THE ELEVENTH BOOK
Chapter VI
On the greatness of Rudrâk s ams
1-21. Îs’vara said :— O Kârtikeya! Kus’agranthi, Jîvapattrî and other rosaries cannot compare to one-sixteenth part of the Rudrâk s a rosary. As Vi sn u is the best of all the Puru s as, the Gangâ is the best of all the rivers, Kas’yapa, amongst the Munis, Uchchai h sravâ amongst the horses, Mahâ Deva amongst the Devas, Bhagavatî amongst the Devîs, so the Rudrâk s am rosary is the best of all the rosaries. All the fruits that occur by reading the stotras and holding all the Vratas, are obtained by wearing the Rudrâk s am bead. At the time of making the Ak s aya gift, the Rudrâk s am bead is capable of giving high merits. The merit that accrues by giving Rudrâk s am to a peaceful devotee of S’iva, cannot be expressed in words. If anybody gives food to a man holding the Rudrâk s am rosary, his twenty one generations are uplifted and he ultimately becomes able to live in the Rudrâ Loka. He who does not apply ashes on his forehead and who does not hold Rudrâk s am and is averse to the worship of S’iva is inferior to a châ nd âla. If Rudrâk s am be placed on the head then the flesh-eaters, drunkards, and the associates with the vicious become freed of their sins. Whatever fruits are obtained by performing various sacrifices, asceticism and the study of the Vedas are easily attained by simply holding the Rudrâk s am rosary. Whatever merits are obtained by read-
ing the four Vedas and all the Purâ n as and bathing in all the Tîrthas and the results that are obtained by immense practice in learning all are obtained by wearing Rudrâk s am. If at the time of death, one wears Rudrâk s am and dies, one attains Rudrahood. One has not to take again one’s birth. If anybody dies by holding Rudrâk s am on his neck or on his two arms, he uplifts his twenty-one generations and lives in the Rudra Loka. Be he a Brâhma n or a Châ nd âla, be he with qualities or without qualities, if he applies ashes to his body and holds Rudrâk s am he surely attains S’ivahood. Be he pure or impure; whether he eats uneatables or be he a Mlechha or a Châ nd âla or a Great Sinner, any body if he holds Rudrâk s am is surely equal to Rudra. There is no doubt in this.
If any body holds Rudrâk s am on his head he gets Ko t i times the fruit; on his ears, ten Ko t i times the fruit, on his neck, one hundred Ko t i times the fruit; on his holy thread, ayuta times the fruit; on his arm, one lâkh Ko t i times the fruit and if one wears Rudrâk s am on one’s wrist, one attains Mok s a. Whatever acts, mentioned in the Vedas be performed with Rudrâk s am on, the fruits obtained are unbounded. Even if a man be without any Bhakti and if he wears on his neck the Rudrâk s a rosary though he does always vicious acts, he becomes freed of the bondage of this world. Even if a man does not hold Rudrâk s a but if he be always full of devotion towards the Rudrâk s am, he attains the fruit that is got by wearing the Rudrâk s am and he attains the S’iva Loka and is honoured like S’iva. As in the country of Kîkata, an ass which used to carry Rudrâk s am seed got S’ivahood after his death, so any man, whether he be a Jñani (wise) or Ajnâni (unwise), gets S’ivahood if he holds Rudrâk s am. There is no doubt in this.
22-28. Skanda said :— “O God! How is it that in the country of Kîka t a (Bihar), an ass had to carry Rudrâk s a; who gave him the Rudrâk s ams! And what for did he hold that?”
Bhagavân Îs’vara said :— O Son! Now hear the history of the case. In the Bindhya mountain one ass used to carry the load of Rudrâk s am of a traveller. Once the ass felt tired and became unable to carry the load and fell down on the road and died. After his death the ass came to Me by My Grace, becoming Mahes’vara with trident in his hand and with three eyes. O Kârtikeya! As many faces as there are in the Rudrâk s am, for so many thousand Yugas the holder resides with honour in the S’iva Loka. One should declare the greatness of Rudrâk s am to one’s own disciple; never to disclose its glories to one who is not a disciple nor a devotee of Rudrâk s am nor to him who is an illiterate brute. Be he a Bhakta or not a
Bhakta, be be low or very low, if he holds Rudrâk s am then he is freed from all sins. No equal can be to the merit of him who holds the Rudrâk s ams.
29-39. The Munis, the Seers of truth, describe this holding on of Rudrâk s am as a very great vow. He who makes a vow to hold one thousand Rudrâk s ams, becomes like Rudra; the Devas bow down before him. If thousand Rudrâk s ams be not obtained, one should hold at least sixteen Rudrâk s ams on each arm, one Rudrâk s am on the crown hair; on the two hands, twelve on each; thirty-two on the neck; forty on the head; six on each ear and one hundred and eight Rudrâk s ams on the breast; and then he becomes entitled to worship like Rudra. If any body holds Rudrâk s am together with pearls, Prabâla, crystal, silver, gold and gem (lapis lazuli), he becomes a manifestation of S’iva. If a body, through laziness even, holds Rudrâk s am, the sin cannot touch him as darkness cannot come near light. If any body makes japam of a mantram with a Rudrâk s a rosary, he gets unbounded results. Such a merit giving Rudrâk s am, if one such Rudrâk s am be not found in any one’s body, his life becomes useless, like a man who is void of Tripu nd rak (three curved horizontal marks made on the forehead by the worshippers of S’iva). If any body simply washes his head all over with Rudrâk s am on, he gets the fruit of bathing in the Ganges. There is no doubt in this. One faced Rudrâk s am, the five faced, eleven faced and fourteen faced Rudrâk s ams are highly meritorious and entitled to worship by all. The Rudrâk s am is S’ankara made manifest; so it is always worshipped with devotion. The greatness of Rudrâk s am is such as it can make a king out of a poor man. On this point, I will tell you an excellent Purânic anecdote.
40-49. There was a Brâhmi n, named Girinâtha in the country of Kosala. He was proficient in the Vedas and Vedâmgas, religious and very rich. He used to perform sacrifices. He had a beautiful son named Gu n anidhi. The son gradually entered into his youth and looked beautiful like Kandarpa, the God of Love. While he was studying at his Guru Sudhi s a n a’s house, he, by his beauty and youth captivated the mind of his Guru’s wife named Muktâvalî. The Guru’s wife became so much enchanted by his extraordinary beauty that she, being unable to control herself, mixed with him and for some time remained with him in secret enjoyment. Then feeling inconveniences, due to the fear of. his Guru, to enjoy her freely, used poison to the Guru, killed him and then he began to live freely with her. Next when his father, mother came to know about this, he put to death instantly his father and mother, administering poison to them. He became
addicted to various pleasures and his wealth was exhausted gradually. He began to steal in Brâhma n s’ houses and became addicted very much to drinking. His relatives outcasted him from the society for his bad behaviour and banished him outside the town. He then went into a dense forest with Muktâvalî; and he began to kill the Brâhmi n s for their wealth. Thus a long time passed away; when at last he fell into the jaws of death.
50-54. Then to take him to the region of Death, thousands of the Yama’s messengers came; at the same time the S’iva’s messengers came from S’iva Loka. O Kârtikeya! A quarrel then ensued between both the parties of Yama and S’iva. The Yama’s messengers then said :— “O Servers of S’ambhu! What are the merits of this man that you have come to take him? First speak to us of his merits.” S’iva’s messengers spoke :— “Fifteen feet below the ground where this man died, there exists the Rudrâk s am. O Yama’s messengers! By the influence of that Rudrâk s am, all his sins are destroyed; and we have come to take him to S’iva.” Then the Brâhmi n Gu n anidhi assumed a divine form and, getting on an aerial car went with S’iva’s messengers before S’iva. O One of good vows! Thus I have described briefly to you the greatness of Rudrâk s am. This is capable to remove all sorts of sins and yield great merits.
Here ends the Sixth Chapter of the Eleventh Book on the Greatness of Rudrâk s ams in the Mahâpurâ n am S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Mahâr s i Veda Vyâsa.