Skandapurana 16.7

Sūta said: / Having thus heard that supreme māhātmya there at that time, / the goddess, with a voice eager with joy, asked Śaṃkara again.

The Goddess said: / “O god of gods, lord of the universe, who bestows grace upon devotees, / endowed with all knowledge, salutation to you, O Maheśvara!

Salutation to the destroyer of Tripura, the Great Self, the crusher of Tāraka; / salutation to you who granted the ocean of milk to the child, the concentrated king of sages!

Salutation to you, creator of the entire universe, omnipresent, the soul of all, maker of all; / salutation to existence, salutation to non-existence, salutation to you who are eternally all-pervading!”

Īśvara said: / “What are you still asking, O goddess? Everything has been told to you by me. / If anything is still uncertain, ask again, O beautiful woman.”

The Goddess said: / “At what time did that name ‘Someśvara’ come into being? / What was the name of the liṅga before? What will its name be in the future?

Indeed, such power as this has not been spoken by you previously, O omnipresent lord; / the māhātmya of other deities of sacred fords has been described by you, / but not such as has been told of the venerable Someśa.”

Īśvara said: / “Formerly I alone existed in the essential form of the Sparśaliṅga; / and no person here knows me in reality, O goddess.

When a great eon has occurred, at every dissolution of Brahmā, / a different state of name occurs again and again for the liṅga, O goddess.

A hexad of Brahmās has passed; this seventh Prajāpati, / who exists now, O goddess, is heard of as Śatānanda.

When this Brahmā, O ruler of gods, became eight years old, / starting from that time, [the liṅga] became renowned as Someśa.

And after the sleep and dissolution of Brahmā among those who have passed, O ruler of gods, / listen, O Pārvatī, to the names that came to be.

When the first Brahmā, the grandfather, had the name Virañci, / then the name of Somanātha was proclaimed as Mṛtyuñjaya.

When the second Brahmā was renowned as Padmabhū, / then, O auspicious Ambikā, the name was proclaimed as Kālāgnirudra.”

When the third Brahmā appeared, renowned as Svayambhū, / the God’s name was then proclaimed as Amṛteśa. (15)

When the fourth Brahmā appeared, renowned as Parameṣṭhin, / the God’s name was then remembered as Anāmaya, O auspicious lady. (16)

When the fifth Brahmā appeared, remembered as Surajyeṣṭha, / the God’s name was then declared as Kṛttivāsas, O Ambikā. (17)

And when the sixth Brahmā appeared, renowned as Hemagarbha, / the God’s name was then celebrated as Bhairavanātha. (18)

This Brahmā who exists now is remembered as Śatānanda; / the God’s name at present is Somanātha. (19)

When, hereafter, the next four-faced Brahmā shall come to be, / the God’s name at that time will be Prāṇanātha. (20)

Those creators who have passed away and those who shall be now— / that name endures so long as another is eight years old; / by the division of twilight and twilight-fraction, Viṣṇu, Ananta, and the eternal ones [remain]. (21)

Thus the names of the God have been declared by me in brief; / they cannot possibly be told in full because of the vastness of time. (22)

The Goddess said: / This is wondrous, O Lord of the gods of gods, what has been told by You, O Lord! / And why do I not remember the previously mentioned names? (23)

Tell this cause in detail, O Lord of the world, / for the welfare of all living beings and out of a desire to show grace to me. (24)

Īśvara said: / Because in kalpa after kalpa, O great goddess, you make an incarnation, / through the power of Prakṛti, O beloved, you have no memory of that. (25)

Within the sheath of principles, you are established there as primordial; / having descended into the Cosmic Egg together with me, O fair-faced lady, (26)

you manifested again and again for the grace of the worlds: / in the first kalpa as Jaganmātā, in the second as Jagadyoni, (27)

in the third named Śāmbhavī, in the fourth as Viśvarūpiṇī, / in the fifth named Nandinī, and in the sixth indeed as Gaṇāmbikā, (28)

in the seventh kalpa as Vibhūti, and then in the eighth as Subhūti, / in the ninth kalpa as Ānandā, in the tenth as Vāmalocanā, (29)

in the eleventh as Varārohā, and in the twelfth as Sumaṅgalā, / and in the thirteenth kalpa you were proclaimed indeed as Mahāmāyā, (30)

then in the fourteenth kalpa celebrated by the name Anantā, / in the fifteenth as Bhūtamātā, and in the sixteenth remembered as Uttamā. (31)

Then in the seventeenth kalpa, renowned as the Pitṛkalpa, / you were born as the daughter of Dakṣa, named Satī, of great splendor. (32)

Because of Dakṣa’s insult, you cast off your own body once more; / and fulfilling Umā, the digit of the moon, you remained as before. (33)

Then, when the Vārāha kalpa commenced, O beauty among the gods, / having been propitiated again by Himavat, you were made his daughter. (34)

Then, O goddess, having performed wondrous austerity extremely hard to perform, / and having obtained me once more as your husband, you are called Pārvatī. (35)

Dwelling on Kailāsa together with you, O fair-faced lady, / I sport with you, O ruler of gods, until the end of the kalpa. (36)

Attaining this fourfold form, together with Viṣṇu in the Dvāpara age, / dark and tawny, you arose for the slaying of Mahiṣa. (37)

Under diverse variant names such as Kātyāyanī and Durgā, / through nine-crore divisions you were born on the surface of the earth. (38)

Those kalpa-names of yours that were previously spoken, O beautiful lady, / they have been told by me starting upward from the thirteenth kalpa. (39)

Past, future, and present, O beautiful lady— / all are to be known thus up to the limit of Brahmā’s kalpa, O beloved. (40)

The Goddess said: / That name ‘Somanātha’ which was mentioned by You previously— / how is that regarded as a permanent name, O destroyer of Tripura? (41)

For moons are innumerable, with distinctions of birth and names; / and when a manvantara has taken place in seventy-one yugas, (42)

the gods beginning with the Moon and the Sun are repeatedly dissolved— / the Seven Seers, the gods, Indra, Manu, and his sons, the kings. (43)

They are created at one time and dissolved as before. / You ought to properly dispel this doubt of mine, O God! (44)

Īśvara said: / Well asked by you, O goddess! It is a secret that destroys sin; / what has not been told to anyone, that I shall explain to you entirely. (45)

This Brahmā who exists now is known as Śatānanda; / and in his eighth year, the one who was the first Manu— (46)

in that manvantara, O goddess, the one who was initially the lord of Rohiṇī, / born from the womb of the ocean along with Lakṣmī, the Kaustubha jewel, and others, (47)

by him the liṅga was propitiated by the name of Kālabhairava / through great austerity previously for fourteen yugas. (48)

Seeing his wondrous austerity, I was pleased with him, O beautiful lady; / and that night-maker [the Moon] was told by me, ‘Choose a boon!’ (49)

Then, O goddess, having praised me with devotion, he spoke, O auspicious lady: (50)

The Moon said: / If You are pleased, O Lord of the gods, or if I am worthy of a boon, / let that name of Yours be ‘Somanātha’ until Brahmā’s end, O Lord! (51)

Whatever other cool-rayed ones [moons] there will be at the end of a manvantara, / let this God be their family deity, O Lord of the gods! (52)

Let them all, dwelling in this sacred field, worship [You], O all-pervading Lord, / according to the measure of their own lifespan, until the dissolution of Brahmā. (53)

May Your name ‘Somanātha’ attain fame throughout the universe / containing the moving and the unmoving, O Lord of gods! O liṅga of splendor, obeisance to You! (54)

Īśvara said: / Having said ‘So be it!’, I merged back into the liṅga. / Thus this cause has been told to you completely, O goddess. (55)

Since you previously asked without doubt in brief, / only an indication has been given regarding the virtues of glorious Someśa; / its expanse is inconceivable, like the jewels of the ocean. (56)

It is bewildering to non-devotees, but increases the intellect of devotees; / deluded, those fools do not at all see my true nature. (57)

The Goddess said:
Such is the māhātmya of that liṅga of fire, O Śaṃkara! / Where does that liṅga stand in that sacred field, O Lord of gods?

Īśvara said:
Listen attentively, O Goddess, and having heard, comprehend [it]. / Prabhāsa, O Goddess, is this supreme sacred field, dear to me.

It is the abode even of the gods, measuring twelve yojanas. / Within it, the seat is proclaimed to measure five yojanas.

In its midst is my home, O Goddess, and it measures only a gavyūti, / north of the ocean, O Goddess, known as Devikāmukha;

and east of the Vajriṇī as far as the Nyaṅkumatī river, / four [yojanas] in breadth and five yojanas in length.

This is proclaimed to be the seat of the sacred field; now listen to the inner sanctuary: / from the ocean as far as the Kauravī by north-south measurement, / and from the Gomukha to the Āśvamedhika east to west it is to be known.

This is my home, O Goddess; I never abandon it. / Situated in its center is the liṅga, whose location is proclaimed to you.

Facing the western direction, in the vicinity of the ocean, / to the west of Kṛtasmara at a distance of three hundred dhanus,

stands the self-manifest liṅga of great power. / Present there is the god Śaṃkara, the Supreme Lord.

In this interval, O Goddess, in the vicinity of Someśa, / in the fourteenth division, across two hundred dhanus,

circular all around, is that pericarp dear to me. / All the living beings who die upon it in the course of time, O Pārvatī,

worms, insects, moths, and other creatures, high and intermediate, / all have their impurities washed away and go to my realm as well.

One need not consider whether the sun's course is northern or southern; / any time is auspicious for those who die within the sacred field.

Brought forth as the primal principles by Śarva, the Primal Lord, for the welfare of all beings, / this sacred field of great splendor / was illumined, O Great Goddess, where mortals attain perfection.

A wise man who, even though afflicted by hundreds of obstacles, would dwell [there], / having made a vow for the rest of his life, O Ruler of gods, O Ruler of deities,

he would go to the supreme abode, having gone where he does not grieve, / by virtue of the māhātmya of that sacred field and of Sthāṇu of wondrous deeds.

Having committed thousands of sins, if one later feels remorse, / and departs [this life] in Prabhāsa, he will not go to the city of the god of death.

Knowing that the Kali Age is terrible, chaotic, and senseless, / the Leader of Obstacles was appointed there, O Ruler of deities, for its protection.

Those who hate brahmins, cavilers against devotion to Śiva, / killers of brahmins, ungrateful people, and the deceitful,

haters of the world, haters of the guru, thorns in sacred fords and shrines, / those devoted to all manner of sins, and whatever others are despised—

for guarding against them, indeed, the Leader of Obstacles was appointed / beside Kālāgnirudra, equal in prowess to Rudra.

He guards the sacred field, O Ruler of deities, checking the most wicked. / If killers of brahmins and other sinful men die

in this sacred field, O fair-hipped lady, hear their destination, O Goddess: / For ten thousand celestial years, O lotus-eyed one,

they are born as sons of female slaves, and after that, as brahmarākṣasas. / Then, with the exhaustion of sin, O Goddess, they again enter animal wombs.

Therefore, by every effort, one should not commit sin there. / A sin committed elsewhere is destroyed in this sacred field;

but a sin committed here leads to the hell of piśācas. / The Lord is compassionate toward devotees, even toward those born among animals;

he grants the supreme abode, but not to the enemies of brahmins, O dear one. / Those who have attained meditation, self-controlled and focused,

restraining the senses, recite the Śatarudrīya; / dwelling in Prabhāsa, O Goddess, they have accomplished their goal, without a doubt.

If any person goes to Prabhāsa, the excellent sacred field, / he should employ such means that he never departs again.

This is a secret, O fair-hipped lady; it must not be given to just anyone. / This teaching should be concealed just like one's own life-breaths, O dear one.

He by whom this treatise illuminating the sacred field of Prabhāsa was composed, / he is to be recognized as Śiva himself residing in human nature.

I always abide within his physical form, O Pārvatī; / he is revered, worshiped, and meditated upon just as I am; of this there is no doubt.

In the Kali Age, Prabhāsa, the excellent sacred field, is difficult to attain, O Goddess. / Now, out of affection for you, I shall indeed tell of its special nature; / it is true, true, and again true; thrice true, O beautiful goddess!

Among the liṅgas on earth, Someśa is dear to me; / and whatever qualities are in this liṅga, O Goddess, they are known to me.

I alone know them; no one else knows them in any way. / In other liṅgas I am worshiped by gods and asuras,

but this liṅga, O Goddess, we ourselves worship.

At that time when there was no Brahmā, no earth, no sun, / and no world at all, O illustrious lady,

at that dissolution of Brahmā, this supreme liṅga, / assuming future existence, protects this abode.

Ten crores of liṅgas from Gaṅgādvāra, O fair-faced one, / come and merge into this liṅga at midday.

All the sacred fords on earth and those situated in the sky / come at all times for the ritual bath of this liṅga.

Blessed indeed are those mortals settled in Prabhāsa / who shall behold Someśvara, the deliverer from the fear of transmigration.

Those who, being devoted, remember the Someśvara liṅga, O Goddess, / will have all their sins destroyed, without a doubt.

This sacred field is remembered as ever most dear to me, O goddess, pure and delightful to hosts of seers and perfected beings. / Those who die here, even if dead while living among all creatures, O goddess, attain beyond heaven; there is no doubt in this.

That which the gods headed by Brahmā and Viṣṇu do not know, / neither by Sāṃkhya nor by Yoga nor by the Pāśupata system,

that unconditioned liberation without parts is obtained in this liṅga. / O renowned lady, the gods and others wander in saṃsāra only so long

as they do not find the three-eyed lord Someśvara. / The field is called Prabhāsa, and I am the knower of the field; of this there is no doubt.

Truly, this great power of Someśvara has been proclaimed to you for your awakening; / those men who recite it constantly will attain the abode of the moon-crested god.

Those men endowed with devotion who have taken refuge in Someśvara, the best of gods, / never wander again in the wheel of worldly existence, terrifying and full of fear.

Those twice-born who resort to the southern manifestation and constantly recite the Śatarudriya / are never born again in this world, having truly reached the supreme shore of saṃsāra.

Only an outline has been declared by me to you, a mere fraction of glorious Somanātha; / it is not possible to describe it with a single mouth even over many years or numerous yugas.

Thus ends the seventh chapter, named 'Description of the Manifestation of the Glorious Somanātha', in the first [sub-section], Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya, of the seventh section, Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand verses.