, Ved Vyasa dictated Mahabharata to Lord Ganesha who penned it down non-stop.
Sivapuranam Lyrics with Meaning, Siva Puranam in Tamil English Hindi Telugu PDF Free Download
Sivapuranam in English
- Vidyeshwara Samhita
- Rudra Samhita
- Shatarudra Samhita
- Kotirudra Samhita
- Uma Samhita
- Kailasha Samhita
- Vayaviya Samhita
Shiv Puran in Hindi
- Shiv Puran in Hindi
- विद्येश्वर संहिता
- रुद्र संहिता
- शतरुद्र संहिता
- कोटिरुद्र संहिता
- उमा संहिता
- कैलास संहिता
- वायवीय संहिता
Shiv Puran in Gujarati
- Shiv Puran in Gujarati
- વિઘેશ્વરસંહિતા
- રુદ્રસંહિતા
- શતરુદ્ર સંહિતા
- કોટિરૂદ્ર સંહિતા
- ઉમા સંહિતા
- કૈલાસ સંહિતા
- વાયવીય સંહિતા
Sivapuranam in Hindi
- शिव पुराण-माहात्म्य
- श्रीशिवमहापुराण विद्येश्वरसंहिता
- रुद्रसंहिता प्रथम (सृष्टि) खण्ड
- रुद्रसंहिता द्वितीय (सती) खण्ड
- रुद्रसंहिता तृतीय (पार्वती) खण्ड
- रुद्रसंहिता चतुर्थ (कुमार) खण्ड
- रुद्रसंहिता पंचम (युद्ध) खण्ड
- शतरुद्रसंहिता
- कोटिरुद्रसंहिता
- उमासंहिता
- कैलाससंहिता
- वायवीयसंहिता (पूर्वखण्ड)
- वायवीयसंहिता (उत्तरखण्ड)
Learned Ved Vyasa, then imparted the knowledge of Shiva Puran to other scholarly sages like Soota and Shuka. Sage Soota revealed the mysticism and glory of Shiva Puran to other holymen through a discourse. Soota was the son of Romatharshana and a favoured disciple of learned Ved Vyasa.
Panchakshari Strotam Pentasyllable Ode To Shiva
(Na-Ma-Shi-Va-Ya)
One who adorns king cobra, has eyes three,
Ash besmeared is he, the Supreme Deity,
Eternal, pious and dressed in directions,
Obeisance I make to thee, Shiva, the name
bearing syllable ‘na’
Bathed in Mandakini, ointed with sandal paste,
The lord of Nandi and his band of servitors,
Worshipped with hibiscus and blooms myriad,
Obeisance I make to thee, Shiva,
the name with syllable ‘ma’
Shiva, the face like rising sun to Gauri,
The destroyer of yajna of Daksha,
One who has blue throat and bull ensign,
Obeisance I make to thee,
Shiva, the name with syllable ‘shi’
One whose paeans are sung
by pot-born sage, Vashishtha
and Gautama;
is that most sublime Lord.
One whose eyes are the embodiments of the sun,
moon and fire,
Obeisance I make to thee, Shiva,
the name with syllable ‘va’
One with the looks of Yaksha, with hair plaited,
The unborn eternal who sports his trident,
The deity naked like bare truth but dressed
by sides around,
Obeisance I make to thee, Shiva,
the name with syllable ‘ya’
The Pentasyllable ode, a rewarding mantra, if recited with true devotion with the mind beamed in Lord, gains one the holy domain of Shiva, repleting oneself with happiness of His grace.
Revelations By Soota
A great many sages and seers had converged On the holy centre of Prayaga, situated at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati by the will of Lord. Sages headed by Shaunaka approached Sage Soota and requested him to reveal the glory and mysticism of Shiva Puran to them. Soota gladly accepted to oblige the holy group.
Spoke great sage Soota beginning his narration:
“O accomplished sirs! You are seized by the desise to know the glory of divinely supreme Shiva. Hear this, there is nothing more of value and blessingfui than reciting or hearing Shiva Puran. Even hearing one Katha (Tale) contained therein, a part of it, an episode or just half of it earns one Lord’s blessings, redemption, salvation and deliverance from transmigration.
Fasting and listening to the recitation of Shiva Puran on the 14th day, the Chaturdashi, of the moon phases shall earn the faithful great credit and make one worthy of worship by others.To earn the grace of Lord and glory, note that the Rudra Samhita and Kailasha Samhita are the most effective, efficacious and blessingful. All the wishes of a faithful will be fulfilled if he recites Rudra Samhita for three days in the presence of the idol of Bhairava dimension of Lord Shiva.
But Kailasha Samhita is even better between these two in auspiciousness and efficacy. Shiva Sublime only knows the true importance of this. Even my preceptor, learned Ved Vyasa grasped only the half according to his own admission. Myself may be the knower of only a quarter of it.’It is the will of Shiva Sublime, I guess.
The Pentasyllable ode (Panchakshari Mantra) to Shiva is revealed in Shiva Puran directly; at places indirectly or subtly or symbolically in respect of all its aspects, including its power and efficacy; the ordered way of its incantation and recitation; the prescription for gaining the rewards of three categories (Trivargas) namely, dharma, artha and kama (religious, financial and physical); and achieving the final salvation or moksha, the end of transmigration. I will reveal to you the knowledge whatever I was able to comprehend by the grace of Lord although it is impossible to translate it all in words. Speaking thus, Sage Soota began the story of Devaraja.
Devaraja’s Tale
Long time ago, there lived a brahmin named Devaraja in the town of Kiratanagara. A very lax, unprincipled and degenerate life he lived. No bathing and no praying was the order of his day. He was lecherous by nature. It appeared that the sole object of his life was to make money and spend it on vice games to satisfy his carnal desires. He would not mind cheating others and creating misunderstandings between friends and relatives.
One day, he went to the pond to wash himself for a change and happened to see there a woman of easy virtue called Shobhavati. Devaraja could not resist the coquettish gestures of the evil woman. She took away all the money he had by and by. He completely ignored the pleadings of his parents and the wife. To be free to do whatever he liked, he went to live with the evil woman in her house. When he had blown away all his money, the woman kicked him out of her house. She had no use for him any more.
The brahmin roamed around and reached a place called Pratishthanapura. He fell ill there. He thought he was going to die. In a nearby Shiva temple he took shelter. On the floor he lay unable to move. There was nothing he could do but listen to the recitation of the Shiva Puran and religious sermons being delivered to faithfuls. The sermons and recitations concluded on the day he finally” died.
The agents of the lord of death, Yama duly arrived there to take charge of the soul of Devaraja to take it to the hell of afterworld. But the servitor agents of Lord Shiva intervened to stop them.
The agents of death revealed the long list of sins the dead brahmin Devaraja had committed during his life time. The agents of Shiva reasoned that what the dead man had done or how he lived no longer mattered, since the last few days of his life were spent in hearing the recitations of holy Shiva Puran which had cleansed him of all his sins. They took the soul of Devaraja to the Kailasha domain of Lord Shiva.
To his puzzled agents, Yama explained, when they expressed their surprise over the incident, that great was the glory of Shiva and great was his grace bestowed upon those who listened to the kathas of Shiva Puran. Sage Soota narrated another story – the story of Chenchula.
Chenchula’s Tale
Once there lived a brahmin called Binduga and his wife named Chenchula at a place called Bashkala. Binduga fell to the fatal attraction of a woman of evil ways and infamy. He could not go home or try to meet his wife. Chenchula felt hurt and hardpressed to make a living, she resorted to the oldest profession as evil men were never far away.
Binduga learnt about the scandalous act of his wife and returned home. He thrashed her, but the unrepentant wife accused her husband of disloyalty and dereliction forcing her into prostitution to stay alive.
A lengthy argument followed. At last an agreement was reached, according to which each of them was to carry on one’s evil ways. Chenchula would turn over all the money she made to Binduga who could spend it on his own whores. Chenchula always found customers who paid her money for sex. And Binduga needed money. For the benefit of the world they continued to play husband-wife roles.
In this way they lived and one day Chenchula became a widow. She continued with her whoring way of life. One day, she reached Gokarna, a holy place where recitation of Shiva Puran was on in the Mahabaleshwara temple. Out of curiosity Chenchula heard some snatches of it. She learnt that the sinners were condemned to hell where Yamaraja tormented them with horrific punishments. It frightened her. After the recitation, Chenchula went to a Pauranic, the scholiast of Puran.
She confessed her sins to him. The scholiast advised her to hear the recitations of Shiva Puran with her mind beamed into Lord Sublime. Chenchula faithfully did so. As a result, she got salvaged in her death and her soul was taken to the domain of Kailasha. There, Chenchula lived in the blissful company of the maid servant of Ma Supreme, Gauri.
Chenchula Redeems Binduga Too
Chenchula, one day relayed up a prayer to Ma Gauri revealing her desire to know the whereabouts the soul of her husband Binduga. She learnt that her husband would suffer the tortures of hell for his sins. And currently he was going through the woes of an unfulfilled spirit in the form of a wicked ogre haunting Vindhya mountains. Chenchula prayed for his salvation from that ghost life.
The gracious Ma Supreme smiled and sent a gandharva named Tumbura with her to the Vindhyas. Ma advised Tumbura to recite Shiva Puran to the tormented soul to cleanse it of its sins. Accompanying Tumbura and Chenchula also were two of the guards of Shiva.
Tumbura was able to contact the evil spirit of Binduga on the Vindhya mountain. But it would tot hear Shiva Puran. Hence, the guards of Shiva ensnared it. Tumbura strummed his string instrument (Tambura) and crooned the glory of the great lord, Shiva. The sweet strains of melody wafted through the air of the mountain side. Even angels and fairies descended to hear the sanctifying melody revealing the glory and the deeds of Lord Shiva.
It was time for the redemption of evil spirit of much sinned Binduga. The evil got washed away and spotless soul shined out. Binduga had been salvaged. Chenchula went back to Kailasha accompanied by her husband. There they lived happily together ever after.
So efficacious was the grace of Shiva.
Sage Soota continued to reveal the joy begetting and sin-cleansing powers of Shiva Puran the consort of the goddess Ambika (Parvati). Soota exhorted the sages and other holymen to hear his narration with great attention. Then, he resumed his elaboration of Shiva Puran.
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