Skandapurana 6.3.38

6.3.38.p1

adhyāya 38

6.3.38.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
tato gaccheta rājendra guhāvāsīti cottamam .
yatra siddho mahādevo guhāvāsī samārbudam .. 38.1 ..

The venerable Mārkaṇḍeya said: / Then one should go to the supreme [sacred ford] named Guhāvāsin, O king of kings, / where Mahādeva, dwelling in the cave, attained perfection for one hundred million years.

6.3.38.2

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca -
kena kāryeṇa bho tāta mahādevo jagadguruḥ .
guhāyāmanayatkālaṃ sudīrghaṃ dvijasattama .. 38.2 ..

Yudhiṣṭhira said: / For what purpose, O dear one, O best of the twice-born, did Mahādeva, the teacher of the world, / spend so very long a time in a cave?

6.3.38.3

etadvistarataḥ sarvaṃ kathayasva mamānagha .
śrotumicchāmyahaṃ sarvaparaṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me .. 38.3 ..

Tell me all this in detail, O sinless one. / I wish to hear everything; indeed, great is my curiosity.

6.3.38.4

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
sādhu praśno mahārāja pṛṣṭo yo vai tvayottamaḥ .
purāṇe vistaro hyasya na śakyo hi mayādhunā .. 38.4 ..

Mārkaṇḍeya said: / It is a good question, O great king, an excellent one that you have asked; / its full extent in the Purāṇa cannot indeed [be told] by me now.

6.3.38.5

kathituṃ vṛddhabhāvatvādatīto bahukālikaḥ .
saṃkṣepāttena te tāta kathayāmi nibodha me .. 38.5 ..

to tell in detail, because of my old age, for a long time has passed.
Therefore, my dear, I tell it to you in brief; listen to me.

6.3.38.6

purā kṛtayuge rājannāsīddāruvanaṃ mahat .
nānādrumalatākīrṇaṃ nānāvallyupaśobhitam .. 38.6 ..

Long ago, in the Kṛtayuga, O king, there was a great forest named Dāruvana,
filled with various trees and creepers, and adorned with diverse vines.

6.3.38.7

siṃhavyāghravarāhaiśca gajaiḥ khaḍgairniṣevitam .
bahupakṣiyutaṃ divyaṃ yathā caitrarathaṃ vanam .. 38.7 ..

It was frequented by lions, tigers, boars, elephants, and rhinoceroses,
filled with many birds, divine like the Caitraratha forest.

6.3.38.8

tatra kecinmahāprājñā vasanti saṃśitavratāḥ .
vasanti parayā bhaktyā caturāśramabhāvitāḥ .. 38.8 ..

Certain men of great wisdom, resolute in their vows, dwelt there;
they lived with supreme devotion, devoted to the four stages of life:

6.3.38.9

brahmacārī gṛhasthaśca vānaprastho yatistathā .
svadharmaniratāḥ sarve vāñchantaḥ paramaṃ padam .. 38.9 ..

The student, the householder, the forest hermit, and the ascetic,
all devoted to their own duties, desiring the highest state.

6.3.38.10

tāvadvasantasamaye kasmiṃścitkāraṇāntare .
vimānastho mahādevo gacchanvai hyumayā saha .. 38.10 ..

Meanwhile, in the spring season, for some particular reason,
Mahādeva, seated in an aerial chariot, travelling along with Umā,

6.3.38.11

dadarśa toya āvāsamṛksāmayajurnāditam .
alakṣyāgatanirgamyaṃ sarvapāpakṣayaṃkaram .. 38.11 ..

saw by the water a hermitage resounding with the Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajur Vedas,
whose entrance and exit were invisible, destroying all sins.

6.3.38.12

taṃ dṛṣṭvā muditā devī harṣagaṅgadayā girā .
papraccha devadeveśaṃ śaśāṅkakṛtabhūṣaṇam .. 38.12 ..

Seeing it, the goddess was delighted and, with a voice choked with joy,
questioned the lord of the gods, who was adorned with the crescent moon:

6.3.38.13

devyuvāca -
kasyāyamāśramo deva vedadhvaninināditaḥ .
yaṃ dṛṣṭvā kṣutpipāsādyaiḥ śramaiśca parihīyate .. 38.13 ..

The goddess said:
Whose hermitage is this, O god, resounding with the sound of the Vedas,
seeing which one is freed from exhaustion, hunger, thirst, and the like?

6.3.38.14

maheśvara uvāca -
kiṃ tvayā na śrutaṃ devi mahādāruvanaṃ mahat .
bahuviprajano yatra gṛhadharmeṇa vartate .. 38.14 ..

Maheśvara said:
Have you not heard, O goddess, of the great Mahādāruvana,
where many brahmins live according to the duties of a householder?

6.3.38.15

atra yaḥ strījanaḥ kaścidbhartṛśuśrūṣaṇe rataḥ .
nānyo devo na vai dharmo jñāyate śailanandini .. 38.15 ..

Whatever women there are here, they are devoted to the service of their husbands;
no other deity, nor any other duty, is known to them, O daughter of the mountain.

6.3.38.16

etacchrutvā paraṃ vākyaṃ devadevena bhāṣitam .
kautūhalasamāviṣṭā śaṅkaraṃ punarabravīt .. 38.16 ..

Having heard this supreme speech spoken by the god of gods,
filled with curiosity, she spoke again to Śaṅkara:

6.3.38.17

yattvayoktaṃ mahādeva patidharmaratāḥ striyaḥ .
tāsāṃ tvaṃ madano bhūtvā cāritraṃ kṣobhaya prabho .. 38.17 ..

Since you have said, O Mahādeva, that the women are devoted to the duty of fidelity to their husbands,
become Love incarnate, O Lord, and agitate their virtue!

6.3.38.18

īśvara uvāca -
yattvayoktaṃ ca vacanaṃ na hi me rocate priye .
brāhmaṇā hi mahadbhūtaṃ na caiṣāṃ vipriyaṃ caret .. 38.18 ..

Īśvara said:
What you have said does not please me at all, O beloved.
Brahmins are great beings, and one should never do what is displeasing to them.

6.3.38.19

manyupraharaṇā viprāścakrapraharaṇo hariḥ .
cakrātkrūrataro manyustasmādvipraṃ na kopayet .. 38.19 ..

Brahmins have anger as their weapon; Hari has the discus as his weapon.
Anger is crueller than the discus; therefore one must not anger a brahmin.

6.3.38.20

na te devā na te lokā na te nagā na cāsurāḥ .
dṛśyante triṣu lokeṣu ye tairdṛṣṭairna nāśitāḥ .. 38.20 ..

No gods, no worlds, no mountains, nor asuras
are seen in the three worlds who have not been destroyed by their glance.

6.3.38.21

teṣāṃ mokṣastathā svargo bhūmirmartye phalāni ca .
yeṣāṃ tuṣṭā mahābhāgā brāhmaṇāḥ kṣitidevatāḥ .. 38.21 ..

For them there is liberation and heaven, and the fruits on the mortal earth,
with whom the fortunate brahmins, deities of the earth, are pleased.

6.3.38.22

evaṃ jñātvā mahābhāge asadgrāhaṃ parityaja .
tatra loke viruddhaṃ vai kupyante yena vai dvijāḥ .. 38.22 ..

Knowing this, O fortunate one, abandon this improper obstinacy,
which is forbidden in this world and by which the twice-born would be angered.

6.3.38.23

devyuvāca -
nāhaṃ te dayitā deva nāhaṃ te vaśavartinī .
akṛtvādhaśva vai tāsāṃ mānaṃ surasupūjitam .. 38.23 ..

The goddess said:
I am not your beloved, O god, nor am I obedient to you,
if you do not bring low their pride, which is well-honoured by the gods.

6.3.38.24

lokaloke mahādeva aśakyaṃ nāsti te prabho .
kriyatāṃ mama caivaikametatkāryaṃ surottama .. 38.24 ..

In this world and beyond, O Mahādeva, there is nothing impossible for you, O Lord;
perform this one task for me, O best of gods!

6.3.38.25

evamukto mahādevo devyā vākyahite rataḥ .
kṛtvā kāpālikaṃ rūpaṃ yayau dāruvanaṃ prati .. 38.25 ..

Thus addressed, Mahādeva, devoted to fulfilling the goddess's word,
assumed the form of a Kāpālika and went toward Dāruvana,

6.3.38.26

mahāhitajaṭājūṭaṃ niyamya śaśibhūṣaṇam .
kaṇṭhatrāṇaṃ paraṃ kṛtvā dhārayan karṇakuṇḍale .. 38.26 ..

binding his mass of matted hair, wearing the moon as an ornament,
with his throat wrapped securely, wearing earrings in his ears,

6.3.38.27

vyāghracarmaparīdhāno mekhalāhārabhūṣitaḥ .
nūpuradhvaninighoṣaiḥ kampayan vai vasuṃdharām .. 38.27 ..

clad in a tiger-skin, adorned with a girdle and garlands,
shaking the earth with the jingle of his anklets,

6.3.38.28

mahānūrddhvajaṭāmālī kṛttibhasmānulepanaḥ .
kṛtvā haste kapālaṃ tu brahmaṇaśca mahātmanaḥ .. 38.28 ..

bearing high-piled matted hair, smeared with hide and ashes,
holding in his hand the skull of the great-souled Brahmā,

6.3.38.29

mahāḍamarughoṣeṇa kampayan vai vasuṃdharām .
prabhātasamaye prāpto mahādāruvanaṃ prati .. 38.29 ..

making the earth tremble with the roar of his great ḍamaru drum,
he arrived at Mahādāruvana at the time of dawn.

6.3.38.30

tāvatpuṇyajanaḥ sarvapuṣpapatraphalārthikaḥ .
nirgato bahubhiḥ sārddhaṃ pavamānaḥ samantataḥ .. 38.30 ..

At that time, all those virtuous people, seeking flowers, leaves, and fruits,
had gone out everywhere with many others, purifying [the forest].

6.3.38.31

taddṛṣṭvā mahadāścaryaṃ rūpaṃ devasya bhārata .
yuvatīnāṃ manastāsāṃ kāmena kaluṣīkṛtam .. 38.31 ..

Seeing that greatly wondrous form of the god, O descendant of Bharata,
the minds of those young women became tainted with passion.

6.3.38.32

śobhanaṃ puruṣaṃ dṛṣṭvā sarvā api varāṅganāḥ .
kledabhāvaṃ tato jagmurmudā dāruvanastriyaḥ .. 38.32 ..

Beholding that handsome man, all those excellent women,
the women of Dāruvana, were overcome with longing and lustful desire.

6.3.38.33

vikārā bahavastāsāṃ devaṃ dṛṣṭvā mahādbhutam .
saṃjātā viprapatnīnāṃ tadā tāsu narottama .. 38.33 ..

Many emotional perturbations arose in those wives of brahmins,
upon seeing that greatly wondrous god, O best of men.

6.3.38.34

paridhānaṃ na jānanti kāściddṛṣṭvā varāṅganāḥ .
uttarīyaṃ tathā cānyā mahāmohasamanvitāḥ .. 38.34 ..

Some excellent women, upon seeing him, were not aware of their lower garments;
others, seized by great infatuation, were unaware of their upper garments.

6.3.38.35

keśabhāraparibhraṣṭā kācidevāsanotthitā .
dātukāmā tadā bhaikṣyaṃ ceṣṭituṃ naiva cāśakat .. 38.35 ..

One woman, her mass of hair dishevelled, got up from her seat,
wishing to give alms, but was unable to move.

6.3.38.36

kāciddṛṣṭvā mahādevaṃ rūpayauvanagarvitā .
utsaṅge saṃsthitaṃ bālaṃ vismṛtā pāyituṃ stanam .. 38.36 ..

Another, proud of her beauty and youth, upon seeing Mahādeva,
forgot to nurse the child resting on her lap.

6.3.38.37

kāmabāṇahatā cānyā bāhubhyāṃ pīḍya sustanau .
niḥśvasantī tadā coṣṇaṃ na kiṃcitpratijalpati .. 38.37 ..

Another, struck by the arrows of love, squeezing her shapely breasts with her arms,
sighed hot sighs and did not answer anything.

6.3.38.38

evaṃ saṃkṣobhya taṃ sarvaṃ strījanaṃ parameśvaraḥ .
jagāma tatra vai tāsāṃ kṣobhaṃ kṛtvā mahādbhutam .. 38.38 ..

Having thus perturbed all those women, the supreme lord,
having caused an extraordinary agitation among them, departed thence.

6.3.38.39

tāvatte brāhmaṇāḥ sarve bhramitvā kānanaṃ mahat .
āgatāḥ svagṛhe dārān dadṛśuśca hataujasaḥ .. 38.39 ..

Meanwhile, all those brahmins, having wandered through the great forest,
returned to their own homes and saw their wives devoid of luster.

6.3.38.40

yāsāṃ pūrvatarā bhaktiḥ pātivratye patīnprati .
calitāstā viditvāśu nirjagmurdvijasattamāḥ .. 38.40 ..

Those whose devotion to their husbands in marital fidelity had been supreme—
knowing that they had wavered, the best of the twice-born quickly rushed out.

6.3.38.41

saṃvidaṃ paramāṃ kṛtvā jñātvā devaṃ maheśvaram .
kṣobhayitvā manastāsāṃ tataścādarśanaṃ gatam .. 38.41 ..

Reaching a firm understanding, they knew that it was the god Maheśvara
who, having agitated their minds, had then disappeared from sight.

6.3.38.42

krodhāviṣṭo dvijaḥ kaściddaṇḍamudyamya dhāvati .
kalmāṣayaṣṭimanye ca tathānye darbhamuṣṭikām .. 38.42 ..

One twice-born, filled with rage, ran raising a stick;
others with spotted staffs, and others with a handful of darbha grass.

6.3.38.43

itaścetaśca te sarve bhramitvā kānanaṃ nṛpa .
ekībhūtvā mahātmāno vyājahruśca ruṣā giram .. 38.43 ..

Wandering here and there through the forest, O king,
those great-souled ones gathered together and uttered words in anger:

6.3.38.44

yadidaṃ ca hutaṃ kiṃcidguravastoṣitā yadi .
tena satyena devasya liṅgaṃ patatu cottamam .. 38.44 ..

“If any offering has been made by us, if our teachers have been satisfied,
by that truth, let the god's excellent liṅga fall down!

6.3.38.45

āśramādāśramaṃ sarve na tyajāmo vidhikramāt .
tena satyena devasya liṅgaṃ patatu bhūtale .. 38.45 ..

If we all do not abandon [our duties] from stage to stage according to the rules,
by that truth, let the god's liṅga fall to the ground!”

6.3.38.46

evaṃ satyaprabhāvena triruktena dvijanmanām .
śivasya paśyato liṅgaṃ patitaṃ dharaṇītale .. 38.46 ..

Thus, by the power of truth spoken three times by the twice-born,
as Śiva watched, his liṅga fell upon the surface of the earth.

6.3.38.47

hāhākāro mahānāsīllokāloke'pi bhārata .
devasya patite liṅge jagataśca mahākṣaye .. 38.47 ..

A great cry of distress arose even in the Lokāloka mountains, O descendant of Bharata,
when the god's liṅga fell and the great destruction of the world [commenced].

6.3.38.48

patamānasya liṅgasya śabdo'bhūcca sudāruṇaḥ .
ulkāpātā diśāṃ hāhā bhūmikampāśca dāruṇāḥ .. 38.48 ..

As the liṅga fell, there arose a dreadful sound, / meteors fell, the quarters cried in lamentation, and fearful earthquakes occurred.

6.3.38.49

patanti parvatāgrāṇi śoṣaṃ yānti ca sāgarāḥ .
devasya patite liṅge devā vimanaso'bhavan .. 38.49 ..

Mountain peaks fell, and oceans dried up; / when the god's liṅga fell, the gods were dejected in mind.

6.3.38.50

sametya sahitāḥ sarve brahmāṇaṃ parameṣṭhinam .
kṛtāñjalipuṭāḥ sarve stuvanti vividhaiḥ stavaiḥ .. 38.50 ..

Assembling together, all approached Brahmā Parameṣṭhin, / and with folded hands, all praised him with various hymns.

6.3.38.51

tatastuṣṭo jagannāthaścaturvadanapaṅkajaḥ .
ārtānprāha surānsarvānmā viṣādaṃ gamiṣyatha .. 38.51 ..

Then the lord of the universe, whose face is a fourfold lotus, pleased, / spoke to all the distressed gods: “Do not fall into despondency!

6.3.38.52

brahmaśāpābhibhūto'sau devadevastrilocanaḥ .
tuṣṭaistaistapasā yuktaiḥ punarmokṣaṃ gamiṣyati .. 38.52 ..

This three-eyed god of gods has been overpowered by a brahmin's curse; / when they, endowed with austerity, are satisfied, he will attain release once more.”

6.3.38.53

etacchrutvā yayurdevā yathāgatamarindama .
bhāvayitvā tataḥ sarve munayaścaiva bhārata .. 38.53 ..

Hearing this, the gods went as they had come, O conqueror of foes; / then all the sages, having deliberated, O Bhārata,

6.3.38.54

viśvāmitravasiṣṭhādyā jābāliratha kaśyapaḥ .
sametya sahitāḥ sarve tamūcustripurāntakam .. 38.54 ..

Viśvāmitra, Vasiṣṭha and others, and then Jābāli and Kaśyapa, / assembling together, all spoke to that destroyer of Tripura:

6.3.38.55

brahmatejo hi balavaddvijānāṃ hi sureśvara .
kṣāntiyuktastapastaptvā bhaviṣyasi gataklamaḥ .. 38.55 ..

“The brahmic power of the twice-born is indeed mighty, O Lord of the gods; / endowed with forbearance and having performed austerity, you will be freed from exhaustion.

6.3.38.56

yataḥ kṣobhādṛṣīṇāṃ ca tadevaṃ liṅgamuttamam .
patitaṃ te mahādeva na tatpūjyaṃ bhaviṣyati .. 38.56 ..

Since this excellent liṅga of yours has thus fallen / through the agitation of the seers, O Mahādeva, it would not be worshipped.

6.3.38.57

na tacchreyo'gnihotreṇa nāgniṣṭomena labhyate .
prāpnuvanti ca yacchreyo mānavā liṅgapūjane .. 38.57 ..

That good is not obtained by the agnihotra nor by the agniṣṭoma / which human beings obtain in worshipping the liṅga.

6.3.38.58

devadānavayakṣāṇāṃ gandharvoragarakṣasām .
vacanena tu viprāṇāmetatpūjyaṃ bhaviṣyati .. 38.58 ..

By the word of the brahmins, it shall be worthy of worship / for gods, dānavas, yakṣas, gandharvas, serpents, and rākṣasas.

6.3.38.59

brahmaviṣṇvindracandrāṇāmetatpūjyaṃ bhaviṣyati .
yatphalaṃ tava liṅgasya iha loke paratra ca .. 38.59 ..

It shall be worthy of worship for Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Indra, and Candra, / [granting] whatever fruit belongs to your liṅga here in this world and in the beyond.”

6.3.38.60

evamukto jagannāthaḥ praṇipatya dvijottamān .
mudā paramayā yuktaḥ kṛtāñjalirabhāṣata .. 38.60 ..

Thus addressed, the lord of the universe bowed down to the best of the twice-born, / and, filled with supreme joy, spoke with folded hands:

6.3.38.61

brāhmaṇā jaṅgamaṃ tīrthaṃ nirjalaṃ sārvakāmikam .
yeṣāṃ vākyodakenaiva śudhyanti malino janāḥ .. 38.61 ..

“Brahmins are a moving tīrtha, waterless, fulfilling all desires, / by the water of whose very words impure people are cleansed.

6.3.38.62

na tatkṣetraṃ na tattīrthamūṣaraṃ puṣkarāṇi ca .
brāhmaṇe manyumutpādya yatra gatvā sa śudhyati .. 38.62 ..

There is no kṣetra, no tīrtha, no barren ground, nor Puṣkara waters / where one may go and be purified after causing anger in a brahmin.

6.3.38.63

na tacchāstraṃ yanna viprapraṇītaṃ na taddānaṃ yanna viprapradeyam .
na tatsaukhyaṃ yannavipraprasādānna tadduḥkhaṃ yanna vipraprakopāt .. 38.63 ..

There is no treatise not composed by brahmins, no gift not to be given to brahmins; / there is no happiness not from the favor of brahmins, no sorrow not from the wrath of brahmins.

6.3.38.64

pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni gaṅgādyāḥ saritastathā .
ekasya vipravākyasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm .. 38.64 ..

Whatever tīrthas there are on earth, and rivers such as the Gaṅgā, / are not worth a sixteenth part of a single word of a brahmin.”

6.3.38.65

abhinandya dvijānsarvānanujñāto maharṣibhiḥ .
tato'gamattadā devo narmadātaṭamuttamam .. 38.65 ..

Having cheered all the twice-born and permitted by the great seers, / the god then went to the excellent bank of the Narmadā.

6.3.38.66

paramaṃ vratamāsthāya guhāvāsī samārbudam .
tapaścacāra bhagavāñjapasnānarataḥ sadā .. 38.66 ..

Undertaking a supreme vow, dwelling in a cave for a hundred million years, / the Lord performed austerity, ever devoted to recitation and ritual ablutions.

6.3.38.67

samāpte niyame tāta sthāpayitvā maheśvaram .
vandyamānaḥ suraiḥ sārddhaṃ kailāsamagamatprabhuḥ .. 38.67 ..

When the religious observance was completed, dear one, having installed Maheśvara, / the Lord, praised by the gods, went to Kailāsa.

6.3.38.68

narmadāyāstaṭe tena sthāpitaḥ parameśvaraḥ .
tenaiva kāraṇenāsau narmadeśvara ucyate .. 38.68 ..

Parameśvara was installed by him on the bank of the Narmadā; / for that very reason he is called Narmadeśvara.

6.3.38.69

yo'rcayennarmadeśānaṃ yatirvai saṃjitendriyaḥ .
snātvā caiva mahādevamaśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet .. 38.69 ..

Whatever ascetic with restrained senses worships Narmadeśvara / and Mahādeva after bathing, shall obtain the fruit of an horse sacrifice.

6.3.38.70

dadāti yaḥ pitṛbhyastu tilapuṣpakuśodakam .
triḥsaptapūrvajāstasya svarge modanti pāṇḍava .. 38.70 ..

He who offers water with sesame, flowers, and kuśa grass to the ancestors— / his ancestors up to twenty-one generations rejoice in heaven, O Pāṇḍava.

6.3.38.71

yastu bhojayate viprāṃstasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa .
pāyasaṃ ghṛtamiśraṃ tu sa labhetkoṭijaṃ phalam .. 38.71 ..

And he who feeds brahmins at that tīrtha, O king, / with milk-rice mixed with ghee, obtains a fruit multiplied ten million times.

6.3.38.72

suvarṇaṃ rajataṃ vāpi brāhmaṇebhyo yudhiṣṭhira .
dadāti toyamadhyasthaḥ so'gniṣṭomaphalaṃ labhet .. 38.72 ..

Or he who, standing in the middle of the water, gives gold or silver / to brahmins, O Yudhiṣṭhira, obtains the fruit of an agniṣṭoma.

6.3.38.73

aṣṭamyāṃvā caturdaśyāṃ nirāhāro vasettu yaḥ .
narmadeśvaramāsādya prāpnuyājjanmanaḥ phalam .. 38.73 ..

He who, fasting, dwells there on the eighth or fourteenth day, / having approached Narmadeśvara, shall attain the fruit of life.

6.3.38.74

agnipraveśaṃ yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa .
tasya vyādhibhayaṃ na syātsaptajanmasu bhārata .. 38.74 ..

He who performs entry into fire at that tīrtha, O king, / shall have no fear of disease for seven births, O Bhārata.

6.3.38.75

anāśakaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāttasmiṃstīrthe narādhipa .
anivartikā gatistasya rudraloke bhaviṣyati .. 38.75 ..

And he who performs fasting unto death at that tīrtha, O king, / shall attain an irreversible state in the world of Rudra.

6.3.38.76

eṣa te vidhiruddiṣṭastasyotpattirnarottama .
purāṇe vihitā tāta saṃjñā tasya tu vistarāt .. 38.76 ..

This rule has been declared to you, along with its origin, O best of men; / its designation has been laid down at length in the Purāṇa, dear one.

6.3.38.77

etaṃ kīrtayate yastu narmadeśvarasambhavam .
bhaktyā śṛṇoti ca naraḥ so'pi snānaphalaṃ labhet .. 38.77 ..

A man who recites this origin of Narmadeśvara, / or listens to it with devotion, shall also obtain the fruit of a ritual ablution.

6.3.38.77_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe narmadāmāhātmye narmadeśvaratīrthamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāmāṣṭatriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the thirty-eighth chapter, entitled the Description of the Māhātmya of the Tīrtha of Narmadeśvara, in the Narmadāmāhātmya of the Revākhaṇḍa, in the fifth Avantī section, in the Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses, the glorious Skandapurāṇa.