Things I found interesting for various reasons in the shivapurANa in my casual study of it

vidyeshvarasaMhitA

  1. 13.54-55-j~nAna acquired through tapasyA was recommended in satyayuga,treta too tapasyA,sacrifice in the dvApara and mUrti-pUjA in kaliyuga
  2. 13.72-73 How to utilize one’s earned artha:Divide it into three parts,1/3rd for dharma(nitya,naimittika and kAmya karmas),1/3rd for vR^iddhi(increase wealth),1/3rd for bhoga(enjoy the wealth in pure/legitimate ways)
  3. 14.35 To ward off apamR^ityu,homa with gingelly seeds to rudra should be done on Saturdays
  4. 16.21 Propitiating vinAyaka is a way to have all of one’s wishes granted. Especially good days to begin His worship are Fridays,4th day of shuklapakSha of shrAvanamAsa+bhAdra+shatabhisha nakShatra in dhanurmAsa/worshipped continuously for 100 or 1000 days.
  5. 23:Glorification of shivanAma
  6. 24:Greatness of bhasma
  7. 25.43 A shivabhakta should refrain from meat,garlic,onion,red garlic,pork,liquors.
  8. 25.76 A 10-faced rudrAkSha is emblematic of janArdana(viShNu),and is worn by the mantra OM hrIM namaH

rudrasaMhitA

  1. 4.45 The name shiva blazing like a forest fire reduces mountains of heaps of great sins to ashes effortlessly
  2. 4.50-54 shiva’s names glorified
  3. 4.57 ekAntika bhakti to shiva and not any other else advised by nArAyaNa
  4. 6.20 IshvarashaktI—>pradhAna/prakR^iti/mAyA
  5. 21.8 She is 8 armed,face with splendour of 1000 moons,with 1000s of stars around Her face
  6. 6.33-38 Both shiva and viShNu have the ability to give mokSha
  7. 13th chapter:A shiva pUjA vidhi which has no restrictions as far as I could see(as none of the mantras are vaidika)
  8. 14.36:-Except champaka/ketaka,all other flowers can be used to worship mahAdeva.
  9. 29.48 The syllables ‘shi’ and ‘va’ said together even once casually dispel all sins.
  10. 33.11/12 mahAkAlI sets out with vIrabhadra to destroy dakSha’s yaj~na accompanied by 9 durgAs:kAlI,kAtyAyanI,IshAnI,chAmuNDA,muNDamAlinI,bhadrakAlI,bhadrA,tvaritA and vaiShNavI
  11. 33.31-32 The purANa notes that even those who depend on knowledge,eschewal of IshvarabhaktI is going to make them fall into naraka and remain there for hundreds of crores of kalpas. Those who solely depend on action are bound by its nooses,born in lives after lives and are finally scorched and tormented in hells.
  12. 36.66-Another instance of hariharAbheda
  13. 37.49:-vIrabhadra cuts off sarasvatI’s nose-tip
  14. 38.34:-An inteteresting dhyAna

shatarudrasaMhitA

  1. 9.15 ‘He who repeats mahAdeva’s names is freed from the bondage of the body he has acquired’
  2. 9.34 ‘Even after committing a great sin if a person remembers Hin who is the AdhAra and support of the worlds,his sins are quelled’
  3.  16:-The tale of the kenopanishad retold for suggesting shivaparatvam(as yakSheshvara)
  4. 17th chapter:-A late interpolation(it knows of a text tantrasAra+a non-shaiva appearance on a predominantly distinctly smArta shaiva text,featuring mahAvidyAs)

koTirudrasaMhitA

  1.  7th chapter:R^iShikA the chaste brahmin widow asks for two things:That She be forever devoted at rudra’s feet+to stay permanently at the spot of Her penance

9th chapter:How a woman attains good by uttering shivanAma unwittingly.

umAsaMhitA

  1. 20.47-54(Particularly 50,51 and 52nd shlokas of this adhyaya):Those who repeat the names of shiva need not be afraid of hell or yama. The two syllables of ‘shiva’ constitute the packet of food required for paralokagamana.It is the means of mokSha free from worries and the abode of all merits. It is only the nAma of shiva that subdues and quells the ocean of karmans.
  2. 42nd chapter contains a praise of shiva nAMa as well,and some other details.

kaliAsasaMhitA

  1. 11th chapter(shloka 22-37):vAmadeva’s stuti to skanda,beloved of gajavalli
  2. 13.62:shiva utters the praNava to those who die in kAshi and they get liberated
  3. 32nd chapter is a kinda a pAshupatayoga sort of chapter.It specifically calls its rite the nAmAShTakayoga(and explains the names involved).It’s also aware of the siddhAnta(mentions kAmikAgAma by name).
  4. Chapter 34-35:An account of the prince of shivabhaktas amongst the R^ishis upamanyu. upamanyu is the son of the sage vyAghrapAda. upamanyu at the end prays for devotion and always being near umAdhava.
  5.  Part 2 of the kailAsa saMhitA: Chapter 2,the kenopanishadic tale is repeated
  6.  Part 2:Chapter 11.27-37:Description of features of shivabhaktas
  7.  Part 2: Chapter 11.53-54 Speaking on the imporatance of concentrating the mind on mahAdeva by any means
  8.  Part 2: Chapter 12.37 A person who is steady in the japa of the pa~nchAkShara is released from sins whether he be a shudra,a person of a low birth,a fool or a learned man.
  9. Part 2:Chapter 13:Greatness of the pa~nchAkSharI
  10.  Part 2:Chapter 14.62-74 was what I noted as highly interesting.
  11.  Part 2:Chapter 25.63: O kR^iShNa,a low born,base or a fool if he resorts to shiva is worthy of being worshipped by devas and asuras.
  12.  Part 2:Chapter 43:A dhyAna of agnideva.Three feet,seven hands,4 horns,two heads,3 eyes per head,with matted hair,moon on crest,tawny as honey,with red garments,holding sruc,sruva,club,fan,vessel of ghee

Personal note:The most complete dhyAna of agni I have seen is this one

sapta hastaH chatuH shrR^i~NgaH sapta jihvo dvi shlrShakaH|
tripAt.h prasanna vadanaH sukhAsInaH shuchi smitaH||
svAhAM tu daxiNe pArshve devIM vAme svadhAM tathA |
bibhrat.h daxiNa hastaistu shaktimannaM sruchaM sruvaM ||
tAmaraM vyajanaM vAmaiH ghR A itapAtraM cha dhArayan.h|
meShArDho jaTAbaddho gauravarNo mahau jasaH ||
dhrUmra dhvajo lohitAxaH saptArchiH sarvakAmadaH ||
AtmAbhimukhamAsInaH evaM rUpo hutAshanaH II

 

-iti shivaM-

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