As I Know: The Lord of the Mountains — Shiv Purana: 06

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Tumburu exercises divine powers and makes suitable preparations for the holy festival so that he fulfills a mission because the sacred tale of lord Shiva if a sinner listens to with devotion, grants moksa …significance of holding yajnas

Later on, he created a suitable and auspicious place as if it were an occasion of a great festival. He constructed a beautiful podium. Everyone knew in all the worlds that Tumburu had gone to the mountains of Vindhya to narrate the most sacred tales of holy Shivapurana with the intent to deliver a pisacha from sins and sufferings. After hearing about a great event, many sages and gods arrived at the mountain to listen to the holy Shivapurana.

Naturally, an amazing and blessed gathering attracted the great sages, seers, lords and the gods and so they arrived at the holy venue. Tumburu had already tied up securely the ghost and therefore, the divine singer Tumburu asked him to sit on a proper asana (a seat). He took veena, the lute with strings in hand and began to sing glories of lord Shiva. Everyone heard the holy tales attentively and felt immensely blessed. After he heard the sacred narration, pisacha felt cleansed of sins, and therefore, left the mortal body. Soon, he attained a divine figure and the entire body emitted a glow that gave unique aura of a celestial life. Now, adorned in white clothes, he wore wonderful ornaments. Thereafter, he bowed before lord Shiva and began singing songs in praise of the lord.

If one deliberates upon worldly life, in due course of time, one easily construes that nurturing virtuous thoughts and sacred feelings, sooner or later, infuses fine qualities and a man begins to act in a dignified and elegant way and discards untruth, sins and greed and lives a life of dharma. Holy tale of Chanchula tells that a man wields immense power to live life as he desires. A life of purity, honesty and self-confidence, values, devotion and truth offers real meaning and delight. On the request of monks, sage Suta educates brahmins as to how one should listen to the tales and teachings of Shivapurana and the rules listeners should follow.

In the next segment VidyeswaraSamhita, at Prayaga, the monks speak about the inner and outer darkness of mind and heart in the age of Kaliyuga when men would stay away from virtuous karmas and truth, and live life of wickedness, sins, immorality and untruth and thus, would never live a righteous life. To get rid of wicked, fallacious and unethical life it is essential to attain happiness and ultimate salvation. Therefore, they seek counsel so that man in this age of sins and darkness learns to live life of virtues in totality.

Monk Suta talks of Shivapurana and emphasises its significance. To adhere to the mode of proper listening to the holy teachings, prayers and worship, to keep the lord’s divine virtues and image in heart with purity of mind and heart is obligatory and if one does it the lord blesses. If one is unable to do so, one ought to establish holy lingam and worship it correctly with a devoted heart, and it would grant freedom from sufferings the monk tells.

He also tells about the holy places, and advises intrusive listeners to take bath in different holy rivers and visit tirthas and these  acts would grant freedom from depraved mindset. To live life of purity, prayers, worship and chanting of mantras, acts of charity, and a just and honest earning of material comforts and holding of yajnas is a path to supreme happiness, the monk tells.

He impresses upon the significance of holding yajnas – acts of sacrifices, oblations and charity and about the supreme blessings, and the holy influences of different kinds of Rudraksas also. Rudraksa has faces or mouths one may call from one to fourteen and a person, who adorns Rudraksas, all gods and goddesses are happy with him. It keeps wicked and eerie forces – raksasas, ghosts, witches etc. away from the person, who wears rudraksas if he abandons lethargy and with a pure heart and deep sense of devotion prays and worships different images of lord.

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