Skandapurana 6.3.14

6.3.14.p1

adhyāya 14

6.3.14.1

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
tatasta ṛṣayaḥ sarve mahābhāgāstapodhanāḥ .
gatāstu paramaṃ lokaṃ tataḥ kiṃ jātamadbhutam .. 14.1 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said: / When all those highly fortunate seers, rich in austerity, had gone to the supreme world, / what wonderful thing happened then?

6.3.14.2

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
tatasteṣu prayāteṣu narmadātīravāsiṣu .
babhūva raudrasaṃhāraḥ sarvabhūtakṣayaṃkaraḥ .. 14.2 ..

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Then, when those dwellers on the bank of the Narmadā had departed, / there occurred the terrible dissolution that brings destruction to all beings.

6.3.14.3

kailāsaśikharasthaṃ tu mahādevaṃ sanātanam .
brahmādyāḥ prāstuvan devamṛgyajuḥsāmabhiḥ śivam .. 14.3 ..

To the eternal Mahādeva, who was on the peak of Kailāsa, / Brahmā and the others praised the god, Śiva, with the Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāman verses:

6.3.14.4

saṃhara tvaṃ jagaddeva sadevāsuramānuṣam .
prāpto yugasahasrāntaḥ kālaḥ saṃharaṇakṣamaḥ .. 14.4 ..

'Dissolve the universe, O god, together with the gods, demons, and humans! / The end of a thousand ages has arrived, the time capable of dissolution.

6.3.14.5

madrūpaṃ tu samāsthāya tvayā caitadvinirmitam .
vaiṣṇavīṃ mūrtimāsthāya tvayaitatparipālitam .. 14.5 ..

Having assumed my form, this was created by you; / having assumed the form of Viṣṇu, this was protected by you.

6.3.14.6

ekā mūrtistridhā jātā brāhmī śaivī ca vaiṣṇavī .
sṛṣṭisaṃhārarakṣārthaṃ bhavedevaṃ maheśvara .. 14.6 ..

A single form became threefold—of Brahmā, of Śiva, and of Viṣṇu— / for the purpose of creation, dissolution, and preservation. May it be so, O Maheśvara!'

6.3.14.7

etacchrutvā vacastathyaṃ viṣṇośca parameṣṭhinaḥ .
sagaṇaḥ saparīvāraḥ saha tābhyāṃ sahomayā .. 14.7 ..

Having heard these true words of Viṣṇu and Brahmā, / accompanied by his attendants and retinue, together with both of them and with Umā,

6.3.14.8

samalokānvibhidyemānbhagavānnīlalohitaḥ .
bhūrādyabrahmalokāntaṃ bhittvāṇḍaṃ parataḥ param .. 14.8 ..

having broken through these worlds, the blue-throated Lord, / having pierced the cosmic egg from the earth up to the world of Brahmā, beyond the beyond,

6.3.14.9

śaivaṃ padamajaṃ divyamāviśatsaha tairvibhuḥ .
na tatra vāyurnākāśaṃ nāgnistatra na bhūtalam .. 14.9 ..

the all-pervading lord entered the divine, unborn abode of Śiva together with them. / There is no wind there, no space, no fire there, and no surface of the earth,

6.3.14.10

yatra saṃtiṣṭhe deva umayā saha śaṅkaraḥ .
na sūryo na grahāstatra na ṛkṣāṇi diśastathā .. 14.10 ..

where the god Śaṅkara stays together with Umā; / there is no sun there, no planets, no stars, nor directions,

6.3.14.11

na lokapālā na sukhaṃ na ca duḥkhaṃ nṛpottama .. 14.11 ..

no guardians of the worlds, no pleasure, and no pain, O best of kings.

6.3.14.12

brāhmaṃ padaṃ yatkavayo vadanti śaivaṃ padaṃ yatkavayo vadanti .
kṣetrajñamīśaṃ pravadanti cānye sāṃkhyāśca gāyanti kilādimokṣam .. 14.12 ..

That which poets call the state of Brahman, that which poets call the state of Śiva; / and others speak of the Lord as the knower of the field, and the Sāṃkhyas sing of it indeed as primal liberation;

6.3.14.13

yadbrahma ādyaṃ pravadanti kecidyaṃ sarvamīśānamajaṃ purāṇam .
tamekarūpaṃ tamanekarūpamarūpamādyaṃ paramavyayākhyam .. 14.13 ..

that which some declare to be the primal Brahman, whom [they declare to be] the Lord, all-pervading, unborn, and ancient— / him whose form is one, whose forms are manifold, formless, primal, called the supreme imperishable;

6.3.14.14

avarṇamapyarthamanāmagotraṃ turyaṃ padaṃ yatkavayo vadanti .
dhyānārthavijñānamayaṃ susūkṣmamātmasthamīśānavaraṃ vareṇyam .. 14.14 ..

the fourth state, which poets describe as colourless, the true essence, without name or lineage, / composed of meditation, purpose, and special knowledge, very subtle, abiding within the self, the best Lord, worthy of choice.

6.3.14.15

tatastrayaste bhagavantamīśaṃ samprāpya saṃkṣipya bhavantyarthakam .
pṛthaksvarūpaistu punasta eva jagatsamastaṃ paripālayanti .. 14.15 ..

Then those three, having reached the divine Lord, having contracted, become the essence; / then, with their distinct forms, they themselves again protect the entire universe.

6.3.14.16

saṃhāraṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ rudratve kurute prabhuḥ .
viṣṇutve pālayellokānbrahmatve sṛṣṭikārakaḥ .. 14.16 ..

In the state of Rudra, the lord performs the dissolution of all beings; / in the state of Viṣṇu he preserves the worlds; in the state of Brahmā he is the creator of creation.

6.3.14.17

prakṛtyā saha saṃyuktaḥ kālo bhūtvā maheśvaraḥ .
viśvarūpā mahābhāgā tasya pārśve vyavasthitā .. 14.17 ..

Joined with Prakṛti, Maheśvara becomes Time; / the highly fortunate [Goddess] whose form is the universe stays at his side,

6.3.14.18

yāmāhuḥ prakṛtiṃ tajjñāḥ padārthānāṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ .
puruṣatve prakṛtitve ca kāraṇaṃ parameśvaraḥ .. 14.18 ..

whom the knowers thereof, discerning in realities, call Prakṛti. / The Supreme Lord is the cause both in the state of Puruṣa and in the state of Prakṛti.

6.3.14.19

tasmādetajjagatsarvaṃ carācaram .
tasminneva layaṃ yāti yugānte samupasthite .. 14.19 ..

Therefore all this universe, both moving and unmoving, / dissolves into him alone when the end of the age has arrived.

6.3.14.20

bhagaliṅgāṅkitaṃ sarvaṃ vyāptaṃ vai parameṣṭhinā .
bhagarūpo bhavedviṣṇurliṅgarūpo maheśvaraḥ .. 14.20 ..

Everything marked by the womb and the liṅga is indeed pervaded by the Supreme Being; / Viṣṇu is the form of the womb, and Maheśvara is the form of the liṅga.

6.3.14.21

bhāti sarveṣu lokeṣu gīyate bhūrbhuvādiṣu .
praviṣṭaḥ sarvabhūteṣu tena viṣṇurbhagaḥ smṛtaḥ .. 14.21 ..

He shines in all the worlds, he is praised in the worlds beginning with Bhūr and Bhuvas; / he has entered into all beings; therefore Viṣṇu is called bhaga.

6.3.14.22

viśanādviṣṇurityuktaḥ sarvadevamayo mahān .
bhāsanādgamanāccaiva bhagasaṃjñā prakīrtitā .. 14.22 ..

He is called Viṣṇu because of entering; he is the great one composed of all the gods. / Because of shining and moving, the name bhaga is proclaimed.

6.3.14.23

brahmādistambaparyantaṃ yasminneti layaṃ jagat .
ekabhāvaṃ samāpannaṃ liṅgaṃ tasmādvidurbudhāḥ .. 14.23 ..

That in which the universe, from Brahmā down to a clump of grass, attains dissolution / and merges into oneness—therefore the wise know it as the liṅga.

6.3.14.24

mahādevastato devīmāha pārśve sthitāṃ tadā .
saṃharasva jagatsarvaṃ mā vilambasva śobhane .. 14.24 ..

Then Mahādeva spoke to the goddess who was standing beside him at that time: / 'Dissolve the whole universe; do not delay, O fair one!

6.3.14.25

tyaja saumyamidaṃ rūpaṃ sitacandrāṃśunirmalam .
rudraṃ rūpaṃ samāsthāya saṃharasva carācaram .. 14.25 ..

Abandon this gentle form, pure as the white moonbeams; / assuming the terrible form, dissolve the moving and unmoving.

6.3.14.26

raudrairbhūtagaṇairghorairdevi tvaṃ parivāritā .
jīvalokamimaṃ sarvaṃ bhakṣayasvāmbujekṣaṇe .. 14.26 ..

Surrounded by dreadful, terrible hosts of beings, O goddess, / devour all this world of living beings, O lotus-eyed one!

6.3.14.27

tato'haṃ mardayiṣyāmi plāvayiṣye tathā jagat .
kṛtvā caikārṇavaṃ bhūyaḥ sukhaṃ svapsye tvayā saha .. 14.27 ..

Then I will crush and likewise flood the universe; / and having made it a single ocean, I will sleep happily with you again.'

6.3.14.28

śrīdevyuvāca -
nāhaṃ deva jagaccaitatsaṃharāmi mahādyute .
ambā bhūtvā viceṣṭaṃ na bhakṣayāmi bhṛśāturam .. 14.28 ..

The goddess said: / 'O god, I will not dissolve this universe, O one of great splendour! / Having become the mother, I will not devour [my child] who is helpless and greatly distressed.

6.3.14.29

strīsvabhāvena kāruṇyaṃ karoti hṛdayaṃ mama .
kathaṃ vai nirdahiṣyāmi jagadetajjagatpate .. 14.29 ..

By woman's nature, my heart feels compassion; / how indeed can I burn up this universe, O Lord of the universe?

6.3.14.30

tasmāttvaṃ svayamevedaṃ jagatsaṃhara śaṅkara .
athaivamuktastāṃ devīṃ dhūrjaṭirnīlalohitaḥ .. 14.30 ..

Therefore, do you yourself dissolve this universe, O Śaṅkara!' / Then, thus addressed, the blue-throated Dhūrjaṭi,

6.3.14.31

kruddho nirbhartsayāmāsa huṅkāreṇa maheśvarīm .
oṃ huṃphaṭtvaṃ sa ityāha kopāviṣṭairathekṣaṇaiḥ .. 14.31 ..

becoming angry, rebuked Maheśvarī with a roar. / 'Oṃ huṃ phaṭ you are!' he said, his eyes filled with wrath.

6.3.14.32

huṃkāritā viśālākṣī pīnorujaghanasthalā .
tatkṣaṇāccābhavadraudrā kālarātrīva bhārata .. 14.32 ..

Rebuked with a roar, the large-eyed one, with plump thighs and hips, / instantly became terrible, like the Night of Destruction, O descendant of Bharata.

6.3.14.33

huṃkurvatī mahānādairnādayantī diśo daśa .
vyavardhata mahāraudrā vidyutsaudāminī yathā .. 14.33 ..

Roaring with great cries, causing the ten directions to resound, / she grew exceedingly terrible, like a flash of lightning.

6.3.14.34

vidyutsampātaduṣprekṣyā vidyutsaṃghātacañcalā .
vidyujjvālākulā raudrā vidyudagninibhekṣaṇā .. 14.34 ..

Hard to look at like a flash of lightning, flickering like a mass of lightning, / agitated by flashes of lightning, terrible, with eyes resembling lightning and fire, 14.34

6.3.14.35

muktakeśī viśālākṣī kṛśagrīvā kṛśodarī .
vyāghracarmāmbaradharā vyālayajñopavītinī .. 14.35 ..

with dishevelled hair, wide eyes, a thin neck, and a slender waist, / wearing a tiger skin as a garment, having a black snake as her sacred thread, 14.35

6.3.14.36

vṛścikairagnipuñjābhairgonasaiśca vibhūṣitā .
trailokyaṃ pūrayāmāsa vistāreṇocchrayeṇa ca .. 14.36 ..

adorned with scorpions resembling heaps of fire and with vipers, / she filled the three worlds with her expanse and height. 14.36

6.3.14.37

bhāsurāṅgā tu saṃvṛttā kṛṣṇasarpaikakuṇḍalā .
citradaṇḍodyatakarā vyāghracarmopasevitā .. 14.37 ..

Her body became radiant, wearing a single black serpent as an earring, / her hand raised with a variegated staff, adorned with a tiger skin. 14.37

6.3.14.38

vyavardhata mahāraudrā jagatsaṃhārakāriṇī .
sṛkkiṇī lelihānā ca krūraphūtkārakāriṇī .. 14.38 ..

Terrible, she grew, causing the destruction of the world, / licking the corners of her mouth and uttering fierce hissing sounds. 14.38

6.3.14.39

vyāttāsyā ghurghurārāvā jagatsaṃkṣobhakāriṇī .
kheladbhūtānugā krūrā niḥśvāsocchvāsakāriṇī .. 14.39 ..

With an open mouth, roaring with rattling sounds, agitating the world, / followed by playful spirits, cruel, she breathed in and out. 14.39

6.3.14.40

jātāṭṭaahāsā durnāsā vahnikuṇḍasamekṣaṇā .
prodyatkilakilārāvā dadāha sakalaṃ jagat .. 14.40 ..

Bursting into loud laughter, with a hideous nose, her eyes like fire pits, / raising cries of rejoicing, she burned the entire world. 14.40

6.3.14.41

dahyamānāḥ surāstatra patanti dharaṇītale .
patanti yakṣagandharvāḥ sakinnaramahoragāḥ .. 14.41 ..

Being burned there, the gods fell to the surface of the earth; / the yakṣas and gandharvas fell, along with the kinnaras and great serpents. 14.41

6.3.14.42

patanti bhūtasaṅghāśca hāhāhaihaivirāviṇaḥ .
bumbāpātaiḥ sanirghātairuditārtasvarairapi .. 14.42 ..

And the hosts of ghosts fell, shrieking 'Alas, alas!' and 'Oh, oh!' / With outcries, claps of thunder, and cries of distress, 14.42

6.3.14.43

vyāptamāsīttadā viśvaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram .
saṃpatadbhiḥ patadbhiśca jvaladbhūtagaṇairmahī .. 14.43 ..

the universe, the three worlds with the moving and unmoving, was then pervaded. / With colliding and falling legions of blazing spirits, the earth [shook], 14.43

6.3.14.44

jātaiścaṭacaṭāśabdaiḥ patadbhirgirisānubhiḥ .
tatra raudrotsave jātā rudrānandavivardhinī .. 14.44 ..

with cracking sounds arisen and mountain peaks tumbling down. / In that festival of terror, she arose, heightening the joy of Rudra. 14.44

6.3.14.45

vihiṃsamānā bhūtāni carvamāṇācarānapi .
tattadgandhamupādāya śivārāvavirāviṇī .. 14.45 ..

Striking down creatures, chewing even the immobile ones, / taking in this and that smell, howling with jackal-like cries, 14.45

6.3.14.46

galacchoṇitadhārābhimukhā digdhakalevarā .
caṇḍaśīlābhavaccaṇḍī jagatsaṃhārakarmaṇi .. 14.46 ..

her face covered with trickling streams of blood, her body smeared, / of fierce nature, Caṇḍī engaged in the destruction of the world. 14.46

6.3.14.47

ye'pi prāptā maharlokaṃ bhṛgvādyāśca maharṣayaḥ .
te'pi naśyanti śataśo brahmakṣattraviśādayaḥ .. 14.47 ..

Even the great seers like Bhṛgu and others who had reached Maharloka, / and hundreds of brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and others perished. 14.47

6.3.14.48

devāsurā bhayatrastāḥ sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ .
viśanti ke'pi pātālaṃ līyante ca guhādiṣu .. 14.48 ..

Gods and asuras, terrified with fear, along with yakṣas, serpents, and rākṣasas, / entered Pātāla, while some hid in caves and other places. 14.48

6.3.14.49

sā ca devī diśaḥ sarvā vyāpya mṛtyuriva sthitā .
yugakṣayakare kāle devena viniyojitā .. 14.49 ..

And that goddess stood like Death, having pervaded all the directions, / appointed by the God at the time that brings an end to the aeon. 14.49

6.3.14.50

ekāpi navadhā jātā daśadhā daśadhā tathā .
catuḥṣaṣṭisvarūpā ca śatarūpāṭṭahāsinī .. 14.50 ..

Though single, she became ninefold, tenfold, and tenfold again, / assuming sixty-four forms, a hundred forms, laughing fiercely. 14.50

6.3.14.51

jajñe sahasrarūpā ca lakṣakoṭitanuḥ śivā .
nānārūpāyudhākārā nānāvādanacāriṇī .. 14.51 ..

Śivā was born with a thousand forms, with bodies numbering a hundred thousand and ten million, / bearing various forms and weapons, moving with various musical instruments. 14.51

6.3.14.52

evaṃrūpā'bhavaddevī śivasyānujñayā nṛpa .
dikṣu sarvāsu gagane vikaṭāyudhaśīlinaḥ .. 14.52 ..

Such was the goddess by Śiva's command, O king! / In all the directions and in the sky, wielding monstrous weapons, 14.52

6.3.14.53

rundhanto naśyamānāṃstāngaṇā māheśvarāḥ sthitāḥ .
vicaranti tayā sārddhaṃ śūlapaṭṭiśapāṇayaḥ .. 14.53 ..

the hosts of Māheśvara stood, cutting off those who were fleeing; / trident and spear in hand, they roamed about together with her. 14.53

6.3.14.54

tato mātṛgaṇāḥ kecidvināyakagaṇaiḥ saha .
vyavardhanta mahāraudrā jagatsaṃhārakāriṇaḥ .. 14.54 ..

Then certain mother-goddesses, along with the hosts of Vināyaka, / grew intensely terrible, bringing about the destruction of the universe. 14.54

6.3.14.55

tatastasyā vyavardhanta daṃṣṭrāḥ kundendusannibhāḥ .
yojanānāṃ sahasrāṇi ayutānyarbudāni ca .. 14.55 ..

Then her fangs, gleaming like jasmine and the moon, grew / to thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of millions of yojanas. 14.55

6.3.14.56

daṃṣṭrāvaliḥ kararuhāḥ krūrāstīkṣṇāśca karkaśāḥ .
viyaddiśo likhantyeva saptadvīpāṃ vasuṃdharām .. 14.56 ..

Her rows of fangs and her cruel, sharp, and rough nails / scraped the sky, the directions, and the earth with its seven continents. 14.56

6.3.14.57

tasyā daṃṣṭrābhisampātaiścūrṇitā vanaparvatāḥ .
śilāsaṃcayasaṃghātā viśīryate sahasraśaḥ .. 14.57 ..

By the impacts of her fangs, forests and mountains were pulverized, / and masses of rocky heaps shattered by the thousands. 14.57

6.3.14.58

himavānhemakūṭaśca niṣadho gandhamādanaḥ .
mālyavāṃścaiva nīlaśca śvetaścaiva mahāgiriḥ .. 14.58 ..

Himavat, Hemakūṭa, Niṣadha, Gandhamādana, / Mālyavat, Nīla, and the great mountain Śveta, 14.58

6.3.14.59

merumadhyamilāpīṭhaṃ saptadvīpaṃ ca sārṇavam .
lokālokena sahitaṃ prākampata nṛpottama .. 14.59 ..

the central platform of Ilā around Meru, with its seven continents and oceans, / along with the Lokāloka mountain, trembled, O best of kings! 14.59

6.3.14.60

daṃṣṭrāśanivispṛṣṭāśca viśīryante mahādrumāḥ .
utpātaiśca diśo vyāptā ghorarūpaiḥ samantataḥ .. 14.60 ..

Touched by the thunderbolts of her fangs, great trees were shattered, / and all the directions were pervaded all around with dreadful portents. 14.60

6.3.14.61

tārā grahagaṇāḥ sarve ye ca vaimānikā gaṇāḥ .
śivāsahasrairākīrṇā mahāmātṛgaṇaistathā .. 14.61 ..

All the stars and hosts of planets, and the beings traveling in aerial chariots, / were overrun by thousands of jackals and the great hosts of mothers. 14.61

6.3.14.62

sā cacāra jagatkṛtsnaṃ yugānte samupasthite .
bhramadbhiśca bruvadbhiśca krośadbhiśca samantataḥ .. 14.62 ..

She roamed the entire world when the end of the aeon had arrived, / with [beings] wandering, crying out, and howling on all sides. 14.62

6.3.14.63

pramathadbhirjvaladbhiśca raudrairvyāptā diśo daśa .
vistīrṇaṃ śailasaṅghātaṃ vighūrṇitagiridrumam .. 14.63 ..

The ten directions were filled with crushing, blazing, and fierce [spirits]; / vast ranges of mountains, their trees and rocks violently shaken, 14.63

6.3.14.64

prabhinnagopuradvāraṃ keśaśuṣkāsthisaṃkulam .
pradagdhagrāmanagaraṃ bhasmapuṃjābhisaṃvṛtam .. 14.64 ..

with smashed city gates, filled with hair and dried bones, / with villages and cities burned down, covered with heaps of ashes, 14.64

6.3.14.65

citādhūmākulaṃ sarvaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram .
hāhākārākulaṃ sarvamahahasvananisvanam .. 14.65 ..

the entire three worlds, moving and unmoving, was filled with the smoke of funeral pyres, / filled everywhere with lamentations, echoing with the sounds of distress. 14.65

6.3.14.66

jagadetadabhūtsarvamaśaraṇyaṃ nirāśrayam .. 14.66 ..

This entire universe became shelterless and without refuge. 14.66

6.3.14.66_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe narmadāmāhātmye kalpānukathane kālarātrikṛtajagatsaṃharaṇavarṇanaṃ nāma caturdaśo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named 'The Description of the Destruction of the Universe Wrought by Kālarātri' in the recount of the cosmic cycle in the Narmadāmāhātmya of the Revākhaṇḍa, in the fifth Avantyakhaṇḍa, of the Skandapurāṇa, an eighty-one-thousand-verse compilation.