Courtesy:Sri.K.Muralidharan Iyengar
Dear All,
Greetings and Namaste. The next two days (04/05 Jan 2015) mark Adra Abhishekam (also known as Nataraja Abhishekam) and Ardra Darshanam - a very important religious event for Lord Shiva. In this connection, I am happy to share a very rare (but a lengthy) hymn on Lord Shiva by Lord Vishnu (in front of Lord Brahma) taken from Linga Puranam Chapter 21. Linga Purana contains many hymns on Lord Shiva by Lord Vishnu and perhaps this is the most sacred of all. In Chapter 20, Sages enquire Lord Shiva on the origin of Brahma and Shiva as well as Lord Shiva's Parattattva which continues for several chapters and this appears as part of that.
This hymn is similar in construct to Rudram Prashnam as well as Vishnu Sahasranama from Garuda Puranam. The brief Phalashruti mentions that one who recites gets the benefit of performing 10,000 Ashwamedha Yagas. Even if a gory sinner recites this once in a Shiva shrine gets absolved of all sins and reaches the abode of Brahma. Chanting this during Shraddha or religious events like Pujas/Havans gives the same benefit. So, we need not say anything more about the sacredness of this hymn.
Hang on - why should a person praying Lord Shiva go to Brahma Loka instead of Shiva Loka? This is where the human ignorance, pettiness and hypocrisy get royal exposure and drubbing because all such perceived differences are human-contrived and mundane politics driven and have no sanction of sacred texts, as far as I have seen. The single and overriding message of all purans is that it is both stupidity and sin to differentiate the forms of the one and only Brahman. Take for example what Lord Rama says in Padma Puranam, Patala Khanda, Chapter 46, verse 20-21:
rAma uvAca
mamAsi hRRidaye sharva bhavato hRRidaye tvaham | Avayor antaraM nAsti mUDAH pashyanti durdhiyaH || 20 ||
ye bhedaM vidadhatyaddhA Avayor eka-rUpayoH | kuMbhIpAkeShu pacyante narAH kalpa-sahasrakam || 21 ||
Essence : Lord Sharva (Shiva) resides in my heart and I reside in his heart. There is no difference between us and only fools create/see any difference.
As an aside - There is a famous Hindu Temple called Besakih in Bali/Indonesia. The locals believe that it was built by Sage Markandeya from India and they worship Brahma/Vishnu/Shiva together which appear as very tall pillars side by side (in the open). They follow Hindu traditions but perhaps their traditions have little resemblance to what we have now.
Everyone has liberty to choose a form of the same Brahman for personal worship and naturally hold it in high esteem. But this does not, by any stretch of imagination, mean that other forms are inferior and therefore can be spoken lowly of. (AkAshAt patitam toyaM yathA gacChati sAgaraM | sarva deva namaskAraH keshavaM pratigacChati ||) "My Daddy Strongest" (thanks to the advertisement) does not mean "Your Daddy weakest" - if someone believes so, then rightfully he is due for a sanity check-up.
In Saura Puranam, there is a rare Shiva Sahasranama recited by Lord Vishnu. If we closely observe the verses, they are almost similar (and a majority of them identical) to Vishnu Sahasranama from Mahabharata - which we all know and use. For most of the chanting, one will not know whether it is Vishnu Sahasranama or Shiva Sahasranama. In my humble opinion, the very concept of Ashtottaram or Sahasranama itself is a subtle but strong message that instills oneness of Brahman - but known by innumerable names shared by all deity forms.
Even if one assumes, for argument sake, that one form is superior to another (say Lord Vishnu over Lord Shiva or vice versa), then the only one who needs to "Raise The Collar" and gloat is the one who is actually superior (Vishnu or Shiva). Is there any evidence of either Vishnu or Shiva sneering at each other "yAd hai na main kaun huM? sAvadhAn!". Nope. Lord Shiva says he is the first and foremost Vaishnavite and Lord Vishnu says he does not live in Vaikuntha but in Lord Shiva's heart.
So, is there any logic of ordinary mortals resorting to Dadagiri (with nose up in the air) as we see now, when the mortals's actual status has been pellucidly explained in Narayana Hrudayam as thus?
pApInAM ahaM ekAgro dayAlUnAM tvaM agraNIH | dayanIyo mad anyo.asti tava ko.atra jagat-traye ||
(Essence : I, the mortal, is the first among all the sinners. You, the Lord, is the most merciful. Therefore where (in all the 3 worlds) can you find a fitting mortal who deserves your mercy?
May We Pray To Lord Shiva, the GYAna Sabhesha, during Ardra Darshanam with this most sacred hymn by Lord Vishnu.
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