Skandapurana 6.3.33

6.3.33.p1

adhyāya 33

6.3.33.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
tato gacchettu rājendra agnitīrthamanuttamam .
yatra saṃnihito hyagnirgataḥ kāmena mohitaḥ .. 33.1 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:
Then one should go, O king of kings, to the unsurpassed Agnitīrtha,
where Agni is indeed present, having arrived deluded by desire.

6.3.33.2

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
kathaṃ devo jagaddhātā kāmena kaluṣīkṛtaḥ .
kathaṃ ca nityadā vāsa ekasthāneṣu jāyate .. 33.2 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said:
How was the god, the maintainer of the world, sullied by desire,
and how does his eternal dwelling come to be in a single place?

6.3.33.3

etattvāścaryamatulaṃ sarvalokeṣvanuttamam .
kathayasva mahābhāga paraṃ kautūhalaṃ mama .. 33.3 ..

This is an incomparable wonder, unsurpassed in all the worlds;
tell it, O illustrious one; my curiosity is supreme.

6.3.33.4

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
sādhu sādhu mahāprājña pṛṣṭaḥ praśnastvayānagha .
kathayāmi yathāpūrvaṃ śrutametanmaheśvarāt .. 33.4 ..

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / 'Well said, well said, O great in wisdom, sinless one! You have asked a question. / I shall recount what was formerly heard from Maheśvara. 33.4

6.3.33.5

āsītkṛtayuge rājā nāmnā duryodhano mahān .
hastyaśvarathasampūrṇo medinīparipālakaḥ .. 33.5 ..

In the Kṛtayuga there was a great king named Duryodhana, / abundant in elephants, horses, and chariots, a protector of the earth. 33.5

6.3.33.6

rūpayauvanasampannaṃ dṛṣṭvā taṃ pṛthivīpatim .
divyopabhogasampannaṃ prārthayāmāsa narmadā .. 33.6 ..

Seeing that lord of the earth endowed with beauty and youth, / endowed with divine enjoyments, Narmadā wooed him. 33.6

6.3.33.7

sa tu tāṃ cakame kanyāṃ tyaktvā'nyaṃ pramadājanam .
mudā paramayā yukto māhiṣmatyāḥ patirnṛpa .. 33.7 ..

He, forsaking other women, desired that maiden, / filled with supreme joy, O king, the lord of Māhiṣmatī. 33.7

6.3.33.8

ramate sa tayā sārddhaṃ kāle vai nṛpasattama .
narmadā janayāmāsa kanyāṃ padmadalekṣaṇām .. 33.8 ..

He disported with her in due time, O best of kings; / Narmadā gave birth to a daughter with eyes like lotus petals. 33.8

6.3.33.9

aṅgapratyaṅgasampannā yasmāllokeṣu viśrutā .
tasyāṃ pitā ca mātā ca cakratuḥ premabandhanam .. 33.9 ..

Because she was renowned in the worlds for the perfection of all her limbs, / her father and mother bound her with affection. 33.9

6.3.33.10

kālenātisudīrgheṇa yauvanasthā varāṅganā .
prārthyamānāpi rājanvai nātmānaṃ dātumicchati .. 33.10 ..

In the fullness of time that excellent woman came of age; / though wooed, O king, she did not wish to give herself away. 33.10

6.3.33.11

tato'nyadivase vahnirdvijarūpo mahātapāḥ .
rājānaṃ prārthayāmāsa raho gatvā śanaiḥ śanaiḥ .. 33.11 ..

Then one day the Fire-god, assuming the form of a twice-born, of great austerity, / approached the king in secret and slowly wooed him: 33.11

6.3.33.12

bhobho raghukulaśreṣṭha dvijo'haṃ mandasantatiḥ .
daridro hyasahāyaśca bhāryārthe varayāmi tām .. 33.12 ..

"O best of the Raghu lineage, I am a twice-born of modest descent, / poor and without support; I choose her as my wife. 33.12

6.3.33.13

kanyā sudarśanā nāma rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi .
tāṃ dadasva mahābhāga vardhate tava mandire .. 33.13 ..

The maiden is named Sudarśanā, peerless on earth in beauty; / give her to me, O highly fortunate one, she who grows up in your palace. 33.13

6.3.33.14

brahmacaryeṇa nirviṇṇa ekākī kāmapīḍitaḥ .
yācamānasya me tāta prasādaṃ kartumarhasi .. 33.14 ..

Despondent through student celibacy, alone and tormented by desire, / to me who begs you, O lord, you ought to show favour." 33.14

6.3.33.15

rājovāca -
nāhaṃ dravyavihīnasya asavarṇasya karhicit .
dāsyāmi svāṃ sutāṃ śubhrāṃ gamyatāṃ dvijapuṃgava .. 33.15 ..

The king said: / "Never shall I give my radiant daughter to one devoid of wealth / or outside my caste; go, O eminent twice-born!" 33.15

6.3.33.16

evamuktastadā vahniḥ parāṃ pīḍāmupāgataḥ .
na kiṃciduktvā rājānaṃ tatraivāntaradhīyata .. 33.16 ..

Thus addressed, the Fire-god was overcome with intense anguish; / saying nothing to the king, he vanished right there. 33.16

6.3.33.17

gate cādarśanaṃ vipre rājā mantripurohitaiḥ .
mantrayitvātha kāle tu tuṣṭo makhamukhe sthitaḥ .. 33.17 ..

When the brahmin had disappeared, the king, having consulted with his ministers / and family priests in due time, stood pleased at the commencement of a sacrifice. 33.17

6.3.33.18

yajataśca makhe bhaktyā brāhmaṇaiḥ saha bhārata .
tataścādarśanaṃ vahniḥ sarveṣāṃ paśyatāmagāt .. 33.18 ..

And as he offered sacrifice with devotion together with the brahmins, O descendant of Bharata, / the fire vanished before the eyes of all. 33.18

6.3.33.19

viprā durmanaso bhūtvā gatā rājño hi mandiram .
vahnināśaṃ vimanaso rājānamidamabruvan .. 33.19 ..

The brahmins, dejected in spirit, went to the king's palace; / bewildered by the disappearance of the fire, they spoke thus to the king. 33.19

6.3.33.20

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ .
duryodhana mahārāja śrūyatāṃ mahadadbhutam .
na śrutaṃ na ca dṛṣṭaṃ vā kautukaṃ nṛpapuṃgava .. 33.20 ..

The brahmins said: / "O Great King Duryodhana, listen to a great wonder, / a strange event neither heard nor seen before, O bull among kings! 33.20

6.3.33.21

agnikāryapravṛttānāṃ sarveṣāṃ vidhivannṛpa .
kenāpi hetunā vahnirdṛśyate na jvalatyuta .. 33.21 ..

Though all of us engaged in the fire-rites according to rule, O king, / for some reason the fire is not seen, nor does it blaze. 33.21

6.3.33.22

tacchrutvā vipriyaṃ ghoraṃ rājā vipramukhāccyutam .
āsanātpatito bhūmau chinnamūla iva drumaḥ .. 33.22 ..

Hearing that terrible, displeasing news fall from the brahmins' mouths, / the king fell from his seat to the ground like a tree cut at its roots. 33.22

6.3.33.23

āśvasya ca muhūrtena unmatta iva saṃstadā .
nirīkṣya ca diśaḥ sarvā idaṃ vacanamabravīt .. 33.23 ..

Reviving after a moment, being like one driven mad, / he looked in all directions and spoke these words: 33.23

6.3.33.24

kimetadāścaryaparamiti bhobho dvijottamāḥ .
kathyatāṃ kāraṇaṃ sarvaṃ śāstradṛṣṭyā vibhāvya ca .. 33.24 ..

"What is this greatest of wonders, O best of the twice-born? / Tell me the whole reason, discerning it through the eye of scripture! 33.24

6.3.33.25

mama vā duṣkṛtaṃ kiṃcidutāho bhavatāmiha .
yena naṣṭo'gniśālāyāṃ hutabhukkena hetunā .. 33.25 ..

Is it some misdeed of mine, or perhaps of yours here, / on account of which the fire has perished in the sanctuary of fire—by what cause? 33.25

6.3.33.26

mantracchidramathānyadvā naiva kiṃcidadakṣiṇam .
kriyāhīnaṃ kṛtaṃ vātha kena vahnirna dṛśyate .. 33.26 ..

Was there a flaw in the mantras or else something without a fee? / Was it performed lacking proper rites? Why is the fire not seen? 33.26

6.3.33.27

annahīno dahedrāṣṭraṃ mantrahīnastu ṛtvijaḥ .
dātāraṃ dakṣiṇāhīno nāsti yajñasamo ripuḥ .. 33.27 ..

Lacking food, a sacrifice burns the realm; lacking mantras, the priests; / lacking a sacrificial fee, the patron: there is no enemy like a flawed sacrifice!" 33.27

6.3.33.28

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ .
na mantrahīnā hi vayaṃ na ca rājanvrataistathā .
dravyeṇa ca na hīnastvamanyatpāpaṃ vicintyatām .. 33.28 ..

The brahmins said: / "We are not deficient in mantras, O king, nor in our vows; / nor are you deficient in wealth; reflect upon some other sin!" 33.28

6.3.33.29

rājovāca -
tathāpi yūyaṃ sahitā upāyaṃ cintayantviti .
yena śreyo bhavennityamiha loke paratra ca .. 33.29 ..

The king said: / "Nevertheless, devise a means together, / by which welfare may always ensue in this world and in the next." 33.29

6.3.33.30

evamuktāstataḥ sarve brāhmaṇāḥ kṛtaniścayāḥ .
nirāhārāḥ sthitāḥ śarve yatra naṣṭo hutāśanaḥ .. 33.30 ..

Thus addressed, all those brahmins made a firm resolve; / fasting, all of them remained where the fire had vanished. 33.30

6.3.33.31

tataḥ svapne mahātejā hutabhugbrāhmaṇāṃstadā .
uvāca śrūyatāṃ sarvairmama nāśasya kāraṇam .. 33.31 ..

Then in a dream the fire of great splendour said to the brahmins: / 'Let the cause of my disappearance be heard by all! 33.31

6.3.33.32

prārthito'yaṃ mayā rājā sutāṃ dātuṃ na cecchati .
tena naṣṭo'gniśaraṇādahaṃ bho dvijasattamāḥ .. 33.32 ..

This king was wooed by me, but he does not wish to give his daughter; / therefore have I vanished from the sanctuary of fire, O best of the twice-born! 33.32

6.3.33.33

yadi me svasutāṃ rājā dadāti paramārcitām .
tadāsya jvalamāno'haṃ gṛhe tiṣṭhāmi nānyathā .. 33.33 ..

If the king gives me his highly honoured daughter, / then, blazing, I shall dwell in his house, and not otherwise.' 33.33

6.3.33.34

tacchrutvā vacanaṃ viprā vaiśvānaramukhodgatam .
vismayotphullanayanā rājānamidamabruvan .. 33.34 ..

Hearing those words issue from the mouth of the Fire-god, the brahmins, / their eyes wide with astonishment, spoke thus to the king: 33.34

6.3.33.35

bhavato matamājñāya sarve gatvāgnimandiram .
nirāhārāḥ sthitā rātrau paśyāmo jātavedasam .. 33.35 ..

"Knowing your will, we all went to the sanctuary of fire; / fasting through the night, we beheld the All-knowing Fire. 33.35

6.3.33.36

tenoktāḥ svasutāṃ cettu rājā me dātumicchati .
tato'sya bhūyo'pi gṛhe jvale'haṃ nānyathā dvijāḥ .. 33.36 ..

He told us: 'If the king is willing to give me his daughter, / then I shall blaze once more in his house, not otherwise, O twice-born!' 33.36

6.3.33.37

evaṃ jñātvā mahārāja svasutāṃ dātumarhasi .. 33.37 ..

Knowing this, O Great King, you ought to give your daughter." 33.37

6.3.33.38

rājovāca -
bhavatāṃ tasya vā kāryaṃ devasya vacanaṃ hṛdi .
samayaṃ kartumicchāmi kanyādāne hyanuttamam .. 33.38 ..

The king said: / "Your words, or the words of that god, are to be kept in mind; / I wish to make an unsurpassed condition regarding the gift of the maiden: 33.38

6.3.33.39

mama saṃnihito nityaṃ gṛhe tiṣṭhatu pāvakaḥ .
dadāmi rucirāpāṅgīṃ nānyathā karavāṇi vai .. 33.39 ..

let the Fire-god dwell perpetually present in my house; / then I shall give her of charming side-glances; otherwise I shall not do so." 33.39

6.3.33.40

evaṃ te brāhmaṇāḥ śrutvā tathāgniṃ prāpya satvaram .
kathayitvā vivāhena yojayāmāsurāśu vai .. 33.40 ..

Having heard this, those brahmins quickly approached the Fire-god, / informed him, and straightway united them in marriage. 33.40

6.3.33.41

sudarśanāyā lābhena parituṣṭo hutāśanaḥ .
jvalate sannidhau nityaṃ māhiṣmatyāṃ yudhiṣṭhira .. 33.41 ..

Extremely pleased by obtaining Sudarśanā, the fire / blazes perpetually in close presence in Māhiṣmatī, O Yudhiṣṭhira. 33.41

6.3.33.42

tataḥ prabhṛti tattīrthamagnitīrthaṃ pracakṣate .
ye tatra pakṣasandhau tu snānadānaistu bhāvitāḥ .. 33.42 ..

From that time forward that sacred ford is called Agnitīrtha. / Those who, purified there by bath and gifts at the junction of fortnights, 33.42

6.3.33.43

tarpayanti pitṝn devāṃste'śvamedhaphalairyutāḥ .
suvarṇaṃ ye prayacchanti tasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa .. 33.43 ..

sate the ancestors and the gods, are endowed with the fruit of a horse sacrifice. / Those who give gold at that sacred ford, O ruler of men, 33.43

6.3.33.44

pṛthvīdānaphalaṃ tatra jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ .
anāśakaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa .. 33.44 ..

gain the fruit of gifting the earth there—there is no doubt about this. / And whoever undertakes a fast unto death at that sacred ford, O ruler of men, 33.44

6.3.33.45

sa mṛto hyagniloke tu krīḍate surapūjitaḥ .
eṣa te hyagnitīrthasya sambhavaḥ kathito mayā .. 33.45 ..

upon dying plays in the world of Fire, worshiped by the gods. / Thus the origin of the Agnitīrtha has been related to you by me, 33.45

6.3.33.46

sarvapāpaharaḥ puṇyaḥ śrutamātro narottama .
dhanyaḥ pāpaharo nityamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt .. 33.46 ..

destroying all sins, auspicious by the mere hearing of it, O best of men; / meritorious and ever-removing sin—thus spoke Śaṅkara.' 33.46

6.3.33.46_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe'gnitīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāma trayastriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the thirty-third chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of Agnitīrtha', in the Revākhaṇḍa of the fifth [section], the Āvantyakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].