Skandapurana 1.3.31: adhyāyaḥ 33

The seers said:
What was the name of the Kirāta, and what vow was undertaken by him?
Tell us the truth, O best of brahmins, for our curiosity is immense.

We wish to hear all that; let it be told accurately.
There is indeed no other in the world better than you among speakers;
therefore tell everything, O brahmin, to us who desire to hear.

Thus addressed then by the great-souled Śaunaka,
he related all that was done by the hunter.

Lomaśa said:
Long ago there was a very terrible, wicked-souled [man] named Caṇḍa,
of cruel associations, treacherous, bringing fear to living beings.

With a net the evil-minded one constantly killed fish indeed,
and with spears deer, beasts of prey, blackbucks, and porcupines.

And the evil-minded sinner, having seen rhinos and some others,
wrathfully killed birds and especially brahmins.

He was indeed a hunter of great sin, wicked, fond of wicked people;
of such a nature also was the terrifying wife of that outcaste.

While he lived in this manner, a long time passed;
when a long time had passed as he indulged in a multitude of sins,

having taken water in a quiver, severely afflicted by hunger and thirst,
once at night the sinner stood upon a bilva tree
with bow in hand, staying awake with unblinking eyes to kill a wild boar.

Then, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha,
desiring to look along the path of the deer, he dropped bilva leaves in front of him.

Though filled with rage, he tore down many leaves of the bilva tree there;
while [they] turned around at the foot of the bilva tree, a liṅga was seen upon it.

The wicked-minded man accidentally sprayed a mouthful of water, and it fell upon Śiva; / and by stroke of fate, those bilva leaves fell too, so that all became worship of Śiva.

A great ceremonial bath was performed with that mouthful of water, / and a great worship was accomplished with countless bilva leaves.

Even though done unwittingly, O brahmins, by that wicked-minded Puṣkasa, / on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Māgha, at the rising of the moon,

the ill-behaved Puṣkasa then climbed down from the tree. / Having approached the water, he began to kill fish.

The hunter had a wife named Ghanodarī, / who was wicked, intent on sin, and a stealer of others' goods.

Going out from the house at eventide, she stood outside the city gate, / gazing down the forest path in the desire for her husband's return.

When her husband did not arrive for a long time, the hunter's wife grew anxious: / 'Today, at evening time, all the hunters have returned;

the four quarters and intermediate directions are veiled by a mass of darkness; / two watches have passed in the night—has Matanga arrived?

Or was he torn apart by a lion in his greed for its mane? / Or was he, seeking to take the jewel from a serpent's hood, afflicted by a snake's poison?

Or did he meet his death from the blows of a boar's tusks? / Or has he fallen down to earth from the treetop in his greed for honey?

Where shall I search, whom shall I ask, and where shall I go, to whom?' / Having thus lamented in many ways, she returned to her own house.

On that day she took no food and no water whatsoever, / and that hunter's wife spent the night worrying about her husband.

Then, at the bright dawn, the Puṣkasa woman went into the forest, / taking food along for him to eat, proceeding swiftly.

Wandering in that forest, she saw a great river; / seeing her husband seated on its bank, she was delighted.

Placing that food on the bank, she began to cross the river; / and having watched, he brought out the fish caught in the net.

Then she said to that Caṇḍa: 'Come quickly and eat! / Food has been brought for you by me, having fasted throughout the day.

What did you do today, you fool? What did you do during the day that has passed? / And you have not eaten today, you foolish sinner, having fasted.'

The couple then bathed in the river and observed pure vows; / just as he went to eat, a dog came of its own accord.

All that food was eaten by it entirely by itself. / The fierce woman became enraged and stepped up to kill the dog.

'Our food has been eaten by this very sinner! / And what will you eat, you fool? You will be starving today!'

Spoken to in this way by her, that Caṇḍa, who had become dear to Śiva, said to her: / 'Because the food was eaten by the dog, by that I am well pleased.

What is the use of this perishable body whose lifespan is fleeting? / A body is hard to obtain in this world, yet it is revered although fleeting in an instant.

Those who nurture their own body with all their being, smitten [by delusion]— / those fools should be known as sinners, banished from both worlds.

Therefore, abandon pride and obstinate anger; / be composed through reflection, and be steadfast with discernment of the truth.'

Enlightened then greatly by that Puṣkasa, the fierce woman [calmed down]. / The Puṣkasa also observed the vigil and other [rites] on the fourteenth day;

and that supreme knowledge which unquestionably arises by connection with Śivarātri— / he attained that supreme knowledge by virtue of the occasion of Śivarātri.

When two watches had elapsed on that new moon day, / many gaṇas, dispatched by Śiva, arrived there.

Many aerial chariots arrived there into his presence; / he saw those very aerial chariots and the gaṇas.

Puṣkasa also spoke to them with supreme devotion: / 'Why have all of you, who wear rudrākṣa beads, come here—

some seated in aerial chariots, and some mounted on bulls, / all resembling crystal, and all bearing the crescent moon on their crests,

having matted hair, clad in animal skins, adorned with necklaces made of serpent coils, / endowed with glory, having prowess equal to Rudra? Speak truthfully as is fitting for yourselves.'

Questioned then by the Puṣkasa, all the attendants / of Rudra, the god of gods, bowing low and lotus-eyed, spoke.

The gaṇas said: / 'We have been sent, O Caṇḍa, by Śiva, the Supreme Lord; / come quickly, and together with your wife ascend the vehicle!

Because worship of the liṅga of Śiva was performed by you at night, / by that fruition of actions you have attained the presence of Śiva.'

Addressed thus by Vīrabhadra, the Puṣkasa too, smiling as it were, / spoke words suited to the occasion according to his own intellect:

The Puṣkasa said: / 'What was done today by me, a sinner and a killer, / a wicked-minded Puṣkasa, fond only of hunting?

I am of sinful conduct at all times; how can I go to heaven? / How has this worship of the liṅga been done? Let that be told!

Overcome by great wonder, I ask you truthfully; / tell me everything properly, O noble one!'

As that Puṣkasa was thus inquiring properly, / [Vīrabhadra], filled with joy, related to him all that duty pertaining to Śiva.

Vīrabhadra said: / 'The god of gods, Mahādeva, Īśvara, the master of the gods, / that Maheśa, the lord of Umā, is pleased today, O Caṇḍa!

Incidental worship of the liṅga was performed by you in Māgha, / which causes delight to Śiva, and today you are purified, without doubt; / worship was performed indeed coincidentally on Śivarātri.

As you were watching for a boar, bilva leaves indeed / were plucked by you, O Caṇḍa, and fell just then / upon the head of the liṅga; by that you are a performer of good deeds, O master!'

And then indeed a great vigil took place atop the tree; / by that very vigil the Lord of the World was pleased.

Only under a pretext, O highly fortunate one, because of watching the boar, / on this day of Śivarātri there was no sleep for you, nor a woman.

Pleased indeed by that fast and by the vigil, that exalted deity, the great soul, / the magnificent granter of boons, gives all [boons] for your grace, being great.

Addressed thus then by the wise Vīrabhadra, / the outcaste mounted an excellent aerial chariot as they watched.

Then, before the gaṇas, the deities, and all living beings, / kettledrums, large drums, and numerous musical instruments sounded.

Lutes, flutes, and mṛdaṅga drums went before him; / masters of the gandharvas sang, and hosts of apsarases danced.

All the hosts of vidyādharas, siddhas, and cāraṇas praised him; / being fanned with chowries and shaded with various parasols, / he was brought to Gandhamādana with great celebration.

That Caṇḍa attained the presence of Śiva by that deed; / through the fast of Śivarātri, he went to the supreme abode.

Even an outcaste thus attained Sadāśiva merely through circumstance; / how much more those endowed with faith [who offer] to Śiva, the supreme Self,

flowers and the like, fruit, incense, betel, and abundant edible food? / Those who offer [these] in this world become Rudras; of this there is no doubt.

Indeed, for Caṇḍa, the outcaste, it became fruitful, / though performed even by him, dull-witted, merely through circumstance.

The seers said: / What is its fruit, and what its prescription? By whom was it performed again? / Whence did this observance arise, and by whom was it performed formerly, O lord?

Lomaśa said: / When the entire world was created by Brahmā, the supreme lord, / the wheel of time then arose, endowed anciently with the zodiacal signs.

There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and likewise the lunar mansions, / twenty-seven in number, foremost […] for success.

With all these fierce zodiacal signs and constellations, / Time, united with the wheel of time, creates the world in sport.

From Brahmā down to a clump of grass, it creates, protects, and destroys; / everything is bound by that one Time alone, O twice-born ones.

For Time alone is powerful in the world, one and no other; / therefore all this consists of Time; of this there is no doubt.

In the beginning was Time, and by reckoning it is the ruler of the world's rulers; / from it the worlds were born, and creation immediately thereafter.

From creation a lava was born, and from a lava a kṣaṇa; / and from a kṣaṇa a nimiṣa was born, continuously for living beings.

By sixty nimiṣas, indeed, a phala is designated; / by fifteen days and nights a pakṣa is designated.

By two pakṣas a month is made; twelve months make a year. / By one wishing to know that Time, knowledge should be acquired by the wise.

Beginning with the day of pratipad and ending with the full-moon day; / because the fortnight is full, it is designated as pūrṇimā.

The [night] which has a full moon is the pūrṇā, dear to the gods; / but that on which the moon is lost is declared by the wise to be amā.

It became exceedingly dear to the ancestors, the Agniṣvāttas and others. / These thirty days are endowed with meritorious times; / hear that which is distinctive among them, O best of the twice-born:

Among yogas, vyatīpāta; among constellations, Śravaṇa; / among lunar days, the new-moon day and likewise the full-moon day;

likewise the saṃkrāntis should be known as sacred for acts of giving. / Likewise the eighth is dear to Śambhu, the fourth to Gaṇeśa,

the fifth to the king of nāgas, and the sixth to Kumāra; / the seventh should be known as belonging to the sun, and the ninth is dear to Caṇḍikā;

the tenth should be known as Brahmā's, and the eleventh as Rudra's; / the twelfth is dear to Viṣṇu, and the thirteenth to the Ender;

and the fourteenth is dear to Śambhu; of this there is no doubt. / That fourteenth in the dark fortnight which is joined with midnight / should be fasted upon as the best lunar day, bestowing union with Śiva.

Known as the Śivarātri lunar day, it destroys all sin. / In this connection, they relate this ancient narrative:

Formerly there was a certain fickle brahmin widow; / she took delight in an outcaste, lustful out of passion.

To her, a son was born of that wicked outcaste: / Duḥsaha by name, evil-natured, excluded from all duties,

and from engagement in great sins he was always committing sin— / a gambler, a drinker of liquor, a thief, and a violator of his guru's bed,

a hunter, evil-minded, a caṇḍāla by deed. / Most unrighteous and of wicked conduct, he once reached a temple of Śiva / on Śivarātri, and stayed in Śiva's presence.

Listening to the Śaiva scripture occurred by chance nearby, / beside Śiva in the form of a self-manifest liṅga at that time.

That wicked man stayed in that one place, keeping vigil during Śivarātri; / by the ripening of that deed, he attained a virtuous womb.

Having enjoyed the most meritorious worlds and dwelled there for perpetual years, / he became the son of Citrāṅgada, bearing the marks of a king of monarchs.

Named Vicitravīrya, handsome and beloved of beautiful women, / having attained a greater kingdom, he became great and unhesitating.

Rendering devotion to Śiva, he was devoted to the service of Śiva; / following the Śaiva scripture, intent on worshipping Śiva, / he diligently kept vigil at night in Śiva's presence.

Singing verses of praise to Śiva, repeatedly shedding / drops of tears of joy from his eyes, he was covered with bristling horripilation.

And his lifespan passed, devoted to meditation on Śiva. / For Śiva is easily attained in this world by both the ignorant and the wise.

Sadāśiva is the only one to be served for the attainment of happiness; / through the fast on Śivarātri, he attained unsurpassed knowledge.

From knowledge, everything was attained, [namely] constant sameness toward [all] beings, / having known that solely Śiva is ever the soul of all beings. / Without Śiva, there is no real thing whatsoever, anywhere here. (96)

Thus he attains full, unconditioned, hard-to-attain knowledge; / having attained knowledge, the king then indeed became dear to Śiva. (97)

He attained liberation and union [with God] by fasting on Śivarātri; / by him was birth attained from Śiva, as was told by me formerly: (98)

he who, from the separation from Dākṣāyaṇī, arose in full extent from the matted locks / and from the head of Śiva, the Supreme Self, / celebrated as Vīrabhadra, the destroyer of Dakṣa's sacrifice. (99)

Through the observance of Śivarātri alone were many redeemed in the past; / perfections were attained formerly, O brahmins, by Bharata and other embodied beings. (100)

Māndhātṛ, Dhundhumāra, Hariścandra, and other kings / attained perfection by this supreme observance indeed. (101)

Then the Lord of the Mountain, accompanied by Girijā and engaged in play on the peak of the King of Mountains, / that supreme Lord, joined with Bhavānī, eagerly played a game of dice with dice. (102)

Thus ends the thirty-third chapter, entitled 'The Description of the Greatness of the Śivarātri Observance', in the Kedārakhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand [verses], the glorious Skandapurāṇa. 33.