Greatness of Shiva : Mahimnastava of Pushpadanta with commentary

MAHIMNASTAVA, 17

2

io)

Oh Destroyer of Tripurat

Devi saw Him of the flowery bow?

Burnt to ashes of a sudden before Her very eyes*

Like, as it were, some mere blade of grass

When He thought to accomplish His design by the aid of Her beauty.*

If even Devi after seeing all this

Yet thinks Thee to be uxorious®

Because Thou and She art each the half of one body.*®

Then indeed must youthful women be deceived?

Oh Thou Who art self-controlled and the grantor

of Blessings. -

24

Oh Destroyer of Smara® The burning ground is Thy field of play

(deer) and making with the other two hands the Vara and Abhaya Mudras. The deer here is Brahma as above described. Shiva is thus so powerful that even Brahma is under His subjection, and having captured Him, He has not even up to now released Him. The Hunter holds to what He has got. He is the Giver of bad fruits to those who do bad things.

I v. 3 ante p. 2.

2 Kandarpa or Kama God of love.

3 see p. II.

4 v. ib. His design was to get Shiva to unite with the Devi for the begetting of Karttikeya. This he thought to do by tempting Shiva with Her womanly beauty. Seeipaer

5 Strainang. Here the notion that He is uxorious because He has a spouse is refuted.

6 Deharddhaghafanat : “On account of combination of half a body.” Male and female are but halves of one whole as Plato also taught. (See II Ch. of the Kumarasambhavam).

7 If Parvati does not understand Shiva’s nature how can ordinary woman folk be expected to do so.

8 The God of love v, 15 ante p, (1.