[Advaita-l] POST SHIVARATRI SPECIAL - LINGODBHAVA

[Keshava Mahadeva]

Hi All,

I wanted to post some articles on Shiva Ratri but totally forgot. Forgive
me.

We all know that Shiva Ratri reminds us of PARVATI PARAMESHVARA MARRIAGE
AND LINGODBHAVA EPISODE where Brahma and Vishnu search for his head and
feet.

ADI SHANKARACHARYA very often quotes this story in his SHIVA STUTIS:
QUOTING A SAMPLE VERSES FROM SHIVA BHUJANGAM AND SHIVANANDA LAHARI:

SHIVANANDA LAHARI:

23



*Karomi twapoojam sapadhi sukhadho me bhava vibho,Vidhitwam Vishnutwam
dhisasi khalu tasya phalamithi,Punascha twam dhivi bhuvi vahan pakshi
mrugathaMadrushtwa tat khedam kada miha sahe Sankara Vibho.*

Perform of I your worship,
And you appear before me soon,
And you become granter all pleasures to me ,
Oh Lord who is everywhere.
But if you grant the position of creator,
Or the position of Lord Vishnu instead,
As a reward for my worship,
Then I would have to become a bird and fly in the sky,
Or Become an animal and dig deep in the earth,
To see you again my Lord.
How can I bear this sorrow of not seeing you,
Oh Lord Sankara who is everywhere.

73



*Bhootharatha mudha vahad apekshaya sri,Bhoodara eva kimatha sumathe
labhasva,Kedara makalitha mukthi mahoushadeenam,Padaravinda bhajanam
parameshwarasya.*

Oh good mind of mine,
Do the chanting of the names,
Of the lotus feet of the God of universe,
In search of which even lord Vishnu,
Who has Lakshmi and Goddess Earth as consorts,
Took the form of a wild boar,
And which is the fertile land,
In which the panacea giving salvation from life grows.
What else great can you attain in this world?

86



*Pooja dravya samruddhayo virachitha poojam kadam kurmahe,Pakshitwam na cha
vaa kitithwa mapi na praptham maya dhurlabham,Jane masthaka mangri pallavam
mumajane na theham vibho,Na gnatham pithamahena harina tatwena that
roopina.*

Oh Consort of Uma,
Oh Lord who is everywhere,
Heaps of material for thine worship is ready,
But how will I ever worship thee?
Neither I can become a swan nor a boar,
And how will I ever find your crown and your tender feet,
When even Brahma and Vishnu who took those forms ,
Could not ever know about them.

99



*Idam the yuktham parama shiva karunya jaladhe,Gathou thiryak roopam thava
pada-shiro darshana dhiya,Haribrahmanou thou divi bhuvi charanthou
sramayuthou,Kadam shambho sawamin kadhaya mama vedhyosi puratha.*

Is it proper for you my Lord who is the ocean of mercy?
That while Lord Vishnu and Brahma took the forms of boar and bird,
With intention of seeing your head and feet,
Searched in vain the earth and sky,
Toiled and got tired but did not succeed.
You appeared and made yourself known before me easily,
Oh granter of all that is good, Oh my Lord.

SHIVA BHUJANGAM:

Anadyanthamadhyam, param thathwamartham,
Chidakaramekam, thurreyam thwameyam,
Haribrahma mrugyam, Parabrahma roopam,
Mano vagatheetham maha shaivameede., 2

I meditate on that great light called Shaiva,
Which has no beginning nor end,
Which is the real meaning of philosophy,
Which is the only one form of holy knowledge,
Which is thureeya, the blissful fourth state,
Which is the unknown which was,
Searched by Lord Brahma <http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Brahma> and Vishnu
<http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Vishnu>,
And which is the form of ultimate truth.

Story of Brahma and Vishnu searching for Lord Shiva's head and feet
respectively:

1. Shiva Purana 1.7
2. Shiva Purana 2.1.8
3. Shiva Purana 4.12
4. Shiva Purana 7.1.13
5. Shiva Purana 7.2.34
6. Linga Purana 1.17
7. Linga Purana 2.18
8. Brahmanda Purana 1.2.26
9. Kurma Purana 1.9
10. Kurma Purana 1.26
11. Vayu Purana 1.24
12. Vayu Purana 1.55
13. Padma Purana - reference in Shiva Gita portion (where Lord Shiva says
Hari and Brahma were not able to find his beginning and end)
14. Padma Purana - reference of Shiva expanding into Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh
(Patala Khanda - Chapter 108)
15. Srimad Bhagavata Purana 8.7.23 - reference of Shiva expanding into
Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh
16. Srimad Bhagavata Purana 8.7.31 - reference of the infinite nature of
Shiva which cannot be comprehended by even Brahma, Narayana, Mahendra
17. Varaha Purana talks about Linga Worship (Chapter 215 -> Mahendra,
Narayana, Brahma go in search of Shiva who takes the form of a deer and
they fail to catch him)
18. Skanda Purana 1.1.7
19. Skanda Purana 1.3.1
20. Skanda Purana 1.4.10
21. Skanda Purana 6.1
22. Vamana Purana 1.6
23. Vamana Purana 2.22
24. Vamana Purana 2.26 (King Vena's prasie of Shiva Linga. He identifies
Brahma, Narayana and all the Devas within the body of Lord Shiva)
25. Devi Bhagavata Purana
26.   Parashara Upa Purana
27.   Aditya Purana
28.   Saura Purana
29.   Ganesha Purana

These are some of the references that I have collected personally. There
are more references inside the Puranas.

Beyond this if truly one wants to understand LINGODBHAVA, the below article
is an excellent one:

http://www.mahapashupatastra.com/2015/09/the-unassailable-glory-of-lord-bhuvaneshwara-the-primordial-skambha-supporting-the-worlds.html

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Thanks & Regards
Keshava Mahadeva