Skandapurana 2.1.5

Now the infatuation of Śrīnivāsa upon seeing Padmāvatī.

The glorious Varāha said:

Reaching his divine abode, dismounting from his excellent horse,

and dismissing all the gods in the form of hunters together with their followers,

saying, 'Take rest,' he entered the jeweled pavilion.

Ascending the jeweled staircase and crossing five chambers,

reaching the mansion of pearls, upon an auspicious, gently swinging

couch made of the nine gems, Hari lay down, helpless,

remembering that very wide-eyed maiden whose radiance was like the womb of a lotus,

slender-waisted, with full breasts and a face like a pleasing lotus with a gentle smile.

He deemed that auspicious lotus-born maiden to be none other than the daughter of the Ocean of Milk.

With his mind fixed upon her, the Lord Śrīnivāsa swooned with love.

Now the speech of Bakulamālikā to the love-smitten Śrīnivāsa:

Then at midday, having prepared divine and excellent food,

with spiced soup and side-dishes, fragrant, fit for a deity and exceedingly splendid,

pure boiled rice, rice-pudding with milk, food prepared with jaggery, and rice with mung beans,

having made five kinds of cakes, as well as pūrikās and vaṭakas,

the companion Bakulamālikā went quickly to see the Lord,

accompanied by Padmāvatī, Padmapatrā, and Citrarekhā.

Placing all those excellent women at the door of the Lord,

Bakulamālikā entered near him by herself.

Approaching the Lord, she bowed with an attitude of devotion.

Then, seeing the Lord lying helpless upon the couch adorned with gems,

massaging his feet while his eyes were closed,

and as he was meditating on something, she spoke with a pure smile:

"Arise, O Lord of the god of gods! Why do you lie down, O Supreme Person?

Excellent food has been prepared, O Lord; come to eat, O Mādhava!

Why do you lie down like one afflicted, O destroyer of the affliction of all the worlds?

What did you see in the forest, O Lord, while wandering on the hunt?

Your condition, O large-eyed one, appears like that of a lover!"

Was it a maiden of the gods you saw, a mortal, or a daughter of the serpent-folk?

Tell me, O you of unfathomable nature, of that maiden who steals your heart.”

Śrī Varāha said:

Hearing those words of hers, the all-pervading Lord let out a sigh.

To him as he sighed, Bakulamālikā, full of affection, spoke again:

“Who is she who captivates even your heart, O Puruṣottama?”

To her Hṛṣīkeśa said: “Listen, I shall tell you in truth.”

Now the reasons for the marriage to Padmāvatī spoken by Śrīnivāsa:

The Lord said:

“Formerly, in the holy Tretāyuga, I slew Rāvaṇa.

At that time the maiden Vedavatī rendered help to Śrī.

Lakṣmī had assumed the form of Sītā, born from the surface of the earth to Janaka.

When I had gone into the forest of Pañcavaṭī to slay Mārīca,

my younger brother too followed after me, urged on by Sītā.

In the meantime, the lord of the rākṣasas approached to abduct Sītā.

Fire, present in the agnihotra, learning of that attempt by Rāvaṇa,

took Sītā and placed her in Pātāla with Svāhā,

and, in order to destroy Rāvaṇa,

brought forth the auspicious Vedavatī, who had formerly been touched by that same rākṣasa and had yielded her body into the fire,

having made her identical in appearance to Sītā.

She was abducted by Rāvaṇa and kept in Laṅkā.

When Rāvaṇa was slain, she entered the fire again.

Fire then placed my Jānakī, Lakṣmī who had been protected with Svāhā,

into my hand along with Sītā's companion, and said to me:

‘This is Vedavatī, O Lord, who acted for Sītā’s welfare.

For Sītā’s sake she remained captive by him in the city of the rākṣasas.

Therefore, please her together with Śrī by granting her a boon.’

Hearing those words of the Fire, auspicious Sītā said to me:

‘Vedavatī is always dear to me, O all-pervading Lord;

therefore choose this supremely devout lady [as your wife], O Lord.’

The Lord said:

‘I shall do so, O goddess, in the twenty-eighth Kaliyuga.

Until then, let her dwell in Brahmaloka, worshipped by the immortals.

Afterwards, this daughter of the earth shall become the daughter of Viyat.’

Thus the beautiful lady was formerly granted a boon by Lakṣmī and by me.

Today, she has been born from the surface of the earth in Nārāyaṇapura.

Equal to Padmā, lotus-eyed, the virtuous maiden was granted a boon by Padmā.

Gathering flowers in the forest with companions worthy of her,

the charming lady was seen by me as I wandered on the hunt.

Her beauty cannot be described by me even in a hundred years.

Only if my union with her, as with Lakṣmī, takes place today,

will my vital breaths remain steady; know this for certain.”

Now the journey of Bakulamālikā toward the city of King Viyat:

“O Bakulamālikā, go there, see that maiden,

and ascertain from her beauty and charm whether she is indeed suitable for me—

she who is faultless, wide-eyed, with eyes like red and blue lotuses.”

To him who was overcome with longing after speaking thus, Bakulā said again:

“I will go from here, O Lord of the gods, to where that lovely lady of yours is.

Tell me the way, O Lord of Ramā, by which I may go to her.”

Addressed in this manner, the Lord of Ramā said to Bakulamālikā:

“Go from here, O highly fortunate lady, toward where the cave of Śrī Nṛsiṃha is.

Descending by that path from this charming lord of mountains,

reach the hermitage of Agastya and behold the liṅga worshipped by him,

known as Agastyeśa, on the bank of the Suvarṇamukharī.

Then go along the bank to the forest of the celestial seer Śuka,

beholding the Svarṇamukharī garlanded with waves there.

There is a purifying lake named Padmasaras, filled with lotuses.

Having bathed there, on its bank bow down to the best of sages performing austerities,

Chāyāśuka, and to Kṛṣṇa accompanied by Bala,

who are constantly worshipped by the sage Śuka, O auspicious lady.

[After bowing to Kṛṣṇa,] who is dark like a sapphire and wears pure yellow garments,

and to Balabhadra of fair form, who is about to set out on a pilgrimage,

who contemplates the mantras, both hands adorned with pearls,

rising and wearing sandals—having bowed to Balabhadra,

taking a golden lotus from this lake, O fair-faced one,

having crossed the Suvarṇamukharī and [passed through] woods and gardens,

reaching the bank of the Araṇī and resting within the forest,

having beheld Nārāyaṇapurī, you will be filled with wonder.

And in its park [you will see] trees rich in flowers and bearing fruit:

jackfruit, mango, and śirīṣa trees, kunda, tinduka, and trumpet-flower trees,

punnāga, nāga, varaṇa, sweet mango, aṅkola, and campaka trees,

bakula, āmalaka, sāla, palm, hintāla, and padmaka trees,

jambu, neem, kadamba, cardamom, long pepper, madhūka, and arjuna trees,

priyaṅgu, asafoetida, date-palm, peacock-flower, aśoka, and lodhra trees,

aśvattha, glomerous fig, plakṣa, jujube, birch, and whistling bamboo trees,

tamarind, kiṃśuka, coral-tree, silk-cotton, and citron trees;

densely crowded with groves of areca palms, orange trees, likuca, and coconut palms;

accompanied by jasmine, mālatī, kunda, yūthikā, and screw-pine;

abounding in oleanders and lotuses, radiant with royal plantains;

swarming with peacocks, parrots, garuḍa-birds, śukas, and cranes;

delightful pleasure-gardens thick with the humming of bees—

[these] you will behold; and having attained supreme joy on the riverbank,

proceeding by the northeastern path to the city resembling the city of Indra,

which is ever encircled by the river named Araṇī as if by the Gaṅgā—

go to the city of King Ākāśa, and there do what is suitable.”

The venerable Varāha said:

Having thus instructed that female companion named Bakulā,

the lord of the gods dismissed her and lay down on a white couch, together with Śrī.

Having bowed to the lord of the gods, the female companion Bakulamālikā,

mounting a red horse that was like a guñjā berry in color,

went by the designated path, beholding various wild animals:

rutting elephants looking like mountains, adorned with white tusks,

accompanied by herds of female elephants, engaged in receiving clouds,

lions resembling white clouds, followed by prides of lionesses,

tigers, bears, rhinoceroses, śarabhas, wild oxen, and deer,

blackbucks, jackals, hares, and priyaka deer as well,

cranes, peacocks, and wild cats living in the woods,

wolves, parrots, boars, and sweet-voiced birds.

Beholding those of manifold forms and rejoicing again and again,

she reached the western bank of the Araṇī, which was covered with trees.

Dismounting from her red horse near Agastyeśa,

and beholding the Agastyeśvara liṅga well worshipped by Agastya,

she bathed there, drank [water], and rested on the riverbank.

Now follows Bakulamālikā’s speech to the female companions of Padmāvatī who were in the celestial garden:

The women from the royal palace had arrived there near the deity;

having seen those companions of Padmālayā, Bakulamālikā

went near them and asked for their news:

Bakulamālikā said:

“Who are you women, adorned with wondrous ornaments and garlands? Speak!

From where have you come here, and what is your business, O spotless-faced ones?”

Having heard her words, they smiled and then replied:

“Listen attentively, O lady; we shall now speak.”

Thus ends the fifth chapter, titled 'The Description of Śrīnivāsa's Infatuation through the Sight of Padmāvatī and Related Events,' in the dialogue between the Earth and Varāha in the Śrīveṅkaṭācalamāhātmya, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.