Skandapurana 14.29

Pulastya said:
Then one should go, O best of kings, to the supreme Kapilātīrtha,
where a man, properly bathed, is freed from all sins.

Formerly there was a king named Suprabha, a slayer of enemy heroes,
always devoted to hunting and intent on harming deer.

He did not have such passion for women, nor for pleasures, nor for riding horses or elephants,
as he had for destroying deer.

Once, O best of kings, intent on deer, he went to Arbuda.
And on a mountain slope he saw a doe surrounded by her young,

very tenderly nursing her child who was fond of milk.
She was suddenly pierced by him with a bent-knotted arrow.

Then, seeing the king holding his bow
and fitting a second bright arrow, the doe,

afflicted with rage, spoke back to the king:
"This has not been declared the duty of a kṣatriya, which you have practiced today!

A deer that is lying down, engaged in mating, suckling, or afflicted with disease,
should not be killed, O king, nor a doe accompanied by her child.

Therefore, today has death come upon me completely, O lowest of kings,
having met with your arrow, and upon my son without me.

Since I have been killed unrighteously by you, O lord of the earth,
therefore, right here on this mountain slope, you shall become a fierce tiger!"

Pulastya said:
Hearing of that very great sin, that king, filled with fear,
propitiated that doe whose breath was now fading:

"Out of lack of discernment and pitilessly was you killed by me, O gentle one.
Therefore, grant release from the curse to this wretched person, O good doe!"

The doe said:
"When you see a milch cow named Kapilā,
then, through conversation with her, you will return to your original nature."

Having spoken thus before the king, the doe departed from life,
pained by the strike of the arrow and especially by love for her son.

Then that king immediately became one with a terrifying face—
a tiger, ten cubits long, with sharp teeth and claws;
and fainting with rage, he devoured his own army.

Then those soldiers, O king, the survivors of the slaughter, overcome with grief,
went to their homes there, and to the people in the city [told] what had happened,

reporting the event in city squares and at crossroads,
how indeed that king had attained the state of a tiger on Mount Arbuda.

Hearing that report, they consecrated his son of vast valor to the kingship,
renowned by name, possessing great majesty.

Then, after some time, O best of kings, on that mountain slope
a herd of cows arrived, afflicted with thirst and crowded with cowherds and milkmaids.

There, one cow strayed from her herd out of longing for grass;
known as Kapilā, she was the leader of her herd.

She who always ate uncut tips of grass, O king,
then arrived at an empty, terrifying cave on the mountain.

There, a tiger whose mouth was fierce with fangs approached her.
Seeing that wicked beast, she took fright like a doe,

remembering her own milk-drinking son tied in the cowpen.
Seeing her weeping in distress, that lord of beasts spoke:

The tiger said:
"Why weep in vain, O cow? Having encountered me, there is indeed no life
for anyone, O foolish one! Therefore, remember your chosen deity!"

Kapilā said:
"I do not weep in any way out of fear for my own life, O tiger;
my young son, who drinks milk, is waiting in the cowpen.

Even today he does not eat blades of grass; therefore I am overcome with grief.
I weep out of love for my son, O tiger; I touch myself with truth!

Having suckled my young son, and having seen and consulted my own kin,
I shall return again, if you agree, O mighty one."

The tiger said:
"Having gone into the presence of your own son, and having seen your own herd of cows,
that you will come back again—I do not believe that.

And you speak to me thus out of fear; there is no fear equal to that for one's life.
Therefore, out of fear for your life, you will not come, O cow!"

Kapilā said: / 'I will return under oaths; hear this truth from me. / If you can trust me, king of beasts, release me.'

The tiger said: / 'Speak those oaths, gentle one, by which you will return again; / then, having gained trust, I may release you or may not.'

Kapilā said: / 'He who deceives a brahmin endowed with the study of the Vedas— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is incurred by men devoted to hostility against their guru— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin arises from killing a brahmin and from killing a cow— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is incurred in betraying a friend, whatever sin in deceiving a guru— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whoever touches a cow with the foot, or a brahmin, or fire— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

The man who destroys wells, pleasure gardens, or ponds— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin belongs to the ungrateful, and whatever belongs to an informer— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is incurred by men devoted to liquor and meat— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is incurred by men who commit slander before the king— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is incurred by those who sell the Vedas— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

That small-minded man who obstructs what is being given to the twice-born— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is declared of murderers of the trusting— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin is incurred by men devoted to hatred of the twice-born— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Whatever sin belongs to the wicked devoted to slandering others— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Those evil-doers who eat curd and barley groats at night— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.

Those who eat aubergine, white radish, or red carrot— / may I be stained with that sin if I do not come back again.'

Pulastya said: / Hearing her oaths, his eyes wide with amazement, / and having then gained trust, the tiger said these words:

The tiger said: / 'Go to your cow-station, gentle one, and make your return. / And it must not be thought: "He has been deceived by me."

Go, Kapilā, see your calf, you who are fond of your offspring; / after letting him suck your full udder and sniffing his head,

having seen your mother, brother, female companions, kin, and relatives, / keep only truth foremost; you must not do otherwise.'

Pulastya said: / Permitted by the lion among beasts, Kapilā, fond of her offspring, / her face filled with tears and miserable, set out toward the cow-station.

Trembling, distressed with fear, sunk in an ocean of grief / like a female elephant seized by a terrifying and powerful lion, / she then reached her cow-station, lowing again and again.

Then, hearing her voice and recognising his mother, / the calf eagerly ran to face her with tail raised, highly delighted.

Seeing her untimely arrival and hearing her dreadful lowing, / that calf, filled with misgiving, asked:

The calf said: / 'I see no serenity in you; you appear as if broken-hearted. / Why have you arrived at an unusual hour? Tell me!'

Kapilā said: / 'Drink from the udder, son; hear also the cause from me afterward. / I have come out of love for you; take your desired satisfaction.

This is the very last and rare sight of your mother, son. / Today I must go, son, since I came under oaths.

My life must be given to a shape-shifting tiger. / By him I was released under oaths on your account, my child.

Today I must go there, to the proximity of the king of beasts; / and in accordance with the oaths, son, I will surrender my body.'

The calf said: / 'I will go there where you wish to go; / for death today together with you is indeed praiseworthy, without doubt.

For I must die even alone without you; / if the tiger kills me there along with you,

whatever realm belongs to those devoted to their mother, that will surely be mine. / Therefore I will certainly go with you, without a doubt.

Or else remain right here; let your oaths fall upon me. / I will go in your place, mother, if you approve.

Separated from my mother, life is indeed not dear to me; / for young ones living on milk, no one is equal to a mother.

There is no protector equal to a mother; there is no refuge equal to a mother. / Those sons who are devoted to their mother go to the supreme goal.'

Kapilā said: / 'Death is ordained for me alone, child, not for you now; / nor can the death of other creatures occur through the death of another.

Listen attentively, son, to this last excellent advice of your mother, / which brings happiness in the end:

Wander always in the forest, calf, intent on vigilance; / through heedlessness all living creatures perish, without doubt.

Nor should you graze on grass in a perilous spot anywhere out of greed; / from greed comes the destruction of creatures in this world and the next.

Deluded by greed, they enter the ocean, the dense forest, and war; / out of greed and the like they commit terrifying deeds; it must certainly be abandoned.'

A man is ruined by three things: by greed, by carelessness, and by false confidence. / Therefore, one should not be greedy, nor careless, nor overly trusting.

And oneself, O son, must always be protected with great effort / from all beasts of prey, from barbarians, and from thieves and the like,

as well as from animals born of sinful wombs, as you constantly roam in the forest. / Nor should you grieve; death is certain for everyone.

Hear also my reply, which dispels grief: / Just as a traveler seeking shade rests under a tree, / and having rested, moves on again, so is the meeting of living beings.

Pulastya said: / Having spoken thus to that calf and sniffed [him] on the crown of his head, / she then went to see her own mother and the group of her companions.

And then, distressed with grief for her son, she spoke these words: / 'O mothers, clearly hear these final words of mine:

My little son is helpless, weak, poor, and drinks only froth. / Tormented by grief for his mother, you all must protect him.

He is the son of you fortunate ones, especially now. / He must be bathed, given drink, nourished, and protected like your own son.

If he wanders in rough places, or into another's herd, / or engages in improper actions, O friends, you must restrain him.

And forgive me, O fortunate ones; relying on truth, I shall go / where that tiger waits, by whom I was just released.'

Having heard her words, filled with grief, / they all fell into deep dejection and spoke, greatly sorrowful:

'O Kapilā, you must not go at all; no fault will attach to you. / There is no fault when life is in peril and in dread calamity.

In this regard, a verse was sung of old by sages who expound righteousness: / "When life is in danger, there is no sin in an oath [broken]."'

Kapilā said: / 'Only to protect the lives of living beings do I speak an untrue word. / For my own sake, I never utter even the slightest lie.

A thousand horse-sacrifices and truth were weighed on a balance: / truth indeed outweighs a thousand horse-sacrifices.

Therefore, through desire for life, I will not make myself untrue. / Let the noble lady permit me; I shall go where the king of beasts is.'

Her companions said: / 'O Kapilā, you are worthy of reverence even by all gods and asuras, / since through supreme truth you abandon your life, which is so hard to give up.

Surely, by virtue of truth, death shall not befall you in any way. / If truth is indeed the authority, go! May your path be auspicious!'

Pulastya said: / Spoken to in this manner, Kapilā went to where the king of beasts was. / Then, seeing Kapilā, his eyes widened with astonishment, / and he spoke modest words in a voice faltering with joy.

The tiger said: / 'Welcome to you, O auspicious one, O truthful Kapilā! / For nothing inauspicious ever exists anywhere for the truthful.

You spoke previously with oaths, O Kapilā, in order to return; / because of that, curiosity arose in me: "How could one who has gone return again?"

Therefore, released by me, go to where that son of yours / stays, tied up in the herd of cattle, drinking milk and deeply distressed.'

Pulastya said: / At that very moment, that king returned to his natural form, / freed from the doe's curse and possessing a divine form and body. / Then, delighted in heart, he spoke to the truthful Kapilā.

The king said: / 'By your grace, I am freed from this terrible curse. / What agreeable thing shall I do for you today, O little cow? Speak quickly!'

Kapilā said: / 'I have achieved my purpose, O king of kings, since you are freed from sin. / Thirst torments me exceedingly; bring water now.

Do not think this untrue; this spoken by me is the truth.'

Pulastya said: / Then that king, quickly taking his bow in hand, / strung it, took an arrow, and struck the surface of the earth.

Then pure, cool, and auspicious water welled up. / There Kapilā bathed and became free of thirst.

In the meantime, Dharma himself arrived there / and, delighted, said to Kapilā: 'Choose a boon, O beautiful one!

I am pleased with your truthfulness. In the entire three worlds, O auspicious one, / there is no cow equal to you anywhere, nor will there ever be.'

Kapilā said: / 'By your favor, along with the king, together with the herd of cows / and with Suprabha, may I go to the divine abode free from old age and death.

May this sacred reservoir attain renown by my name, / removing all sins of men and granting all desires.'

Dharma said: / 'Those who perform a ritual ablution here in this exceedingly sacred, auspicious water, / especially on the fourteenth day, shall attain the supreme state.

Indeed, this shall be a very sacred ford by your name. / By making an offering on the new moon day, a mortal shall obtain [the fruit of giving] a thousand cows; / the merit from ritual ablution is multiplied a hundred thousand times, and from a gift it is imperishable.

Those men who, well-composed, perform a śrāddha here— / for those noble-minded ones, there is the fruit of all gifts, worldly enjoyment, and liberation.

Even worms and insects, afflicted by thirst, who plunge / into this auspicious water, shall also go to the abode of the gods.

What then of truthful human beings endowed with devotion, / wise, fortunate, faithful, and discerning?'

Pulastya said: / At that very moment, aerial chariots by the thousands / arrived, O king of kings, by the power of Kapilā.

Mounting them, Kapilā, accompanied by cowherds and the herd of cattle, / and united with Suprabha, went to that supreme abode.

Therefore, by every effort, one should perform a ritual ablution there, / and a śrāddha according to one's ability, and a gift, O best of kings.

Thus ends the twenty-ninth chapter, titled “Description of the Greatness of Kapilātīrtha,” in the third Arbudakhaṇḍa of the seventh Prabhāsakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses].