Skandapurana 2.1.30

Now the description of Suvarṇamukharī:

Sūta said:

And to Pārtha, who had thus arrived after beholding all the sacred fords,

that great river multiplied his delight;

in the bowers on whose banks women rejoice at ease

and perfected beings are attended by winds cooled by showers of spray;

which, as if raising its hands to embrace the Gaṅgā flowing in the sky,

rises with towering billows that touch the clouds;

the grounds of the hermitages on whose banks shine with smoke born of oblations clinging to tree branches

and with garments of bark.

Installed all around by foremost sages and the best of gods,

on both of whose banks shine the divine liṅgas of the Trident-bearer;

resting in their dwelling upon whose sandbanks,

swans, the finest of birds, do not remember their own abode, the Mānasa lake;

who, having allayed the terror of drought by waters issued from the mouths of irrigation channels,

nourishes the crops that are capable of preserving the world;

adorned with ripples like creeping vines, with cakravāka birds as her lofty breasts,

having the expanse of sandbanks as her hips, and whirlpools gleaming as her navel;

with blossoming lotuses as her face, darting pairs of fish as her eyes,

glistening foam as her garment, charming with her gait of swans;

having the cries of waterbirds as her conversation, delighting the eyes,

she who shines as the ocean's beloved, having the form of an extraordinary lovely woman.

On the eastern bank of that river flowing between its bounds, Dhanañjaya

saw a towering mountain named Kālahasti,

which scraped the celestial vault with the sweep of its lofty peaks,

and was adorned with foundation-stones firmly rooted deep below the seven Pātālas.

Now Arjuna's arrival to worship Kālahastīśvara and others on the bank of the Svarṇamukharī.

Having bathed in that great river, on that mountain Arjuna saw the god

worshiped by the gods, known by the name Kālahastīśa.

And having worshipped Mahādeva, the companion of the daughter of the mountain king,

with a mind filled with devotion, he attained the fulfillment of his purpose.

Then, on that great mountain, the sole abode of wonders,

he wandered about, eager to see marvels never seen before.

He beheld siddhas dwelling on the mountain slopes,

accompanied by women, singing the exploits of the god of gods;

enjoyed by celestial women, excited with the intoxication of flower-wine,

he respectfully looked upon Gandharvas seated in bowers;

in secluded places, dedicated to meditation on Śiva,

he saw divine yogins possessed of reverence and joy;

all around, the Pāṇḍava observed tranquil hermitage sites,

their entrance grounds glistening with offerings of wild grains;

fasting, feeding on wind, eating fallen leaves, subsisting on heat,

he beheld peaceful sages whose senses were restrained.

Lakes of lotuses brought joy to his eyes,

scenting the intermediate directions with the fragrance of blooming saugandhika lilies.

Their minds engrossed in hunting, wandering with strung bows,

Now Arjuna's arrival at the hermitage of Bharadvāja on the bank of the Suvarṇamukharī.

he saw Kirātas accompanied by their wives, searching for deer.

Then, wandering in the charming southern quarter of the mountain,

the Kaurava beheld the holy hermitage of Bharadvāja,

with plantains, coconuts, mangoes, jujubes, campakas, and sandaltrees,

takkolas, aśokas, hintālas, palmyras, ketakīs, and pomegranates,

rose apples, kadambas, katakas, khadiras, arjunas, and pāṭalas,

nāgas, punnāgas, saralas, devodārus, and karañjas,

with cloves, luṅgas, lavalīs, priyaṅgus, and tilakas too,

bibhītakas, bilvas, aśvatthas, madhūkas, plakṣas, and kesaras,

areca palms, citrons, oranges, nimba, āmalaka, and kauśika trees,

and adorned with other trees rich in fruits and flowers,

entwined with vāsantī, kunda, jasmine, and other creepers,

with female bees attracted all around by its extraordinary fragrance,

giving shelter to cakravākas, cranes, krauñcas, swans, and kāraṇḍavas,

graced with multitudes of saugandhika lilies, blue lotuses, water lilies, and white lotuses,

endowed with beauty by lakes of sweet and abundant water trickling like nectar,

the sole home of wonders,

thronged with lions, elephants, tigers, hyenas, ruru deer, and antelopes,

and other wild animals acting benevolently toward one another,

surpassing the Caitraratha garden and putting the Nandana grove to shame,

exalted beyond speech and mind, the cause of supreme bliss,

where sweet-voiced parrots reveal to their fledglings

the peerless collection of meanings of the divine Śaiva scriptures.

Where the sky, darkened by the smoke of sacrificial fires,

spreads the illusion of out-of-season clouds to peacocks;

Where elephants, approaching at will, cool the limbs

of lions exhausted from play, with sprays from their trunks—

beholding that hermitage, his mind struck with wonder,

the son of Pāṇḍu praised the power of the ascetics.

Halting all his attendants right there,

Now, the manner of Bharadvāja's service by Arjuna:

he entered that hermitage together with his friends, the eminent brahmins.

Ahead, the son of Kuntī beheld Bharadvāja,

resplendent with the brilliance of flashing fire, surrounded by many foremost sages,

his whole body smeared with ash, his upper garment a deer skin,

radiant like Mount Kailāsa wrapped in a fresh cloud,

shining with hanging matted locks that possessed a golden luster,

like an autumn cloud strewn with motionless lightning-streaks,

as if he were an embodied form assumed by the meanings of Śruti, Smṛti, and the Purāṇas

assembled into one, the auspicious abode of divine knowledge,

constantly served by steadfastness, forbearance, compassion, contentment, and peace,

as if by beloved women devoted to him, possessing unbroken spiritual splendor.

Approaching slowly, Pārtha made a prostration

with all eight limbs touching the ground before the sage’s lotus feet.

Now, the manner of hospitality shown by Bharadvāja to Arjuna:

Raising up the son of Pṛthā who had arrived, the eminent sage,

his heart blossoming with great joy, cheered him with blessings.

And duly honoring that dear guest with the guest-offering and other rites,

he inquired after his health as he sat upon the designated seat.

Having received honor from this sage, the middle Pāṇḍava

brought delight to the mind of the chief of sages with kind words.

Then Bharadvāja remembered the heavenly cow that milks desires;

she prepared an abundant feast of various foods and delicacies.

Having eaten, Pārtha attended upon that treasury of austerity along with his followers,

and spent the rest of the day pleasantly in conversational exchange.

Then, having performed the evening ritual and made offerings to the sacred fire,

he went together with the brahmins and ministers to the sage's huts.

Seated there, congratulated with blessings by the lord of sages,

delighted, he rejoiced in the cool breezes of that river.

“By whom was she brought to the earth? From what mountain was she born, having such great power?”—

thus, to hear of the power of the river, having inquired, his intention arose to hear from the foremost sage.

Thus ends the thirtieth chapter, entitled “Description of Bharadvāja's Hermitage,” in the praise of the majesty of Suvarṇamukharī, in the Veṅkaṭācala-māhātmya, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.