[Advaita-l] Sauptika parva: Krishna is Shiva's dear devotee

[V Subrahmanian]

Sauptika parva:   Krishna is Shiva's dear devotee


The Sauptika parva of the Mahabharata is of special importance that  it has
the endorsement of 'Krishna's prayer to Shiva' by both Krishna and Shiva.
The occasion is Ashwatthama's seeking divine astra-s from Krishna and Shiva
on different instances. Upon hearing the prayer of Ashwatthama, Shiva
addresses him:


http://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh10.txt

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10007.htm

10007059a तमूर्ध्वबाहुं निश्चेष्टं दृष्ट्वा हविरुपस्थितम्

10007059c अब्रवीद्भगवान्साक्षान्महादेवो हसन्निव
10007060a सत्यशौचार्जवत्यागैस्तपसा नियमेन च10007060c क्षान्त्या
भक्त्या च धृत्या च बुद्ध्या च वचसा तथा
10007061a यथावदहमाराद्धः कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा
10007061c तस्मादिष्टतमः कृष्णादन्यो मम न विद्यते
10007062a कुर्वता तस्य संमानं त्वां च जिज्ञासता मया


//Beholding him (Ashwatthama) stand immovable and with uplifted hands
and as an offering up to himself, the divine Mahadeva appeared in
person and smilingly said, "With truth, purity, sincerity,
resignation, ascetic austerities, vows, forgiveness, devotion,
patience, thought, and word, I have been duly adored by Krishna of
pure deeds. *For this there is none dearer to me than Krishna.* For
honoring him and at his word I have protected the Panchala-s and
displayed diverse kinds of illusion. By protecting the Panchala-s I
have honored him. They have, however, been afflicted by time. The
period of their lives hath run out."//


Here is what Krishna tells Ashwatthama:

10012026c द्वंद्वयुद्धे पराजिष्णुस्तोषयामास शंकरम्

10012027a यस्मात्प्रियतरो नास्ति ममान्यः पुरुषो भुवि
10012027c नादेयं यस्य मे किंचिदपि दाराः सुतास्तथा
10012028a तेनापि सुहृदा ब्रह्मन्पार्थेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा
10012028c नोक्तपूर्वमिदं वाक्यं यत्त्वं मामभिभाषसे
10012029a ब्रह्मचर्यं महद्घोरं चीर्त्वा द्वादशवार्षिकम्
10012029c हिमवत्पार्श्वमभ्येत्य यो मया तपसार्चितः
10012030a समानव्रतचारिण्यां रुक्मिण्यां योऽन्वजायत
10012030c सनत्कुमारस्तेजस्वी प्रद्युम्नो नाम मे सुतः
10012031a तेनाप्येतन्महद्दिव्यं चक्रमप्रतिमं मम
10012031c न प्रार्थितमभून्मूढ यदिदं प्रार्थितं त्वया

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10012.htm

////When he withdrew his heart from that purpose, I addressed the
anxious and senseless Ashvatthama and said, "He who is always regarded
as the foremost of all human beings, that wielder of *gandiva, *that
warrior having white steeds yoked unto his car, that hero owning the
prince of apes for the device on his standard, that hero who, desirous
of vanquishing in a wrestling encounter the god of gods, the
blue-throated lord of Uma, gratified the great Shankara himself, that
Phalguna than whom I have no dearer friend on earth, that friend to
whom there is nothing that I cannot give including my very wives and
children, that dear friend Partha of unstained acts, never said unto
me, O *brahmana, *such words as these which thou hast uttered.//

After referring to Arjuna's prayer to Shiva for the Pāśupatāstra,
Krishna now refers to his own tapas directed at Shiva:

//That son whom I obtained through ascetic penances and observances of
austere *brahmacarya *for twelve years on the breast of Himavati whither I
had gone for the purpose, that son of mine, Pradyumna, of great energy and
a portion of Sanat-kumara himself, begotten by me upon my wife Rukmini who
had practised vows as austere as mine, that hero even never solicited this
best of objects, this unrivaled discus, which thou of little understanding
had solicited!//

Krishna openly speaks of his visit to Kailasa and the purpose thereof.

Another special feature of this Parva is the description of the Kailāsa
vibhūti that Ashwatthāma got to see for himself. One such is this:

10007044a श्रुतेन ब्रह्मचर्येण तपसा च दमेन च

10007044c ये समाराध्य शूलाङ्कं भवसायुज्यमागताः

//Having adored the trident-bearing god with *Vedic *recitations, with
*brahmacarya*, with austerities, and with self-restraint, they have
obtained oneness with Bhava.//

This is in keeping with the Brhadaranyaka 4.4.22 passage:

तमेतं वेदानुवचनेन ब्राह्मणा विविदिषन्ति यज्ञेन दानेन तपसानाशकेन [That
Upanishadic Brahman is intended to be realized by the brāhmaṇa-s by
resorting to Vedic recitations, practicing vedic sacrifices, giving gifts,
austerities such as fasting....]

We are also reminded of the words of Krishna:

http://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/mahabharata/mbhK/unic/mbhK14_sa.html

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2017/04/24/worship-of-shiva-or-vishnu-lead-to-the-same-result-mahabharata/

14_004_1454 निवेशयति मन्मूर्त्या आत्मानं मद्गतः शुचिः

14_004_1455 रुद्रदक्षिणमूर्त्यां वा चतुर्दश्यां विशेषतः

14_004_1456 सिद्धैर्ब्रह्मर्षिभिश्चैव देवलोकैश्च पूजितः

14_004_1457 गन्धर्वैर्भूतसंघैश्च गीयमानो महातपाः

14_004_1458 प्रविशेत्स महातेजा मां वा शंकरमेव वा

14_004_1459 तस्यापुनर्भवं (sic) राजन्नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Whoever on the Chaturdashī, gives himself up in devotion to My (Vishnu’s)
form or to the form of Rudra-Dakshināmūrti, will be worshiped by the
siddha-s, brahmaṛṣi-s and the devaloka-s and praised by the gandharva-s and
the bhūta-groups, he, such a devotee is Mahātapāḥ. Such a devotee endowed
with great Tejas will be united with Me or Shankara; he will be freed from
rebirth. No doubt need to be had in this, O Yudhishtira!

Repeatedly one can encounter such statements in the Mahabharata that bring
out the central theme of not only the MB but the entire Veda:

रुद्रो नारायणश्चैव सत्त्वमेकं द्विधा कृतम्।

लोके चरति कौन्तेय व्यक्तिस्थं सर्वकर्मसु।। 12-350-27a 12-350-27b.

[Rudra and Narayana are only two manifestations of One Principle.......]

And it is Sridhara Swamin who has captured the purport of both the Veda and
Veda Vyasa, just as Shankara did variously:
in his invocation to the commentary to the Bhāgavatam says:

माधवोमाधवावीशौ सर्वसिद्धिविधायिनौ। वन्दे परस्परात्मानौ परस्परनुतिप्रियौ॥

I bow to Mādhava and Umādhava (Shiva) who are both 'Isha-s' Supreme Lords. They
are capable of bestowing all accomplishments (to their devotees). They are
both the selves of each other and both love to engage in the stuti of each
other.

Om Tat Sat