|| Om Nama: Shivaya ||

Chapter – 13–Vindhyeshwara Samhitha -1

Adhyantha Mangalamajatha Samanabhavamaryam Thameeshamajaramaram Athmadevam | Panchananam Prabala Panchavinodhasheelam  Sambhavaye  Manasi Shankaram Ambikesham ||

I shall offer humble salutation to Lord Ganesha.  I shall prostrate before supreme Lord Shankara along with Goddess Ambika, he is the Lord of Goddess Paramambika, symbolizes Universe and its living beings, and welfare of the Universe.  He is Lord of Lords who is free from worldly bondage, he has neither birth nor death, he has five faces and has supreme brilliance, he is competent to destroy five types of grave sins and capable to provide Mukthi.

Dharmakshethre  Mahakshethre Ganga Kalindi Sangamey | Prayage  Parame Punye  Bhramalokasya Varththmini ||

Maharishi Vedavyasa speaks “  The highly auspicious land on Earth, Prayagraj is known as Dharmakshethra as well as Mahakshethra where the  rivers Ganga, and Kalindi confluences, is the Kshethra where the pathways to Bhramaloka begins, this is the place where the supreme ascetics, and the illustrious Sages who has profound knowledge in scriptures, and truthful, performs numerous fire sacrifices relentlessly.  Sutha Pauranika, who has profound knowledge in scriptures, the foremost disciple of Maharishi Veda Vyasa came to know about the fire sacrifices conducted by the illustrious Rishis and Sages in Prayagaraj, thus he arrived in this sacred land was received with delight and honor by the ascetics and Rishis assembled.” 

The Sages assembled approached Suthapauranika with folded hands and prostrated before him and reverentially speaks “ Oh! Sarvajja, Oh! Romaharshana, we are fortunate to receive you with great honor, you are the treasure house of all the sacred scriptures, same as the ocean which is the treasure house of gems and precious pearls.  You are the knower of past, present, and future.  It is definite that you will not leave this place without providing enormous goodness to us; therefore your arrival itself is a great fortune to us.  We had several opportunities to listen to the glorious myth which describes auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, but we are not satisfied yet, we want to listen to more and more glorious myths of scriptures from you.  Oh! Sutha, who has profound knowledge in scripture, kindly narrates the legend which is appropriate to listen in this Kaliyuga.  The people have become wicked and indulge in immoral activities, dishonest, killing each other due to the influence evil effects of the Kali era.  The people are treating the body as soul/I consciousness, they have become dull, disbelievers, behaving like animals, disgracing their own parents, completely under the influence of their wives, and remains passionate.  The Brahmanas have become greedy, engaged in selling the knowledge of Veda, devoted their time to gain wealth, and remain swollen with the pride of a handful of knowledge.  They are not following Varnnashrama Dharma, engaged in wicked deeds,  not performing Sun worship thrice a day, thereby deprived the knowledge of Bhramam.  They consider themselves as learned, in spite of being a fool, they are performing austerities or vow, occupied themselves in the cultivation in agricultural fields.  They have become short-tempered and deceitful natured.  The Kshatriyas have become devoid of righteousness, they stand with the people who do not follow Dharma, they perform various sinful deeds and remain extremely wicked.  They have become cowards by nature; they stay away from battlefields and flee from Warfield without shame.   They earn living by stealing wealth from others.   The Shudras remains passionate and dull without the knowledge of usage of weapons, they discard their duties serving Bhramins and cows, and they live like animals.  They refuse to serve the people, instead, they engage in worldly pleasures.  They have become the cause for the destruction of creatures and remain extremely wicked nature.  The Vaishyas are deprived of their Dharma, they will follow unfair means in earning wealth, and they manipulate the entire trade to accumulate wealth.  They won’t be devoted to Lord, Bhramans or the preceptor.  They would become miser, will not perform any charities or serve meals to Brahmanas.  They take immense pleasure in several marriages, illicit relationships with women and men.  The men remarry and enjoy the company of women as husband and vice versa.  They will remain swollen with pride and illusion; they won’t perform any charitable deeds like digging well or construction of gardens.  The Shudras behaves like Bhramana, with their charming appearance in spite of being a fool; they would discard their religion and duties.  They conduct austerities and vows, in this way they steal the splendor of Bhramanas, they perform ablutions of Salagrama, and Shivaling, they conduct Yajjas and fire sacrifices without impurities of mind or ingredients, with wicked nature.  They accumulate wealth and engage in evil deeds, they become learned but engage in publicizing negative descriptions of scriptures and Dharma, in this way they destroy the remaining Dharma in the society.  They present themselves as rich and generous, engage in all kind of brutal deeds, become haughty and arrogant, they treat the twice-born, and consider them as servants and expose themselves as Masters of twice-born.  They immensely contribute to the destruction of Dharma and Varnnashrama in the society; they remain extremely deceitful, and arrogant.  They portrait themselves as worthy and compel others to follow them, they force others to leave righteousness, and these fools will act like Bhramin.  The women in the Kali era indulge in various immoral deeds shamelessly. They will not follow the words of their husbands or promises to him, always keep enmity upon their parents-in-law, they become fearless to act and consume things which are prohibited.  They engage in appalling deeds, they will be short-tempered, take pleasure in the illicit relationship with men and speak against their husbands.  The children will not be interested in the service of parents, they engage in evil deeds, and practice harmful activities which destroy the righteousness in the society, they suffer from various kinds of ailments at a young age.”

The Rishis and Sages continued “ Oh! Sutha, what would be the fate of the people who discard to follow their own Varna Ashrama Dharma?  How did they achieve salvation?  We are extremely worried about the people in the Kali era, definitely, there is nothing could save other than Paropakara/selfless deeds and Dharma.  Oh! Sutha, you are well-versed in all the scriptures, kindly narrate the easiest method that could wash away the sins of people in the Kali era.”

Maharishi Vedavyasa speaks “ Sutha Pauranika after listening to the qualms of illustrious Rishis and Sages, immersed in contemplation upon supreme Lord Shiva and began to speak.”