As I Know: The Lord of the Mountains – Shiv Purana: 144

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Incantation of mantra is a path to salvation in an age of darkness…it grants liberation to people, who live an unethical life.

The dialogue continues and after a moment, goddess asks Shiva about the devotees living in the age of darkness – Kaliyuga, who are prone to acts of sins and crimes because they are no longer interested in holy rites or moral activities. People indulge in untruthful and scandalous acts leading to violence and religious abrasions with utter disregard to the preceptors of virtues. Such is the nature of contemporary times.

Lord clearly told that devotion and resorting to sacred utterances of five-syllable mantra liberates such evil minds. Mantra protects devotees from fear of worldly existence of unrighteous outlook, greed, deceit, dishonesty, ingratitude and those, who are inclined toward flaws, mental and physical imperfections. A fallen man gets liberation if he chants five-syllable mantra, the lord told holy consort.

He told that a fallen man, who chants other mantras under delusion and excludes the five-syllable japa, is condemned. Observance of rites does not help anyone. Devotion with japa of this mantra leads him to destination. Any tapa, rite or sacrifice bereft of chant of this mantra is futile. To worship the lord with this mantra grants devotees liberation from bondages. The lord told goddess that anyone who worships him with devotion and undertakes japa of this mantra attains deliverance.

A man who worships lord and chants this mantra is superior to any one else, lord told. Attributes of devotion, friendship and celibacy help man attain similarity with the lord if he worships the lord with this mantra, the monk further told Krishna. It is an excellent mantra and japa of mantra authorises devotees to undertake intensive japa with a focused mind monk repeated words of the lord, and said to goddess. The immense impact of japa of mantra helps the worlds, the Vedas, the eternal virtues and the universe and gods to stay firm and steady. At the time of annihilation, everything merges in its great cause.

At the time of destruction only the lord stays alive and none else. However, the Vedas and scriptures remain positioned in this mantra. The creation merged in the lord never perishes as lord’s shakti guards it and then, one witnesses dissolution of the forms with attributes of gunas. Later, creation takes birth as Prakriti and Purusa emerged when five-faced Brahma born of umbilical lotus wished to create three worlds but failed and therefore, he deliberated, and out of mental exercise created ten sages of unparallel radiance and power called Manas Putras.

Upamanyu told Krishna that on the request of Brahma, Shiva conferred on Brahma the desired power on manas putras and so the lord apprised him of the five-syllable mantra. Brahma received the five-syllable mantra through the five faces, the mantra that conveyed multiple meanings and essence of life and existence of universe and created beings and Brahma accepted the divine essence of mantra, which later proved its effectiveness. Later, he gave knowledge of mantra to sages – manas putras, who meditated on the lord with japa of mantra at the beautiful mountain Meru for one thousand divine years.

Severe penance of sages was with the objective to increase population. The great lord was delighted at the bhakti of sages and so he appeared before them and explained to the learned men of tapa all aspects namely – the seers, monks, meter, the power of seed, origin, shakti, keelak, its six auxiliaries, deity etc., who learnt it fully well. He gave full knowledge and ways of chanting mantra so that they create and multiply creation. Therefore, the process of increase in populations begins, and so, gods, asuras and human beings started expanding in a wonderful way. He mentions the form of mantra that is present in all Upanishads. It is eternal and is the seed of living beings. Goddess is the expression that comes first from the mouth and so the lord describes the divine figure of goddess enchantingly. Bedecked with ornaments, she sits on white lotus. With blue and curly tresses, she is gentle, compassionate and protective.

She has five colours with brilliant discs – yellow, black, golden, smoky and red. Lord told goddess that all letters of mantra are the seeds. The sage of mantra is Vamadeva, lord is the deity of mantra. Individual sages of the letters are – Gautama, Atri, Visvamitra, Angiras and Bhardwaja. The deities of aksaras are Indra, Rudra, Vishnu, Brahma and Skanda. The lord gives detailed description and meaning of each letter and the impact of each on the life of human beings. For a devotee, who wishes to worship the great lord through the japa of mantra must know the essence of mantra and each of its letter. The first, second and fourth letters are Udatta. Fifth is Swarita and third is Anudatta. Mantra is the basic vidya, Shiva and Shiva sutra and the five-syllable mantra. Pranava, the seed, is the heart.

Briefly, the monk told that a devotee should understand the delicate nuances and essence of each letter properly and thereafter, undergo japa. It is required that he should worship the lord and goddess through japa, yajna, oblations – homa etc. mentally, verbally and physically through the great mantra. The lord told goddess that he takes full care of the devotee. He can worship as per the strength of intellect, power, inner will, courage and ability, capacity, wealth and interest whenever he has time, fondness etc based on scriptural process. This prayer and worship without much pressure on him will also grant moksa if he is genuine and dedicated. He told holy consort that if a man attached to the lord does anything whether properly or otherwise is very dear and propitious to the lord. The lord thus spoke of some simple rules and rituals and gave analysis of the supreme mantra, the monk told, for the convenience of devotees, who appeared justifiably weak to understand Holy Scriptures.

To be Continued