Skandapurana 6.3.172

6.3.172.p1

adhyāya 172

6.3.172.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
atha te ṛṣayaḥ sarve devāścendrapurogamāḥ .
māṇḍavyasyāśrame puṇye samīyurnarmadātaṭe .. 172.1 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Then all those seers and the gods, led by Indra, / gathered at Māṇḍavya's holy hermitage on the bank of the Narmadā.

6.3.172.2

śaṅkhadundubhinādena dīpikājvalanena ca .
apsarogītanādena nṛtyantyo vārayoṣitaḥ .. 172.2 ..

With the sound of conches and kettledrums, with the blazing of lamps, / and with the sound of apsarases' singing, courtesans danced.

6.3.172.3

kathānakaiḥ stuvatyanye tasya śūlāgradhāriṇaḥ .
aṣṭāśītisahasrāṇi snātakānāṃ tapasvinām .. 172.3 ..

Others praised that bearer of the stake's tip with narratives; / eighty-eight thousand ascetic snātakas

6.3.172.4

samāje tridaśaiḥ sārddhaṃ tatra te ca didṛkṣayā .
brahmaviṣṇumaheśānāstatra harṣātsamāgatāḥ .. 172.4 ..

assembled with the gods there, eager to see. / Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśāna arrived there in great joy.

6.3.172.5

mātaro mallikādyāśca kṣetrapālā vināyakāḥ .
dikpālā lokapālāśca gaṅgādyāśca saridvarāḥ .. 172.5 ..

The Mothers, Mallikā and others, the guardians of the sacred fields, the Vināyakas, / the guardians of the quarters, the world-protectors, and the foremost rivers, Gaṅgā and others,

6.3.172.6

ṛṣidevasamāje tu nityaṃ harṣapramodane .
tatra rājā samāyātaḥ paurajānapadaiḥ saha .. 172.6 ..

in that assembly of seers and gods, which was filled with perpetual joy and delight. / Then the king arrived there, accompanied by citizens and countrymen.

6.3.172.7

dṛṣṭvā kautūhalaṃ tatra vyākulīkṛtamānasam .
vitrastamanaso bhūtvā bhayātsarve samāsthitāḥ .. 172.7 ..

Seeing that marvelous sight, his mind bewildered, / their minds terrified, they all stood there in fear.

6.3.172.8

tasminsamāgame divye brahmaviṣṇvīśamabruvan .
bho māṇḍavya mahāsattva varadāste'maraiḥ saha .. 172.8 ..

At that divine assembly, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Īśa said: / "O Māṇḍavya of great courage, we, along with the immortals, are granters of boons to you.

6.3.172.9

anekakaṣṭatapasā tava siddhirbhaviṣyati .
prārthayasva yathākāmaṃ yaste manasi rocate .. 172.9 ..

Through your severe austerity of many hardships, you shall attain perfection. / Request whatever you desire, whatever pleases your heart.

6.3.172.10

anādityamayaṃ lokaṃ nirvaṣaṭkāramākulam .
naṣṭadharmaṃ vijānīhi prakṛtisthaṃ kuruṣva ca .
anugrahaṃ tu śāṇḍilyāḥ prārthayāma dvijottama .. 172.10 ..

Know the world to be without a sun, troubled and lacking the vaṣaṭ-call, / its dharma destroyed; bring it back to its natural order. / We pray for the favour of Śāṇḍilī, O best of brahmins.

6.3.172.11

eṣa te kaṣṭado rājā samāyātastavāgrataḥ .
saṃbhūṣayasva viprarṣe janaṃ devāsuraṃ gaṇam .. 172.11 ..

This king who caused you suffering has arrived before you; / O seer among brahmins, grant grace to these people, the gods, and the host of asuras."

6.3.172.12

māṇḍavya uvāca -
yadi prasannā me devāḥ samāyātāḥ suraiḥ saha .
trikālamatra tīrthe ca sthātavyamṛṣibhiḥ saha .. 172.12 ..

Māṇḍavya said: / "If the gods, having arrived together with the immortals, are pleased with me, / they must abide at this sacred ford with the seers at the three junctures of the day.

6.3.172.13

bhavatāṃ tu prasādena rujā me śāmyatāṃ sadā .
evamastviti deveśā yāvajjalpanti pāṇḍava .. 172.13 ..

And by your grace, may my pain be quieted forever." / While the lords of the gods were saying, 'So be it,' O Pāṇḍava,

6.3.172.14

tāvadrakṣo gṛhītvā'gre kanyāṃ kāmapramodinīm .
uvāca bhagavañchāpaṃ purā dattvorvaśī mama .. 172.14 ..

just then a rākṣasa, taking a maiden enchanting to desire, came forward / and said: "O holy one, Urvaśī once gave me a curse:

6.3.172.15

yadā kanyāṃ hare rakṣaḥśāpāntaste bhaviṣyati .
tena me garhitaṃ karma śāpenākṛtabuddhinā .. 172.15 ..

'When you carry off a maiden, O rākṣasa, the end of your curse shall arrive.' / Therefore, through that curse, a blameworthy act was performed by me of clouded intellect.

6.3.172.16

kṣantavyamiti coktvā ca gataścādarśanaṃ punaḥ .
gate caiva tu sā kanyā dṛṣṭvā padmadalekṣaṇā .. 172.16 ..

I must be forgiven." Having said this, he vanished once more. / And when he was gone, seeing that maiden whose eyes were like lotus petals,

6.3.172.17

mantrayitvā suraiḥ sarvairdattā māṇḍavyadhīmate .
tāṃ vajraśūlikāṃ plāvya pavitrairnarmadodakaiḥ .. 172.17 ..

all the gods deliberated and gave her to the wise Māṇḍavya. / Washing away that adamantine stake with the pure waters of the Narmadā,

6.3.172.18

māṇḍavyamṛṣimuttārya jayaśabdādimaṅgalaiḥ .
vivāhayitvā tāṃ kanyāṃ māṇḍavyarṣipuṃgavaḥ .. 172.18 ..

and lifting up the seer Māṇḍavya with auspicious cries of victory and the like, / that bull among seers, Māṇḍavya, married that maiden.

6.3.172.19

abhivādya ca tān sarvān dānasanmānagauravaiḥ .
atha rājā samīpastho ratnaiśca vividhairapi .. 172.19 ..

And having greeted all of them with gifts, honours, and respect, / then the nearby king, with various gems,

6.3.172.20

dhigvādairninditaḥ sarvaistairjanairbhūṣitaḥ punaḥ .
rājñā ca brāhmaṇāḥ sarve bhūṣaṇācchādanāśanaiḥ .. 172.20 ..

though condemned with cries of 'Fie!' by all, was once again honoured by those people. / And all the brahmins were propitiated by the king with ornaments, clothing, food,

6.3.172.21

suvarṇakoṭidānena tuṣṭānkṛtvā kṣamāpitāḥ .
vṛtte vivāha āhūya śāṇḍilīṃ tāmathābravīt .. 172.21 ..

and the gift of ten million gold coins, and made contented. / When the marriage was concluded, he summoned Śāṇḍilī and said to her:

6.3.172.22

mānayasva imān viprānmocayasva divākaram .
apahṛtya tamo yena kṛpā sadyaḥ pravartate .. 172.22 ..

"Honour these brahmins and release the sun, / so that, dispelling darkness, grace may immediately prevail."

6.3.172.23

ṛṣīṇāṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā śāṇḍilī duḥkhitābravīt .
udite'rke tu me bhartā mṛtyuṃ yāsyati bho dvijāḥ .. 172.23 ..

Hearing the words of the seers, Śāṇḍilī, distressed, said: / "When the sun rises, my husband will meet his death, O brahmins!

6.3.172.24

taṃ kathaṃ mocayāmīha hyātmano'niṣṭasiddhaye .
kriyāpravartanāccādya kiṃ kāryaṃ me maharṣayaḥ .. 172.24 ..

How can I release it here to bring about my own misfortune? / And what purpose of mine is served today by the resumption of rites, O great seers?

6.3.172.25

niḥpuṃsī strī hyanāthāhaṃ bhavāmi bhavato matam .
tiṣṭha tvamandhakāre tu necchāmi raviṇodayam .. 172.25 ..

According to your view, I shall become a woman without a husband, destitute! / Remain in darkness; I do not wish for the rising of the sun."

6.3.172.26

tena vākyena te sarve devāsuramaharṣayaḥ .
śiraḥsaṃcālanāḥ sarve sādhu sādhviti cābruvan .. 172.26 ..

At those words, all those gods, asuras, and great seers / nodded their heads and said, "Well done! Well done!"

6.3.172.27

pativrate mahābhāge śṛṇu vākyaṃ tapodhane .
manyase yadi naḥ sarvānkuruṣva vacanaṃ ca yat .. 172.27 ..

"O devoted wife, O fortunate one, rich in austerity, hear our words! / If you hold us all in regard, do what we say."

6.3.172.28

śāṇḍilyuvāca -
yena me na maredbhartā yena satyaṃ munervacaḥ .
tatkurudhvaṃ vicāryāśu yena saṃvardhate sukham .. 172.28 ..

Śāṇḍilī said: / "Deliberate quickly and do that by which my husband may not die, / by which the sage's word may remain true, and by which happiness may increase."

6.3.172.29

tasyāstadvacanaṃ śrutvā svapnāvasthākṛto hṛṣiḥ .
antarhito muhūrtaṃ ca śāṇḍilyāśca prapaśya tām .. 172.29 ..

Hearing her words, the sage was put into a dreamlike state; / and for a moment he vanished, while she, Śāṇḍilī, looked on.

6.3.172.30

punarādāya te sarve kṛtvā nirvraṇasattanuṃ snāpito narmadātoye śāṇḍilyāyai samarpitaḥ .. 172.30 ..

Taking him up again, they all made his body whole and unblemished; / he was bathed in the waters of the Narmadā and returned to Śāṇḍilī.

6.3.172.31

tataḥ sā hṛṣṭamanasā patiṃ dṛṣṭvā tu taijasam .
praṇamya tānṛṣīn devān vimalārkaṃ jagatkṛtam .. 172.31 ..

Then, having seen her husband radiant, with a delighted mind, / and bowing to those sages, the gods, and the spotless sun, the maker of the world,

6.3.172.32

kriyāpravartitāḥ sarve devagandharvamānuṣāḥ .
hṛṣṭatuṣṭā gatāḥ sarve svamāśramapadaṃ mahat .. 172.32 ..

all the gods, gandharvas, and humans resumed their duties. / Glad and content, they all departed for their grand hermitage abodes.

6.3.172.33

pativratā svabhartrā sā māsamevāśrame sthitā .
māṇḍavyenāpyanujñātā yayau natvā svamāśramam .. 172.33 ..

That devoted wife stayed with her husband in the hermitage for just a month; / and, permitted by Māṇḍavya, she bowed and returned to her own hermitage.

6.3.172.34

gateṣu teṣu sarveṣu sthāpayāmāsa cācyutam .
māṇḍavyeśvaranāmānaṃ nārāyaṇa iti smṛtam .. 172.34 ..

When all of them had departed, he established Acyuta, / named Māṇḍavyeśvara, known as Nārāyaṇa.

6.3.172.35

divyaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu pūjayāmāsa bhārata .
gato'sāvṛṣisaṅghaiśca sahito'maraparvatam .. 172.35 ..

For a divine thousand years he worshipped [him], O Bhārata; / and he went to the mountain of the gods accompanied by hosts of seers.

6.3.172.36

tapastapantau tau tatra hyadyāpi kila bhārata .
bhrātarau saṃyatātmānau dhyāyataḥ paramaṃ padam .. 172.36 ..

Performing austerities there even to this day, O Bhārata, / those two brothers of restrained mind meditate upon the supreme state.

6.3.172.37

tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ .
pitarastasya tṛpyanti piṇḍadānāddaśābdikam .. 172.37 ..

He who bathes at that sacred ford and offers libations to ancestors and gods— / his ancestors are satisfied for ten years through the offering of rice-balls.

6.3.172.38

devagṛhe tu pakṣādau yaḥ karoti vilepanam .
godānaśatasāhasre datte bhavati yatphalam .. 172.38 ..

He who smears the temple with unguents at the beginning of a fortnight / gains the fruit that comes from giving a hundred thousand cows;

6.3.172.39

upalepanena dviguṇamarcane tu caturguṇam .
dīpaprajvalane puṇyamaṣṭadhā parikīrtitam .. 172.39 ..

twice that [is gained] by plastering the floor, and fourfold by worshipping; / the merit of kindling lamps is declared to be eightfold.

6.3.172.40

divyanetradharo bhūtvā trailokye sacarācare .
dadhnā madhughṛtairdevaṃ payasā narmadodakaiḥ .. 172.40 ..

Becoming endowed with divine vision throughout the three worlds with their moving and unmoving beings, / [those] who perform a ceremonial bath of the god with curd, honey, ghee,

6.3.172.41

snapanaṃ ye prakurvanti puṣpamālāvilepanaiḥ .
ye'rcayanti virūpākṣaṃ devaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ harim .. 172.41 ..

milk, and the waters of the Narmadā, / and who worship Virūpākṣa, God Nārāyaṇa Hari, with garlands of flowers and ointments—

6.3.172.42

te'pi divyavimānena krīḍante kalpasaṃkhyayā .
dīpāṣṭakaṃ tu yaḥ kuryādaṣṭamīṃ ca caturdaśīm .. 172.42 ..

they too sport in an aerial chariot for countless kalpas. / He who offers eight lamps on the eighth and the fourteenth lunar days,

6.3.172.43

ekādaśyāṃ tu kṛṣṇasya na paśyanti yamaṃ tu te .
phalairnānāvidhaiḥ śubhrairyaḥ kuryālliṅgapūraṇam .. 172.43 ..

and on the eleventh of the dark fortnight, will never see Yama. / And he who covers the liṅga completely with various pure fruits—

6.3.172.44

te'pi yānti vimānena siddhacāraṇasevitāḥ .
ghaṇṭā caiva patākā ca vimāne puṣpamālikā .. 172.44 ..

they too travel in an aerial chariot, served by siddhas and cāraṇas, / with bells, banners, and flower garlands on the aerial chariot,

6.3.172.45

vāditrāṇi yathārhāṇi prānte ca gacchate śivam .
devālayaṃ tu yaḥ kuryādvaiṣṇavaṃ māṇḍaveśvaram .. 172.45 ..

and appropriate musical instruments; and in the end, he reaches Śiva. / He who builds a temple of Viṣṇu [as] Māṇḍaveśvara,

6.3.172.46

svarge vasati dharmātmā yāvadābhūtasamplavam .
māṇḍavyanārāyaṇākhye viprān bhojayate'grataḥ .. 172.46 ..

that righteous person dwells in heaven until the dissolution of all beings. / In front of the one named Māṇḍavyanārāyaṇa, he who feeds brahmins—

6.3.172.47

ekasmin bhojite vipre koṭirbhavati bhojitā .
āśvine māsi samprāpte śuklapakṣe caturdaśīm .. 172.47 ..

when one brahmin is fed, ten million are considered fed. / When the month of Āśvina arrives, on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight,

6.3.172.48

kṛtopavāsaniyamo rātrau jāgaraṇena ca .
dīpamālāṃ caturdikṣu pūjāṃ kṛtvā tu śaktitaḥ .. 172.48 ..

having observed a fast and vow, keeping a night vigil, / arranging rows of lamps in the four directions, and performing worship according to one's means,

6.3.172.49

nārī vā puruṣo vāpi nṛtyagītapravādanaiḥ .
prabhāte vimale sūrye snānādikavidhiṃ nṛpa .. 172.49 ..

whether woman or man, with dances, songs, and instrumental music, / at dawn, when the sun is pure, performing the rites of bathing and the rest, O king,

6.3.172.50

abhinirvartya maunena paśyate devamīdṛśam .
sarvapāpavinirmukto rudraloke mahīyate .. 172.50 ..

and, after carrying it out in silence, gazes upon such a god— / freed from all sins, he is exalted in the realm of Rudra.

6.3.172.51

athavā mārgaśīrṣe ca caitravaiśākhayorapi .
śrāvaṇe vā mahārāja sarvakāle'thavāpi ca .. 172.51 ..

Or else in Mārgaśīrṣa, or in Caitra and Vaiśākha, / or in Śrāvaṇa, O great king, or at any time whatsoever,

6.3.172.52

śivarātrisamaṃ puṇyamityevaṃ śivabhāṣitam .
vājapeyāśvamedhābhyāṃ phalaṃ bhavati nānyathā .. 172.52 ..

the merit is equal to Śivarātri—so it was spoken by Śiva; / the fruit is that of the Vājapeya and horse sacrifice, and not otherwise.

6.3.172.53

durbhagā duḥkhitā vandhyā daridrā ca mṛtaprajā .
snāti rudraghaṭairyā strī sarvānkāmānavāpnuyāt .. 172.53 ..

An unfortunate woman, a grieving woman, a barren woman, a poor woman, or one whose children have died, / if she bathes with Rudra-pitchers, she will obtain all her desires.

6.3.172.54

kṛmikīṭapataṅgāśca tasmiṃstīrthe tu ye mṛtāḥ .
svargaṃ prayānti te sarve divyarūpadharā nṛpa .. 172.54 ..

Even worms, insects, and winged creatures that die at that sacred ford— / they all go to heaven bearing divine forms, O king.

6.3.172.55

anāśake jale'gnau tu ye mṛtā vyādhipīḍitāḥ .
anivartikā gatisteṣāṃ rudraloke hyasaṃśayam .. 172.55 ..

Those afflicted by disease who die by fasting, or in water, or in fire, / their destination is to never return, in the world of Rudra, without doubt.

6.3.172.56

nityaṃ namati yo rāja śivanārāyaṇāvubhau .
godānaphalamāpnoti tasya tīrthaprabhāvataḥ .. 172.56 ..

O king, he who constantly bows to both Śiva and Nārāyaṇa / obtains the fruit of giving cows by the power of that sacred ford.

6.3.172.57

devālaye tu rājendra yaśca kuryātpradakṣiṇām .
pradakṣiṇīkṛtā tena sasāgaradharā dharā .. 172.57 ..

And he who circumambulates the temple, O best of kings, / by him the earth with its oceans has been circumambulated.

6.3.172.58

sārddhaṃ śataṃ ca tīrthāni mallikābhavanādbahiḥ .
tasya tīrthapramāṇaṃ tu vistaraṃ rājasattama .. 172.58 ..

One hundred and fifty sacred fords lie outside the dwelling of Mallikā; / that is the measure and extent of that sacred ford, O best of kings.

6.3.172.59

sūtreṇa veṣṭayetkṣetramathavā śivamandiram .
athavā śivaliṅgaṃ ca tasya puṇyaphalaṃ śṛṇu .. 172.59 ..

If one winds a thread around the sacred field, or the temple of Śiva, / or around the Śiva liṅga, listen to the fruit of that merit:

6.3.172.60

jambūdvīpaśca kṛtasnaśca śālmalī kuśakrauñcakau .
śākapuṣkaragomedaiḥ saptadvīpā vasuṃdharā .. 172.60 ..

all Jambudvīpa, Śālmalī, Kuśa, Krauñca, / Śāka, Puṣkara, and Gomeda—the earth of seven continents,

6.3.172.61

bhūṣitā tena rājendra saśailavanakānanā .
revāyāṃ dakṣiṇe bhāge śivakṣetrātsamīpataḥ .. 172.61 ..

with its mountains and forests, has been adorned by him, O best of kings. / On the southern side of the Revā, near the sacred field of Śiva,

6.3.172.62

devakhātaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ nirmitaṃ tridaśairapi .
tasmin yaḥ kurute snānaṃ mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ .. 172.62 ..

lies Devakhāta, highly meritorious, created by the thirty [gods]. / He who bathes in it is freed from all sins.

6.3.172.63

pūrṇimāyāmamāvasyāṃ vyatīpāte'rkasaṃkrame .
śrāddhaṃ ca saṃgrahe kuryātsa gacchetparamāṃ gatim .. 172.63 ..

On a full moon, a new moon, during a vyatīpāta, at a solar ingress, / and at a solar eclipse, if one performs a śrāddha, he goes to the supreme state.

6.3.172.64

devakhāte trayo devā brahmaviṣṇumaheśvarāḥ .
tiṣṭhanti ṛṣibhiḥ sārddhaṃ pitṛdevagaṇaiḥ saha .. 172.64 ..

At Devakhāta dwell the three gods, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara, / together with the seers, and with hosts of ancestors and gods.

6.3.172.65

tatra tīrthe'śvine māsi caturdaśyāṃ viśeṣataḥ .
vāyumārge sthitaḥ śakrastiṣṭhate daivataiḥ saha .. 172.65 ..

At that sacred ford, especially in the month of Āśvina on the fourteenth day, / Śakra stands in the path of the wind along with the deities.

6.3.172.66

pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni saritaḥ sāgarāstathā .
viṃśati tāni sarvāṇi devakhāte dinadvayam .. 172.66 ..

Whatever sacred fords, rivers, and oceans exist on earth, / all of them enter Devakhāta for two days.

6.3.172.67

gayāśire ca yatpuṇyaṃ prayāge makarakaṇṭake .
prayāge somatīrthe ca tatpuṇyaṃ māṇḍaveśvare .. 172.67 ..

The merit found at Gayāśiras, at Prayāga, at Makara-kaṇṭaka, / and at the Somatīrtha at Prayāga, that same merit is at Māṇḍaveśvara.

6.3.172.68

paṭṭabandhena yatpuṇyaṃ mātrāyāṃ lakuleśvare .
āśvinyāmaśvinīyoge tatpuṇyaṃ māṇḍaveśvare .. 172.68 ..

The merit from the crowning ceremony at Lakuleśvara in Mātrā / during the conjunction with Aśvinī in the month of Āśvina, that same merit is at Māṇḍaveśvara.

6.3.172.69

ujjayinyāṃ mahākāle vārāṇasyāṃ tripuṣkare .
saṃnihatyāṃ ravigraste māṇḍavyākhye sanātanam .. 172.69 ..

The merit at Mahākāla in Ujjayinī, in Vārāṇasī, at Tripuṣkara, / and at Saṃnihiti during a solar eclipse—the eternal merit is at that [ford] named Māṇḍavya.

6.3.172.70

iti jñātvā mahārāja sarvatīrtheṣu cottamam .
pitḥndevān samabhyarcya snānadānādipūjanaiḥ .. 172.70 ..

Knowing this, O great king, [that it is] the best of all sacred fords, / having worshipped the ancestors and the gods with baths, gifts, and veneration,

6.3.172.71

caturdaśyāṃ nirāhāraḥ sthito bhūtvā śucivrataḥ .
pūjayetparayā bhaktyā rātrau jāgaraṇe śivam .. 172.71 ..

and remaining without food on the fourteenth day, purified and observing vows, / one should worship Śiva with supreme devotion during a night vigil.

6.3.172.72

snānaiśca vividhairdevaṃ puṣpāgaruvilepanaiḥ .
prabhāte paurṇamāsyāṃ tu snānādividhitarpaṇaiḥ .. 172.72 ..

[worships] the god with various ritual ablutions, flowers, and agallochum ointment, / and at dawn on the full moon day with ritual libations preceded by ritual ablution, 172.72

6.3.172.73

śrāddhena havyakavyena śivapūjārcanena ca .
agniṣṭomādiyajñaiśca vidhivaccāptadakṣiṇaiḥ .. 172.73 ..

with a śrāddha offering food meant for gods and ancestors, with worship and veneration of Śiva, / and with Agniṣṭoma and other sacrifices performed according to rule, offering ample sacrificial fees, 172.73

6.3.172.74

dhautapāpo viśuddhātmā phalate phalamuttamam .
gosahasrapradānena dattaṃ bhavati bhārata .. 172.74 ..

his sins washed away and his soul purified, he attains the supreme fruit; / it becomes as if a thousand cows were given, O descendant of Bharata. 172.74

6.3.172.75

snānādyairvidhivattatra taddine śivasannidhau .
hiraṇyaṃ vṛṣabhaṃ dhenuṃ bhūmiṃ gomithunaṃ hayam .. 172.75 ..

By performing ritual ablutions and other rites there according to rule on that day in the presence of Śiva, / [giving] gold, a bull, a cow, land, a pair of cattle, a horse, 172.75

6.3.172.76

śivamuddiśya vai vastrayugme dadyātsurūpiṇe .
pādukopānahau chatraṃ bhājanaṃ raktavāsasī .. 172.76 ..

one should donate [them] dedicated to Śiva to a handsome [brahmin], along with a pair of garments, / sandals, shoes, an umbrella, a vessel, and two red garments. 172.76

6.3.172.77

homaṃ jāpyaṃ tathā dānamakṣayaṃ sarvameva tat .
ṛcamekāṃ tu ṛgvede yajurvede yajustathā .. 172.77 ..

Burnt offering, silent recitation, and charitable gift—all that becomes imperishable. / Standing before the god, one should recite one ṛc in the Ṛgveda, / likewise a yajus in the Yajurveda, 172.77

6.3.172.78

sāmaikaṃ sāmavede tu japeddevāgrasaṃsthitaḥ .
samyagvedaphalaṃ tasya bhavedvai nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 172.78 ..

and one sāman in the Sāmaveda: / the complete fruit of the Veda shall accrue to him; there is no doubt about this. 172.78

6.3.172.79

gāyatrījāpyamātrastu vedatrayaphalaṃ labhet .
kulakoṭiśataṃ sāgraṃ labhate tu śivārcanāt .. 172.79 ..

By mere recitation of the Gāyatrī, one obtains the fruit of the three Vedas; / and from the worship of Śiva, one liberates fully one hundred crores of ancestors. 172.79

6.3.172.80

snāne dāne tathā śrāddhe jāgare gītavādite .
anivartikā gatistasya śivalokātkadācana .. 172.80 ..

In ritual ablution, donation, śrāddha, keeping night vigil, and singing and instrumental music, / his return from the world of Śiva shall never occur. 172.80

6.3.172.81

kālena mahatāviṣṭo martyaloke samāviśet .
rājā bhavati medhāvī sarvavyādhivivarjitaḥ .. 172.81 ..

Possessed of it for a great span of time, he then enters the mortal world; / he becomes a wise king, free from all diseases; 172.81

6.3.172.82

jīvedvarṣaśataṃ sāgraṃ putrapautradhanānvitaḥ .
tacca tīrthaṃ punaḥ smṛtvā līyamāno maheśvare .. 172.82 ..

he lives for a full hundred years, endowed with sons, grandsons, and wealth; / and remembering that sacred ford again, he merges into the Great Lord. 172.82

6.3.172.83

upāste yastu vai sandhyāṃ tasmiṃstīrthe ca parvaṇi .
sāṅgopāṅgaiścaturvedairlabhate phalamuttamam .. 172.83 ..

Whoever performs the twilight worship at that sacred ford on the festival day / attains the supreme fruit of the four Vedas together with their limbs and sub-limbs. 172.83

6.3.172.84

tatra sarvaṃ śivakṣetrāccharapātaṃ samantataḥ .
na saṃcaredbhayodvignā brahmahatyā narādhipa .. 172.84 ..

There, within an arrow's flight in all directions from the sacred field of Śiva, / brahmin-slaying cannot wander about, terrified by fear, O king. 172.84

6.3.172.85

yatra tatra sthito vṛkṣān paśyate tīrthatatparaḥ .
vividhaiḥ pātakairmukto mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ .. 172.85 ..

Standing wherever, whoever gazes upon the trees devoted to that sacred ford / is released, freed from diverse sins; there is no doubt about this. 172.85

6.3.172.86

śvabhrī tatra mahārāja jalamadhye pradṛśyate .
kathānikā purāṇoktā vānarī tīrthasevanāt .. 172.86 ..

A chasm is seen there in the middle of the water, O great king; / an ancient story is told of a female monkey, through her attendance at that sacred ford. 172.86

6.3.172.87

tatra kūpo mahārāja tiṣṭhate devanirmitaḥ .
śivasya paścime bhāge śivakṣetramanuttamam .. 172.87 ..

A well built by the gods stands there, O great king; / on the western side of Śiva lies the unequalled sacred field of Śiva. 172.87

6.3.172.88

vṛṣotsargaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa .
krīḍanti pitarastasya svargaloke yadṛcchayā .. 172.88 ..

Whoever releases a bull at that sacred ford, O ruler of men, / his ancestors sport at will in heaven. 172.88

6.3.172.89

agamyāgamane pāpamayājyayājane kṛte .
steyācca brahmagohatyāgurughātācca pātakam .
tatsarvaṃ naśyate pāpaṃ vṛṣotsarge kṛte tu vai .. 172.89 ..

Whatever sin is incurred by approaching forbidden women, by sacrificing for those unfit to sacrifice, / or crime born of theft, slaying a brahmin, killing a cow, or murdering a guru— / all that sin is destroyed when a bull is released. 172.89

6.3.172.90

māṇḍavyatīrthamāhātmyaṃ yaḥ śṛṇoti samādhinā .
mucyate sarvapāpebhyo nātra kāryā vicāraṇā .. 172.90 ..

Whoever listens with concentration to the Māṇḍavyatīrthamāhātmya / is freed from all sins; no doubt should be entertained here. 172.90

6.3.172.90_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe narmadāmāhātmye māṇḍavyatīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāma dvisaptatyadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the one hundred and seventy-second chapter, titled "The Description of the Greatness of Māṇḍavya Sacred Ford," in the Greatness of the Narmadā, in the Revākhaṇḍa, in the fifth Avantī section, in the Skanda Purāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.