[Printed book page 692-1] Upamanyu2, Vaiyāghrapadya (
°pāda C.), a ṛṣi.
§ 730 (Ānuśāsanik.): XIII, 14, 634 (Vaiyāghrapādasya
(°padya°, B.)), 655 (Kṛṣṇa came to the hermitage of U.,
who advised him to gratify Śiva, whose granting of boons he
described).—§ 730g (do.): Upamanyu said: In the Kṛtayuga
there was a ṛṣi named Vyāghrapāda. I was born as his son
and Dhaumya as my younger brother. Accompanied by
Dhaumya, I once came to the hermitage of certain ṛṣis.
There I saw milk, which appeared to me to be like to
amṛta. Coming home, I asked my mother to give me some
food prepared with milk. Having no milk my mother was
sorry. She then took a cake (of rice) and boiled it into
water and placed it before me, saying that it was milk.
Knowing the nature of milk, I understood that this was not
milk; this I said to my mother, who then answered me
that ascetics in the wood could not have milk. “Whence
shall we, who live at the river, the resort of the Vālakhilyas,
obtain milk? In the wilderness are no offspring of Surabhī.”
Then she told me to devote myself to Śaṅkara (i.e. Śiva).
Questioned by me about Śiva my mother then, in accordance
with the discourses of the munis, described the diverse
forms of Mahādeva (i.e. Śiva) (η). I then applied myself to
the practice of penances in order to gratify Śiva. After
a thousand celestial years Mahādeva appeared to me in
the form of Śakra (i.e. Indra) riding on his elephant, but
I did not desire a boon from any other deity than Mahādeva.
Questioned by Indra about the reason, I stated Śiva to be
the existent and the non-existent, the manifest and the
unmanifest, the eternal and immutable, etc., and that there
was nothing superior to Śiva (θ). Mahādeva resides in the
worlds named Bhū, etc. (ι). In all the encounters of the
gods, etc. (κ), Bhava restores power to those who meet with
destruction. It is Maheśvara who made futile the boons
given to Andhaka, etc. (λ). He is adored by yogins, etc. (μ).
Brahmán, etc. (ν), always say that there is none higher than
Mahādeva. His sign (liṅga) is worshipped by Brahmán, etc.
The creatures bear only the signs of Mahādeva and his spouse,
and those of Brahmán, etc. (ο). “I shall never acknow-
ledge any other deity. Nor would I take the fulfilment of
all my wishes from any other deity.” When I had finished
this-speech, the celestial elephant became transformed into a
white bull (description), on the back of which Mahādeva,
with Umā, was seated (description of Śiva and his weapons:
Pināka (π)). The Pāśupata weapon is superior to all other
weapons such as the Brāhma, etc. (ρ), but the śūla (σ) is even
superior. Śiva was also armed with the battle-axe, which he
had given to Rāma Jāmadagnya (τ). He was surrounded by
Brahmán, etc. (υ). The deities praised Śiva by uttering
diverse hymns (ϕ). “I then praised him with a hymn (χ)
Page692-b+ 63 and offered him arghya (water). Śiva became gratified and
granted me the fulfilment of all my wishes. I once more
praised him (ψ) and asked that I and my kinsmen and friends
might always eat food with milk. Śiva granted this, and
that after the expiration of a kalpa I should obtain the
companionship of Śiva. Then the god disappeared”: XIII,
14, (784), (880), 928, 932.—§ 730 (do.): XIII, 14, (964);
15, 1034, (1036); 16, (1037), (1104), (1109); 17, (1115);
18, 1358 (U. taught Kṛṣṇa certain mantras by which he
succeeded in seeing Śiva, U. afterwards recited to Kṛṣṇa the
1000 names of Śiva, which had been communicated to him by
Taṇḍi).
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