Dear All,
Greetings and Namaste. As Ardra Darshanam falls on 30-Dec-2020 (Wed), I am delighted to share a rare Lord Shiva Stuti by Lord Vishnu and other Devas taken from Sri Shiva Mahapuranam, Sati Khanda and Chapter 41. This hymn was recited by Lord Vishnu/Devas seeking Lord Shiva's blessing to restart the Yajna started by Daksha Prajapati but interrupted by the self-immolation of his daughter Sati and subsequent beheading of Daksha himself by Virabhadra and later resurrected by Lord Shiva.
Almost all puranas cover the story of Daksha Yajna in varying amount of details in the beginning - regardless of whether the Purana is termed Vaishnavite or Shaivite in classification. Srimad Bhagavatam, a purana that is considered a supreme Vaishnavite Purana also covers Daksha Yajna along with hymns on Lord Shiva. This is one of the Lakshanas (characteristics) of a Purana.
One of the misconceptions some people have is to misconstrue that Shaivite and Vaishnavite Puranas try to denigrate each other. But the truth is that a purana is termed Vaishnavite or Shaivite purely because of the focus on the deity form within that purana and not anathema to other deity forms. We have seen that many Vaishnavite Puranas have elaborate coverage on Lord Shiva (e.g. Matsya/Kurma/Vamana/Brahma Vaivarta/Padma puranas) and Shaivite Puranas also have elaborate coverage on Lord Vishnu - e.g. Skanda purana devotes one entire Canto to Lord Vishnu and is known by the name Vaishnava Khanda.
To illustrate this further from Shiva Purana itself (from which this hymn is taken), the non-duality of Shiva/Vishnu is established beyond doubt in dozens of places. Just a couple of citations below - more to come in the future:
In Chapter 10 within the same Khanda (Sati Khanda):
rudra-bhakto naro yastu tava nindAM kariShyati | tasya puNyaM ca nikhilaM drutaM bhasma bhaviShyati || 8 ||
narake patanaM tasya tvad dveShAt puruShottama | mad AGYayA bhaved viShNo satyam satyaM na saMshayaH || 9 ||
(Meaning : If any of my devotee (i.e. Rudra Bhakta) harbors any hatred to you (Lord Vishnu), all his Punya accrued is reduced to ashes and will fall into Naraka (hell). This is my order and let there be no doubt, O Lord Purushottama) (Lord Shiva to Lord Vishnu)
mama bhaktashca yaH svAmins tava nindAM kariShyati | tasya vai niraye vAsaM prayacCha niyataM dhruvam || 29 ||
tvad bhakto yo bhavet svAmin mama priyataro hi saH | evaM vai yo vijAnAti tasya muktir na durlabhA || 30 ||
(Meaning : If any of my devotee (i.e. Vishnu Bhakta) harbors any hatred to you (Lord Shiva), he shall be consigned to hell. Your devotee is equally dear to me as my own devotee. Emancipation is impossible for who does not understand this truth). (Lord Vishnu to Lord Shiva)
In Chapter 43, Lord Mahadeva declares as below:
yaH karoti trideveShu bheda-buddhiM narAdhamaH | narake sa vasen nUnaM yAvadAcandra-tarakam || 17 ||
mat paraH pUjayed devAn sarvAn api vicaxaNaH | sa GYAnaM labhate yena muktir bhavati shAshvatI || 18 ||
vidhi-bhaktiM vinA naiva bhaktir bhavati vaiShNavI | viShNu-bhaktiM vinA me na bhaktiH kvApi prajAyate || 19 ||
(Meaning : One who differentiates among the Trinity is a narAdhama (vilest or worst of men) and will sojourn in the hell as long as moon and stars live. Only who prays to me with this equanimity will attain eternal bliss and Moksha. Vishnu Bhakti does not happen without Brahma Bhakti. One can never become my (i.e. Lord Shiva's) devotee without Vishnu Bhakti).
We have seen umpteen number of times before that the same message is repeated in Vaishnavite Puranas. We have seen the same message from Lord Vishnu in the same Daksha Yajna context in Srimad Bhagavatam too.
So, the sectarian aberrations are perhaps more due to incomplete and dark literacy and not any dark literature - as all literature are equivocal against any sectarian views.
May We pray To Lord Shiva with this beautiful hymn on Ardra Darshanam day!
With best regards and Pranams,
K. Muralidharan Iyengar (Murali)
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