Skandapurana 2.2.21

Jaimini said:

To the royal sage speaking thus, a certain brahmin, a master of the Ṛgveda,

a knower of the Vedānta and devoted to wisdom, joyfully spoke these words:

"Ah, great indeed is your mass of fortune, by which the wooden image has appeared on earth,

the supreme worship of which the scripture declares as granting liberation to those deluded by ignorance of the Self!

This wooden log without human origin that floats on the shore of the ocean—

By worshipping that [log], which is difficult to adore, they attain liberation, which is exceedingly hard to obtain.

Nārada, an actual treasury of the knowledge of Brahman, replied to that [with the words]:

“Indeed, there is no knowledge of Him other than the statement of the Vedānta.

Indeed, Viṣṇu’s manifestation does not occur without the Veda.

In the creation of others or of Himself, the Lord takes the authority of the Śruti [as supreme].

If He were to act without the Śruti, who would accept its authority?

Therefore, O king, this descent here is renowned in the Śruti.

Know this not to be [merely] an image, but the Person to be known through Vedānta, / sung of in the chants of the Sāmaveda,

the bringer of the highest good to men.

By His very darśana, our most deep and dense darkness has been dispelled.

There are indeed ancient Śrutis that reveal worship of Him.

Worship of Him is truly praised when directed toward a real purpose.

Ah, how free of sin are the human beings dwelling in Bhāratavarṣa,

to whom Janārdana, the bestower of liberation, has manifested!

Even there, this land of Oḍhra is the very best of all,

dwelling in which they see Him whose nature is Brahman with physical eyes.

The path of the Śrutis and Smṛtis is difficult, crowded with ritual actions,

treading which, [men] wander here, agitated like water-wheels.

He, consisting of pure consciousness, is the cause of reaching the state free of deceit.

Without means such as [rituals enjoined by] the Śruti, He grants supreme bliss and liberation.

To wicked souls who are miserable with continuous coming and going,

this Viṣṇu in wooden form is a giver of happiness and a good friend.

The rules declared in the Śrutis and Smṛtis do not apply here, O king;

coming in whatever way into the range of sight, He gives liberation down to the outcaste.

Even if a man without devotion should see Him, merely following the crowd,

he will indeed obtain the entire fruit of a thousand horse-sacrifices.

If, keeping observances, a devout man of firm mind worships Him,

that man without doubt attains union with Brahman.

Where is that [action] full of grief and toil, perishable without effort,

short-lived, yielding paltry fruit, and marked by rebirth,

and where is this wooden Brahman, a forest fire to the heap of sins,

granting the liberation of absolute isolation, existence, consciousness, and bliss, even by darśana?

The study of the Vedas and other [rites] are difficult to perform for wicked souls;

what is to be attained through these by great souls, that He will grant effortlessly.

In other sacred fields, the Lord is very far from mortal dwellers;

in His own sacred field, the omnipresent Lord, the bestower of liberation, resides eternally.

Therefore, O fortunate one, stay here, having the prowess of your own strength;

you are most wise and devoted; worship Him along with His major and minor limbs.”

Jaimini said:

Having heard those words of the twice-born [sage], Nārada, delighted in mind, [said]:

“Well spoken by the best of the twice-born, who follows the path of the Śruti!

At the beginning of creation, the collection of the Vedas arose from the breaths of Brahman;

there, this meaning of the Upaniṣads has now attained manifestation.

The blessed lotus-born Lord of creatures knows this meaning,

and I, O king, have just now learned [it] from his mouth.

By his command everything has been accomplished as desired by you.

Having worshipped Him, remain here; I am going into the presence of Brahmā.

I will report what has been done and the manifestation of the foe of Mura.

Build a temple, O king, with great wealth; / and likewise,

having installed Narasiṃha in the temple, you will be liberated.”

Jaimini said:

Hearing that, the lord of the earth then replied to the sage:

“O great seer, I wish to go with you to the presence of Brahmā,

by whose favor Jagannātha has become a guest of my eyes.

Reporting that temple for the installation of the foe of Mura,

I shall request in his presence the festival of the temple’s installation,

so that the Grandfather, coming himself from the world of Brahmā,

will celebrate the great festival of the Lord in this temple.

Therefore, O sage, bring me too into the presence of the Creator.

Having completed the consecration of the inner sanctuary in the temple, I have remained here, O sage.”

Afterwards, we two shall go. Wait for me for a short time.

Then that king [summoned] all those skilled in the science of architecture,

and individually in the work of joining stone blocks,

he respectfully engaged them with hospitality, gifts, and honors.

Day by day, O twice-born ones, the well-constructed temple grew,

being filled on all sides like the moon in the bright fortnight.

Even while being thus built up, though the temple was enlarged,

because of its immense height, it was not perceived [to grow] in a short time.

The count of stones might somehow be possible from the sequence of joining,

but the expenditure of crores of wealth cannot be counted.

As many people as lived in Bhārata-varṣa abiding by their duties,

they were all employed by King Indradyumna, ruler of the earth.

Those who were appointed one by one, joined together with one another,

and those appointed by others—they were all set to work there.

The great, continuous roar born of the joy of those employed,

pervading the sky, filled the regions of the directions.

Propitiated by the king's faith, devotion, and purity,

O brahmins, the king's fortune flourished together with his fame.

In some places it shone brightly with various gems inlaid in gold;

in some places its luster resembled an autumn cloud amid sections of crystal;

in some places the wall, made of sapphire stone, was dark and dense like a raincloud.

When the delightful temple of Viṣṇu was thus well constructed,

that best of kings, having properly performed the foundation rite of the sanctum,

in order to avert lightning strikes, breakage, and the like, as prescribed,

having placed jewels and other objects obtained by effort according to the treatises on architecture,

further, [collecting] whatever was appropriate for the equipment of the temple's construction,

he carefully deposited there an abundance of costly items.

Then, as this fame-increasing temple was being fashioned—

unimaginable even in thought to the kings in the three worlds,

not seen even by the gods who abide until the end of the kalpa, O twice-born ones—

“No such temple has ever been built on earth,

or in heaven!” Thus the Ādityas conversed among themselves:

“Ah, how lofty is his good intellect, which has matured in this way!

Longing through faith for the lotus feet of the Blessed Lord,

they indeed witness and even accomplish extraordinary deeds!

Which kings here on earth have been endowed with political wisdom,

universal emperors, conquerors of the realm of all enemies,

by whom wealth was amassed in very great abundance, in crores?

Yet the thousand horse sacrifices that were performed for the Lord of Heaven,

could that be possible for [other] kings? Nothing like this was ever performed before!

Never was a thousand horse sacrifices seen or heard of,

performed by any ruler of the earth, wherein the dwellers of the three worlds

assembled on earth together with this king to enjoy pleasures!

The sacrificial assembly of this sacrificer shines like the world of Brahmā,

where the three Vedas take embodied form, and the bull [of Dharma] stands on four legs,

and where the gods, their wishes fulfilled, were struck with wonder.

Indeed, this best of temples has become an object [comprehensible only] to his intellect,

where even the mind of the inhabitants of the three worlds cannot reach.

What could be difficult to attain for a king whose helper is Nārada,

and the Grandfather, the creator of the worlds, the lord of all the immortals?

Or rather, nothing that a devotee of Viṣṇu desires to do is too distant;

there is no difference between Viṣṇu and the people who are his devotees, O twice-born one.”

Then, upon the completion of the temple, he said to Nārada, lord of sages:

“Everything that was impossible for gods and demons has succeeded for me.

Devoted to the non-dual worship of the Blessed Lord Viṣṇu directly,

may this temple, resembling the body of the Blessed Lord, endure long for me.”

Having spoken thus, he bowed with his head at the feet of Nārada.

Nārada, raising him up and honoring the best of kings, [said:]

“In truth, O king, there is no difference between me and you,

since Jagannātha himself has manifested directly, or [will do so] by what has been done.”

You must certainly worship him; you are now liberated while living.

Just as your mind is filled with devotion toward his lotus feet,

for a person possessed of undivided devotion, what indeed is higher than this?

What could be obtained through sacred fords, mantras, recitations, gifts, sacrifices with lavish priestly fees,

vows, Vedic study, O king, and austerities,

which was impossible [to attain], O best of kings, has come into your hand through devotion.

Therefore, grieve no more; homage to you in the yoga of devotion!

Remaining long on this earth, O supreme among kings, in great excellence,

worship Jagannātha with offerings and great festivals.

Wishing to see the Grandfather, you will go to the presence of the Lord.

He too will teach you those various pilgrimages and great festivals.

And the Lord himself will personally bestow a boon upon you

at that time, once the temple has been consecrated by the self-manifest one.

I too will come at that time together with the Seven Seers;

then let the two of us go there, to the stainless world of Brahmā.

Except for you, who on earth is capable of going to the world of Brahmā?"

Having spoken thus to the king, Nārada rose into the sky.

Thus ends the twenty-first chapter in the dialogue between the sage Jaimini and others in the glorification of the sacred field of Puruṣottama, in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses].