Greatness of Shiva : Mahimnastava of Pushpadanta with commentary

MAHIMNASTAVA,. 13

17

By! the flowing stream in the skies?

The white beauty of which is like that of the planets and sea foam

And yet seems (as against Thy greatness) a mere drop of water on Thy head*

The world again became an island encircled by a fluid ring*

By this the divine greatness of Thy body may be

gauged. 1S When Thou did’st resolve to consume the three cities”

The earth was Thy chariot

The sun and the moon its wheels

Brahma the charioteer

The Lord of Mountains® Thy bow

And Visuu Himself Thy arrow ;

(And yet why was this) for they were but as grass before Thy power ?

With such implements Thou wert but pleased to play,

Thy Lordliness is not dependent on them.?

1 Now as J.C. says the greatness of His body is celebrated. 2 The celestial Ganges Mandakini the milky way. The same stream is in the heavens Mandakini, on earth Ganga, and in the nether world Bhogavati.

3 Even the heavenly Ganges but a portion of whose waters were sufficient to surround the world appears as a mere drop on Shiva’s head.

4 Rishi Agastya once drank up all the waters of the world which thus became dried. In order to restore the water so taken the water of the Ganges on Shiva’s head fell to earth when the oceans re-appeared.

5 Tripura. See p. 2 n. 2 ante,

6 Meru (J. C.)

7 Why do so much to destroy that which is but grass before Thee? No one uses an axe when a finger nail is suffi-