Oṃkāreśvara: The Mountain Who Wished to Grow

The fourth Jyotirliṅga

The sages had just heard Sūta tell of Mahākāla, the Jyotirliṅga that guards its devotees. Now, they said, tell us of the fourth — the one called Parameśa, who stands at Oṃkāra and takes away every sin.

Gladly, said Sūta. Listen to how the Jyotirliṅga called Parameśa came to be at Oṃkāra.

Nārada on the Vindhya

Once the great devotee Nārada went to the Śiva called Gokarṇeśvara and served him with deep devotion. From there he came to the Vindhya mountains, and the great mountain received him with every honour and worshipped him.

But the Vindhya's welcome had pride in it. “I am complete in every way,” the mountain thought. “There is nothing at all lacking in me.” Full of that thought, he stood before the sage.

Nārada, who has a way of breaking pride, saw it. He said nothing — he only let out a long sigh, and stayed still.

The Vindhya was troubled. “Divine sage,” he said, “what lack have you found in me, that you sigh as if something grieved you?”

“You have every good quality,” Nārada answered. “But Meru is higher than you. The gods live on Meru. They do not live on you.”

And having said that, Nārada went away just as he had come.

Six months of tapas

The Vindhya sank into sorrow. “Shame on this life of mine,” he said to himself. “Now I will do tapas and worship Viśveśvara, Lord of all.” With that resolve he went to Śiva for refuge.

Glad at heart, he went to the place where Śiva stood as Oṃkāreśvara. There he shaped an image of Śiva out of earth — a pārthiva liṅga — and worshipped it without a break for six months, lost in meditation on Śiva, never moving the least bit from the place of his tapas.

Śiva was pleased. He showed the Vindhya his own form, which even yogīs find hard to see, and said: “Ask for the boon your heart desires. I am pleased with your tapas; I am the one who fulfils the wishes of his devotees.”

A boon that worried Śiva

“Lord of the gods, Śambhu,” said the Vindhya, “if you are pleased with me, give me the understanding I long for — the kind that will bring my purpose to success. You are always kind to those who love you.”

Śiva heard him and thought for a while. The Purāṇa says he saw that this foolish-minded Vindhya was asking for a boon that would cause pain to others. What should I do, he wondered, so that my boon does him good, and yet what I give does not hurt anyone else?

Even so, he granted it. “King of mountains,” he said, “do as you wish.”

One liṅga becomes two

At that moment the gods and the pure-hearted sages arrived. They worshipped Śiva and said: “Lord, stay here.”

Śiva was delighted to hear it, and for the good of the world he lovingly did as they asked.

The one liṅga that was called Oṃkāra divided into two. Sadāśiva abiding in the praṇava — the sacred syllable Oṃ — became famous as Oṃkāreśvara. And he who had appeared in the earthen liṅga the Vindhya made became famous as Parameśvara. Both, says the Purāṇa, fulfil the wishes of devotees, and both give enjoyment in this world and liberation beyond it.

The gods and sages worshipped him, pleased the Lord whose banner is the bull, and received many boons. Then the gods went back to their own realms. The Vindhya too was full of joy: he had achieved his purpose, and he put his sorrow aside.

The fruit

Whoever worships Śiva in this way, Sūta said, never again dwells in a mother's womb, and gains whatever fruit he desires — of this there is no doubt.

So Sūta finished the greatness of Oṃkāreśvara, and turned next to Kedāreśvara.