Skandapurana 16.33

The Goddess said:
Whatever deed was done of old by the great seer, born of wrath and indignation at his father's slaying, / that son of Dadhīci who subdued the gods—all that I have indeed heard through absorption.

Whatever chief task repeatedly occurred that was fitting for the gods, / all that I wish to know in proper order out of curiosity.

Īśvara said:
When he was told of old by all the gods: "Devour the waters on the earth, / since the waters were born first of the immortals, the firstborn of all gods and asuras";

addressed thus by the great-souled one, he then [said]: "Show me where they abide. / Having drunk them, O gods, I shall afterwards accomplish the deed: the consumption of the gods.

If you are able to lead me thither, where the collected waters reside; / otherwise I, who do not speak falsehood and obey the sage's words, [will do so] even as life departs."

When that was spoken, the lotus-eyed one then said to Aurva, the submarine fire: / "I will bring you to where the waters are. By what conveyance, O submarine fire [will you go]?"

The submarine fire said:
"I cannot bear to go thither on conveyances such as horses; / my resolved desire is only the touch of a maiden's hand."

Viṣṇu said:
"That conveyance is easily obtained by you. I shall bring that maiden / who will certainly be able to carry you to the abode of the waters."

Īśvara said:
Afflicted by the curse of Surabhi, experiencing the fruit of a condition acquired previously, / Sarasvatī was made his conveyance by Viṣṇu.

Then the Lord spoke to Gaṅgā, who was standing at his side: / "O fortunate one, take this fire swiftly to the great ocean. / No other woman is capable of bringing it except you, O purifier of the worlds."

Gaṅgā said:
"I do not have the power, O Lord, to carry Aurva, O Lord of the universe. / Fierce of form and mighty, this fire burns intensely indeed."

Then the noble-minded one spoke to Yamunā, and immediately after her to Sindhu, / and to various other rivers one by one.

When questioned by the best of the gods, they were unable to lead him. / Then the god of gods, Janārdana, said to Sarasvatī: / "Go yourself, O auspicious one, to the western salt ocean.

When this is done, all the gods will become free from fear. / Otherwise, they will be burned by the submarine fire with its own splendor.

Therefore protect the gods from this tumultuous terror; / like a mother, O woman of beautiful hips, grant fearlessness to the gods."

Being thus addressed by that mighty Viṣṇu, / she said: "I am not independent; my father has lived for a long time.

I am ever his obedient maiden, having observed vows. / A daughter is known by the wise to be non-independent in all three periods of time.

Without my father's command I do not take even a single step anywhere. / Therefore, O Hari, let some other means be considered."

Having thus learned her true nature, Vāsudeva approached the Grandfather / and said to him: "Perform this task for the gods.

In no other way can the very mighty submarine fire be conveyed, / leaving aside this maiden, your daughter, who has no seen blemish."

Hearing that which was spoken by Viṣṇu, the Great-grandfather / then placed his hand on the head of the maiden, his daughter, and said with affection:

"Go, O goddess! Protect all the gods who have succumbed to fear. / Having carried this submarine fire, cast it into the salty waters." / Hearing her father's words, she whose mark is the Veda said:

Sarasvatī said:
"Here I have set forth, dear father, in accordance with your command, without doubt. / Yet this fierce submarine fire will consume my body.

The terrifying Kali age has now arrived upon the surface of the earth. / People whose conduct is sinful will touch me, O Lord;

what could be more sorrowful than union with sinners?"

Brahmā said:
"If you do not desire the surface of the earth crowded with sinful people, / dwell in the realm of Pātāla and carry the fire to the great ocean.

When, exhausted by excessive exertion, you are burned intensely by the fire, / then, having broken through the earth, become visible, O little daughter.

Having turned your mouth [toward it], O wide-eyed one, flow eastwards, O slender-waisted lady. / Then the sacred fords will go to you who are weary, O woman of charming smiles;

and having arrived, all those thirty-three crores [of sacred fords] / will assist you by my command, O lovely-faced one.

Go, daughter! No sorrow at all should be felt by you. / Tread an unhindered path; may there be no adversaries!" / Īśvara said:
Being thus addressed then by Brahmā, Sarasvatī / cast aside fear, and with a glad mind prepared to depart.

At the time of her departure, the world was filled with the auspicious sounds / of conch shells and kettle-drums, and the loud reverberations of auspicious cries.

The goddess, dressed in white garments and smeared with white sandalwood paste, / resembled an autumn cloud and was adorned with pearl necklaces.

With a face like the full moon and eyes as wide as lotus petals, / like the renown of mighty Indra, she filled the ten directions.

Illumining everything with her own splendor, she brightened the world. / Following her, Gaṅgā was addressed by her, O woman of excellent complexion:

"Where indeed shall I see you dwelling again, my friend?" / Being addressed thus by her, Gaṅgā replied in an affectionate voice:

"Whenever you look toward the eastern direction, you will then reach me. / Surrounded there by all the gods, O lady of virtuous vows,

I shall grant you a darśana; cast off sorrow, O woman of pure smiles!" / Having taken leave of that Gaṅgā [saying], "May you be seen again!

Go to your own abode, auspicious one; I should be remembered by you, sinless one!" / Likewise Yamunā and the delightful Gāyatrī,

along with Sāvitrī—all her female companions were then sent away. / Then, bidding farewell to that goddess, Sarasvatī, having become a river,

Having reached the mountain Himavat, she emerged from the Plakṣa tree, / and descended upon the surface of the earth, teeming with fish and turtles.

Filled with crocodiles and diṇḍima fish, accompanied by shoals of timis and alligators, / the great goddess laughed in every direction with floods of foam.

Flowing with sacred waters, praised by the twice-born, / carrying the submarine fire, she rushed out with the speed of a horse.

Splitting the surface of the earth through her speed, she then entered into the underworld; / whenever she became weary and was burnt by the submarine fire, / then the river became visible in the mortal world.

Then she flowed eastward, scorched indeed by the submarine [fire]; / thereupon the sacred fords celebrated by the ancients,

celestial, atmospheric, and terrestrial, entered her presence, O lovely lady. / Then, consoled by them, the river Sarasvatī / reached the underworld and went towards the ocean.

Reaching Khadirāmoda, seeing the ocean there, / she proceeded to go, carrying that fire, O divine beauty.

Considering her burden carried out by the command of the gods, / delighted and joyous in mind, she set forth facing southwards.

At that very time, four seers who had mastered the Vedas, / O great goddess, were residing in the sacred field Prabhāsa:

Hariṇa, Vajra, Nyaṅku, and Kapila; / dwelling there, their minds devoted to Vedic recitation, they practiced austerity.

Sarasvatī was summoned by them individually for the sake of ritual ablution, / while the ocean suddenly stood right before her.

Then she reflected: 'How can my meritorious deed come to be?' / And fearing their curse, that virtuous one became divided into five streams.

She gratified each seer, one by one, O fair-complexioned lady; / then five names of hers arose upon the surface of the earth:

Hariṇī, Vajriṇī, Nyaṅku, Kapilā, and Sarasvatī; / by drinking and bathing [in her], Sarasvatī is of five streams for mortals.

The slaying of a brahmin, drinking liquor, theft, and union with the guru's wife, / and that fifth [sin] of mortals arising from association with these—

abiding in five ways, the virtuous river, together with her companions, / destroys these five kinds of dreadful sin in men.

Flowing backwards, Sarasvatī / destroys through men's drinking and bathing all of the most dreadful sin of killing a brahmin.

For twice-born men whose minds are ruined through negligent fault of drinking liquor, / the river Kapilā flows to remove that [sin].

Through fasting, silent recitation, oblation, ritual ablution, and drinking, with that disposition of mind, / she destroys the sin of the twice-born within seven days.

Having reached the river Nyaṅku, even those who have committed great sin / are purified by themselves if they perform the rites as prescribed.

By ritual ablution, worship, and drinking, Vajriṇī destroys entirely / the terribly frightening sin of men who violate the guru's bed.

Because of taking away the sin arising from association, it is called Hariṇī, / a river endowed with sacred waters, by bathing in it for seven days.

Thus the river Sarasvatī of five streams, O divine beauty, / truly destroys all these sins.

Then again that beautiful goddess saw standing in her path / a mountain at the edge of the ocean, stationed as if to block the way.

[She thought:] 'This excellent mountain, like a measuring rod of the universe, / stands before me, creating an obstacle as I travel on the mission of the gods.'

Beholding that exceedingly high, great mountain, Sarasvatī, / with her swift course now obstructed by the mountain, was astonished.

While she was thus reflecting in her mind upon that great wonder, / awakened by the auspicious sound, [the mountain] Kṛtasmara,

moving between both peaks of the mountain, appeared as a man to her sight; / that mountain spoke to the goddess: 'There is no way here, O lady of good vows!

Go somewhere else, wherever you desire, O auspicious lady.' / When he had spoken thus, that goddess addressed the man standing atop the mountain:

'I have arrived by the command of the gods; I must not be obstructed by you, O mountain!' / When she had spoken thus, the mountain said to that most delightful goddess:

'I am the mountain Kṛtasmara, O good lady; do you not know me? / Because you are a maiden, O faultless one, there is no fault in your touching [me].

Therefore I choose you, O goddess; become my wife, O lady of good vows!'

Sarasvatī said: / 'Because my father lives, I am not free to choose my own husband; / I cannot become your wife; grant me passage now.'

Addressed thus, the mountain said: 'Against your will, by my great might, / I shall marry you, O good lady! Who is your protector now?'

Knowing through divine sight that he was overpowered by desire, / she said: 'I have no protector; I have come to you alone for refuge.

If I must indeed be married by you, O mighty one, / do not marry me unbathed, O lord, and grant me permission to bathe.'

Then the mountain, proud of his own wealth, spoke to her: / 'Behold in me, O fortunate lady, all my majesty which brings happiness!

Where pairs of kiṃnaras sing delightfully, / and the pleasant sound of lutes and other instruments is heard;

where palmyras, tamālas, pippalas, and jackfruit trees / are always seen, most lovely, laden with fruit and flowers;

with kuṭajas, kovidāras, kadambas, and kurabas, / resplendent with swarms of intoxicated bees, the mountain shines on all sides.

In some places, with buds of kuṭaja, it shines like Hara's bodily cosmetic; / in others, with karṇikāras, it has the luster of Viṣṇu's garment;

covered with tamāla leaves, in some places it has the splendor of Yama; / in others, its limbs smeared with mineral dyes, the mountain resembles the form of the chief of the gaṇas;

in some places, with a body of yellow orpiment, it shines like the four-faced [Brahmā]; / in others, with saptacchada trees, this mountain shines like the body of Viṣṇu;

in some places, filled with priyaṅgu blossoms, it resembles Kātyāyanī; / in others, with kesara flowers, it shines with the appearance of fire.'

In some places it shines with bilva fruits, round, bristling, and smooth / like women’s breasts, hard to obtain for those of little merit.

In various places it shines with lions, tigers, deer, elephants, / boars, and monkeys devoted to one another,

rising high as if piercing the sky with their peaks.
When this was said, Śāradā replied to that best of mountains:

“If you would marry me as I weep thus alone, / hold the submarine fire in your hand while I perform my ritual ablution.”

When this was said, the lord of mountains took the fire.
Kṛtasmara, from its touch, turned to ash in an instant.

From then on, his stones became soft;
they are quarried together with artisans for houses and temples.

Having burned Kṛtasmara, the goddess took up the submarine fire once more
and stood near the sea, her bodily hair bristling with joy.

Standing there, that great goddess said to the submarine fire:
“Look, O submarine fire, at the ocean standing roaring before us!”

Seeing it roaring and creeping forward with waves,
he also said to her: “What is this, fair one? Is the salt ocean afraid of me?”

Laughing, the maiden said: “Who would not fear you, O fire?
For it has been ordained as your food by the gods, O mighty one!”

Hearing that speech of hers, the fire became exceedingly glad:
“I shall grant you a boon, fair one; ask of me whatever you desire.”

Thus addressed at that time by the submarine fire, the goddess
remembered the lotus-eyed Viṣṇu, the causal self.

As soon as he was remembered by Sarasvatī, the transcendent lord of the three worlds,
the god Janārdana, was seen by her residing within her own heart.

Beholding the imperishable one dwelling within her by her mind’s vision, she said:
“The submarine fire is offering a boon. What should I ask of him?”

Then the goddess Sarasvatī was told by him who was in her heart:
“The boon to be requested with care, fair one, is that his mouth become like a needle.”

Then he was addressed by the goddess: “If you grant me a boon,
then, having become needle-mouthed, drink the waters, O mighty one!”

When he was thus addressed, it was made equal to a needle's bore by him;
like the filling of a water-clock, that mouth drank the water.

Thus that submarine fire, ready to devour the gods,
went forth, deceived by Viṣṇu who carefully used his intellect.

The man who hears this holy creation recited
attains the realm of Viṣṇu and rejoices with him.

Thus ends the thirty-third chapter, named 'Description of the Sarasvatī Account and the Speech of the Submarine Fire,' in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya, the first [sub-section] of the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, the seventh [section] of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand verses.