Once upon a time, in a prosperous kingdom, there lived a Brahmin by the name of Devartha. He was a learned and devout person who was held in high regard by his peers and was regularly invited to perform religious rituals around the kingdom.
Devartha had a daughter by the name of Sharada. She was a beautiful girl, with lotus eyes. Her parents cherished their only girl and showered great love on her. Always obedient, and ever so good-natured, she was loved by all her friends and family.
When Sharada attained the age of twelve, her father found a suitable groom for her, a young Brahmin boy named Padmanabha.
Padmanabha, in spite of his young age, was a learned scholar in how own right. In many debates on the shastras that were organised in the King's court, he had won many accolades and through debates had proved the superiority of the Sanatana Dharma, over other faiths. He was a good-natured and kind-hearted person, and certainly a suitable match for Sharada.
The wedding preparations began in great earnest, and as is the case with weddings, the day approached faster and faster, and finally, on the auspicious day chosen by adept astrologers, Sharada and Padmanabha were married with great pomp and festivities, in a traditional Sanatan wedding, officiated by learned priests. As was the custom in those days, Padmanabha stayed with his in-laws for a few weeks after the marriage.
A few days after the marriage, Padmanabha was returning back from the river after having offered the sandhya-vandanam. It was getting dark and it was difficult to see in the thicket of the forest. He stumbled and fell to the ground, and while falling gravely injured his leg.
He looked to see how badly he was hurt. There was a large gash ad the blood flow would not stop no matter how much pressure he applied. He let out a cry for help with all the strength he had left but it was already too late. Padmanabha closed his eyes and his strength left him, and lay there, still, on the floor of the forest, at the foot of the trees.
His cry was heard in the village and a rescue party made haste to the source. Sharada and her parents also went. There they encountered a terrible sight. Padmanabha's lifeless body lay there on the floor of the forest. Sharada, a new bride, married just a few weeks ago, was now a widow.
The entire village wept. Their dear Sharada; how had fate been so uncruel to such a sweet girl. She was but a child, with hopes and dreams of a wonderful life with her husband, that were woven in her mind, now lay in tatters.
After the funeral rites had been completed, Sharada's family brought her home.
Sharada now stood in her home with her loved ones and wept. She wailed and threw herself to the ground while her mother held her close to her bosom and wept with her.
It had been a few months since Padmanabha's passing. The family had slowly begun to accept the hand that fate had dealt Sharada.
Sharadha had herself shown great fortitude, uncommon for a child and had thrown herself into the study of the shastras, with her father and into household work, with her mother.
Once, when all the family was away, and Sharada was alone at home, the renowned rishi, Naidhruva, visited their home. The seer had performed many great austerities and had the power to bestow boons through his blessings. He was old and blind, and eagerly served by his obedient disciples, but the divine effulgence that was a result of years and years of tapascharya, emanated from every pore of his being.
When Sharada was growing up, she had seen how her father and mother welcomed and honored many great sages who had graced their home. She was well aware of the protocol and set out to offer seva, to the best of her abilities to these atithis.
Rishi Naidhruva was greatly pleased with the service and devotion of the young girl and uttered, "May you be blessed with a son adept in the Vedic teachings".
What sort of blessing was this!?
The great sage had truly made a grave error in understanding Sharada's situation. Sharada was a widow and she would not remarry. How then could she beget a child?
Sharada, once a cheerful girl, now a stoic, smiled and narrated the story of her widowhood to the rishi.
The rishi, with great certainty in his voice, and a confidence that can only come from having realised the self, said, "My words will never ring untrue."
"Any word that I utter, is bound to give fruit. This is the power that I attained through my austerities. What is deemed impossible, my words shall make possible!".
When Sharada's family returned home, she narrated the entire incident to them. Her parents did not know how to react. Was this a boon or a curse!? How could their daughter conceive without a husband?
The blessings of a sage are rare, divine, and pure. They can bestow upon a pauper the kingdom of Indra.
Similarly, a curse from an angered sage can turn to ashes, entire generations of families.
It was a curse that turned King Nahusha into a snake, and destroyed from its roots the Yadu dynasty!?
A curse from a Brahmini was the cause of Shakra losing his fortune to the seas. It was an enraged Brahmin that forced Murari to take birth as Rishi Amba.
Even Hari and Hara recognise the power of a Brahmin's curse. It was a Brahmin's curse that turned Maharaj Parikshit into ashes.
The great sage Jamadagni cursed his four sons in anger, and they turned to ashes. Kind Pandu, the father of the valiant Pandavas, was cursed that he would die if he had sex, and that resulted in his death when he enjoyed his wife Madri.
A curse from a vipra has great power. Sixty thousand Sagar's were burnt by a curse. The sons of Kuber were turned into trees by the curse of Devrishi Narada.
Not even Lord Shrikirshna was spared and he along with the Yadu dynasty was destroyed by Gandhari's curse.
The great king Dandaka was turned into ashes in an instant when he was cursed. It was a curse that gave tuberculosis to the son of Rishi Atri.
A blessing can turn a stone into a God, and a beggar into Indra. When a powerful rishi showers some grains of unbroken rice charged with powerful mantras, even a mute can sing like the Gandharvas.
A Brahmin who performs austerities is worshippable in all three worlds. He can destroy and create the entire universe if he so desires.
Rishi Naidhruva instructed Sharadha, "Listen my child! You shall observe the Uma-Maheshwara Vrata, and perform japa of the six-syllable mantra Om Namah Shivaya every day.
He continued, "I shall stay in this village until the vrata bears fruit".
Sharada and her family paid obeisances at the feet of Rishi Naidhruva. Arrangements were made by the villagers for the rishi and his disciples. The villagers felt fortunate that such a great sage would grace their village with his presence, and they left no stone unturned to provide them all comforts.
Rishi Naidhruva instructed Sharada, "The Uma-Maheshwara Vrata must be commenced in the month of chaitra or margashirsha. It must be commenced and continued to be performed in the bright half of the lunar fortnight, the shukla paksha".
"You must identify a suitable somavar (monday) with an auspicious muhurta, and it must be ashtami, or chaturdashi when you begin the vrata. Your worshippable deity will be Uma-Maheshwara, and you will lovingly offer them shodashopchar pooja for an entire year".
After having received instruction from her Guru, Sharada began the vrata and continued to follow his instructions diligently. Rishi Naidhruva initiated her into the Shadakshari Mantra, Om Namah Shivaya which she chanted regularly with great love and devotion.
Sharada established her prayer altar as instructed. In it, she placed gold deities of Devi Uma and Lord Maheshwara, and began her daily worship. She regularly worshipped and offered dana to brahmins, sadhus, and married women with great devotion and received their blessings. She also performed annadanam on a grand scale regularly. She organised jagran, listened to Puranas, and chanted ecstatically in kirtan.
With full faith in the words of her Guru, Sharada followed all of his instructions diligently.
During her worship of Uma-Maheshwara, she meditated on the form of Lord Shiva as follows:
The merciful and compassionate Shiva is white like camphor and is brighter than ten million suns. He is the source of all creation. He is adorned with the moon on His forehead, with matted locks on His head, and the nagas, that bear precious stones on their heads, are his ornaments. Devi Ganga, the source of liberation in this world, flows from an opening in His matted locks.
Our Mahadev has smeared ashes on His body and wears a garland made of heads around His neck. He bears a third eye in the middle of His brow, and His throat is blue for he holds the halahala to protect His creation. He is known as Neelakantha.
Our Lord Shambhu has ten hands that hold the Trishul, Damaru, Pasha, Ankusha, Khatwanga, Ghanta, Naga, Lotus, and Deer. He is wearing the skin torn from the body of the demon Gajasura.
Shri Vrushabharudha is seated on Nandikeshwara who is whiter and grander than even Airavata, the kind of the elephant and is the steed of Indra.
Our Lord Nageshwara has adorned in His ears, as earrings, the great Nagas, Shesha, and Takshaka. Around His neck, He wears Vasuki, the king of the Nagas.
The majesty of His court on Kailasa is unparalleled in all creation.
Having meditated thus on Lord Shiva, Sharada now meditated on the form of Uma Devi.
The Goddess is beautiful with no parallel to her beauty in all creation. She is seated beside Her consort, Lord Maheshwara. In her four arms, she holds the Ankusha, Pasha, Gada, and Padma. Her complexion is like the white jasmine flower. Her eyes are lotus shaped with beautiful and delicate eyebrows. She is more radiant than even the twelve Adityas.
There is no blemish to her beauty. Not even Manmatha can fathom Her rupa in its entirety and is the connoisseur of all that is beautiful in the creation.
A sweet scent emanates from Her and permeates not only the universe but expands outside the universe into the space between the universes.
Her firm and shapely bosom is the kamandalu that nourishes Ganesha and Kumara.
The Devi Tripurasundari is adorned with precious stones and jewels that are nowhere to be found in the entire universe.
Always rushing to the aid of Her devotees, She is the primordial Mother of creation itself.
She is the Shakti of the Adi Purusha who creates, destroys, and re-creates the universes in a cyclical play.
Just like the sacred confluence of the holy Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati at Prayag, the long and lustrous locks of Her hair intertwine along the length of her back. They are decorated with white flowers.
Her feet are adorned with anklets that, when the Devi walks, have the power to entrap the mind of even Shiva in meditation.
Contemplating thus on the forms of Uma and Maheshwara, Sharada performed the Uma-Maheshwara Vrata. At the end of the year, Rishi Naidhruva instructed her on the performance of the udyapana, to formally mark the completion of her vrata, as prescribed in the Shastras. Sharada made offerings of clothes and jewelry to eleven hundred married couples and worshipped them as representations of Uma-Maheshwara.
After all the rituals were complete, Sharada sat with her Guru and performed the japa of her mantra, Om Namah Shivaya.
Just then, Devi Bhavani appeared before them.
Rishi Naidhruva and Sharada were ecstatic and fell at Devi's feet. The great Rishi was bestowed sight and could now see.
While all this transpired in broad daylight, Devi's maya was such that only Rishi Naidhruva and Sharada could see Her and hear Her speak, for it was the privilege that She had granted them.
As the Devi stood in front of them, they sang her glories. With tears in her eyes, they were so grateful for the mercy that Uma had shown them by appearing Herself.
"All glories, all glories to Bhavani Jagadambe, to Prakriti Herself, the one who is Pranava herself, and is the one who grants God-realization. O Maya! We offer our obeisances".
"You are one who grants saubhagya, O mother of Herambha. You are the treasure within the hearts of Her devotees. You are glorified by the Vedas and Puranas. O Maya! We offer our obeisances".
"With Your blessings, those that are blind from birth receive sight, and those that are paralyzed, run like the wind. Mutes learn to speak, and those who are dumb become great scholars. Even hailstones turn into wish-fulfilling chintamani stones".
"O Bhavani! You are the dispeller of fear and ignorance. You are the sustainer of Your devotees. You bring joy to the hearts of those who worship You".
"O Tripurasundari! O Tribhuvaneshwari! You are the destroyer of the three kleshas. You reside in the mind of Lord Shiva and thoughts of You bring him pleasure".
"You are the bestower of opulence and wealth, and are the benefactor of the world".
Being pleased with Sharada's successful completion of the vrata and the glorification offered by the Guru and Shishyaa, Devi spoke, "As for a boon!"
Then Rishi Naidhruva narrated the events of Sharada's life up to the present moment.
"O Jagadamba! The words that I have uttered; You must make them come true:.
"If You decide that something must be, then it is!"
Shivajaya said, "My dear child Sharada! In your previous life, you were known as Bhamini, and were the daughter of a Brahmin who resided in the Dravidadesha. Your father had married you to a loving Brahmin husband, and you were his younger wife".
"Your elder sister-wife welcomed you into the household with open arms, and treated you as a younger sister, giving you instruction on pleasing your husband. However, through your female guile, you ensnared the heart of your husband so that he preferred you over his first wife."
Devi continued, "Your next-door neighbor had eyes for you, and once when you were alone at home, he entered your home and embraced you. You pushed him away and chastised him. He was ashamed of his action and left the place, his head hung in shame".
"The embrace was like a tinder that turned into a raging fire in his mind, and day and night he was consumed with thoughts of you, and a desire to enjoy kama with you".
"Alas! The hunger for intimacy is as true as hunger for food, and he died starving of intimacy with you".
"At your own home, the constant neglect and insults from you towards your sister-wife had reached its zenith, and she finally cursed you to become a widow. A few days later she died, and eventually, your life also come to an end before her curse could bear fruit."
"Your neighbor from the previous birth was born as Padmanabha, and the curse of your sister-wife bore fruit in this birth, causing you to become a widow".
Sharada and Rishi Naidhruva listened in rapt attention as Devi narrated further.
"Your husband from the previous birth is still alive and lives in Dravidadesha, three hundred and sixty yojanas away. He never remarried and is still yearning for you. Through my will, he will come to you in your dream state, and you will be able to enjoy and satisfy your mutual desires through your subtle bodies".
Devi continued, "After many days of enjoyment Sharada, you will conceive, and will give birth to a son, whom you shall name Sharadanandana. He will be a renowned Vedic scholar, as blessed by your Guru".
"Your husband from the previous life will achieve satisfaction through your conjugal lovemaking in the dream state".
After having instructed thus, Amba disappeared from view.
That same night, she dreamt of her previous husband. He came to her and they embraced, kissed, and made love. This continued every night for some months, and then, as Devi had foretold, Sharadha bore a child in her womb.
When the news of Sharada being pregnant spread in the village, the cruel tongues started to wag. Her in-laws labeled her as characterless, assuming that she had secret liaisons with a lover who had gotten her pregnant. A distraught Sharada tried to explain and narrated her encounter with the Devi, but everyone just laughed at her.
One person said, "She is a characterless woman who will spoil the rest of the women in the village!".
Another said," Chop off her ears and nose, and turn her out from the village!".
At that moment there was a loud thunderclap in the clear blue sky, and an authoritative and booming voice spoke.
"Sharada is pure and truthful!".
Even after hearing the Aakashvani, some villagers still wanted to cruelly punish Sharada and would not believe anything that she said. The number of voices against her was increasing, and the cry for her to be thrown out of the village was growing louder.
Among the villagers was a pious and devout old man. He was well respected in the village for his wisdom for her had traveled to far-off lands and seen many things and experienced many adventures. When he spoke, people listened.
He raised his arms, with his walking stick in one hand, and called out to the crowd to hear him. Once the clamoring stopped, he said, " Maya works in mysterious ways. What seems impossible one moment, becomes possible in the next".
"Just look to the sky", he said, pointing his stick above.
"The sky stays above the earth, even without the support of any pillars".
"Clouds that are so light, carry so much water that our rivers and lakes are replenished every year".
"Even Lord Shiva, who is all-encompassing and omnipresent, resides in everyone's heart and yet to do not find him easily".
He continued, "You all know and believe that Samba, the son of Lord Krishna, gave birth to a musala (mace) and that Kunti gave birth to five glorious sons, one each from the Devas".
"Even among the Daityas, Mahishasura was born to a buffalo".
"Kashyapa Muni dropped his seed in a lake after seeing the apsara Urvashi. A doe, who was a cursed apsara, drank the water from the lake and ingested the seed. She became pregnant due to the potency of the tapas of Kashyapa Muni. After having given birth to a child with deer horns, she was freed from that birth and returned to heaven as an apsara. The child was raised by Kashyapa Muni and was named Rishishringya. This is the same rishi who performed the Putra Kameshthi yagna for Maharaja Dasharatha".
The old man tried his best to explain to the villagers and there was some change of heart in the crowd, but there were still those who wanted Sharada to suffer, just so that they could rever in her pain and anguish.
Once again there was a loud thunderclap, and the Aakashvani spoke again.
"Anyone who says that Sharada is untrue and unchaste shall have their tongue slit, and insects will infest their mouth!"
Some people do not heed good counsel or strict instructions and hasten their ruin through their own actions. Some villagers did exactly that, and they continued to call Sharada a liar and corrupt.
However, as soon as they said this, their tongue was slit and they found their mouths infested with insects. All those who witnessed this horrendous sight immediately fell at Sharada's feet and paid their obeisances.
One person said, "O Mother! You are truly chaste akin to Mothers Janaki and Renuka!" The village then sang her glories and from then on ensured that Sharada was provided with all comforts.
Eventually, Sharada gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was born on the second day of the bright lunar fortnight and was named Sharadanandana.
Growing up in his grandparent's home, he showed great scholastic aptitude. When the boy reached eight years of age, his grandfather performed his upanayana samskara. He would now wear the sacred thread and be authorised to perform Gayatri japa. Sharadanandana quickly internalized the four Vedas and the six Shastras in their entirety. He was truly a brilliant boy.
Just like his mother, Sharadanandana was a devotee of Uma-Maheshwara and worshipped them regularly with great love and devotion. Seeing his devotion to Lord Shiva, Sharada decided to take him to Gokarna Kshetra so that both could have the darshan of Lord Mahabaleshwar and celebrate Maha Shivaratri there in the company of Shiva bhaktas. They made their preparations and set out towards Gokarna, after much travel, the mother and son duo finally reached the sacred town.
Sharada's husband from the previous life was also at Gokarna Kshetra on yatra. As fate would have it, they both saw each other in the Mahabaleshwar Shivalaya, and immediately recognised each other. They were both saddened deeply knowing that they could not be together in this lifetime as husband and wife.
Sharada had accumulated great punya through her worship of Uma-Maheshwara and the performance of the Uma-Maheshwara Vrata. Of her accumulated punya she gave half to her husband. She introduced him to their son, and he joyously embraced his only child. Sharada instructed the boy to go with his father for a period of four months, and the boy complied. Father and son soon made their way to Dakshinadesha. After spending some months in worship and meditation at Gokarna, Sharada made her way to Dakshinadesha for she missed her dear son.
When Sharada arrived in her old village, she observed her previous home from afar. There she saw that her son had grown into a renowned scholar under the tutelage of his father.
Sharadanandana worshipped his father and mother as Shiva and Parvati.
Our Shastras stress greatly the importance of worship of one's parents.
What use is the merit of great tapa and dnyana when one does not worship one's parents!? What accolades can one achieve materially that is greater than the honor of serving one's parents!? If one even touches a person who harasses their parents, starves them, or expels them from their home, one must immediately take a bath, and stop any further association with such a person. Such a heartless demon will be bound and tortured by Yama upon his death.
Sharada was proud of her son and the man that he had become. He was a king amongst Brahmins for his learning and a devout Shiva bhakta. Some years later, Sharada's husband, by then an accomplished yogi, achieved Shiva Pada. Sharada, herself a great tapaswini, also left her mortal coil and followed her husband. They were both reunited at Kailasa and entered into the service of the supreme couple, Uma-Maheshwara.
Thus ends the tenth chapter of the Shri Shiva Leelamruta.
Shri Sambasadashivarpanamastu, Shubham Bhavatu