सूत उवाच ..



एवमुक्त्वा मुनिश्रेष्ठ गते तस्मिन्निजाश्रमम .



अथ रामगिरौ रामस्तस्मिन्गोदावरीतटे [1]



शिवलिङ्गं प्रतिष्ठाप्य कृत्वा दीक्षां यथाविधि .



भूतिभूषितसर्वाङ्गो रुद्राक्षाभरणैर्युतः [2]



अभिषिच्य जलैः पुण्यैर्गौतमीसिन्धुसंभवैः .



अर्चयित्वा वन्यपुष्पैस्तद्वद्वन्यफलैरपि [3]



भस्मच्छन्नो भस्मशायी व्याघ्रचर्मासने स्थितः .



नाम्नां सहस्रं प्रजपन्नक्तंदिवमनन्यधीः [4]



मासमेकं फलाहारो मासं पर्णाशनः स्थितः .



मासमेकं जलाहारो मासं च पवनाशनः [5]



शान्तो दान्तः प्रसन्नात्मा ध्यायन्नेवं महेश्वरम .



हृत्पङ्कजे समासीनमुमादेहार्धधारिणम [6]



चतुर्भुजं त्रिनयनं विद्युत्पिङ्गजटाधरम .



कोटिसूर्यप्रतीकाशं चन्द्रकोटिसुशीतलम [7]



सर्वाभरणसंयुक्तं नागयज्ञओपवीतिनम .



व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरधरं वरदाभयधारिणम [8]



व्याघ्रचर्मोत्तरीयं च सुरासुरनमस्कृतम .



पञ्चवक्त्रं चन्द्रमौलिं त्रिशूलडमरूधरम [9]



नित्यं च शाश्वतं शुद्धं ध्रुवमक्षरमव्ययम .



एवं नित्यं प्रजपतो गतं मासचतुष्टयम [10]

Suta said to Saunaka sages:

In this way sage Agastya initiated Sri Rama and went back to his hermitage. Here near the bank of sacred Godavari river, Sri Rama established a Shivalinga on a hilltop, and in the prescribed manner he underwent the deeksha. He smeared all his body parts with holy ash in a three horizontal lined fashion, worshiped Shivalinga with forest flowers and leaves being seated on the tiger skin. He chanted the Veda Saara shiva Sahasranamavali. This way he spent one month living only by eating fruits, next month he lived by eating only leaves, next month he sustained himself only on water, subsequent month he survived only by consuming air. He remained pious and maintained all pious qualities like serenity, sense control etc. and with a cleansed heart he meditated on Lord Maheshwara who resides in the heart, who is higher than the highest, who is of androgenous form (Ardhanareeshwara), who has four hands and three eyes, who is like lightening flash of red color, who has braided (matted) hair, who has an aura which equals the brilliance of crores of suns, whose aura is as cool as the coolness of crores of moons combined, who wears many ornaments, who wears snake as a sacred thread, who wears tiger skin as garments, who keeps one hand in blessing posture, who is saluted by all gods and demons, who has five faces, who wears a crescent moon on his head, who holds a damaru (musical instrument), and trident, who is eternal, who is unblemished, who is imperishable. In this way Rama spent four months of Deeksha.

अथ जातो महानादः प्रलयाम्बुदभीषणः .



समुद्रमथनोद्भूतमन्दरावनिभृद {} ध्वनिः [11]



रुद्रबाणाग्निसंदीप्तभ्रश्यत्त्रिपुरविभ्रमः .



तमाकर्ण्याथ संभ्रान्तो यावत्पश्यति पुष्करम [12]

One fine day Rama heard a terrible and fear striking sound which resembled the roars of oceans as made during the time of cosmic dissolution, which resembled the sound made by the mount Mandara during the churning of ocean, which resembled the terrible sound made by the arrow of Rudra when shot while destroying the three cities. Hearing that fear striking terrible noise Rama looked around startled with fear.

तावदेवो महातेजो समस्यासीत्पुरो द्विजाः .



तेजसा तेन संभ्रान्तो नापश्यत्स दिशो दश [13]



अन्धीकृतेक्षणस्तूर्णं मोहं यातो नृपात्मजः .



विचिन्त्य तर्कयामास दैत्यमायां द्विजेश्वराः [14]

Rama beheld a huge brilliance spread all around. Seeing that in a confused state Rama looked around in all directions. Due to that high intensity brilliance for a second Rama felt as if he went blind and couldn’t see anything apart from light. He thought all that was probably the illusion of some demons.

अथोत्थाय महावीरः सज्जं कृत्वा स्वकं धनुः .



अविध्यन्निशितैर्बाणैर्दिव्यास्त्रैरभिमन्त्रितैः [15]



आग्नेयं वारुणं सौम्यं मोहनं सौरपार्वतम .



विष्णुचक्रं महाचक्रं कालचक्रं च वैष्णवम [16]



रौद्रं पाशुपतं ब्राह्मं कौबेरं कुलिशानिलम .



भार्गवादिबहून्यस्त्राण्ययं प्रायुङ्क्त राघवः [17]

Thereafter Rama stood up holding his Kodanda bow in his hands, and projected in the air many divine missiles (arrows) through the power of Mantra viz. Agneyam, Varunam, Mohanam, saurapaarvatam, viShnuchakraM, mahaachakram, kaalachakram, vaiShnavam, raudram, paashupatam, braahmam, kauberam, and kulishaanilam weapons.



N.B: Here Rama shoots pashupata also, and it might confuse the reader when Rama had Pashupata then what for he was praying to Lord Shiva. It’s a valid doubt but Pashupata has two versions viz. Pashupatastra and Mahapashupatastra, where the latter one viz. Mahapashupata can only be obtained directly from Lord Shiva by following Pashupata Diksha (Viraja Diksha). In the next chapter of Shiva Geeta, Lord Shiva gifts Rama the weapon caleld ‘Maha Pashupatastra. The Diksha (austerity) what Rama performed here was also performed by Arjuna in Mahabharata Kairata parva exactly in similar fashion to obtain the Mahapashupata weapon from Mahadeva. We get a reference of Mahapashupatastra in Brahmanda Purana’s Uttara Khanda in Lalita Sahasranama Stotram where Goddess Lalita Tripurasundari who is the consort of Lord Sadashiva annihilates a huge demoniac army by firing Mahapashupatastra (Mahapashupatastragnir nirdagdhaasura sainaka). In Mahabharata we have a reference where Karna is also shown to have Pashupata weapon. But we never see any instance where he did penance for Lord Shiva and obtaining it whereas we see Arjuna pleasing Shiva and obtaining the Pashupata. Of course Mahabharata doesn’t distinctively use terms Mahapashupata and Pashupata and it simply calls it as pashupata everywhere. Therefore based on the instances from Brahmanda Purana and this Shiva Geeta we need to understand that Pashupata has two versions one milder and anotehr one heavier as like as Brahmastra is of two types viz. Brahmastra and Brahmashira.

तस्मिंस्तेजसि शस्त्राणि चास्त्रान्यस्य महीपतेः .



विलीनानि महाभ्रस्य करका इव नीरधौ [18]



ततः क्षणेन जज्वाल धनुस्तस्य करच्च्युतम .



तूणीरं चाङ्गुलित्राणं गोधिकापि महीपते [19]



Whatever missiles Sri Rama projected in that brilliant light, all those missiles vanished into that brilliance as like as ice cubes melt in oceans. In another few seconds Rama’s bow fell down on its own and got reduced to ashes. Also, his hand shield and other accessories too fell down and got incinerated.

तद{}दृष्ट्वा लक्ष्मणो भीतः पपात भुवि मूर्च्छितः .



अथाकिञ्चित्करो रामो जानुभ्यामवनिं गतः [20]



मीलिताक्षो भयाविष्टः शंकरं शरणं गतः .



स्वरेणाप्युच्चरन्नुच्चैः शंभोर्नामसहस्रकम [21]



शिवं च दण्डवद {} भूमौ प्रणनाम पुनः पुनः .



पुनश्च पूर्ववच्चासीच्छब्दो दिङ्मण्डलं ग्रसन [22]



चचाल वसुधा घोरं पर्वताश्च चकम्पिरे .



ततः क्षणेन शीतांशुशीतलं तेज आपतत [23]



उन्मीलिताक्षो रामस्तु यावदेतत्प्रपश्यति .



तावद्ददर्श वृषभं सर्वालंकारसंयुतम [24]



पीयूषमथनोद {} भूतनवनीतस्य पिण्डवत .



प्रोतस्वर्णं मरकतच्छायशृङ्गद्वयान्वितम [25]



नीलरत्नेक्षणं ह्रस्वकण्ठकम्बलभूषितम .



रत्नपल्याणसंयुक्तं निबद्धं श्वेतचामरैः [26]



घण्टिकाघर्घरीशब्दैः पूरयन्तं दिशो दश .

Seeing all these disasters happening around Rama, Lakshmana trembled and fell down unconcious. After that Rama in a confused state unable to think of anything, knelt down on the ground with trepidation, closed his eyes and thought that only the lord of Uma would be capable of protecting him. With an uprised voice he chanted the thousand names of Shiva by offering prostrations intermittently. In a while Rama heard the same fearsome sound echoing in all directions. Earth and hills also trembled due to that terrible noise. Then within a split second Rama observed a cool moonshine everywhere. Before Rama could understand what it was, he found someone who was as white as the cream obtained during the churning of milky ocean, which had a gold ornamented tail, which had a pair of horns decked with diamonds, which had blue gems kind of eyes, which had an elegant cover on its back, which had a gem decked rope around the neck, and which was renting the skies with the sweet jingling noise of the bells present on his body. That was the Bull Nandi whom Rama beheld in front of him.

तत्रासीनं महादेवं शुद्धस्फटिकविग्रहम [27]



कोटिसूर्यप्रतीकाशं कोटिशीतांशुशीतलम .



व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरधरं नागयज्ञओपवीतिनम [28]



सर्वालंकारसंयुक्तं विद्युत्पिङ्गजटाधरम .



नीलकण्ठं व्याघ्रचर्मोत्तरीयं चन्द्रशेखरम [29]



नानाविधायुधोद्भासिदशबाहुं त्रिलोचनम .



युवानं पुरुषश्रेष्ठं सच्चिदानन्दविग्रहम [30]

Seated on the divine bull Nandi, was seen a lord as pure as crystal in complexion, who was blazing with a divine aura equal to billions of suns, whose brilliance was as soothing as light from billions of moons, who had tiger skin on his body as garments, who had a snake wrapped around his body as the sacred thread, who was decorated with many divine ornaments, who was blazing like lightening, who had moon on his crown, who had ten hands wielding various weapons, who looked very youthful. Rama beheld that blue necked, supreme Purusha the one and only Lord Paramashiva.

तत्रैव च सुखासीनां पूर्णचन्द्रनिभाननाम .



नीलेन्दीवरदामाभामुद्यन्मरकतप्रभाम [31]



मुक्ताभरणसंयुक्तां रात्रिं ताराञ्चितामिव .



विन्ध्यक्षितिधरोत्तुङ्गकुचभारभरालसाम [32]



सदसत्संशयाविष्टमध्यदेशान्तराम्बराम .



दिव्याभरणसंयुक्तां दिव्यगन्धानुलेपनाम [33]



दिव्यमाल्याम्बरधरां नीलेन्दीवरलोचनाम .



अलकोद्भासिवदनां ताम्बूलग्रासशोभिताम [34]



शिवालिङ्गनसंजातपुलकोद्भासिविग्रहाम .



सच्चिदानन्दरूपाढ्यां जगन्मातरमम्बिकाम [35]



Also Rama beheld a goddess seated blissfully in Sukhasana posture having a beautiful face as like as full moon, who was shining with a hue of bluish colored diamonds, who was decorated with pearls, and variety of gems, who had firm uprised breasts comparable to Vindhya mountains, who had a slender waist, who wore divine garments and nicely smelling flower garlands, who had eyes resembling flowers, who was blushing due to the embrace of her consort. Rama sighted the mother of all the goddess Parvati.

सौन्दर्यसारसंदोहां ददर्श रघुनन्दनः .



स्वस्ववाहनसंयुक्तान्नानायुधलसत्करान [36]



बृहद्रथन्तरादीनि सामानि परिगायतः .



स्वस्वकान्तासमायुक्तान्दिक्पालान्परितः स्थितान [37]



अग्रगं गरुडारूढं शंखचक्रगदाधरम .



कालाम्बुदप्रतीकाशं विद्युत्कान्त्या श्रिया युतम [38]



जपन्तमेकमनसा रुद्राध्यायं जनार्दनम .

Thereafter Rama saw dikpalakas seated on their respective divine vehicles with their respective consorts and singing hymns of Sama Veda. Then Sri Rama sighted in front of Paramashiva, the lord Vishnu who held discus, conch, mace, and sword in his hands, who was shining brillinantly with a dark bluish hue, who was seated on his vehicle named Garuda, the Eagle, with goddess Sridevi who resembled like a streak of lightening and who was singing Rudradhyayana (Sri Rudram hymn).

पश्चाच्चतुर्मुखं देवं ब्रह्माणं हंसवाहनम [39]



चतुर्वक्त्रैश्चतुर्वेदरुद्रसूक्तैर्महेश्वरम .



स्तुवन्तं भारतीयुक्तं दीर्घकूर्चं जटाधरम [40]

Then Rama sighted at the back side of Paramashiva, the Lord Brahma riding on his divine Swan, seated with his consort goddess Bharati and who was singing Rudra Suktas from four vedas through his four heads (mouths).

अथर्वशिरसा देवं स्तुवन्तं मुनिमण्डलम .



गङ्गादितटिनीयुक्तमम्बुधिं नीलविग्रहम [41]



श्वेताश्वतरमन्त्रेण स्तुवन्तं गिरिजापतिम .



अनन्तादिमहानागान्कैलासगिरिसन्निभान [42]



कैवल्योपनिषत्पाठान्मणिरत्नविभूषितान .



सुवर्णवेत्रहस्ताढ्यं नन्दिनं पुरतः स्थितम [43]



Then Rama sighted many divine sages singing Atharvasiras hymns of Shiva. Rama also behelf the god of ocean standing beside goddess Ganga and singing Svetaswatara hymns in praise of Lord of Uma. Also, many elephants and Ananta (the divine serpent) who looked as huge as Kailasha mountain, were sighted singing hymns from kaivalyopanishat in praise fo Mahadeva. And then Rama sighted Nandishwara holding a golden danda in his hands.



N.B: We need not get confused by seeing nandi standing as a bull and simultaneously standing holding a golden danda in hands. Yes, this looks strange but Nandi simultaneously appears in two forms with Lord Shiva. We have a similar narration in Shaiva Puranas in the story of Upamanyu. When Shiva appeared in front of Upamanyu, that time also Upamanyu found Nandi as a bull and at the same time standing beside Maheshwara holding an umbrella covering Mahadeva’s head. Therefore there is no confusion here.

दक्षिणे मूषकारूढं गणेशं पर्वतोपमम .



मयूरवाहनारूढमुत्तरे षण्मुखं तथा [44]



महाकालं च चण्डेशं पार्श्वयोर्भीषणाकृतिम .



कालाग्निरुद्रं दूरस्थं ज्वलद्दावाग्निसन्निभम [45]



त्रिपादं कुटिलाकारं नटद {} भृङ्गिरिटिं पुरः .



नानाविकारवदनान्कोटिशः प्रमथाधिपान [46]

Towards the southern direction of Mahadeva, was seated Lord Vighneshwara on his mouse and was as huge as a mountain. Towards the northern direction was seen the six faced Lord Skanda. Furtehr, towards the left and right sides of Parameshwara, was seen Mahakala and Chandeeshwara and at sone distance was sighted the great blazing deity of dissolution viz. Kalagni Rudra. In the front side was beheld the three legged Bringi dancing alongwith other ganas of diversely looking faces.

नानावाहनसंयुक्तं परितो मातृमण्डलम .



पञ्चाक्षरीजपासक्तान्सिद्धविद्याधरादिकान [47]



दिव्यरुद्रकगीतानि गायत्किन्नरवृन्दकम .



तत्र त्रैयम्बकं मन्त्रं जपद्द्विजकदम्बकम [48]



गायन्तं वीणया गीतं नृत्यन्तं नारदं दिवि .



नृत्यतो नाट्यनृत्येन रम्भादीनप्सरोगणान [49]



गायच्चित्ररथादीनां गन्धर्वाणां कदम्बकम .



कम्बलाश्वतरौ शंभुकर्णभूषणतां गतौ [50]



गायन्तौ पन्नगौ गीतं कपालं कम्बलं तथा .



एवं देवसभां दृष्ट्वा कृतार्थो रघुनन्दनः [51]



हर्षगद्गदया वाचा स्तुवन्देवं महेश्वरम .



दिव्यनामसहस्रेण प्रणनाम पुनः पुनः [52]



All around many divine mothers were seen seated on their respective vehicles, divine beings were seen chanting Panchakshari maha Mantra, Kinnaras were seen singing songs of Rudra, divine Brahmanas were seen chanting Triyambaka mantras, Rambha et al were seen dancing, Narada was seen playing his Veena (musical instrument) and dancing in the sky, Gandhervas and their king Chitraradha was seen singing classical music, and all other gods of heaven, heavenly snakes and other deities were seen all around blissfully singing songs of Shiva. Seeing this beautiful scene, there was no limits to Sri Rama’s ecstasy. And with a wet throat filled with boundless happiness he started chanting Shiva Sahasranama and eulogized Mahadeva with numerous salutations.

### Here ends the fourth chapter of Shiva Gita present in Uttara Khanda of Padma Purana ###