Skandapurana 1.1.8

Gautama said:

"Hear, O Goddess, what happened formerly on Kailāsa, [when] by the One whose bow is Mount Meru

I was commanded to make a pilgrimage to sacred fords in order to behold the liṅgas.

And in the field of Rudra, at Kedāra, and likewise at Badarikāśrama,

in Kāśī, in holy lands, and at the auspicious Śrīparvata,

I went then also to holy cities, chief of which was Kāñcī.

[Liṅgas] established by seers, gods, groups of attendants, and supreme yogins,

as well as self-manifest ones, I beheld.

Here and there, O fortunate one, in the presence of Śiva, sacred fords

I visited along with my disciples, wandering over this earth.

Plunging thus into all the sacred fords, endowed with vows,

performing austerities and sacrificial acts, traversing the earth,

joined with the remembrance of Śiva, bowing down before the Śivaliṅgas,

all holy places on earth, I took refuge in this region.

Here, the god, Mahādeva, the consort of Ambikā, the three-eyed one,

known as Aruṇādri, the mountain, I beheld as a liṅga.

Here, great-souled siddhas and sages of firm vows,

eating roots, bulbs, and fruits, attending upon the Crimson Mountain, were seen.

I praised the primordial, great liṅga made of Mount Aruṇa,

which was formerly worshipped by the primordial Brahmā with divine sight:

'This one who is copper-colored, red, as well as brown, highly auspicious—'

thus the Vedas constantly praise You, O Lord of Mount Aruṇa.

Homage to the copper-colored, the red, Śiva, the Supreme Self,

whose essence is all the Vedas, eternal, of immortal form,

the Destroyer, moist with compassion, an ocean of nectar to be drunk with the eyes,

full of fondness for devotees, the holy one, the destroyer of the [demon] cities!

The darśana of You, O Lord of gods, grants the fruit of all virtues.

By one who has obtained it on earth, no other tapas needs ever be performed again.

By You, this realm of action is held back today.

The gods themselves pray for dwellings here under Your shelter.

The fruit accumulated through the gathering of time has now been obtained by me.

All other tapas performed by me has the fruit of seeing You.

Such is Your form, O Lord of gods, of utterly wondrous rise;

nowhere on earth have I seen a single liṅga made of a mountain,

charming with its three corners well-endowed with the sun, moon, and fire.

O Lord of gods whose form is the three deities, Your great form is seen,

establishing the three times by means of the essence of the three powers.

Your wondrous liṅga has been seen, having the nature of the three Vedas, its body three-cornered.

For the sake of protecting the three worlds, assuming an expansive form,

You are seen on the region of the earth, renowned as the Crimson Mountain.

And for mortals who do not know, by merely beholding it,

He bestows all pleasures, being a treasure-house of unprompted compassion.

Another liṅga devoid of worship is said to be void,

but this one, worshipped by the gods, always bestows all boons.

Be pleased, O One full of compassion, O Great Lord of the Crimson Mountain!

Protect me, who am terrified of worldly existence and have surrendered, O Lover of devotees!

What was to be seen has been seen: this wondrous, great form of Yours.

Render me fulfilled, O Ocean of mercy, O Refuge, to me who have taken refuge!"

Being thus praised by me, the god, the Lord of Śoṇācala,

showed his supreme, celestial form, and said to me, 'Come!

I am exceedingly pleased with your hymns of praise and your supreme devotion.

May your residence always be right here, in my presence.

And continually worship me on earth with eternal offerings of enjoyment.

Perform austerity through your tapas, and reveal here the greatness of all [beings].

Formerly, when you were dwelling on the peak of Kailāsa, endowed with tapas,

I commanded you: "Worship me in the realm of the earth upon Śoṇādri."

Worship performed by the seven seers shines forth for me in heaven;

likewise, engaged in constant worship, make it manifest upon the surface of the earth.

For the welfare of all living beings, you, rich in tapas,

devotedly worship me on earth with rites enjoined in the Āgamas.

My celestial great worship is indeed seen by the gods in heaven;

earthly worship is to be made manifest by you upon the surface of the earth.

The māhātmya has already been declared, how I am Aruṇācala;

standing upon this region of the earth, I am exceedingly pleased with you.

Whosoever were superior in meritorious deeds worshipped me before;

superior even to them on earth, make manifest the worship of Śiva.'

Being thus instructed, filled with devotion to Śiva, bowing down to the Lord of gods,

I questioned the Lord of Aruṇādri, full of compassion, as I bowed:

'This form consisting of fire, the Great Lord, cannot be approached;

how can I now worship him with rites fit for the mortal world?

Or how can I carry out this command meaningfully?

O glorious one, teach me the means whereby you may be approachable.'

When thus petitioned, the glorious god, the Lord of Śoṇācala,

the Self of all, a treasury of compassion, showed grace to me as I bowed:

'I will manifest subtle liṅgas upon the surface of the earth;

perform my worship through the various rituals prescribed in the Āgamas.

With the powers of your tapas, worship my wondrous, subtle liṅga,

surrounded by five enclosures and named the Lord of Aruṇādri.'

Having thus instructed, the Great God Śiva, the self-manifest, pure, and vast,

revealed his form to me in the shape of a subtle liṅga.

Beholding that pure, subtle liṅga, arisen by itself,

endowed with all enclosures, I became content in heart.

Again I petitioned the god Śambhu, affectionate to those who take refuge in him:

'The modes prescribed in the Āgamas have become unperceivable.

How indeed, O Embodiment of Compassion, may I understand the distinct names

assigned to your forms, O Īśvara, self-manifest, my Lord?

Who should be your worshippers, and what kind of temple should there be here?

What is the hymn of praise, what is the worship, and who are the attendants here?

How should the site be protected, and who are the guardians of oneself?

And how will your daily worship by mortals increase?

Many gods have arrived; how can this be trusted by mortal men?

Be gracious, O Supreme Lord! Command everything yourself.'

Being thus petitioned, the god himself, the Sovereign Lord of Śoṇādri,

the god then gave command to Viśvakarman, who had arrived:

'Create a celestial city named Aruṇa, supreme in virtues,

and my celestial temple, radiant with hosts of great gems;

fashion all that for me, along with the triple symphony and the limbs of worship.'

The glorious Śiva, the embodiment of compassion, the Lord of Aruṇādri, Śiva,

explained the order of worship according to the various names, and the vow:

'Listen to that from me, and about those who are created as attendants for worship;

listen, O Gautama, to the entire human order of my worship,

which spreads across the earth for the welfare of all the worlds.

This immense, matchless liṅga made of fiery splendour is seen;

named the Lord of Aruṇādri, let it be constantly worshipped by you.

On my northern side, my Śakti, ever emergent, is to be worshipped with joy;

bearing the māhātmya of the site, she is named Apītakucā.

This king of Aruṇācala, undivided, united with his beloved,

the Great God for festivals, is to be worshipped surrounded by [his] sons and enjoyments.'

Granting wisdom to his devotees, with his hand extended in the boon of fearlessness, Śiva,

holding an antelope and an axe, with an ever-gracious countenance,

Śambhu as Umāskandeśvara, adorned with celestial jewels,

illuminating the worlds with his splendor, endowed with unhindered glory [is to be worshipped].

And on the auspicious festival day of Śakti, Sundareśvarī is to be worshipped,

adorned with all ornaments, heightening the aesthetic savor of love.

In front, child Gaṇapati should be worshipped, the delight of prosperity,

adorning my vicinity, with many abundant edibles and foods.

Never leaving my side, her eyes graced with red lines,

the supreme Śakti, present right at my side, must be worshipped for the festival.

Resounding with tinkling anklets, glorious, dancing, skilled in the tāṇḍava dance,

Amṛteśvara is to be worshipped before the eyes for the sake of the festival.

And another most fortunate Śakti is to be worshipped, along with the Vināyakas of the earth.

At the door, Nandī and Mahākāla, radiant like the sun in front;

and the worship of all my devotees should also be arranged.

In the south, the Mothers are to be worshipped together with Vighneśa and Śāstṛ.

In the southwest corner, the destroyer of obstacles, Vināyaka, is to be worshipped.

And Skanda, the bearer of the lance, should be worshipped in the northeast corner.

And thereafter pleasing liṅgas are to be worshipped.

Having worshipped my temple, with Dakṣiṇāmūrti facing south,

marked with the form of Viṣṇu on the west, and endowed with the form of Agni,

marked with the form of Brahmā on the north, and endowed with an antelope on the east,

endowed with all the qualities of the gods, accompanied by all energies,

the great temple of Apītakucanāthā, endowed with all energies,

surrounded by the wives of the guardians of the directions, having worshipped it,

the goddesses and sovereign masters of glory, for the protection of the temple [should be worshipped].

Having worshipped the guardian of the field, along with all his enclosures,

Aruṇagirīśvarī, who has come to protect her son, is to be worshipped,

along with Kālī and various other deities who protect the rites.

Various festivals of great fortune should be arranged every month.

Create celestial maidens devoted to the worship of Lord Śiva,

skilled in the arts of dance and song, endowed with beauty and good fortune,

possessed of graceful charm, granting desires, ever pure.

Instruct disciples who know the Vedas and are radiant with righteous conduct,

auspicious, pure of mind, for the performance of celestial services,

initiated, stainless, purified, skilled in the Śaiva Āgamas;

for the establishment of Śaiva conduct, instruct them in my worship.

Mṛdaṅga players, conch-blowers, lute-players, cymbalists, flute-players,

coppersmiths, produce men of true learning, proficient in the four sciences,

various kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras devoted to Śiva.

And four monasteries should be prepared in the four directions for those residing at the tīrtha,

as residences for sages, devotees of Śiva, free from worldly desires.

Dwelling in them, let the lords of sages protect the worship of Śiva.

Furthermore, let mendicant Śaivas, devotees, and Pāśupatas as well,

and others, including disciplined Kāpālikas, always protect [it].

For all beings born now, those who have been born, and those who will be born,

this site must be protected by kings with unhindered authority.

And a great bakula tree is seen here, a celestial tree;

here let devotees determine decisions regarding the work of Śiva.

Whatever wealth is given to me here to attain unlooked-for supreme results,

yielding imperishable fruit, is to be protected by the servants of Śiva.

And I shall hear the matters petitioned by the devotees standing before me;

I shall fulfill everything according to their hearts' desire.

I shall forgive thousands of transgressions of those who worship me well.

Because this worship ordained by the Āgamas has been fashioned by humans,

I will accept all of that worship proclaimed in all the Āgamas.

Any action undertaken by my servants will bring me delight.

Considering all the meanings of the Āgamas appropriate to the occasion,

having arranged the diverse modes of worship for the protection of the world, O sage,

a great worship must be reverently performed on the full moon day.

Various charitable feeding-halls should be established here by the thousands,

and diverse gifts made according to one’s capacity in his presence. / 85

Givers of an unbroken [flame of a] lamp in my presence

attain this luminous form of mine without doubt. / 86

Those who offer me with devotion flowers born in water, on trees,

in shrubbery, and grown on creepers, shall become kings. / 87

Going before them in person, I shall conquer their enemies.

Whichever king of whatever region is abundant in austerity, / 88

and offers to me here the delightful produce enriched by each [land]—

approaching my presence, even wicked kings

shall become devotees of Śiva, fully fulfilled, without doubt." / 8.90

Having heard this speech uttered from the mouth of Śambhu, my impurities washed away,

I bowed down and addressed Śiva, the Lord of the Crimson Mountain (Śoṇagiri), out of curiosity: / 91

Thus ends the eighth chapter, entitled "Description of the Greatness of the Worship of the Lord of Aruṇa (Aruṇeśvara)," in the first half of the Aruṇācalamāhātmya, in the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skandamahāpurāṇa comprising eighty-one thousand verses. / 8