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Eleventh Skandha · Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Unit 284 of 318Eleventh Skandha · Chapter 4Eleventh Skandha · Chapter 41 source entries

Eleventh Skandha · Chapter 4

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रुद्राक्षमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् नारद उवाच एवंभूतानुभावोऽयं रुद्राक्षो भवतानघ । वर्णितो महतां पूज्यः कारणं तत्र किं वद ॥ १ ॥ श्रीनारायण उवाच एवमेव पुरा पृष्टो भगवान् गिरिशः प्रभुः । षण्मुखेन च रुद्रस्तं यदुवाच शृणुष्व तत् ॥ २ ॥ ईश्वर उवाच शृणु षण्मुख तत्त्वेन कथयामि समासतः । त्रिपुरो नाम दैत्यस्तु पुराऽऽसीत्सर्वदुर्जयः ॥ ३ ॥ जितास्तेन सुराः सर्वे बह्मविष्ण्वादिदेवताः । सर्वैस्तु कथिते तस्मिंस्तदाहं त्रिपुरं प्रति ॥ ४ ॥ अचिन्तयं महाशस्त्रमघोराख्यं मनोहरम् । सर्वदेवमयं दिव्यं ज्वलन्तं घोररूपि यत् ॥ ५ ॥ त्रिपुरस्य वधार्थाय देवानां तारणाय च । सर्वविघ्नोपशमनमघोरास्त्रमचिन्तयम् ॥ ६ ॥ दिव्यवर्षसहस्रं तु चक्षुरुन्मीलितं मया । पश्चान्ममाकुलाक्षिभ्यः पतिता जलबिन्दवः ॥ ७ ॥ तत्राश्रुबिन्दुतो जाता महारुद्राक्षवृक्षकाः । ममाज्ञया महासेन सर्वेषां हितकाम्यया ॥ ८ ॥ बभूवुस्ते च रुद्राक्षा अष्टत्रिंशत्प्रभेदतः । सूर्यनेत्रसमुद्‌भूताः कपिला द्वादश स्मृताः ॥ ९ ॥ सोमनेत्रोत्थिताः श्वेतास्ते षोडशविधाः क्रमात् । वह्निनेत्रोद्‍भवाः कृष्णा दश भेदा भवन्ति हि ॥ १० ॥ श्वेतवर्णश्च रुद्राक्षो जातितो ब्राह्म उच्यते । क्षात्रो रक्तस्तथा मिश्रो वैश्यः कृष्णस्तु शूद्रकः ॥ ११ ॥ एकवक्त्रः शिवः साक्षाद्ब्रह्महत्यां व्यपोहति । द्विवक्त्रो देवदेव्यो स्याद्‌विविधं नाशयेदघम् ॥ १२ ॥ त्रिवक्त्रस्त्वनलः साक्षात्स्त्रीहत्यां दहति क्षणात् । चतुर्वक्त्रः स्वयं ब्रह्मा नरहत्यां व्यपोहति ॥ १३ ॥ पञ्चवक्त्रः स्वयं रुद्रः कालाग्निर्नाम नामतः । अभक्ष्यभक्षणोद्‌भूतैरगम्यागमनोद्‍भवैः ॥ १४ ॥ मुच्यते सर्वपापैस्तु पञ्चवक्त्रस्य धारणात् । षड्वक्त्रः कार्तिकेयस्तु स धार्यो दक्षिणे करे ॥ १५ ॥ ब्रह्महत्यादिभिः पापैर्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । सप्तवक्त्रो महाभागो ह्यनङ्‌गो नाम नामतः ॥ १६ ॥ तद्धारणान्मुच्यते हि स्वर्णस्तेयादिपातकैः । अष्टवक्त्रो महासेन साक्षाद्देवो विनायकः ॥ १७ ॥ अन्तकूटं तूलकूटं स्वर्णकूटं तथैव च । दुष्टान्वयस्त्रियं वाथ संस्पृशंश्च गुरुस्त्रियम् ॥ १८ ॥ एवमादीनि पापानि हन्ति सर्वाणि धारणात् । विघ्नास्तस्य प्रणश्यन्ति याति चान्ते परं पदम् ॥ १९ ॥ भवन्त्येते गुणाः सर्वे ह्यष्टवक्त्रस्य धारणात् । नववक्त्रो भैरवस्तु धारयेद्वामबाहुके ॥ २० ॥ भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदः प्रोक्तो मम तुल्यबलो भवेत् । भ्रूणहत्यासहस्राणि ब्रह्महत्याशतानि च ॥ २१ ॥ सद्यः प्रलयमायान्ति नववक्त्रस्य धारणात् । दशवक्त्रस्तु देवेशः साक्षाद्देवो जनार्दनः ॥ २२ ॥ ग्रहाश्चैव पिशाचाश्च वेताला ब्रह्मराक्षसाः । पन्नगाश्चोपशाम्यन्ति दशवक्त्रस्य धारणात् ॥ २३ ॥ वक्त्रैकादशरुद्राक्षो रुद्रैकादशकं स्मृतम् । शिखायां धारयेद्यो वै तस्य पुण्यफलं शृणु ॥ २४ ॥ अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य वाजपेयशतस्य च । गवां शतसहस्रस्य सम्यग्दत्तस्य यत्फलम् ॥ २५ ॥ तत्फलं लभते शीघ्रं वक्त्रैकादशधारणात् । द्वादशास्यस्य रुद्राक्षस्यैव कर्णे तु धारणात् ॥ २६ ॥ आदित्यास्तोषिता नित्यं द्वादशास्ये व्यवस्थिताः । गोभेधे चाश्वमेधे च यत्फलं तदवाप्नुयात् ॥ २७ ॥ शृङ्‌गिणां शस्त्रिणां चैव व्याघ्रादीनां भयं न हि । न च व्याधिभयं तस्य नैव चाधिः प्रकीर्तितः ॥ २८ ॥ न च किञ्चिद्‍भयं तस्य न च व्याधिः प्रवर्तते । न कुतश्चिद्‍भयं तस्य सुखी चैवेश्वरो भवेत् ॥ २९ ॥ हस्त्यश्वमृगमार्जारसर्पमूषकदर्दुरान् । खरांश्च श्वशृगालांश्च हत्वा बहुविधानपि ॥ ३० ॥ मुच्यते नात्र सन्देहो वक्त्रद्वादशधारणात् । वक्त्रत्रयोदशो वत्स रुद्राक्षो यदि लभ्यते ॥ ३१ ॥ कार्तिकेयसमो ज्ञेयः सर्वकामार्थसिद्धिदः । रसो रसायनं चैव तस्य सर्वं प्रसिद्ध्यति ॥ ३२ ॥ तस्यैव सर्वभोग्यानि नात्र कार्या विचारणा । मातरं पितरं चैव भ्रातरं वा निहन्ति यः ॥ ३३ ॥ मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो धारणात्तस्य षण्मुख । चतुर्दशास्यो रुद्राक्षो यदि लभ्येत पुत्रक ॥ ३४ ॥ धारयेत्सततं मूर्ध्नि तस्य पिण्डः शिवस्य तु । किं मुने बहुनोक्तेन वर्णनेन पुनः पुनः ॥ ३५ ॥ पूज्यते सन्ततं देवैः प्राप्यते च परा गतिः । रुद्राक्ष एकः शिरसा धार्यो भक्त्या द्विजोत्तमैः ॥ ३६ ॥ षड्‌विंशद्‌भिः शिरोमाला पञ्चाशद्‌धृदयेन तु । कलाक्षैर्बाहुवलये अर्काक्षैर्मणिबन्धनम् ॥ ३७ ॥ अष्टोत्तरशतैर्माला पञ्चाशद्‌भिः षडानन । अथवा सप्तविंशत्या कृत्वा रुद्राक्षमालिकाम् ॥ ३८ ॥ धारणाद्वा जपाद्वापि ह्यनन्तं फलमश्नुते । अष्टोत्तरशतैर्माला रुद्राक्षैर्धार्यते यदि ॥ ३९ ॥ क्षणे क्षणेऽश्वमेधस्य फलं प्राप्नोति षण्मुख । त्रिःसप्तकुलमुद्धृत्य शिवलोके महीयते ॥ ४० ॥

rudrākṣamāhātmyavarṇanam nārada uvāca evaṃbhūtānubhāvo'yaṃ rudrākṣo bhavatānagha | varṇito mahatāṃ pūjyaḥ kāraṇaṃ tatra kiṃ vada || 1 || śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca evameva purā pṛṣṭo bhagavān giriśaḥ prabhuḥ | ṣaṇmukhena ca rudrastaṃ yaduvāca śṛṇuṣva tat || 2 || īśvara uvāca śṛṇu ṣaṇmukha tattvena kathayāmi samāsataḥ | tripuro nāma daityastu purā''sītsarvadurjayaḥ || 3 || jitāstena surāḥ sarve bahmaviṣṇvādidevatāḥ | sarvaistu kathite tasmiṃstadāhaṃ tripuraṃ prati || 4 || acintayaṃ mahāśastramaghorākhyaṃ manoharam | sarvadevamayaṃ divyaṃ jvalantaṃ ghorarūpi yat || 5 || tripurasya vadhārthāya devānāṃ tāraṇāya ca | sarvavighnopaśamanamaghorāstramacintayam || 6 || divyavarṣasahasraṃ tu cakṣurunmīlitaṃ mayā | paścānmamākulākṣibhyaḥ patitā jalabindavaḥ || 7 || tatrāśrubinduto jātā mahārudrākṣavṛkṣakāḥ | mamājñayā mahāsena sarveṣāṃ hitakāmyayā || 8 || babhūvuste ca rudrākṣā aṣṭatriṃśatprabhedataḥ | sūryanetrasamud‌bhūtāḥ kapilā dvādaśa smṛtāḥ || 9 || somanetrotthitāḥ śvetāste ṣoḍaśavidhāḥ kramāt | vahninetrod‍bhavāḥ kṛṣṇā daśa bhedā bhavanti hi || 10 || śvetavarṇaśca rudrākṣo jātito brāhma ucyate | kṣātro raktastathā miśro vaiśyaḥ kṛṣṇastu śūdrakaḥ || 11 || ekavaktraḥ śivaḥ sākṣādbrahmahatyāṃ vyapohati | dvivaktro devadevyo syād‌vividhaṃ nāśayedagham || 12 || trivaktrastvanalaḥ sākṣātstrīhatyāṃ dahati kṣaṇāt | caturvaktraḥ svayaṃ brahmā narahatyāṃ vyapohati || 13 || pañcavaktraḥ svayaṃ rudraḥ kālāgnirnāma nāmataḥ | abhakṣyabhakṣaṇod‌bhūtairagamyāgamanod‍bhavaiḥ || 14 || mucyate sarvapāpaistu pañcavaktrasya dhāraṇāt | ṣaḍvaktraḥ kārtikeyastu sa dhāryo dakṣiṇe kare || 15 || brahmahatyādibhiḥ pāpairmucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ | saptavaktro mahābhāgo hyanaṅ‌go nāma nāmataḥ || 16 || taddhāraṇānmucyate hi svarṇasteyādipātakaiḥ | aṣṭavaktro mahāsena sākṣāddevo vināyakaḥ || 17 || antakūṭaṃ tūlakūṭaṃ svarṇakūṭaṃ tathaiva ca | duṣṭānvayastriyaṃ vātha saṃspṛśaṃśca gurustriyam || 18 || evamādīni pāpāni hanti sarvāṇi dhāraṇāt | vighnāstasya praṇaśyanti yāti cānte paraṃ padam || 19 || bhavantyete guṇāḥ sarve hyaṣṭavaktrasya dhāraṇāt | navavaktro bhairavastu dhārayedvāmabāhuke || 20 || bhuktimuktipradaḥ prokto mama tulyabalo bhavet | bhrūṇahatyāsahasrāṇi brahmahatyāśatāni ca || 21 || sadyaḥ pralayamāyānti navavaktrasya dhāraṇāt | daśavaktrastu deveśaḥ sākṣāddevo janārdanaḥ || 22 || grahāścaiva piśācāśca vetālā brahmarākṣasāḥ | pannagāścopaśāmyanti daśavaktrasya dhāraṇāt || 23 || vaktraikādaśarudrākṣo rudraikādaśakaṃ smṛtam | śikhāyāṃ dhārayedyo vai tasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu || 24 || aśvamedhasahasrasya vājapeyaśatasya ca | gavāṃ śatasahasrasya samyagdattasya yatphalam || 25 || tatphalaṃ labhate śīghraṃ vaktraikādaśadhāraṇāt | dvādaśāsyasya rudrākṣasyaiva karṇe tu dhāraṇāt || 26 || ādityāstoṣitā nityaṃ dvādaśāsye vyavasthitāḥ | gobhedhe cāśvamedhe ca yatphalaṃ tadavāpnuyāt || 27 || śṛṅ‌giṇāṃ śastriṇāṃ caiva vyāghrādīnāṃ bhayaṃ na hi | na ca vyādhibhayaṃ tasya naiva cādhiḥ prakīrtitaḥ || 28 || na ca kiñcid‍bhayaṃ tasya na ca vyādhiḥ pravartate | na kutaścid‍bhayaṃ tasya sukhī caiveśvaro bhavet || 29 || hastyaśvamṛgamārjārasarpamūṣakadardurān | kharāṃśca śvaśṛgālāṃśca hatvā bahuvidhānapi || 30 || mucyate nātra sandeho vaktradvādaśadhāraṇāt | vaktratrayodaśo vatsa rudrākṣo yadi labhyate || 31 || kārtikeyasamo jñeyaḥ sarvakāmārthasiddhidaḥ | raso rasāyanaṃ caiva tasya sarvaṃ prasiddhyati || 32 || tasyaiva sarvabhogyāni nātra kāryā vicāraṇā | mātaraṃ pitaraṃ caiva bhrātaraṃ vā nihanti yaḥ || 33 || mucyate sarvapāpebhyo dhāraṇāttasya ṣaṇmukha | caturdaśāsyo rudrākṣo yadi labhyeta putraka || 34 || dhārayetsatataṃ mūrdhni tasya piṇḍaḥ śivasya tu | kiṃ mune bahunoktena varṇanena punaḥ punaḥ || 35 || pūjyate santataṃ devaiḥ prāpyate ca parā gatiḥ | rudrākṣa ekaḥ śirasā dhāryo bhaktyā dvijottamaiḥ || 36 || ṣaḍ‌viṃśad‌bhiḥ śiromālā pañcāśad‌dhṛdayena tu | kalākṣairbāhuvalaye arkākṣairmaṇibandhanam || 37 || aṣṭottaraśatairmālā pañcāśad‌bhiḥ ṣaḍānana | athavā saptaviṃśatyā kṛtvā rudrākṣamālikām || 38 || dhāraṇādvā japādvāpi hyanantaṃ phalamaśnute | aṣṭottaraśatairmālā rudrākṣairdhāryate yadi || 39 || kṣaṇe kṣaṇe'śvamedhasya phalaṃ prāpnoti ṣaṇmukha | triḥsaptakulamuddhṛtya śivaloke mahīyate || 40 ||

English translation

1-11. Narada said O Sinless one! The greatness of the Rudraksa seed that you have described is verily such. Now I ask why is this Rudraksam so much entitled to worship by the people. Please speak clearly on this point. Narayana spoke O Child! This is the very question that was asked once by Kartika, the sixfaced One, to Bhagavan Rudra, dwelling in Kailas'a. What He replied, I say now. Listen. Rudra Deva spoke O Child Sadanana. I will dwell briefly on the secret cause of the greatness of the Rudraksa seed. Hear. In days of yore, there was a Daitya called Tripura who could not be conquered by any body. Brahma, Visnu and the other Devas were defeated by him. They then came to Me and requested Me to kill the Asura. At their request, I called in my mind the Divine Great weapon, named Aghora, beautiful and terrible and containing the strength of all the Devas, to kill him. It was inconceivable and it was blazing with fire.

For full divine one thousand years I remained awake with eyelids wide open in thinking of the Aghora weapon, the destroyer of all obstacles, whereby the killing of Tripurasura might be effected and the troubles of the Devas be removed. Not for a moment my eyelids dropped. There by my eyes were affected and drops of water came out of my eyes. Note here. How enemies are to be killed. It requires great thought, great concentration, great yoga and great powers. O Mahasena! From those drops of water coming out of my eyes, the great tree of Rudraksam did spring for the welfare of all. This Rudraksa seed is of thirty-eight varieties. From My Surya Netra, i.e.. My right eye, symbolizing the Sun, twelve yellow coloured (Pingala colour) varieties have come; and from my left eye representing the Moon, the Soma Netra, sixteen varieties of white colour and from my third eye on the top, representing Fire, i.e., the Agni Netra, ten varieties of black colour have come out. Of these the white

Rudraksams are Brahmins and they are used by the Brahmanas; the red coloured ones are the Ksattriyas and should be used by the Ksattriyas and the black ones are S’udras and should be used by the Vaisyas and the S’udras.

12-19. One faced Rudraksa seed is the S’iva Himself, made manifest and rendered vivid; even the sin incurred in killing a Brahmana is destroyed thereby. Two faced or two headed Rudraksam is like the Deva and the Devi. Two sorts of sins are destroyed thereby. The three faced Rudraksam is like fire; the sin incurred in killing a woman is destroyed in a moment. The four faced Rudraksa seed is like Brahma and removes the sin of killing persons. The five faced Rudraksam is verily an image of Rudra; all sorts of sins, e.g., eating prohibited food, going to the ungoables, etc., are destroyed thereby. The six faced Rudraksam is Kartikeya. It is to be worn on the right hand. One becomes freed of the Brahmahatya sin. There is no manner of doubt in this. The seven faced Rudraksam is named Ananga. Holding this frees one from the sin of stealing gold, etc., O Mahasena! The eight faced Rudraksa is Vinayaka. Holding this frees one from the sin of holding an illicit contact with a woman of a bad family and with the wife of one's Guru, etc., and other sins as well. It enables one to acquire heaps of food, cotton, and gold; and in the end the Highest Place is attained.

20-35. The fruit of holding the eight faced Rudraksa seed has been said. Now I will talk of the nine-faced Rudraksam. It is verily the Bhairava made manifest. On the left hand it should be worn. By this, the people get both Bhoga (enjoyment) and Moksa (liberation) and they become powerful like Me and get themselves freed at once, without the least delay, of the sins incurred by committing thousands of abortions, hundreds of Brahmahattyas (killing the Brahmanas). Holding the ten-faced Rudraksa is verily wearing Janardana, the Deva of the Devas. The holding of which pacifies the evils caused by

planets, Pis'achas, Vetalas, Brahma Raksasas, and Pannagas. The eleven-faced Rudraksam is like the Eleven Rudras. The fruits, the efficacy of which I now describe. Hear. The fruits obtained through the performance of one thousand horse sacrifices, one hundred Vajapeya sacrifices, and making gifts of one hundred thousand cows are obtained thereby.

If one wears the twelve-headed Rudraksam on one's ear, the Adityas get satisfied. The fruits of performing Gomedha and As'vamedha sacrifices are obtained thereby. No fear comes from burned buffaloes, armed enemies and wolves and tigers and other murderous animals. Also the several diseases of the body never come to him. The holder of the twelve-faced Rudraksa seed feels always happy and he is the master of some kingdoms He becomes freed of the sins incurred in killing elephants, horses, deer, cats, snakes, mice, frogs, asses, foxes and various other animals.

O Child! The thirteen faced Rudraksam is very rare; if anybody gets it, he becomes like Karti Keya and gets all desires fulfilled; and the eight siddhis are under his grasp. He learns how to make gold, silver and other metals; he attains all sorts of enjoyments. There is no manner of doubt in this. O Sadanana! If anybody holds the thirteen faced Rudraksam, he becomes freed from the sins incurred in killing mother, father and brothers.

O Son! If one holds on one's head the fourteen faced Rudraksam always, one becomes like S’iva. O Muni! What more shall I speak to you! The Devas pay their respects to one holding the fourteen faced Rudraksas and he in the end attains the Highest Goal, the state of S’iva. His body becomes verily the body of S’iva.

36-40. The Devas always worship the Rudraksa seed; the highest goal is attained by wearing the Rudraksam. The Brahmanas should hold on their heads at least one Rudraksam with devotion. A rosary of twenty-six Rudraksams is to be made and tied on the head. Similarly a rosary of fifty seeds is to be worn and suspended on the breast; sixteen each on each of the two arms; twenty-four Rudraksams to be worn on the wrists, twelve on each. O Sadanana! If a rosary be made of one hundred and eight, fifty or twenty-seven Rudraksams and if japam be done with that, immeasurable merits are obtained. If anybody wears a rosary of one hundred and eight seeds, he gets at every moment the fruit of performing the As'vamedha sacrifices and uplifts his twenty-one generations and finally he resides in the S’iva Loka.

Here ends the Fourth Chapter of the Eleventh Book on the Greatness of the Rudraksam in the Mahapuranam S'ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24055, revision 84650 (2016-10-07T17:10:23Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk11ch04.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.