Skandapurana 2.2.13.13

2.2.13.13

.. munaya ūcuḥ . ..
kapoteśasthalī cāpi kathaṃ khyātā mahāmune ..
ko vā kapotaḥ kaśceśa etanno vaktumarhasi ..1..
.. jaiminiruvāca .. ..
purā kuśasthalī sā vai asevyā sarvajaṃtubhiḥ ..
tīkṣṇadhāraiḥ kuśāgraistu paritaḥ kaṃṭakaiścitā ..2..
nistarurnirjalādhārā piśācavasatiryathā ..
yadā pūrvaṃ bhagavato nānyo devo'pi pūjyate ..3..
pūjyaḥ syāmahamapyevaṃ spardhāsīddhūrjaṭestadā ..
ciṃtayanniti tasyaiva viṣṇorbhaktau mano'dadhat.. 4 ..
sarvanirviṣaye deśe sthitvā'haṃ niṣparigrahaḥ ..
sumahattapa āsthāya toṣayiṣyāmi taṃ harim .. 5 ..
kiṃ vadeyaṃ rameśāya kā stutiḥ śāradāpateḥ ..
sarvabrahmāṃḍanāthasya kiṃ vānyattuṣṭikārakam .. 6 ..
tasmānna bāhyaṃ vastvanyadupayogāya tasya vai ..
aṃtaryāgaṃ samāsthāya nirvyalīkena cetasā .. 7 ..
bhaktebhya ātmapradadaṃ carācaraguruṃ harim ..
ārādhayiṣye sarveṣāṃ pūjyaḥ syāṃ tatprasādataḥ .. 8 ..
tata ityabhisaṃdhāya yayau puṇyāṃ kuśasthalīm ..
samīpe nīlagotrasya sarvadvaṃdvavivarjitaḥ .. 9 ..
tatastepe tapastīvraṃ vāyubhakṣo maheśvaraḥ ..
kapota iva sūkṣmo'bhūdaṣṭamūrtirapi prabhuḥ .. 2.2.13.10 ..
tataḥ prasanno bhagavānaiśvaryaṃ pradadau tadā ..
yenātmatulyaḥ saṃjātaḥ pūjāsaṃmānanādiṣu .. 11 ..
tapaḥprabhāvāttasyāsītsthalī vṛndāvanopamā ..
sarastaḍāgasarasī nadībhiḥ śobhitāṃtarā .. 12 ..
nānādrumairlatābhiśca sarvartuphalapuṣpakaiḥ ..
madhumattadvirephāṇāṃ jhaṃkārairmukharāśayā .. 13 .

The sages said: / "And how did the site of Kapoteśa become renowned, O great sage? / Who indeed was the pigeon, and who was the Lord? You ought to tell us this." / Jaimini said: / "Formerly, it was Kuśasthalī, unfit for resort by any living beings, / covered all around with thorns having the sharp edges of kuśa grass, / devoid of trees, without any reservoir of water, like an abode of piśācas. / When formerly no other god was worshipped besides the Blessed Lord, / Dhūrjaṭi [Śiva] then had a rivalry, [thinking:] 'May I also be worthy of worship!' / Reflecting thus, he fixed his mind on devotion to that very Viṣṇu: / 'Having stayed in a place free from all sensory objects, without possessions, / undertaking very great austerity, I shall please that Hari. / What should I say to the Lord of Ramā? What is the praise of the husband of Śāradā? / Or what else would cause satisfaction to the Lord of the entire universe? / Therefore, no other external object is indeed of use to him; / undertaking internal sacrifice with an guileless mind, / I shall worship Hari, the teacher of moving and unmoving beings, who gives himself to his devotees; / by his grace, may I become worthy of worship by all.' / Then, having formed this resolve, free from all dualities, / he went to holy Kuśasthalī near the blue mountain. / Then Maheśvara performed severe austerity, subsisting on air; / though the Lord has eight forms, he became minute like a pigeon. / Then the Blessed Lord, pleased, bestowed sovereignty upon him at that time, / by which he became equal to himself in worship, honor, and the like. / By the power of his austerity, the site became like Vṛndāvana, / its interior adorned with lakes, ponds, pools, and rivers, / with various trees and creepers bearing fruits and flowers in all seasons, / resounding with the humming of bees intoxicated with honey,