Skandapurana 1.4.23: adhyāyaḥ 25

Arjuna said: / "O divine seer, this story being narrated is equal to nectar! / Tell this again, O sage, when Maheśvara becomes aware [of it]."

[The Blessed One was intent on] his wife Satī and on the slaying of Tāraka. / Burning with the separation from Satī, why did he burn Smara?

You yourself said that, out of separation from Satī, he was performing austerity, / the god remaining on the Snow-Mountain desiring union with her.

Nārada said: / That is true, O Pārtha; formerly, Bhava's intention was this: / 'I should not enter into union with this [maiden] whose austerity has not been performed.'

Without austerity, a body is never made pure. / There can be no bodily union with an impure body.

Whatever great undertakings exist here, their root is always austerity. / Success never comes to great undertakings for those whose austerity is not performed.

For this reason, the god burned that arrogant one. / Then, when Smara was burned and Pārvatī was ashamed,

leaving [her] behind, the god went with his attendants to Kailāsa. / And the goddess, extremely distressed, stumbling at every step,

censuring her own life, wandered here and there. / The Snow-Mountain too questioned Rati, who was weeping on his peak:

'Who are you? Whose are you, auspicious one? And for what reason do you weep?' / Thus questioned, Rati related everything as it had happened.

When it was thus related by Rati, the Mountain, his mind agitated, / reached his daughter, took her by the hand, and went to his own city.

There she spoke to her parents through the mouth of her female companions: / 'Indeed, what purpose is there with this unfortunate body?

I will cast off my bodily abode, or I will attain the husband I desire. / And how can what is difficult to attain and desired be gained without austerity?

Therefore, I shall wither my body with various observances. / Permit me in that, if you have compassion for me.'

Hearing these words, the mother and father spoke to the auspicious one: / 'U mā (Oh, do not), fickle daughter! Your body is not fit

to endure austerity whose nature is affliction, O gentle-faced one. / And things destined to happen are always unavoidable.

Predestined events certainly happen to a man, even against his will. / Therefore, child, you have no need for austerity.'

The Goddess said: / 'These words of yours are not correct, in my opinion. / An aim cannot be achieved by fate alone.

A person obtains a result partly through fate, partly through effort, / and partly indeed by nature; there is no fourth cause in this.

Brahmā attained his state as Brahmā surely through the power of austerity. / And as for what was gained by others, I am unable even to count it.

If one's desired aim is not accomplished with this impermanent body, / afterwards, that foolish one grieves when this body has fallen.

Such is the nature of this body: somewhere it is born, somewhere it dies; / somewhere it perishes while in the womb, and somewhere as soon as it is born.

It is destroyed in childhood, in youth, and even in old age. / What purpose is there with this unstable body if one's own purpose is not fulfilled?'

Having said this, accompanied by her female companions and watched with tears by her parents, / she went to the holy peak of the Himālaya, full of various wonders.

There, casting off her garments and ornaments, the Mountain-born one, / clothed in divine bark-garments, self-restrained, performed austerity.

Fixing Īśvara in her heart, devoted to the practice of the Praṇava, / Pārvatī was then venerable even to the sages, O Pārtha.

Bathing thrice a day, she ate only trumpet-flower leaves for a hundred years; / and she took her food for a hundred [years] on dry bilva leaves.

For a hundred years she consumed only water, and for a hundred she lived on air alone. / Then, taking up an observance, she stood on the tip of her big toe.

Foodless, people then felt torment from her austerity. / Then, observing the world overwhelmed by her austerity,

Hara came there in person, bearing the form of a celibate student, / wearing divine bark and covered with the skin of a spotted antelope,

carrying an auspicious staff of āṣāḍha wood, well-behaved, radiant. / Then her female companions honoured him with great respect.

Desiring to speak to the daughter of the Mountain, he was addressed by the companions thus: / 'O brahmin, this highly fortunate, auspicious maiden has undertaken an observance.

In only five muhūrtas her observance will be completed. / Therefore, wait for that time; afterwards, together with our companion,

you will engage in various discourses on dharma, O brahmin.' / Having spoken thus, Vijayā and the others, their faces wet with tears, / spent that time before the twice-born with descriptions of the Goddess's life.

Then, when the time was slightly short [of complete], the wise celibate student,

on the pretext of sightseeing, went to the pool situated near the hermitage, / and there he fell in, and then cried out loudly:

'I am drowning here! Let someone rescue me, alas!' / Hearing him calling out loudly in this way, Vijayā and the others

came in haste and offered him their hands. / Then he cried out fiercely, [moving] further and further away again and again:

'I will not touch an unperfected woman; let me die, but this is not false!' / Then Pārvatī, having completed her observance, came in person.

She offered him her left hand, but he did not welcome it: / 'O auspicious lady, that which is not pure and that which is done with contempt,

and that which is done with a defect, one should never accept. / And your left hand is impure; I will never take hold of it.'

Thus addressed, Pārvatī said: 'I do not give my right hand / to anyone, O brahmin; it is intended for the God of gods.

The god Bhava alone shall take my right hand. / It is withering by severe austerity; this which I have spoken is true.'

The brahmin said: / 'If you have such pride, who is preventing your departure? / Just as this vow is yours, so too is this [resolution] of mine unshakeable.

We are worthy of honour even to Rudra! Tell me, what kind of austerity is yours, / wherein you neglect a brahmin who is in peril and dying?'

You despise brahmins; therefore go quickly from my sight! / Or if you consider [them] worthy of worship, then rescue me, not otherwise."

Then, having reflected much, "Shall I do this or that?", the auspicious lady / considered rescuing a brahmin to be superior to all other duties.

Then she offered her right hand and pulled him out. / A woman pulls out a man who is sinking in the ocean of worldly existence— / to show this, Śiva, the source of becoming, acted in such a manner.

Having pulled him out and then bathed, she sat fixing herself in a yoga posture.

Then the brahmacārin said, laughing: "What is this, auspicious lady? / What do you wish to do, slender-limbed one, seated firmly in a yoga posture?"

The goddess said: "I will burn this body with the fire of yoga, / for I, having dedicated my mind to Mahādeva, have become defiled [by touching another]."

Then the brahmacārin said: "Out of regard for a brahmin's wish, / converse for a moment, and then do what you desire, O Pārvatī.

A wish of a brahmin should never be thwarted by the virtuous. / If you consider this to be righteousness, speak with me for a moment, O Pārvatī."

The goddess said: "Speak, brahmin; I will stay for a moment." / Then the celibate student himself addressed that goddess who was accompanied by her friends:

"Why, O woman of lovely thighs, at this young age, has this austerity, / so difficult to perform, been undertaken by you? It does not seem fitting to me.

Having obtained a rare human birth in the palace of the king of mountains, / and having abandoned hard-to-obtain pleasures, O goddess, why is your body tormented?

I am exceedingly grieved seeing you, who have such a delicate form, / distressed by severe austerity like a lotus afflicted by frost.

And here is another thing, O auspicious one, that gives a headache to my head: / that you wish to abandon your body! Are you not awake to reason, young girl?

Adverse indeed is desire among humans; for true is this saying, / since you, who are longed for by all, thus torment your body.

He has an unknown lineage, is naked, bears a trident, is lord of the spirit-hordes, / has his abode in cremation grounds, is smeared with ashes, and rides a bull.

He wears an elephant skin, has limbs adorned with snakes and the like, wears matted locks, / has deformed eyes, and is without qualities; how could he be suitable for you?

Whatever virtues such as noble birth and good conduct are declared by the wise for bridegrooms— / not even one of them exists in him; therefore, he is not suitable for you.

Formerly, moonlight was most pitiable [for choosing him], O Pārvatī; / you have become the second, on account of your hope for union with him.

Although we whose wealth is austerity view all equally, O Pārvatī, / your undertaking indeed pains me, like offering honor to a sacrificial post upon a stake of impalement.

Riding a bull, living in a cremation ground, the taking of your hand / by a hand encircled with serpents, the knotting of a silken garment with an elephant skin—how [can that be]?

All that you have begun is improper, causing laughter among people. / And how is contact with ashes pleasing to you, being of a woman's nature?

Turn your mind away from that opponent of all, / from praying for the foe of Madana who has monkey-like eyes, O deer-eyed lady!"

Hearing the brahmacārin, who was Īśvara, speaking such contrary words, / the goddess was enraged and said in a voice choked with emotion:

"Do not, do not, O brahmin, speak such contrary things about Śaṃkara! / A man enters the deepest darkness by reviling the God of gods.

You do not properly understand the deeds of that God. / Listen, O brahmin, so that you may be freed from this sin.

He is the beginning of all the worlds; who, then, knows his lineage? / He whose form is the entire universe is therefore called naked (clothed in space).

Because he bears the trident made of the three guṇas, he is the trident-bearer. / The beings (bhūtas) are unattached and free on all sides, and he is their lord.

The cremation ground is the realm of transmigration; he dwells there out of compassion for supplicants. / Prosperity (bhūti) is proclaimed as [his] splendour (bhūti); he bears it, [hence] he is the bearer of ashes/prosperity.

The bull is declared to be righteousness (dharma); he has mounted it, so he is the rider of the bull. / And the serpents are defects such as wrath and the like; he who is made of the universe bears them.

He bears the various yogas of action in the form of matted locks. / The triad of Vedas are his three eyes; the three worlds (Tripura) are his body composed of the three guṇas.

The God reduces it to ashes, hence he is remembered as the destroyer of Tripura. / Those who see subtler realities know Mahādeva to be such.

How indeed would they not worship that Hara? / Furthermore, O brahmin, since all people are fearful of transmigration,

they do everything after deliberate reflection; after deliberate reflection this was done by me. / Whether it brings good fortune or misfortune, you too should worship him!"

While she was speaking thus, noticing that his lower lip trembled slightly, / she said to her friend: "He wishes to say something else.

Let this brahmin, who speaks such great censures, be restrained! / Not only the speaker, but the listener too indeed becomes a sharer in sin, without a doubt.

Or rather, what business do we have with a debate with brahmins? / Covering our ears, let us depart; let him be as he is."

Having spoken thus, as she arose and walked away covering both ears, / Hara, assuming his own form, seized her garment.

Then, seeing that God, the supreme goddess was bewildered; / bowing low, Umā prostrated before the Great Lord and praised him.

And Mahādeva said to her: "I am your servant, O beautiful lady, / purchased by the wealth of your austerity; command me as you desire."

The goddess said: / "You are the master of my mind, O Śambhu, and that has been given by me to you. / My parents are masters of my body; it is fitting that you honour them."

Mahādeva said: / "Seeing you endowed with beauty while still a young girl, your father decided: / 'I shall give my daughter in a svayaṃvara, not otherwise.'

Therefore, let all his words be fulfilled. O fair-hipped lady, / urge Himācala toward a svayaṃvara; then I shall choose you."

Having spoken thus to her, Mahādeva, pure, dwelling in purity, the all-pervading lord, / went to his desired abode, and she returned to her own city.

Seeing the goddess then, the mountain [Himavat], together with Menā, was filled with joy.

Embracing and smelling [her head], he questioned her, and she reported everything / which the God of Gods had commanded concerning his daughter. Then the Himālaya,

greatly delighted, proclaimed a svayaṃvara throughout all the worlds. / The two Aśvins, the twelve Ādityas, the Gandharvas, the Garuḍas, and the Uragas,

the Yakṣas, the Siddhas, likewise the Sādhyas, the Daityas, the Kiṃpuruṣas, the mountains, / the oceans and others, whoever were the foremost in the three worlds,

the thirty-three thousand, the thirty-three hundred, / the thirty-three gods, and the thirty-three crores,

went to the matchless svayaṃvara of the daughter of the king of mountains. / Likewise invited, Viṣṇu spoke to Meru as if smiling:

“O father, that goddess is our mother too. O Meru, go; I bow to her.” / Then the goddess, the daughter of the mountain, having mounted a splendid,

golden vimāna, auspicious on all sides and adorned with all kinds of jewels, / while apsarases danced, decorated with every ornament,

being praised by various hosts of Gandharvas, by highly radiant Kiṃnaras, / and by bards, remained standing, holding a heroic gong.

Then [an attendant] named Śālinī held for Pārvatī [an umbrella] / blended with the rays of jewels on a white parasol, resembling the full moon’s disc at twilight.

Surrounded by celestial women whose hands were busy with chowries, / holding a garland born of a celestial tree, she stood.

When she was standing thus, and the three worlds were standing [assembled] then, / Mahādeva, whose emblem is the bull, having become a child for sport,

the blessed Bhava hid himself upon the lap [of the goddess]. / In order to make true the word “Victory” famous as his title, Īśvara [did so].

Then, seeing the child resting upon her lap, / the gods deliberated, “Who is this here?”, and shouted, exceedingly enraged.

Raising his arm, the slayer of Vṛtra brought forth his thunderbolt against him. / His arm, once raised, remained frozen just as it was.

Paralysed in sport by the God of Gods in the form of a child, / he was unable then to cast the thunderbolt or to move his arm.

Fire, having thus arisen, was unable then to throw his spear; / Yama too [was unable to wield] his staff, and Nirṛti his sword, against that child.

King Varuṇa his noose, the Wind his flag-staff, / Soma his club, and the Lord of Wealth his massive and sturdy mace;

the Ādityas their various weapons, and the Vasus their pestle, / and the Dānavas led by Tāraka their extremely dreadful missiles,

as well as the others who were in the worlds, were paralysed by the God of Gods. / Pūṣan, biting his teeth and bewildered, stared with malice at the boy;

his teeth also fell out the moment he was looked at by Śambhu. / And Bhaga contorted his eyes, and they burst open.

The Lord took away the strength, the fiery splendour, and the powers of them all. / Then, while those wrathful gods remained standing thus,

Brahmā, resorting to meditation, understood the act of Hara. / Approaching Mahādeva, Brahmā, devoutly restrained, praised him

with secret names sung in Sāmans, from the Purāṇas, and Vedic: / “Salutation to you, Mahādeva! Salutation, salutation to the Great Goddess!

Through your grace this world, beginning with intellect, proceeds. / And all the deities are bewildered; they did not recognise this Śaṃkara,

Mahādeva, who has arrived here, worshipped by all the gods! / Quickly go for refuge, if you wish to live!”

Then, filled with agitation, bowing down, the gods praised [him]: / “Salutation, salutation, Mahādeva! Protect us, protect us, Lord of the Universe!

Forgive us who are wicked in conduct and devoted to hostility against our own self! / Ah, behold our foolishness! Although knowing your future

wife to be Umā, the Great Goddess, nevertheless we assembled here! / It is proper that our kingdom should be seized by the asuras,

we whose intellect is of such a kind! But what is this that was done by us? / Or rather, there is no fault in us, for we are beasts,

and impelled by you alone as our master, O all-pervading Lord, we act. / You are the Īśvara of all beings, the master, the Parameśvara.

Mounted on a mechanical device, you cause the entire universe to revolve through your māyā; / bewildered by which, these fools arrived at the svayaṃvara.

Salutation to you, that Lord of beasts! Be gracious to us!” / Then the three-eyed God of Gods was pleased with them.

Due to the eulogy of Brahmā, the Lord restored them as before. / The Daityas headed by Tāraka, enraged, said there:

“O dear ones, who is this Mahādeva? We do not acknowledge him!” / Then, laughing aloud, that boy uttered the sound ‘huṃ’ in sport.

Merely by that sound ‘huṃ’, those Daityas went to their own city; / all of that, beginning with the svayaṃvara, was forgotten by them

through the majesty of Mahādeva, [forgotten] by the Daityas of terrible deeds. / Such indeed is his majesty among gods and Daityas, O Phālguna!

How can the meaning of Īśvara's word be released anywhere other than from him? / Undoubtedly bewildered are they; great will be their remorse hereafter,

who do not worship the three-eyed Īśvara of this world! / Then, being praised by the gods headed by the lotus-born [Brahmā],

the three-eyed Lord of Gods assumed a supremely wondrous form. / Because of his fiery splendour, those gods along with Indra, the moon, and the sun,

accompanied by Brahmā, accompanied by the Sādhyas, the Vasus, the Viśvedevas, / accompanied by Yama, and accompanied by the Rudras, begged the Lord for eye[sight].

To them, to Bhavānī, and to the Mountain, Śarva, the husband of the Mother, / granted the supreme, excellent eye to see his own form.

Having obtained through Rudra’s grace the matchless divine eye, / the gods along with Brahmā then beheld that Maheśvara.

Then the munis sang, and the sky-goers released / a shower of flowers; then the celestial drums resounded loudly.

The chief Gandharvas sang, and hosts of apsarases danced. / All the leaders of the gaṇas rejoiced, and Mother Pārvatī rejoiced.

Brahmā and the others considered Bhavānī and the lord of the mountain fulfilled. / Then the goddess, joyful in the presence of the dwellers of heaven,

placed at his feet a divine, fragrant garland. / Saying 'Well done! Well done!', honoured there by her,

all the gods together with Brahmā bowed down with their heads touching the ground to him along with the goddess, / and sang with joy: 'Victory!'

Thus ends the twenty-fifth chapter, titled 'The Description of the Wedding Festival of Lord Mahādeva', in the Kumāreśvaramāhātmya of the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa, in the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, of the Skandapurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.