Skandapurana 16.35

The goddess said: / "O Lord, tell of the birth of Aurva, whom you mentioned / as born in the Bhārgava lineage during this Vaivasvata manvantara, O master."

Īśvara said: / "The brahmins who were slaughtered by the kṣatriyas for the sake of wealth— / they were all brought to destruction, along with their sons and the unborn in the womb.

When all were being killed, one woman remained; / by her the embryo was preserved, placed in her thigh.

And in the case of all other women, O lovely woman, / the embryos were aborted by those vile kṣatriyas for the sake of wealth.

Then, in the course of time, bursting forth from the thigh, the exceedingly radiant one / emerged with raised head, a blazing face, and terrifying aspect.

Holding that enmity in his heart, he burned the surface of the earth, / having generated through austerity the dreadful fire Aurva, whose food is water.

Indra inundated him with torrential rains, O lady of fair complexion; / when he could not subdue him, he then remained keeping silence.

Then the gods, along with the gandharvas, took refuge with Brahmā; / terrified with fear, they all stood with folded hands.

The gods said: / "O Lord, someone of great splendour has been born in the lineage of Bhṛgu; / in the form of fire, he has burned the entire surface of the earth. / An effort was made previously by us to destroy him, O best of beings, / [yet] through water he increases, and so fear has come upon us.

When the surface of the earth is destroyed, O god, rites such as the Agniṣṭoma / will be broken off; from that, our destruction will surely come about.

Therefore, O all-pervading one, make an effort out of a desire for the welfare of the three worlds."

Then Brahmā, having come together with the gods and the great seers of the Bhārgava lineage, / said to Aurva: "Why are you burning the earth?

Let a cessation be made immediately for my sake, O best of the twice-born."

Aurva said: / "I have indeed desisted at your word, O best of beings; / this fire was emitted by me, O all-pervading one, by your command.

Let a strategy be devised so that it may reach the ocean."

Then the lotus-born, having summoned his own daughter, the goddess, / said: 'Daughter, taking the fire, go to the great ocean; / my command must not be neglected; go quickly, O exceedingly radiant one!'"

Sarasvatī said: / "Here I set forth, O god, at your word, without doubt." / When she had said this, she was commended by Brahmā: 'Well done, virtuous lady!'

Then, having placed the consecrated fire in a golden pot, / Grandfather Brahmā himself handed it to Sarasvatī; / bestowing various blessings, he spoke thus again and again:

"Go, daughter! No sorrow should be felt by you in any way; / proceed along a path free from misfortune; let there be no adversaries!"

Īśvara said: / "Thus addressed at that time by Brahmā, Sarasvatī / reached Mount Himavat from the hermitage of Pippalāda at that time.

The goddess then emerged beneath the root of a tree / where the sounds of the Vedas of the twice-born / who had entered crores of hollows and huts

were heard, their minds passionately delighting in [them]; / there stays God Viṣṇu, the foremost teacher of the gods.

From that place the goddess then went westward; / through disappearance she reached Kedāra, situated in the midst of snow.

Having inundated that mountain peak, she stood before Kedāra; / burning with that fire held in her hand, Sarasvatī,

she of elephant-like gait, cleaved the earth and entered beneath it; / then, by way of an invisible path, she proceeded facing west.

Having passed beyond the sinful land, she split the ground and came out. / A well formed there, known by the name Gandharva.

From that well the great river became visible once more: / Mati, Smṛti, Prajñā, Medhā, Buddhi, and Girādharā—

these six attendants of Sarasvatī set forth then. / From that fissure she proceeded again, facing westward,

and reached Bhūtīśvara, where the great sage attained perfection. / Close to Bhūtīśvara, she arrived at that delightful spot.

Situated to its south, distinguished by Rudrakoṭi, / she went to the celebrated region of Śrīkaṇṭha, endowed with all medicinal herbs.

From that most holy region of Śrīkaṇṭha, the noble-minded river, / Sarasvatī, along with the fire, arrived at Kurukṣetra.

Then, from that Kurukṣetra, emerging near the city of Virāṭa / out of her underground course, the delightful goddess / rose up again where Mount Gopāyana stands.

It was there that those sons of Pāṇḍu were hidden by Keśava, / performing their appointed tasks without being noticed by anyone.

Remaining there in a pool, the goddess who destroys heinous sins, / the goddess went further from Gopāyana to an exceedingly beautiful sacred field.

Reaching the Kharjūrī forest, she was known there as Nandā. / Then, from that forest named Kharjūra, the river Sarasvatī,

approaching the foot of Meru, arrived at the hermitage of Mārkaṇḍa, / where the sacred ford Mārkaṇḍaka is located at the foot of Meru.

From that auspicious hermitage of Mārkaṇḍeya, Sarasvatī then / entered the Arbuda forest and proceeded to the charming Vaṭa forest,

where Vasiṣṭha formerly performed austerity. Having resorted to it, / she went from that holy Vaṭa forest to the Udumbara forest, / located right there at the foot of Meru, where Taṇḍi performed austerity.

From that Udumbara forest, the divine river Sarasvatī, / the great river, reaching another peak through underground flow,

came to the foot of Meru—vast, attended by gods and siddhas, / shaped like a mass of crushed collyrium, known as Golāṅgūla.

From that delightful place, she of slender waist emerged; / exceptionally broad, she proceeded southward from a clump of bamboo.

The banyan tree of her emergence, named after her, stands there. / From that time onward, that goddess remained visible and radiant,

abandoning her hidden course out of compassion for living beings. / On her delightful banks are sacred fords by the millions.

Among all those sacred fords, Sarasvatī is the cause of righteousness. / On this path of Rudra's descent, the first and foremost is remembered

as Kākatīrtha of great splendor, abounding with the name Tarattaraṅga. / Further on is another sacred ford remembered as Dhāreśvara.

Beyond Dhāreśvara is another remembered as Gaṅgodbheda, / where the water of Sarasvatī and that of the Gaṅgā unite as one. / Beyond that is another supreme sacred ford, Puṇḍarīka; then beyond that

is Mātṛtīrtha, most holy, dispelling all distress, supreme. / Further, not very far from that Mātṛtīrtha, is situated

the sacred ford named Anaraka, which removes the dread of the torment of hell. / Beyond that Anaraka stands yet another sacred ford,

renowned on the face of the earth by the name Saṅgameśvara. / Then from that is another sacred ford named Koṭīśvara.

Beyond that, O great goddess, Śambhukuṇḍeśvara is remembered; / and at that sacred ford on the bank of the Sarasvatī, Siddheśvara is remembered.

From that Siddheśvara, turning westward again / to go toward the western ocean, she wept, remembering her friend.

Standing facing the east, the goddess cried: “Ah, Gaṅgā! Without you, / where shall I, alone, ill-fated, and without kin, go?”

Perceiving her weeping, emaciated by grief, the Gaṅgā then / quickly arrived from heaven along with millions of sacred fords.

Casting aside her sorrow, the east-flowing Sarasvatī, / endowed with all divine virtues, remained there in that manner.

There is a sacred ford named Siddhavaṭa, belonging to the Grandfather, / situated before Vaṭeśvara, destroying all sins.

Where Rudra arrives and stays at the three junctures of the day— / that place of the great-souled god is called Mahālaya.

The excellent ancient sacred ford called Piṇḍatāraka / situated on Mount Kumbhakukṣi grants success in ancestral rites.

Established in front of the god Prācīneśvara— / where the east-flowing Sarasvatī is present, what higher thing is sought?

When the Bhārata war ended, the Diademed One [Arjuna], / inspired by Viṣṇu, formerly performed expiation at that sacred ford.

By that he was freed from that sin accumulated previously; / hence it became renowned there as Naratīrtha, removing the fear of sin.

Beyond Naratīrtha is another sacred ford remembered as Puṇḍarīka, / where Hari, having come with Arjuna, bathed, O beloved.

Beyond Prācīneśa is the great sacred ford Vālakhilyeśvara; / from that great sacred ford is another of great fruit,

another great, auspicious sacred ford named Gaṅgāsamāgama. / Seeing the goddess there once more with a dejected face and sorrowful mind,

Brahmā created for her a companion, Kapilā with wide eyes; / Hari swiftly gave Hariṇī, the king of the gods gave Vajriṇī, / and Hara gave a deer for the recreation of Sarasvatī.

Delighted then at the command of the gods, the goddess Sarasvatī, / the ancient destroyer of sins, set out to proceed from there.

Īśvara said: / Taking a southern direction and then turning westward once more, / the great goddess Sarasvatī, bearing the submarine fire— / on her northern bank is the sacred ford remembered as Ekadvāra,

through which a single army attained heaven by its boon. / From that sacred ford is another sacred ford where Guheśvara resides.

Where the god Maheśvara was formerly installed by Guha. / Not far from Guheśvara, it is known as Vaṭeśvara,

a divine [sacred ford] on the bank of the Sarasvatī, formerly worshipped by Vyāsa. / Where the river Āmardakī unites with the Sarasvatī,

that great sacred ford grants fruits to all embodied beings. / No one devoid of merit knows that confluence of the Āmardakī. / A liṅga is consecrated there named Saṃgameśvara;

and it likewise attained renown on earth by the name Muṇḍīśvara. / Situated near Muṇḍīśvara on the Sarasvatī is the glorious [ford],

the sacred ford facing east by name, situated on the bank of the Sarasvatī, / where the Lord is indeed consecrated under the name Māṇḍavyeśvara.

Then, beyond that, is another sacred ford named Pīlukarṇika, / situated on the bank of the Sarasvatī, a great [ford] frequented by the seer.

Beyond that, another sacred ford on the Sarasvatī is known as Dvāravatī, / the foremost of sacred fords, O goddess, where Hari is present.

Then, situated near it, is the sacred ford named Govatsa, / where Ambikā's lord, having descended in the form of a cow and calf,

abides himself in the form of a svayambhu liṅga, a treasure of splendours. / To the southwest of Govatsa, an iron post is seen.

Rudra himself resides there in the form of a svayambhu liṅga. / The fruit that is obtained in the Gaṅgā by offering a piṇḍa with devotion

twenty-one times, men attain there through a single śrāddha. / Then, like a playing girl, from that great sacred ford,

accompanied by her female companions, playing there as she wished, / forwards and backwards, to the south and to the north,

having reached Rulla, the charming goddess arose again. / Where the town named Rulla was created by the god Śambhu

together with the gods and Pārvatī, by operations of mechanical water sprays, / Śambhu sported there for one thousand years.

The pool there is named Rulla, most auspicious on the Sarasvatī. / Mahādeva is directly present there under the name Ānandeśvara.

To the west of the abode of Śambhu situated there, / it is renowned as a claw on the right foot of Meru.

The men who behold it properly, freed from sin, / surely attain the fruit of a thousand horse sacrifices.

Beyond that is the great hermitage of the sage Kūṣmāṇḍa; / the sacred ford, named Kūṣmāṇḍeśvara, is renowned throughout the three worlds.

The goddess Kollā is present there, taking away the fear of all sins. / By disappearance, that great river reached that Kollā.

Disappearing from there too, she reached the charming / peak named Madana, a sacred field frequented by perfected beings.

Disappearing from there too, she again reached the snowy mountain / named Khādirāmoda, radiant with flowers of all seasons.

Having climbed there and looked out, she then beheld the most delightful / salt ocean situated in the western quarter, towering like a mass of clouds.

Seeing it thus situated there, she of great radiance, / having become five-mouthed out of joy, set out for the purpose of the gods' work.

Hariṇī, Vajriṇī, Nyaṅku, Kapilā, and Sarasvatī: / the Sarasvatī, proclaimed by the sage, remained there with five streams.

Where she stood dispelling the weariness of the sages, / that sacred ford is called Tatpādaka for men seeking sacred fords, / and a purifier of all sins, O fair-faced one!

Having reached Khādirāmoda and standing there, beholding the ocean, / she set forth to go, carrying that fire, O beauty among the gods!

Having burned Kṛtasmara, the goddess, taking the submarine fire once more, / stood near the ocean with her hairs bristling with joy.

Then that goddess entered into the unfathomable salty water. / Taking the submarine fire, she cast it into the midst of the waters.

Then the fire, exceedingly pleased with her, / seeing that difficult deed, himself spoke these words:

‘I am well pleased with you, gentle lady; choose a boon, O lady of good vows! / Being pleased, I shall grant it to you, even if it is very difficult to obtain.’

Īśvara said: / Taking a bangle from her hand, she spoke these words: / ‘This bangle of mine must always be held in your mouth, O Fire!

Consume only as much water as is possible through this; / you must not dry up this ocean, the lord of rivers!’

Saying ‘So be it!’, he entered the reservoir of waters. / Thus this Sarasvatī arrived at Prabhāsa taking the submarine fire, O great goddess, / for the satisfaction of the wise.

She rested at Kurukṣetra and at Bhadrāvarta, O passionate lady; / at Puṣkara, the goddess was Śrīkalā, and at Prabhāsa the great river.

She remained there in the salty ocean under the name Devamātā, / in this manvantara, O goddess, formerly in the beginning of the Tretā age.

Thus occurred the history of Sarasvatī and of the submarine fire. / When this manvantara has passed, there will be another submarine fire;

it will arise indeed from Rudra's anger under the name Jvālāmukha, / and the name of Sarasvatī will attain renown as Brāhmī.

Her name at present in the world is Sarasvatī; / her past name was Kamaṇḍalubhavā, / and the marine [name] was truly formerly Ratnākarā, another name.

In this manvantara, O goddess, she is proclaimed as Sāgarā; / and Kṣārodā is proclaimed to be her future name, O goddess.

Whoever knows this thus enjoys the fruit of the sacred ford. / The Sarasvatī at Prabhāsa, born as a ladder to heaven,

cannot be reached by men who lack merit. / The eastward-flowing Sarasvatī, O goddess, is exceedingly difficult to attain everywhere, / especially at Kurukṣetra, at Prabhāsa, and likewise at Puṣkara.”

Such is the power of that goddess who carries the submarine fire. / The goddess Sarasvatī is stationed near Agnitīrtha.

Whoever worships her first attains the fruit of the sacred ford. / And that sacred ford at the ocean destroys sin and increases merit.

Merely by seeing it, one obtains the fruit of a great sacrifice. / One who has piled the sacrificial fire, a Kapila cow, a performer of long sacrificial sessions, a king, a mendicant, and the great ocean—

These purify as soon as they are seen; therefore, full of devotion, one should behold them. / Having bathed in Agnitīrtha, a man should then throw into the fire / Bdellium resin weighing a bhāra; he is glorified in the world of Agni.

Thus the great eminence of Agnitīrtha has been related in brief, / As well as the māhātmya of Sarasvatī, which destroys all sins.

Having bathed duly in Agnitīrtha, one should then throw in a bracelet / Of gold, O great goddess, according to one's wealth.

Then, having worshipped Sarasvatī, one should revere Kapardin.

Then the one named Kedāra, and next Bhīmeśvara; / The one named Bhairaveśvara, and next Caṇḍīśvara.

Then a man should duly worship the god Someśvara, / Having made offerings to the lords of the nine planets and to the eleven Rudras.

Then one should revere the god Brahmā in the form of a child. / In this way the pilgrimage sacred to Rudra, which destroys sins, has been declared.

Whichever best of men knows its entire māhātmya, / Dwelling within the sacred field, he attains the fruit of the sacred ford.

Having done this, one should then go to the great goddess Sarasvatī.

Whence are there virtues equal to dwelling by the Sarasvatī? Whence is there delight equal to dwelling by the Sarasvatī? / Men who have reached the Sarasvatī and gone to heaven will remember the river Sarasvatī again.

Thus ends the thirty-fifth chapter, named 'Description of the Māhātmya of Agnitīrtha and the Confluence of the Sarasvatī and the Ocean', in the First [sub-section], Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, of the Seventh Section, Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the gloriously sacred Skanda Purāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.