Skandapurana 6.3.10

6.3.10.p1

adhyāya 10

6.3.10.1

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
kasminkalpe mahābhāgā narmadeyaṃ dvijottama .
vibhaktā ṛṣibhiḥ sarvaistapoyuktairmahātmabhiḥ .. 10.1 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said: / In which kalpa, O best of the twice-born, was this illustrious Narmadā / divided by all the magnanimous ṛṣis endowed with austerity?

6.3.10.2

etadvistarataḥ sarvaṃ brūhi me vadatāṃ vara .
kalpānte yadbhavetkaṣṭaṃ lokānāṃ tattvameva ca .. 10.2 ..

Tell me all this in detail, O best of speakers, / as well as the distress that befalls the worlds at the end of a kalpa, and the truth of it.

6.3.10.3

atīte tu purā kalpe yatheyaṃ vartate'nagha .
asyāntyasya ca kalpasya vyavasthāṃ kathaya prabho .
evamuktaḥ sabhāmadhye mārkaṇḍo vākyamabravīt .. 10.3 ..

In a kalpa passed long ago, as she existed, O sinless one, / tell me, O Lord, of the state of this final kalpa. / Addressed thus in the midst of the assembly, Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

6.3.10.4

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
vakṣye'haṃ śrūyatāṃ sarvaiḥ katheyaṃ pūrvataḥ śrutā .. 10.4 ..

Mārkaṇḍeya said: / I shall speak; let everyone hear this story heard previously.

6.3.10.5

mahatkatheyaṃ vaiśiṣṭī kalpādasmātparaṃ tu yā .
lokakṣayakaro ghora āsītkālaḥ sudāruṇaḥ .. 10.5 ..

This is a great, distinguished tale, concerning what came after this kalpa: / there was a dreadful, most terrible time bringing destruction to the worlds.

6.3.10.6

tasminnapi mahāghore yatheyaṃ vā mṛtā satī .
parituṣṭairvibhaktā ca śṛṇudhvaṃ tāṃ kathāmimām .. 10.6 ..

Hear this story of how, even in that terrifying time, she did not die, being virtuous, / and was divided by those who were satisfied.

6.3.10.7

yugānte samanuprāpte pitāmahadinatraye .
mānasā brahmaṇaḥ putrāḥ sākṣādbrahmeva sattamāḥ .. 10.7 ..

When the end of a yuga had arrived during the three days of the Grandfather, / the mind-born sons of Brahmā, being best of beings, like Brahmā in visible form,

6.3.10.8

sanakādyā mahātmāno ye ca vaimānikā gaṇāḥ .
yamendravaruṇādyāśca lokapālā dinatraye .. 10.8 ..

Sanaka and the other magnanimous ones, and those hosts who travel in aerial chariots, / and the world protectors Yama, Indra, Varuṇa, and others, during the three days,

6.3.10.9

kālāpekṣāstu tiṣṭhanti lokavṛttāntatatparāḥ .
tataḥ kalpakṣaye prāpte teṣāṃ jñānamanuttamam .. 10.9 ..

awaiting the time, intent upon the events of the worlds; / then, when the destruction of the kalpa arrived, their unequalled knowledge [remained].

6.3.10.10

sarveṣāṃ naśyate cāyuryugarūpānusārataḥ .
bhūrlokaṃ te parityajya agamaṃśca bhuvaṃ tadā .. 10.10 ..

The lifespan of all perished according to the nature of the yuga; / leaving the Bhūrloka, they then went to Bhuvarloka,

6.3.10.11

svarlokaṃ ca mahaścaiva janaścaiva tapastadā .
āśrayaṃ satyalokaṃ ca sarvalokamanuttamam .. 10.11 ..

and Svarloka, and Maharloka, Janaloka, and Tapoloka; / then they sought refuge in Satyaloka, the highest of all worlds.

6.3.10.12

kālaṃ yugasahasrāntaṃ putrapautrasamanvitāḥ .
satyaloke ca tiṣṭhanti yāvatsaṃjāyate jagat .. 10.12 ..

For a time up to the end of a thousand yugas, accompanied by sons and grandsons, / they remain in Satyaloka until the universe is generated.

6.3.10.13

brahmaputrāśca ye kecitkalpādau na bhavanti ha .
trailokyaṃ te parityajya anādhāraṃ bhavanti ca .. 10.13 ..

And whichever sons of Brahmā do not appear at the beginning of the kalpa, / they abandon the three worlds and become without support.

6.3.10.14

taiḥ sārdhaṃ ye tu te viprā anye cāpi tapodhanāḥ .
yakṣarakṣaḥpiśācāśca anye vaimānikā gaṇāḥ .. 10.14 ..

Together with them, those brahmins and other ascetics, / yakṣas, rakṣasas, piśācas, and other hosts traveling in aerial chariots,

6.3.10.15

ṛṣayaśca mahābhāgā varṇāścānye pṛthagvidhāḥ .
sīdanti bhūmyāṃ sahitā ye cānye talavāsinaḥ .. 10.15 ..

and the illustrious ṛṣis, and others of various classes, / and those others dwelling in the lower regions, all perish together on the earth.

6.3.10.16

anāvṛṣṭirabhūttatra mahatī śatavārṣikī .
lokakṣayakarī raudrā vṛkṣavīrudvināśinī .. 10.16 ..

There was a great drought of a hundred years, / bringing destruction to the worlds, fierce, destroying trees and shrubs,

6.3.10.17

trailokyasaṃkṣobhakarī saptārṇavaviśoṣaṇī .
tato lokāḥ kṣudhāviṣṭā bhramantīva diśo daśa .. 10.17 ..

agitating the three worlds, drying up the seven oceans; / then the people, seized by hunger, wander as it were in the ten directions.

6.3.10.18

kaṃdairmūlaiḥ phalairvāpi vartayante suduḥkhitāḥ .
saritaḥ sāgarāḥ kūpāḥ sevante pāvanāni ca .. 10.18 ..

Deeply distressed, they subsisted on bulbs, roots, or fruits; / they frequented rivers, oceans, wells, and purifying waters.

6.3.10.19

tatrāpi sarve śuṣyanti saridbhiḥ saha sāgarāḥ .
tato yānyalpasārāṇi sattvāni pṛthivītale .. 10.19 ..

Even there, all of them dried up, the oceans along with the rivers. / Then, whatever beings on the surface of the earth had little strength,

6.3.10.20

tānyevāgre pralīyante bhinnānyurujalena vai .
atha saṃkṣīyamāṇāsu saritsu saha sāgaraiḥ .. 10.20 ..

perished first of all, bereft of abundant water. / Then, as the rivers along with the oceans were drying up,

6.3.10.21

ṛṣīṇāṃ ṣaṣṭisāhasraṃ kurukṣetranivāsinām .
ye ca vaikhānasā viprā dantolūkhalinastathā .. 10.21 ..

the sixty thousand seers residing in Kurukṣetra, / and those brahmins who were Vaikhānasa ascetics and used their teeth as mortars,

6.3.10.22

himācalaguhāguhye ye vasanti tapodhanāḥ .
sarve te māmupāgamya kṣuttṛṣārtāstapodhanāḥ .. 10.22 ..

and the ascetics who lived in the secret caves of the Himālaya— / all those ascetics, afflicted with hunger and thirst, approached me

6.3.10.23

ūcuḥ prāñjalayaḥ sarve sīdayāmo mahāmune .
saritsāgaraśailāntaṃ jagatsaṃśuṣyate dvija .. 10.23 ..

and, with folded hands, all said: “O great sage, we are perishing! / O twice-born, the world, up to its rivers, oceans, and mountains, is drying up!

6.3.10.24

kutra yāsyāma sahitā yāvatkālasya paryayaḥ .
dīrghāyurasi viprendra na mṛtastvaṃ yugakṣaye .. 10.24 ..

Where shall we go together until the turn of time? / You are long-lived, O best of brahmins; you did not die at the end of the yuga.

6.3.10.25

bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ bhaviṣyacca sarvaṃ tava hṛdi sthitam .
tasmāttvaṃ vetsi sarvaṃ ca kathayasva mahāvrata .. 10.25 ..

Past, present, and future—all rests in your heart. / Therefore you know everything; tell us, O observer of great vows!

6.3.10.26

kīdṛkkālaṃ mahābhāga kṣapiṣyāmo'tha suvrata .
anāvṛṣṭihataṃ sarvaṃ sīdate sacarācaram .. 10.26 ..

For what length of time, O fortunate one of good vows, shall we endure? / Everything, moving and unmoving, is ruined by the drought and perishing.

6.3.10.27

paritrāhi mahābhāga na yathā yāma saṃkṣayam .
tataḥ saṃcintya manasā tvaranviprānathābravam .. 10.27 ..

Protect us, O fortunate one, so that we do not meet destruction!” / Then, having reflected in my mind, I quickly spoke to the brahmins:

6.3.10.28

kurukṣetraṃ tyajadhvaṃ ca putradārasamanvitāḥ .
tyaktvodīcīṃ diśaṃ sarve yāmo yāmyāmanuttamām .. 10.28 ..

“Leave Kurukṣetra together with your sons and wives! / Leaving the northern quarter, let us all go to the unsurpassable southern region,

6.3.10.29

nagaragrāmaghoṣāḍhyāṃ purapattanaśobhitām .
gacchāmo narmadātīraṃ bahusiddhaniṣevitam .. 10.29 ..

abounding in cities, villages, and cowherds' settlements, adorned with towns and capitals. / Let us go to the bank of the Narmadā, frequented by many perfected beings,

6.3.10.30

rudrāṅgīṃ tāṃ mahāpuṇyāṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśinīm .
paśyāmastāṃ mahābhāgāṃ nyagrodhāvārasaṃkulām .. 10.30 ..

born from the limbs of Rudra, most holy, destroying all sins! / Let us behold that fortunate [river], crowded with the shelters of banyan trees,

6.3.10.31

māheśvarairbhāgavataiḥ sāṃkhyaiḥ siddhaiḥ susevitām .
anāvṛṣṭibhayādbhītāḥ kūlayorubhayorapi .. 10.31 ..

well-attended by Śaivas, Bhāgavatas, followers of Sāṃkhya, and perfected beings! / Frightened by the dread of the drought, on both of its banks,

6.3.10.32

āśrame hyāśramāndivyānkārayāmo jitavratāḥ .
evamuktāstu te sarve sametānucaraiḥ saha .. 10.32 ..

we, having subdued our vows, shall establish divine hermitages in each settlement.” / Thus addressed, all of them, along with their assembled followers,

6.3.10.33

narmadātīramāsādya sthitāḥ sarve'kutobhayāḥ .
kiṃcitpūrvamanusmṛtya purā kalpādibhirbhayam .. 10.33 ..

reached the bank of the Narmadā and stayed there, free from all fear, / remembering a little from before the danger at the beginnings of kalpas in ancient times.

6.3.10.34

prāptāstu narmadātīramādāveva kalau yuge .
tato varṣaśataṃ pūrṇaṃ divyaṃ revātaṭe'vasan .. 10.34 ..

Having reached the bank of the Narmadā at the very beginning of the Kali yuga, / they then lived on the bank of the Revā for a full hundred divine years,

6.3.10.35

ṣaḍviṃśacca sahasrāṇi varṣāṇāṃ mānuṣāṇi ca .
tatrāścaryaṃ mayā dṛṣṭamṛṣīṇāṃ vasatāṃ nṛpa .. 10.35 ..

and twenty-six thousand human years. / There, O king, a wonder was seen by me as the seers lived there:

6.3.10.36

anāvṛṣṭihate loke saṃśuṣke sthāvare care .
bhinne yugādikalane hāhābhūte vicetane .. 10.36 ..

While the world was struck by drought, the moving and unmoving dried up, / the reckoning of yugas and the like shattered, and [everything] cried in distress and lost consciousness,

6.3.10.37

cāturvarṇe pralīne tu naṣṭe homabalikrame .
niḥsvāhe nirvaṣaṭkāre śaucācāravivarjite .. 10.37 ..

with the four classes dissolved, the order of oblations and sacrifices destroyed, / devoid of svāhā and vaṣaṭ, and bereft of purity and proper conduct,

6.3.10.38

iyamekā saricchreṣṭhā ṛṣikoṭiniṣevitā .
nānyā kācittriloke'pi ramaṇīyā nareśvara .. 10.38 ..

this single best of rivers was frequented by tens of millions of seers; / there was none other so delightful even in the three worlds, O lord of men!

6.3.10.39

yatheyaṃ puṇyasalilā indrasyevāmarāvatī .
devatāyatanaiḥ śubhrairāśramaiśca sukalpitaiḥ .. 10.39 ..

Just as this [river] has holy waters, like Indra’s Amarāvatī, / with shining temples of gods and well-constructed hermitages,

6.3.10.40

śobhate narmadā devī svarge mandākinī yathā .
yāvadvṛkṣā mahāśailā yāvatsāgarasaṃbhavā .. 10.40 ..

goddess Narmadā shines like the Mandākinī in heaven. / As far as the trees and great mountains extend, as far as it reaches the ocean,

6.3.10.41

ubhayoḥ kūlayostāvanmaṇḍitāyatanaiḥ śubhaiḥ .
hūyadbhiragnihotraiśca havirdhūmasamākulā .. 10.41 ..

so far on both banks it was adorned with auspicious temples, / and crowded with the smoke of offerings from the agnihotras being offered.

6.3.10.42

babhūva narmadā devī prāvṛṭkāla iva śarvarī .
devatāyatanairnaikaiḥ pūjāsaṃskāraśobhitā .. 10.42 ..

Goddess Narmadā became like a night in the rainy season, / adorned with the rites of worship at manifold temples of the gods.

6.3.10.43

saridbhirbhrājate śreṣṭhā purī śākrī ca bhāskarī .
kecitpañcāgnitapasaḥ kecidapyagnihotriṇaḥ .. 10.43 ..

The best among rivers, it shone like the city of Śakra and that of Bhāskara. / Some practiced the austerity of the five fires, while others maintained the sacred fires;

6.3.10.44

keciddhūmakamaśnanti tapasyugre vyavasthitāḥ .
ātmayajñaratāḥ kecidapare bhaktibhāginaḥ .. 10.44 ..

some inhaled smoke, established in fierce austerity; / some were devoted to the sacrifice of the self, while others were endowed with devotion.

6.3.10.45

vaiṣṇavajñānamāsādya kecicchaivaṃ vrataṃ tathā .
ekarātraṃ dvirātraṃ ca kecitṣaṣṭhāhabhojanāḥ .. 10.45 ..

Having attained Vaiṣṇava knowledge, some undertook the Śaiva observance; / some fasted for one night, some for two nights, and some ate on every sixth day;

6.3.10.46

cāndrāyaṇavidhānaiśca kṛcchriṇaścātikṛcchriṇaḥ .
evaṃvidhaistapobhiśca narmadātīraśobhitaiḥ .. 10.46 ..

some observed the rules of the Cāndrāyaṇa vow, and some practiced the kṛcchra and atikṛcchra penances. / Through such austerities adorning the bank of the Narmadā,

6.3.10.47

yajadbhiḥ śaṃkaraṃ devaṃ keśavaṃ bhāti nityadā .
ekatve ca pṛthaktve ca yajatāṃ ca maheśvaram .. 10.47 ..

and by those worshipping the god Śaṃkara and Keśava, it shone continually. / For those worshipping Maheśvara in unity and in differentiation,

6.3.10.48

kalau yuge mahāghore prāptāḥ siddhimanuttamām .
yasya yasya hi yā bhaktirvijñānaṃ yasya yādṛśam .. 10.48 ..

in the terrible Kali yuga, unsurpassable perfection was attained. / Whatever devotion anyone had, and of whatever kind his knowledge,

6.3.10.49

yasminyasmiṃśca deve tu tāṃtāmīśo'dadātprabhuḥ .
svabhāvaikatayā bhaktyā tāmetyāntaḥ pralīyate .. 10.49 ..

and toward whatever god, the lord Īśa granted that very [reward]. / Through singular devotion according to one's nature, reaching him, one dissolves within.

6.3.10.50

saṃsāre parivartante ye pṛthagbhājino narāḥ .
ye mahāvṛkṣamīśānaṃ tyaktvā śākhāvalambinaḥ .. 10.50 ..

Those men who worship with differentiation revolve in saṃsāra; / those who, having abandoned Īśāna, the great tree, cling only to its branches,

6.3.10.51

punarāvartamānāste jāyante hi caturyuge .
devānte sthāvarānte ca saṃsāre cābhramankramāt .. 10.51 ..

return again and are born in the four yugas; / wanderers in succession through saṃsāra, ending as gods and ending as immovable beings,

6.3.10.52

punarjanma punaḥ svarge punarghore ca raurave .
ye punardevamīśānaṃ bhavaṃ bhaktisusaṃsthitāḥ .. 10.52 ..

they experience birth again, heaven again, and the dreadful Raurava hell again. / But those who, firmly established in devotion, worship the god Īśāna, Bhava,

6.3.10.53

yajanti narmadātīre na punaste bhavanti ca .
ā dehapatanātkecidupāsantaḥ paraṃ gatāḥ .. 10.53 ..

on the bank of the Narmadā, are never born again. / Some, worshipping until the fall of the body, attained the Supreme.

6.3.10.54

keciddvādaśabhirvarṣaiḥ ṣaḍbharanye tapodhanāḥ .
tribhiḥ saṃvatsaraiḥ kecitkecitsaṃvatsareṇa tu .. 10.54 ..

Some ascetics [attained perfection] in twelve years, others in six, / some in three years, and some in a single year;

6.3.10.55

ṣaḍbhirmāsaistu saṃsiddhāstribhirmāsaistathāpare .
munayo devamāśritya narmadāṃ ca yaśasvinīm .. 10.55 ..

some were perfected in six months, and others in three months. / Taking refuge in the god and in the renowned Narmadā, the sages,

6.3.10.56

chittvā saṃsāradoṣāṃśca agamanbrahma śāśvatam .
evaṃ kaliyuge ghore śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ .. 10.56 ..

having severed the defects of saṃsāra, went to the eternal Brahman. / Thus, in the terrible Kali yuga, by hundreds and thousands,

6.3.10.57

narmadātīramāśritya munayo rudramāviśan .. 10.57 ..

the sages, taking refuge on the bank of the Narmadā, entered Rudra.

6.3.10.58

ye narmadātīramupetya viprāḥ śaive vrate yatnamupaprapannāḥ .
trikālamambhaḥ pravigāhya bhaktyā devaṃ samabhyarcya śivaṃ vrajanti .. 10.58 ..

Those brahmins who, having reached the bank of the Narmadā, engage in the Śaiva vow, / plunging into the water at the three junctions of the day, worshipping the god with devotion, attain Śiva.

6.3.10.59

dhyānārcanairjāpyamahāvrataiśca nārāyaṇaṃ vā satataṃ smaranti .
te dhautapāṇḍurapaṭā iva rājahaṃsāḥ saṃsārasāgarajalasya taranti pāram .. 10.59 ..

Or those who constantly remember Nārāyaṇa through meditation, worship, silent recitation, and great vows, / like royal swans with washed white feathers, cross to the other shore of the ocean of saṃsāra.

6.3.10.60

satyaṃ satyaṃ punaḥ satyamutkṣipya bhujamucyate .
idamekaṃ suniṣpannaṃ dhyeyo nārāyaṇaḥ sadā .. 10.60 ..

True, true, again it is true—with upraised arm it is proclaimed: / this single truth is well-established, that Nārāyaṇa should always be meditated upon!

6.3.10.61

yo vā haraṃ pūjayate jitātmā māsaṃ ca pakṣaṃ ca vasennarendra .
revāṃ samāśritya mahānubhāvaḥ sa devadevo'tha bhavetpinākī .. 10.61 ..

Or whatever self-controlled, noble person worships Hara
and resides for a month or a fortnight having resorted to the Revā, O lord of men, becomes that god of gods, the bow-wielding Pinākin. (10.61)

6.3.10.62

kīṭāḥ pataṃgāśca pipīlikāśca ye vai mriyante'mbhasi narmadāyāḥ .
te divyarūpāstu kulaprasūtāḥ śataṃ samā dharmaparā bhavanti .. 10.62 ..

Insects, flying moths, and ants that die in the waters of the Narmadā,
having taken divine forms and being born into noble families, remain devoted to dharma for a hundred years. (10.62)

6.3.10.63

kālena vṛkṣāḥ prapatanti ye'pi mahātaraṃgaughanikṛttamūlāḥ .
te narmadāṃbhobhirapāstapāpā dedīpyamānāstridivaṃ prayānti .. 10.63 ..

Even the trees whose roots in course of time are severed by the force of great waves and collapse,
their sins cast off by the waters of the Narmadā, go radiant to heaven. (10.63)

6.3.10.64

akāmakāmāśca tathā sakāmā revāntamāśritya mriyanti tīre .
jaḍāndhamūkāstridivaṃ prayānti kimatra viprā bhavabhāvayuktāḥ .. 10.64 ..

Those free from desire or filled with desire who take refuge at the bank of the Revā and die there—
even the dull, the blind, and the mute go to heaven, how much more so brahmins endowed with devotion to Śiva? (10.64)

6.3.10.65

māsopavāsairapi śoṣitāṅgā na tāṃ gatiṃ yānti vimuktadehāḥ .
mriyanti revājalapūtakāyāḥ śivārcane keśavabhāvayuktāḥ .. 10.65 ..

Even those who emaciate their limbs with fasts lasting a month do not attain that destination when they abandon their bodies,
which is reached by those who die with their bodies purified by the waters of the Revā, endowed with love for Keśava while worshiping Śiva. (10.65)

6.3.10.66

nīvāraśyāmākayaveṅgudādyairanyairmunīndrā iha vartayanti .
āpritya kūlaṃ tridaśānugītaṃ te narmadāyā na viśanti mṛtyum .. 10.66 ..

The best of sages who subsist here on wild rice, millet, barley, inguda-nuts, and other foods,
resorting to the bank praised by the gods, do not enter death. (10.66)

6.3.10.67

bhramanti ye tīramupetya devyāstrikāladevārcanasatyapūtāḥ .
viṇmūtracarmāsthitiropadhānāḥ kukṣau yuvatyā na vasanti bhūyaḥ .. 10.67 ..

Those who, purified by the truth and the worship of the deity at the three junctures of the day, wander along the river-bank of the goddess,
never again dwell inside a young woman’s womb enclosed with feces, urine, skin, and bones. (10.67)

6.3.10.68

kiṃ yajñadānairbahubhiśca teṣāṃ niṣevitaistīrthavaraiḥ samastaiḥ .
revātaṭaṃ dakṣiṇamuttaraṃ vā sevanti te rudracarānupūrvam .. 10.68 ..

What need have they of many sacrifices, gifts, or resorting to all the foremost sacred fords,
when they attend upon the southern or the northern bank of the Revā following the attendants of Rudra? (10.68)

6.3.10.69

te vañcitāḥ paṅgujaḍāndhabhūtā lokeṣu martyāḥ paśubhiśca tulyāḥ .
ye nāśritā rudraśarīrabhūtāṃ sopānapaṅktiṃ tridivasya revām .. 10.69 ..

Those mortals are cheated, like the lame, dull, and blind among the worlds, and are equal to beasts,
who have not resorted to the Revā, which is the body of Rudra and a flight of steps to heaven. (10.69)

6.3.10.70

yugaṃ kaliṃ ghoramimaṃ ya iccheddraṣṭuṃ kadācinna punardvijendraḥ .
sa narmadātīramupetya sarvaṃ sampūjayetsarvavimuktasaṃgaḥ .. 10.70 ..

Whatever leader of brahmins desires never again to behold this terrible Kali age
should approach the bank of the Narmadā and, freed from all attachments, worship all. (10.70)

6.3.10.71

vighnairanekairatiyojyamānā ye tīramujhanti na narmadāyāḥ .
te caiva sarvasya hitārthabhūtā vandyāśca te sarvajanasya mānyāḥ .. 10.71 ..

Those who do not abandon the bank of the Narmadā though afflicted with countless obstacles
become benefactors of all, worthy of worship, and honored by everyone. (10.71)

6.3.10.72

bhṛgvatrigārgeyavaśiṣṭhakaṅkāḥ śataiḥ sametairniyatāstvasaṃkhyaiḥ .
siddhiṃ parāṃ te hi jalaplutāṅgāḥ prāptāstu lokānmarutāṃ na cānye .. 10.72 ..

Bhṛgu, Atri, Gārgya, Vasiṣṭha, Kaṅka, and countless disciplined sages together in their hundreds,
their limbs bathed in the waters, attained supreme perfection and the worlds of the Maruts, and not others. (10.72)

6.3.10.73

jñānaṃ mahatpuṇyatamaṃ pavitraṃ paṭhantyado nityaviśuddhasattvāḥ .
gatiṃ parāṃ yānti mahānubhāvā rudrasya vākyaṃ hi yathā pramāṇam .. 10.73 ..

Those of eternally purified being who recite this great, most auspicious, and sacred knowledge,
those noble beings attain the supreme state, for the word of Rudra is authoritative. (10.73)

6.3.10.73_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe narmadāmāhātmye narmadāsnānaphalaśrutikathanaṃ nāma daśamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the tenth chapter, titled “Proclamation of the Fruits of Bathing in the Narmadā,” in the glorification of the Narmadā, in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth section, the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.