Skandapurana 3.3.7

Sūta said: / Thus addressed by the sage, that virtuous brahmin woman / bowed to him and then asked the procedure for worshiping Śiva. (1) / Śāṇḍilya said: / When one fasts on the thirteenth day of either fortnight, / three ghaṭīs before sunset one should take a ritual ablution. (2) / Wearing white garments, steadfast, restrained in speech, bound by vows, / having performed the prescribed twilight prayers and recitation, he should begin the worship of Śiva. (3) / Having smeared the ground before the god properly with fresh water, / and constructed a charming maṇḍala with clean cloths and other materials, the wise man, (4) / adorning it with canopies and the like, with fruits, flowers, and fresh sprouts, / drawing a variegated lotus endowed with the five colors, (5) / sitting there upon a steady, very auspicious seat, endowed with devotion, / having properly procured all the worship implements, being pure, (6) / the intelligent man should consecrate the seat with the mantra spoken in the scriptures. / Then, having performed purification of oneself and purification of the elements and the rest in proper order, (7) / having performed three breath-controls with the seed-syllables accompanied by the dot, / having deposited the letters of the alphabet according to rule, and meditating on that supreme deity, (8) / having completed the alphabet, and then meditating once again on supreme Śiva, / bowing to the guru on the left side, he should bow to Gaṇapati on the right. (9) / Having deposited Dharma and the others on the pair of shoulders and thighs, and on the navel and the two sides / Adharma and the others, and Ananta and the others, he should deposit the mantra upon the heart-seat. (10) / Beginning with the foundational power, following in order up to the nature of wisdom, / having deposited them in the stated order upon the lotus of the heart properly visualized, (11) / which is delightful and consists of the nine powers, he should meditate on the god, the lord of Umā: / resembling ten million moons, three-eyed, bearing the crescent moon upon his crest, (12) / with reddish-brown matted locks, radiant with a jewel-encrusted crest, / blue-necked, of noble form, adorned with a serpent-necklace, (13) / with hands granting boons and fearlessness, holding an axe, / wearing serpent-bracelets, upper armlets, armlets, and rings, (14) / clad in a tiger skin, seated upon a jeweled throne.

Having meditated [upon him], on his left side he should visualize the Daughter of the Mountain: (15) / lustrous like a blooming hibiscus flower, having the radiance of the rising sun, / resembling a flash of lightning, slender, delighting the mind and eyes, (16) / bearing the crescent moon on her crest, glossy, with dark curled hair, / charming with swarms of bees, adorned with dark forelocks, (17) / the graceful play of her round face illuminated by jeweled earrings, / her mirror-like cheek-halves marked with fresh saffron paste, (18) / her sprout-like red lower lip shining with a sweet smile, / conch-necked, auspicious, with lotus-bud breasts rising up, (19) / possessing four radiant arms with the noose, the goad, and gestures of fearlessness and boon-granting, / adorned with rings and bracelets glittering with many jewels, (20) / endowed with a golden girdle-string shining above three folds [of the waist], / wearing a red garland and red garments, anointed with divine sandalwood paste, (21) / her lotus feet bowed to by the crests of the wives of the guardians of the directions, / mounted on a jeweled throne, with the king of serpents as her ornament. (22) / Having thus meditated on Mahādeva and the goddess, the Daughter of the Mountain, / and having worshiped the god with perfumes and other offerings in the order of ritual deposition, (23) / he should offer [worship] with the five Brahmamantras in the prescribed places or in the heart, / and a separate handful of flowers upon the body, and thrice upon the heart with the primary mantra. (24) / Then, the practitioner himself becoming Śiva by means of the primary mantra, / he should then worship the god again in sequence on the external seat. (25) / Being composed, he should state the solemn resolve there at the beginning of the worship. / Having joined his hands in reverence, he should contemplate Śaṃkara in his heart: (26) / 'For the removal of debt, sin, misfortune, and poverty, / for the destruction of all sins, be gracious to me, O Śaṃkara! (27) / Tormented by the fire of sorrow and grief, afflicted by the fear of worldly existence, / distressed by many diseases, wretched—save me, O rider of the bull! (28) / Come, O lord of the gods of gods, O Mahādeva, bestower of fearlessness! / Receive, together with Pārvatī, your worship performed by me.' (29) / Having made this solemn resolve according to rule, he should perform the worship of the Absolute.

One should worship the Guru and Gaṇapati on the left and right; / one should worship the lord of the field in the northeast corner, and then Vāstoṣpati in proper order; / one should worship Vāgdevī there, and then worship Kātyāyanī. / [One should worship] righteousness, knowledge, dispassion, and sovereign power with vowels ending in 'namaḥ' / in the corners starting from the northeast, [as] the feet of the pedestal in succession. / With these two, the bindu and the visarga, one should worship unrighteousness and the others. / In the four directions in the forms of sattva, and in the center Ananta together with the Tāraka [mantra]; / one should install the three guṇas—sattva and the rest—in those forms upon the pedestal. / Above its covering, [one should place] Māyā along with Lakṣmī and Śiva. / At the end of that, furthermore, a lotus, the complete threefold maṇḍala, / covered with petals, filaments, and anthers, inscribed in order with the letters of the Tāraka. / Having thus worshipped the three lotuses, devoutly in the middle of the maṇḍala, / one should worship Vāmā, Jyeṣṭhā, and Raudrī in the cardinal directions beginning with the eastern division. / One should worship the nine Śaktis, beginning with Vāmā, accompanied by the nine vowels; / and one should worship [them] in the heart with the pedestal mantra preceded by the three seed-syllables. / Surrounded by the first limbs in circumambulation, and by the five forms and Śaktis, / and by the three Śakti forms, and by others endowed with the two treasures, / encircled by Ananta and the rest, by the Mothers, by the Bull and others, / by the supernatural powers beginning with aṇimā, and by Indra and the others along with their weapons; / the Bull, Kṣetrapāla, Caṇḍeśa, Durgā, Skanda, and Nandin, / Gaṇeśa, and the commander of the army, each characterized by their respective marks; / aṇimā, mahimā, garimā, and laghimā, / īśitva, vaśitva, prāpti, and prākāmya— / these are declared to be the eight sovereign powers, consisting purely of light; / previously with the five Brahmamantras, in order beginning with Hṛllekhā, / the worship with the limbs, Umā and others, and Indra and others, was declared by those sages. / One should worship Umā, Caṇḍeśvara, and the others starting from the north. / In this way, Sadāśiva, the embodiment of light, endowed with these surrounding deities,

the God accompanied by Umā, should be worshipped with the offerings. / Having bathed Mahādeva with waters from a well-established conch and with the five nectars, / composed in mind, with the Rudrasūktas, / one should arrange the offerings such as the seat with diverse mantras. / One should arrange a golden seat furnished with divine cloth. / With pure water, one should offer the arghya endowed with eightfold qualities, and the pādya; / with the same, one should offer the water for sipping, and the madhuparka rich in honey. / Having offered water for sipping again, one should perform the bath with mantras. / One should offer the sacred thread, clothing, and ornaments; / one should offer highly purified perfume consisting of eight ingredients. / And then the bilva, mandāra, kahlāra, lotus, / dhattūra, karṇikāra, hemp-flower, and jasmine, / kuśa, apāmārga, tulasī, mādhavī, campaka, and others, / bṛhatī, and oleander, as they are obtained—the practitioner / should present fragrant and diverse garlands; / incense produced from black aloe, and a spotless, auspicious lamp, / [and] an unguent mark. / Then an offering of milk-rice accompanied by ghee and side dishes, / accompanied by modakas and sweet cakes, mixed with sugar and jaggery, / anointed with honey, combined with curds, and provided with drinking water; / with that very oblation, one should sacrifice into the fire energized with mantras, / according to the rite prescribed in the Āgama, guided by the words of the guru. / Having offered food to Śambhu, [one should offer] once more excellent betel, / incense, a charming waving of lights, a parasol, and an excellent mirror, / having presented them duly with Vedic and Tantric mantras. / If one is unable oneself and destitute, one should worship according to one's means; / the Lord of Gaurī is pleased with merely a flower offered with devotion. / Then one should worship all who form his retinue, beginning with Gaṇeśa; / having praised him with various hymns, the wise one should bow down with the eight-limbed prostration. / Then, having circumambulated the Bull, Caṇḍeśvara, and the rest,

and having duly offered the worship, one should pray to the husband of Girijā: / 'Victory, O God, Lord of the universe! Victory, O eternal Śaṃkara! / Victory, O presiding Lord of all gods! Victory, O one worshipped by all gods! / Victory, O one beyond all qualities! Victory, O bestower of all boons! / Victory, O eternal one without support! Victory, O imperishable supporter of the universe! / Victory, O Lord known only through the universe! Victory, O one adorned with the king of serpents! / Victory, O husband of Gaurī, O Śambhu! Victory, O one with the crescent moon on your crest! / Victory, O one resembling ten million suns! Victory, O refuge of infinite virtues! / Victory, O Rudra, Virūpākṣa! Victory, O inconceivable, taintless one! / Victory, O Lord, ocean of compassion! Victory, O dispeller of the distress of devotees! / Victory, O Master who carries across the ocean of transmigration that is hard to cross! / Be pleased with me, O Mahādeva, who am distressed and grieving in transmigration; / having removed all fear of sin, protect me, O Parameśvara! / Sunk in great poverty, struck down by great sin, / ruined by great sorrow, afflicted by severe disease, / burdened by the weight of debt, tormented by my past actions, / afflicted by the planets—be gracious to me, O Śaṃkara!' / A poor man should thus pray at the end of worship to the husband of Girijā; / or a wealthy man, or a king, should pray to the divine Lord: / 'May long life, constant health, increase of treasury, and elevation of strength, / [and] perpetual joy be mine through your grace, O Śaṃkara! / May my enemies go to destruction; may my planets be propitious; / may robbers perish in the kingdom; may the people be free from calamity; / may famine, plague, and distress come to pacification upon the earth; / may there be abundance of all crops, and may all directions be full of happiness!' / In this manner one should worship the God, the husband of Girijā, at twilight; / afterwards, one should feed brahmins and satisfy them with gifts. / Bringing destruction to all sins, destroying all poverty, / the worship of Śiva that bestows all desired boons has been proclaimed by me. / The multitude of great mortal sins, as well as minor sins...

One should refrain from everything else rather than steal Śiva's property. / In the Purāṇas and in the Smṛtis, expiations are seen / for sins such as killing a brahmin, but not for those who steal Śiva's property. / What is the use of saying much on this matter? I state it in half a verse: / Worship of Śiva destroys even a hundred killings of a brahmin. / This worship of Śiva at twilight (pradoṣa) has been told to you by me, / the secret for all living beings; there is no doubt about this. / Let worship be performed in this manner even by these two boys; / from this, in just one year, you will attain supreme perfection." / Having heard these words of Śāṇḍilya, the brahmin woman, / together with those two boys, bowed down at the sage's feet. / The brahmin woman said: / "Today I have achieved my life's purpose merely by seeing you. / O venerable one, these two boys have gone to you alone for refuge. / O brahmin, this is my son, called Śucivrata; / this one is a prince, named Dharmagupta by me. / These two and I, O venerable one, are the servants of your feet; / rescue us who have fallen into this dreadful ocean of poverty." / Having thus comforted with words sweet as nectar the brahmin woman who had sought refuge, / the sage then instructed those two boys in the knowledge of the mantra for worshipping Śiva. / Then, instructed by the sage, the two boys and that brahmin woman, / having bowed to him and taken their leave, departed from the temple of Śiva. / From that time onward, those two boys, by the instruction of the excellent sage, / readily performed the worship of Pārvatī's lord at twilight. / As the brahmin boy and the prince were thus worshipping the god, / four months passed for them in utter happiness. / Once, without the prince, that son of the brahmin / went to bathe on the riverbank and wandered about in playful delight. / There, in an embankment wall split open by the torrent of a waterfall, / he saw a large, glittering treasure jar.

Seeing it, having approached quickly, overcome with joy and curiosity, / thinking it obtained by divine providence, he took it up on his head and went away. / Bringing it with haste and putting down the jar by force, / placing it inside the house, he spoke to his mother: / "Mother! Mother! Look at this favor of the lord of the mountain's daughter! / A treasure has been revealed in the form of a pot by the compassionate one!" / Then the virtuous woman, astonished, called the prince, / and, congratulating her own son while honoring the worship of Śiva, she said: / "Listen to my words, my two sons: divide this treasure jar / equally and take it, out of respect for my command." / Hearing these words of his mother, the brahmin boy was pleased; / the prince, confident in the worship of Śaṃkara, replied to her: / "Mother, it has arrived solely by the merit of your son; / I do not wish to take a divided store of wealth. / Let him enjoy by himself what was obtained from his own merit; / that same divine Lord will show mercy to me." / As they thus worshipped Śambhu once again with supreme delight, / a year passed for them in that very house. / Then one day, when the spring season arrived, the prince, / together with that brahmin, wandered in the midst of a forest. / Then, having gone far away somewhere in the forest, the brahmin boy and the prince / saw hundreds of Gandharva maidens playing. / Seeing all of them, charming in all their limbs and strolling delightfully, / the brahmin's son said to the prince from afar:

"One must not go forward from here; women are sporting ahead. / Wise men of pure heart avoid the proximity of women.

They are deceivers, proud with the intoxication of wealth and youth, / who bewilder people on sight, skilled in cajoling speech.

Therefore one should shun the presence of women and conversing with them, / especially a wise celibate student devoted to his own duty.

Therefore, I do not dare to go to the playground of these deer-eyed women." / Having spoken thus, the brahmin's son turned back and stood at a distance.

Then that prince, his mind filled with curiosity, / went entirely alone and fearless along the path of their amusement.

There, among the Gandharva maidens, one fair-faced maiden / seeing the prince approaching, reflected in her mind:

"Oh, who is this noble-limbed youth, handsome in every part of his body, / walking like an elephant in rut, an ocean of the nectar of beauty?

He has wide eyes that dart playfully, charming with a sweet smile, / endowed with the grace of love's god himself, bearing the marks of delicate limbs."

Thus the maiden, filled with wonder upon seeing the prince from afar, / looked toward all her friends and spoke these words:

"O friends, not far from here there is an excellent grove, / filled with wondrous campaka, aśoka, punnāga, and bakula trees.

All of you go to that grove, gather a heap of flowers, / and return; meanwhile, I shall remain right here."

Thus commanded, the troop of female companions went to another grove; / and that Gandharva maiden remained, fixing her gaze upon the prince.

Beholding that slender-limbed maiden, endowed with fresh youth, / who by the abundance of her beauty surpassed even Tilottamā,

the prince, approaching with eyes wide in wonder, / experienced the agony of love's arrow by the stroke of fate.

That Gandharva maiden too, as the prince approached, / stood up quickly and offered him a seat of tender sprouts.

Approaching him as he sat after receiving hospitality, the slender-waisted maiden, / her senses agitated and her firmness broken by his beauty and virtues, asked:

"Who are you, lotus-petal-eyed one? From what country have you come here? / Whose son are you?" Asked thus with affection, he related everything:

that he was the son of the king of Vidarbha, his mother and father deceased, / his land seized by enemies, and that he had gone to another kingdom.

Having revealed everything, the prince in turn questioned her: / 'Who are you, O fair-thighed one, and what is your business here, and whose daughter are you?

What are you pondering in your heart, or what do you wish to say here?' / Addressed thus, she spoke again: 'Listen, O best of royal monarchs:

There is a certain leader among the race of Gandharvas named Draviḍa; / I am his daughter, known by the name Aṃśumatī.

Seeing you arrive, longing to speak with you, / I have left behind all my companions and come all alone, O high-minded one.

In all the arts of music, there is no one else superior to me; / through my union, even all the celestial women are delighted.

I, versed in all the arts, knowing the gestures and hints of all people, / know your desire: your mind is joined to me.

Likewise, a longing has been brought about in me by destiny;

let no breach in our mutual affection ever arise henceforward.'

Speaking thus with him, the Gandharva maiden immediately, with love,

gave him a pearl necklace that adorned the space between her breasts.

Taking that wondrous necklace from her, overcome with affection,

the prince said this to her who was overflowing with profound joy:

'You have spoken truly, O timid one; yet I say this one thing:

How can you be the beloved of me, who have abandoned my kingdom and am destitute?

You, a young maiden under a father's authority, transgressing your father's command—

how is it proper for you to act independently, like a foolish girl?'

Hearing his words, she of pure smiles said to him:

'So be it! I shall act in that very way; behold a wondrous thing!

Go to your abode, my beloved, but the day after tomorrow, early in the morning,

come right back here; we have business, and it is no lie.'

Having said this to that prince, she joined her companions;

the fair-limbed maiden departed, and the prince departed as well.

Having joyfully gone into the presence of the brahmin's son,

he related everything and went with him to his own abode.

And having delighted that virtuous brahmin woman again, the prince,

on the day after tomorrow, went to the forest together with that son of the brahmin.

Reaching the place indicated earlier by her, the prince

saw the king of the Gandharvas accompanied by his daughter.

Welcoming the two youths who had arrived, the lord of the Gandharvas

seated them on a delightful seat and spoke to the prince.

The Gandharva said:

'O prince, yesterday I went to Kailāsa;

there I saw the Lord Mahādeva together with Pārvatī.

Calling me, that Lord of gods, in the presence of all the dwellers of heaven,

the blessed Lord, an ocean of the nectar of compassion, said:

"There is a prince on earth named Dharmagupta,

destitute, fallen from his kingdom, his land seized by enemies.

Following the guru's instruction, that boy is ever devoted to my worship;

today all his ancestors have attained me through his power.

You too must lend him assistance, O best of Gandharvas;

then he will be established in his own kingdom, his enemies slain."

Commanded thus by Maheśa, I returned to my own palace,

and I was repeatedly beseeched in this manner by this daughter of mine.

Knowing this entire commission of the compassionate Śambhu,

I took this daughter and came to this inner forest.

Therefore, I bestow this maiden, Aṃśumatī, upon you;

slaying your enemies, I shall establish you in your own kingdom by the command of Śiva.

Having enjoyed desires as you wish together with her in that city,

at the end of ten thousand years you will go to the abode of the Mountain-Dweller.

Even there, this daughter of mine will obtain you alone,

with this very divine body, in the presence of Śiva.'

Having spoken thus to the prince, the king of the Gandharvas

arranged the marriage of his daughter in that forest.

He gave him dowry: loads of exceedingly brilliant gems,

a crest-jewel resembling the moon, and radiant necklaces of pearls,

divine ornaments and garments, equipage made of gold,

ten thousand elephants, and a hundred thousand dark horses,

thousands of great golden chariots,

moreover, a divine chariot and a bow resembling Indra's rainbow,

thousands of divine weapons, and two quivers with inexhaustible arrows.

Impenetrable golden armor, and a lance that crushes enemies,

five thousand servant-women to attend upon his daughter,

and various treasures did he give to him with a delighted heart.

A formidable gandharva army, equipped with all four divisions,

the king of gandharvas further gave to assist him.

Thus the prince attained supreme prosperity;

accompanied by his desired wife, he rejoiced in his good fortune.

Having celebrated his daughter's wedding as befitted the occasion,

the king of gandharvas mounted his vimāna and went to heaven.

Having entered into marriage, Dharmagupta, accompanied by the gandharva army,

returned to his own city and smote the host of enemies.

Having slain the invincible [foe] in battle with his lance and the gandharva army,

and having completely destroyed the enemy forces, he entered his own city.

Then, consecrated by ministers and foremost brahmins,

mounted upon a jeweled lion-throne, he ruled a kingdom free of adversaries.

That brahmin woman who had formerly nourished him like her own son,

became his mother, and the brahmin boy his brother.

With the gandharva maiden as his wife, lord of the city of Vidarbha,

having worshiped the god Giriśa, Dharmagupta became king.

In the same way, others who thoroughly worship the husband of the Mountain's Daughter at dusk (pradoṣa)

attain their desired wishes, and at the end of the body, the supreme state.

Sūta said:

This holy, great observance—the worship of Śaṃkara at pradoṣa—

is the supreme means to achieve duty, wealth, pleasure, and liberation.

Whoever hears this sacred and most wondrous māhātmya,

or recites it attentively at the conclusion of Śiva's worship at pradoṣa,

shall not suffer poverty even in a hundred future births;

endowed with knowledge and sovereignty, at the end he goes to the city of Śiva.

Blessed indeed are those mortals who, having attained this most rare human body, perform the worship of the feet of the Supreme Lord!

They have conquered the three worlds through their merit; the dust of their lotus feet purifies the world.

Thus ends the seventh chapter, titled "Description of the Greatness of the Pradoṣa [Observance]," in the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa of the third [part] in the venerable Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.