Narada enquired:
1. How did the primordial Gadadhara (wielder of the mace) stay in the manifest form? How did he stay both as manifest and unmanifest?
2. How did the mace (Gada) originate and how did he come to be known as Adigadadhara? How did the Gadalola spot become so sanctifying) as to wipe off all sins.
Sanatkumāra replied:
3. There was an Asura named Gada whose body was very hard and adamantine. By performing a very terrible penance he secured boons from Brahma. When he was requested, he gave up to Brahma the bones of his body which is very difficult to part with.
4. Urged by Brahma, Viśhvakarmă made the wonderful club (out of it). He turned the bone of the demon in the lathe that could crush even Vajra (thunderbolt) and kept it in the heaven itself.
5. After a great deal of time, in the Svayambhuva Manvantara, the demon Heti, the son of Brahmă, performed a very terrible penance. *
*For the Story of Heti cf AP. 114.26-27 and NP. II (i.e. uttara) 47.9-16.
6-7. For a hundred thousand divine years he subsisted only on the air. Then looking up, he stood on his toes with hands raised up. Then he stood on a single foot for a long time taking in only air or dry leaves. Brahma and others were pleased by his penance. He chose the boons from them, the bestowers of the boons.
8. “I should become very mighty. I cannot be killed by Devas, Daityas, or human beings with any kind of Shastra or Astra (ordinary weapons and miraculous missiles). I should not be killed by the discus and other weapons of Krishna (Vişhnu), Ishana and others”.
9. Saying “So be it”, they vanished. Heti conquered Devas and began to rule as Indra. Brahmä, Hara and others became afraid (of him).
10. They sought refuge in Hari. They told him, “Kill Heti”. Hari said to them, “O Suras, this Heti cannot be killed by Devas or Asuras.
11. Give a great weapon unto me whereby I can kill that Heti”. When told thus, Devas gave the (bone) club to Hari.
12. At the outset he held that (bone) club, so he was called, “Gadadhara” by Devas. After striking Heti with his (bone) club, he went to heaven along with Devas.
13. In order to steady the rocky slab of Gayasurašhiras, he went there armed with this Gadá to stabilise the Shilă. Hence he is called Adigadadhara. 1
1. This etymology does not explain the term ‘Ādi’ in Ādigadādhara.
14-17. Ādigadadhara is manifest in the form of Shilas 2 (rocky slabs and mountains). Through Mundapruşhtha mountain, Prabhasa mountain, the mountains Udyanta, Gitanada, Bhasmakūta, Grudhrakūţa, Pretakūta, Adipala and Aravindaka, Panchaloka, Saptaloka, Vaikuntha, Lohadaņdaka, Krauñchapada, Akşhavavața, Phalgutīrtha, Madhuśhrava, Dadhikulya, Madhukulya, the great river Devikå and Vaitarani etc. Adigadadhara becomes manifest.
2. Near Gaya there is a chain of sacred but rocky hillocks and their tops are called Bhasmakūta, GrudhraKuta etc. Gayashiras consists of this chain of hillocks extending to about two miles.
This spot was well-known before the Buddha, as we find the record of the Buddha’s visit to Gayāsisa (Pali for Gayasirsha) in the Anguttara Nikāya Vol. IV, p. 302.
18-20. The following are manifest-cum-unmanifest1: Vishnu’s Pada (footprint), Rudrapada, the excellent Pada of Brahman, Käśhyapa’s Pada, which is divine as well as wherein two hands have come out, the Padas of the five fires, the prominent Padas of Indra and Agastya and the Padas of Ravi, Kartikeya, Krauñcha and Matanga. In all the Lingas the primordial Gadadhara, the glorious and manifest Gadādhara, abides in manifest cum-unmanifest form.
1. The various Padas (footprints of gods and sages at which Piņdas are to be offered are the manifest-cum-upmanifest forms of Adigadadhara. The idols are the manifest forms, unmanifest in Phalgu (TSS 365).
21-25. The primordial Gadadhara is stationed2 as Gayatrī, Savitri, Sandhya, Sarasvati, Gayaditya, Uttarärka, Dakşhiņārka, Naimisha, Shvetårka, Gananātha, the eight Vasus, the leading sages, the eleven Rudras, the Seven Sages, Somanátha, Siddhesa, Kapardiśha, Vinayaka, Nārāyaṇa, Mahālakṣhmi, Brahma, Shrīpuruşhottama, Markandeyeśha, Kautiśha, Angiresha, Pitamaha, Janārdana, Mangalā, the excellent Puņdarīkākşha etc. (these are the various shrines and deities in Gayā). When the Räkshasa Heti was killed Vişhnu went back to his city.
2. These are various deities and shrines at Gaya. The presence of Gadadhara is thus claimed everywhere in Gayā.
26. When the Asura was rendered motionless by Brahma in the company of Rudra and others, Vedhas (god Brahma) who was overjoyed eulogised Ādyagadāpāņi (the primordial wielder of the club) (as follows):
Brahmā said:
27. I bow unto Gadadhara who is the bestower of boons, from whom Times (Death’s) blemishes have receded, who is stationed in Gaya, whose attributes are well known, who possesses many attributes, who is present in the cavity (of the heart), who is in the white-coloured house of the excellent mountain and who is worshipped by all the Gaņas (groups).
28. I bow unto Gadadhara, who bestows prosperity on the day, who grants prosperity on the hosts of Devas, who grants royal glory even to Bhava (Shiva), whose glory tears down Daityas, who bestows glory in the Kali age and whose glory suppresses the impurities of the Kali age. He bestows affluence on those who seek refuge.
29. I bow unto him who is both steady and unsteady, who is eulogised regularly by masterly persons, who possesses wonder fully desirable features, who is very firm, who is both present and not present in the traditions, who presides over flourishing persons, who cannot be approached by those who commit sins, who has his own abode and whose spiritual lineage and eulogy is great.
30. I perpetually bow to the supreme eternal Lord Hari, who is incorporeal, who has no sense organs, who has no birth, who is decorated on Suryavedi1 (altar of the Sun), to Gadādhara who is devoid of sound and face.
1. Refers to the sacred cluster of the Sürya temple-Vidyarthi p. 6.
31. I bow unto Gadadhara who is present in the heart, who is faster than the mind, who is beyond the reach of the mind, who is always without a second, who is eulogised by learned men in the Vedāntas, who is Chidātmaka (pure consciousness) and who is beyond the causes present in Kali.
Sanatkumāra said:
32. The primordial wielder of the club, on being eulogised thus by Brahmă along with Devas said, “You choose the boon” and Brahmā spoke to him:
33. “We will not stay on the rock of divine nature and features without you. We will stay here for ever along with you who have the manifest form.”
34. “So be it”, said Gadādhara and stayed there along with Shri for the protection of the worlds and for the salvation of the people. The manifest form Pundarīkākṣha (Vişhnu) is well known as Janārdana.
35. The primordial and eternal form that is incomprehensible even to the Vedas, is very clear and manifest in the Shvetakalpa, will become unmanifest in the Vårāhakalpa although it had become manifest before.
36. There is no doubt in this that he will be clearly manifest in Gayashiras for the emancipation of the worlds and the protection of the Devas.
37. Those who visit lord Adigadādhara and pray to him devoutly, will become free from the ailments of leprosy etc. and will attain Hari’s abode.
38. Those who regularly and devoutly visit lord Ādigadādhara will attain wealth, foodgrain, longevity and good health.
39. Men who bow unto Adigadādhara with great devotion and faith achieve good qualities, fame and happiness, wives, sons and grandsons. They attain Brahmapura. They will enjoy the fruits of a heap of meritorious action.
40. By offering scents, one will be rich in fragrance; by offering flowers, he attains good fortune; by offering sweet incense. he attains a kingdom and illumination through lamps.
41. By gifting flags, he becomes free from sins; by undertaking pilgrimage, he attains Brahmaloka. He who performs a Shraddha and offers Pindas, leads his Pitris to Vişhnu.
42. Those who bow to Adigadādhara with great faith and eulogise him and worship him, lead their Pitris to Madhava, Even Shiva eulogised Adigadadhara with great pleasure.
Shiva said:
43. I bow to Adigadādhara who though unmanifest, becomes manifest in the form of Mundaprushtha etc. and the holy centre Phalgutirtha etc.
44. I bow down to Adigadadhara who is both manifest and unmanifest in the forms of Padas and Mukhalingas etc.
45. I bow down to Adigadādhara who is born naturally on Mundaprushtha and who is of unmanifest nature in the form of Janārdana,
46. I bow down to Gadadhara who is stationed in the Shilă of divine features, who is worshipped by Brahma and other Suras and who is honoured by Devas.
47. I bow down to Adigadādhara on seeing, touching, worshipping and bowing down to whom people attain Brahmaloka.
48. I bow down to Adigadadhara who is the sole cause of Mahat etc. that is manifest and who is of the unmanifest form.
49. I bow down to Adigadadhara who is devoid of physical body, sense organs, mind, intellect, vital airs and ego and who is free from wakeful and dreaming states.
50. I bow down to Adigadadhara who is free from the eternal and the non-eternal (state), who is truth, bliss and the unchanging state, the fourth one, the luminous Ātman.
Sanatkumāra said:
51. Eulogised thus by Mahesha, Adigadadhara became delighted. That lord stationed himself on the slab along with Brahma and other Devas.
52. Those who eulogise and worship Lord Adigadadhara who is stationed on the mountain Mundaprushtha shall attain Brahmaloka.
53. He who seeks piety shall attain piety; he who seeks love shall secure love and he who seeks salvation shall get salvation.
54. Even a barren lady gets a son who will be a master of Vedas and their Angas (ancillaries). A king attains victory; a Śhūdra too shall attain happiness.
55. By worshipping Adigadādhara, a person who seeks sons gets sons. Everything that is desired by the mind is obtained through worship etc., of Hari.