Skandapurana 1.4.59: adhyāyaḥ 61

Sūta said:

Then, having left Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā there,

the wise Ghaṭotkaca, accompanied by his son, went through the sky to Dvārakā. (1)

And seeing that rākṣasa approaching followed by a rākṣasa,

the warriors residing in Dvārakā raised a tremendous shout: (2)

"In every village, let nine hundred thousand chariots fully equipped [assemble]!

Let these two rākṣasas who have arrived be brought down with arrows!" (3)

Seeing those Yadu heroes who had taken up their weapons, Ghaṭotkaca

raised his massive arm and called out in a loud voice: (4)

"Know me, O heroes, as a rākṣasa—Ghaṭotkaca, the son of Bhīma,

greatly beloved of Vāsudeva, arrived to pay homage! (5)

Announce me, who have arrived with my son, to the lord of the Yādavas!"

Hearing these words of his, they announced [it] to Kṛṣṇa. (6)

And the Lord, seated in the assembly, said: "Let him come here quickly!"

Then they led Ghaṭotkaca into Dvārakā. (7)

He too, accompanied by his son, gazed upon the delightful groves and gardens,

the pleasure-hills, and the palaces, as he arrived at the assembly. (8)

There he bowed to Ugrasena, Vasudeva, and Sātyaki,

and those headed by Akrūra and Rāma, and indeed to Kṛṣṇa. (9)

Embracing him and his son as he fell at his feet,

seating him beside himself with blessings, [Kṛṣṇa] said this: (10)

"O son, tiger among rākṣasas, increaser of the family of the Kurus!

Is it well with you in every way? What is the purpose of your arrival?" (11)

Ghaṭotkaca said:

"O Lord, by your favor it is well with me in every way.

Hear the reason, O Master, for which I have come. (12)

O God-instructed one, this son of mine was born to my wife,

and he will ask you a question; therefore, hear [it from him], who has come [before you]." (13)

Lord Kṛṣṇa said:

"Dear child, Maurveya, speak! Ask everything that you desire.

Just as Ghaṭotkaca is very dear to me, so are you." (14)

Barbarīka said:

"Having bowed to you, the primal deity, with my mind, intellect, and absorption,

I will ask: by what means may the highest good be achieved for a born creature, O Mādhava? (15)

Some say the highest good is virtue; [others say it is] sovereignty, or enjoyment [after] renunciation;

some say self-restraint, austerity, wealth, enjoyments, and some say liberation. (16)

Thus, among the hundreds of forms of the highest good, O Supreme Person,

tell me with certainty what is the highest good for me and for this lineage." (17)

Lord Kṛṣṇa said:

"Child, the highest good has been declared distinctly for each of the classes.

For brahmins, austerity is the foundation, along with self-restraint and study [of the Vedas]; (18)

and the manifestation of virtue is also proclaimed as the highest good by the wise.

For kṣatriyas, it is declared that strength must first be accomplished, (19)

along with the punishing of the wicked and the protection of the virtuous.

And for vaiśyas, cattle-rearing, agriculture, and commerce [are prescribed]. (20)

For a śūdra, service to the twice-born; living by that, he may become a merchant,

or he may live by various crafts while acting for the welfare of the twice-born. (21)

Delighting in his wife, supporting his dependents, pure, intent on faith,

he should not neglect the five daily sacrifices by means of the mantra of salutation. (22)

Therefore, you are born in a kṣatriya lineage; hear and perform that:

First attain unequaled strength; through that, chastise (23)

the wicked and protect the virtuous; thus you will attain heaven.

And strength is obtained, O child, by the gracious favor of the Goddesses. (24)

Therefore, perform the worship of the Goddess for the sake of obtaining strength." (25)

Barbarīka said:

"In what sacred field, and which Goddess, and how should I worship?

Having made your mind inclined to favor, tell me this." (26)

Sūta said:

Thus asked, the all-pervading Dāmodara, having meditated for a moment, said:

"Dear child, I will tell you the sacred field where you will perform that austerity.

It is known as the Guptakṣetra, at the confluence of the Mahī and the ocean. (27)"

The various goddesses who are in the three worlds,

were brought together into unity there by the great-souled Nārada.

There are the four goddesses of the cardinal directions and the nine Durgās;

go and worship them, for their assembly is rare to attain.

Worship them daily, my son, with flowers, incense, and unguents,

and with hymns of praise and offerings, so that they may be pleased with you.

When the goddesses are pleased, strength, wealth, renown, sons, and fortunate wives,

as well as heaven and the state of liberation, true happiness, are not difficult to attain; this truth has been told to you."

Sūta said:

Having spoken thus to Barbarīka, Kṛṣṇa addressed Ghaṭotkaca:

"Noble Ghaṭotkaca, this son of yours truly has a firm, good heart;

therefore, 'Suhṛdaya' ('Good-hearted') is the second name given [to him] by me."

Having spoken thus, embracing [him] and gratifying [him] with various riches,

the Lord directed Barbarīka to the Guptakṣetra.

He then bowed to Kṛṣṇa, to his father, and to those Yādavas,

and having taken leave of them all, he proceeded to the Guptakṣetra.

Ghaṭotkaca too, dismissed by Kṛṣṇa, went to his own forest;

remembering the virtues of his son with his wife, he protected his realm.

Then the wise Suhṛdaya, having made his hermitage at Dagdhasthalī,

worshipped the goddesses at the three junctures of the day with absorption in ritual action,

constantly with flowers, incense, and various offerings.

As he worshipped them, the goddesses were pleased after three years.

Then, having appeared manifestly, by their power to that great-souled one [they gave]

strength which belongs to no one in the three worlds and is hard to attain.

And they said: "Dwell right here for some time, O one of great splendour;

through the companionship of Vijaya, you will indeed attain even greater welfare."

Addressed thus by all the goddesses, he remained right there.

Then there arrived a Magadhan brahmin named Vijaya;

that best of the twice-born, having traversed the whole earth on foot,

and having obtained the power of spells in Kāśī, came for the sake of accomplishing [the rite].

He worshipped seven liṅgas, beginning with Guheśvara;

he worshipped the goddesses for a long time to obtain the fruit of the spells.

Then, pleased with him, the goddesses spoke these words in a dream:

"O virtuous one, accomplish the spell in the courtyard before Siddhāmātā;

this devotee Suhṛdaya will assist you."

Then, having heard that speech from within the dream,

Vijaya arose, went to the Goddess, and chose that grandson of Bhīma.

He too, having heard the command of the Goddess, agreed to be an assistant.

Then on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, Vijaya, having fasted and purified himself,

bathed and worshipped the liṅgas, and separately worshipped the goddesses.

Barbarīka, having performed ritual ablution and fasted, stood near him.

Then in the first watch of the night, he went before Siddhāmbikā,

and having drawn a maṇḍala there nine cubits in size in the shape of a yoni,

and having driven eight pegs tied with cords into the eight directions,

wearing a black antelope skin, accompanied by Barbarīka,

having tied up his topknot and formed the protective barrier of directions, he then began the rite.

In the middle of the maṇḍala, in a bright fire-pit with three girdles,

having offered [oblations], and then having consecrated a sword of khadira wood with mantras,

and having established the pegs all around, he then spoke to Barbarīka:

"Pure and sleepless, remain standing while chanting the praise of the Goddess,

so long as I perform this rite, so that no obstacle arises."

When Barbarīka of great strength remained standing there as spoken,

the self-restrained Vijaya performed the desiccating, the burning, and the flooding.

Then, comfortably seated, uttering 'Guṃ, salutations to the gurus,'

he chanted the mantra one hundred and eight times, bowed to the gurus,

and then commenced the rite of Gaṇeśvara.

"Now, therefore, I will proclaim the supreme mantra of Gaṇapati,

which accomplishes all tasks, is brief, carries great meaning, and bestows all perfections:

'Oṃ gāṃ gīṃ gūṃ gaiṃ gauṃ gaḥ'—this is the great seven-syllable mantra.

Of the Oṃ-Gaṇapati mantra, the seer is Gaṇaka; the deity is Vighneśvara; the seed-syllable is gaṃ; the energy is oṃ; the application is for worship, for recitation, for applying the forehead mark, for the heart's desired purpose, or for the fire oblation."

First, the practitioner applies the tilaka.

“Oṃ gāṃ, homage to Gaṇapati.”

With this mantra, he should place unbroken grains of rice upon the tilaka:

“Oṃ gāṃ, homage to Gaṇapati.”

This is the tilaka mantra.

“Oṃ gāṃ, homage to Gaṇapati.”

With this mantra, he should offer three double handfuls of flowers to Gaṇeśa.

With the root-mantra, he should offer sandalwood paste, perfumes, flowers, incense, a lamp, food-offerings, betel nut, betel leaves, and the rest.

After this, he should perform recitation using the root-mantra.

Having recited one hundred and eight, a thousand, a hundred thousand, or ten million times according to his capacity, he invokes the fire for the sake of the tenth-part fire sacrifice, saying, “I invoke [the fire] for Gaṇeśa's fire”;

and with the mantra, “Oṃ gāṃ, to Gaṇapati, svāhā,” he should perform the fire sacrifice with pellets of bdellium and recite the ritual application. Such is the ritual procedure of Gaṇeśa.

Whoever thus masters this supreme mantra amid all obstacles—

all his obstacles are destroyed, and his heart's desire is fulfilled. (57)

Ḍākinīs, yātudhānas, and terrifying spirits such as pretas [are averted];

the destruction of enemies takes place, as well as their subjugation. (58)

Knowing this ritual procedure of Gaṇeśa, Vijaya too,

having applied the tilaka according to the rule and recited [the mantra] one hundred and eight times, (59)

having offered a tenth part in pellets into the fire and worshipped Siddhivināyaka,

then performed worship at night for the guardian of the field at Siddheya. (60)

Thus ends the sixty-first chapter, entitled “Description of the Ritual Procedure of Gaṇeśa in the Accomplishment of the Great Knowledge,” in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses]. (61)