Skandapurana 17.14

Sārasvata said: / Formerly, in the Vastrāpatha, that great sacred field, in the city of Vāmana, / the venerable seer Vasiṣṭha was consumed by grief for his sons.

He came to perform austerities on the bank of the Svarṇarekhā River. / In the northeast direction from the city, in the waters of the Svarṇarekhā River,

having bathed and meditated on God Śiva, when he contemplated him in his mind, / then Rudra arrived, the three-eyed god whose banner bears a bull: / “Great seer, I am pleased with you; tell me what I may do [for you].”

Vasiṣṭha said: / “If you are pleased, Mahādeva, and a boon is to be given to me now, / then you should remain here as long as the moon and stars endure.

Whenever sinful men shall perform ritual ablutions here, / you must always effect the destruction of their sins, O God.

Those sinful men who worship the three-eyed god— / bring those men, O Lord of gods, to Śiva’s abode in aerial chariots!”

Sārasvata said: / Having said, “So be it,” God Hara vanished right there. / After slaying Hiraṇyakaśipu, the mighty Narasiṃha / gave the three worlds to Indra, while he himself departed to Kālarudra.

In his lineage was born Bali, who possessed extraordinary strength. / That exceedingly strong Bali brought the earth under a single parasol; / the earth bore crops without cultivation, had abundant water, and was rich in grain.

The flowers were fragrant, the fruits flavorful; / the trees bore fruit right down to their trunks, and honey filled every hollow.

All brahmins were masters of the four Vedas; kṣatriyas were skilled in warfare; / vaiśyas were devoted to caring for cattle; and śūdras were intent on service.

The inhabitants of the realm were virtuous in conduct, free from agricultural calamities and disease; / all the people were joyous, robust, ever happy, and ever energetic.

With their limbs smeared with saffron and agallochum, well-attired, and handsomely adorned, / they were freed from poverty, grief, and premature death, living long lives.

With regions of the earth illuminated by lamps at night just as in the day, / mortals moved about there like gods in a divine abode.

On earth turned into heaven itself, the asura Bali ruled. / The royal palace was constantly resonant with instruments played at marriages.

The daitya enjoyed the earth just as the king of gods does heaven; / at that time, Devendra was constantly gratified by Bali through sacrifices.

There was no fighting between the gods and the dānavas; / there was only one king, and there was no battle upon the surface of the earth.

There was no strife among rivals; there was no fight between lions and elephants, / nor between snakes and mongooses, nor between cats and mice.

The entire world, moving and unmoving, attained a state of friendship. / Having wandered through the three worlds, Nārada, in the Nandana grove,

went about and saw no battle in the three worlds, with all that moves and is still; / then a great ache arose in his stomach:

“I have no business with ritual ablutions and the like; what purpose have I with oblations? / My actions are otherwise turned away from all recitation, fire-offerings, and the like.

That is a [true] bath where elephants fight, clashing their tusks; / that is [true] twilight worship where the earth is adorned with headless torsos of the slain;

where carnivores are sated with the blood flowing from the frontal lobes of elephants shattered by blows of spears— / that oblation is dear to me.

Those kṣatriyas slain in battle are an inaccessible forest of elephant-heads; / that is a [true] fire-offering where elephants and foremost among men are offered as oblations.

This is Nārada’s offering in the fire of battle-cries, famed throughout the three worlds! / When the surface of the earth is adorned with severed feet, heads, and hands,

and hung with entrails, that is my constant worship of the gods! / What have I to do with gods in heaven, or with men on the earth,

or with serpents in Pātāla, if they do not fight one another? / I will act in such a way, through Devendra and Upendra on the earth,

that Bali shall go to Rasātala; let my word prove true! / When with his very life and his kingdom [Bali]

pleases Dāmodara Hari with exertion, then he shall become Indra. / Having slain Vṛtra, Devendra will lose his sovereignty.

When he goes to Vastrāpatha and worships Bhava with devotion, / then the lord of the gods shall once more be freed from the sin of killing a brahmin.”

By reciting this mantra, his stomach ache was calmed; / Nārada went swiftly to the presence of the king of gods.

Mounting his throne, Hari was seated in Nandana; / the mighty king of gods sat surrounded by the deities,

watching Rambhā, that celestial beauty, dancing. / Filled with wonder, the god saw Nārada arriving.

“Ah, the venerable Nārada appears hostile toward me! / Should there be dancing, or should I stop the dance? Should there be singing, or should singing cease?

Should musical instruments be played with beats and rhythms?” While Hari was thus lost in thought, / the sage arrived, intent on sprinkling water.

Leaving his throne, rising up, and standing before him, / Hari greeted Nārada with a welcome and addressed him:

“Welcome to you today, great seer! From where have you come? / Is all well with your ritual ablutions, twilight worship, and fire-offerings?”

Addressed thus, Nārada laughed and spoke to Hari: / “If I have that, what need have I of anything else?

I do not see any place worthy of your viewing, O Lord of heaven! / As long as the rule of Bali lasts, I have no business with you.

All the planets, beginning with the Sun, are regulated according to proper time; / drenched by sacrificial offerings, the clouds joyfully pour rain on the earth;

there is no death from disease or other ills, and Yama is constrained by righteousness.”

Under a single umbrella that king enjoyed the earth. / 'O Lord of the three worlds! O Great King! O One skilled in the art of war!' / 'O Lover of the breasts of the Fortune of the three worlds!'—thus he was constantly praised by multitudes of bards and minstrels:

'O Brahmā! O Kṛṣṇa! O Hara on earth! O Indra! O Sūrya! O Lord of wealth! / O Lord of the enemies of the gods! O Lord of the gods!'—thus he was sung of by multitudes of bards and minstrels.

Even without a battle, the hosts of Daityas laugh; rutting and frenzied, the elephants trumpet; / mounting chariots, the men roam about; the army commanders take pleasure in their homes among women.

The sky shines with the smoke of sacrificial fires; the earth shines resplendent as gold; / but the world shines devoid of the Vedas, and the domain of Bali shines with hosts of Daityas.

Bali does not recognize you as the lord of the gods, and all the gods feed upon the sacrifice of Bali. / Consider yourself in your own heart who your enemy is; this that I have spoken to you is fitting.

Rambhā does not shine upon the stage; Menakā does not esteem you; / even Tilottamā considers King Bali to be the lord of the gods.

Urvaśī goes to him, and Sukeśā speaks with him; / Mañjughoṣā turns her face away and does not look at you.

Pulomā feels no thrill of delight without Bali; / Paulomī goes before Bali and languidly praises him.

Nārada, Parvata, Hāhā, Hūhū, and Tumburu / praise the reign of Bali in the presence of Rudra: so have I heard.

Satisfied with offerings of clarified butter in the abode of Brahmā, the seers / praise [him] in the presence of Brahmā: thus have I told you.

What Bṛhaspati said, I ought not to repeat to you: / Indrāṇī, regarding Bali as the mighty one, looks at Bali in portraits."

At these words, the lord of the gods trembled, seized by rage at that moment. / 'Elephant! Thunderbolt!' he said to his charioteer, 'Bring my sword, armor, and chariot!

Let Sūrya [advance] in a chariot, the Maruts on an elephant, Rudra on a bull, Śauri on a buffalo! / Let the musical instruments sound for my battle today! Let Caṇḍī and the Gaṇeśas advance swiftly!'

Seeing the lord of the gods utterly enraged, Bṛhaspati of noble intellect, / the learned one, entering among the seers, spoke words appropriate to the occasion:

"Four policies, beginning with conciliation, were formerly proclaimed by Manu. / In matters that can be accomplished by conciliation, let not punishment be applied by him.

Therefore, having summoned Upendra, let the foremost of the gods deliberate. / Subservient to him is the entire world, the three worlds with all that moves and is still.

And when matters have failed, good and bad should be stated to him. / He alone should go first to the earth for the attainment of your purpose."

"So be it!" Indra, thus petitioned by the gods, did accordingly. / Then Viṣṇu came to Mount Mandara from Satyaloka.

Let those seers go there to bring Janārdana. / Having been told this, Nārada arrived at Mandara from heaven to bathe.

Gautama, Atri, Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra, then Kaśyapa, / Jamadagni, and Vasiṣṭha arrived at the temple of Hari.

Nārada bathed in the water of the Gaṅgā on the mountain and performed his twilight devotions. / While he was staying there, the delighted great seers, the Vālakhilyas,

having bowed with humility, Nārada said to them: / "The seers have arrived at Mandara to take Viṣṇu to the abode of the gods.

It is fitting for you too, O seers, to have his darśana." / Hearing these words of his, those great seers were delighted.

Those Vālakhilyas, dwarfs the size of a thumb-joint, / having gone to bathe in the water of the Gaṅgā, Hari [saw] before him in his temple.

He laughed at all the dwarfs on account of the power of what was destined to happen. / All those sons of Brahmā, the Vālakhilyas, were observed in their vows;

filled with shame and seized with anger, they spoke loudly to one another: / "For some work of the gods, this one shall become a dwarf!"

Being enlightened by the seers and Viṣṇu, all of them were propitiated. / "Let it be stated when the liberation from this destiny shall be for Viṣṇu."

[The seers said:] / "When the sacred field of Vastrāpatha becomes greater than Prabhāsa, / then his growth shall take place, pervading the circle of the Pole Star; / and thus the sacred field of Vastrāpatha shall be greater by a barley-corn.

Having seen the god Someśvara, he will be freed from the fault. / The power to accomplish the impossible shall be firmly yours.

He who sees Somanātha in Vastrāpatha, he truly sees." / Having embraced Indra and Upendra, they both sat upon an excellent seat.

Viṣṇu said: / "What is your task, O King of the gods? I will certainly do that."

Indra said: / "In the lineage of Hiraṇyakaśipu there is the very powerful Daitya Bali. / By him all this has been pervaded; the gods have been made to eat only sacrificial offerings.

The entire earthly realm has passed into the divine realm, O Keśava. / Before he undergoes transformation remembering the former enmity, / let Bali, fallen from kingship, reside in Pātāla.

Let some king born in the solar or lunar lineage arise on the surface of the earth."

Sārasvata said: / Having heard these words and considered them in his mind, / saying to him, "I will do so," Janārdana addressed the sages:

"Let the seers go there and have a great sacrifice performed. / I shall go there and subdue that Bali."

Having been addressed thus, all the sages went to the sacrificial pavilion. / A great twelve-day sacrifice with fees given to all was begun.

The sacred field of Vastrāpatha, famed in the region of Surāṣṭra, O king— / on its southern side was the accomplished great city of Bali.

Outside the sacred field, the sacrifice was begun with one's entire property given as fee. / All the sages were invited by Śukra for the sacrificial rite. / Exceedingly delighted at the sacrifice, Bali gave various gifts.

In all gold vessels, abundant food is given. / The guest and the learned brahmin are honored even with all one's possessions. / Through giving a sacrifice becomes complete; lacking gifts, it becomes in vain.

At that very time, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a dwarf (Vāmana). / In the Madhyadeśa, [he became] a four-Veda-knowing brahmin, a pilgrim to sacred fords, / big-bellied, short-armed, lame-footed, with a large head,

with large jaws, thick calves, a stout neck, extremely restless, / wearing white clothes, with his topknot tied, carrying an umbrella, shoes, and a water-pot.

To see many sacred fords, he wandered the earth. / The twice-born arrived in the land of Surāṣṭra, in the sacred field of Vastrāpatha.

On the bank of the Svarṇarekhā river, Vāmana reflected: / “Shall I first see Bhava and then go to Someśvara, the auspicious Śiva?

Or having worshipped Someśvara, shall I go afterwards to Mandara?” / Having thus become absorbed in thought, and having considered in his mind what was to be done, / [he decided:] “Remaining here, I shall certainly worship Somanātha.

In the great sacred field of Vastrāpatha, people continually worship Bhava Someśvara in vain; / surely, [proper worship] must be performed by me.

Of all countries, this is the best country; of all mountains, this is the best mountain; / of all sacred fields, this is the best sacred field; of all rivers, this is the best river;

of all forests, this is the divine forest; and of all gods, Bhava is the highest. / When the god Someśvara bursts through the earth and appears,

then in Āmramaṇḍala this divine sacred field will surpass [all others by far].” / On the fourteenth day of the bright half of Caitra, intent upon practicing the discipline of fires,

with upraised arms at the time of the sun, he beheld Bhava; / when the lord of day had passed midday and was lingering,

his limbs scorched by the heat of the fire, he then beheld Śaṃkara, / Somanātha, the peaceful Śiva worshipped by all the gods, / [and offered worship] with water for guest-offering mixed with flowers and with water, O fair lady.

Sārasvata said: / Then, having burst through the earth, the lord of gods, Someśvara himself, stood / in the form of a liṅga, Mahādeva, for as long as a day of Brahmā lasts.

Someśvara said: / “You are accomplished by my grace; your purpose will be accomplished.” / Addressed thus, Vāmana replied to the god Maheśvara:

Vāmana said: / “If you are pleased, O Mahādeva, if a boon is to be granted to me, / then you must dwell here in this divine liṅga before me.

Whoever will worship this self-manifest liṅga in my city of Vāmana— / whether a killer of a brahmin, a killer of a cow, or a slayer of a child,

a traitor to his guru, or a gold thief—is freed from all sins. / And whoever, being faultless, worships Hara Someśvara even once,

having died, having mounted an aerial chariot, surrounded by celestial women, / being praised by the guardians of the directions, let him go to the abode of Śiva in heaven.

Passing beyond the world of Brahmā, let him go to the world of Rudra.” / Saying, “So be it,” Somanātha vanished right there.

Having revealed the self-manifest liṅga Somanātha, / Vāmana, having obtained knowledge and acquired prosperity, went to see Bhava, Hara.

All the rivers, beginning with the Gaṅgā, abide in the waters of the Svarṇarekhā. / Those men and women who hear of this origin of Someśvara / attain the destruction of all sins; there is no doubt about this.

Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named “The Description of the Origin of Someśvara,” in the second [sub-section], the Vastrāpathakṣetramāhātmya, of the seventh section, the Prabhāsakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].