Skandapurana 2.1.10

Now King Toṇḍamān’s attainment of the kingdom from his father.

Śrī Śuka said:

This lake named Lotus Lake destroys sin, O king;

By praising, remembering, and performing ritual ablution [in it], it bestows prosperity upon men on earth.

Having also performed your ritual ablution in it, go to the presence of your father.

The glorious Varāha said:

Hearing these words of Śuka and performing ritual ablution in the lotus lake,

Bowing to him and mounting his horse, Toṇḍamān went to his own city.

His father, having made him crown prince for three years then,

Seeing his son's popularity, capability, valor, prowess, good character,

And devotion toward brahmins, the king, together with his ministers,

Duly consecrated him and established him in his own position.

Having consoled his son, the king went to the forest along with his wife.

Now the vision of the glorious Varāha in Vasu's anthill.

Toṇḍamān also, having attained the empire, ruled the kingdom.

The god assumed the form of a boar in the forest of the Niṣāda.

Eating the ripe śyāmāka grain, he roamed about night after night.

And he [the hunter] searched for the boar's footprints day after day.

Not seeing that boar, he remained awake at night, holding his bow.

As he stood, he saw him roaming about, radiant as ten million moons,

the boar of handsome form, in the midst of the field of śyāmāka.

Seeing him, he took his bow and uttered a lion's roar.

Hearing that sound, the boar quickly departed from the forest,

and went away; and that Niṣāda chief followed the boar.

Running after him through the remainder of the night in the forest, as he shone like the moon,

that Niṣāda chief saw him entering an anthill,

like the full moon setting behind an excellent mountain.

Astonished, that Niṣāda chief, out of anger, had the anthill dug up.

Dharāvarāha was seen, and this [hunter] fell down unconscious.

Seeing his father unconscious, his devoted son then

praised the divine Boar; Hari was pleased by that.

Possessing his father, Madhusūdana spoke:

The Blessed Lord said:

"I am the Boar, the Lord of gods; I dwell here eternally.

Having told the king, consecrate Me here and worship [Me].

Having washed the anthill with the milk of black cows, on the slab of stone

that rises from it, having carved the Boar residing on the earth,

having Me fashioned and consecrated by Vaikhānasa brahmins,

Toṇḍamān, the best of kings, should worship [Me] with various offerings."

Having said this, the Lord left him, and he regained his composure.

Bowing to his father who was seated comfortably, the son of the Niṣāda

reported the words of the god to his father, exactly as they were.

Hearing all the auspicious words of his son, he was amazed.

Now, the account of the Boar reported by Vasu to King Toṇḍamān:

The Niṣāda quickly went with his followers to speak to the king.

Vasu, the chief of the Niṣādas, arrived at the royal gate.

Informed of the Niṣāda chief by the doorkeepers, the best of kings,

having summoned that lord of the Niṣādas to the assembly along with his ministers,

the king, having honored Vasu along with his son and retinue,

the delighted king questioned that forest-dweller Vasu:

"What is the purpose of your arrival? Speak, O forest-dweller!"

Vasu said:

"O King, listen to the wonder seen by me in the forest, O protector of the earth!

A certain white boar was grazing upon the śyāmāka grain at night.

With bow in hand, O King, I chased after that boar.

Pursued, swift as the wind, he went and entered an anthill

on the bank of the Svāmipuṣkariṇī, as I looked on, O protector of the earth.

I dug up the anthill in anger, and fell unconscious to the ground.

This son of mine, having arrived and seen me unconscious on the ground,

became purified and praised the God of gods, Madhusūdana.

Then, having entered into me, the Boar spoke to [my] son:

'Report my deed quickly to the king, O Niṣāda chief.

The king should wash the anthill by pouring the milk of black cows.

And a certain very beautiful stone located in the anthill will be seen.

Having Me, who have a boar's face and hold the Earth on My left lap,

fashioned by a sculptor, and then consecrated by the lords of sages,

Toṇḍamān should worship [Me] through the excellent Vaikhānasa sages.

Then, going to Śrīnivāsa, whose two feet are covered by an anthill,

he should gently wash him with pourings of milk from tawny and black cows.

Having washed [him] day by day up to the footstool,

he should construct an enclosure for both, to the north and to the south.'

Having spoken thus, the Lord released me, and I regained my composure, O King.

I have come to tell you this intention of the God of gods."

Now, the king's journey to Śeṣācala through a subterranean passage due to the words and dream of the Niṣāda:

The holy Boar said:

Hearing that, Toṇḍamān was delighted and astonished.

Then, having determined the course of action with ministers such as Puṣkara and others,

desiring to go to the mountain of Veṅkaṭa, he summoned the cowherds from all around:

‘Whichever black and tawny cows of mine there may be,

bring them, together with their calves, near to the mountain of Veṅkaṭa.’

Having thus instructed the cowherds, and telling the ministers that the journey would be tomorrow,

and having dismissed all his subjects, the self-controlled [king] entered his inner apartments.

Having told that story to his wives, the king slept that night.

Then Śrīnivāsa showed him in a dream the path through the cave;

Hari scattered shoots along the path from his own city up to the cave.

Having seen such a dream, the king, rising early in the morning with haste,

summoned all the ministers, the subjects, and also the brahmins,

related such a dream, and then saw shoots at the gate.

At an auspicious hour, Toṇḍamān set forth, mounted on a horse.

Watching the broken twigs and shoots, he went joyfully and slowly to the cave.

Beholding it, struck with wonder, he founded a city there.

Now the king Toṇḍamān's performance of the milk-bath, construction of the ramparts, and so forth, by the Lord's command:

Having enclosed the cave within the inner apartments, he also had an enclosing wall constructed.

Dwelling there, having conquered this earth, that lord of kings,

having performed the bathing with milk and the rest as directed by the God of gods,

set about to undertake the construction of the rampart.

Then the king was directly commanded by the God of gods:

‘Protect both these best of trees—the tamarind and the campaka.

The tamarind is my assembly place, and the campaka is the abode of Lakṣmī.

They must always be bowed down to by kings, seers, gods, and men.

Spariṅg these two, O best of kings, cut down the other magnificent trees.

Build for me only an enclosing wall, furnished with a gateway and gopuram.

As for the vimāna, a king born in your lineage named Nārāyaṇa,

devoted to me, will have it constructed, and will adorn it with gold.’

Śrīvarāha said:

Having spoken thus to Toṇḍamān, the Lord of Śrī fell silent.

Hearing this speech of the god, and having built the rampart alone,

he worshipped [him] through sages born of the Vaikhānasa lineage.

Coming daily through the cave and bowing to the god, that best of kings

ruled his realm according to dharma, enjoying supreme pleasures.

Now the story of the brahmin named Vīraśarman who came for a bath in the Gaṅgā:

At that very time, an excellent southern brahmin,

setting out to bathe in the Gaṅgā with his wife, departed from his city.

Then, on the way, the brahmin woman became pregnant; and that brahmin,

seeing her pregnant and unable to follow him,

wished to see the king and approached the royal gate.

Informed by the doorkeeper, the king summoned that excellent brahmin,

duly honored him, and inquired after the brahmin's well-being:

The king said:

‘What is the purpose of your coming? What shall I do [for you], O brahmin?’

The brahmin said:

‘I am Vīraśarman, of the Vasiṣṭha gotra, a chanter of the Sāmaveda, O best of kings.

Together with my wife, full of devotion, I departed to bathe in the Gaṅgā.

And on the way, this virtuous woman of the Kauśika gotra became pregnant.

She is known by the name Lakṣmī, endowed with good conduct, devoted to her husband.

Leaving her in your home, I shall fulfill my vow.

Therefore, O king, grant her food and allowances according to her desire,

and let Lakṣmī be protected until my return.’

Śrīvarāha said:

Having heard his word, the king gave rice and wealth,

and assigned [her] a residence in the inner apartments for a period of six months.

Having entrusted her, the brahmin joyfully departed to bathe in the Gaṅgā.

Having gone to the river Gaṅgā, the Bhāgīrathī, at the supreme sacred field of Prayāga,

and bathed, he then went to Kāśī, stayed there for three days,

and, reaching Gayā, the best of brahmins performed the ancestral śrāddha.

Having also gone to the city of Ayodhyā, he proceeded to the forest of Badarī.

Then, having gone to Śālagrāma, he set out towards his own land.

When two years had passed, in the month of Caitra on an auspicious day,

that best of twice-born returned, coming gradually in [the month of] Mādhava (Vaiśākha).

On the eleventh day of the bright fortnight, he came again to the king.

The king, however, having forgotten, did not remember the brahmin woman then;

the proud brahmin woman had died in the house and become dried up.

Then the brahmin Vīraśarman, [having brought] a vessel of Gaṅgā water,

untied one fastening [and took out] an auspicious small pitcher filled with Gaṅgā water.

Offering it to the king, he asked: "Is my wife doing well?"

Remembering then, the king said to that brahmin: "Please wait."

Then, going to the inner apartments, he saw her dead in the house.

Without telling that brahmin, he entered an excellent subterranean cave;

having bowed to venerable Nṛsiṃha, he reached an excellent cave again,

and went to see supreme Śrīnivāsa together with Śrī and Bhūmi.

Seeing him arriving suddenly, Dharā and Ramā concealed themselves.

To him as he bowed, [the Lord] said: "O king, why have you come at an improper time?"

The frightened king, bowing to the Lord, then told him about the dead brahmin woman.

Now the greatness of Asthisarovara:

Hearing that, the God of gods said: "Do not fear the best of twice-born, O king!

Placing her on a litter, accompanied by your own women,

bathe her on the twelfth day to the east of my abode, O lord,

in this lake named Asthi, which averts untimely death.

Having regained life, she will be united with the women and with the brahmin.

Go quickly, O best of kings, and carry out the instruction as spoken!"

Hearing these words of the Lord, the king went to his own city.

Placing the women and also her on beautiful litters,

and placing the brahmin in front, the king went to see the God.

Reaching the lake Asthikūṭa, he had those women bathe.

And she, reduced to skin and bones, was cast into the lake by them;

having regained life as before, her bodily limbs beautifully manifested,

she arose from the lake after bathing, auspicious together with the queens,

and happily joined the brahmin, her returned husband.

The king, having worshipped Hari, gave wealth to the brahmin,

to the extent of a thousand gold coins, and various garments;

and he respectfully sent him away to return to his own land.

The brahmin, having heard what happened to his wife and the power of the Lord of Veṅkaṭa,

bestowed blessings upon the king, and then the twice-born departed for his own land.

When the brahmin had left, Śrīnivāsa spoke again to the king:

"Day after day at midday, having brought food offerings, O king,

come and worship me as you wish with golden lotuses.

Having gone to your city, rule the kingdom in accordance with your own duty, O lord of men.

Whatever you desire, O king, shall come to pass, there is no doubt.

You must never come at an improper time, O king;

having performed the worship at the [proper] time in this way, go and dwell in your own city."

The king said:

"I will do so, O Lord of gods; I shall worship at midday."

Thus, by the Lord's command, daily worshipping with golden lotuses,

above them he once saw clay-made tulasī and flowers.

Now the story of the devotee named Bhīma, born in a potter family living in Kurvagrāma:

Astonished, that best of kings asked the Lord of the gods:

The king said:

"By whom are you worshipped with lotuses and tulasī made of clay?"

Asked by the king, the God of gods remembered and said to the king:

"A certain potter, a devotee of mine, lives in Kurvagrāma;

he worships in his own house, O king, and that is accepted by me."

Hearing the Lord's words, the king went to see him.

Going to Kurvapura, he went to the house of that potter.

Seeing the king arrive, [the potter] bowed down and stood before him.

To that standing man named Bhīma, the best of kings inquired:

Toṇḍamān said:

"Bhīma, tell me: how do you worship the god, O best of your lineage?"

The venerable Varāha said:

Being questioned, the potter said: "I do not know worship at all.

Who said, O best of kings, that a potter offers worship?"