Skandapurana 14.64

Now begins the third, the Arbuda Section, in the seventh Prabhāsa Section in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa (7.3).

Now the third Arbudakhaṇḍa in the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa. 7 3.

1. The commencement of the description of the Arbuda mountain māhātmya. Therein, first, Vasiṣṭha's journey to the Arbuda mountain; having performed austerity there, his cow, kept for sacrifice, having gone to graze on grass and other plants in the forest, falls into a chasm; Vasiṣṭha's anxiety when the cow does not return in the evening; then Vasiṣṭha, having approached the chasm and heard the lowing of his cow, meditates upon Sarasvatī for her exit; by that meditation, Sarasvatī fills the chasm with her waters and causes the cow to emerge; Vasiṣṭha takes that cow and goes to his hermitage; then Vasiṣṭha goes to Himavat to fill that chasm, and having told Himavat the length and breadth of the chasm, the origin of the chasm is spoken according to the word of Himavat; the beginning of the narration concerning the fissure near Vasiṣṭha's hermitage. 237 1

2. Gautama's pupil Uttaṅka, urged by his preceptor's wife to bring the earrings of Saudāsa's wife Madayantī in order to pay the preceptor's fee, goes to Saudāsa's house; seeing there Saudāsa with the face of a tiger coming to devour his body, he makes a pledge to him to give up his own self; then he receives the earrings from his wife; Saudāsa's release from the curse; then, as Gautama's pupil departs taking the earrings, while they are set down on the way, Takṣaka steals those two earrings; then he goes to Pātāla after Takṣaka to bring them back; at that very time, the creation of a pit there; the narration of the deed of Gautama's pupil Uttaṅka. 237 2

3. By Vasiṣṭha's command and Himavat's word, the filling of the chasm is accomplished by the mountain Nandivardhana brought by the serpent Arbuda; the description of the Arbuda mountain māhātmya. 239 1

4. There, on the mountain named Nandivardhana brought by Arbuda, Vasiṣṭha performs austerity for Śiva to dwell there; Vasiṣṭha offers praise to Śiva; then, by Śiva's grace, Vasiṣṭha installs a liṅga under the name Acaleśvara; Śiva causes Mandākinī to dwell there; the description of the Acaleśvara māhātmya. 240 1

5. In the description of the Nāgatīrtha māhātmya on the Arbuda mountain, in the dialogue between Yayāti and Pulastya, the description of Gautamī's going to the Nāgatīrtha for a ritual ablution; as she undertakes the ablution there, because her heart is agitated with the desire for a son, she conceives merely through the ablution; then, out of shame, wishing to enter the funeral pyre, she desists from death upon hearing a voice from the sky; the description of the Nāgatīrtha māhātmya. 240 2

6. The description of the Vasiṣṭhāśrama māhātmya. 241 1

7. The description of the power of Acaleśvara. 241 2

8. The description of the māhātmya of the Bhadrakarṇa pool and Trinetra. 242 1

9. In the description of the Kedāra māhātmya, Vasiṣṭha speaks to Ajāpāla: “Having obtained the status of a śūdra in a previous birth, by worshiping Kedāreśvara with lotuses, your attainment of the position of kingship has come about in this birth”; the description of the Kedāreśvara māhātmya. 242 1

10. The description of the duration and measure of the cosmic ages (yugas); the examination of righteousness and unrighteousness in the four yugas; the description of the departure of all sacred fords due to the influence of the Kali age. 243 2

11. The description of the Koṭīśvara māhātmya. 244 2

12. The attainment of a beautiful form by the apsaras named Vapuḥ through performing a ritual ablution in Rūpatīrtha; the description of the Rūpatīrtha māhātmya. 245 1

13. In the description of the Hṛṣīkeśa māhātmya, the royal sage Ambarīṣa, having performed austerity, installs an image of Hari; the description of the Hṛṣīkeśa māhātmya. 246 1

14. A perfected being (siddha) named Viśvāvasu, having propitiated Śiva, installs a liṅga by Śiva's grace; the description of the Siddheśvaraliṅga māhātmya. 247 2

15. Seeing the daityas vanquished by the gods, out of anxiety and for the sake of the daityas' victory, the preceptor of the daityas, Śukrācārya, worships God, and having obtained a boon, causes the daityas' victory, and right there installs a liṅga named Śukreśvara; the description of the Śukreśvaraliṅga māhātmya. 248 1

16. A certain woman named Maṇikarṇikā obtains a beautiful form by performing a ritual ablution; hence the account of the fame of the pool under the name Maṇikarṇikā; the description of the Maṇikarṇikeśvara māhātmya. 248 1

17. A certain brahmin named Paṅgu, having become lame, propitiates Śiva, removes his lameness, and establishes a sacred ford in his own name; the description of the Paṅgutīrtha māhātmya. 249 1

18. Citrāṅgada, a great sinner, having entered the water while afflicted by thirst, is seized by an alligator; then Yama's messengers cast the sinful Citrāṅgada into hell; through the casting of Citrāṅgada into hell, the beings there attain happiness; then, having seen this wonder, Yama perceives through the eye of knowledge: “Because he performed an ablution in my sacred ford and died right there, this man should not partake of the suffering of the world of hell”; reflecting thus in his mind, he releases him from hell; then Citrāṅgada goes to heaven in an aerial chariot surrounded by hosts of apsarases; the description of the Yamatīrtha māhātmya. 249 2

19. The description of the Vārāhatīrtha māhātmya. 249 2

20. Dakṣa, seeing the Moon behave unequally toward his daughters, gives a curse producing consumption; then the Moon performs austerity; by that austerity, the disease of consumption departs from him; the Moon installs a liṅga under the name Candraprabhāsa; the description of the māhātmya of the Candraprabhāsa sacred ford and liṅga. 250 1

21. The description of the Piṇḍodakatīrtha māhātmya.

22. The gods, conquered by a dānava named Kaliṅga, worship the Goddess and are restored to heaven by the Goddess's grace; placing a mountain peak upon the body of Kaliṅga, the Goddess establishes her own abode on that peak; the praise of the goddess Śrīmātā by the gods; the description of the Śrīmātā māhātmya. 251 1

23. Now the māhātmya of Śuklatīrtha: There, because clothes thrown into indigo by a washerman attained whiteness, that sacred ford was named Śuklatīrtha; description of the māhātmya of Śuklatīrtha ... 253 1

24. After slaying the demon Niśumbha, the goddess resided on Mount Arbuda; hence her installation by the gods under the name Kātyāyanī; description of the māhātmya of Kātyāyanī ... 253 1

25. Description of the māhātmya of Piṇḍārakatīrtha ... 254 1

26. Description of the māhātmya of Kanakhalatīrtha ... 254 2

27. Description of the power of Cakratīrtha ... 254 2

28. Description of the power of Manuṣyatīrtha ... 254 2

29. Piercing with an arrow of a doe suckling her fawn by King Suprabha, who was addicted to hunting; then the doe's pronouncement of a curse upon the king: "You shall become a fierce tiger!"; at that very moment the king's transformation into a tiger; the arrival in that very forest of a certain cow named Kapilā, separated from her herd; description of the dialogue between the tiger and Kapilā; then, having made a pledge before the tiger, Kapilā goes to her own pen, suckles her young calf with milk, tells the calf the account of what happened in the forest, sees the calf's insistence on going to the forest, restrains the calf, returns to her companions and recounts everything, and though restrained by her companions from going near the tiger, disregards her companions' words and returns to the tiger; seeing the cow's truthfulness, the tiger, with a heart overflowing with wonder, grants life to the cow; Suprabha's release from the curse; the renown of that very place by the name Kapilātīrtha; description of the māhātmya of Kapilātīrtha ... 255 1

30. Description of the māhātmya of Agnitīrtha ... 257 2

31. Indrasena's departure to a foreign land to destroy enemies and seize wealth; then, through the mouth of a messenger, Indrasena has it announced to his wife: "Indrasena is dead," resulting in the death of Indrasena's wife; Indrasena's going to all the sacred fords situated in Prabhāsa, beginning with Somatīrtha, to eliminate the sin of killing a woman; because of the absence of the destruction of sin after going there, Indrasena's liberation from sin solely through taking a ritual ablution in Raktānubandha sacred ford; description of the māhātmya of Raktānubandhatīrtha ... 258 2

32. Taking the paste produced from an unguent, Pārvatī creates a boy; thinking, "This boy is headless due to a lack of paste," Pārvatī joins the head of a certain rutting elephant to that torso; then, the naming of him as Mahāvināyaka by Śiva; account of the propitiation of Mahāvaināyakī; description of the māhātmya of Mahāvināyaka ... 259 1

33. Description of the māhātmya of Pārtheśvara ... 260 1

34. While Brahmā and Viṣṇu were quarreling and fighting with each other out of a desire for greatness, the description of the emergence of a single liṅga without beginning or end between them; then, causing them to cease from fighting through a voice from the sky, the declaration of the wager: "He who sees the end of the liṅga is the greater"; there, because Brahmā falsely related the account of seeing the upper limit of the liṅga in the presence of Śiva, Śiva's bestowal of a curse bringing unworthiness of worship upon Brahmā; likewise, the curse upon the ketaka plant that stepped forward to give false testimony for Brahmā; then the granting of a boon to Viṣṇu by Śaṃkara; description of the māhātmya of Kṛṣṇatīrtha ... 260 2

35. Description of the account of the origin of the Māmuhrada ... 261 2

36. The slaying of Mahiṣāsura by the goddess, who was pleased by the worship performed by the gods afflicted by Mahiṣāsura; the description of the account of her installation right there by the gods under the name Caṇḍikāśrama; description of the māhātmya of Caṇḍikāśrama ... 263 1

37. Description of the māhātmya of Nāgodbhavatīrtha ... 267 1

38. Description of the origin and māhātmya of Śivagaṅgākuṇḍa ... 267 2

39. Description of the māhātmya of the gift of roasted barley flour preceded by the description of the māhātmya of the Śivaliṅga Māheśvara ... 268 2

40. Because Śaṃkara burned Kāma, Rati's lamentation; having heard that lamentation made by Rati, a voice from the sky describes the revival of Kāma in bodiless form; Kāma's installation of a liṅga together with that Rati; description of the māhātmya of Kāmeśvara ... 270 1

41. Description of the account of the origin of the abode of Mārkaṇḍeya's hermitage preceded by illustrations of the story of Mārkaṇḍa's birth and other events ... 270 2

42. Description of the māhātmya of Uddālakeśvara ... 271 2

43. Description of the māhātmya of Siddheśvara ... 271 2

44. Description of the power of Gajatīrtha ... 271 2

45. Description of the origin and māhātmya of Śrīdevakhāta ... 272 1

46. Description of the māhātmya of Vyāsatīrtha ... 272 1

47. Description of the māhātmya of the sacred ford of Gautama's hermitage ... 272 1

48. Description of the māhātmya of Kulasaṃtāraṇatīrtha preceded by the narration of the story of King Indumat and [Queen] Aprastutā ... 272 1

49. Description of the māhātmya of Paraśurāmatīrtha ... 273 1

50. Description of the power of Koṭitīrtha ... 273 2

51. Description of the māhātmya of Candrodbhedatīrtha ... 273 2

52. Description of the māhātmya of Īśānīśikhara ... 274 1

53. Description of the origin and māhātmya of Brahmapada ... 275 1

54. Description of the māhātmya of Tripuṣkara ... 275 2

55. Description of the māhātmya of Rudrahrada ... 275 2

56. Description of the māhātmya of Guheśvara ... 275 2

57. Description of the māhātmya of the sacred field Aviyukta ... 276 1

58. Description of the māhātmya of Umāmaheśvaratīrtha ... 276 1

59. Description of the power of Mahaujasatīrtha ... 276 1

60. Description of the power of Jambutīrtha ... 276 1

61. Description of the māhātmya of Gaṅgādharatīrtha ... 276 2

62. Description of the māhātmya of Kaṭeśvara and Gaṅgeśvara ..... 276 2

63. Description of the statement of the fruits of the māhātmya of the Arbudakhaṇḍa ..... 277 2

Thus ends the Arbudakhaṇḍa, the third [sub-section] in the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa. (7.3)