Skandapurana 6.3.9

6.3.9.p1

adhyāya 9

6.3.9.1

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca -
punaryugāntaṃ te cānyaṃ sampravakṣyāmi tacchṛṇu .
sūryairādīpite loke jaṅgame sthāvare purā .. 9.1 ..

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: / 'I shall tell you of another end of a yuga; listen to it. / Formerly, when the world, moving and unmoving, was set ablaze by suns, 9.1

6.3.9.2

saritsaraḥsamudreṣu kṣayaṃ yāteṣu sarvaśaḥ .
nirmānuṣavaṣaṭkāre hyamaryādagatiṃ gate .. 9.2 ..

when rivers, lakes, and oceans were completely destroyed, / when humanity and the vaṣaṭ-call had ceased, and bounds were transgressed, 9.2

6.3.9.3

nānārūpaistato meghaiḥ śakrāyudhavirājitaiḥ .
sarvamāpūritaṃ vyoma vāryaughaiḥ pūrite tadā .. 9.3 ..

then by clouds of various forms, adorned with rainbows, / the entire sky was filled, when it was filled with floods of water. 9.3

6.3.9.4

tatastvekārṇavībhūte sarvataḥ salilāvṛte .
jagatkṛtvodare sarvaṃ suṣvāpa bhagavānharaḥ .. 9.4 ..

Then, when it had become a single ocean and was covered on all sides with water, / having placed the entire universe within his belly, the blessed Hara slept. 9.4

6.3.9.5

prakṛtiṃ svāmavaṣṭabhya yogātmā sa prajāpatiḥ .
śete yugasahasrāntaṃ kālamāviśya sārṇavam .. 9.5 ..

Resting upon his own material nature, that Prajāpati, whose self is yoga, / sleeps until the end of a thousand yugas, entering the oceanic time. 9.5

6.3.9.6

tatra suptaṃ mahātmānaṃ brahmalokanivāsinaḥ .
bhṛgvādiṛṣayaḥ sarve ye cānye sanakādayaḥ .. 9.6 ..

The dwellers of the world of Brahmā—all the seers such as Bhṛgu / and others such as Sanaka—[saw] the great-souled one sleeping there. 9.6

6.3.9.7

paryaṅke vimale śubhre nānāstaraṇasaṃstṛte .
śayānaṃ dadṛśurdevaṃ sapatnīkaṃ vṛṣadhvajam .. 9.7 ..

Upon a spotless, bright couch spread with various coverings, / they saw the god whose banner is the bull lying with his consort. 9.7

6.3.9.8

viśvarūpā tu sā nārī viśvarūpo maheśvaraḥ .
gāḍhamāliṅgya suptastāṃ dadṛśe cāhamavyayam .. 9.8 ..

That woman had the form of the universe, and Maheśvara had the form of the universe; / having embraced her closely, he slept, and I saw that imperishable one. 9.8

6.3.9.9

pādamūle tatastasya śyāmāṃ tāṃ padmalakṣaṇām .
kanyāṃ paśyāmi suśroṇīṃ caraṇau tasya mṛdgatīm .. 9.9 ..

Then at his feet I saw that dark maiden, marked with lotuses, / possessed of lovely hips, rubbing his feet. 9.9

6.3.9.10

vimalāmbarasaṃvītāṃ vyālayajñopavītinīm .
śyāmāṃ kamalapatrākṣīṃ sarvābharaṇabhūṣitām .. 9.10 ..

Clad in spotless garments, wearing a serpent as a sacred thread, / dark, with eyes like lotus petals, adorned with all ornaments. 9.10

6.3.9.11

sakalaṃ yugasāhasraṃ narmadeyaṃ vijānatī .
prasuptaṃ devadeveśamupāste varavarṇinī .. 9.11 ..

For the whole thousand yugas, this knowing Narmadā, / the fair-complexioned one, waits upon the sleeping lord of the gods. 9.11

6.3.9.12

hṛtairvedaiścaturbhiśca brahmāpyevaṃ maheśvaraḥ .
bhṛgvādyairmānasaiḥ putraiḥ stauti śaṅkaramavyayam .. 9.12 ..

With the four Vedas stolen away, Brahmā too, great lord, / together with his mind-born sons such as Bhṛgu, praises the imperishable Śaṅkara. 9.12

6.3.9.13

bhaktyā paramayā rājaṃstatra śambhumanāmayam .
stuvantastatra deveśaṃ mantrairīśvarasambhavaiḥ .. 9.13 ..

With supreme devotion, O king, [praising] Śambhu there, the sorrowless one, / praising the lord of gods there with mantras originating from Īśvara, 9.13

6.3.9.14

prasuptaṃ devamīśānaṃ bodhayansamupasthitaḥ .
uttiṣṭha hara piṅgākṣa mahādeva maheśvara .. 9.14 ..

he stood present, awakening the sleeping god Īśāna: / 'Arise, O Hara, tawny-eyed one, Mahādeva, Maheśvara! 9.14

6.3.9.15

mama vedā hṛtāḥ sarve ato'haṃ stotumudyataḥ .
vedairvyāptaṃ jagatsarvaṃ divyādivyaṃ carācaram .. 9.15 ..

All my Vedas have been stolen; therefore I have undertaken to praise you. / By the Vedas the entire universe is pervaded, divine and non-divine, moving and unmoving. 9.15

6.3.9.16

atītaṃ vartamānaṃ ca smarāmi ca sṛjāmyaham .
tairvinā cāhamekastu mūko'dho jaḍavatsadā .. 9.16 ..

I remember the past and the present, and I create; / but without them I am alone, always mute, degraded, like an inert fool. 9.16

6.3.9.17

gatirvīryaṃ balotsāhau tairvinā na prajāyate .
tairvinā devadeveśa nāhaṃ kiṃcitsmarāmi vai .. 9.17 ..

Movement, power, strength, and energy do not arise without them; / without them, O lord of the gods, I indeed do not remember anything. 9.17

6.3.9.18

tānvedāndevadeveśa śīghraṃ me dātumarhasi .
jaḍāndhabadhiraṃ sarvaṃ jagatsthāvarajaṅgamam .. 9.18 ..

You ought to give those Vedas quickly to me, O lord of the gods! / The entire universe, moving and unmoving, is inert, blind, and deaf. 9.18

6.3.9.19

sthānādi daśa catvāri na śobhante sureśvara .
praṇamāmyalpavīryatvādvedahīnaḥ sureśvara .. 9.19 ..

The fourteen realms do not shine, O lord of the gods; / deprived of the Vedas, I bow down because of my diminished power, O lord of the gods! 9.19

6.3.9.20

vedebhyaḥ sakalaṃ jātaṃ yatkiṃcitsacarācaram .
tāvacchobhanti śāstrāṇi samastāni jagadguro .. 9.20 ..

From the Vedas everything came to be, whatever there is, moving and unmoving; / all sacred treatises shine only so long, O guru of the world, 9.20

6.3.9.21

yāvadvedanidhirayaṃ nopatiṣṭhetsanātanaḥ .
yathoditena sūryeṇa tamo yāti vināśatām .. 9.21 ..

as this eternal treasure of the Vedas is not absent. / Just as darkness goes to destruction by the risen sun, 9.21

6.3.9.22

evaṃ samastapāpāni yānti vedasya dhāraṇāt .
vede rahasi yatsūkṣmaṃ yattadbrahma sanātanam .. 9.22 ..

so all sins vanish through holding the Veda. / That subtle, eternal Brahman which is secret in the Veda, 9.22

6.3.9.23

hṛdisthaṃ deva jānāmi gataṃ tadvedagarjanāt .
vedānuccarato me'dya tava śaṅkara cāgrataḥ .. 9.23 ..

which was present in my heart, O god—I know it is gone due to the roaring of the Vedas. / As I was reciting the Vedas today in front of you, O Śaṅkara, 9.23

6.3.9.24

akasmātte gatā vedā na sṛjeyaṃ vibho bhuvam .
te'pi sarve mahādeva praviṣṭāḥ sammukhārṇavam .. 9.24 ..

suddenly the Vedas were gone; I cannot create the earth, O omnipresent one! / They too have all entered the ocean right before us, O Mahādeva. 9.24

6.3.9.25

te yācyamānā deveśa tiṣṭhantu smaraṇe mama .
duhiteyaṃ viśālākṣī sarvaḥ sarvaṃ vijānate .. 9.25 ..

Being asked for, O lord of the gods, let them remain in my memory! / This large-eyed daughter—everyone knows everything. 9.25

6.3.9.26

jāyatī yugasāhasraṃ nānyā kācidbhavedṛśī .
ṛṣiścāyaṃ mahābhāgo mārkaṇḍo dhīmatāṃ varaḥ .. 9.26 ..

She stays awake for a thousand yugas; there can be no other like her. / And this illustrious seer Mārkaṇḍa is the best of the wise; 9.26

6.3.9.27

kalpe kalpe mahādeva tvāmayaṃ paryupāsate .
jagattrayahitārthāya carate vratamuttamam .. 9.27 ..

kalpa after kalpa, O Mahādeva, he attends upon you, / practicing an excellent vow for the welfare of the three worlds.' 9.27

6.3.9.28

evamuktastu deveśo brahmaṇā parameṣṭhinā .
uvāca ślakṣṇayā vācā narmadāṃ saritāṃ varām .. 9.28 ..

Addressed thus by Brahmā Parameṣṭhin, the lord of the gods / spoke with gentle speech to Narmadā, the best of rivers: 9.28

6.3.9.29

kathayasva mahābhāge brahmaṇastvaṃ tu pṛcchataḥ .
kena vedā hṛtāḥ sarve vedhaso jagatīguroḥ .. 9.29 ..

'Declare, O illustrious one, to Brahmā who is questioning you: / By whom were all the Vedas stolen from Vedhas, the guru of the world?' 9.29

6.3.9.30

evamuktā tu rudreṇa uvāca mṛgalocanā .
brahmaṇo japato vedāṃstvayi supte maheśvara .. 9.30 ..

Thus addressed by Rudra, the deer-eyed one said: / 'While Brahmā was reciting the Vedas, and while you were asleep, O Maheśvara, 9.30

6.3.9.31

bhavataśchidramāsādya ghore'sminsalilāvṛte .
pūrvakalpasamudbhūtāvasurau suradurjayau .. 9.31 ..

Finding an opening while you [slept], in this terrible [expanse] covered with water, / two asuras born in a previous kalpa, invincible to the gods,

6.3.9.32

śriyāvṛttau mahādeva tvayā cotpāditau purā .
surāsurasudurjeyau dānavau madhukaiṭabhau .. 9.32 ..

enveloped in fortune, O Mahādeva, and produced formerly by you, / difficult for gods and asuras to overcome—the two dānavas Madhu and Kaiṭabha—

6.3.9.33

tau vāyubhūtau sūkṣmau ca paṭhato'smātpitāmahāt .
tāvāśu hṛtvā vedāṃśca praviṣṭau ca mahārṇavam .. 9.33 ..

having become air and subtle, as the Grandfather was reciting, / quickly snatched the Vedas from him and entered the great ocean.

6.3.9.34

etacchrutvā mahātejā hyamṛtāyāstato vacaḥ .
sasmāra sa ca deveśaṃ śaṅkhacakragadādharam .. 9.34 ..

Hearing this speech from Amṛtā, the god of great fiery energy / remembered the Lord of gods who bears the conch, discus, and mace.

6.3.9.35

sa viveśa mahārāja bhūtalaṃ sasurottamaḥ .
dānavāntakaro devaḥ sarvadaivatapūjitaḥ .. 9.35 ..

He entered the surface of the earth, O great king, that best of gods, / the slayer of dānavas, the god worshipped by all deities.

6.3.9.36

mīnarūpadharo devo loḍayāmāsa cārvaṇam .
vedāṃśca dadṛśe tatra pātāle nihitānprabhuḥ .. 9.36 ..

Assuming the form of a fish, the Lord churned the ocean, / and the Lord saw the Vedas placed there in Pātāla.

6.3.9.37

tau ca daityau mahāvīryau dṛṣṭavānmadhusūdanaḥ .
mahāvegau mahābāhū sūdayāmāsa tejasā .. 9.37 ..

Madhusūdana saw those two daityas of great valor, / possessing great speed and mighty arms, and destroyed them by his fiery brilliance.

6.3.9.38

vedāṃstatrāpi toyasthānānināya jagadguruḥ .
caturvaktrāya devāyādadāccakravibhūṣitaḥ .. 9.38 ..

The Guru of the universe brought the Vedas situated there in the waters; / adorned with the discus, he gave them to the four-faced god.

6.3.9.39

tataḥ prahṛṣṭo bhagavān vedāṃllabdhvā pitāmahaḥ .
janayāmāsa nikhilaṃ jagadbhūyaścarācaram .. 9.39 ..

Then, delighted upon receiving the Vedas, the venerable Grandfather / created again the entire universe, both moving and unmoving.

6.3.9.40

sā ca devī nadī puṇyā rudrasya paricārikā .
pāvanī sarvabhūtānāṃ provāha salilaṃ tadā .. 9.40 ..

And that divine, holy river, the attendant of Rudra, / purifying all living beings, then flowed with water.

6.3.9.41

tasyāstīre tato devā ṛṣayaśca tapodhanāḥ .
yajanti tryambakaṃ devaṃ prahṛṣṭenāntarātmanā .. 9.41 ..

Then on her bank the gods and ṛṣis rich in austerity / worshipped Tryambaka, the god, with delighted inner self.

6.3.9.42

ekā mūrtirmaheśasya kāraṇāntaramāgatā .
traiguṇyā kurute karma brahmacakrīśarūpataḥ .. 9.42 ..

A single form of Maheśa, having come into existence due to other causes, / acts through the three guṇas under the forms of Brahmā, the wielder of the discus [Viṣṇu], and Īśa.

6.3.9.43

eteṣāṃ tu pṛthagbhāvaṃ ye kurvanti sumohitāḥ .
teṣāṃ dharmaḥ kutaḥ siddhirjāyate pāpakarmiṇām .. 9.43 ..

For those greatly deluded persons who make a distinction among these, / whence can righteousness or perfection arise for such evildoers?

6.3.9.44

evametā mahānadyastisro rudrasamudbhavāḥ .
ekā eva tridhā bhūtā gaṅgā revā sarasvatī .. 9.44 ..

Thus these three great rivers arose from Rudra; / one single [river] became threefold: Gaṅgā, Revā, and Sarasvatī.

6.3.9.45

gaṅgā tu vaiṣṇavī mūrtiḥ sarvapāpapraṇāśinī .
rudradehasamudbhūtā narmadā caivameva tu .. 9.45 ..

Gaṅgā is the form of Viṣṇu, destroying all sins; / likewise Narmadā has sprung from the body of Rudra.

6.3.9.46

brāhmī sarasvatī mūrtistriṣu lokeṣu viśrutā .
divyā kāmagamā devī vāgvibhūtyai tu saṃsthitā .. 9.46 ..

The form of Brahmā is Sarasvatī, renowned throughout the three worlds, / a divine goddess moving at will, abiding for the abundance of speech.

6.3.9.47

narmadā paramā kācinmartyamūrtikalā śivā .
divyā kāmagamā devī sarvatra surapūjitā .. 9.47 ..

Narmadā is a supreme, auspicious fraction of the mortal form, / a divine goddess moving at will, worshipped everywhere by gods.

6.3.9.48

vyāpinī sarvabhūtānāṃ sūkṣmātsūkṣmatarā smṛtā .
akṣayā hyamṛtā hyeṣā svargasopānamuttamā .. 9.48 ..

She pervades all beings, considered subtler than the subtle, / imperishable and immortal, an excellent stairway to heaven,

6.3.9.49

sṛṣṭā rudreṇa lokānāṃ saṃsārārṇavatāriṇī .. 9.49 ..

created by Rudra to carry the worlds across the ocean of worldly existence.

6.3.9.50

sarijjalaṃ ye'pi pibanti loke mucyanti te pāpaviśeṣasaṅghaiḥ .
vrajanti saṃsāramanādibhāvaṃ tyaktvā ciraṃ mokṣapadaṃ viśuddham .. 9.50 ..

Those who drink the water of the river in the world are freed from multitudes of distinct sins; / abandoning the beginningless state of worldly existence, they go for a long time to the pure station of liberation.

6.3.9.51

yathā gaṅgā tathā revā tathā caiva sarasvatī .
samaṃ puṇyaphalaṃ proktaṃ snānadarśanacintanaiḥ .. 9.51 ..

As is the Gaṅgā, so is the Revā, and even so is the Sarasvatī; / equal holy fruit is declared through ritual ablution, darśana, and contemplation.

6.3.9.52

varadānānmahābhāgā hyadhikā cocyate budhaiḥ .
kāruṇyāntarabhāvena na mṛtā samupāgatā .. 9.52 ..

Because of a boon granted, she is highly fortunate and said by the wise to be superior; / having not died due to compassion within, she arrived.

6.3.9.53

mucyante darśanāttena pātakaiḥ snānamaṅgalaiḥ .
narmadāyāṃ nṛpaśreṣṭha ye namanti trilocanam .. 9.53 ..

Therefore, by darśana and by the blessings of ritual ablution, they are freed from sins, / O best of kings, who bow to the Three-Eyed One at the Narmadā.

6.3.9.54

umārudrāṅgasambhūtā yena caiṣā mahānadī .
lokānprāpayate svargaṃ tena puṇyatvamāgatā .. 9.54 ..

Because this great river was born from the body of Umā and Rudra / and leads the worlds to heaven, she has attained holiness.

6.3.9.55

ya evamīśānavarasya dehaṃ vibhajya devīmiha saṃśṛṇoti .
sa yāti rudraṃ mahatāraveṇa gandharvayakṣairiva gīyamānaḥ .. 9.55 ..

Whoever, thus dividing the body of the supreme Lord, hears of the goddess here, / goes to Rudra with a great sound, sung of, as it were, by Gandharvas and Yakṣas.

6.3.9.55_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe narmadāmāhātmye narmadotpattitatsnānaphalādikathanaṃ nāma navamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the ninth chapter, titled “Account of the Origin of Narmadā, the Fruit of Bathing Therein, and Other Matters,” in the Narmadāmāhātmya of the Revākhaṇḍa in the fifth Āvantyakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skandapurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.