Skandapurana 17.10

Pārvatī said: / Ah, the greatness of the sacred ford and of Mount Raivataka, / of Bhava, the god of gods, and likewise of Vastrāpatha! 1 .

The Gaṅgā, the Sarasvatī, the Gomatī, and the river Narmadā / all reside in the water of the Svarṇarekhā, as well as Brahmā with Indra. 2 .

An abode of the gods headed by Brahmā, Indra, and Viṣṇu, and of Śaṃkara, / has been established there for as long as a day of Brahmā lasts. 3 .

And the power of the sacred field and the sacred ford, by your grace, O Śaṃkara, / all this uttered by you has been heard by me in detail. 4 .

O Maheśvara, O Lord, tell me what the ruler of men, / King Bhoja, did having obtained the doe, and [what did] that sage Sārasvata? 5 .

Īśvara said: / Among all those women, she surpassed them in beauty, generosity, and virtues; / she was ever joyful, peaceful, and ever doing what was auspicious. 6 .

A mother, sister, companion, and daughter, she strengthened bonds among the women; / a father, brother, guru, and son, so was [each] treated among the men. 7 .

Having obtained such a virtuous wife, the ruler of men was delighted; / having praised the sage Sārasvata, the king spoke these words: 8 .

The king said: / Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Hara, Sūrya, Indra, Agni, and the host of Maruts / have been pleased by you through celibacy and austerity, O lord. 9 .

You are my supreme deity, father, mother, guru, and lord, / by whom all about my other birth has been told visibly to me. 10 .

The land of Surāṣṭra is renowned, and great is Mount Raivataka; / the self-manifest Lord Bhava is renowned in the sacred field Vastrāpatha. 11 .

On the summit of Mount Ujjayanta, Gaurī, Skanda, and the lords of the Gaṇas, / contemplating Bhava, all remain stationed for a day of Brahmā. 12 .

Vāmana, having founded a city facing Śiva Siddheśvara, / having conquered and bound the Daitya Bali, himself stayed on Mount Raivataka. 13 .

If all this wonder can be seen by living beings— / Bhava and Hari in Vastrāpatha by means of the rule of pilgrimage to sacred fords— 14 .

then having abandoned my kingdom, beloved sons, infantry, horses, chariots, and elephants, / and having installed my son in the kingship, I must surely go. 15 .

By your favor all has been heard; it should be visited if it can be seen— / Bhava and Hari in Vastrāpatha by means of the rule of pilgrimage to sacred fords. 16 .

Having passed beyond the world of Sūrya, the world of Soma, the world of Indra, the city of Hari, / and the world of Brahmā, I shall go to the abode of Śiva. 17 .

Hearing these manifold words from the lord of men, the sage had his hair stand on end; / wishing to test everything about the king, the sage dissuaded the lord of men. 18 .

Sārasvata said: / Even in one's own house are the gods headed by Hara and Viṣṇu, waters, darbha-grass, and sesame seeds, O king; / your mind should be turned back, O king, from the desire to see various other lands. 19 .

Thus ends the tenth chapter, titled “Description of the Instruction Given by the Sage Sārasvata to King Bhoja Who Was Eager to Make a Pilgrimage to the Sacred Field Vastrāpatha,” in the second [sub-section], the Vastrāpathakṣetramāhātmya, of the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, the seventh part of the eighty-one-thousand-verse collection of the glorious Skandapurāṇa. 10 .