Skandapurana 6.3.54

6.3.54.p1

adhyāya 54

6.3.54.1

īśvara uvāca -
tataścānantaraṃ rājā jagāmodvegamuttamam .
kathaṃ yāmi gṛhaṃ tvadya vārāṇasyāmahaṃ punaḥ .. 54.1 ..

Īśvara said: / Thereupon, the king was seized with great agitation: / 'How can I go home to Vārāṇasī now?

6.3.54.2

brahmahatyāsamāviṣṭo juhomyagnau kalevaram .
athavā tasya vākyena taṃ gacchāmyāśramaṃ prati .. 54.2 ..

Overcome by the murder of a brahmin, I shall offer my body into the fire; / or, according to his word, I shall go to that hermitage.

6.3.54.3

kathayāmi yathāvṛttaṃ gatvā tasya mahāmuneḥ .
evaṃ saṃcintya rājāsau jagāmāśramasannidhau .. 54.3 ..

Going to that great sage, I shall report what has happened.' / Reflecting thus, the king went near the hermitage.

6.3.54.4

ṛkṣaśṛṅgasya cāsthīni gṛhītvā sa nṛpottamaḥ .
dṛṣṭimārge sthitastasya maharṣerbhāvitātmanaḥ .. 54.4 ..

Taking the bones of Ṛkṣaśṛṅga, that best of kings / stood within the line of sight of that great seer of cultivated soul.

6.3.54.5

dīrghatapā uvāca -
āgaccha svāgataṃ te'stu āsane'tropaviśyatām .
arghaṃ dadāmyahaṃ yena madhuparkaṃ saviṣṭaram .. 54.5 ..

Dīrghatapas said: / 'Come, welcome to you! Sit down on this seat, / so that I may offer argha-water, madhuparka, and a woven seat.'

6.3.54.6

citrasena uvāca -
arghasyāsya na yogyo'haṃ maharṣe nāsmi bhāṣaṇe .
mṛgamadhyasthito viprastava putro mayā hataḥ .. 54.6 ..

Citrasena said: / 'I am not worthy of this argha-water, O great seer, nor to speak [with you]; / standing amidst deer, your son, a twice-born, has been killed by me.

6.3.54.7

putraghnaṃ viddhi māṃ vipra tīvradaṇḍena daṇḍaya .
mṛgabhrāntyā hato vipra ṛkṣaśṛṅgo mahātapāḥ .. 54.7 ..

Know me as the killer of your son, O twice-born, and punish me with severe punishment; / mistaking him for a deer, the twice-born Ṛkṣaśṛṅga of great austerity was killed.

6.3.54.8

iti matvā muniśreṣṭha kuru me tvaṃ yathocitam .
mātā tadvacanaṃ śrutvā gṛhānniṣkramya vihvalā .. 54.8 ..

Considering this, O best of sages, do to me what is proper.' / Hearing his words, the mother, emerging from the house, distraught,

6.3.54.9

hā hatāsmītyuvācedaṃ papāta dharaṇītale .
vilalāpa suduḥkhārtā putraśokena pīḍitā .. 54.9 ..

cried out, 'Alas, I am undone!' and fell to the ground; / she wailed, intensely grief-stricken, tormented by sorrow for her son.

6.3.54.10

hā hatā putra putreti karuṇaṃ kurarī yathā .
vilalāpāturā mātā kva gato māṃ vihāya vai .
mukhaṃ darśaya cātmīyaṃ mātaraṃ māṃ hi mānaya .. 54.10 ..

"Alas, I am undone! My son, my son!" Thus like an osprey plaintively / cried the distressed mother: "Where have you gone, abandoning me? / Show me your face, and show respect to me, your mother! 54.10

6.3.54.11

śrutādhyayanasampannaṃ japahomaparāyaṇam .
āgataṃ tvāṃ gṛhadvāre kadā drakṣyāmi putraka .. 54.11 ..

Endowed with sacred learning and study, devoted to silent recitation and oblations— / when shall I see you, dear son, arriving at the door of our house? 54.11

6.3.54.12

lokoktyā śrūyate caitaccandanaṃ kila śītalam .
putragātrapariṣvaṅgaścandanādapi śītalaḥ .. 54.12 ..

It is heard in worldly proverbs that sandalwood is indeed cool; / but the embrace of a son's limbs is cooler even than sandalwood. 54.12

6.3.54.13

kiṃ candanena pīyūpabindunā kiṃ kimindunā .. 54.13 ..

What need of sandalwood, what need of a drop of nectar, what need of the moon, 54.13

6.3.54.14

putragātrapariṣvaṅgapātraṃ gātraṃ bhavedyadi .. 54.14 ..

if the body should be the recipient of the embrace of a son's body? 54.14

6.3.54.15

pariṣvajitumicchāmi tvāmahaṃ putra supriya .
pañcatvamanuyāsyāmi tvadvihīnādya duḥkhitā .. 54.15 ..

I desire to embrace you, dearest son. / Bereft of you today, sorrowful, I shall go to dissolution [in death]." 54.15

6.3.54.16

evaṃ vilapatī dīnā putraśokena pīḍitā .
mūrchitā vihvalā dīnā nipapāta mahītale .. 54.16 ..

Lamenting thus, wretched, afflicted by grief for her son, / fainting, distraught, and pitiful, she fell down upon the ground. 54.16

6.3.54.17

bhāryāṃ ca patitāṃ dṛṣṭvā putraśokena pīḍitām .
cukopa sa munistatra citrasenāya bhūbhṛte .. 54.17 ..

And seeing his wife fallen, afflicted by grief for her son, / the sage then grew enraged at King Citrasena. 54.17

6.3.54.18

dīrghatapā uvāca -
yāhi yāhi mahāpāpa mā mukhaṃ darśayasva me .
kiṃ tvayā ghātito vipro hyakāmācca suto mama .. 54.18 ..

Dīrghatapas said: / "Begone, begone, great sinner! Do not show me your face! / Why did you unwittingly kill a brahmin, my son? 54.18

6.3.54.19

brahmahatyā bhaviṣyanti bahvyaste vasudhādhipa .
sakuṭumbasya me tvaṃ hi mṛtyureṣa upasthitaḥ .. 54.19 ..

Many murders of brahmins will fall upon you, O ruler of the earth! / For you have arrived as death itself to me and my family." 54.19

6.3.54.20

evamuktvā tato vipro vicintya ca punaḥpunaḥ .
parityajya tadā krodhaṃ munibhāvājjagāda ha .. 54.20 ..

Having spoken thus, the brahmin then reflected again and again; / relinquishing his anger then, out of his nature as a sage, he spoke: 54.20

6.3.54.21

dīrghatapā uvāca -
udvegaṃ tyaja bho vatsa duruktaṃ gadito mayā .
putraśokābhibhūtena duḥkhataptena mānada .. 54.21 ..

Dīrghatapas said: / "Cast away anxiety, dear boy! Harsh words were uttered by me, / overwhelmed by grief for my son and tormented by sorrow, O honour-giver. 54.21

6.3.54.22

kiṃ karoti naraḥ prājñaḥ preryamāṇaḥ svakarmabhiḥ .
prāgeva hi manuṣyāṇāṃ buddhiḥ karmānusāriṇī .. 54.22 ..

What can a wise man do, driven by his own past deeds? / For a person's intellect follows their past actions from the very start. 54.22

6.3.54.23

anenaiva vidhānena pañcatvaṃ vihitaṃ mama .
hatyāstava bhaviṣyanti pūrvamuktā na saṃśayaḥ .. 54.23 ..

By this very destiny, my own dissolution has been ordained. / The murders previously mentioned will indeed fall upon you, of this there is no doubt. 54.23

6.3.54.24

brahmakṣatraviśāṃ madhye śūdracaṇḍālajātiṣu .
kastvaṃ kathaya satyaṃ me kasmācca nihato dvijaḥ .. 54.24 ..

Among brahmins, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas, or among the castes of śūdras and caṇḍālas, / who are you? Tell me the truth, and why was the twice-born killed?" 54.24

6.3.54.25

citrasena uvāca -
vijñāpayāmi viprarṣe kṣantavyaṃ te mamopari .
nāhaṃ vipro'smi vai tāta na vaiśyo na ca śūdrajaḥ .. 54.25 ..

Citrasena said: / "I submit this to you, O brahmin seer: you should forgive me. / I am not a brahmin, dear sir, nor a vaiśya, nor born of a śūdra. 54.25

6.3.54.26

na vyādhaścāntyajāto vā kṣatriyo'haṃ mahāmune .
kāśīrājo mṛgān hantumāgato vanamuttamam .. 54.26 ..

Nor am I a hunter, nor lowest-born; I am a kṣatriya, O great sage, / the king of Kāśī, who came to this excellent forest to hunt deer. 54.26

6.3.54.27

bhrāntyā nipātito hyeṣa mṛgarūpadharo muniḥ .
idānīṃ tava pādānte saṃśritaḥ pātakānvitaḥ .. 54.27 ..

Through delusion this sage, bearing the form of a deer, was struck down. / Now, laden with sin, I have taken refuge at your feet. 54.27

6.3.54.28

kiṃ kartavyaṃ mayā vipra upāyaṃ kathayasva me .. 54.28 ..

What should be done by me, O brahmin? Tell me a means." 54.28

6.3.54.29

dīrghatapā uvāca -
brahmahatyā na śakyetāpyekā nistarituṃ prabho .
daśaikā ca kathaṃ śakyāstāḥ śṛṇuṣva nareśvara .. 54.29 ..

Dīrghatapas said: / "Even a single murder of a brahmin cannot be crossed over, O lord; / how can eleven be overcome? Listen to them, O ruler of men: 54.29

6.3.54.30

catvāro me sutā rājan sabhāryā mātṛpūrvakāḥ .
mayā saha na jīvanti ṛkṣaśṛṅgasya kāraṇe .. 54.30 ..

My four sons, O king, along with their wives and their mother, / will not live along with me, on account of Ṛkṣaśṛṅga. 54.30

6.3.54.31

upāyaṃ śobhanaṃ tāta kathayiṣye śṛṇuṣva tam .
śakro'pi yadi taṃ kartuṃ sukhopāyaṃ nareśvara .. 54.31 ..

I shall tell you an excellent means, dear sir; listen to it, / if you are able to perform it, an easy means, O ruler of men. 54.31

6.3.54.32

sakuṭumbaṃ samastaṃ māṃ dāhayitvānale nṛpa .
asthīni narmadātoye śūlabhede vinikṣipa .. 54.32 ..

Having burned me together with my entire family in fire, O king, / cast our bones into the waters of the Narmadā at Śūlabheda. 54.32

6.3.54.33

narmadādakṣiṇe kūle śūlabhedaṃ hi viśrutam .
sarvapāpaharaṃ tīrthaṃ sarvaduḥkhaghnamuttamam .. 54.33 ..

On the southern bank of the Narmadā, Śūlabheda is renowned / as an excellent sacred ford that removes all sins and destroys all sorrows. 54.33

6.3.54.34

śucirbhūtvā mamāsthīni tatra tīrthe vinikṣipa .
mokṣyase sarvapāpaistvaṃ mama vākyānna saṃśayaḥ .. 54.34 ..

Having become pure, deposit my bones in that sacred ford. / You will be freed from all sins by my word, of this there is no doubt." 54.34

6.3.54.35

rājovāca -
ādeśo dīyatāṃ tāta kariṣyāmi na saṃśayaḥ .
samastaṃ me'sti yatkiṃcidrājyaṃ kośaḥ suhṛtsutāḥ .. 54.35 ..

The king said: / "Let the command be given, dear sir; I will do it, without a doubt. / Whatever I possess—kingdom, treasury, friends, and sons— 54.35

6.3.54.36

tavādhīnaṃ mahāvipra prayacchāmi prasīda me .
parasparaṃ vivadatorvipra rājñostadā nṛpa .. 54.36 ..

is at your command, O great brahmin; I offer it, be gracious to me." / While the brahmin and the king were thus speaking to one another, O king, 54.36

6.3.54.37

sphuṭitvā hṛdayaṃ śīghraṃ munibhāryā mṛtā tadā .
putraśokasamāviṣṭā nirjīvā patitā kṣitau .. 54.37 ..

her heart suddenly bursting, the sage's wife then died; / overwhelmed by grief for her son, she fell lifeless to the ground. 54.37

6.3.54.38

putrāśca mātṛśokena sarve pañcatvamāgatāḥ .
snuṣāścaiva tadā sarvā mṛtāśca saha bhartṛbhiḥ .. 54.38 ..

And all the sons met dissolution through grief for their mother, / and all the daughters-in-law died along with their husbands. 54.38

6.3.54.39

pañcatvaṃ ca gatāḥ sarve munimukhyā nṛpottama .
viprānāhvāpayāmāsa ye tatrāśramavāsinaḥ .. 54.39 ..

And when they all met dissolution, O best of kings, the foremost of sages / summoned the brahmins who dwelt in that hermitage. 54.39

6.3.54.40

tebhyo nivedayāmāsa yathāvṛttaṃ nṛpottamaḥ .
sa taistadābhyanujñātaḥ kāṣṭhānyādāya yatnataḥ .. 54.40 ..

The best of kings reported to them what had happened. / Permitted then by them, collecting firewood with care, 54.40

6.3.54.41

dāhaṃ saṃcayanaṃ cakre citraseno mahīpatiḥ .
ṛkṣaśṛṅgādisarveṣāṃ gṛhītvāsthīni yatnataḥ .. 54.41 ..

King Citrasena performed the cremation and the gathering [of ashes], / carefully collecting the bones of all of them, beginning with Ṛkṣaśṛṅga. 54.41

6.3.54.42

yāmyāśāṃ prasthito rājā pādacārī mahīpate .
na śaknoti yadā gantuṃ chāyāmāśritya tiṣṭhati .. 54.42 ..

The king set forth toward the southern quarter on foot, O ruler of the earth. / When he was unable to walk, he would stop, seeking shade. 54.42

6.3.54.43

viśramya ca punargacchedbhārākrānto mahīpatiḥ .
sacailaṃ kurute snānaṃ muktvāsthīni pade pade .. 54.43 ..

Resting, the king would proceed again, weighed down by the burden. / Having set down the bones at every step, he performed a bath with his clothes on. 54.43

6.3.54.44

pibejjalaṃ nirāhāraḥ sa gacchan dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ .
acireṇaiva kālena saṃgato narmadātaṭam .. 54.44 ..

Fasting, he would only drink water, journeying facing the south. / In a short time he arrived at the bank of the Narmadā. 54.44

6.3.54.45

āśramasthān dvijān dṛṣṭvā papraccha pṛthivīpatiḥ .. 54.45 ..

Seeing the twice-born dwelling in the hermitage, the lord of the earth asked: 54.45

6.3.54.46

citrasena uvāca -
kathyatāṃ śūlabhedasya mārgaṃ me dvijasattamāḥ .
yena yāmi mahābhāgāḥ svakāryārthasya siddhaye .. 54.46 ..

Citrasena said: / "Tell me the way to Śūlabheda, O best of the twice-born, / so that I may go, O fortunate ones, to accomplish my purpose." 54.46

6.3.54.47

munaya ūcuḥ .
itaḥ krośāntarādarvāktīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam .
narmadādakṣiṇe kūle tato drakṣyasi nānyathā .. 54.47 ..

The sages said: / "Within a distance of one krośa from here is an exceedingly beautiful sacred ford / on the southern bank of the Narmadā; there you will see it, not elsewhere." 54.47

6.3.54.48

ṛṣivākyena rājāsau śīghraṃ gatvā nareśvaraḥ .
sa dadarśa tataḥ śīghraṃ bahudvijasamākulam .. 54.48 ..

Following the word of the seers, that king, the ruler of men, went swiftly; / then he quickly beheld [the sacred ford], filled with many twice-born, 54.48

6.3.54.49

bahudrumalatākīrṇaṃ bahupuṣpopaśobhitam .
ṛkṣasiṃhasamākīrṇaṃ nānāvratadharaiḥ śubhaiḥ .. 54.49 ..

thronged with many trees and creepers, adorned with many flowers, / frequented by bears and lions, and by auspicious [ascetics] observing diverse vows: 54.49

6.3.54.50

ekapādāsthitāḥ kecidapare sūryadṛṣṭayaḥ .
ekāṅguṣṭha sthitāḥ kecidūrdhvabāhusthitāḥ pare .. 54.50 ..

some standing on one foot, others with their gaze fixed on the sun, / some standing on a single big toe, others with their arms raised; 54.50

6.3.54.51

dinaikabhojanāḥ kecitkecitkandaphalāśanāḥ .
trirātrabhojanāḥ kecitparākavratino'pare .. 54.51 ..

some eating once a day, some eating roots and fruits, / some eating every three nights, others observing the Parāka vow; 54.51

6.3.54.52

cāndrāyaṇaratāḥ kecitkecitpakṣopavāsinaḥ .
māsopavāsinaḥ kecitkecidṛtvantapāraṇāḥ .. 54.52 ..

some devoted to the Cāndrāyaṇa vow, some fasting for a fortnight, / some fasting for a month, some breaking fast only at the end of a season; 54.52

6.3.54.53

yogābhyāsaratāḥ kecitkeciddhyāyanti tatpadam .
śīrṇaparṇāśinaḥ kecitkecicca kaṭukāśanāḥ .. 54.53 ..

some devoted to the practice of yoga, some meditating on that supreme state, / some eating withered leaves, and others eating bitter food. 54.53

6.3.54.54

śaivālabhojanāḥ kecitkecinmārutabhojanāḥ .
gārhasthye ca sthitāḥ kecitkeciccaivāgnihotriṇaḥ .. 54.54 ..

Some fed on moss, some fed on wind; / some remained in the householder's life, and some were performers of the agnihotra.

6.3.54.55

evaṃvidhān dvijān dṛṣṭvā jānubhyāmavaniṃ gataḥ .
praṇamya śirasā rājanrājā vacanamabravīt .. 54.55 ..

Having seen such twice-born [ascetics], the king fell to the ground on his knees, / and having bowed his head, O king, he spoke these words:

6.3.54.56

citrasena uvāca -
kasmindeśe ca tattīrthaṃ satyaṃ kathayata dvijāḥ .
yenābhivāñchitā siddhiḥ saphalā me bhaviṣyati .. 54.56 ..

Citrasena said: / 'In which region is that sacred ford? Tell me truly, O twice-born ones, / by which my desired accomplishment will bear fruit.'

6.3.54.57

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ .
dhanvantaraśataṃ gaccha bhṛgutuṅgasya mūrdhani .
kuṇḍaṃ drakṣyasi tatpūrṇaṃ vistīrṇaṃ payasā śivam .. 54.57 ..

The seers said: / 'Go a hundred bow-lengths to the summit of Bhṛgutuṅga; / there you will see an auspicious, extensive pool filled with water.'

6.3.54.58

teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā gataḥ kuṇḍasya sannidhau .
dṛṣṭvā caiva tu tattīrthaṃ bhrāntirjātā nṛpasya vai .. 54.58 ..

Having heard their words, he went near the pool; / but seeing that sacred ford, doubt arose in the king.

6.3.54.59

tato vismayamāpannaścintayanvai muhurmuhuḥ .
ākāśasthaṃ dadarśāsau sāmiṣaṃ kuraraṃ nṛpaḥ .. 54.59 ..

Then, seized with wonder and pondering again and again, / the king saw an osprey in the sky holding a piece of meat,

6.3.54.60

bhramamāṇaṃ gṛhītāhiṃ vadhyamānaṃ nirāmiṣaiḥ .
parasparaṃ ca yuyudhuḥ sarve'pyāmiṣakāṅkṣayā .. 54.60 ..

wheeling about with a snake it had seized, being struck by [other birds] without meat; / and they all fought with one another, craving the meat.

6.3.54.61

hataścañcuprahāreṇa sa tataḥ patito'ṃbhasi .
śūlena śūlinā yatra bhūbhāgo bheditaḥ purā .. 54.61 ..

Struck by a blow from a beak, it then fell into the water, / where long ago the portion of earth had been split by the Trident-bearer with his trident.

6.3.54.62

tattīrthasya prabhāveṇa sa sadyaḥ puruṣo'bhavat .
vimānasthaṃ dadarśāsau pumāṃsaṃ divyarūpiṇam .. 54.62 ..

By the power of that sacred ford, it instantly became a human; / he saw a man of divine form standing in an aerial chariot.

6.3.54.63

gandharvāpsaraso yakṣāstaṃ yāntaṃ tuṣṭuvurdivi .
apsarogīyamāne tu gate sūryasya mūrdhani .
citrasenastatastasminnāścaryaṃ paramaṃ gataḥ .. 54.63 ..

Gandharvas, apsarases, and yakṣas praised him as he went in the sky. / When he had reached the summit of the sun while being sung to by apsarases, / Citrasena was filled with supreme wonder at that.

6.3.54.64

ṛṣiṇā kathitaṃ yadvattadvattīrthaṃ na saṃśayaḥ .
hṛṣṭaromābhavaddṛṣṭvā prabhāvaṃ tīrthasambhavam .. 54.64 ..

'Just as the seer spoke, so indeed is the sacred ford; there is no doubt.' / His hair stood on end upon seeing the power arising from the sacred ford.

6.3.54.65

mamādya divaso dhanyo yasmādatra samāgataḥ .
asthīni bhūmau nikṣipya snānaṃ kṛtvā yathāvidhi .. 54.65 ..

'Blessed is this day of mine, since I have arrived here.' / Laying down the bones on the ground and having performed his ritual ablution according to the rule,

6.3.54.66

tilamiśreṇa toyenātarpayatpitṛdevatāḥ .
gṛhyāsthīni tato rājā cikṣepāntarjale tadā .. 54.66 ..

he gratified the ancestors and the gods with water mixed with sesame seeds. / Then taking the bones, the king cast them into the midst of the water.

6.3.54.67

kṣaṇamekaṃ tato vīkṣya rājorddhvavadanaḥ sthitaḥ .
tān dadarśa punaḥ sarvān divyarūpadharāñchubhān .. 54.67 ..

Then, having looked for a moment, the king stood with his face turned upward; / he saw them all again, auspicious and wearing divine forms,

6.3.54.68

divyavastraiśca saṃvītān divyābharaṇabhūṣitān .
vimānairvividhairdivyairapsarogaṇasevitaiḥ .. 54.68 ..

clothed in divine garments and adorned with divine ornaments, / in various celestial aerial chariots attended by hosts of apsarases.

6.3.54.69

pṛthagbhūtāṃśca tān sarvān vimāneṣu vyavasthitān .
utpattivatsamālokya rājā saṃharṣī so'bhavat .. 54.69 ..

Seeing them all separated and stationed in aerial chariots / as though freshly born, the king was filled with joy.

6.3.54.70

ṛṣirvimānamārūḍhaścitrasenamathābravīt .
bhobhoḥ sādho mahārāja citrasena mahīpate .. 54.70 ..

The sage, having mounted an aerial chariot, then said to Citrasena: / 'O noble one! O great king, Citrasena, lord of the earth!

6.3.54.71

tvatprasādānnṛpaśreṣṭha gatirdivyā mamedṛṣī .
jāteyaṃ yattvayā kāryaṃ kṛtaṃ paramaśobhanam .. 54.71 ..

By your grace, O best of kings, such a divine state / has been attained by me, because you have performed a most splendid deed.

6.3.54.72

svasuto'pi na śaknoti pitḥṇāṃ kartumīdṛśam .
madīyavacanāttāta niṣpāpastvaṃ bhaviṣyasi .. 54.72 ..

Even one's own son cannot do such a thing for his ancestors. / By my word, dear child, you shall be free of sin.

6.3.54.73

phalaṃ prāpsyasi rājendra kāmikaṃ manasepsitam .
āśīrvādāṃstato dattvā citrasenāya dhīmate .
svargaṃ jagāma sasutastato dīrghatapā muniḥ .. 54.73 ..

You will obtain a desirable fruit, wished for in your heart, O king of kings.' / Then, having given blessings to the wise Citrasena, / the sage Dīrghatapas went to heaven together with his sons.

6.3.54.73_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcamāvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe dīrghatapasaḥ svargārohaṇavarṇanaṃ nāma catuḥpañcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the fifty-fourth chapter, called 'The Description of the Ascent to Heaven of Dīrghatapas,' in the Revākhaṇḍa of the Avantyakhaṇḍa, the fifth [book], in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.