Matsyapurana 13

English (machine translation) 13

Language: English

13.1

*Manu said:*
O Blessed One, I wish to hear of the supreme lineage of the ancestors,
and particularly why the Sun and Soma are the divinities of the ancestral rite.

13.2

*Matsya said:*
Indeed, I shall relate to you the supreme lineage of the ancestors:
there are seven classes of ancestors in heaven, three of which are formless.

13.3

Four [classes] have form; all of them possess boundless splendor.
The formless classes of ancestors belong to the lord of progeny Vairāja.

13.4

They whom the hosts of gods praise are renowned as the Vairājas.
And those who have fallen from yoga, having attained eternal worlds,

13.5

are born again at the end of Brahmā’s day as knowers of Brahman;
having regained that memory, they once again [attain] yoga and unexcelled Sāṃkhya,

13.6

and through yoga they go to the perfection from which return is hard to find.
Therefore, ancestral rites must be given by donors only to yogins.

Their mind-born daughter is considered the wife of Himavat;
Maināka was his heir, and Krauñca was his elder brother,
by whom the fourth continent Krauñca, encircled by clarified butter, is commemorated.

13.8

Menā then gave birth to three daughters possessed of yogic power:
Umā, Ekaparṇā, and Aparṇā, dedicated to severe vows.

13.9

One was given to Rudra, one to Sita, and another to Jaigīṣavya—
all these maidens given by Himavat were foremost in ascetic practice in the world.

13.10

*The ṛṣis said:*
Why did the daughter of Dakṣa previously burn herself by herself,
and how was she likewise born on the earth's surface as the daughter of Himavat?

13.11

Why was she—the mother of the world, about to withdraw [herself]—spoken to by the son of Brahmā,
Dakṣa? Tell this at length, O Sūta!

13.12

*Sūta said:*
When the sacrifice of Dakṣa, abounding in excellent gifts, was underway
and the gods were summoned, Satī addressed her father:

13.13

“For what reason, father, is my husband not invited to this sacrifice?”
Dakṣa replied to her: “The trident-bearer is unfit for sacrifices.

13.14

Rudra brings about dissolution; therefore he has a share in the inauspicious.”
Then Satī grew enraged: “I shall abandon this body born of you!

13.15

And you shall become the single son of ten fathers,
and in the state of a kṣatriya, at a horse-sacrifice, you shall meet destruction from Rudra!”

13.16

Having spoken thus, having resorted to yoga and burning herself
by the splendor produced from her own body, while gods, Asuras, and Kinnaras

13.17

exclaimed, “What is this? What is this?”, together with hosts of Gandharvas and Guhyakas,
Dakṣa approached, bowed down, and spoke in sorrow:

13.18

“You are the mother of this world, the deity of the world’s good fortune;
you became my daughter, O goddess, out of a desire to show me grace.

13.19

Nothing in the universe of mobile and immobile beings is devoid of you.
Grant your favor, O knower of righteousness! You ought not to abandon me here.”

13.20

The goddess said: “What has begun must be accomplished by me; of that there is no doubt.
Yet necessarily, when your sacrifice is destroyed by the trident-bearer in the mortal realm,

13.21

austerities must be performed near me for my grace, for the sake of creating the world.
You will become a lord of progeny, the son born of ten [fathers].

13.22

Sixty daughters will be born of you as portions of myself;
performing austerities in my presence, you will attain supreme yoga.”

13.23

Addressed in this way, Dakṣa said: “In which holy places, O sinless one,
are you to be seen by me, and with which names are you to be praised?”

13.24

*The goddess said:*
“I am always to be seen in all beings, everywhere upon the earth;
in all worlds, whatever exists is not without me.

13.25

Nevertheless, I shall tell you accurately the places
where I am to be seen by those seeking perfection, or remembered by those desiring prosperity:

13.26

Viśālākṣī in Vārāṇasī, Liṅgadhāriṇī in Naimiṣa,
the goddess Lalitā in Prayāga, Kāmākṣī on Gandhamādana,
Kumudā in Mānasa, and Viśvakāyā in the sky;

13.27

Gomatī on Gomanta, Kāmacāriṇī on Mandara,
Madotkaṭā in Caitraratha, Jayantī in Hastināpura;

13.28

likewise Gaurī in Kānyakubja, Rambhā on the Malaya mountain,
Kīrtimatī in Ekāmbhaka, and they know Viśvā in Viśveśvara;

13.29

Puruhūtā in Puṣkara, Mārgadāyinī in Kedāra,
Nandā on the back of Himavat, Bhadrakarṇikā in Gokarṇa;

13.30

Bhavānī in Sthāneśvara, Bilvapattrikā in Bilvala,
Mādhavī on Śrīśaila, and Bhadrā in Bhadreśvara;

13.31

Jayā on Varāha mountain, Kamalā in Kamalālaya,
Rudrāṇī in Rudrakoṭi, and Kālī on the Kālañjara mountain;

13.32

Kapilā in Mahāliṅga, Mukuṭeśvarī in Markoṭa,
Mahādevī in Śālagrāma, Jalapriyā in Śivaliṅga;

13.33

Kumārī in Māyāpurī, and Lalitā in Saṃtāna,
Utpalākṣī in Sahasrākṣa, Mahotpalā in Kamalākṣa;

13.34

Maṅgalā at the Gaṅgā, Vimalā in Puruṣottama,
Amoghākṣī at the Vipāśā, Pāṭalā in Puṇḍravardhana;

13.35

Nārāyaṇī on Supārśva, Bhadrasundarī in Vikūṭa,
Vipulā on Vipula, Kalyāṇī on the Malaya mountain;

13.36

Koṭavī at Koṭitīrtha, Sugandhā in Mādhava Forest,
Trisaṃdhyā at Godāśrama, Ratipriyā at Gaṅgādvāra;

13.37

Śivānandā at Śivakuṇḍa, Nandinī on the bank of the Devikā,
Rukmiṇī in Dvāravatī, Rādhā in the Vṛndāvana forest;

13.38

Devakī in Mathurā, Parameśvarī in the netherworld,
Sītā at Citrakūṭa, Vindhyādhivāsinī on the Vindhya;

13.39

Ekavīrā on the Sahya mountain, Candrikā at Hariścandra,
Ramaṇā at Rāmatīrtha, Mṛgāvatī at the Yamunā;

13.40

Mahālakṣmī in Karavīra, the goddess Umā in Vināyaka,
Arogā in Vaidyanātha, Maheśvarī in Mahākāla;

13.41

Abhayā in hot springs, Amṛtā in a Vindhya cave,
Māṇḍavī in Māṇḍavya, Svāhā in the city of Māheśvara;

13.42

Pracaṇḍā in Chāgalāṇḍa, Caṇḍikā in Makarandaka,
Varārohā in Someśvara, and Puṣkarāvatī in Prabhāsa.

13.43

She is recognized as Devamātā on the Sarasvatī, on the shore of the ocean; / as Mahābhāgā at Mahālaya, and as Piṅgaleśvarī on the Payoṣṇī;

13.44

as Siṃhikā at Kṛtaśauca, as Yaśaskarī at Kārttikeya, / as Lolā at Utpalāvartaka, and as Subhadrā at the confluence of the Śoṇa;

13.45

as Lakṣmī the Mother at Siddhāpura, as Aṅganā at the hermitage of Bharata, / as Viśvamukhī at Jālaṃdhara, and as Tārā on Mount Kiṣkindhā;

13.46

as Puṣṭi in the Devadāru Forest, as Medhā in the region of Kāśmīra, / as goddess Bhīmā on the Snowy Mountain, and likewise as Puṣṭi at Viśveśvara;

13.47

as Śuddhi at Kapālamocana, as the Mother at Kāyāvarohaṇa, / as Dhvani at Śaṅkhoddhāra, and likewise as Dhṛti at Piṇḍāraka;

13.48

as Kālā on the Candrabhāgā, as Śivakāriṇī at Acchoda, / as Amṛtā on the Veṇā, and likewise as Urvaśī at Badarī;

13.49

as Oṣadhī in Uttarakuru, as Kuśodakā in Kuśadvīpa, / as Manmathā on Hemakūṭa, and as Satyavādinī at Mukuṭa;

13.50

as Vandanīyā in the holy fig tree, as Nidhi in the abode of Vaiśravaṇa, / as Gāyatrī in the mouth of the Vedas, and as Pārvatī in the presence of Śiva;

13.51

likewise as Indrāṇī in the heavenly world, as Sarasvatī in the mouths of Brahmā, / as Prabhā in the orb of the sun, and she is recognized as Vaiṣṇavī among the Mothers;

13.52

as Arundhatī among chaste wives, and as Tilottamā among lovely women, / as the digit of Brahman in the mind, the power of all embodied beings.

13.53

Thus this supreme hundred and eight names have been declared by summary enumeration, / and these one hundred and eight sacred places have been proclaimed.

13.54

Whoever remembers or hears this is completely freed from all sins. / The man who, having bathed in these sacred places, beholds me,

13.55

freed from all sins, dwells in the city of Śiva for a cosmic age. / But the human being who ends his life in these [places], devoted to me,

13.56

breaking through the abode of Brahmā, attains the state of Śaṃkara. / Moreover, whoever recites this hundred and eight names before Śiva

13.57

on the third or eighth lunar day becomes rich in sons. / At the gift of a cow, or at the gift of a funeral offering, or day after day, the wise man,

13.58

learned and reciting [this] during the rite of worshipping the deity, attains Brahman. / Speaking thus there, she burned herself by herself.

13.59

In the course of time, Dakṣa, son of Svayambhū, also became the son of the Pracetases. / She became goddess Pārvatī, bearing half of Śiva's body,

13.60

born from the womb of Menā, granting the fruits of worldly enjoyment and liberation. / Murmuring this [hymn], Arundhatī attained unexcelled yoga;

13.61

Purūravas attained invincibility in the world of royal sages, / Yayāti attained sons, and the descendant of Bhṛgu attained wealth;

13.62

likewise other gods and Daityas, Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, / Vaiśyas, and many Śūdras attained their desired perfection.

13.63

Wherever this [hymn] remains written down and is worshipped before the deity, / grief and misfortune never arise there at any time.

Translations (1)

The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English

Linked texts (1)

Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit