The Greatness of Siddheshwara

Verse 1 (skanda.7.398.1)

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ देवं सिद्धेश्वरं परम् । सिद्धिदं प्राणिनां सम्यक्सिद्धेन स्थापितं पुरा

pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha devaṁ siddheśvaraṁ param | siddhidaṁ prāṇināṁ samyaksiddhena sthāpitaṁ purā

Pulastya said: O best of kings, then one should go to the supreme deity Siddheshwara, who grants accomplishment to living beings, established long ago by a siddha.

Verse 2 (skanda.7.398.2)

तत्र विश्वावसुर्नाम सिद्धस्तेपे महातपः । बहुवर्षाणि संस्थाप्य शिवं भक्तिपरायणः

tatra viśvāvasurnāma siddhastepe mahātapaḥ | bahuvarṣāṇi saṁsthāpya śivaṁ bhaktiparāyaṇaḥ

There a siddha named Vishvavasu, having established Shiva, devoted to devotion, performed great austerity for many years.

Verse 3 (skanda.7.398.3)

जितक्रोधो जितमदो जितसर्वेंद्रियक्रियः । तावद्वर्षसहस्रांते भगवान्वृषभध्वजः । तुतोष नृपतेस्तस्य स्वयं दर्शनमाययौ

jitakrodho jitamado jitasarvendriyakriyaḥ | tāvadvarṣasahasrānte bhagavānvṛṣabhadhvajaḥ | tutoṣa nṛpatestasya svayaṁ darśanamāyayau

Having conquered anger, pride, and the activities of all his senses - at the end of that same thousand years, the bull-bannered Lord was pleased and himself came to grant that king (the siddha) his sight.

Verse 4 (skanda.7.398.4)

अब्रवीत्तं महादेवो वरदोस्मीति पार्थिव

abravīttaṁ mahādevo varado'smīti pārthiva

Mahadeva said to him: O king, I am one who grants boons.

Verse 5 (skanda.7.398.5)

श्रीभगवानुवाच । वरं वरय भद्रं ते यत्ते मनसि वर्त्तते । दास्यामि ते प्रसन्नोऽहं यद्यपि स्यात्सुदुर्लभम्

śrībhagavānuvāca | varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te yatte manasi varttate | dāsyāmi te prasanno'haṁ yadyapi syātsudurlabham

The Blessed Lord said: May all be well with you; ask for whatever is in your mind. I, being pleased, shall grant it to you, even if it be most difficult to obtain.

Verse 6 (skanda.7.398.6)

विश्वावसुरुवाच । एतल्लिंगं सुरश्रेष्ठ ध्यात्वा मनसि निश्चयम् । सर्वान्कामानवाप्नोतु प्रसादात्तव शंकर

viśvāvasuruvāca | etalliṅgaṁ suraśreṣṭha dhyātvā manasi niścayam | sarvānkāmānavāpnotu prasādāttava śaṅkara

Vishvavasu said: O best of gods, may whoever meditates upon this linga with firm resolve in his mind, O Shankara, obtain all his desires through your grace.

Verse 7 (skanda.7.398.7)

पुलस्त्य उवाच । एवमस्त्विति स प्रोच्य तत्रैवांतरधीयत । सिद्धेश्वरं ततो गत्वा सिद्धिं याति सहस्रशः

pulastya uvāca | evamastviti sa procya tatraivāṁtaradhīyata | siddheśvaraṁ tato gatvā siddhiṁ yāti sahasraśaḥ

Pulastya said: Saying "so be it," he vanished right there. Then, going to Siddheshwara, thousands attain accomplishment.

Verse 8 (skanda.7.398.8)

प्रभावात्तस्य लिंगस्य कामानिष्टानवाप्नुयुः । ततो धर्मक्रियाः सर्वा गता नाशं धरातले

prabhāvāttasya liṅgasya kāmāniṣṭānavāpnuyuḥ | tato dharmakriyāḥ sarvā gatā nāśaṁ dharātale

By the power of that linga, people began to obtain all their desired wishes, so that all religious observances on earth began to decline.

Verse 9 (skanda.7.398.9)

न कश्चिद्यजते यज्ञैर्न दानानि प्रयच्छति । सिद्धेश्वरप्रसादेन सिद्धिं यांति नरा भुवि

na kaścidyajate yajñairna dānāni prayacchati | siddheśvaraprasādena siddhiṁ yānti narā bhuvi

No one performs sacrifices any longer, nor gives gifts, for by the grace of Siddheshwara men on earth attain accomplishment anyway.

Verse 10 (skanda.7.398.10)

उच्छिन्नेषु च यज्ञेषु दानेषु नृपसत्तम । इन्द्राद्यास्त्रिदशाः सर्वे परं दुःखमुपागताः

ucchinneṣu ca yajñeṣu dāneṣu nṛpasattama | indrādyāstridaśāḥ sarve paraṁ duḥkhamupāgatāḥ

O best of kings, with sacrifices and gifts thus discontinued, Indra and all the other gods fell into great distress.

Verse 11 (skanda.7.398.11)

ज्ञात्वा यज्ञविघातं च तद्विघाताय वासवः । वज्रेणाच्छादयामास यथा सिद्धिर्न जायते

jñātvā yajñavighātaṁ ca tadvighātāya vāsavaḥ | vajreṇācchādayāmāsa yathā siddhirna jāyate

Understanding this obstruction of sacrifices, and to counter it, Indra covered it with his thunderbolt, so that accomplishment might no longer arise.

Verse 12 (skanda.7.398.12)

तथापि संनिधौ तस्य सिद्धेशस्य नृपोत्तम । कर्मणो जायते सिद्धिः पातकस्य परिक्षयः

tathāpi sannidhau tasya siddheśasya nṛpottama | karmaṇo jāyate siddhiḥ pātakasya parikṣayaḥ

Even so, O best of kings, in the presence of that Siddheshwara, accomplishment of one's actions arises, and sin is utterly destroyed.

Verse 13 (skanda.7.398.13)

यस्तु माघचतुर्द्दश्यां सोमवारे नृपोत्तम । शुक्लायां वाथ कृष्णायां स्पृष्ट्वा सिद्धो भवेन्नरः

yastu māghacaturddaśyāṁ somavāre nṛpottama | śuklāyāṁ vātha kṛṣṇāyāṁ spṛṣṭvā siddho bhavennaraḥ

O best of kings, whoever touches it on the fourteenth of Magha, whether bright or dark, when it falls on a Monday, becomes accomplished.

Verse 14 (skanda.7.398.14)

अद्यापि जायते सिद्धिः सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम् । तस्मात्सिद्धेश्वरं गत्वा नत्वा यास्यति सद्गतिम्

adyāpi jāyate siddhiḥ satyametanmayoditam | tasmātsiddheśvaraṁ gatvā natvā yāsyati sadgatim

Even today accomplishment is attained; this truth I have told you. Therefore, going to Siddheshwara and bowing, one attains a good destiny.