[Advaita-l] [advaitin] Stories from the Shiva Purana - 3 (Gunanidhi’s Salvation)

[V Subrahmanian]

Thanks for sharing this story.  Never knew such a story was there.  The
parallel with Ajamila is very well brought out.

regards
subbu

On Mon, Mar 10, 2025 at 10:16 PM 'S Jayanarayanan' via advaitin <
advaitin at googlegroups.com> wrote:

> (Continued from the previous post. This mirrors the life of Ajamila in the
> Srimad Bhagavatam, where an incessant sinner is saved
> by a small prayer-like action near the end of his life — which in
> Ajamila's case was uttering the name of his son, “Narayana”.
>
> https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/shiva-purana-english/d/doc226015.html
> Section 2.1, Chapter 17)
>
>
> In the city of Kampilya, there was a sacrificer named Yajnadatta. He knew
> Vedas and Vedangas. He was honoured by the king.
> He was a liberal-minded donor and as such his fame had spread far and
> wide. His son, Gunanidhi, was of a very handsome
> complexion and shone like the moon’s disc. After the investiture with the
> sacred thread, he learned all the eight lores over
> and over again. Yet, unknown to his father he indulged in gambling. He
> eschewed all Brahminical ways and conduct of life.
> He was averse to the performance of Sandhya prayers and ceremonial
> ablutions. He began to speak ill of the Vedas, sacred texts,
> devas and Brahmins. Although constantly advised thus by his mother to shun
> his wicked ways, the wicked boy did not abandon them.
> For, an idiot indulging in vice is beyond redemption.
>
> The wicked fellow (Gunanidhi) used to lay his hands on whatever he could
> see in the house, a cloth, a base metal etc. and take it to
> the gambling den, there to lose the same to his brother gamblers. After
> wandering aimlessly for a long time, he, the wicked fellow,
> felt the abandonment keenly and losing all hopes halted at a place. In the
> meantime a certain devotee of Lord Shiva came out of the
> city taking with him various articles of offering. He had observed fast on
> the Shivaratri day. In order to worship Lord Shiva, he was
> on his way, along with his kinsmen and was carrying different sorts of
> delightful offerings.
>
> The devotee entered the temple of Shiva where he worshipped Him in the
> prescribed manner with sincere devotion. The Brahmin boy,
> son of Yajnadatta, devoid of his mother and dismissed by his father, was
> very hungry by this time. He inhaled the sweet fragrance
> of the sweet puddings and followed the devotee. When the worship was over,
> the songs and dances of prayer were duly concluded,
> the devotees lay down and began to sleep. Immediately, the young man
> entered the sanctum sanctorum of Shiva in order to steal the
> eatables left there.
>
> The lamp was burning very dimly. Hence in order to see the puddings
> clearly, he tore a piece of cloth from his lower garment and put
> that piece in the lamp as a wick thus making the lamp give a good light.
> Yajnadatta’s son gleefully took plenty of the sweets offered
> as eatables to Lord Shiva by the devotees. With sweets in his hands he
> came out hurriedly. In his hurry, he stamped on some person
> lying there who woke up immediately. “Who is that? Who is running away so
> fast? Catch him.” So shouted the man who woke up in a voice
> hoarse with fear. The Brahmin boy (Gunanidhi) who ran for life became
> blind. So he was caught and killed by the watchmen on duty.
>
> The terrible soldiers of Yama who desired to take him to Samyamani (the
> abode of Yama), approached him with nooses and clubs in their
> hands and bound him. In the meantime, the attendants of Shiva with
> tridents in their hands and tinkling anklets on their arms reached
> the spot in an aerial chariot in order to take him to Shivaloka.
>
> Shivaganas said, “O attendants of Yama, leave this righteous Brahmin
> alone. He cannot be punished since his sins have been burnt off.”
>
> On hearing these words of Shiva’s attendants, the attendants of Yama
> (Yamaganas) became terrified and addressed the attendants of Shiva,
> “O Ganas, this is a wicked Brahmin who has broken the traditions and
> conventions of his family. He has disobeyed his father’s directions
> and has forsaken truthfulness or purity. He does not offer his Sandhya
> prayers. He does not take his ceremonial baths regularly.”
>
> Shiva’s attendants said, “O attendants of Yama, Shiva’s ideas of Dharma
> are very subtle. They can be observed only by persons of subtle
> and keen vision, not by people like you whose aim is only the gross
> exterior. The shadow of the lamp was falling on the top of the linga
> and this Brahmin prevented it by adding a wick to the lamp at night,
> cutting a piece from his lower cloth. Another great merit he derived
> from listening to the names of Shiva, though casually, O attendants. He
> witnessed the worship that was being performed duly by a devotee.
> He was observing a fast and his mind was concentrated too. Let him go to
> Shivaloka along with us. As Shiva’s follower let him enjoy great
> pleasures there for sometime.”
>
> Thus freed from the emissaries of Yama, Gunanidhi became pure-minded and
> went to Shivaloka along with the attendants of Shiva. Thus even
> the smallest service rendered to Shiva bears rich fruit in time. Let all
> persons seeking happiness realise this and continue the worship
> of Shiva. The story is pleasing to Shiva and grants all desires of the
> listening devotees.
>
>
> (To be Continued)
>
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