Skandapurana 17.1

Obeisance to holy Gaṇeśa.

Obeisance to holy Sarasvatī.

Now begins the second [section], the venerable Vastrāpathakṣetramāhātmya, in the seventh [book], the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa.

Īśvara said: / Now I shall tell you of the most prosperous interior of the sacred field, / that māhātmya of Vastrāpatha where Mount Raivataka is situated. // 1

Dāmodara is at Raivataka, and Bhava likewise at Vastrāpatha; / this Raivataka sacred field is known as Vastrāpatha. // 2

Where the river Suvarṇarevā flows, destroying sins, / where Kṛṣṇa resides in visible form, remembered as Dāmodara; // 3

where Mṛgīkuṇḍa is situated, which destroys great sins, / where, if a śrāddha is performed even once, for a thousand crores of kalpas / the ancestors attain satisfaction that yearns for freedom from rebirth. // 4

The Goddess said: / Lord, relate in full the great fortune of Dāmodara, / the māhātmya of the interior of the sacred field which is positioned in the form of a pericarp. // 5

Īśvara said: / Listen, O Goddess, I shall recount concerning Dāmodara-Hari / the ancient historical account told by seers dwelling for a kalpa. // 6

On the auspicious, delightful, and holy bank of the Gaṅgā, crowded with inhabitants, / constantly attended by seers, which certainly grants the path to heaven, // 7

there brahmins knowledgeable in spiritual wisdom sacrifice with diverse rituals, / seers [worship] through Sāṃkhya and Yoga, and other people purely through giving. // 8

Brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras, all desiring heaven, / resort to that divine water which is difficult to attain even for the gods. // 9

There a mighty king named Gaja, ruler of all people, / abandoned his kingdom and went to bathe in the waters of the Gaṅgā. // 7.2.1.10

His wife, chaste, virtuous, endowed with children and with beauty, / she too, devoted to her husband, went along with that very husband. // 11

Saṃgatā by name, she was capable like Dākṣāyaṇī. / As they were living there thus, ten thousand years passed away. // 12

There arrived a seer named Bhadra, of great renown, / accompanied by many brahmins devoted to silent recitation and fire-offerings. // 13

Having forsaken the path of worldly existence, striving to conquer the path to heaven, / having attended upon the Gaṅgā and dispelled their innate impurities, // 14

having offered water to the living beings and worshipped Janārdana, / as the seers, Bhadra and the rest, were going toward the riverbank, / they saw King Gaja, resembling an excellent elephant. // 15

By that king, the sages whose sins were destroyed were seen, / just as the seven seers [are seen] in heaven by the wise king of the gods. // 16

Looking upon that seer, taking fifteen steps, [he said:] / "May you, worthy of worship, come here to my residence. // 17

May all of you behold Saṃgatā, my illustrious wife; / having received homage from her, whatever path is set in your mind, // 18

upon that proceed, O highly fortunate, holy ones who desire the holy." / Thus spoken to by the king, the seers, filled with curiosity, / went to his bright dwelling, resembling the city of Purandara. // 19

Having offered them variegated seats, the high-minded / Saṃgatā stood in front [of them] along with the king of kings. // 7.2.1.20

Having folded his hands in reverence to the seers of holy deeds, / the king spoke words to Bhadra that were auspicious and well-composed: // 21

"The earth is filled with wealth, adorned with town and city, / with mountains and oceans, and with rivers and lakes; // 22

it is teeming with villages, terrible crossroads, and herds of cattle, / and crowded with jewels among men, jewels among horses, and jewels among elephants. // 23

It is hard to abandon for those enjoying pleasures who do not know supreme knowledge. / In this terrible saṃsāra, which brings about repetition [of births], // 24

men fall again and again, O Bhadra, like leaves. / By what performed [deed] does one attain spotless heaven, O leader of brahmins, / through giving or austerity? Explain that reality, O one of noble vows." // 25

Bhadra said: / "Sacred fords are full of water, and deities are made of stone and clay; / those who do not behold the One dwelling in the Self do not behold that supreme [reality]. // 26

There are numerous sacred fords and holy sanctuaries, / rivers with holy waters, purifiers, and likewise oceans; / at every place and every step, the earth bestows abundant merit. // 27

If you have spiritual knowledge, O lord of kings, best among the wise, / [behold] Viṣṇu, victorious, Hṛṣīkeśa, holding the conch and mace, // 28

the four-armed, mighty-armed slayer of Daityas at Prabhāsa, / the Boar, the Dwarf, the Man-Lion, Bala, and Arjuna,

Rāma, Rāma, and Rāma, and Puruṣottama, / the lotus-eyed, and likewise mace-in-hand,

the descendant of Raghu, the subduer of Indra, Govinda who bestows great merit, / Jaya, the earth-supporter, Janārdana the god of gods,

the best of gods, the bearer of Śrī, Hari the lord of yogins, / Kapileśa, the lord of beings, Hari the lord of Śvetadvīpa,

the two dwellers in the hermitage of Badarī, Nara and Nārāyaṇa, / Padmanābha, Sunābha, and Hayagrīva, O lord of the people,

the lord of the twice-born, the lord of the earth, and likewise sword-in-hand, / Dāmodara, whose abode is in the waters, Hari who removes all sin:

these indeed are the places of the god of gods who bears the discus; / wherever one goes to them, there one is freed from all sins.

The Gaṅgā, the Yamunā, and likewise the goddess Sarasvatī, / the Dṛṣadvatī, the Gomatī, the Tāpī, and the Kāverī,

the Narmadā that bestows happiness, and likewise the river Godāvarī, / the Śatadru, and likewise the Vindhyā, the Payoṣṇī, and the Varadā,

the Carmaṇvatī, the Sarayū, the Gaṇḍakī that removes terrible sins, / the Candrabhāgā, the Vipāśā, and repeatedly the Śoṇa:

these and many other auspicious rivers arising from the Himavat, / a man who has bathed in them, freed from sins, goes to heaven.

Forests beginning with Nandana, mountains beginning with Mandara, / at the mere utterance of whose names sin sinks to the netherworld.

Gaja said: / Auspicious indeed was that spoken, O noble one, an account resembling nectar. / I ask you indeed something, O knower of all righteousness:

in which month, on which day, at which sacred ford in due order / eternal heaven is attained by men—tell me that, O you of noble vows.

Bathing, giving, recitation of mantras, oblation, study of the Veda, worship of deities— / that by which heaven becomes truly imperishable, you ought to tell me that.

Bhadra said: / Let it be heard, O tiger among kings, as I tell the story, / hearing which a man is freed from sin, O best of excellent men.

It was told formerly to the seers by the great-souled Nārada. / [45]

And thus questioned by all of them, Nārada, the best of sages, / greatly delighted, spoke in a voice like the rumbling of thunder-clouds: / [46]

“On the lovely ridge of the Himavat, in an assembly, it was heard by me; / that I will tell you who desire to hear, O bull among men.

All other sacred fords indeed cause one to return [to rebirth], / but that sacred ford through which one attains imperishable worlds, I shall tell to you.

Having dwelt at Kānyakubja in Mārgaśīrṣa, O best of kings, / a man or woman does not grieve and goes to the highest heaven.

If the full-moon day of Pauṣa is observed on Arbuda, / one rejoices together with the ancestors in heaven for an arbuda of years.

If on the full-moon day of Māgha a man offers a śrāddha at Gayā to the ancestors, / he becomes a fourth alongside the three gods.

Dwelling for a single night on the ridge of the Himavat on the full-moon day of Phālguna, / a man goes to that supreme abode where God Janārdana resides.

Those wise people who perform a śrāddha at Prabhāsa on the full-moon day of Caitra, / those best of men do not become mortals here again, along with their kinsmen.

Those who perform it on the full-moon day of Vaiśākha at Caturbhuja, fond of water, / or any person in Avantī, goes to the supreme goal.

Those who perform a śrāddha on the full-moon day of Jyaiṣṭha conjoined with the Jyeṣṭhā constellation at Tritakūpaka, / dwell in the heavenly abode for three yugas.

Whatever man stays at the river in Vrajeśavana for nine and five days, / goes to heaven, to Vaikuṇṭha.

On the full moon of the month of Śrāvaṇa at the eastern ocean, / a man performing bath, gift, recitation, and śrāddha does not grieve.

Likewise, having worshipped the moon-adorned liṅga in the sacred field of Prabhāsa in Bhādrapada, / a man will then become endowed with a divine body.

He who performs bath and śrāddha at the Candrabhāgā in Āśvina, / by him an abode in heaven is secured for thousands of yugas.

The best of sages meditate upon the four-armed one with the eight-syllable mantra; / what need of saying much here? O Gaja, I tell you:

[[File:Damodar Kund - Junagadh - Gujarat - DSC004.jpg|thumb|600px|dāmodarakuṇḍaḥ]]

There was never, nor will there ever be, a sacred ford equal to Dāmodara. / Among the months Kārttika is the best, and in Kārttika the five days of Bhīṣma.

Even there the twelfth day is best in the waters of Dāmodara, O king. / What is the use of other numerous sacred fords, what of sacred fields, what of great forests? / Having bathed at Dāmodara, a man is completely freed from all sins.

Gaja said: / O Bhadra, auspicious things have been spoken by you, like another elixir of life. / Again I wish to hear the great fruit of this sacred ford.

What regions, what size, what river, and what mountains are there? / What people live there, what seers and ascetics?

Bhadra said: / The earth is filled with wealth and encircled by the ocean, / adorned with cities and villages, and with gods, O conqueror of enemy cities.

Vārāṇasī, Prabhāsa, and the confluence of the white and black [rivers]— / these are the essential sacred fords, because they take away death.

Those who remember [the name] 'Dāmodara', wherever they may be, / live in Hari's abode and never wander [in transmigration].

In the presence of Somanātha is the great mountain Udayanta; / on its western side is known the one called Raivataka.

There flows a stream, a river from Kāñcanaśekhara. / The minerals there are red, white, blue, and black.

The rocks have the shapes of elephants, others resemble buffaloes, / others have the form of chickpeas, and others have the appearance of gokṣuraka thorns.

There are trees, creepers, shrubs, and groves in abundance; / every root, flower, fruit, and leaf there is made of gold.

A sinful soul does not see it, but one freed from sin sees it. / That mountain is continually frequented by men intent on alchemy,

by brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, and outside by followers of śūdras. / Many are the birds there, uttering auspicious and inauspicious cries then:

swans, cranes, and cakravākas, parrots, cuckoos, and peacocks; / deer and lordly monkeys, swans, and tigers likewise.

By the power of that sacred ford, they do not commit wicked deeds. / When beasts, birds, and reptiles meet death in due course of time,

They all mount aerial chariots and go to the abode of Hari. / Where leaves, flowers, fruits, and the like are brought down by the wind,

everything that touches the water of that river attains liberation. / That river, O king, has pierced the earth and come from Pātāla.

Formerly, the king of serpents came by that path / to bathe in the Damodara tīrtha, which destroys Death and Yama.

Even the Moon, having come from heaven to perform a most plentiful sacrifice, / was freed from consumption and went to heaven free from disease.

Gifts were given there, having arrived in Kārtika, by Bali, / and according to rule by Hariścandra, Nala, and Nahuṣa,

and by Nābhāga, Ambarīṣa, and others deeds most difficult to perform were done. / Having given many gifts—elephants, cows, horses, chariots,

bulls, gold, land, and various kinds of gems, / umbrellas, vehicles, and garments to the foremost of brahmins,

and foods mixed with savory flavors—before Dāmodara, / they went to the realm of Viṣṇu and do not return to the surface of the earth.

Whoever gives a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water at that sacred ford / to the twice-born with devotion, goes to the One who reclines upon the waters.

And whoever gives food in its natural state, or a fistful, to one afflicted by hunger, / mounts an excellent aerial chariot and goes to Soma.

Having made mountains made of food before Dāmodara, / worshiped with fruits and flowers, one should offer a lamp with a wick.

Attaining a station difficult to reach, he delivers a hundred families. / Even if a gift measuring merely four finger-breadths is given before Dāmodara,

he is exalted in heaven for a thousand yugas. / Do not go to the slope of the Himālaya, nor to Malaya, nor to Mandara;

go to Mount Raivataka, where Dāmodara resides. / A twice-born man who observes a fast for a month before Dāmodara

does not return in time, but goes to the city of Dāmodara. / And whatever man or woman undertakes a complete fast, / having transcended all worlds, reaches the home of Hari.

Five hundred obstacles stay there constantly, / working the destruction of dharma; a man does not easily go there.

By Pradyumna, Balarāma, Śaineya, Gada, Cakra, and others, / amounting to hundred-thousands, that great mountain is always served.

Indeed, their women sport constantly before Dāmodara— / moon-faced, fair, dark, of slender waists,

large-hipped, fine-haired, radiant, with wide and long eyes, / with charming cheeks and graceful, with lovely armpits and beautiful breasts,

splendid, with well-formed shanks, feet, and lovely toes— / royal daughters laugh and take delight on that mountain.

Safflower dye on both feet, saffron, and a yellow bodice / they give to brahmin women here, competing one by one.

Foods to chew, to feast on, to drink, to lick, to suck, and glaucous dishes, / betel leaf together with flowers on the day of Hari in Kārtika,

and beholding the Revatīkuṇḍa, one should bestow excellent fruit. / She becomes a mother of sons, endowed with prosperity, fortunate, and chaste.

Having acted thus, that night is spent without sleep / through holy chants of the Vedas and readings of the Bhārata narrative,

with shouts of huṃ, the clapping of palms, and rhythmic beats again and again, / while women speaking regional tongues within the circle of women / join in laughter and dance, O king, before Dāmodara.

Whoever builds an abode of Śiva made of five stones / is exalted in the world of heaven for five thousand years.

Having built one made of ten stones before Dāmodara, / he sports and rejoices in heaven for ten thousand years.

Whoever builds an edifice of a hundred stones, O great king, / a beautiful, shining temple, goes to the abode of Hari.

Having made a sanctuary of a thousand stones, endowed with many forms, / he transcends all worlds and attains the supreme Brahman.

One should offer a five-colored banner above the temple of Dāmodara; / for as many divine years as that measure, he goes to heaven.

The auspicious sacred field Vastrāpatha extends for one gavyūti around it; / upon seeing it, many sins are completely dissolved.

O king, he attains that state having gone to which one does not return. / Having worshiped the god Bhava, who destroys the cause of worldly existence,

a man or woman, O best of kings, is exalted in the world of Śiva. / Having heard that well-spoken word of Bhadra,

he came to celebrate the Kārtikī festival before the god Dāmodara; then, / accompanied by brahmins knowers of the Veda, versed in the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas,

by kṣatriyas knowing the duties of the kṣatriya, by vaiśyas devoted to giving, / and together with śūdras, King Gaja arrived at that sacred ford.

Having given many gifts, having offered oblations into the sacrificial fire, / King Gaja, concentrated in mind, performed in accordance with rule / Agniṣṭoma and other sacrifices, and many horse-sacrifices.

And then he dwelt there to perform austerity together with the seers. / Brahmins stood with feet raised upward, drinking smoke with their heads turned down; / others ate dried leaves, while others fed on fruits;

others ate roots, and other twice-born ate only water; / others gazed within themselves, and others reclined in the water.

And others practiced the five fires; [others] ate powdered stone; / and others, fully purified, chanted the Gāyatrī, mother of the Vedas, / while others mentally [recited] Sāvitrī, and others the goddess Sarasvatī; 114

and the purifying hymns created by Brahmā. / Others then dwelt there meditating on the twelve-syllable mantra. 115

Having examined all the scriptures and deliberated again and again, / this alone has been firmly settled: Nārāyaṇa is always to be meditated upon. 116

In this world of transmigration so difficult to cross, except for the Lord who is worshipped, / there is likewise none other than Mahādeva who protects one who is falling. 117

The planets—the moon, sun, and others—undergo rising and setting, / [yet] even today those who meditate on the twelve-syllable mantra do not turn back [to samsāra]. 118

Those imperishable seers and others who desire to conquer the realm of the gods / attain that place from there, and thus their seeds [of karma] are burnt. 119

He by whom the two syllables "Ha-ri" are uttered even once / has girded his loins to depart toward liberation. 7.2.1.120

Observing a single meal a day, fasting at night, or eating only unasked-for food, / and performing other such [vows] before Dāmodara, / they achieve their purpose here until the dissolution of the elements. 121

As long as that king remained there together with the seers, / so long did thousands of aerial chariots arrive there. 122

Gandharvas, apsarases there, siddhas, cāraṇas, and kinnaras— / all mounted aerial chariots by the hundreds and by the thousands. 123

Together with all the countryside people, that king, along with his wife, / mounted an aerial chariot and went to that abode free from disease. 124

The mortal who constantly recites this or listens to it / is completely freed from all sins and attains the supreme Brahman. 125

Thus ends the first chapter, named 'Description of the Glory of Dāmodara', in the Vastrāpathakṣetramāhātmya, in the second [sub-section] of the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the seventh part of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the text of eighty-one thousand verses. 1

Purāṇic references on Dāmodara

Note on Dāmodara