Skandapurana 14.53

Pulastya said: / Then one should go to Brahmapada, the sacred ford famous in the three worlds, / where the creator of the worlds, Brahmā, previously set his foot.

Formerly, Brahmā and the other gods, all concentrated in mind, / and the completely pure seers, were there on the delightful mountain Arbuda,

filled with deep devotion during the pilgrimage to Acaleśvara, O king. / Then all those sages said to the god Pitāmaha [Brahmā]:

The seers said: / 'We are all utterly weary, O Grandfather, / with numerous observances, burnt offerings, vows, ritual ablutions daily, and fasts.

Therefore you ought to give some good instruction here, / by which, O Lord of gods, we may cross the impassable ocean of saṃsāra.

Tell us how to attain heaven through easily obtained offerings, / without difficult muttered prayers, burnt offerings, mantras, vows, and gifts.'

Hearing those words of theirs, the god, filled with compassion, / pondered for a long time here, and smiling slightly,

then left his own footprint on the pleasant mountain slope, / and Brahmā said to all the sages in a very gentle voice:

Brahmā said: / 'Let all the seers touch this great, beautiful footprint / that destroys all sins; then you will go to the good destination.

Without ritual ablution, gifting, vows, burnt offerings, muttered prayers, and the like, / this auspicious footprint was placed by me for the benefit of all worlds.

Since this footprint was placed by me, people go [to heaven] by thousands. / Let all the seers, and the gods as well, touch my footprint.

Here, unswerving faith alone must be exercised. / And whoever, endowed with faith, properly worships this footprint, O lords of sages,

when the full-moon day in the month of Kārttika arrives, / with waters, various fruits, perfumes, garlands, and ointments,

and feeds brahmins with sweet foods according to his means, / he shall go, there is no doubt, to my world which is very hard to attain.'

Pulastya said: / Then all the hosts of sages, endowed with full faith, / worshipped the footprint there and reached the world of Brahmā.

Therefore, O best of men, with every effort the footprint must be worshipped, / the footprint of the Grandfather, which through faith truly bestows heaven.

Another great, marvelous wonder of that footprint is seen, O king, / hearing which great amazement arises.

When the Kṛta age arrives, O king, / men cannot reckon its measure in length and breadth, being white in color.

Then, when the Tretā age arrives, it is seen as red in color, / clearly defined, having a definite measure, bowed to by all the worlds.

In the Dvāpara it is seen as tawny and of small measure; / and in the Kali age, it is black and extremely subtle, on the pleasant mountain slope.

Thus ends the fifty-third chapter, titled 'Description of the Glory of the Origin of Brahmapada', in the Arbuda Section, the third [part] of the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, the seventh [division] in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.