Skandapurana 1.1

Note on the fire-altar piling of the Āruṇaketuka

This unicode Devanagari conversion of Skanda Purana Maheshwar Khanda Arunachala Mahatmya purvardha has been completed on 3-8-2015(Shravana krishna tritiya, Vikrama samvat 2072) with the help of INDSENZ OCR software supported by improved dictionary file

Obeisance to the venerable Gaṇeśa.
Now begins the first half of the glorious Aruṇācalamāhātmya.
With the triple mark of ashes upon his forehead, wearing a musk mark on his brow, wearing a gleaming garland, his loins clad in a radiant loincloth, / bearing on his head the unassailable king of serpents and the crescent of the moon, the yogin of Aruṇagiri, a light unto all, reigns supreme. (1)
Vyāsa said:
Then the sages dwelling in the Naimiṣāraṇya said to Sūta: / “We wish to hear from you the māhātmya of Aruṇācala. (2)
Tell us that māhātmya!” Addressed thus, Sūta said to those sages:
Sūta said:
Long ago, Sanaka questioned the four-faced [Brahmā] for this very purpose. (3)
Listen with attentive minds; I shall tell it to you now, / for hearing it with devotion destroys the sins of men. (4)
Once in Satyaloka, seated before Brahmā who sits on the lotus, / Sanaka bowed low and, standing with joined palms, questioned him: (5)
Sanaka said:
“O support of the worlds, lord of gods, you who are known through the Vedas, four-faced one! / Complete knowledge arose in me through your grace. (6)
When the mirror of my mind was purified through the glory of devotion to you, / all knowledge was reflected there simply upon a single teaching. (7)
The essential meaning of the Vedas and what is known through the Vedas—the undisturbed knowledge of Śiva— / I have fully attained through your glances, O teacher of the universe! (8)
There are Śiva’s liṅgas on earth: divine ones, O treasury of compassion, / and human ones, those established by siddhas, and elemental ones, O leader of the gods. (9)
Tell me of that pure, divine liṅga that possesses the majesty of destroying enemies, / self-manifest in Jambudvīpa, fiery in nature. (10)
Tell me, O treasury of mercy, of that which destroys sin by the mere recollection of its name, / and eternally grants conformity to Śiva’s form! (11)
That imperishable splendor of Śiva which is the beginningless support of the universe, / and seeing which one becomes fulfilled—let that be taught to me!”
Thus hearing the word of that devoted [disciple], full of curiosity, (12)

the blessed lord, a treasury of austerities, was pleased. (13)
And remaining seated on the lotus, the four-faced one meditated long on Śambhu, / his mind plunged into the ocean of inner bliss. (14)
When he saw Śiva consisting of a pillar of fire, as seen in ancient times, / which transcends every support, he was aware of nothing else. (15)
Then, to carry out the command received once more from Śiva, / the lord withdrew his heart from yoga and remembered his bowed son. (16)
His body bristling with horripilation born of the darśana of Śiva, / his eyes filled with tears of joy, he spoke in a choked voice: (17)
Brahmā said:
“Therefore, my son, I was reminded of ancient times by you; / while contemplating Śiva’s yoga, I remembered [you] out of affection for you. (18)
Supreme devotion to Śiva has arisen in you through your many austerities; / by that, my heart was, as it were, turned back in an instant. (19)
By their deeds those whose devotion to Sadāśiva increases at all times / purify the entire world, O untroubled one! (20)
Conversation, cohabitation, sporting, mingling, / darśana of the devotees of Śiva, and remembering them, destroys evil. (21)
Listen to the wondrous, divine light named Aruṇādri, / full of spontaneous compassion, as it appeared in former times. (22)
Both I and Nārāyaṇa were born from the manifestation surpassing all, / from Sadāśiva who was unfolding the resolve: ‘May I become many.’ (23)
Arisen according to [our] nature, we quarreled with one another; / and fighting with pride, we were never fatigued. (24)
Beholding the terrible enthusiasm for battle between the two of us, / Īśvara, the embodiment of compassion, then thought: (25)
‘Why has this fight, which will destroy the worlds, arisen between these two / who have entered into a dispute: “It was created by me,” “I am the protector”? (26)
At this moment, being myself visible to these two who are utterly bewildered, / if I do not stop the battle, the destruction of the worlds will take place.’ (27)”

"My greatness is heard in the Vedas as transcending all. / These two deluded ones, their memory lost through anger, do not know it.
Every creature considers itself exceedingly superior. / But the fool who does not acknowledge the equality or superiority of others falls downward.
If in any world I give a measure of myself, / then, from realizing that form, he too may attain measure of the Self."
Deciding thus in his mind, Sadāśiva himself / arose as a pillar of fire between the two of us as we fought,
surpassing all the worlds, blazing on every side like fire.
Then, because it had neither beginning nor end, they stood with eyes pained, / their resolve broken upon seeing that blazing pillar of fire.
And before us a bodiless voice arose: / "Why is a battle undertaken, you two children of foolish mind?
Śiva alone will judge the difference between your powers. / This form standing here, composed of a pillar of fire, belongs to Śambhu.
If you two see its beginning and end, [that one is] superior in power." / Hearing those words, the two of us then ceased from combat,
and I and Viṣṇu, who possesses movement, resolved to search it out. / That form composed of a pillar of fire belonging to Śambhu was devoid of beginning or end;
the two of us resolved to inspect it from its beginning and its end. / Just as two children wish to seize the moon reflected in the sky,
so the two of us set out to measure that great splendor. / Then Viṣṇu, with great zeal, became a boar of immense body,
and to seek its base he tore open the interior of the earth. / And I, having assumed the state of a wild gander, flying up with great speed,
desirous to see its crown, plunged upward into the sky. / Rending the entire earth lower and lower, Mādhava
beheld the pillar of fire as if appearing from below. / Though searching for many crores of years,
not seeing the imperishable beginning of the splendor, he became afflicted in form and distressed.

With the rings of his tusks shattered, his joints and sinews giving way, / afflicted with exhaustion, overcome with thirst, Hari was unable to go on.
Unable to sustain that incomparable boar-like form, / exhausted even from turning back, the lord of Ramā despaired.
Endowed with an immeasurable soul, his body utterly fatigued, / his glory departed, exhausted by effort, taking refuge in Śiva who is worthy of refuge, he thought:
"Fie on this great delusion of mine born of egoism, / by which I did not recognize my master, my own Self!
For he is the root of all the Vedas, of the gods, and of the worlds; / he is Śiva in person—how could there be a root to him?
From him alone, who is devoid of beginning and end, have I arisen. / That I began to search for Śiva, having assumed an animal's body, [was folly].
By the grace of Father Śambhu, a friend of unconditioned compassion,

such an intellect, awakening me to my own Self, has been regained by me.

Whomever Mahādeva Śambhu desires to protect on his own,

to him instantly comes knowledge born of the Self, free from egoism.

I am not able again to perform worship of this teacher of the universe;

I surrender myself and go to Śaṃkara for refuge."

Thus Viṣṇu meditated upon Śiva, his consciousness fixed on praise.

By the true grace of the lord of spirits, he was raised up again to the earth.

And I wandered in the sky for many years;

with dizzy eyes and slackened wings, I became exhausted,

and higher and higher I saw the fire standing before me,

a pillar of fire resembling a massive liṅga, Śiva's splendor worshipped by gods.

Some perfected ones, born from parts of that splendor, seeing [me], said:

"To me, who have made effort, desirous to see the eternal, highest limit of Śambhu—

oh, this one truly wishes to practice foolishness even today!

Even with the fall of his body imminent, his egoism indeed has not departed.

His wings shattering, exhausted, his eyes bewildered,

this delusion regarding the boundless splendor will prove useless.

In this way Janārdana, in the form of a boar, his mind bewildered,

was turned back by Śiva alone, who possesses unconditioned compassion.

Crores of gods like Brahmā and the rest arise

from the atomic particles of that splendor whose limit he desires to see.

The Lord Śiva, who is attained by meditating on one's own Self,

if he gives understanding to him in due time, his egoism will perish."

Hearing these compassionate words of those perfected ones as they spoke thus,

my egoism shattered, I thought within myself:

"Not from knowledge of the multitude of Vedas, nor from austerity, nor from visiting sacred fords,

does knowledge of Śiva arise, except by his own grace.

Though my pair of wings is shattered, though my firm body sinks down,

my mind is eager once again to maintain its own egoism.

Fie on me, overcome by egoism, unaware of my own lack of power!

Constant salutation to the perfected ones whose minds are dedicated to Śiva,

by whose association, through acquired austerity, my intellect is purified,

so that I recognize this Śiva standing before me as the cause of my own Self;

endowed with the power obtained through whose grace,

all the gods will continuously have their enemies subdued;

whose ultimate reality the Vedas do not know through great Āgamas—

to that very Śambhu, distinct from the universe, I go for refuge."

Then, having addressed the lotus-eyed Viṣṇu, I said—

he who had regained his form and resorted with devotion to Śiva, who bears the moon on his crest:

"Ah, what wonder is this that has come upon us, who are full of valor,

that we resorted to egoism, which was produced by Śambhu!

Hearing of the vast and great battle between the two of us,

that very Śaṃkara, of immeasurable soul, took away all the egoism

of both of us by revealing his own greatness.

Whoever sets out to worship this Īśvara, Sadāśiva, bowed to by the gods,

who consists of a pillar of fire, will indeed become a boat for the ocean of worldly existence."

Thus ends the first chapter, named 'Description of the Manifestation of the Liṅga', in the dialogue between Brahmā and Sanaka, in the first half of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya, in the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses. 1.

Brahmā said:

Then I, chanting the Vedas with all my mouths, praised Śiva,

having performed mental worship filled with devotion: 1.

“Homage to the great Śiva, the sole cause of all worlds,

by whom everything is illuminated, and by whom everything is sustained; homage constantly! 2.

This splendor pervading the universe shines perpetually;

those bereft of your grace do not see it, like those blind from birth do not see the sun. 3.

Indeed, this spotless earthly liṅga is visible to the spiritual eye;

whether situated within or situated without, it is experienced by your devotees. 4.

In the inner self, yogins [see] an indefinable form;

O Lord of the gods, this [form] of yours shines like a mirror. 5.

Or rather, the true Śaivite power is subtler even than an atom;

there is no other apart from me, who also dissolves in what consists of you. 6.

An atom, if it is the recipient of your compassion, surely attains greatness;

there is none higher beyond you, nor beyond me, because of relying upon that. 7.

The mind dedicated to you expects no separation from you.

How could speech proceed in singing your glory? 8.

You yourself, O Lord, Great God, who transcend the worlds, be gracious;

direct this devoted worshipper to the required duties.” 9.

Having addressed this with humility, bowing again and again,

with folded hands I sat down near the Lord, the God of gods, O pervasive one. 10.

Then Viṣṇu, whose voice was deep like a fresh raincloud,

spoke words made pure and fulfilled through praises of Śaṃkara: 11.

“Victory, O Lord of the three worlds! Victory, O bearer of the Gaṅgā, O Lord!

Victory, O Master, odd-eyed one! Victory, O crescent-crested Lord! 12.

O Śambhu, your spontaneous and boundless compassion grows,

by which, [delusion] having been completely shaken off, knowledge has been established in your devotees. 13.

The protection of all branches of knowledge, the attainment [of goals] through accumulations of glory,

and the ancient flourishing of the father himself belongs to the sons. 14.

We are not able to praise even one among your hundreds of forms

with new hymns, O Īśāna; how much less their combination? 15.

You alone are capable of knowing yourself, or else by your grace [one may know you];

would a wasp, having seized an insect, not transform it into its own self? 16.

Do the gods not arise from parts born of you?

Would not even an iron spike have the power of burning [when heated by fire]? 17.

Just as the appearance of difference in fire occurs through association with place, time, and action,

even so you, though one, appear divided through the differentiation of objects. 18.

O God intent on grace, O Śaṃkara, show your form

to both of us, O support of all, which bestows joy upon the eyes!” 19.

To the two of us who were thus bowing down, endowed with faith and devotion,

and praising him, the supreme God Śambhu became gracious. 20.

Then, from that pillar of fire, the God who wears the half-moon as his crest,

manifested as a Person, tawny and dark-necked, 21.

bearing an axe and a young deer, with hands granting fearlessness and repose.

The Person, the Lord, said to both of us, “O sons! 22.

I am pleased with the devotion of both of you, whose minds are focused on me;

may you two become the lords of the creation and preservation of all the worlds! 23.

Since I have appeared for the accomplishment of your desired purpose,

choose another boon as well; as the giver of boons I have approached.” 24.

From the word of the God, both of them, joyful and with folded hands,

expressed their respective desires separately. 25.

“I, the creator of the three worlds which are like an infant,

praising the unconquered Īśāna with Vedic mantras, 26.

bow to this form, the Lord who constantly bestows boons,

the Great God composed of light, taintless, to be meditated upon by yogins. 27.

The celestial region, being filled with your splendor,

will in an instant become an abode of the gods that must be questioned [in dread], O God. 28.

The siddhas, cāraṇas, gandharvas, gods, and supreme seers

would not dwell or obtain movement in heaven on account of your brilliance.” 29.

And the entire earth, scorched by your brilliance,

will indeed be unable to give birth to moving and unmoving beings.

Withdrawing your fiery brilliance, under the name Aruṇācala,

become an immovable liṅga for the sake of grace to the worlds.

Those men who bow with devotion to this luminous form,

known by the name Aruṇācala, become superior to the immortals.

May all the worlds, the siddhas and the supreme seers,

and the various gaṇas, having assumed human form on earth, serve [you].

May the trees of the gods, beginning with the wish-fulfilling tree that grew in divine groves,

serve you and sprout up, laden with diverse fruits.

May all classes of divine medicinal herbs, and species of beasts beginning with lions,

dwell peacefully [here], destroying sins and impurities.

Though endowed with motion divided between the two solstices,

the sun shall not transgress the peak of your liṅga-form.

With sounds of divine kettle-drums and conches, with showers of masses of flowers,

and with the dances and songs of apsarases, O god, be worshipped!

Immortality, perfection, the perfections of alchemy, and liberation—

may mortals continually obtain these upon entering your presence.

Sovereignty, mastery, good fortune, and the deception of death—

taking refuge in you, may all men obtain these, O Aruṇācala!

By granting all bodily limbs, by destroying all diseases,

and by bestowing all desires, be visible on the surface of the earth.

Saying, ‘So be it,’ to the boon-granting god, Śiva, the lord of Aruṇādri,

the Lord of Kamalā bowed down and prayed, speaking thus:

‘Be gracious, O Lord full of compassion, Lord of the Crimson Mountain!

O Maheśa whose rise is manifest for the welfare of all worlds!

Since, taking refuge in you, I am capable of protecting the world

and have attained the status of Lord of Śrī, therefore may they become your devotees.

This great and wondrous form of yours cannot be worshipped by those of little merit,

whose foot and crown could not be seen by me or by Brahmā.

Those mortals who worship you with circumambulations, prostrations,

dances, songs, and acts of veneration, have attained their goal, freed from sin.

Those men who worship you with fasts, observances, sacrificial sessions,

offerings, and rituals—may they become universal monarchs.

For those making a grove, a pavilion, and a well purified according to rule,

in your presence, O Lord of Aruṇādri, may there be no rebirth!

One who circumambulates by prostrating bodily, endowed with the eight supernatural powers,

is instantly freed from all sins, with a purified mind.

We two also never abandon your lotus feet;

[you] are to be meditated upon by all men who have come into your presence.’

Granting the boon, ‘So be it,’ to Viṣṇu, the moon-crested god,

in the form of Aruṇācala, assumed the state of an immovable liṅga.

This liṅga made of fire, the sole cause of all the worlds,

famed as Aruṇādri, is seen on the surface of the earth.

Even at the time of the dissolution of the world, when the four oceans are agitated

and the ends of the worlds are submerged, the nearby ground around it remains untouched.

Filling the three worlds with raindrops as massive as elephants,

the great clouds such as Puṣkara rest upon its peak.

When the dissolution of the elements begins, in the involution of primal nature,

all the seeds of the future remain securely preserved in this place.

And from the brahmins serving its feet, summoned by me

again after the dissolution, the collection of Vedic study is recovered.

Of all the sciences, arts, treasures of scriptures,

āgamas, and Vedas, the true preservation is found here.

Sages of praiseworthy vows, dwelling within its caves and caverns,

with matted hair, shine with the brilliance of ten million suns and fires.

With mantras composed of the five Brahmans, having bodies made of five syllables,

Sadāśiva, whose nature is primordial sound, is mounted on the pedestal of the letter ‘A’.

He who is ever worshipped by the guardians of the eight directions through eight liṅgas,

as the Eight-formed Lord, is the bestower of the eight supernatural powers.

Where siddhas and the lords of the gods, having left their own realms,

and having abandoned the golden mountain [Meru], dwell expecting liberation.

Thus the fruition of the collected merits of the earth,

famed as the red mountain [Aruṇādri], grants boons to the devotees of his devotees.

By hosts of gods arrived from Kailāsa and the peak of Meru,

Śambhu, in the form of the Crimson Mountain, giver of all boons, is worshipped."

Having heard this [discourse] born from the lotus mouth of the lotus-born [Brahmā], with a joyful mind, through devotion,

and showing humility, the son bowed and asked his father the essence of all the Vedas:

Thus ends the second chapter, entitled “Description of the Greatness of the Immovable Liṅga of Śaṃkara, Preceded by the Praise of Brahmā and Viṣṇu,” in the first part of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya of the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skandapurāṇa, the Great Purāṇa in eighty-one thousand verses.

Sanaka said:

"O Lord! This wondrous māhātmya of the Lord of Aruṇādri

has been heard through the grace of Śiva and through your compassion, O Guru of the universe!

Wondrous is this māhātmya, destroying all sins!

Who else, then, worshipped the boon-granting Crimson Mountain?

Beginningless and endless is Śiva in the form of the Crimson Mountain;

he stood to grant a boon through the austerity of both of you, O god.

When the liberation-granting name 'Śoṇādri' is uttered even once,

the presence of all desires is attained, and destruction of sins takes place.

The savoring of the nectar of the word 'Śiva', the order of the story of Śiva's worship—"

Hearing this speech of his, the god of gods, the Grandfather [Brahmā],

the embodiment of compassion, bowing to the Lord of Aruṇādri, spoke:

Brahmā said:

"Listen, my child, to that ancient deed of Pārvatī,

how she attained tranquility by taking refuge in the Lord of Aruṇādri.

Once Mahādeva, the husband of Pārvatī, approached

a divine jeweled lion-throne adorned with jeweled archways,

charming with wish-fulfilling trees bearing jeweled flowers and fruits,

inlaid with most precious gems, with hung pearl canopies,