Greatness of Shiva : Mahimnastava of Pushpadanta with commentary

14 MAHIMNASTAYVA.

19 Oh Destroyer of Tripura! When Hari? desired to worship Thy feet with a thousand lotuses But found that one was lacking He plucked out one of His own lotus-like eyes.? This devotion of His assumed the form of His beautiful discus+ Which He is ever ready to wield for the salvation of the three worlds.

20 When the sacrificial rite is accomplished It is Thou Who givest the fruits thereof to the worshipper When the ritual act is over. How can it have effect without prayer to Thee ? Therefore seeing that it is Thou Who art the surety - For the fruit of all rites Men repose their faith in Veda And commence all ritual actions with certain hope as to their effects.®

cient. He could have done it of His mere wish. The will of God is not dependent on anything. He could have done without them but the play of His will selected them as the instruments of His purpose (J. C.)

I See p. 2 n. 2 ante.

2 Vishnu.

3 Vishnu was wont to worship Shiva daily with a thousand lotuses. Finding one day that a lotus was missing He, rather than break His rule of worship, plucked out His own eye to make up the number of a thousand. For this devotion Shiva gave Him the Sudarshana Chakra or Discus which Vishnu always bears. This discus is itself devotion ; devotion, as it were, materialised ; and this devotion again it is which saves the world and not any mere material instrument. (J. C.)

4 The Sudarshana Chakra, see last note.

5 Here the author refers to the fruit of rites. How cana -Yajma (sacrifice) which is mere action (YAagastu kriya)