Skandapurana 1.3.34: viṣayānukramaṇikā

Now begins the first Kedārakhaṇḍa in the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa. (1-1)

1. Invocation of auspiciousness; now the commencement of the Skandamahāpurāṇa; therein, the arrival of the great seer Lomasa Sūta, the disciple of Vyāsa, at Naimiṣāraṇya to behold the great seers headed by Śaunaka; the posing of questions by the great seers headed by Śaunaka to Lomaśa out of a desire to hear the glorious Śivamāhātmya; now the description of the commencement of the supreme greatness of Śiva by the great seer Lomaśa following the introduction to the Purāṇa; therein, first, the narration of the destruction of Dakṣa's sacrifice; therein, Dakṣa pronouncing a curse upon Śiva and the attendants of Śiva following his censure of Śiva; Nandin, unable to bear the curse upon Śiva and Śiva's servants, pronouncing a curse upon Dakṣa and the other brahmins; now the pacification of Nandin by Śaṅkara; the description of Dakṣa's unrest caused by his reviling of Śaṅkara. 1.

2. Dakṣa's commencement of the sacrificial rite in the sacred field of Kanakhala; the arrival there at the sacrifice of great seers headed by Vasiṣṭha and deities headed by Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and Indra; the great seer Dadhīci, seeing that Śaṃkara had not arrived, advising Dakṣa to bring Śaṃkara; Dakṣa showing disrespect toward Śaṃkara; Dadhīci, proclaiming the destruction of the sacrifice due to the injustice of disrespecting Śaṃkara, departing from the sacrificial enclosure; Dakṣa commencing the sacrifice to the gods; then Satī, the daughter of Dakṣa, seated in an aerial chariot on Mount Gandhamādana, hearing news of the sacrifice from the mouth of Candra who was going with his wives to her father Dakṣa's grand sacrifice, approaching Śiva and expressing her intense desire to go affectionately to her father's home; despite Śiva's advice, Satī, out of extreme insistence, requesting permission from Śiva to go; Śiva, ascertaining that Satī would not return after being insulted by her father, sending her along with Nandin and others; description of goddess Satī's arrival at Dakṣa's sacrifice.

3. Goddess Satī, having approached her father, asking in the presence of Bhṛgu and others the reason for not inviting Śaṃkara; Dakṣa reviling Śiva; Satī, unable to endure the reviling of Śiva and her own insult, entering into the sacrificial fire; the destruction of the twenty thousand attendants who followed her, cutting off their own limbs with blows of weapons; the guardians of the world and the seers becoming stunned with fear; Śaṃkara, hearing that account from the mouth of Nārada, striking his matted hair upon a mountain peak in extreme wrath; then the appearance of Vīrabhadra, Kālī, and tens of millions of spirits; from the sigh of Rudra, the emergence of a hundred fevers and thirteen types of delirium; then, by the command of Śaṃkara, the arrival of Vīrabhadra and others at the enclosure of Dakṣa's sacrifice; those standing in the sacrificial enclosure fleeing out of fear upon seeing that army of Rudra approaching, and Śakra and others arming themselves for battle; Dakṣa praying to all the gods; Viṣṇu rebuking Dakṣa and describing the greatness of Śiva as the giver of the fruits of actions.

4. The battle of the gods headed by Indra with Vīrabhadra and others; the rebuke of Indra and the others by Bṛhaspati when questioned by Indra who was anxious about victory; Vīrabhadra entering into the midst of the sacrificial enclosure after defeating the guardians of the world; then the commencement of dual combat between Vīrabhadra and others with the gods headed by Viṣṇu; Viṣṇu, seeing no defeat for Śiva's attendants, departing for his own abode.

5. After Viṣṇu's departure to his own abode, Vīrabhadra and his attendants conquering all the gods, mocking the great seers headed by Bhṛgu, severing Dakṣa's head, and offering it as an oblation into the sacrificial fire pit; all the divine seers, ancestors, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and others fleeing out of fear; Brahmā, afflicted with grief for his son, going to Kailāsa to propitiate Śaṃkara; the praise of Śiva sung by Brahmā; Śaṃkara, pleased by the hymn of praise, returning with all the gods to the pavilion of Dakṣa's sacrifice, restoring Dakṣa to life by joining the bearded head of a sacrificial goat onto Dakṣa's torso; the praise of Śiva sung by Dakṣa; Śiva, pleased by the hymn of praise, giving instruction to Dakṣa; Śiva, Brahmā, and the others returning to their respective worlds; the Sūta Lomaśa describing the greatness of Śiva's worship and the rules for Śiva vows; in the context of the greatness of devotion to Śiva, narration of the history of Indrasena, son of Indradyumna; there, even though that extremely sinful man was taken to the realm of Yama by Yama's messengers, Yama honoring him due to the power of his utterance of the name 'Hara' even amidst sinful acts under the pretext of words such as 'bring' [āhara] and 'strike' [prahara]; then Śiva's messengers placing him on an aerial chariot and conveying him to the world of Śiva; description of Indrasena attaining the status of an attendant named Caṇḍa by the greatness of uttering the name of Hara; the greatness of the name of Śiva, sacred ash, rudrākṣa beads, and the tripuṇḍra mark; the greatness of worshipping Śiva; in that context, narration of the history of the merchant Nandi and the Kirāta; there, while Śiva was worshipped with gems by the merchant Nandi, the Kirāta offering devotion consisting of spitting out mouthfuls of water held in his mouth; Śiva, satisfied with that devotion, granting the status of Śiva's door-keeper named Mahākāla to the Kirāta and, by the Kirāta's request, to the merchant Nandi; the greatness of devotion to Śiva. 5

6. When Śaunaka and the others asked about the origin of worshipping the liṅga rather than Śaṃkara's anthropomorphic form, Lomaśa Sūta set forth the account of the origin of liṅga worship: There, while Śaṃkara was wandering naked in the Dāruvana forest to beg for alms, all the wives of the sages were infatuated upon seeing his sky-clad, handsome form and followed after Śaṃkara. Seeing their hermitages deserted because of the women following him, the enraged ṛṣis cursed Śiva, causing his liṅga to fall off. The fallen liṅga expanded uniformly, pervading the entire universe of moving and unmoving beings. Seeing this, the gods and others were astonished and prayed to Viṣṇu and Brahmā. At the prayer of the gods, Viṣṇu went to Pātāla and Brahmā went to heaven to find the liṅga's ends. Brahmā saw Surabhi and Ketakī on the ridge of Mount Meru. At Brahmā's request, Surabhi and Ketakī promised to give false testimony that "the top of the liṅga was seen by Brahmā," after which Brahmā returned to his former place. Before the gods, through the false testimony of Surabhi and Ketakī, he boastfully made the false claim, "I have seen the top of the liṅga," and Bhṛgu and others confirmed it. Viṣṇu, having returned from Pātāla, spoke truthfully before all the gods: "I did not see the end of the liṅga." Hearing the false words of Surabhi and Ketakī, the Lord was angered and, through a disembodied voice, cursed Surabhi with having an impure mouth, Ketakī with being unfit for Śiva's worship, Brahmā with being unworthy of worship, and Bhṛgu and the other brahmins who had concurred with it with experiencing suffering and adversity. Thus, cursed by the disembodied voice, Brahmā and the others took refuge in the liṅga. 10 1

7. Brahmā and the divine seers praised Śiva; pleased with the praise offered by Brahmā and the others, Śiva ordered Brahmā and the rest to pray to Viṣṇu; Brahmā and the others praised Viṣṇu; then, by a disembodied voice, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a pedestal (piṇḍī) to support the Śivaliṅga; then Vīrabhadra, beloved of Śiva, together with Brahmā and the others, worshipped the Śivaliṅga; thereafter, numerous gods and others installed liṅgas of various names in many places for Śaṃkara; portions of Vīrabhadra were established in each place to perform liṅga worship; the succession of gurus who worship the liṅga began from Vīrabhadra; Nandin became the first teacher to praise the greatness of the liṅga, and Skanda became a teacher who worshipped the liṅga; from this arose the lineage of teachers worshipping the liṅga; the greatness of devotion to Śiva; therein, the account of how a winged insect obtained the state of being the daughter of the king of Kāśi by virtue of the merit of sweeping a Śiva temple; the dialogue between the great sage Uddālaka and the daughter of the king of Kāśi named Sundarī; 11 2

8. In connection with the greatness of devotion to Śiva, the account of a thief attaining the world of Śiva while climbing onto the head of Śiva to steal a bell; the description of the entire world consisting of Śiva and Śakti, wherein men are endowed with the liṅga and women have become the pedestal (piṇḍī); the description of the non-difference between Śiva and Viṣṇu; the description of the worship of liṅgas made of gems and other materials by Brahmā and others; the description of the devotion to worshipping the Śivaliṅga by Prahlāda, Bali, Bāṇāsura, and other daityas; the effort undertaken by the gods, defeated by Rāvaṇa whose irresistible prowess was acquired through the power of Śiva worship, to worship the Śivaliṅga according to Nandin's words; in that connection, Nandin, questioned by the gods, explains the reason for his having a monkey face; there, Nandin acquired a monkey face due to Rāvaṇa's curse, and Nandin cursed Rāvaṇa saying, "Your death will come at the hands of someone accompanied by monkeys"; then all the gods, led by Nandin, went to Vaikuṇṭha and prayed to Viṣṇu to become the pedestal of the liṅga; the Lord Viṣṇu comforted the gods by agreeing to take an incarnation to slay Rāvaṇa; by Viṣṇu's command, the description of all the gods taking partial incarnations among the monkeys; the Rāma incarnation; the slaying of Rāvaṇa by Rāma; Rāvaṇa's attainment of union with Śiva; the description of the greatness of worshipping the Śivaliṅga. 13 1

9. Śakra's loss of his kingdom due to the insult to Bṛhaspati; Śakra, defeated by Bali, went with Brahmā and the others to the realm of Viṣṇu and prayed to Viṣṇu; on Viṣṇu's instruction, Śakra and the others took refuge with Bali; the honoring of Śakra, who had taken refuge, by Bali at the word of Nārada; Śakra, questioned by Bali for the sake of obtaining jewels, praised the effort to churn the ocean; then the gods and dānavas went to Mount Mandara to churn the ocean; having brought Mount Mandara with great effort with the help of Viṣṇu and made Vāsuki the churning rope, the gods and dānavas began churning the ocean; the emergence of the hālāhala poison from the ocean being churned; although Nārada said that Śiva must be remembered in this danger, the gods did not heed his words, being driven by self-interest and continuing with the churning of the ocean itself; the description of the raging hālāhala burning the entire universe including the eight envelopes up to Vaikuṇṭha. 15

10. At the prayer of Heramba, who was petitioned by Hari, Brahmā, and the others enveloped by the fire of poison, the Supreme Śakti, who has the form of the womb that is the cause of the universe, manifested from the pleased Sadāśiva; in this connection, the sūta named Lomaśa, questioned by Śaunaka and others, describes the account of Heramba's origin; therein, the account of Heramba's birth from the Supreme Śakti; the wise Gaṇeśa praises the glorious Śiva accompanied by Śakti; pleased by Heramba's praise, [Śiva] in the form of a liṅga swallows the kālakūṭa poison; then all the gods and daityas praise the liṅga; Śiva, pleased by their praise, manifests; after consuming the hālāhala poison, Śiva instructs that the worship of Gaṇeśa must be performed at the beginning of all undertakings. 17

11. Description of the procedure for worshiping Gaṇeśa as taught by Śiva; the churning of the ocean by all the gods after the disappearance of Śiva; then the emergence of the Moon; the account of the auspicious moment (muhūrta) spoken by Garga in describing the cause of the Moon's birth from the ocean; the emergence of the wish-fulfilling cow (Kāmadhenu) and other jewels from the ocean as it was being churned; the manifestation of the three nakṣatras; description of the account of Lakṣmī choosing Viṣṇu. ... 19 2

12. In the renewed churning of the ocean for nectar, the appearance of Dhanvantari holding the jar of nectar; the demon Vṛṣaparvan seizing the jar of nectar from Dhanvantari's hand and going down to Pātāla along with all the demons; Viṣṇu, at the request of the gods, assuming the form of Mohinī, deceiving the demons, and causing the gods to drink the nectar; the severing of the head of Rāhu, who sat in the row of gods and was pointed out by the Sun and the Moon; description of the fury of the demons who were cheated of the drink of nectar. ... 21 1

13. Description of the tumultuous single combats between the gods and the demons; in that battle, Śaṃkara wrapping the severed head of Rāhu as a garland around his own head; in that connection, description of the greatness of the Śaiva duties, such as devotion to Śiva, the wearing of sacred ash, the triple mark (tripuṇḍra), and rudrākṣa beads; the gods' defeat by Kālanemi in the war between the gods and demons, and the gods' praise of Viṣṇu; the manifestation of Viṣṇu to fight against Kālanemi. ... 22 2

14. The disappearance of Viṣṇu after slaying Kālanemi; then, when Śakra unjustly begins to slay the terrified and fallen demons, Nārada restraining him; then Indra, accompanied by the army of the gods, going to Amarāvatī, and the description of his consecration of victory; the departure of the remaining defeated demons to Śukrācārya; Śukra performing austerity for the sake of securing victory for the demons. ... 25 1

15. In the absence of the insulted Bṛhaspati, Viśvakarma's son Viśvarūpa becoming Śakra's domestic priest; Śakra seeing the deception of the gods committed by Viśvarūpa through offering oblations to the demons, and severing Viśvarūpa's head with his thunderbolt; Śakra, afflicted by the sin of killing a brahmin (brahmahatyā) arising from that slaying, plunging into the waters; then all the world-protectors approaching the Guru and reporting the matter of the killing of a brahmin and other events committed by Śakra; then, by Nārada's advice, consultation regarding the installation of Nahuṣa in Indra's place; hearing of Nahuṣa's installation in Indra's place, Śacī going to the inner apartments in grief; the approval of all the gods for Nahuṣa's ascent to Indra's station; the consecration of Nahuṣa to the office of Indra; Nahuṣa, driven by lust for Indrāṇī, sending Bṛhaspati into Indrāṇī's presence; Indrāṇī sending a message to Nahuṣa to come mounted upon an unprecedented conveyance; Nahuṣa yoking Agastya and other brahmins to carry his palanquin; then the enraged Agastya giving the curse, "Become a python"; then Nahuṣa falling from heaven upon becoming a python, and the subsequent installation of Yayāti in Indra's state; and his fall downwards due to the exhaustion of merit caused by boasting of his own merits; then anxiety overtaking all the gods. ... 26 1

16. Śacī issuing an order to Bṛhaspati and others to bring back Indra, and Bṛhaspati pronouncing a curse because of his own disregard; Bṛhaspati, frightened by fear of Śacī's curse, going to the bank of the lake to bring Śakra; when the invocation to Indra was being made, the sin of killing a brahmin residing on the bank of the lake petitioning the gods for her own abode, and their casting her into four divisions—earth, trees, water, and women—while conferring boons upon them, bringing Indra, cleansed of sin, to Amarāvatī and consecrating him in Indra's station; then Tvaṣṭṛ, enraged at the slaying of Viśvarūpa, pleasing Brahmā through austerity and requesting from him a son who would bring terror to the gods; then, by Brahmā's boon, his obtaining a son named Vṛtra; the demons, filled with joy because of that demon Vṛtra, coming back from Pātāla to the surface of the earth; the gods, seeing this, becoming terrified and taking counsel with one another; by the command of Brahmā, the gods going to Dadhīci's hermitage and requesting his bones from Dadhīci for a weapon; Dadhīci, besought by the gods for his bones, relinquishing his own body through yoga. ... 28

17. The stripping of flesh from Dadhīci's bones by the celestial cow Surabhi through licking with her tongue; the fashioning of the vajra and other weapons by the gods from his bones; the pronouncing of a curse of childlessness upon the gods by Dadhīci's wife named Suvarcā; her instructing her son Pippalāda as she stood near the sacred fig tree, and then following her husband through yogic absorption; the beginning of the battle between the gods and the asuras; the beginning of the battle with the demon Vṛtra; Indra's worship of Śiva by performing the Śanipradoṣa vow at Bṛhaspati's command to slay the demon Vṛtra; the prescribed rules for the Śanipradoṣa vow; the description of the account of the demon Vṛtra's previous birth as the gandharva Citraratha receiving the state of an asura due to the Goddess's curse; the procedure for the concluding rite of the Śanipradoṣa vow; Indra's battle with the daityas after gaining valor through the power of the Śanipradoṣa vow; the demon Vṛtra's exposition of the duty of warriors to the daityas fleeing from the battlefield; the description of the tumultuous battle between the gods and the dānavas; Indra's falling into a swoon from a blow struck by Vṛtra; then Indra, having regained consciousness, performing austerity consisting of the worship of Śiva to slay Vṛtra according to Brahmā's command; Śakra, knowing Vṛtra to be invincible based on Śiva's words, forming an alliance with Vṛtra for a thousand years and residing near Vṛtra in order to kill him; Vṛtra's pride; the wielder of the thunderbolt's thorough worship of Oṃkāreśvara on the bank of the Narmadā through the Pradoṣa vow; but Vṛtra, having forgotten the worship of Śiva at the time of twilight and falling asleep, suffering loss of his austerity, loss of fortune, and the ruin of his purpose; then, in the battle between Vṛtra and Indra, Vṛtra's swallowing of Indra; the Lord, pleased by Brahmā's prayer, speaking via a voice from the sky to Brahmā to declare that Śakra incurred the misfortune of being swallowed by the daitya due to the flaw of transgressing the pedestal during the Pradoṣa vow; in that context, the description of the procedure for the three-fold daily worship of the liṅga; then, by the command of Śaṃkara, the gods performing the worship of the liṅga in accordance with the scriptures; by its power, Indra piercing Vṛtra's belly and coming out; the description of the falling of the demon Vṛtra's body; the body's falling in the Antarvedi between the Gaṅgā and the Yamunā; the head's falling in Mālava; the cutting of Vṛtra's head by all the gods for six months; Indra's attainment of victory; then Bali, informed of the account of Vṛtra's slaying by the daityas, obtaining a chariot from a sacrifice performed at the command of Śukra; Bali, mounted upon that chariot and accompanied by the army of daityas, setting out toward heaven for the conquest of the gods; Śakra's feeling of shame upon hearing of his arrival. [30] 1.

18. Seeing Bali's arrival in heaven, all the gods headed by Indra, prompted by Bṛhaspati, assuming the forms of peacocks and other birds, departing from heaven, going to Kaśyapa's hermitage, and relating their sorrow to their mother Aditi; Kaśyapa, entreatt by Aditi to protect the gods, describing the worship of Viṣṇu through the Śravaṇadvādaśī vow to Aditi; Viṣṇu's manifestation due to Aditi's performance of that vow; the Lord, praised by Aditi for the protection of the gods, commanding His mace and discus to subdue Bali, but feeling concern when they declared their inability to subdue him; the description of Bali, consecrated by Śukra on the throne of the king of the gods, giving away the entire wealth of Indra to brahmins; in that context, the description of any Indra on the throne of Indra, due to the lack of giving, becoming an insect in Indra's realm after the exhaustion of his merit; in the description of Bali's past life, a certain gambler seeing the flowers, betel, and other offerings brought for a courtesan fall onto the ground from a slip, and, thinking with resolve, 'May it be offered to Śiva,' becoming freed from all sins; then, after his death, by Yama's word, his gaining the station of the performer of a hundred sacrifices for three and a half ghaṭikās, and during that time his giving away of Airāvata and other gifts to Agastya and other great seers; after three and a half ghaṭikās, the former Purandara, staying in his own place, rebuking Śacī, followed by Śacī's rebuking him and praising the gambler-Indra; the former Indra's feeling of shame; Indra, seeing his own wealth such as Airāvata given away by the gambler, going to Yama and rebuking the gambler; then Citragupta, instructed by Yama, declaring that the gambler did not deserve hell owing to the greatness of the gift made with Śiva as its object; hearing this, Śakra, embarrassed, going to heaven; that gambler's entering into the womb of Suruci, the wife of Prahlāda's son Virocana; Indra, in the guise of a brahmin, approaching Bali's father Virocana and begging for his head; the description of Virocana cutting off his own head and giving it to Śakra, who was disguised as a deceitful brahmin; after the death of the father named Virocana, the birth of Bali from Suruci; Suruci, after giving birth, going to her husband's realm; Bali being consecrated by the descendant of Bhṛgu on the royal throne of his father Virocana; then, after the departure of Indra and the others defeated by Bali, Bali's command to all regarding their stay in heaven; then, considering the unsuitability of residing in heaven according to the word of Śukra, Bali, together with all the daityas and Śukra, coming to the Gurukulyatīrtha on the bank of the Narmadā on the surface of the earth and performing many sacrifices such as the horse-sacrifice; at that very time of Bali's sacrifice, the Lord, pleased by the vow performed by Aditi, incarnating as a celibate youth; then, after the rites of his sacred-thread investiture and the like, his going to Bali's sacrificial enclosure; the description of Bali's hospitable reception of the dwarf-youth; the Lord in the form of the dwarf-youth begging Bali for three paces of land upon his insistence; when Bali made a promise to give the land, his guru Śukra, declaring that youth to be Viṣṇu, forbidding the gift of land. [36]

19 Seeing Bali's resolve to grant land to the celibate student, Śukra gives a curse to Bali; Bali makes the formal vow and gives the gift of land, whereupon the divine illusory celibate student is described expanding [in size]; his pervading the universe of moving and unmoving things with two steps; Vāmana sending Garuḍa to Bali to obtain the gift of land measured by the third step; then Bali's wife Vindhyāvalī coming before Lord Vāmana along with Prahlāda; then her requesting the placing of the three steps in the form of Vāmana upon the three heads—of herself, of her own son, and of her own husband; the Lord, pleased by that petition, commanding Bali to go to Sutala; at Bali's request, Viṣṇu's remaining in Pātāla in the presence of Bali; thus the description of the power of the greatness of devotion to Śiva through which a gambler in a previous birth attained the state of Bali... 40

20 In the description of Śambhu attaining the form of a liṅga: an account of the battle between the gods and the demon Tāraka; the gods, defeated therein and approaching Brahmā, are addressed by a voice from the sky describing that the slaughter of the demon Tāraka requires only a son born of Śiva, and ordering them to make an effort toward Śiva taking a wife since he is separated from his spouse; after hearing the voice from the sky, the gods go to Himālaya and make a request for the production of a daughter; Himavat's telling of the gods' request to his wife Menā for the production of a daughter; Menā's recounting of the distress of parents upon the birth of a daughter; then, persuaded by Himavat who considers the necessity of acting for the welfare of others, Menā conceives in her womb the divine power of the Mother of the Universe from Himavat; the description of the manifestation of the Mother of the Universe... 42

21 Himavat coming together with Pārvatī before Maheśa for darśana; Śiva approving Gaurī's attendance upon him; Gaurī's performance of service to Śiva; meanwhile, Madana, dispatched by the lord of the gods, pierces Śaṃkara with an arrow; Śaṃkara, pierced by Madana's arrow, looks upon Pārvatī, and the state of his infatuation with love is described; then Śaṃkara, discerning through discrimination the cause of the agitation of his mind, sees Madana with bow strung, intending to pierce him, and, overpowered by wrath, reduces Madana to ashes with the fire of his third eye; all the gods praying to Śiva for the revival of Madana; then Śiva's disappearance; Rati, wife of Madana, bewailing upon seeing Madana burned; Girijā consoling Rati with a pledge to revive Madana; then Rati beginning the practice of austerity at the very place where Madana was burned; meanwhile, Nārada coming near Rati and conversing, whereupon Rati rebukes Nārada; Nārada going to the demon Śambara and directing him to abduct Rati; the demon Śambara forcibly bringing Rati to his own house and appointing her as superintendent of the kitchen; then Pārvatī's practice of austerity with the aim of obtaining Śiva; the best of gods, Brahmā and others, distressed by that austerity, holding counsel with Viṣṇu for Śiva's taking of her hand... 43

22 Brahmā and the other gods approaching Śaṃkara, who is established in meditation upon a yoga seat on the far shore of the ocean; the praise of Mahādeva by Brahmā and the others; Śaṃkara, pleased by the praise of the gods, describing the time limit for Pārvatī's revival of Madana; his instruction to the gods regarding the renunciation of desire; then, while Śiva is established in meditation, Nandi dismisses all the gods; Śiva's remaining in the meditative state of the bliss of his own essential nature; then, through the power of Girijā's mighty austerity, Śiva's meditation is shaken; Śiva coming in many forms to the place of Girijā's austerity; assuming the form of a celibate student to test Girijā's heart, his reviling of Śiva; Girijā, unable to endure that, having the celibate student dismissed through her friend, whereupon Śiva disappears and reveals his true form; the conversation of Śiva and Pārvatī; Pārvatī's petition to Śiva for her marriage; then Śiva granting a boon to Pārvatī and departing to his own realm; then Himālaya, after the success of Pārvatī's austerity, bringing her back to his house with great festivity along with Brahmā and the other gods... 47

23 Śiva sending the seven seers to Himālaya to act as mediators for giving Pārvatī to him; the conversation between the seven seers and Himālaya; after the marriage is determined by the seven seers, their return to Śiva and reporting of the determination of the marriage; Mahādeva sending Nārada to invite Viṣṇu and the other gods; Viṣṇu and the others coming into Śiva's presence, whereupon Śiva, with great celebration and following the rites such as worship of the planets, departs for the city of the king of mountains together with all the hosts of gods for the wedding... 50

24 Himālaya, appointing the family priest Gargācārya at the head for his daughter's wedding, has an unprecedented pavilion constructed by Viśvakarman and so forth; from Nārada, hearing that all the gods' portraits were skillfully depicted in the wedding pavilion constructed by Viśvakarman, all the gods become apprehensive; and then Himavat bringing Śiva to his own city; and all the gods, Śiva and the rest, lodging in diverse magnificent abodes. 51

25. After all the gods had resided in their separate excellent places, Menā waved the lights before Śiva, saw his beauty, and was delighted; then Pārvatī put on the bridal garments, took the garland in her hand to choose the groom, meditated upon Parameśvara, and waited for him; at the auspicious moment declared by Garga, Śiva was brought in great splendor to the wedding pavilion for taking her hand; the auspicious marriage of Śiva and Pārvatī [took place]; auspicious married women such as Lakṣmī, Sāvitrī, and Arundhatī waved the lights before Śiva and Pārvatī; then, when Himālaya together with Menā undertook the ritual resolution for the giving away of the maiden, during the inquiry concerning the recital of Śiva's name and lineage (gotra), Nārada described Śiva's supreme sovereignty.

26. Himālaya's performance of the giving away of the maiden; on the occasion of the domestic fire oblations performed by Śiva and Pārvatī, the account of the birth of the sixty thousand Vālakhilyas from Brahmā's semen which fell upon seeing the moon-like nails of Pārvatī's feet; then the description of the auspicious marriage festival accompanied by Himavat's honoring of all the gods on the groom's side.

27. And then Viṣṇu, on the side of the bridegroom, duly honored the various mountains on the bride's side, such as Mount Sahya and Mount Vindhya; then the departure of the wedding procession; during the wedding procession, the worship of Śiva by all the mountains; then the return of all the gods to their respective places; then Śiva and Pārvatī's love-play on Mount Gandhamādana; then the commencement of intimate intercourse by Śiva and Pārvatī; the gods, headed by Brahmā, terrified by that extraordinary intercourse, sent Agni secretly into their presence; Agni, having arrived at the time of lovemaking in the guise of a beggar, through the curse of Pārvatī swallowed Śiva's semen and returned to the presence of the gods; the description of all the gods becoming pregnant by the semen originating from Agni's mouth; then all the gods sought refuge in Viṣṇu; prompted by Viṣṇu, all the gods prayed to Śiva; then, by the command of the pleased Śiva, all the gods vomited the semen from their mouths; the description of the semen vomited by all the gods becoming a heap of gold; then Śiva gave the command to Agni to discharge the semen into a womb; then, into the bodies of the six wives of the seers known as the six Kṛttikās, who had come near the blazing Agni to warm their limbs, he introduced the subtle particles of semen through his flames, and so, freed of the semen, found relief; those Kṛttikās, tormented by fear of [accusation of] unchastity, cast that semen simultaneously into the Gaṅgā on the slope of Mount Himavat; from that semen, at that very moment, a six-faced child was born; at the very time of that child's birth, milk suddenly flowed from Girijā's breasts; just then Nārada came to Śiva and related the account of Kumāra's birth; Śiva and Pārvatī, along with all the gods, came to Kumāra to see that boy; the commencement of the festival of Kumāra's rising fortunes; the attainment of joy by Śiva and Pārvatī.