SIVA-MAHIMNAH STOTRAM
HYMN TO THE GLORY OF LORD SHIVA

Om Namah Shivaya

Introduction

The Shiva Mahimna Stotra is very popular among the devotees of Lord Shiva and is considered one of the best among all Stotras (or Stutis) offered to Lord Shiva. The legend about the circumstances leading to the composition of this Stotra is as follows.

A king named Chitraratha had constructed a nice garden . There were beautiful flowers in this garden . These flowers were used every day by the king in worshipping Lord Shiva.

One day a Gandharva (Heavenly Singer in the court of Indra, the Lord of the Heaven) named Pushhpadanta being fascinated by the beautiful flowers, began to stealthem, as a consequence of which king Chitraratha could not offer flowers to Lord Shiva . He tried very hard to capture the thief, but in vain, because the Gandharvas have divine power to remain invisible.

Finally the king spread the Shiva Nirmaalya in his garden . Shiva Nirmaalya consists of the Bilva leaves, flowers, etc. which have been used in worshipping Lord Shiva . The Shiva Nirmaalya is considered holy.

The thief Pushhpadanta, not knowing this, walked on the Shiva Nirmaalya, and by that he incurred the wrath of Lord Shiva and lost the divine power of invisibility . He then designed a prayer to Lord Shiva for forgiveness. In this prayer he sung the greatness of the Lord.

This very prayer became well known as the ‘Shiva Mahimna Stotra’. Lord Shiva became pleased by this Stotra, and returned Pushhpadanta’s divine powers.

The legend has some basis since the name of the author is mentioned in verse number 38 of the stotram. The recital of this stotra is very beneficial, therefore let its recitation be beneficial to all beings!

Text 1

mahimnah param te parama vidusho yadyasadrishi
stutir brahma dina mapitadava sannastvayi girah,
atha vacyah sarvah svamati parina mavadhi grinan
mamapyeshah stotre hara nirapavadah parikarah

Sri Pushpadanta said:

If it is unseemly to praise You when ignorant of the extent of’ Your greatness, then even the praises of Brahma and others are inadequate. If no one can be blamed when they praise You according to their intellectual powers, then my attempt to compose a hymn cannot be reproached. (1)

Text 2
atitah panthanam tava ca mahima vanmanasayor
atad vyavrttya yam cakita mabhi dhatte shrutirapi,
sa kasya stotavyah katividha gunah kasya vishayah
pade tvarvacine patati na manah kasya na vacah.

Your greatness is beyond the reach of mind and speech. Who can properly praise that which even the Vedas describe with trepidation, by means of’ ‘neti-neti / not this, not this’? How many qualities does He possess? By whom can He be perceived? Yet whose mind and speech do not turn to the form later taken by Him (saguna) (2)

Text 3

madhu sphita vacah paramam amritam nirmitavatas
tava brahman kim vag api suraguror vismaya padam,
mama tvetam vanim guna kathana punyena bhavatah
punam ityarthe’smin puramathana buddhir vyavasita.

O Brahman! Do even Brihaspati’s praises cause wonder to You, the author of the nectar like sweet Vedas? 0 destroyer of the three cities, the thought that by praising Your glories I shall purify my speech has prompted me to undertake this work. (3)

Text 4
tavaisvaryam yat taj jagadudaya raksa pralayakrit
trayivastu vyastam tisrishu guna-bhinnasu tanushu,
abhavyanam asmin varada ramaniyama ramanim
vihantum vyakrosim vidadhata ihaike jadadhiyah.

O Giver of boons! Some stupid people produce arguments–pleasing to the ignorant but in fact hateful– to refute Your Divinity, which creates, preserves and destroys the world, which is divided into three bodies (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) according to the three gunas, and which is described in the three Vedas. (4)

Text 5

kimihah kimkayah sa khalu kimupaya stribhuvanam
kimadharo dhata srijati kimupadana iti ca,
atarkyaish varye tvay yanavasara duhstho hatadhiyah
kutarko’yam kamshcin mukharayati mohaya jagatah.

To fulfill what desire, assuming what form, with what instruments, support and material does that Creator create the three worlds? This kind of futile argumentation about You whose divine nature is beyond the reach of intellect, makes the perverted vociferous, and brings delusion to men. (5)

Text 6

ajanmano lokah kimavayava vanto’pi jagatam
adhisthataram kim bhavavidhir-anadritya bhavati,
anisho va kuryad bhuvana janane kah parikaro
yato mandastvam praty-amaravara samsherata ime.

O Lord of gods! Can the worlds be without origin, though they have bodies? Is their creation possible with out a creator? Who else but God can initiate the creation of the worlds? Because they are fools they raise doubts about Your existence. (6)

Text 7

trayi sankhyam yogah pasupati matam vaishnavamiti
prabhinne prasthane paramidamadah pathyamiti ca,
rucinam vaicitryad riju kutila nana pathajusham
nrinameko gamyas tvamsasi payasa marnava iva.

Different paths (to realization) arc enjoined by the three Vedas, by Sankhya, Yoga, Pashupata (Shaiva) (doctrine and Vaishnava Shastras. People follow different paths, straight or crooked, according to their temperament, depending on which they consider best, or most appropriate–and reach You alone just as rivers enter the ocean. (7)

Text 8

mahokshah khatvangam parashu-rajinam bhasma haninah
kapalam cetiyat tava varada tantro pakaranam,
surastam tamriddhim dadhati tu bhavad bhru pranihitam
na hi svatma ramam vishaya mriga trishna bhramayati.

O Giver of boons! A great bull, a wooden hand rest, an axe, a tiger skin, ashes, serpents, a human skull and other such things–these are all You own, though simply by casting Your eyes on gods You gave them great treasures which they enjoy. Indeed one whose delight is in the Self cannot be deluded by the mirage of sense objects. (8)

Text 9

dhruvam kascit sarvam sakala mapara stva dhruva midam
paro dhrau vyadhrauvye jagati gadati vyasta vishaye,
samaste’pye tasmin puramathana tair vismita iva
stuvan jihremi tvam na khalu nanu dhrishta mukharata.

O Destroyer of the demon Pura, some say that the whole universe is eternal while others say that all is transi tory. Others still, hold that it is eternal and non-eternal — having different characteristics. Bewildered by all this, I do not feel ashamed to praise You; indeed my loquacity is an indication of my boldness. (9)

Text 10

tavaisvaryam yatnad yadupari virincir-hari-radhah
paricchettum yatav anala manala skandha vapushah,
tato bhakti sraddha bhara-guru-grinad-bhyam girisha yat
svayam tasthe tabhyam tava kim anuvrittir na phalati.

0 Girisha, when You took the form of a pillar of fire, Brahma trying from above and Vishnu trying from below failed to measure You. Afterwards, when they praised You with great faith and devotion, You revealed yourself to them of Your own accord; does not surrender to You bear fruit? (10)

The pilgrimage to the holiest of the holy abodes of Lord shiva, the mount kailash, through Nepal in year 2001, had created the desire to go on pilgrimage to the abode by walking through the Indian side. Another reverend devotee from the same city had the plans of taking up this holy yatra. The company of those who cede their heart to be completely occupied by the Begging Lord, Who is capable of providing the whole universe for those who pray, is certainly something to yearn for.

The pilgrimage to kailAsh – mAnasasarovar through the Indian side is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with other agencies like the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN). All those who would like to go on pilgrimage to kailash have to apply subsequent to the call for applications published in leading dailies in the month of February. The pre-requisites is a valid Indian passport. (Money – about Rs. 55,000 and health of course). If the passport is not ready, still “applied for” also may get considered. But it is mandatory to have one before the start of the yatra. From the applicants on random lottery type of selection the yatris are chosen for the pilgrimage. The yatra is conducted in 16 batches, each batch having a maximum of 36 yatris. The yatra season starts in early June and the last batch starts the pilgrimage as late as end of August. The chosen applicants for each of the batch are informed in advance. (Sometimes yatris should be ready to start just in a week’s time after getting the notification.) On receipt of the selection notification, the applicant must confirm the yatra by telegram to the ministry and follow it up by sending a Demand Draft for Rs 2,000 favoring KMVN. If an applicant declines to take the offer or fails to pay the amount in time, the applicants on the waiting list would be considered for the yatra.

Though some more devotees applied along with us for the yatra, finally it was only two who undertook the pilgrimage. (While there is a good possibility that one could get selected for the yatra, the devotees should not loose heart if they are not selected. At times it may take time. Even if not got selected, should be prepared to apply for the yatra the next year.) Before starting the yatra it is required that the medical fitness tests suggested in the information booklet sent by the Ministry of External Affairs need to be completed. These reports are pre-requisites for the medical clearance for the yatri at indraprasta (delhi). One should take enough of warm clothing and other materials as detailed in the booklet sent by the MEA. The yatra will be an enjoyable and memorable one, if there is fair medical fitness and due care is taken as suggested in the information brochure. Of course Grace of the Supreme is the most essential for a great experience during the yatra. So apart from all these physical preparations one should mentally prepare for the greatest yatra. Praying God is the known way to get Its Grace. From the application filling time one could start doing prayer everyday till the completion of the yatra. This is a vrata for the most sacred yatra. It would be required for the yatri to be present in indraprasta three days before the actual yatra commences so that the medical tests and the visa formalities can be completed.

It was the month of August. We had been selected for the fifteenth batch as yatris. All the yatris assembled at the specified hotel in indraprasta where the arrangements were made for the yatris to stay. There was one more devotee from the neighboring state who had accompanied from our town for the yatra. There were many pilgrims from the length and breadth of India who had already arrived. The Kailash Manasarovar Yatra Samiti and the other service organizations had made food arrangements for the yatris during the days of stay in indraprasta. It was a nice monday, auspicious day to worship the Lord(1), Who took the decimating moon to Its head and blessed it to survive. Got blessed to salute the Benevolent Lord at malai mandhir along with the fellow devotee

The Preparation

The following day morning the pilgrims were taken to the MEA – undersecretary for china office for a briefing session. Here the indemnity bond signed by the yatris is taken and the passport is also collected from the yatris for stamping. In the meeting the Liaison Officer (LO), who would lead the batch for the pilgrimage, was introduced. The LO gets appointed by the government to facilitate the smooth conduct of the yatra. Typically the person would be from the IPS or the other similar services. Subsequent to the briefing, the yatris were let free to do any pending purchasing for the yatra. The same day KMVN collected the remaining nine thousand of the eleven thousand it charges for making the arrangements for the yatra. (While KMVN charges only 11,000 for 15 days in indian side, 600 USD – approximately 30,000 Rs is charged by the chinese travel agency for 12 days and the facilities and service provided by that agency was far inferior to that of KMVN.) It was a trayodashi evening, when we worship our bholenAth as dancing blissfully forgiving the worst mistake of devas. In that pradOsham(2) evening the Lord at malai mandir appeared along with the Graceful Great Lady on the holy bull, with the chantings of glorious shrI rudram (3) and the heart melting thirumuRai (4) garlands. Oh Lord, we could get to Your abode if Your grace is so; we could get to Your abode only if your grace is so !!

The following day yatris go to the bank to collect the Foreign Exchange to be paid to the chinese travel agency. Apart from the 600$ that was to be paid to the agency an additional 150$ was also bought by the yatris in exchange of rupees for the other expenses, including that for yak etc. The afternoons of only first and second days are available to the yatris as the third day is completely spent in the medical tests. So the yatris were busy packing. All the unwanted luggage were to be left at the hotel itself.

On the third day morning all the yatris went for the medical checkup at the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) hospital at indraprasta. This takes almost the whole day. The doctors there verify all the reports brought by the yatri and would also make additional tests. It is better to ensure before the travel that all the reports asked for in the information booklet are available as specified to avoid any running around at the ITBP hospital. Some of the yatris were denied permission to proceed on the yatra as the doctors felt their body would not withstand the conditions of the high altitude hiking. The zeal of those yatris to worship the Lord at Mount Kailash went far beyond their physical capabilities. May be they are not able to see the kailAshapati from where they are, but certainly the God on the mountain is watching all their sincere agony to see His holy Feet.

It was the late full moon evening. The ardent devotee was singing in full devotion the songs of yAththiraip paththu from thiruvAcakam (5).

thAmE thamakku cuRRamum thAmE thamakku vidhivakaiyum
yAmAr emadhAr pAcamAr enna mAyam ivai pOgak
kOmAn paNDaith thoNDaroDum avan than kuRippE kuRikkoNDu
pOmARamaimin poy n^Ikkip puyaN^gan ALvAn ponnaDikkE

(Him)Self is the kith and kin for (our)selves; (Him)Self is the destiny for (our)selves; Who are we ? Who(/what) is ours ? What are the bindings ? May all these illusions be lost. With the oldest devotees of our Lord, minding only His indications (to serve Him) keep going, removing away all insincerities, to the Golden Feet of Snake-Ornated, our Master !

“Jaya Mallikarjuna! Jai Mallikarjuna”

Srisailam is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. This whole area is full of forests of Kadali, Bilva trees, mountain ranges and Patalaganga (Krishnaveni river). All of them echo from these joyous voices of devotees.

Puranic History of Srisailam

When Kumar Kartikeya returned to Kailash after completing his trip around the earth, he heard about Ganesha’s marriage from Narada. This angered him. In spite of being restrained by his parents, he touched their feet in obeisance and left for Krounch Mountain. Parvati was very distraught at having to be away from her son, implored Lord Shiva to look for their son. Together, they went to Kumara. But, Kumara went away a further three Yojanas, after learning about his parents coming after him to Krouncha Mountain. Before embarking on a further search for their son on each mountain, they decided to leave a light on every mountain they visited. From that day, that place came to be known as JyotirLinga Mallikarjuna. It is believed that Shiva and Parvati visit this palce on Amavasya (No moon day) and (full Moon day) Pournami, respectively. Visiting this JyotirLinag not only blesses one with innumerable wealth, but also name and fame and fulfils all the desires.

Once, a princess named Chandravati decided to go to the Jungles to do penance and meditation. She chose Kadali Vana for this purpose. One day, she witnessed a miracle. A Kapila cow was standing under a Bilwa tree and milk was flowing from all of its four udders, sinking into the ground. The cow kept doing this as a routine chore everyday. Chandravati dug up that area and was dumb founded at what she saw. There was a self-raising Swyambhu SivaLinga. It was bright and shining like the sun rays, and looked like it was burning, throwing flames in all directions. Chandravati prayed to Siva in this JyotirLinga. She built a huge Shiva Temple there. Lord Shankara was very pleased with her. Chandravati went to Kailash wind borne. She received salvation and Mukti. On one of the stone-inscriptions of the temple, Chandravati’s story can be seen carved out.

“Jay Somanath! Jay Somanath”!

Somnath is the foremost of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shrines of Shiva, held in reverence throughout India and is rich in legend, traditions and history. It is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in Gujarat.

Somnath Mandir : Sea Side View  360° Panaroma

Anceint Glory

Known as prabhAsa kshetra, Somnath occupied a much esteemed place in the Hindu holy places. It finds many references in the purANas & itihAsas.

The inner temple of the Garbhashay was supported to be aglow with the luster of these gemstones. The Nanda Deep was always kept lighted with Kannauji attar. The treasure of the temple was forever full of vast wealth and was kept safe.

For worship of the Lord-and Abhishek (worship with holy water) sandalwood scented water was brought from Haridwar, Prayag Kashi every day. However flowers for special festivities were imported from Kashmir. For the routine daily worship, one thousand Brahmins were appointed. About three hundred and fifty dancing girls were appointed for the regular music and dance concerts that took place in the Temple courts.

This religious place of worship was earning the produce of ten thousand villages. Among the twelve JyotirLingas (Lingas of light) Somanath is considered as the primary one. Because this deity is supposed to be Swayanbhu (self-born) and is always awake, lakhs of devotees visited this temple and considered themselves blessed and to have achieved piety. Offerings made by crores of devotees amounted to crores of rupees which kept the Temple always rich and abundant. Along with this, the Sun worshipping foreigners (probably Parsis) also contributed a pat of their profits to the temple treasury which kept its coffers full, all the time.