Skandapurana 1.4.66: adhyāyaḥ 1

Now begins the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa in the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. 2.

Salutation to the glorious Gaṇeśa.

Oṃ, salutation to Bṛhaspati.

Salutation to that Brahmā.

Salutation to Viṣṇu.

The glorious sages said: / Speak of those five sacred fords on the shores of the southern ocean, / O large-eyed one, and describe them fully. 1.1

Those in which Nārada and others proclaim the fruit of all sacred fords— / we desire to hear their history and māhātmya. 1.2

Ugraśravas said: / Hear the exceedingly wonderful and auspicious tale of the great power of Kumāranātha, / which Dvaipāyana formerly told me, his body covered with tears of joy and horripilation. 1.3

Let the song sung by Kumāra be heard here, O best of sages, / which is worshipped by all the gods, sages, and ancestors: 1.4

"A person of right conduct who resorts to the Stambhatīrtha, / his abode shall surely be in the world of Brahmā, just like mine. 1.5

Higher than the world of Brahmā is the world of Viṣṇu, and higher still than that is Śiva's; / and because he is his dear son, the world of Guha is the highest of all." 1.6

The wonderful story here that was formerly told to Phālguna / by Nārada, O best of sages, that I shall narrate to you in detail. 1.7

Formerly, for a certain reason, the crowned one [Arjuna] came from Maṇikūṭa / to the southern ocean to bathe in the five sacred fords, 1.8

which sacred fords ascetics always avoid out of fear. / The first is the sacred ford of Kumāreśa, dear to the sage; 1.9

and the second is that of Stambheśa, dear to the sage Saubhadra; / another is the excellent Barkareśvara, dear to Paulomī; 1.10

and the fourth is Mahākāla, dear to King Karandhama; / and the fifth is the sacred ford of Bharadvāja, named Siddheśa. 1.11

The bull of the Kurus saw these five sacred fords, / avoided by ascetics, yet exceedingly meritorious. 1.12

Seeing them, he questioned the great sages at his side, followers of Nārada: / "These sacred fords are delightful and possess wonderful power; 1.13

tell me, why are they always avoided by exponents of the Veda?" / The ascetics said: / "Five crocodiles dwell in them and carry off those rich in austerity. 1.14

Therefore, O scion of Kuru, these sacred fords are avoided." / Hearing this, the mighty-armed one set his mind upon going. 1.15

Then the ascetics said to him: "You ought not to go, O Phālguna! / Many kings and sages have been devoured by the crocodiles. 1.16

Indeed, for twelve years you have bathed in hundreds of millions of sacred fords; / what need have you of these sacred fords? Do not follow the moth's vow!" 1.17

Arjuna said:
What has been spoken by [you], the essence of compassion—let the essence of that be told here.
A human being who desires righteousness should not be restrained by great-souled ones.

For whatever dull-witted person restrains a man who desires righteousness,
the world dependent on him would turn to ashes through his sighs.

Since life is as momentary and fragile as a flash of lightning,
if it is spent for the sake of righteousness, let it go; what fault is there indeed?

Those whose life, wealth, wives, sons, fields, and houses
are spent for the sake of righteousness, they alone are truly human on this earth.

The ascetics said:
As you speak thus, O Pārtha, may a long life increase for you!
May your delight always be in righteousness; go, fulfill your desire!

Having been addressed thus, having bowed to them and been praised with blessings,
the best of the Bharatas went to see those sacred fords.

Then, having reached Saubhadra, the excellent sacred ford of the great seer,
the hero, the scorcher of foes, plunged in with haste and performed his ritual ablution.

Then a huge crocodile moving underwater seized that tiger among men,
the son of Kuntī, Dhanañjaya, in the water.

Taking that squirming water-creature [with him],
the mighty-armed son of Kuntī, the best of the strong, rose up by his strength.

And that crocodile, lifted out by the renowned Arjuna,
became an auspicious woman adorned with all ornaments,

with a shining crest, O brahmins, having a divine form and pleasing to the mind.
Seeing that great wonder, the son of Kuntī, Dhanañjaya,

exceedingly pleased, addressed this speech to that woman:
'Who are you, auspicious one, or whence did you move in the water?

And for what reason did you commit this great sin?'
The woman said:
'I am an apsaras, O son of Kuntī, dwelling in the forest of the gods.

Beloved ever of the lord of wealth, named Varcā, O you of great might!
I have four other companions, all moving at will, auspicious.

Together with them I set forth from the abode of the king of gods.
Then we all saw a homeless brahmin,

handsome, studying [the Vedas], alone, wandering in solitude.
By his austerity indeed, O hero, that forest was enveloped in fiery splendor;

like the sun he illuminated that whole region.
Having seen his austerity of such a kind, and his form wonderful to behold,

we descended to that region with the desire to cause an obstacle to his austerity—
myself, and Saurabheyī, Sāmeyī, Budbudā, [and] Latā.

Simultaneously we approached that brahmin, O Bhārata,
singing, flirting, and enticing that twice-born.

Yet that heroic one did not set his mind upon us in any way;
endowed with great splendor, he did not tremble, remaining steadfast in pure austerity.

Becoming angry, that brahmin cursed us, O bull of the kṣatriyas:
"Having become crocodiles in the water, you shall remain for a hundred years."

Then, all of us greatly afflicted, O best of the Bharatas,
came for refuge to the brahmin whose wealth was austerity, the faultless one:

"Arrogant on account of our beauty, youth, and love,
we have done what was improper; you ought to forgive us, O twice-born!

This itself is our death; that is sufficient, O you whose wealth is austerity,
that we have approached to seduce you whose self is praised!

And women are created not to be killed, so consider the ponderers of righteousness;
therefore, in accordance with righteousness, O knower of righteousness, this is the doctrine of the wise.

And the virtuous afford protection to those who have sought refuge;
we have sought refuge in you, a protector; therefore you ought to forgive us."

Addressed thus, the righteous brahmin who performs auspicious deeds,
valiant, with radiance equal to the sun and moon, showed grace.

The brahmin said:
'My mind is bewildered by your conduct!
Ah, what audacity! Ah, what delusion, to engage in sin!

If a person were to see death standing upon their head,
even food would not be pleasing, let alone the doing of improper deeds!

Ah, human birth is rare among all births,
yet it is treated like a blade of grass by some who are infatuated with women and uncontrollable!

We ask them: for what purpose is your birth?
Or what is the gain? Having reflected on this with the mind, let it be said!

We do not blame those [women] from whom birth proceeds;
we only blame those men who are unbridled toward them.

Because the couple was created by the lotus-born [Brahmā] for the increase of the universe,
that is to be maintained in that way; there is no fault in this whatever.

She who is given by kinsmen in the presence of fire and the twice-born—
the maintenance of household life with her is blessed, indeed granting everything.

Just as the natural union of a man [and woman], even when cultivated with effort
for one another, leads to virtue, while uncultivated it leads to vice,

so one's own excellent household life, being cultivated with effort,
leads to great virtue, while uncultivated it leads to vice.

In a city with five gates, the gatekeeper accompanied by eleven warriors,
together with a woman, having many offspring—how could he be devoid of consciousness?

And the union with a woman by rites such as the five sacrifices,
created for the benefit of the universe—alas, it is undertaken otherwise by fools!

Ah! Listen! If a good desire to hear does not arise in you,
nonetheless, raising our arms, we cry out aloud: who listens?

And shedding that semen, the essence of the six elements, equally,
if one casts it into an improper womb, Yama has declared this concerning him:

"First he is an injurer of plants, then further an injurer of himself,
an injurer of the ancestors, an injurer of the universe; he goes to darkness for eternal years."

Upon a human being, ancestors, gods, sages, and humans,
as well as dependents, subsist; for that purpose one should be self-restrained.

By speech, by mind, by tongue, hands, and ears,
one who is restrained is said to be a true sacred ford; beyond this is a crow's ford.

In a crow-like man in whom dark-natured persons take delight,
thinking "This is a swan!"—what purpose do the gods have with him? Let that be considered!'

"Indeed, remembering in the heart such an arrangement of the universe, / even if [sovereignty over] the three worlds were gained, how could the mind take delight in sin? 1.62

And that is seen by other mortals through scripture, O women; / it has been seen by me directly in Yama's realm—how could I be deluded? 1.63

And what anger can there be toward you? For those who are made for a certain purpose / carry out that purpose; let it indeed be true. 1.64

A hundred, a thousand, and all—these words signify the imperishable; / but indeed 'a hundred' as a measure does not signify the imperishable [here]. 1.65

And when you, having become crocodiles, seizing men in the water, / are pulled up from the water onto dry land by an excellent man, 1.66

then all of you will attain your own forms again. / An untruth has never been spoken by me, even in jest. / Your purification will be just like the excellent purification of one well-joined to good fortune." 1.67

The woman said: / "Then, having bowed to that brahmin and circumambulated him, 1.68

we departed from that place, deeply afflicted, and wondered: / 'Where on earth might all of us, in a short time, 1.69

meet that man who could restore our own forms to us?' / As we were pondering this here, after merely a moment, O descendant of Bharata, 1.70

we saw the highly fortunate celestial seer, Nārada. / Having seen that celestial seer of boundless splendor, we were all seen [by him]. 1.71

And having greeted him, O son of Pṛthā, we stood with distressed faces. / He asked us the root of our sorrow, and we told him. 1.72

And having heard that as it truly was, he spoke these words: / 'On the shore of the southern ocean there are indeed five sacred fords, 1.73

meritorious and delightful; go to them without delay. / While you dwell there, that tiger among men, the Pāṇḍava Dhanañjaya, 1.74

a pure-souled one, will free you from this sorrow; of this there is no doubt.' / O hero, having heard his words, all of us came here. 1.75

You ought to make this word true, O Pāṇḍava; / for the birth of virtuous men like you brings aid to the wretched." 1.76

Having heard her speech, he bathed in the sacred fords in succession, / and that Pāṇḍava lifted up those who had become crocodiles, restored to their former states. 1.77

Then, having bowed to the hero and pronounced blessings of victory, / as they were eager to depart, the son of Pṛthā, Dhanañjaya, said: 1.78

"This doubt turns firmly within my heart: / Why did the sage Nārada permit you to dwell abroad [here]? 1.79

Everyone, even the most lowly, accomplishes the welfare of that which he reveres; / why did Nārada direct you to dwell in the sacred fords he reveres? 1.80

Likewise, while the nine Durgās are present, exceedingly powerful, / and also Siddheśa and Siddhagaṇapa, how did you come to remain here? 1.81

For each one of these is able even to ward off the gods; / why did they not ward off all of you who were obstructing the sacred fords? 1.82

As I reflect on this, my mind wavers greatly. / Great curiosity has arisen in me; you ought to speak the truth." 1.83

The apsarases said: / "You ask what is fitting, O son of Kuntī; look once again toward the northern direction." 1.84

Thus ends the first chapter, named "The Deliverance of the Five Apsarases by the Son of Pṛthā," in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.