Skandapurana 6.3.156

6.3.156.p1

adhyāya 156

6.3.156.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
nāsti lokeṣu tattīrthaṃ pṛthivyāṃ yannareśvara .
śuklatīrthena sadṛśamupamānena gīyate .. 156.1 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / "There is no sacred ford in the worlds upon earth, O ruler of men, / that is sung of as being comparable to Śuklatīrtha.

6.3.156.2

śuklatīrthaṃ mahātīrthaṃ narmadāyāṃ vyavasthitam .
prāgudakpravaṇe deśe munisaṅghaniṣevitam .. 156.2 ..

Śuklatīrtha is a great sacred ford situated on the Narmadā, / in a place sloping towards the northeast, frequented by hosts of sages.

6.3.156.3

vaiśākhe ca tathā māsi kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśī .
kailāsādumayā sārddhaṃ svayamāyāti śaṅkaraḥ .. 156.3 ..

Moreover, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Vaiśākha, / Śaṃkara himself comes from Kailāsa along with Umā.

6.3.156.4

madhyāhnasamaye snātvā paśyatyātmānamātmanā .
brahmaviṣṇvindrasahitaḥ śuklatīrthe samāhitaḥ .. 156.4 ..

Having bathed at midday, composed in mind, together with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Indra, / he beholds himself by himself at Śuklatīrtha.

6.3.156.5

kārttikyāṃ tu viśeṣeṇa vaiśākhyāṃ ca narottama .
brahmaviṣṇumahādevān snātvā paśyati taddine .. 156.5 ..

Especially on the full moon of Kārttika and that of Vaiśākha, O best of men, / having bathed, one beholds Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Mahādeva on that day.

6.3.156.6

devarājaḥ suraiḥ sārddhaṃ vāyumārgavyavasthitaḥ .
kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ snātvā paśyati śaṅkaram .. 156.6 ..

The king of the gods, together with the deities, positioned in the aerial path, / having bathed on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, beholds Śaṃkara.

6.3.156.7

gandharvāpsaraso yakṣāḥ siddhavidyādharoragāḥ .
taddine te'pi deveśaṃ dṛṣṭvā muñcanti kilbiṣam .. 156.7 ..

Gandharvas, apsarases, yakṣas, siddhas, vidyādharas, and serpents— / they too, on that day, beholding the Lord of gods, cast off sin.

6.3.156.8

ardhayojanavistāraṃ tadarddhenaiva cāyatam .
śuklatīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam .. 156.8 ..

Śuklatīrtha is half a yojana in extent and half of that in breadth, / exceedingly sacred, destroying great sins."

6.3.156.9

yatra sthitaiḥ pradṛśyante vṛkṣāgrāṇi narottamaiḥ .
tatra sthitā mahāpāpairmucyante pūrvasaṃcitaiḥ .. 156.9 ..

Where the tree-tops are seen by the best of men standing [there], / standing there they are freed from great sins accumulated in the past.

6.3.156.10

pāpopapātakairyukto naraḥ snātvā pramucyate .
upārjitā vinaśyeta bhrūṇahatyāpi dustyajā .. 156.10 ..

A man afflicted with sins and minor offenses is freed upon bathing; / even the acquired killing of an embryo, so hard to get rid of, is destroyed.

6.3.156.11

yasmāttatraiva deveśa umayā saha tiṣṭhati .
vaiśākhyāṃ ca viśeṣeṇa kailāsādeti śaṅkaraḥ .. 156.11 ..

Because right there the lord of gods abides together with Umā, / and especially on the full moon of Vaiśākha, Śaṃkara arrives from Kailāsa.

6.3.156.12

tena tīrthaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam .
kathitaṃ brahmaṇā pūrvaṃ mayā tava tathā nṛpa .. 156.12 ..

Therefore the sacred ford is supremely holy and destroys all sins; / it was told by Brahmā in ancient times, and likewise by me to you, O king.

6.3.156.13

rajakena yathā dhautaṃ vastraṃ bhavati nirmalam .
tathā tatra vapuḥsnānaṃ puruṣasya bhavecchuci .. 156.13 ..

Just as a garment washed by a washerman becomes spotless, / so does a man's body become pure by bathing there.

6.3.156.14

pūrve vayasi pāpāni kṛtvā puṣṭāni mānavaḥ .
ahorātroṣito bhūtvā śuklatīrthe vyapohati .. 156.14 ..

A mortal who has committed heavy sins in his early life / removes them by fasting for a day and a night at Śuklatīrtha.

6.3.156.15

śuklatīrthe mahārāja rākāṃ revājalāñjalim .
kalpakoṭisahasrāṇi dattvā syuḥ pitaraḥ śivāḥ .. 156.15 ..

Offering a palmful of Revā's water at the full moon at Śuklatīrtha, O great king, / the ancestors will be blessed for thousands of crores of kalpas.

6.3.156.16

na mātā na pitā bandhuḥ patanaṃ narakārṇave .
uddharanti yathā puṇyaṃ śuklatīrthe nareśvara .. 156.16 ..

Neither mother, nor father, nor kin rescues one falling into the ocean of hell, / as does the merit [earned] at Śuklatīrtha, O lord of men.

6.3.156.17

tapasā brahmacaryeṇa na tāṃ gacchanti sadgatim .
śuklatīrthe mṛto janturdehatyāgena yāṃ labhet .. 156.17 ..

They do not reach by austerity or celibacy that noble destination / which a creature dying at Śuklatīrtha attains by casting off the body.

6.3.156.18

kārttikasya tu māsasya kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśīm .
ghṛtena snāpayeddevamupoṣya prayato naraḥ .. 156.18 ..

On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kārttika, / having fasted, a restrained man should bathe the god with clarified butter.

6.3.156.19

snātvā prabhāte revāyāṃ dadyātsaghṛtakambalam .
sahiraṇyaṃ yathāśakti devamuddiśya śaṅkaraṃ .. 156.19 ..

Having bathed in the morning in the Revā, he should offer a blanket anointed with clarified butter, / along with gold, according to his means, dedicated to the god Śaṃkara.

6.3.156.20

devasya pūraṇaṃ kuryādghṛtena ghṛtakambalam .
sa gacchati mahātejāḥ śivalokaṃ mṛto naraḥ .. 156.20 ..

He should cover the god with clarified butter, [offering] a blanket of ghee; / dying, that man of great splendor goes to the world of Śiva.

6.3.156.21

ekaviṃśakulopeto yāvadābhūtasamplavam .
śuklatīrthe naraḥ snātvā hyumāṃ rudraṃ ca yo'rcayet .. 156.21 ..

Endowed with twenty-one generations until the universal dissolution of elements, / the man who, having bathed at Śuklatīrtha, indeed worships Umā and Rudra

6.3.156.22

gandhapuṣpādidhūpaiśca so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet .
māsopavāsaṃ yaḥ kuryāttatra tīrthe nareśvara .. 156.22 ..

with perfumes, flowers, and incenses, obtains the fruit of a horse-sacrifice. / O lord of men, he who observes a month-long fast at that sacred ford

6.3.156.23

mucyate sa mahatpāpaiḥ saptajanmasusaṃcitaiḥ .
uṣṭrīkṣīramavikṣīraṃ navaśrāddhe ca bhojanam .. 156.23 ..

is freed from great sins well-accumulated over seven births: / [drinking] camel's milk, sheep's milk, and eating at an initial funeral feast,

6.3.156.24

vṛṣalīgamanaṃ caiva tathābhakṣyasya bhakṣaṇam .
avikraye'nṛte pāpaṃ māhiṣe'yājyayājake .. 156.24 ..

approaching a low-caste woman, and likewise eating forbidden food, / the sin in selling what should not be sold, lying, [selling] buffaloes, officiating for the unworthy,

6.3.156.25

vārddhuṣye paṅktigarade devabrāhmaṇadūṣake .
evamādīni pāpāni tathānyānyapi bhārata .. 156.25 ..

usury, administering poison in a line of diners, reviling gods and brahmins — / these and other sins as well, O Bhārata,

6.3.156.26

cāndrāyaṇena naśyanti śuklatīrthe na saṃśayaḥ .
śuklatīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ .. 156.26 ..

are destroyed by a lunar penance at Śuklatīrtha, no doubt. / Moreover, whoever, having bathed at Śuklatīrtha, offers libations to the ancestral gods,

6.3.156.27

tasya te dvādaśābdāni tṛptiṃ yānti sutarpitāḥ .
pādukopānahau chatraṃ śayyāmāsanameva ca .. 156.27 ..

they, well-satisfied, remain content for twelve years. / Wooden sandals, leather shoes, an umbrella, a bed, and a seat,

6.3.156.28

suvarṇaṃ dhanadhānyaṃ ca śrāddhaṃ yuktahalaṃ tathā .
annaṃ pānīyasaṃhitaṃ tasmiṃstīrthe dadanti ye .. 156.28 ..

gold, wealth, grain, a funeral feast, a yoked plough, / food together with drinking water — those who give [these] at that sacred ford,

6.3.156.29

hṛṣṭāḥ puṣṭā mṛtā yānti śivalokaṃ na saṃśayaḥ .
tatra tīrthe tu yo bhaktyā śivamuddiśya bhārata .. 156.29 ..

joyful and thriving, go to the world of Śiva when dead, without doubt. / O Bhārata, whoever at that sacred ford, with devotion dedicated to Śiva,

6.3.156.30

bhikṣāmātraṃ tathānnaṃ ye te'pi svaryānti vai narāḥ .
yajvināṃ vratināṃ caiva tatra tīrthanivāsinām .. 156.30 ..

offers even mere alms-food, those men also go to heaven. / For sacrificers and observers of vows dwelling at that sacred ford,

6.3.156.31

api vālāgramātraṃ hi dattaṃ bhavati cākṣayam .
agnipraveśaṃ yaḥ kuryācchuklatīrthe samāhitaḥ .. 156.31 ..

even [a gift] measuring the tip of a hair becomes imperishable. / He who, concentrated in mind, enters fire at Śuklatīrtha,

6.3.156.32

rāgadveṣavinirmukto hṛdi dhyātvā janārdanam .
sarvakāmasusampūrṇaḥ sa gacchedvāruṇaṃ puram .. 156.32 ..

freed from passion and hatred, meditating on Janārdana in his heart, / completely fulfilled in all desires, goes to the city of Varuṇa.

6.3.156.33

na rogo na jarā tatra yatra devo'ṃbhasāṃ patiḥ .
anāśakaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe yudhiṣṭhira .. 156.33 ..

There is neither disease nor old age there where the god is the lord of waters. / But he who undertakes a fast unto death at that sacred ford, O Yudhiṣṭhira,

6.3.156.34

anivartikā gatistasya rudralokādasaṃśayam .
avaśaḥ svavaśo vāpi jantustatkṣetramaṇḍale .. 156.34 ..

his destination from the world of Rudra has no return, without doubt. / Whether helpless or in control of himself, any creature in the circle of that sacred field

6.3.156.35

mṛtaḥ sa tu na sandeho rudrasyānucaro bhavet .
śuklatīrthe tu yaḥ kanyāṃ śaktyā dadyādalaṃkṛtām .. 156.35 ..

who dies becomes an attendant of Rudra, there is no doubt. / Whoever gives away an adorned maiden at Śuklatīrtha according to his means,

6.3.156.36

vidhinā yo nṛpaśreṣṭha kurute vṛṣamokṣaṇam .
tasya yatphalamuddiṣṭaṃ purāṇe rudrabhāṣitam .. 156.36 ..

and he who performs the release of a bull according to rule, O best of kings — / the fruit of that declared in the Purāṇa as spoken by Rudra,

6.3.156.37

tadahaṃ sampravakṣyāmi śṛṇuṣvaikamanā nṛpa .
yāvanto romakūpāḥ syuḥ sarvāṅgeṣu pṛthakpṛthak .. 156.37 ..

that I will explain fully; listen with an attentive mind, O king: / as many hair-pores as there are across all his limbs separately,

6.3.156.38

tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi rudraloke mahīyate .
śuklatīrthe tu yaddattaṃ grahaṇe candrasūryayoḥ .. 156.38 ..

for that many thousands of years he is exalted in the world of Rudra. / Whatever is given at Śuklatīrtha during an eclipse of the moon or the sun

6.3.156.39

vardhate tadguṇaṃ tāvaddināni daśa pañca ca .
śuklatīrthe śucirbhūtvā yaḥ karoti pradakṣiṇam .. 156.39 ..

multiplies by that factor for fifteen days. / Having become pure, whoever circumambulates Śuklatīrtha,

6.3.156.40

pṛthvī pradakṣiṇā tena kṛtā yattasya tatphalam .
śobhanaṃ mithunaṃ yastu rudramuddiśya pūjayet .. 156.40 ..

the earth has been circumambulated by him — such is the fruit he attains. / But he who worships an auspicious couple, dedicating [it] to Rudra,

6.3.156.41

sapta janmāni tasyaiva viyogo na ca vai kvacit .
etatte kathitaṃ rājan saṃkṣepeṇa phalaṃ mahat .. 156.41 ..

for him there is never any separation across seven births. / This great fruit has been told to you in brief, O king,

6.3.156.42

śuklatīrthasya yatpuṇyaṃ yathā devācchrutaṃ mayā .
ya idaṃ śṛṇuyādbhaktyā purāṇe vihitaṃ phalam .. 156.42 ..

the merit of Śuklatīrtha, as heard by me from the god. / Whoever hears this fruit enjoined in the Purāṇa with devotion,

6.3.156.43

sa labhennātra sandehaḥ satyaṃ satyaṃ punaḥ punaḥ .
putrārthī labhate putraṃ dhanārthī labhate dhanam .. 156.43 ..

he shall obtain it, there is no doubt here; it is true, true again and again. / One desiring a son obtains a son; one desiring wealth obtains wealth;

6.3.156.44

mokṣārthī labhate mokṣaṃ snānadānaphalaṃ mahat .. 156.44 ..

one desiring liberation obtains liberation, the great fruit of bathing and giving.

6.3.156.44_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe śuklatīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāma ṣaṭpañcāśadadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the one hundred fifty-sixth chapter, named the Description of the Greatness of Śuklatīrtha, in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth, Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the great Skanda Purāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].