The Dispute of Brahma and Rudra: Brahma Propitiates Rudra Through Vishnu's Words

Verse 1 (skanda.7.373.1)

भोजराज उवाच। प्रभो सारस्वत मया श्रुतं माहात्म्यमुत्तमम्। वस्त्रापथस्य क्षेत्रस्य गिरे रैवतकस्य च

bhojarāja uvāca| prabho sārasvata mayā śrutaṁ māhātmyamuttamam| vastrāpathasya kṣetrasya gire raivatakasya ca

King Bhoja said: O lord Sarasvata, I have heard the excellent glory of the field of Vastrapatha, and of Mount Raivataka.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.373.2)

विशेषेण स्वर्णरेखाभवस्य च जलस्य च। इदानीं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तीर्थोत्पत्तिं वदस्व मे

viśeṣeṇa svarṇarekhābhavasya ca jalasya ca| idānīṁ śrotumicchāmi tīrthotpattiṁ vadasva me

and especially of Bhava, and of the waters of the Svarnarekha. Now I wish to hear the origin of this tirtha; tell it to me.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.373.3)

ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवादीनां मध्ये कोऽयं व्यवस्थितः। केयं नदी स्वर्णरेखा सर्वपातकनाशिनी

brahmaviṣṇuśivādīnāṁ madhye ko'yaṁ vyavasthitaḥ| keyaṁ nadī svarṇarekhā sarvapātakanāśinī

Among Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the others, who is it that abides here? And what is this river Svarnarekha, destroyer of every sin?

Verse 4 (skanda.7.373.4)

कस्माद्ब्रह्मादया देवा अस्मिंस्तीर्थे समागताः। कथं नारायणो देवः स्वयमेव समागतः

kasmādbrahmādayā devā asmiṁstīrthe samāgatāḥ| kathaṁ nārāyaṇo devaḥ svayameva samāgataḥ

For what reason did the gods, beginning with Brahma, gather at this tirtha? How did the god Narayana himself come to be present here?

Verse 5 (skanda.7.373.5)

हेमालयं परित्यज्य भवानी गिरिमूर्द्धनि। संस्थिता स्कन्दमादाय देवैरिन्द्रादिभिः सह

hemālayaṁ parityajya bhavānī girimūrddhani| saṁsthitā skandamādāya devairindrādibhiḥ saha

And why, abandoning the Himalaya, did Bhavani come to take her place upon this mountain's summit, together with Skanda and the gods headed by Indra?

Verse 6 (skanda.7.373.6)

सारस्वत उवाच। शृणु सर्वं महाराज कथयिष्ये सविस्तरम्। येन वै कथ्यमानेन सर्वपापक्षयो भवेत्

sārasvata uvāca| śṛṇu sarvaṁ mahārāja kathayiṣye savistaram| yena vai kathyamānena sarvapāpakṣayo bhavet

Sarasvata said: Listen to all of it, great king; I shall tell it in full detail — a telling by which all sin is utterly destroyed.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.373.7)

पुरा ब्रह्मदिनस्यांते जगदेतच्चराचरम्। संहृत्य भगवान्रुद्रो ब्रह्मविष्णुपुरस्कृतः

purā brahmadinasyāṁte jagadetaccarācaram| saṁhṛtya bhagavānrudro brahmaviṣṇupuraskṛtaḥ

Long ago, at the end of a day of Brahma, having withdrawn this whole world of moving and unmoving things, Lord Rudra, with Brahma and Vishnu before him —

Verse 8 (skanda.7.373.8)

तां च ते सकलां रात्रिमेकमूर्त्तिभवास्त्रयः। तिष्ठन्ति रात्रि पर्यन्ते पुनर्भिन्ना भवंति ते

tāṁ ca te sakalāṁ rātrimekamūrttibhavāstrayaḥ| tiṣṭhaṁti rātri paryaṁte punarbhinnā bhavaṁti te

for the whole of that night, the three of them remain merged into a single form; at the end of the night, they become distinct once more.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.373.9)

ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवा देवा रजःसत्त्वतमोमयाः। सृष्टिं करोति भगवान्ब्रह्मा पालयते हरिः

brahmaviṣṇuśivā devā rajaḥsattvatamomayāḥ| sṛṣṭiṁ karoti bhagavānbrahmā pālayate hariḥ

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the gods composed of rajas, sattva, and tamas. Lord Brahma performs creation, Hari sustains it,

Verse 10 (skanda.7.373.10)

सर्वं संहरते रुद्रो जगत्कालप्रमाणतः। तेनादौ भगवान्सृष्टो दक्षो नाम प्रजापतिः

sarvaṁ saṁharate rudro jagatkālapramāṇataḥ| tenādau bhagavānsṛṣṭo dakṣo nāma prajāpatiḥ

and Rudra withdraws the whole world, according to the measure of time. By that lord, in the beginning, was created the Prajapati named Daksha.

Verse 11 (skanda.7.373.11)

सर्वे संक्षेपतः कृत्वा ब्रह्माण्डं सचरा चरम्। भिन्ना देवास्त्रयो जाताः सत्यलोकव्यवस्थिताः

sarve saṁkṣepataḥ kṛtvā brahmāṇḍaṁ sacarā caram| bhinnā devāstrayo jātāḥ satyalokavyavasthitāḥ

Having thus, in brief, fashioned the whole universe together with all that moves and does not move, the three gods became distinct, each established in the Satyaloka.

Verse 12 (skanda.7.373.12)

त्रयो भुवं समासाद्य कौतुकाविष्टचेतसः। कैलासं ते गिरिवरं समारूढाः सुरेर्वृताः

trayo bhuvaṁ samāsādya kautukāviṣṭacetasaḥ| kailāsaṁ te girivaraṁ samārūḍhāḥ surervṛtāḥ

The three, reaching the earth, their minds filled with curiosity, ascended together, surrounded by the gods, upon the finest of mountains, Kailasa.

Verse 13 (skanda.7.373.13)

अहं ज्येष्ठो अहं ज्येष्ठो वादोऽभूद्ब्रह्मरुद्रयोः। तदा क्रुद्धो महादेवो ब्रह्माणं हन्तुमुद्यतः

ahaṁ jyeṣṭho ahaṁ jyeṣṭho vādo'bhūdbrahmarudrayoḥ| tadā kruddho mahādevo brahmāṇaṁ hantumudyataḥ

'I am the elder, I am the elder' — such a dispute arose between Brahma and Rudra. Then the enraged Mahadeva was poised to slay Brahma.

Verse 14 (skanda.7.373.14)

विष्णुना वारितो ब्रह्मा न ते वादस्तु युज्यते। तत्त्वं नाहं यदा नेदं ब्रह्मांडं सचराचरम्

viṣṇunā vārito brahmā na te vādastu yujyate| tattvaṁ nāhaṁ yadā nedaṁ brahmāṇḍaṁ sacarācaram

Vishnu restrained him, saying to Brahma: This dispute of yours is not fitting. When neither you existed, nor I, nor this universe with all that moves and does not move,

Verse 15 (skanda.7.373.15)

एक एव तदा देवो जले शेते महेश्वरः। जागर्ति च यदा देवः स्वेच्छया कौतुकात्ततः

eka eva tadā devo jale śete maheśvaraḥ| jāgarti ca yadā devaḥ svecchayā kautukāttataḥ

then that one god alone, Maheshvara, lay upon the waters. And when that god, of his own will, out of playful desire, awakens, then —

Verse 16 (skanda.7.373.16)

अनेन त्वं कृतः पूर्वमहं पश्चात्त्वया कृतः। ब्रह्मांडं कूर्मरूपेण धृतमस्य प्रसादतः

anena tvaṁ kṛtaḥ pūrvamahaṁ paścāttvayā kṛtaḥ| brahmāṇḍaṁ kūrmarūpeṇa dhṛtamasya prasādataḥ

by him you were first made, and afterward I was made by you; and by his grace alone the universe was upheld in the form of a tortoise.

Verse 17 (skanda.7.373.17)

अनुप्रविष्टा ब्रह्मांडं प्रसादाच्छं करस्य च। सृष्टिस्त्वया कृता सर्वा मयि रक्षा व्यवस्थिता

anupraviṣṭā brahmāṇḍaṁ prasādācchaṁ karasya ca| sṛṣṭistvayā kṛtā sarvā mayi rakṣā vyavasthitā

By Shankara's grace alone did we enter into the universe; all creation was performed by you, and protection of it rests established in me.

Verse 18 (skanda.7.373.18)

उदासीनवदासीनः संसारात्सारमीक्षते। एक एव शिवो देवः सर्वव्यापी महेश्वरः

udāsīnavadāsīnaḥ saṁsārātsāramīkṣate| eka eva śivo devaḥ sarvavyāpī maheśvaraḥ

He, abiding like one indifferent, beholds the essence beyond this transient world. That one god Shiva alone is the all-pervading, great Lord.

Verse 19 (skanda.7.373.19)

पितामहत्वं संजातं प्रसादाच्छंकरस्य ते। प्रसादयामास हरं श्रुत्वा ब्रह्मा वचो हरेः

pitāmahatvaṁ saṁjātaṁ prasādācchaṁkarasya te| prasādayāmāsa haraṁ śrutvā brahmā vaco hareḥ

Your very status as grandfather [of all beings] came about by the grace of Shankara. Having heard these words of Hari, Brahma set about propitiating Hara.

Verse 20 (skanda.7.373.20)

अनादिनिधनो देवो बहुशीर्षो महाभुजः। इत्यादिवेदवचनैस्ततस्तुष्टो महेश्वरः। प्राह ब्रह्मन्वरं यत्ते वृणीष्व मनसि स्थितम्

anādinidhano devo bahuśīrṣo mahābhujaḥ| ityādivedavacanaistatastuṣṭo maheśvaraḥ| prāha brahmanvaraṁ yatte vṛṇīṣva manasi sthitam

'This god is without beginning or end, of many heads, of mighty arms' — with such Vedic words of praise, Maheshvara grew pleased, and said: O Brahma, whatever boon is fixed in your mind, ask it now.