Thou art the primeval ignorance or tamas that is known by the name of Rahu,
Thou art without measure and hence infinite,
Thou art the supreme End that is attained by the emancipate,
Thou art fond of dancing,
Thou art he that is always engaged in dancing,
Thou art he that causes others to dance,
Thou art the friend of the universe,
Thou art he, whose aspect is calm and mild,
Thou art endued with penances puissant enough to create and destroy the universe,
Thou art he that binds all creatures with the bonds of Thy illusion,
Thou art he that transcends destruction,
Thou art he that dwells on the mount Kailasa,
Thou transcendent all bonds and art unattached in respect of all things like space,
Thou art possessed of a thousand arms,
Thou art victory,
Thou art that perseverance which is the cause of success or victory,
Thou art without idleness or procrastination that interferes with persevering activity,
Thou art dauntless,
Thou art fear,
Thou art he that puts a stop to Bali’s sacrifice, or
Thou art he called Buddha who preached against all sacrifices,
Thou fulfillest the desires of all Thy devotees,
Thou art the destroyer of Daksha’s sacrifice,
Thou art amiable,
Thou art slightly amiable,
Thou art exceedingly fierce and robbest all creatures of their energy,
Thou art the slayer of the asura Bala,
Thou art always cheerful,
Thou art of the form of wealth which is coveted by all,
Thou hast never been vanquished,
The allegory is to the defeat of Mahadeva at the hands of Krisna in the city of Bana. His defeat was due to Mahadeva’s kindness for Krisna, even as Krisna broke his vow of
never taking up arms in the battle of Kurukshetra, for honouring his worshipper Bhishma who had vowed that he would compel Krisna to take up arms.
Thou art the most adorable,
Thou art he that utters deep roars (in the form of ocean),
Thou art that which is so deep that no one can measure it (because Thou art of the form of space),
Thou art he whose puissance and the might of whose companions and of the bull have never been measured by anybody,
Thou art the tree of the world (whose roots extend upwards and branches hang downwards),
Thou art the banyan,
Thou art he that sleeps on a banyan leaf when the universe after dissolution becomes one infinite expanse of water,
The Hindu mythology says that when the universal destruction comes and all becomes a mighty expanse of water, there appears a banyan tree under whose shade the
immortal Rishi Markandeya sees a child who is Mahavisnu.
Thou art he that shows compassion to all worshippers assuming, as Thou likest, the form of Hari, Hara, Ganesa, Arka, Agni or Wind,
Thou art possessed of teeth that are exceedingly sharp (since Thou art competent to chew innumerable worlds even as one munches nuts and swallows them speedily),
Thou art of vast dimensions in respect of Thy forms,
Thou art possessed of a mouth that is vast enough to swallow the universe at once,
Thou art he whose troops are adored everywhere, or
Thou art he at whose approach all the asura troops fled in all directions,
Thou art he that dispelled all the fears of the deities when the Prince of elephants had to be captured,
Thou art the seed of the universe,
Thou art he that has for his vehicle the same bull that forms again the device on his banner in battle,
Thou hast Agni for Thy soul,
Thou art Surya, who has green steeds yoked onto his car (vehicle),
Thou art the friend of Jiva,
Thou art he that is conversant with the proper time for the accomplishment of all religious acts,
Thou art he unto whom Visnu paid His adorations (for obtaining His celebrated discus),
Thou art the Sacrifice (being in the form of Visnu),
Thou art the ocean,
Thou art the Barabanala Mare’s head that ranges within the ocean, ceaselessly vomiting fire and drinking the saline waters as if they were sacrificial butter,
Thou art Wind, the friend of Agni,
Thou art of tranquil soul like the ocean when at rest, and unstirred by the mildest breeze,
Thou art Agni that drinks the libations of clarified butter poured in sacrifices with the aid of mantras,
Thou art he, whom it is difficult to approach,
Thou art he, whose effulgence spreads over the infinite universe,
Thou art ever skilful in battle,
Thou art well conversant with the time when one should engage in battle so that victory may be achieved,
Thou art that science which treats of the motions of heavenly bodies, or
Thou art Time itself,
Thou art of the form of success or victory,
Thou art he whose body is Time (for Thy body is never subject to destruction),
Thou art a house-holder for Thou wearest a tuft of hair on Thy head,
Thou art a sanyasin for Thy head is bald,
Thou wearest matted locks on Thy head (being, as Thou art, a forest dweller),
By these three names what is indicated is that Mahadeva is a house-holder, a sanyasin and a forest dweller, belonging to each of these ashramas.
Thou art distinguished by Thy fiery rays (for, the effulgent path by which the righteous proceed is identical with Thine),
