Skandapurana 6.3.111

6.3.111.p1

adhyāya 111

6.3.111.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
narmadādakṣiṇe kūle tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam .
skandena nirmitaṃ pūrvaṃ tapaḥ kṛtvā sudāruṇam .. 111.1 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
On the southern bank of the Narmadā is an exceedingly splendid sacred ford / created formerly by Skanda after performing exceedingly severe austerity.

6.3.111.2

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
skandasya caritaṃ sarvamājanma dvijasattama .
tīrthasya ca vidhiṃ puṇyaṃ kathayasva yathārthataḥ .. 111.2 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said:
Tell me truly, O best among the twice-born, the entire life of Skanda / from his birth, and the holy rite of the sacred ford.

6.3.111.3

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
devadevena vai taptaṃ tapaḥ pūrvaṃ yudhiṣṭhira .
vijñaptena suraiḥ sarvairumādevī vivāhitā .. 111.3 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
In ancient times, O Yudhiṣṭhira, austerity was practiced by the God of gods. / When implored by all the gods, the goddess Umā was taken in marriage.

6.3.111.4

nāsti senāpatiḥ kaściddevānāṃ surasattama .
nīyante dānavairghoraiḥ sarve devāḥ savāsavāḥ .. 111.4 ..

There is no commander of the army for the gods, O best among gods; / all the gods along with Indra are being led captive by the dreadful Dānavas.

6.3.111.5

yathā niśā vinā candraṃ divaso bhāskaraṃ vinā .
na śobhate muhūrtaṃ vai tathā senā vināyakā .. 111.5 ..

Just as a night without the moon, or a day without the sun / does not look splendid even for a moment, so an army without a leader does not shine.

6.3.111.6

evaṃ jñātvā mahādeva parayā dayayā vibho .
senānīrdīyatāṃ kaścittriṣu lokeṣu viśrutaḥ .. 111.6 ..

Knowing this, O Mahādeva, out of supreme compassion, O omnipresent Lord, / let a commander of the army renowned in the three worlds be granted.

6.3.111.7

etacchrutvā śubhaṃ vākyaṃ devānāṃ parameśvaraḥ .
kāmayāna umāṃ devīṃ sasmāra manasā smaram .. 111.7 ..

Hearing this auspicious statement of the gods, the Supreme Lord, / desiring the goddess Umā, remembered the god of love in his mind.

6.3.111.8

tena mūrchitasarvāṅgaḥ kāmarūpo jagadguruḥ .
kāmayāmāsa rudrāṇīṃ divyaṃ varṣaśataṃ kila .. 111.8 ..

All his limbs overwhelmed by him, the Preceptor of the universe, who assumes forms at will, / made love to Rudrāṇī for a full hundred divine years.

6.3.111.9

devarājastato jñātvā mahāmaithunagaṃ haram .
saṃmantrya daivataiḥ sārddhaṃ praiṣayajjātavedasam .. 111.9 ..

The king of the gods, learning that Hara was engaged in great intercourse, / consulted with the deities and dispatched Agni (Jātavedas).

6.3.111.10

tena gatvā mahādevaḥ paramānandasaṃsthitaḥ .
sahasā tena dṛṣṭo'sau hāhetyuktvā samutthitaḥ .. 111.10 ..

Having gone there, Mahādeva was situated in supreme bliss; / seen suddenly by him, he exclaimed 'Alas, alas!' and rose up.

6.3.111.11

tataḥ kruddhā mahādevī śāpavācamuvāca ha .
vepamānā mahārāja śṛṇu yatte vadāmyaham .. 111.11 ..

Then the great goddess, angered, uttered a curse; / trembling, O great king, listen to what I tell you:

6.3.111.12

ahaṃ yasmātsuraiḥ sarvairyācitā putrajanmani .
kṛtā ratiśca viphalā saṃpreṣya jātavedasam .. 111.12 ..

'Since I was begged by all the gods for the birth of a son, / and yet our lovemaking has been rendered futile by sending Agni,

6.3.111.13

tasmātsarve putrahīnā bhaviṣyanti na saṃśayaḥ .
hareṇoktastato vahnirasmākaṃ bījamāvaha .. 111.13 ..

therefore all of them shall become devoid of sons, without a doubt.' / Then the Fire-god was addressed by Hara: 'Carry our seed.

6.3.111.14

yathā bhavati lokeṣu tathā tvaṃ kartumarhasi .
mama tejastvayā śakyaṃ gṛhītuṃ surasattama .
devakāryārthasiddhyarthaṃ nānyaḥ śakto jagattraye .. 111.14 ..

You ought to act so that it comes about in the worlds. / My fiery energy can be held by you, O best of gods; / for the sake of accomplishing the task of the gods, no other is capable in the three worlds.'

6.3.111.15

agniruvāca -
tejasastava me deva kā śaktirdhāraṇe vibho .
karoti bhasmasātsarvaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram .. 111.15 ..

Agni said:
O God, O all-pervading Lord, what power do I have to bear your fiery energy? / It turns the entire threefold world, with all that moves and is still, to ashes.

6.3.111.16

īśvara uvāca -
udarasthena bījena yadi te jāyate rujā .
tadā kṣipasva tattejo gaṅgātoye hutāśana .. 111.16 ..

Īśvara said:
If pain arises for you from the seed staying in your belly, / then, O consumer of oblations, cast that fiery energy into the water of the Gaṅgā.

6.3.111.17

evamuktvā mahādevo'moghaṃ bījamuttamam .
havyavāhamukhe sarvaṃ prakṣipyāntaradhīyata .. 111.17 ..

Having spoken thus, Mahādeva deposited all his excellent, unfailing seed / into the mouth of the fire-god and vanished.

6.3.111.18

gate cādarśanaṃ deve dahyamāno hutāśanaḥ .
gaṅgātoye vinikṣipya jagāma svaṃniveśanam .. 111.18 ..

When the god had vanished, Fire, burning with heat, / threw it into the waters of the Gaṅgā and went to his own abode.

6.3.111.19

asahantī tu tattejo gaṅgāpi saritāṃ varā .
śarastambe vinikṣipya jagāmāśu yathāgatam .. 111.19 ..

Gaṅgā too, the best of rivers, unable to bear that fiery brilliance, / threw it into a reed-bed and swiftly went back the way she came.

6.3.111.20

tatra jātaṃ tu taddṛṣṭvā sarve devāḥ savāsavāḥ .
kṛttikāṃ preṣayāmāsuḥ stanyaṃ pāyayituṃ tadā .. 111.20 ..

Seeing that [child] born there, all the gods, along with Indra, / sent the Kṛttikās to give him breast-milk then.

6.3.111.21

dṛṣṭvā tā āgatāḥ sarvā gaṅgāgarbhe mahāmateḥ .
ṣaṇmukhaiḥ ṣaṇmukho bhūtvā pipāsurapibatstanam .. 111.21 ..

Seeing that they had all arrived, the noble-minded one, born of Gaṅgā's womb, / became six-faced and drank the breast-milk with six mouths, longing to drink.

6.3.111.22

jātakarmādisaṃskārānvedoktānpadmasambhavaḥ .
cakāra sarvāndājendra vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā .. 111.22 ..

Brahmā, born of the lotus, performed all the rites, beginning with the birth-rite, / as prescribed by the Vedas according to the prescribed rules, O best of kings.

6.3.111.23

ṣaṇmukhātṣaṇmukho nāma kārttikeyastu kṛttikāt .
kumāraśca kumāratvādgaṅgāgarbho'gnijo'paraḥ .. 111.23 ..

From his six faces he is called Ṣaṇmukha, and Kārttikeya from the Kṛttikās; / he is Kumāra because of his boyhood, Gaṅgāgarbha, and also Agrija.

6.3.111.24

evaṃ kumāraḥ sambhūto hyanadhītya sa vedavit .
śāstrāṇyanekāni veda cacāra vipulaṃ tapaḥ .. 111.24 ..

Thus Kumāra was born. Without studying, he knew the Vedas / and knew many treatises; and he performed extensive austerity.

6.3.111.25

devāraṇyeṣu sarveṣu nadīṣu ca nadeṣu ca .
pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni samudrādyāni bhārata .. 111.25 ..

In all the divine forests, at rivers and streams, / and at whatever sacred fords exist on earth, beginning with the ocean, O descendant of Bharata,

6.3.111.26

tataḥ paryāyayogena narmadātaṭamāśritaḥ .
narmadādakṣiṇe kūle cacāra vipulaṃ tapaḥ .. 111.26 ..

he then, in the course of wandering, resorted to the bank of the Narmadā, / and on the southern bank of the Narmadā he performed extensive austerity,

6.3.111.27

ṛgyajuḥsāmavihitaṃ japañjāpyamaharniśam .
dhyāyamāno mahādevaṃ śucirdhamanisaṃtataḥ .. 111.27 ..

chanting day and night the prayers prescribed by the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, / meditating on Mahādeva, pure, his veins standing out [on his skin].

6.3.111.28

tato varṣasahasrānte pūrṇe devo maheśvaraḥ .
umayā sahitaḥ kāle tadā vacanamabravīt .. 111.28 ..

Then, at the end of a full thousand years, the god Maheśvara, / accompanied by Umā, spoke these words at that time:

6.3.111.29

īśvara uvāca -
ahaṃ te varadastāta gaurī mātā pitā hyaham .
varaṃ vṛṇīṣva yacceṣṭaṃ triṣu lokeṣu durlabham .. 111.29 ..

Īśvara said:
“I grant you a boon, dear child. Gaurī is your mother, and I am your father. / Choose a boon, whatever you desire, even if difficult to obtain in the three worlds.”

6.3.111.30

ṣaṇmukha uvāca -
yadi tuṣṭo mahādeva umayā saha śaṅkara .
vṛṇomi mātāpitarau nānyā gatirmatirmama .. 111.30 ..

Ṣaṇmukha said:
“If you are pleased, Mahādeva, Śaṅkara, together with Umā, / I choose you both as mother and father; I have no other refuge or thought.”

6.3.111.31

etacchrutvā śubhaṃ vākyaṃ putrasya vadanāccyutam .
tathetyuktvā tu snehena premṇā taṃ pariṣasvaje .. 111.31 ..

Hearing these auspicious words spoken from the mouth of his son, / he said, ‘So be it,’ and embraced him with affection and love.

6.3.111.32

tatastaṃ mūrdhnyupāghrāya hyumayovāca śaṅkaraḥ .. 111.32 ..

Then, smelling his head, Śaṅkara, along with Umā, said:

6.3.111.33

īśvara uvāca -
akṣayaścāvyayaścaiva senānīstvaṃ bhaviṣyasi .. 111.33 ..

Īśvara said:
“You shall be imperishable, immutable, and the commander of the army.

6.3.111.34

śikhī ca te vāhanaṃ divyarūpo datto mayā śaktidharasya saṃkhye .
surāsurādīṃśca jayeti coktvā jagāma kailāsavaraṃ mahātmā .. 111.34 ..

A peacock of divine form has been given by me as a mount to you who wield the spear in battle. / Conquer the gods, asuras, and the rest!” Having said this, the Great-Souled one went to the excellent Kailāsa.

6.3.111.35

gate cādarśanaṃ deve tadā sa śikhivāhanaḥ .
sthāpayitvā mahādevaṃ jagāma surasannidhau .. 111.35 ..

When the god had vanished, he whose mount is a peacock / installed Mahādeva and then went to the presence of the gods.

6.3.111.36

tadāprabhṛti tattīrthaṃ skandatīrthamiti śrutam .
sarvapāpaharaṃ puṇyaṃ martyānāṃ bhuvi durlabham .. 111.36 ..

From that time forward, that sacred ford became known as Skandatīrtha, / removing all sins, holy, and difficult to attain for mortals on earth.

6.3.111.37

tatra tīrthe tu yo rājanbhaktyā snātvārcayecchivam .
gandhamālyābhiṣekaiśca yājñikaṃ sa labhetphalam .. 111.37 ..

O King, whoever bathes at that sacred ford with devotion and worships Śiva / with perfumes, garlands, and ceremonial bathing, obtains the fruit of a sacrificer.

6.3.111.38

skandatīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā pūjayetpitṛdevatāḥ .
tilamiśreṇa toyena tasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu .. 111.38 ..

Hear the meritorious fruit of him who bathes at Skandatīrtha / and worships the ancestors and deities with water mixed with sesame seeds:

6.3.111.39

piṇḍadānena caikena vidhiyuktena bhārata .
dvādaśābdāni tuṣyanti pitaro nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 111.39 ..

By a single offering of rice-balls performed according to the rules, O descendant of Bharata, / the ancestors are satisfied for twelve years; there is no doubt about this.

6.3.111.40

tatra tīrthe tu rājendra śubhaṃ vā yādi vāśubham .
iha loke pare caiva tatsarvaṃ jāyate'kṣayam .. 111.40 ..

Whatever good or evil is done at that sacred ford, O best of kings, / all of that becomes imperishable, both in this world and in the next.

6.3.111.41

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ kaścitprāṇatyāgaṃ kariṣyati .
śāstrayuktena vidhinā sa gacchecchivamandiram .. 111.41 ..

Whoever abandons his life at that sacred ford / according to the injunctions laid down in the scriptures, goes to the abode of Śiva.

6.3.111.42

kalpamekaṃ vasitvā tu devagandharvapūjitaḥ .
atra bhāratavarṣe tu jāyate vimale kule .. 111.42 ..

Having lived [there] for one kalpa, honored by gods and gandharvas, / he is born here in the land of Bharata into a pure family.

6.3.111.43

vedavedāṅgatattvajñaḥ sarvavyādhivivarjitaḥ .
jīvedvarṣaśataṃ sāgraṃ putrapautrasamanvitaḥ .. 111.43 ..

Knowing the truth of the Vedas and the Vedāṅgas, free from all diseases, / he lives for more than a hundred years, endowed with sons and grandsons.

6.3.111.44

idaṃ te kathitaṃ rājanskandatīrthasya sambhavam .
dhanyaṃ yaśasyamāyuṣyaṃ sarvaduḥkhaghnamuttamam .
sarvapāpaharaṃ puṇyaṃ devadevena bhāṣitam .. 111.44 ..

Thus the origin of Skandatīrtha has been related to you, O King: / auspicious, bringing fame and longevity, destroying all sorrow, excellent, / removing all sins, holy, as spoken by the God of gods.

6.3.111.44_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe skandatīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāmaikādaśottaraśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the one hundred and eleventh chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of Skandatīrtha', in the Revākhaṇḍa of the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.