Skandapurana 14.25

Pulastya said: / Then one should go to the sacred ford Piṇḍāraka, which removes sins, O king, / where formerly austerity was performed by the brahmin Maṅki, / and who, through the power of this sacred ford, attained perfection, O king. 1

Long ago, O ruler of the earth, Maṅki was a brahmin in name only, / foolish, ignorant of the duties of a brahmin, and very dull-witted. 2

Then, O best of kings, on that lovely mountain, he tended the buffaloes / of the people, engaged in the occupation of a herdsman. // 3

After some time, he acquired wealth; / with difficulty from afar he acquired a little, and then bought a pair of bullocks. // 4

Then he trained that pair of bullocks, O best of kings. / Now, by the power of destiny, O king, that trained pair of bullocks of his, // 5

approaching a tied camel, forcefully remained attached to its neck. / Then, O king, the camel hastily rose up, seized with terror, // 6

with the pair of bullocks hanging from its neck, O king. / Seeing that great wonder—the destruction of the pair of bullocks— // 7

Maṅki attained dispassion; abandoning the village, he went to the forest. / Having gone to a certain mountain stream on Arbuda, O best of kings, // 8

he performed ritual ablution at the three divisions of the day and practiced the supreme recitation of the Gāyatrī. / By that, O king, he became freed from sin and endowed with divine vision. // 9

At that very time, Śaṃkara, along that path, / came out together with Gaurī for sport upon the lovely mountain. // 10

He was suddenly seen by that high-souled Piṇḍāra. / He made a bow, O king, and then Śaṃkara said to him: // 11

“My darśana should not be in vain; accept a boon from me, O twice-born! / Whatever is desired, O great king, even if it be very difficult to obtain.” // 12

Piṇḍāraka said:
“May I become your attendant, O Lord of gods, O destroyer of Tripura! / Make it so, O all-pervading Lord; nothing else resides in my heart. // 13

May this Piṇḍāraka sacred ford become famous by my name!” // 14

The Blessed Lord said:
“You shall become our attendant at the end of your body, O best of brahmins! / This sacred ford here shall be known by the name Piṇḍāraka. // 15

I shall enter here on the great eighth day, O noble-minded one; / and those who perform ritual ablution when the eighth day has arrived / shall go to the supreme abode where I am eternally present.” // 16

Pulastya said:
Having spoken thus, Mahādeva vanished right there. / Maṅki Piṇḍāraka performed tapas there day and night. // 17

Then, after a long time, casting off his body, he went to heaven; / where the blessed Lord Rudra resides, there he became an attendant. // 18

Therefore, with every effort, one should perform ritual ablution with mantras, // 19

O lord of kings, and especially the gift of a buffalo on the eighth day, / whoever always desires what is wished for in this world and in the next. // 20

Thus ends the twenty-fifth chapter, titled ‘Description of the Māhātmya of Piṇḍāraka Sacred Ford’, in the Arbuda Section, the third part of the seventh Prabhāsa Section, in the Skandapurāṇa comprising eighty-one thousand verses. // 25