Skandapurana 16.24

Thus ends the twenty-third chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of the Installation of Someśvara' in the First [Book, namely] the Māhātmya of the Prabhāsa Field, in the Seventh Section [named] Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].

The Goddess said: / At what time, O Lord of the Universe, was the liṅga installed there? / How did the husband of Rohiṇī worship it and achieve his purpose?

Īśvara said: / In the tenth Tretāyuga of Vaivasvata Manu, / the husband of Rohiṇī was born, accompanied by Durvāsas, O dear one.

At that time, when a thousand years had passed there, / he, having performed austerity and brought Śaṃkara before his eyes,

installed the liṅga together with Brahmā, the creator of the worlds; / and for another thousand years he worshipped Śaṃkara.

Then, having worshipped according to the ritual rules for the accomplishment of his purpose, / the Lord of the Night, having brought Śaṃkara before his eyes, uttered a praise.

The Moon said: / There is no god equal to Śarva; there is no refuge equal to Śarva. / There is no god equal to Śarva; there is no refuge equal to Śarva.

Whom the Sāṃkhyas constantly study and the yogins contemplate, / the supreme, the primary cause, the spirit—homage to that one whose self is the knowable.

Whom the wise know as the cause in origination and destruction / of gods, demons, and human beings—homage to that one whose self is knowledge.

Who is imperishable, without beginning or end, who is eternal, perpetual, steadfast, / partless, the supreme Brahman—homage to that one whose self is yoga.

Who is the pure of the pure, the primordial god, Maheśvara, / who purifies by mere darśana—homage to that one whose self is the sacred ford.

From whom everything proceeds, into whom everything dissolves, / who protects the entire universe—homage to that one whose self is all.

Whom the twice-born worship with sacrifices such as the Agniṣṭoma / with complete sacrificial gifts—homage to that one whose self is sacrifice.

Īśvara said: / While the Maker of the Night praised him thus day and night, / the blessed Lord Śaṃkara spoke, pleased and as if smiling:

Śaṃkara said: / I am well-pleased with you, my child, by this hymn of praise, O cold-rayed one! / Choose a boon; may good fortune be yours; whatever else is in your heart.

The Moon said: / If a boon is to be given to me, if you are pleased with me, O Lord, / abide always in this liṅga, O Lord of Gods, O all-pervading one!

And those who see you abiding here, endowed with supreme devotion, / to them may there be supreme perfection by your grace, O Lord of Gods!

Śambhu said: / Formerly there was already my presence in this liṅga, O great lord; / especially now, O Moon, through your devotion, it shall be continuous.

From this day forth I must abide in this sacred field together with Umā. / Because splendour (prabhā) was obtained by you in this sacred field by my grace,

The name of mine which was famed in former times as Brahmāvasānika / shall indeed spread again by that very name, 'Somanātha'. / For those men devoted to bhakti who behold me residing here,

hear, dear child, maker of the night, what their reward will be: / to them comes no sickness, no poverty, no misfortune, / and no separation from what is cherished, through my power, O moon.

Those who, desiring my darśana, undertake a pilgrimage with devotion, / have the reward of an Aśvamedha sacrifice declared for them at every step.

What need of performing many sacrifices and fasts, O maker of the night? / Those who behold me here even once have obtained all that reward.

One who, devoted to bhakti, observes a fast for one month, / while another beholds me here for as long as a thousand years—

the reward is equal for both; there is no doubt about it.

One might remain a celibate student for as long as he lives, O maker of the night, / while another beholds me here once: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One bestows all manner of gifts upon the twice-born, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One performs all religious observances, O deer-marked moon, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One visits sacred fords and performs abundant recitations of mantras, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One becomes an earnest seeker of liberation through the yoga of knowledge and the like, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One meets death by throwing himself from a precipice, O maker of the night, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One best among men always bathes during the month of Māgha at Prayāga, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One offers funeral cakes of rice at a sacred ford dedicated to the ancestors, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One bestows a thousand cows upon a brahmin who has mastered the Vedas, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

One practices the five-fire penance during the intensely fierce summer season, / while another beholds me here: the reward is traditionally remembered as equal for the two.

Bathed during a lunar eclipse and on a Monday with devotion, O moon, / he who beholds me obtains the reward of all these.

Sarasvatī, samudra (the ocean), soma (the moon), somagraha (a lunar eclipse), / and darśana of Somanātha: these five starting with the syllable 'sa' are exceedingly rare.

Whoever worships [me] continuously according to rule for six months, / obtains that very same fruitful merit from worship at an equinox.

The very same is to be known during an eclipse, at the northern solstice, / on the interstitial days of transit, and at the beginnings of the eighty-six-solar-month periods.

Whatever merit is obtained by worshiping Śaṃkara according to rule for four months, / that merit he obtains on the full-moon day of Kārttika; on that of Caitra it is considered twofold; / and this same merit is likewise [obtained] on the full-moon day of Phālguna and on that of Āṣāḍha.

One might give a hundred thousand milch cows to a scholar of the Vedas; / another worships my liṅga: his merit is far greater than that.

Whoever eats only once a month throughout his life, O goddess of the gods, / and whoever worships the liṅga even once: these two are equal, there is no doubt.

Whatever [merit is gained] by giving ten million gold pieces to a worthy recipient endowed with austerity and virtuous conduct who has mastered the Vedas, / that same reward is gained merely by a single flower.

Even when a single arka flower is offered to Śiva, / one obtains whatever reward is gained by giving ten gold pieces.

A karavīra flower is superior to thousands of arka flowers; / a droṇapuṣpa flower is superior to thousands of karavīra flowers;

an apāmārga flower is superior to thousands of droṇapuṣpa flowers; / a kuśa flower is superior to thousands of apāmārga flowers; / a śamī flower is superior to thousands of kuśa flowers;

the śamī flower is said to be equal to the blossom of the bṛhatī plant; / jātī, vijayā, and pāṭalā flowers are to be regarded as equal to the karavīra.

The white mandāra flower is equal to the white lotus; / nagacampaka, punnāga, and dhattūra blossoms are celebrated.

Excepting the ketakī and the jātī, one should avoid the kanda, yūthī, madantikā, / sirīṣa, sarja, and jambūka flowers.

One should avoid the ākulī blossom, the leaf of the karañja and the indrasamudbhava, / and the flowers of the bibhītaka.

Dhattūra and kadamba flowers should be offered to Śaṃkara at night; / the remaining flowers of the god may be offered by day and the mallikā by night.

The mallikā remains fresh for one watch, the karavīra for a day and night; / [flowers] infested with insects or contaminated with hair, and those left overnight,

flowers that have fallen of their own accord, and those that are damaged, one should discard; / tulasī, the hundred-petaled lotus, gandhārī, and damana,

and marubaka is remembered as the best among all kinds of leaves: / with these distinguished flowers Someśvara is always to be worshipped.

He attains the fruit of pilgrimage and is glorified in the heavenly realm." / Having spoken this speech, he disappeared right there.

The moon, freed from consumption, returned happily to his own station; / having summoned Viśvakarman, he had a temple built, / resembling pure crystal, radiant and white as cow's milk,

a temple named Meru, with golden walls and arched gateways; / and fourteen other temples were constructed all around it. / I shall tell you their names one by one; hear them from me:

Kesarī, Sarvatobhadra, Nadana, Nandiśālaka, / Nandīśa, Mandara, Śrīvṛkṣa, and Amṛtodbhava,

Himavān, Hemakūṭa, Kailāsa, Pṛthivījaya, / Indranīla, Mahānīla, Bhūdhara, Ratnakūṭaka,

Vaiḍūrya, Padmarāga, Vajraka, Mukuṭojjvala, / Airāvata, Rājahaṃsa, Garuḍa, and Vṛṣabha;

and Meru, the king of temples, for that is the abode of the gods. / At first, it is known as having five cupolas, established by the name Kesarī;

and its increase is by a fourth part up to that which is proclaimed as Meru.

Having thus caused fourteen temples to be built separately / for the deities, Brahmā and others, who reside in the nearby places,

and ten others, O fair-faced one, beginning with the Bhūdhara and ending with the Vṛṣabha, / he first installed Kapardin and designed the temples.

The Meru temple, the king of temples, was built for Someśvara / in the tenth Tretāyuga of Vaivasvata Manu.

Having pavilions erected and consecrating them according to the rules, / having created a hundred reservoirs and a thousand stepwells and wells,

and having built thousands of houses providing refuge for the poor and helpless, / he duly distributed them to the brahmins separately.

Having established the city near the glorious Someśvara, / Soma then made a request to the twice-born for the conduct of his duties:

“I am Soma, your king by the grace of the Supreme Lord. / Yet with utmost humility and devotion I make this submission to you:

Wealth consisting of gold, jewels, and the like; grain consisting of rice, barley, and the like; / livestock such as cows and buffaloes; and diverse kinds of garments;

plantains, coconuts, garlands of betel vines and areca palms, / and delightful groves lie all around.

All the rulers of Jambudvīpa will bow their heads / and carry out the noble command of you who reside here.

Your houses are filled with camphor, agallochum, and sandalwood brought from other continents, / and with various other goods.

Merchants eager for profit, who show mastery in commerce involving hundreds of commodities, / establish grants for brahmins.

Remaining as your servants, wishing for your welfare, / they and other citizens will never suffer distress.

Therefore, being completely endowed with wealth, for my welfare / let sacrificial rites be performed according to rule, with lavish gifts to the priests.

Let all rites, beginning with the sacred study, proceed day and night; / let the distress of the poor, the blind, and the destitute be dispelled.

Let hospitality be properly extended to guests / and to the great-souled men who have arrived on pilgrimage to the sacred ford.

Let refuge always be granted in the hermitages of the brahmin seers. / The liṅga established here by me, O you of firm vows,

let the best of the twice-born worship at all times with pure offerings. / Let eight authoritative men, overseers of the affairs of the citizens,

look after legal affairs, skilled in sacred tradition and custom. / This regulation established by me, O best of the twice-born,

let the great-souled men uphold, just as the quarter-elephants support the earth. / Thus exercising authority in this place blessed by Śiva,

practice the duties prescribed by the Vedas, smṛtis, and Purāṇas, O twice-born.” / Hearing this humble speech of Soma, those twice-born [deliberated];

Kauśika, the foremost twice-born among the clans, said to them: / “All that has been instructed to us by the king of the twice-born is excellent in every way.

We will do all this, yet listen to something: / for those who worship by mandatory assignment, partaking of the offerings dedicated to Śiva,

there arises a fall from caste, condemned by the Vedas and the smṛtis. / For the Vedas and the smṛtis are the two great commands of Rudra.

What fool would transgress that, even if his life-breaths were at his throat?

Moreover, offering sacrifices according to the Vedic path in the fire, the mouth of the gods, / which is a manifestation of the Eight-formed Lord, we satisfy the entire universe.

This world is the manifest form of the Lord, the foe of Tripura; / though manifold among itself, it is nevertheless non-different from Īśvara.

An oblation properly cast into the fire reaches the sun; / from the sun rain is born, from rain food, and from that all creatures.

For us, who are devoted to the noble study of the Vedas, smṛtis, Purāṇas, and other texts, / and whose actions are entirely engaged in those respective duties for merit,

even the leisure for liṅga worship is scarce. / Worshipping Īśvara through the great sacrifices and the recitation of the Rudra prayers,

we worship the liṅga and the Veda whenever there is an opportune moment and time. / As for what you desire, O Soma, namely the worship of the glorious Someśvara,

that we shall accomplish with special care, O noble-minded one. / Listen to the means by which what you desire may be achieved:

having heard the dialogue between Gaurī and Śaṃkara from the mouth of the Lord, / Nārada told it to us previously; that we shall now tell you.

Formerly, Daityas and Dānavas in their hundreds, haters of brahmins and gods, / approached Śaṃkara with diverse and severe austerities.

Upon them, endowed with exceedingly severe austerity and single-minded focus, / Īśvara, the ocean of the nectar of compassion, bestowed his grace.

For he, the master of the three worlds, the god of gods, Maheśvara, / requires only imperishable devotion to grant a boon.

Pleased solely by their devotion, he granted the desired boons, / mostly consisting of universal sovereignty, even to those who hated gods and brahmins.

Whose limit is not reached even by Brahmā and Viṣṇu— / who indeed knows the intention of that lord of unfathomable power?

To the Supreme Lord who grants boons through austerities even to evil-natured Daityas, / Pārvatī, pure in heart, asked:

Pārvatī said: / “O Blessed One, having attained your grace and becoming arrogant, they torment the three worlds / and harass and agitate the gods headed by Indra.

Why do you grant a boon to such evil-minded ones, / whose deeds do not contribute even in the least to the welfare of the world?

When they enjoy divine pleasures after being granted boons by you, / how is it that Viṣṇu slays them, disregarding your sovereignty?

And when they are slain, what destination is theirs? Tell me, O Lord.”

Īśvara said: / “Creatures are threefold: sāttvika, rājasika, / and tāmasika; among them, these [Daityas] are mostly tāmasika and difficult to subdue.

That I grant them a boon is solely on account of devotion;
for I am easily won through devotion; no doubt should be held in this regard.

Having obtained boons suited to their austerities, those evildoers
are slain by Viṣṇu; understand that from me, O goddess.

That Hari and I are distinct is due to the division of the guṇas,
yet in the ultimate sense we are non-different; this indeed is the supreme secret.

The distinction of worshipper, object of worship, and so forth is merely conventional between us.
For instance, I bear this Gaṅgā, flowing from the tip of Viṣṇu's foot,

upon my head with devotion, even while apprehensive of your glance.
Viṣṇu too, in order to protect the three worlds according to cosmic order,

worshipped me for a long time and obtained the discus that slays the wicked.
And you, the great māyā of that Hari whose self is immeasurable,

I worship with devotion to him as the cause of the birth of the three worlds.
Likewise, Hari, placing upon his head another [goddess] who is the form of my power,

though unborn, takes births and performs the protection of the worlds.
And in order to slay Hiraṇyakaśipu, having assumed the form of Narasiṃha,

he wished to destroy the world and was pacified by me in the form of Śarabha.
And when I raised my trident in defense of Bāṇa,

he, playfully paralyzing [me] even in a human incarnation,
enhancing my power and majesty, Hari,
though the all-pervading inner Self of mine, continually worships me.

Then I, through the yogas of meditation and in absorption,
constantly contemplate him as the supreme Self, devoid of beginning or end.

Thus there is no distinction between us in the ultimate truth;
only fools elaborate upon differences and degrees of superiority.

Assuming the Vaiṣṇava form, I myself slay those of wicked conduct.
And now hear of their destination, O Maheśvarī:

At the end of their devotion to me and through the direct sight of Hari,
because they are overcome by anger and pride, they do not attain liberation.

Yet by our power, with their blemishes washed away,
they obtain birth in the family of brahmin seers, which becomes the cause of their liberation.

After taking the vow of celibacy, having resorted to the Pāśupata yoga,
they worship me once again through the impressions of former actions.

Resorting to the Pāśupata and other vows through the yoga of devotion,
some dwell in cremation grounds, naked, and others wear a single garment;

living on alms, smeared with sacred ash, they worship my liṅgas;
likewise, their minds are focused on me alone, their firm vow consisting solely of meditating on me.

Those who also bow down to you, the sovereign mistress of the worlds and of myself,
to them, through yoga at the departure of their bodies, I grant liberation,

which consists of having the same form and sharing the same realm, for those whose minds are absorbed in me.
Since this Pāśupata yoga does not lead to complete absorption (sāyujya),
for that reason it is censured by virtuous sages following traditional conduct.

The twice-born said:
"On the occasion of a pilgrimage to sacred fords, we shall bring those brahmins
who have arrived here, their minds subdued with devotion, to their proper dignity.

Honored with pure alms-food, loincloths, water pots, and the like,
having come here constantly with no other business, these ascetics,

unwearied, with the various offerings given by you,
the enumeration of the principles according to truth, solely intent on the dharma of Śiva,

having worshipped venerable Someśvara and increasing your welfare,
will ultimately attain the god's most difficult-to-attain liberation.

Then others, and after them still others, and then other ascetics,
examined by us, shall arise, O lord of the night!"

The twice-born said:
Thus spoke the three-eyed Lord when asked by the goddess.
Right there, Nārada heard the whole dialogue uttered by Śiva and Śivā,

and recounted that tale to us as we asked in assemblies.
And now all of this has been spoken to you by us.

Addressed thus by them, Soma, delighted, went to his own abode;
and by his command, they too perform everything just as was told.

The goddess said:
Such is the power of Someśa, the lord of gods, the destroyer of sins.
By what means would he be pleased—by which vow or observance?

Īśvara said:
I shall explain clearly the dharma for the benefit of mortals,
by which that god is pleased; hear, O beauty among gods!

Perpetual fasts, meals only at night, and various other vows;
all kinds of gifts given entirely to worthy recipients at sacred fords;

austerity has been performed by him, ritual ablution has been taken by him at Puṣkara,
and water at Kedāra has certainly been drunk by him;

the jyotirliṅga of great radiance has been seen by him, O woman of shapely hips,
by whom the celestial vow of Monday has been undertaken in that refuge.

What need is there for many other gifts given to worthy recipients, O beautiful one?

By whomsoever worship has been performed with devotion on a group of eight Mondays,
by him everything has been done, O goddess; the great vow has been observed there.

I shall relate an ancient narrative to you regarding this, O my beloved,
just as it occurred, O great goddess, concerning the Monday vow.

Īśvara said:
Situated to the north of Kailāsa, O great sovereign,
spread out upon the Niṣadha mountain, is a city named Svayaṃprabhā,

richly adorned with various jewels, crowded with various gandharvas,
complete in all its parts like Amarāvatī of Śakra.

A gandharva named Ghanavāhana dwells there;
he enjoys there great pleasures difficult to attain even for the gods.

His captivating wife was endowed with fresh youth,
possessed of mature speech, good conduct, and full, raised breasts.

Together with her the leader of the gandharvas enjoyed pleasures;
in time, after eight sons, a daughter was born to him.

Endowed with all auspicious features, learned in all branches of knowledge,
she became famous by the name Gandharvasenā, O supreme sovereign.

She was foremost among thousands of maidens and endowed with great beauty.
Affectionately, her father said to her, "Play, O radiant maiden!"

“In this delightful garden crowded with various trees and creepers, / densely packed with many trees and endowed with fruits and flowers.”

Thus she rejoiced constantly, always surrounded by maiden companions. / Seeing her playing in this way, her mother said to her husband:

“My life and yours together with our kinsmen is fruitless, my lord, / in whose house such a maiden remains without a husband.”

Thus addressed, the gandharva said these words to his wife: / “I shall seek a charming husband for the sake of our daughter.”

Having said this, Ghanavāhana summoned that daughter of his. / Summoned by her parents, having come swiftly, O beautiful woman,

she, auspicious one, fell at the feet of all in due order: / “Give me a command, father! What task is to be done by me now?”

Then these words were spoken by the delighted Ghanavāhana: / “O daughter, whichever bridegroom presently pleases you, / I shall see an extraordinary crest-jewel among the gandharvas worthy of you.”

Thus spoken to, her eyes red with anger, she said to her father: / “Is there anyone in the three worlds who equals even a ten-millionth part of my beauty?” / Hearing that astonishing statement, both mother and father were bewildered.

All their relatives and the other people fell into dejection. / “Unfitting are these words that have been spoken by the maiden!” / Having said this, her mother, people, and kinsmen all departed.

She continued to sport there in the great garden with her female friends, / mounted upon a swing in the month of spring, O spirited woman.

Meanwhile, the leader of the gaṇas, Śikhaṇḍin, situated in a divine aerial chariot / as he was traveling in the sky, saw the maiden endowed with beauty and majesty,

rejoicing with song, musical instruments, dance, and the sounds of drums. / Having descended from his aerial chariot at the midday juncture,

he remained there in that garden, sporting with the apsarases. / Then he heard the words of the maiden, the gandharva’s daughter:

“None in the world is seen equal to my beauty, / whether god or dānava, even to a ten-millionth part of my beauty.”

Then, having heard this statement, the gaṇa became filled with rage; / the lord of the gaṇas cursed that lovely-limbed, arrogant maiden.

The gaṇa said: / “Since, having seen me, O large-eyed woman, proud of your beauty and fortune, / you deride the gandharvas, gods, and others, full of vanity,

therefore, O proud woman, there shall be leprosy upon your body!” / Hearing the curse, the poor girl became terrified with fright.

Prostrating with all eight limbs, she then begged for mercy: / “O lord, grant mercy from the curse unto me, a wretched woman, O master! / Grant it, O illustrious one! I shall never do such a thing again!”

Being thus addressed, Śikhaṇḍin, the leader of the gaṇas, out of compassion / then granted mercy to her, the daughter of the gandharva.

Śikhaṇḍin said: / “Endowed with birth and beauty, with learning and the wealth of ego— / whichever creature is proud of whatever quality, he perishes when possessed by it.

Therefore, pride should never be held; this is known as the fruit of pride. / Listen to the favor, O girl, and having heard it, keep it in mind.

The foremost seer Gośṛṅga, situated in the midst of the forest of Himavat, / will perform a service for you.” Having spoken thus, O beloved, he departed.

Meanwhile, the evening twilight arrived from another realm at that very moment.

Then the daughter of the gandharva, her enthusiasm shattered and her face cast down, / abandoned the delightful forest and went into the presence of her father.

She recounted all that cause for the origin of the leprosy. / Hearing that, her parents, afflicted with sorrow, lost their luster.

Swiftly they reached the Himavat mountain along with their daughter. / There they saw the hermitage of the seer Gośṛṅga.

Seeing Gośṛṅga, the foremost seer, seated in the middle of it, / bowing down like a staff upon the ground and praising him with various hymns,

the [gandharva] sat before him; having bowed down again and again, / he spoke words there concerning what had happened before.

When the event had been told, he asked again for the remedy. / When the remedy was asked, the gandharva said then:

The gandharva said: / “The body of my daughter is afflicted with the disease of leprosy. / You ought to do that here by which it may attain pacification.

Show grace, O brahmin-seer, to me, a wretched person, right now, / so that the leprosy of my daughter may be pacified.”

Gośṛṅga said: / “In Bhārata, indeed, near the ocean, there dwells the god of great splendor, / named Someśvara, worshiped by all gods.

Having waited for an opportune time, indeed, being worshiped by men eating one meal a day, / for the destruction of all diseases and for the accomplishment of all desired ends,

propitiate the Lord Śaṃkara with the vow of Somavāra. / When this is done, the destruction of the disease will happen for your daughter.”

Īśvara said: / Having heard those words of the great seer of purified mind, / he set his mind on going there, intent upon the worship of Someśa.

Thus ends the twenty-fourth chapter, entitled “Description of the Greatness of the Monday Vow in the Description of Glorious Someśvara,” in the First Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, in the Seventh Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].