Skandapurana 6.3.231

Chapter 231
Śrī Sūta said:
In that same way I shall speak of the clusters of sacred fords, O best of seers,
by which the garland of sacred fords mentioned before was strung together as one, // 231.1

divided [into groups], increasing the joy of devotees, auspicious.
Formerly, the son of Mṛkaṇḍu told it to the son of Pṛthā when he asked, // 231.2

just as I shall declare the clusters of sacred fords here.
The holy Revā, arisen from the drinking of the water of Śiva, is indeed a wish-granting vine, // 231.3

flowering with the blossom-like sacred fords produced on both its banks, auspicious,
by the beauty of whose holy fragrance the three worlds are perfumed. // 231.4

A bee enjoying the taste of the nectar of those flowers,
the sage Mārkaṇḍa is indeed the best among the intelligent. // 231.5

The sage, the uplifter of Bhṛgu’s lineage, constantly wears on his heart
that holy garland of flowers, patterned with clusters of sacred fords.
I shall describe its arrangement of clusters, O best of seers! // 231.6

Beginning from the Oṅkāra sacred ford as far as the western sea,
there are thirty-five confluences of rivers that destroy sins: // 231.7

eleven on the northern bank, and twenty-three on the southern bank;
the thirty-fifth and foremost is the confluence of the Revā and the ocean. // 231.8

Together with the confluences, on both banks of the Revā
there are four hundred renowned sacred fords, O best of twice-born! // 231.9

Three hundred and thirty-three are sacred fords belonging to Śiva.
There also I shall describe them individually; hear them, O good ones! // 231.10

Among them, there are ten Mārkaṇḍeśvara sacred fords, O lords of sages,
ten originating from the sun, and nine Kapileśvara sacred fords; // 231.11

eight established by Soma, as many Narmadeśvara sacred fords,
eight Koṭitīrthas, and likewise seven Siddheśvara sacred fords; // 231.12

seven Nāgeśvara sacred fords on both banks of the Revā,
seven established by Agni, and also a heptad of whirlpools; // 231.13

five Kedāreśvara sacred fords, and five born of Indra,
five Varuṇeśas, and five Dhanadeśvaras; // 231.14

five Devatīrthas, four Yameśvaras,
four Vaidyanāthas, and four Vānareśvaras; // 231.15

just as many Aṅgāreśvara sacred fords, O lords of sages,
four Sārasvatas, and four Dārukeśvaras; // 231.16

three Gautameśvara sacred fords, three Rāmeśvaras,
three Kapāleśvara sacred fords, and three made by Haṃsa; // 231.17

three Mokṣatīrthas, three Vimaleśvaras,
and three Sahasrayajña sacred fords, the sage said; // 231.18

three are known as Bhīmeśvaras, and three Svarṇatīrthas;
two Dhautapāpa sacred fords are declared, and likewise two Karañjeśas; // 231.19

two Ṛṇamocana sacred fords, and two Skandeśvaras;
two Daśāśvamedha sacred fords, and two Nandītīrthas, O twice-born; // 231.20

two Manmatheśas, and two Bhṛgutīrthas;
two Parāśareśvaras, and two Ayonisaṃbhavas; // 231.21

two Vyāseśvaras are declared, and two Pitṛtīrthas;
two Nandikeśvara sacred fords, and two remembered as Gopeśvaras; // 231.22

likewise two Māruteśas, and two remembered as Jvāleśvaras;
two holy Śuklatīrthas, and two Apsareśas; // 231.23

two Pippaleśvara sacred fords known as Māṇḍavyeśvara;
and two Dvīpeśvaras, the uplifter of Bhṛgu’s line said likewise;
two Uttareśvara sacred fords, and a pair of Aśokeśas; // 231.24

two in Yodhanapura, and a pair of Rohiṇītīrthas;
two Luṅkeśvaras are famed, so the sage related; // 231.25

one hundred and nineteen sacred fords [stand] singly, O twice-born;
the sacred fords gathered in clusters amount to two hundred and fourteen. // 231.26

These are the Śaiva sacred fords; now hear the Vaiṣṇava ones being spoken of,
O good ones, and also the Brāhma and Śākta ones in sequence! // 231.27

The sage mentioned twenty-eight Vaiṣṇava sacred fords;
among them, six are Vārāha sacred fords, O best of sages; // 231.28

four are Cakratīrthas, and the remaining eighteen are indeed
presided over by Viṣṇu, as Mṛkaṇḍu's son declared long ago. // 231.29

Likewise, he spoke of seven sacred fords for Brahmā, for the attainment of perfection;
in three of them, Brahmā is worshipped, and the other four are Brahmeśas.
Twenty-eight have been declared by me according to number and order. // 231.30

This is incomparable purity; this destroys the greatest sins,
the sacred deeds and māhātmya of the Narmadā, spoken by the sage. // 231.31

Sūta said:
Thus has the sequence of Revā’s sacred fords been spoken by me by way of indication,
just as the sage Mārkaṇḍa told it in brief to the son of Pṛthā. // 231.32

There are many hidden intermediate sacred fords within them;
hear, O sinless ones, how many there are and where: // 231.33

Around Oṅkāra sacred ford from Mount Amarakaṇṭa,
within two krośas in all directions, thirty-five million are considered to be present, // 231.34

by count of hidden and manifest sacred fords, O best of twice-born.
One crore of sacred fords, however, is distinct at the confluence of the Kapilā; // 231.35

and one hundred thousand sacred fords are established at Aśokavanikā;
one hundred at the confluence of the Gāragartā, O best of sages; // 231.36

likewise ten thousand sacred fords are situated at the confluence of the Kubjā;
one hundred are situated at the confluence of the Hiraṇyagarbhā; // 231.37

sixty-eight sacred fords are situated at the confluence of the Viśokā;
likewise one thousand sacred fords reside at the confluence of the Vāgu; // 231.38

one hundred at the confluence of the Sarasvatī; two hundred at Śuklatīrtha;
one thousand among the sacred fords of Viṣṇu, and ten thousand at Māhiṣmatī. // 231.39

And at Śūlabheda, O brahmins, reside more than one hundred thousand sacred fords; / and at Devagrāma reside one thousand sacred fords, so the sage declared.

At Luṅkeśvara reside more than seven hundred sacred fords; / one hundred and eight sacred fords are at the confluence of the Maṇinadī; / and at Vaidyanātha they know of one hundred and eight sacred fords.

So many are the sacred fords at the Kumbheśvara ford, O brahmins; / and more than one hundred thousand sacred fords reside at the confluence of the Revā and the Uras.

And they may be even more than that—thus spoke Mārkaṇḍeya. / Eighty-eight thousand are situated at Vyāsadvīpa.

And at the confluence of the Karañjā reside ten thousand and eight; / likewise at the confluence of the Eraṇḍī there are one hundred and eight sacred fords.

At Dhūtapāpa reside sixty-eight sacred fords; / at the Skandatīrtha, the sage declared, there are one hundred holy sacred fords.

At Kohaneśa reside sixty-eight sacred fords; / and fifteen million sacred fords reside in Korilāpura.

At the Rāmakeśavatīrtha he declared more than one thousand; / and at Asmāhaka indeed dwell one thousand sacred fords.

Eight hundred and two thousand sacred fords at Śuklatīrtha, O best of brahmins, / the descendant of Bhṛgu proclaimed to the son of Pṛthā in ancient times.

He spoke of one hundred and eight at each of the confluences / of the remaining rivers, except for the confluence of the Kāverī.

At the confluence of the Kāverī, O brahmins, five hundred are situated; / likewise, the sage spoke of the special efficacy of the sacred fords on festival days.

The virtuous declare the Mokṣatīrtha to be presided over by the primordial Puruṣa; / and in the sacred field of Bhṛgu, ten million sacred fords have gathered.

Who indeed would be capable of describing those that exceed that number, O best of seers? / It is declared to be the refuge of all immortals, and the refuge of all sacred fords,

renowned throughout the three worlds, worshipped, accomplishing all perfections. / And at Bhārabhūti reside one hundred and eight sacred fords.

At the Akrūreśvaratīrtha reside one hundred and fifty sacred fords; / but at the Vimaleśvaratīrtha, at the confluence of the Revā and the ocean, / the sage declared more than one hundred thousand sacred fords.

Thus ends the two hundred thirty-first chapter, named 'Enumeration of the Number of Sacred Fords', in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth, Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.