Skandapurana 1.4.63: adhyāyaḥ 65

Sūta said:

Having stayed seven nights at this sacred ford with his brothers,

The immensely radiant Yudhiṣṭhira prepared to depart.

At clear dawn, having bathed and worshipped the goddesses and liṅgas in order,

And circumambulating the sacred field, he chanted the hymn to the Goddess,

Which had been proclaimed by Kṛṣṇa to be recited always at times of departure.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

"O Goddess, O adorable one, O great Śakti, beloved sister of Kṛṣṇa,

Bowing to you, I seek refuge through actions of mind, speech, and body.

O giver of fearlessness to Saṃkarṣaṇa, of brilliance equal to Kṛṣṇa's complexion,

O Ekānaṃśā, O great Goddess, O auspicious one, protect me like a son!

This entire world is pervaded by you whose form is unmanifest.

Thinking thus, I have taken refuge in you; protect me, O auspicious lady!

In all undertakings of tasks, along with my followers, my own self

Has been dedicated to you, O gentle lady. Knowing this, have compassion!"

Sūta said:

To the king speaking thus, holding his hands joined above his head at that time,

The son of the Wind-god laughed and spoke this with indignation:

"O king, those who say of you, 'This Yudhiṣṭhira is omniscient'—

Futile indeed is their word, since you do not know even an atom.

For who that is chief among the wise, best among those knowing all treatises,

Would go to women for refuge, being simple-minded as you are?

Since you yourself know that it is declared in all treatises:

'Insentient is this prakṛti, dull, by which the world is deluded.'

The wise call the puruṣa conscious, and prakṛti unconscious,

O ruler of men; and prakṛti is dear to the spirit.

Therefore, being yourself a man, O Yudhiṣṭhira of vain intellect,

You praise prakṛti after bowing to her—excessive laughter arises in me!

One should never place shoes on one's head after taking them off;

Just as such a man is foolish, so is one intent on devotion to the Goddess.

If your speech stood unrestrained like a bard's, O Pārtha,

Then for what reason do you not praise Mahādeva, the destroyer of Tripura?

Or, if you deem Maheśāna to be imperceptible, O wise one,

Then for what reason do you not praise the Dāśārha, the supreme person?

By whose grace the daughter of Drupada was obtained by us,

And likewise the kingdom in Indraprastha, and the Rājasūya was performed by you,

The bow was obtained by Vijaya, Jarāsandha was slain by me,

And likewise we wish to recover our royal fortune from the Kauravas—

Leaving aside that Kṛṣṇa by whose grace you are victorious, alas, you praise [a female]!

Or rather, [has delusion] arisen naturally in the best of the family of the Kauravas?

If, knowing yourself [inferior] due to smallness of intellect, you do not praise the Yādava,

then why do you not praise the most excellent Arjuna of great valor? // 19

By whom the target was pierced long ago, by whom Karṇa and others were conquered,

by whom that Khāṇḍava [forest] was burned, by whom kings were vanquished at the sacrifice, // 1.2.65.20

and by whose prowess even Maheśāna, it is heard, was overcome?

Go for refuge to him who resides in heaven, and praise him! // 21

Or else, thinking, ‘Why was the kingdom not granted to me by that Śakra?’

in vain do you not praise my brother? // 22

Then why, O Yudhiṣṭhira, do you not praise me, the hero,

by whom you were formerly protected from the midst of the fire in the lac house? // 23

The king of Madra was struck with a tree and stretched out like a dry river;

likewise, the king of kings Jarāsandha was struck down [by me]. // 24

By whom the eastern quarter was conquered; by whom formerly Baka was slain,

and the mighty Hiḍamba, and just now Kirmīra in the forest! // 25

From time to time I alone protect you, ever your follower;

I do not see her protecting you—the one whom you bow to and praise, O Bhārata! // 26

Or perhaps, knowing me to be driven by hunger and foremost among gluttons,

cruel and reckless, you—the foremost of the patient—do not praise [me]? // 27

Therefore, becoming well-restrained and uttering the praṇava,

why do you not walk along the path? For idle talk brings fault. // 28

Ghosts, piśācas, and rākṣasas possess a man who indulges in idle chatter;

possessed by them, the speaker babbles nonsense again and again. // 29

Whatever an idle talker eats, whatever good deed he performs anywhere,

all of it is only for the gratification of ghosts and the like: so is the conclusion of the scriptures. // 1.2.65.30

This world is not his, nor indeed can there be a higher world for him;

therefore, a wise person must diligently abandon useless speech. // 31

If, even after being thus reminded, you continue in this manner,

you, as one possessed by spirits, must be treated by us with various medicines! // 32

Sūta said:

Having heard this speech uttered by Bhīmasena,

spread out like a woven cloth, Yudhiṣṭhira smiled and said: // 33

“Surely your understanding is small, and the Vedas were studied by you in vain,

since you do not respect Ambikā, the mother of all beings. // 34

Thinking ‘She belongs to the female sex,’ why do you despise her, sir?

Being a woman, is virtuous Kuntī not to be saluted by you, O Vṛkodara? // 35

If the Mahāmāyā, worshipped by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, did not exist,

how could your body have been born, O son of Pṛthā? Speak in accordance with the truth! // 36

Was not Īśvara, the Supreme Self, capable of abandoning her?

Yet since he resorted to the Goddess again, I consider her exceedingly mighty. // 37

Even Vāsudeva constantly praises that Power, higher than the highest.

If I am to be treated [as mad], are you also going to treat him? // 38

You must not speak like this again out of foolishness toward Maheśvarī!

Fall to the ground and take refuge in her if you desire happiness!” // 39

Bhīma said:

“By all means rogues try to instruct a man who has fallen into their hands.

The only remedy there is not to engage in talk with them! // 1.2.65.40

Every head has a different mind—this is clearly true, O king.

Everyone does as he pleases; likewise let us do as we please. // 41

Endowed with strength equal to ten thousand elephants, the son of Vāyu, Vṛkodara,

would under no circumstances seek refuge in a woman, even by mere word!” // 42

Having spoken these words, Bhīma followed behind that king;

the king also went on with his followers, repeatedly saying, “This is not good.” // 43

Then in a moment, distressed and stumbling here and there,

Bhīma, utterly bewildered, spoke these words to the king: // 44

“O Dharmarāja of great intellect, best of kings, look at me!

I cannot see at all with my two eyes! What is this affliction of mine?” // 45

The king said:

“Bhīma, O Bhīma, surely the Goddess Maheśvarī is enraged at you!

Because of that your eyes are lost, O lover of great rashness! // 46

Therefore, go right now for refuge to the Supreme Goddess!”

Pleased, she might give you your two eyes again.”

Bhīma said:

“I too know, dear brother, that none is equal to the goddess.

Indeed, it was only to test her power that I repeatedly reviled her.

Therefore, having seen such power, falling upon the surface of the earth,

having bowed with mind, speech, and intellect, I take refuge and praise the Mother.”

Sūta said:

Having spoken thus to his eldest brother and prostrating with all eight limbs,

Bhīma, having gone for refuge to the goddess, praised the Mother.

Bhīma said:

“O Goddess, mother of all beings, filler of hundreds of universes,

save, save your foolish child! Homage be to you!

You are Brāhmī, the power of Brahmā; you are Vaiṣṇavī, and you are Śāmbhavī.

You are the threefold form whose nature is power; protect, protect! Homage be to you!

You are the deity of Indra's quarter, of Agni's, of Yama's, and of Nirṛti's.

You are the deity of Varuṇa's quarter, of Vāyu's, and of Kubera's. Homage be to you!

O goddess of the northeast, Vārāhī, Nārasiṃhī, giver of victory,

Kaumārī, auspicious one of the lineage, mistress of mercy, homage be to you!

You are in the Sun; likewise, you are in the Moon, in Mars, in Mercury, and in Jupiter.

You are in Venus; you abide in Rāhu, and you are in the Ketus. Homage be to you!

You dwell in the realm of the Pole Star, and your abode is in the circle of the seers.

In the wheels of constellations, the wheels of the sky, and the wheel of the earth: homage be to you!

O goddess, you dwell in the seven continents and in the seven oceans,

and in all seven realms of Pātāla; homage be to you!

O goddess, you are the helper in the incarnations of Viṣṇu.

Therefore you are supplicated by Viṣṇu; protect me, O Mother! Homage be to you!

O four-armed one, four-faced one, giver of fruits, fond of the crossroads,

praised by the moving and unmoving, O goddess, I bow down to your feet.

O most terrible one, Kālarātri, wearing rows of bells, blazing fiercely,

ever worshipped on the seventh lunar day, giver of eyes, become my refuge!

O dweller on Meru, yellow-eyed one, sole protectress of eyes,

destroyer of Daityas with the sound ‘huṃ-huṃ’, worthy of refuge, become my refuge!

O you of great roar, of great valour, destroyer of great delusion,

remover of great bondage, O goddess, grant me three eyes!

If you are truly the auspiciousness of all auspicious things, O Mother,

then grant me auspiciousness by bestowing eyes; homage be to you!

If you are truly more compassionate than all compassionate ones,

then show compassion to me and give me two eyes; homage be to you!

If you become angry, O goddess, thinking, ‘This one is a sinner,’ that is in vain;

for it is you yourself who delude me in this way—is that not yours? Homage be to you!

One who himself raises dust and gets covered by it becomes angry;

in the same way you are angry with me, O Mother: reveal yourself to this helpless one!”

Puffed with praise by the Pāṇḍava, the goddess, dark-complexioned,

charming, with a face like Rāma, became visible before his eyes.

She was splendidly adorned with a diadem radiant as ten million flashes of lightning,

and embellished with earrings shining like the disc of the sun.

She was adorned with a necklace like the streaming flow of the divine river,

and graced with ear-ornaments filled with blossoms of the wishing-tree.

She dispelled the great fear and delusion of devotees with the moonlike splendour of her teeth,

and shone with four arms bearing a sword, a shield, a trident, and a vessel.

She was wrapped in a garment bright as lightning, like a streak of clouds;

she shone with a garland of flowers encircled by a swarm of bees.

Her two feet, which grant refuge to the virtuous, were adorned with anklets;

she was worshipped with cries of “Victory!” and showers of flowers by Indra and the other gods.

Surrounded by attendants, goddesses, and hundreds of spotless lotuses,

beholding her in the sky, that Mother moving through space,

the lord of kings fell to the ground, crying repeatedly, “Homage, homage!”

Bhīma too, having seen the Mother, just as a child runs forward,

so ran towards her, saying, “Victory, O Mother!”

And by the mere sight of the goddess, he then acquired three auspicious eyes.

Bowing down, he repeatedly chanted: 'Homage to you, homage to you!

Be gracious, O lotus-eyed goddess; be gracious to me again, O Mother!

Be gracious once more to a sinner; O you whose nature is forgiveness, be gracious to me!'

Thus praised, the goddess herself arose, placed the king Bhīma

upon her lap, and out of compassion spoke these words:

The goddess said:

'Because of the praise you have uttered, I am pleased with you.

Therefore, three eyes are given [to you]: two outer ones and a supreme inner one.

I do not show anger here and there without cause, O Vṛkodara;

yet because you are an authoritative man, I showed anger toward you.

Nor is this pleasing to Kṛṣṇa, my brother, that I should practice anger,

since you [Pāṇḍavas] are the external life-breaths of Vāsudeva.

And you constantly disparage me; I know that, O Vṛkodara,

[wondering] "What sort of woman is she?" merely to ascertain my power.

Therefore, you must never do such a thing again in any way.

For casting a slighting eye upon venerable beings brings about excessive misery.

So now, let all this be forgiven between us mutually.

And listen, O hero, O descendant of Bharata, to what I say to you:

Whenever a decline of dharma occurs, Hari manifests Himself;

at that time, descending as the companion of that Viṣṇu,

I too appear. Now Hari has been born on earth as the son of Vasudeva,

and I am the daughter named Ekānaṃśā of the cowherd Nanda.

Therefore, just as the blessed Kṛṣṇa, my brother, is revered [by me],

so too you Pāṇḍavas are always brothers to me.

Those best of men who praise me as "the sister of Bhīma",

full of joy, I will destroy their afflictions.

And you, O hero, will give victory to your brother in the great battle;

I will abide in your arms for the slaughter of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Having ruled the kingdom for thirty-six years thereafter,

you will traverse the earth by the observance of the Great Departure (mahāprasthāna).

Then, in this very region, a great demon named Loho,

will advance to kill you when you have laid down your weapons.

Then, for your sake, I will make him—who cannot be slain by all living beings—

blind and cast him down; then you will proceed on.

Having crossed all the snow, submerged in the ocean of sand,

the king alone will go to heaven; he will depart with his physical body.

Where Loho was blinded, a city by the name of Lohāṇā

will come into being, and right there I will always abide by a portion of myself.

Then, when the Kali age arrives, there will be a devotee of mine

named Kelo; by his name I shall be known as Keleśvarī.