Adhyaya 216: The Sacred Account of Gokarṇa, Śṛṅgeśvara, and Related Tīrthas

Verse 1

अथ गोकर्णशृङ्गेश्वरादिमाहात्म्यम् ॥ ब्रह्मोवाच ॥ तस्मात्स्थानादपक्रान्ते त्र्यम्बके मृगरूपिणि ॥ अन्योन्यं मन्त्रयित्वा तु मया सह सुरोत्तमाः ॥

Now begins the sacred account of Gokarṇa, Śṛṅgeśvara, and the related holy places. Brahmā said: When Tryambaka, having assumed the form of a deer, departed from that place, the foremost of the gods conferred among themselves together with me.

Verse 2

त्रिधाविभक्तं तच्छृङ्गं पृथक्पृथगवस्थितम् ॥ सम्यक्स्थापयितुं देवा विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा ॥

That “peak/horn” was divided into three and stood apart in separate places. The gods sought to set it in proper order, by a rite authorized by the prescribed procedure.

Verse 3

स्थापितं देवि नीत्वा वै शृङ्गाग्रं वज्रपाणिना ॥ मया तत्रैव तन्मध्यं स्थापितं विधिवत्प्रभोः ॥

O Goddess, having indeed had Vajrapāṇi convey the tip of the peak, I installed its middle portion right there, in accordance with proper procedure, for the Lord.

Verse 4

देवैर्देवर्षिभिश्चैव सिद्धैर्ब्रह्मर्षिभिस्तथा ॥ गोकर्ण इति विख्यातिः कृता वैशेषिकी वरा ॥

By the gods, by the divine seers, by the Siddhas, and likewise by the Brahma-seers, an excellent and distinctive renown was established: “(this is) Gokarṇa.”

Verse 5

विष्णुना देवतीर्थेन तन्मूलं स्थापितं ततः ॥ तस्य शृङ्गेश्वर इति नाम तत्राभवन्महत् ॥

Then, by Viṣṇu—together with the divine tīrtha—its base was established. There, the great name “Śṛṅgeśvara” came to be for it.

Verse 6

गोकर्ण आत्मलिङ्ग तत्र तत्रैव भगवान्स्तस्मिन्शृङ्गे त्रिधा स्थिते ॥ सान्निध्यं कल्पयामास भागेनैकेन चोन्मना ॥

At Gokarṇa, as Ātmaliṅga, the Lord—when that peak stood arranged in threefold form—ordained his sacred presence here and there, by a single portion of himself, with uplifted mind.

Verse 7

शतं तेन तु भागानामात्मनो निहितं मृगे ॥ तस्माद्द्विकं तु भागानां शृङ्गाणां त्रितये न्यधात् ॥

By that act, a hundred portions of himself were placed within the deer. From those, he then assigned two portions to the triad of peaks.

Verse 8

मार्गेण तच्छरीरेण निर्ययौ भगवान्विभुः ॥ शैशिरस्य गिरेः पादं प्रपेदे स्वयमात्मनः ॥

The all-pervading Lord went forth along the path in that very body, and by himself reached the foot of the Śaiśira mountain.

Verse 9

शतसङ्ख्या स्मृता व्युष्टिस्तस्मिञ्छैलेश्वरे विभोः ॥ त्रिधा विभक्ते शृङ्गेऽस्मिन्नेकाग्रगतिनिप्रभोः ॥

At that Śaileśvara of the all-pervading One, the ‘dawn/interval’ is remembered as numbering a hundred. In this peak divided into three abides the radiant power whose course is single-pointed.

Verse 10

देवदानवगन्धर्वाः सिद्धयक्षमहोरगाः ॥ श्लेष्मातकवनं कृत्स्नं सर्वतः परिमण्डलम् ॥

Gods, Dānavas, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Yakṣas, and great serpents—(all were present); and the entire Śleṣmātaka forest formed an enclosing circle on every side.

Verse 11

तीर्थयात्रां पुरस्कृत्य प्रदक्षिण्यं च चक्रतुः ॥ फलान्निर्दिश्य तीर्थानां तथा क्षेत्रफलṃ महत्

Placing the pilgrimage to the sacred tīrthas foremost, the two performed circumambulation (pradakṣiṇā); and, while indicating the fruits of the tīrthas, the text also speaks of the great merit arising from holy sites (kṣetras).

Verse 12

यथास्थानानि ते तस्मान्निवृत्ताश्च सुरादयः ॥ एवं तस्मान्निवृत्तेषु दैवतेषु तदा ततः

From that place, the gods and others returned to their respective abodes. Thus, when the deities had withdrawn, then thereafter the next event occurred.

Verse 13

पौलस्त्यो रावणो नाम भ्रातृभिः सह राक्षसैः ॥ आगम्योग्रेण तपसा देवमाराधयद्विभुम्

Paulastya, named Rāvaṇa, arrived together with his brothers and the rākṣasas; by fierce austerity (tapas) he propitiated the god—the mighty Lord.

Verse 14

शुश्रूषया च परया गोकर्णेश्वरमव्ययम् ॥ यदा तु तस्य तुष्टो वै वरदः शंकरः स्वयम्

And with supreme devoted service he attended upon Gokarṇeśvara, the imperishable; and when Śaṅkara himself—the giver of boons—became pleased with him,

Verse 15

तदा त्रैलोक्यविजयं वरं वव्रे स राक्षसः ॥ प्रसादात्तस्य तत्सर्वं वाञ्छितं मनसा हि यत्

Then that rākṣasa chose as a boon the conquest of the three worlds. By that deity’s favor, all that he had desired in his mind was granted.

Verse 16

अवाप्य च दशग्रीवस्तदिष्टं परमेश्वरात् ॥ त्रैलोक्यविजयायाशु तत्क्षणादेव निर्ययौ

And having obtained from the Supreme Lord what had been granted to him, Daśagrīva set out at once for the conquest of the three worlds—immediately, in that very moment.

Verse 17

त्रैलोक्यं स विनिर्जित्य शक्रं च त्रिदशाधिपम् ॥ तदुत्पाट्यानयामास पुत्रेणेन्द्रजिता सह

Having conquered the three worlds, he also seized Śakra, the lord of the thirty gods; uprooting him, he carried him away together with his son Indrajit.

Verse 18

शृङ्गाग्रं यत्पुरा नीत्वा स्थापितं वज्रपाणिना ॥ तदुत्पाट्यानयामास पुत्रेणेन्द्रजिता सह

That peak-summit which long ago, having carried it, Vajrapāṇi had set in place—he tore that up and brought it away, together with his son Indrajit.

Verse 19

न शशाक यदा रक्षस्तदुत्पाटयितुं बलात् ॥ वज्रकल्पं समुत्सृज्य तदा लङ्कां विनिर्ययौ

When the rākṣasa was not able to uproot it by force, then, releasing something ‘like a thunderbolt,’ he departed for Laṅkā.

Verse 20

स तु दक्षिणगोकर्णो विज्ञेयस्ते महामते ॥ स्वयं प्रतिष्ठितस्तत्र स्वयं भूतपतिः शिवः

That indeed is to be known by you as Dakṣiṇa-Gokarṇa, O great-minded one; there Śiva—the Lord of beings—stands established by himself, self-manifest at that place.

Verse 21

एतत्ते कथितं सर्वं मया विस्तरतो मुने ॥ यथावदुत्तरस्तस्य गोकर्णस्य महात्मनः ॥

O sage, I have told you all this in full detail, duly setting forth the subsequent account concerning that great Gokarṇa, the noble-souled one.

Verse 22

दक्षिणस्य च विप्रर्षे तथा शृङ्गेश्वरस्य च ॥ शैलेश्वरस्य च विभो स्थित्युत्पत्तिर्यथाक्रमम् ॥

O foremost of brahmin-sages, O mighty one, I have explained in due sequence the establishment and arising of the sacred places called Dakṣiṇa, Śṛṅgeśvara, and Śaileśvara.

Verse 23

व्यु ष्टिः क्षेत्रस्य महती तीर्थानां च समुद्भवः ॥ प्रोक्तं सर्वं मया वत्स किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि ॥

The great manifestation of the sacred kṣetra and the arising of its tīrthas have all been explained by me, dear one. What else do you wish to hear?

Verse 24

ततः सुरासुरगुरुर्देवं भूतमहेश्वरम् ॥ तपसोऽग्रेण संसेव्य वव्रिरे विविधान्वरान् ॥

Then the preceptor of gods and asuras, having attended upon the god Bhūta-Maheśvara with the foremost austerity (tapas), sought various boons.

Verse 25

तद्यावद्रावणः स्थाप्य मुहूर्त्तमुदधेस् तटे ॥ संध्यामुपासते तत्र लग्नस्तावदसौ भुवि ॥

So long as Rāvaṇa, having set it down for a brief interval on the shore of the ocean, performed the sandhyā worship there, so long did it remain fixed upon the earth.