Skandapurana 1.1.14

Now begins the first half of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya in the third Māheśvarakhaṇḍa. (1-3-1)

1. When the sages dwelling in the Naimiṣāraṇya, wishing to hear the Aruṇācalamāhātmya, question the great seer Sūta, Sūta, beginning his narration of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya to them, recounts the dialogue between Brahmā and Sanaka; description of how the venerable Brahmā, questioned by Sanaka who wished to hear the glory of the fiery Śivaliṅga, began the narration of the glory of the Lord of Aruṇācala preceded by meditation upon the fiery Śiva, the Lord of Aruṇācala; there, previously, as Viṣṇu and Brahmā were fighting each other out of arrogance regarding their own superiority, the manifestation of the Lord in the form of a pillar of fire between them; and their cessation from battle due to an incorporeal voice; then, in order to determine the lower end of that Lord who was in the form of a pillar of fire and without beginning or end, Viṣṇu, having gone in the form of a boar, unable to determine the end of the endless one, meets with despondency and returns to the previous place; in order to determine the upper end, Brahmā, having gone in the form of a swan, unable to determine the end of the endless one, meets with despondency, but having learned from the words of the perfected beings stationed in the upper world the endlessness of the endless one, comes back to the previous place and stands before the Lord. 214

2. Next, the praise of the Lord in the form of a pillar of fire by Brahmā and Viṣṇu; then, the granting of boons to Brahmā and Viṣṇu by the Supreme Lord in the form of a pillar of fire; at the request of Brahmā and Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord who was in the form of a pillar of fire withdraws his own form and assumes the state of an immovable liṅga in the form of Aruṇācala; description of the glory of the immovable liṅga. 25

3. Next, narration of the deeds of the Lord of Aruṇādri; therein, the venerable Mother of the Universe, out of sport, once covers the three eyes of Śambhu in secret; when the three eyes of Śaṃkara, which are in the forms of the moon, the sun, and fire, are covered by Pārvatī for merely half a twinkling of an eye, the untimely destruction of the entire universe; then, the indestructible perfected beings, whose vigor was gained by austerity, perceiving that deed of Śaṃkara accompanied by Ambā with the eye of knowledge attained through the power of austerity, sing praises to Sadāśiva accompanied by Ambā; Śrī Śaṃkara, hearing the praise of the perfected beings and seeing the dissolution of the universe caused by the passing of a period of ten million years during his half a twinkling of an eye, says to Pārvatī: “An improper deed has been committed by you”; upon Pārvatī asking for an expiation to ward off the evil arising from the destruction of the universe caused by herself, the Lord grants permission to Pārvatī to perform austerity for the instruction of the world; then, by the command of Śrī Śaṃkara, Pārvatī’s arrival to perform austerity beneath a mango tree situated on the bank of the Kampā river in the city of Kāñcī.

4. Next, Pārvatī, having installed a sand Śivaliṅga beneath the mango tree on the bank of the Kampā river, performs austerity in accordance with her own duty; then, when Śaṃkara, in order to test Pārvatī’s firm devotion, causes a flood of the river to swell on all sides, the goddess, fearing the destruction of the sand Śivaliṅga by the current, embraces it firmly and, though surrounded by the current of the flood, does not abandon the liṅga to go elsewhere; description of the sand liṅga being imprinted with the mark of Pārvatī’s nipples due to Pārvatī’s tight embrace; then, an incorporeal voice, comforting Pārvatī and granting a boon for her worship of that sand liṅga, grants permission to go to Aruṇācala and perform austerity according to the instruction of Gautama; then, the goddess Pārvatī gives an order to worship the sand Śivaliṅga to all the gods and seers who had come to the bank of the Kampā river for darśana and service; then, Pārvatī’s departure together with all the gods to the hermitage of the great seer Gautama on Aruṇādri. 218 2

5. Next, the welcoming and hospitality shown to Pārvatī by the great seer Gautama; the great seer Gautama, requested by Pārvatī, describes the glory of Aruṇācala to Pārvatī; in that context, the narration of the account of the glory of the Brahmapuṣkara. 220 1

6. A detailed narration of the glories of the various sacred fords established on Aruṇācala by the host of all the gods beginning with Śrī Mahāviṣṇu, by the host of great seers, and by the host of royal seers. 221 2

7. Next, when Pārvatī asks the reason for the cooling down of the fiery liṅga, the great seer Gautama describes the different names of the Lord of Aruṇācala across the four ages; therein, the account of the venerable Lord of Aruṇācala attaining coolness through the praise performed by the gods; next, the account of the glory of the sacred fords situated in the eight directions, established by the eight guardians of the worlds residing at Aruṇācala; description of the unification of the assembly of all sacred fords by Maheśvara at the request of Mārkaṇḍeya; then, Pārvatī, exceedingly pleased upon hearing the glory of the sacred fords, puts a question to the great seer Gautama wishing to know the procedure for worshipping the Supreme Lord. 224 1

8. Next, the great seer Gautama, having related his own story concerning the grace of Śrī Śaṅkara, the Lord of Śoṇādri, describes in detail the glory of the worship of Śiva, the Lord of Aruṇācala, as proclaimed in the Āgama spoken by Śrī Śaṃkara. 225 1

9. The recitation of various names of the venerable Lord of Śoṇādri by Śrī Śaṃkara; next, the proclamation of the glory of circumambulating the Lord of Śoṇādri; in connection with the glory of circumambulating the Lord of Śoṇādri, the narration of the account of King Dharmaketu; description of the glory of offering various articles of worship to the Lord; Gautama’s praise of the venerable Pārvatī after narrating the future event concerning himself, told by the Lord, namely the arrival of the venerable Pārvatī, named Apītakucā, into his presence to receive initiation into austerity; then, description of Pārvatī, encouraged by Gautama to perform austerity, dwelling in a certain leaf-hut in Gautama’s hermitage and performing austerity according to the prescribed observances. 226

10. Then, the arrival of all the gods headed by Indra, terrified of the demon Mahiṣa, before the Goddess as she was performing austerity there; the report made by the gods headed by Indra to the Goddess concerning their terrorization by the demon Mahiṣa; seeing the misery of the gods, the Goddess taking a vow to slay the demon Mahiṣa and consoling the gods; after receiving consolation from the Goddess and when the gods had departed, the Goddess stationing four youths (baṭukas) on the hills in the four directions around herself for the protection of the place; and likewise giving orders to her four female attendants solely to send guests toward Aruṇādri; having made such an arrangement, Pārvatī's performance of austerity in the vicinity of Gautama's hermitage; the description of universal tranquility in that hermitage through the power of Pārvatī's austerity; then, once upon a time, the demon Mahiṣa wandering in the environs of Śoṇādri for hunting; then, the demon Mahiṣa, having been blocked by the youths at the Goddess's place, going toward the Goddess in the form of an old brahmin guest, and stating his intention to choose her [in marriage] while singing his own praises; then the Goddess declaring her intention to fight the demon Mahiṣa; then, seeing the demon Mahiṣa intent on battle, the Mother of the Universe, who was in the form of a maiden, assuming the grand and terrifying form of Durgā; the demon Mahiṣa summoning his army; the offering of their various personal weapons to the Goddess by the gods headed by Brahmā; the Goddess sending a message via the monkey-faced preceptor of the gods (Bṛhaspati) forbidding the demon Mahiṣa, who had fled in terror upon seeing the form of the Goddess, to come back toward Aruṇācala; hearing the Goddess's message spoken by the preceptor of the gods, the demon Mahiṣa, highly enraged, dispatching the entire Daitya army to fight with the Goddess at Aruṇācala; seeing the arriving Daitya army, the Goddess creating through her own splendor various hosts of bhūtas, vetālas, mātṛkās, yoginīs, and others; the description of the fierce battle between the Daitya army and the Goddess's army; therein, the commencement of the Goddess's battle with the demon Mahiṣa. 229 1

11. In the battle between the Goddess and the demon Mahiṣa, the crushing of the demon Mahiṣa by the Goddess; then, the praising of Durgā, crusher of Mahiṣa, by the gods headed by Indra; then, the description of the Śivaliṅga situated on the demon Mahiṣa's head clinging to the palm of the Goddess's hand; then, the Mother of the Universe, thinking that the slaying of a devotee of Śiva had occurred by her own hand, expressing out of grief before Gautama her resolve to go on a pilgrimage; then Gautama consoling the Mother of the Universe, narrating the conduct of the demon Mahiṣa, and telling Gaurī the remedy for the removal of the sin in the form of bathing in the sacred ford before Aruṇācala. 231 2

12. Then Gaurī, in accordance with a voice from the sky, creating the Khaḍgatīrtha with her sword and bathing there until the month of Kārtika; the installation on the bank of the Khaḍgatīrtha of the liṅga situated on the head of the demon Mahiṣa that fell from her hand; then, in the month of Kārtika under the asterism of Kṛttikā, the offering of praise to the Lord of Aruṇādri; then the Lord of Aruṇādri, pleased, manifesting in the form of light and, in the form of a golden person within the light, granting a boon to the Mother of the Universe; then the Mother of the Universe circumambulating the Lord of Aruṇādri; then the description of the union of the Mother of the Universe with the pleased Lord Śaṃkara, the Lord of Śoṇādri. 233 1

13. Then Śiva, granting a boon to Pārvatī, anointing Pārvatī's body with musk out of a desire to make love with Pārvatī; in the narration of the origin of musk, the account of the deeds of the Daitya named Pulaka; the episode of the lotus that sprang from the Goddess's hand; in that connection, Pārvatī's prayer to Śiva for the enhancement of the māhātmya of seeing Pārvatī preceded by the description of the māhātmya of Mahādeva situated in Kāñcī; Śiva granting a boon to Pārvatī; the description of the māhātmya of the great majesty of the Lord of Aruṇādri. 235 1

Thus ends the first half of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya in the third [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa. (1-3-1)