Skandapurana 1.4.61: adhyāyaḥ 63

Sūta said:

As he offered into the fire of aśvattha and lac mustard seeds drenched in saffron

with the foremost mantras known as Balā and Atibalā, // 1

when the first watch [of the night] had passed, a certain woman arrived,

wearing a single cloth smeared with blood, with hair rising high above her head, // 2

with fierce eyes and white teeth, causing terror even to fear itself.

Having reached that place of sacrificial offering, she wept with a great roar. // 3

Seeing her, Vijaya was instantly agitated, as if frightened;

but Barbarīka, fearless, went up to face her. // 4

Then, embracing her neck, that foremost of the wise,

the hero, wept twice as loud, roaring greatly like a cloud. // 5

Astonished at seeing him, as she released her knife—

Meanwhile, her throat being squeezed, she was unable to release it.

And as her throat was repeatedly squeezed by the mighty one,

she emitted diverse cries, like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt.

Uttering screams for a moment, she then whispered, "Save me, release me!"

Then, released by the compassionate one, she fell at his feet and said:

"I have taken refuge with you; I am your servant, your maidservant.

Know me as Mahājihvā, a rākṣasī who can change form at will,

dwelling in the cremation ground of Kāśī, a destroyer of the pride of gods and dānavas.

If you grant me, O hero, the rare gift of my life,

then I shall perform tapas, granting safety to all beings.

In this matter, I swear by my own deity and by myself.

If I should violate this, may I instantly be reduced to ashes!"

Binding her firmly with oaths as she spoke thus, the hero

released her; and she, delighted at having escaped from peril, went into the forest.

The sword-bearing hero remained right there.

Then, in the middle of the night, a great roar was heard,

and a darkness arose resembling the darkness of the blind hell.

Then a mountain was seen, hundred-peaked and exceedingly vast.

It cast down diverse boulders and diverse lofty trees;

with the roar of numerous torrents, it rained abundant blood.

Beholding that mountain in such a state, the fearless son of Bhīma's son

became a mountain twice as large, suddenly leapt upon that mountain,

and then, raising it, struck it down with his own mountain.

Then that mountain shattered into pieces on the circle of the earth.

Then, having a body measuring a yojana, with a hundred heads and a hundred bellies,

emitting great flames from his mouths, Repalendra charged forward.

Seeing him rushing forward, the mighty Barbarīka,

assuming a similar form, also rushed roaring [toward him].

Then, in the middle of the night, the two fought swiftly, wondrously, and splendidly,

with clouds of arrows, like two rain-clouds in the monsoon season.

Their bows broken, [they fought] with swords; their swords broken, with fists;

like two mountains with wings, they fought steadily for a long time.

Then, lifting him under his arm and whirling him around for a moment,

he dashed him down upon the ground and hurled him outstretched;

he flung him into the south-eastern direction, onto the shore of the Mahīsāgara.

Far off from there, even today, there is a village named Repalendra.

Thus that Repala, endowed with prowess equal to Vṛtra,

the master of the cremation ground of Avantī who caused obstacles, was slain.

Having slain him, the heroic Barbarīka stood there once again.

Then, in the third watch of the night, from the western quarter came

a creature resembling a mountain, uttering loud screams, making the earth tremble, as it were, with its feet—

a she-mule named Duhadruhā, like lightning fallen from a cloud.

Seeing her approaching thus, radiant like the sun and fire,

the son of Bhīma's line quickly approached and mounted her, as if laughing.

Striking her on the snout with his fists as she ran with great speed,

he brought her to a halt right there, and she stood severely distressed.

Then, becoming enraged, Duhadruhā let out a great cry, leapt up,

and swiftly hurled Barbarīka to the ground as he wished.

Then, having roared loudly, she dealt a kick with her feet.

Grabbing her two feet, the hero tossed her onto the ground with ease.

Rising again and seizing her as she ran,

he knocked out her teeth with his fist and squeezed her throat;

wringing her out like a wet garment, he quickly deprived her of life.

Thus, in the place north of Sīkā, born in the cremation ground of the single-footed,

that ruler of the śākinīs was slain by Barbarīka.

Having killed her, he effortlessly hurled her into the western quarter.

Even today, a village named Duhadruhā exists there.

Then Barbarīka remained right there for protection.

Then, in the fourth watch of the night, a wondrous kṣapaṇaka arrived,

shaven-headed, naked, bearing peacock feathers, observing a great vow.

And he spoke these words: "Alas, alas, how dreadful, sir!

Non-violence is the highest duty; why then is this fire kindled?

For when offerings are made into the fire, a great slaughter of tiny creatures occurs."

Hearing these words of his, Barbarīka smiled and said:

"When the fire, the mouth of all the gods, is being offered into,

you speak a lie, you sinner! You deserve punishment, evil-minded one!"

Having said this, he suddenly sprang up, stood firmly upon his flank,

and striking his teeth with blows of his fist, knocked them out.

Leaving him fallen to the ground with his face covered in blood, he let him go.

Regaining consciousness in an instant, assuming the form of a dreadful Daitya,

he fled in fear from the descendant of Bhīma and entered the opening of a cave.

There was a city named Bahuprabhā, sixty yojanas in extent;

he entered it suddenly, and Barbarīka followed after him.

Then, seeing Barbarīka, a roar arose among the demons:

"Run! Let him be slain! Let him be cut down! Let him be torn apart!"

Hearing that, ninety million ferocious heroic Daityas,

bearing various weapons, rushed against the heroic Barbarīka.

Seeing those Daityas by the tens of millions, the son of Bhīma's son grew enraged;

suddenly shutting his eyes, he charged into their midst.

Then, some with kicks of his feet, others with blows of his arms,

and [others] with strikes to the chest, he dispatched to the realm of Yama in an instant.

Just as an enraged elephant levels a reed thicket to the ground,

so he slew the ninety millions together with that demon.

Then the snakes, headed by Vāsuki, assembled,

praised [him] with various words, and said to Suhṛdaya:

"The highest service to the snakes has been done by you, son of Bhīma['s lineage],

in that this Daitya named Palāśin has been sent, along with his followers, to Yama.

For by this wicked one and his followers, O hero,

we were tormented by various means and cast even lower than Pātāla.

Therefore, choose an supreme, desired boon from the snakes;

all of us, greatly delighted, are grantors of boons to you."

Suhṛdaya said:

"If a boon is to be given to me, then I choose this:

may Vijaya, freed from all obstacles, attain success."

Then the serpents, highly delighted, said to him, "So be it!"

And he, having given that city to them, departed, revered by the serpents.

And as he was going along through the cave, he saw a liṅga

of great radiance, made entirely of jewels, situated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree,

being worshipped by excellent, luminous snake maidens.

Then, filled with astonishment, he asked the snake maidens:

"By whom was this liṅga, radiant as the sun and fire, installed?

And of what kind are these paths leading in the four directions from the liṅga?"

Hearing these words of the hero, one [of them], having large hips and breasts,

bashfully, casting smiling side-glances, said this:

"By the king of all serpents, the great-souled Śeṣa,

having performed austerity, this great liṅga was installed here.

It grants all perfections through seeing, touching, meditating, and worshipping [it].

To the east of the liṅga, this path goes to Śrīparvata on earth;

it was made by Elāpatra for the serpents to reach that place.

And to the south, this path goes to Śūrpāraka on earth;

it was made by the snake Karkoṭaka to reach that place.

And to the west, this path goes to the splendid Prabhāsa;

it was made by Airāvata for the passage of the serpents.

And to the north is this path by which you are preparing to go;

fashioned as a cave of Śakti, it goes to the Siddhaliṅga in the Guptakṣetra.

It was made by the great-souled Takṣaka to go there.

Thus has this been described, O hero. Now hear my request:

Who are you, who just now went from here pursuing the Daitya?

And tell us, how have you returned here just now all alone?

And all of us are your maidservants; we choose you as our husband."

Sport with us in these diverse lands.”

Barbarīka said:

“I was born in the Kuru lineage, the grandson of the son of Pāṇḍu,

renowned as Barbarīka, and came [here] to kill that Daitya.

That wicked Daitya has been slain; I will return to the earth’s surface.

And I have no business whatsoever with you, ladies,

for I have constantly undertaken the vow of a celibate student.”

Having spoken thus, worshipped that liṅga, and bowed down prostrate like a stick,

the hero stepped upward, watched anxiously by them.

Then, having emerged outside, with a radiant face at that time,

he saw Vijaya with great joy in the eastern direction.

And at that time, Vijaya had completed the entire rite.

Shining like the sun in splendor, he mounted upward in an instant.

Then a great shower of flowers fell from the sky, [rained down] by the gods.

Chief Gandharvas sang, and hosts of apsarases danced.

Vijaya then spoke [these] words to Barbarīka:

“By your grace, O lord of heroes, I have attained incomparable perfection.

Live long! Rejoice long! Dwell long! Be victorious long!

For this very reason good people desire the company of the good,

since association with the virtuous becomes a medicine for all faults.

And you, take this ash lying in the sacrificial fire, shining like vermilion,

free from defect, filling every opening.

It is inexhaustible; when released by you first in battle,

it will destroy the enemies’ bodies, turning them into the abode of death.

Thus your victory over enemies will come easily.”

Barbarīka said:

“He who renders assistance without expectation is called good;

he who renders assistance with expectations—what virtue is there in his goodness?

Therefore give the ash to someone else; I have no need for anything whatsoever, even the least.

Apart from your gracious and favorable gaze, I choose nothing else.”

The gods said:

“A great war will take place between the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas.

If the Kauravas obtain the ash that lies on the ground,

great disaster will clearly befall the Pāṇḍavas.

Therefore, take the ash!” He too complied with their words.

The gods together with the goddesses honored Vijaya,

gave him the lordship of perfected beings, and the name Siddhasena.

Thus that brahmin Vijaya attained very rare perfection,

and Barbarīka, having done this, lived devoted to the worship of the Goddess.

Thus ends the sixty-third chapter, named ‘Description of the Accomplishment of the Task’, in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.