Skandapurana 2.2.8

Jaimini said:

Addressed in this manner by that brahmin, the Śabara became distressed with anxiety:

“This Janārdana residing in secret is the source of our livelihood.

Misfortune has befallen us, through which he may become accessible to all the world.

If I do not show [him] to the brahmin, he will utter a curse upon me.

A brahmin is to be revered by all, and especially this guest;

if his desire remains unfulfilled, both worlds will be lost to me.”

Reflecting thus, Viśvāvasu, the foremost of the Śabaras,

remembered the ancient tradition current in the settlement of the Śabaras:

“When this god has disappeared, when Mādhava is concealed within the earth,

King Indradyumna, possessing valor equal to Indra,

who will even go to Brahmaloka in a human body,

will arrive here with his subjects, and having sacrificed with a hundred horse-sacrifices,

will establish Viṣṇu made of wood in a fourfold form.

If great good fortune has arisen for this brahmin guest,

then the disappearance of the Lord, or his presence, must come to pass.

Therefore, I shall show him Acyuta, who is of sapphire blue.

Human effort has no power when a task has been ordained by the divine.”

Having reflected thus in his mind again and again, the Śabara

spoke to the brahmin who stood before him, meditating upon the imperishable Viṣṇu.

The Śabara said:

“Indeed, even previously this report was heard by us:

King Indradyumna will take up residence here.

You are even more fortunate than he, since you will see Nīlamādhava

with your own eyes first, O brahmin! Come, let us go up to the plateau.”

Having spoken thus and taking him by the hand, he went into the dense path,

climbing higher and higher along the path rough with stones,

passable only by one man at a time, impassable and filled with thorns,

guiding with words the brahmin walking upon the dark-filled path.

Within two muhūrtas, the two reached the bank of the Rauhiṇa pool.

Beholding it, he said to the brahmin: "This pool, O best of the twice-born,

is the great sacred ford called Rauhiṇa, the source of all waters.

Bathing here, a mortal goes to the abode of Vaikuṇṭha, O twice-born.

To the east of this is that great banyan tree, the Kalpacchāya,

stepping into whose shade one wipes away [the sin of] murdering a brahmin.

Between these two, O brahmin, standing inside the arbor,

behold directly Jagannātha, taught by the Vedānta.

Having seen [Him], abandon the entire manifold accumulation of sin;

henceforth, though fallen into the ocean of worldly existence, grieve no more."

Jaimini said:

Having bathed in the pool, the wise brahmin, his mind exceedingly delighted,

bowing from afar with his head, mind, and speech to Hari,

praised [Him] with a one-pointed mind and a voice choked with joy.

Vidyāpati said:

"O You who transcend Pradhāna and Puruṣa, all-pervading one, higher than the highest!

O transformation into the moving and the unmoving, O supreme truth, homage be to You!

By rites taught by the Śrutis, Smṛtis, Purāṇas, and Itihāsas,

You alone are to be propitiated, O Lord of the universe!

From You all this universe arises at creation, O all-pervading Lord;

having You as its foundation, O God, it is maintained by You alone.

At the end of a kalpa, everything is withdrawn and resides with ample space

at ease within Your belly, O Self of all! Homage be to You, the Inner Ruler!

Homage to You, God of gods! Homage to You whose form is the three Vedas,

who constantly illuminate the world in the form of the moon, sun, and others!

The Gaṅgā, embodying all sacred fords, by contact with whose lotus foot

purifies all the worlds—homage to Him, the Purifier!

The oblations purified by mantras duly offered into the fires

You transform [into food]; homage to You who make the world live!

Living on a portion of whom, whose nature is bliss, the worlds subsist,

homage to that Brahman-Self, devoid of all impurities!

To the spotless one, whose form is auspicious, the wielder of māyā,

devoid of all attachment, homage to You, the witness of the universe!

To the one with many feet, eyes, heads, mouths, and arms, victorious over all,

whose essence is all living beings, homage to You who possess all forms!

Homage to You, beloved of Kamalā! Homage to You who sit on a lotus!

Homage, O lotus-petal-eyed one! Protect me, O Puruṣottama!

Afflicted by roaming in worthless worldly existence, truly by diseases and grief,

deliver me from this mass of worldly sorrow, who have taken refuge at Your lotus feet!"

Jaimini said:

Having thus praised the ruler of the gods, the God whose form is the Praṇava,

he bowed and chanted the Praṇava mantra before Hari.

At the end of the recitation, seeing the brahmin standing with peaceful mind,

hands folded in reverence, and considering himself fulfilled, the Śabara said:

Viśvāvasu said:

"You have accomplished your purpose by beholding the Lord now, O bull among the twice-born.

The day has ended; let us go home. You are hungry and filled with fatigue.

This forest is the dwelling of ferocious beasts; staying here is not suitable for us.

As long as the sun's light shines, let us go to our home."

Having spoken thus and taking the brahmin by the hand once more,

the Śabara, O best of the twice-born, swiftly came to his hermitage.

The brahmin, too, meditating on Jagannātha, the ocean of bliss,

did not feel the pains arising from hunger, thirst, and weariness.

Even upon the road rough with stones and impassable with heaps of thorns,

walking along, he felt no pain because of his joy and disregard for the body.

As the two, the brahmin and the Śabara, were thus walking toward the Śabara's home,

reached it in the evening, O twice-born, the foremost of Vaiṣṇavas.

There, to the guest who had arrived, the brahmin, the best of Śabaras

honored him with various arrangements of food to chew and to eat.

Then, fully satisfied by the royal offerings presented by him,

he felt great astonishment at what was exceedingly difficult to obtain for a Śabara:

"This Śabara dwells in the middle of a rugged forest,

living on forest produce. How within his house

are foods fit for a king easily available? This is a great wonder!"

To the brahmin who had thus fallen into wonder, the Śabara then

spoke with affectionate words, bowing low in deep humility:

The Śabara said:

"O brahmin, are you free from fatigue? Are you free from hunger and thirst?

Whence can there be comfort for city dwellers in the house of forest dwellers?

Urban ways are unknown, especially to Śabaras.

Among those who serve the king, the king's minister and the domestic priest are the foremost.

Between them, the priest is to be honored as equal to the king, in accordance with the scriptures.

King Indradyumna is an emperor of great majesty.

If you are pleased, O brahmin, he will surely be pleased."

When the forest dweller had spoken thus, that twice-born man, greatly pleased,

spoke with affection to the Śabara, who spoke with such wondrous humility:

Vidyāpati said:

"O virtuous one, these things brought by you for my entertainment

are superhuman, unseen here even by kings.

It is marvelous: such an accumulation of divine items in the house of a Śabara!

My curiosity to have this explained grows very great, O virtuous one."

The Śabara said:

"O brahmin, my mind is not inclined to disclose this.

Even so, O best of the twice-born, out of devotion to a guest, I shall tell you.

The hosts of gods, led by Śakra, arrive every day, O twice-born,

bringing divine offerings to worship the Lord of the World.

Having worshipped Jagannātha, having praised and bowed down to him with devotion,

and having delighted Puruṣottama with songs, musical instruments, and dances,

the foremost of the gods always return to heaven.

These divine articles are the nirmālya of the Lord of the World;

they have been given to you, a learned man. Why do you marvel?

By partaking of Viṣṇu's nirmālya, we are free from disease and old age;

with our sons and relatives, we all live having a lifespan of ten thousand years.

By partaking of Viṣṇu's nirmālya, the heap of sins is destroyed;

it is no wonder, O best of the twice-born, that one may become a recipient of liberation."

Hearing of this rare deed, the brahmin, his hair standing on end,

his eyes filled with tears of joy, considered himself fulfilled:

"Ah! Though born a Śabara, he beholds the imperishable Lord!

He enjoys His divine remnants of food day and night!

There is no other equal to him in the world, on the earth with all that moves and is still,

as is this devotee of Viṣṇu, the Śabara on the Blue Mountain.

What is the use of going to my own home today, to a family of unhappy mind?

Forming a friendship with him, I will stay here within the forest."

Having reflected for a long time, the brahmin, his mind attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa,

again said to the Śabara: "If you have favor toward me,

O virtuous one, friendship must be made with you; this is my firm resolve.

What is the use of returning and serving the king, a cause of unhappiness in the hereafter?

Staying here with you, worshipping Madhusūdana,

I will strive so that the bondage of a body may not happen to me again.

O good friend, by good fortune my meeting with you has taken place;

by your grace I will cross the ocean of existence, hard to cross.

They praise this as the essence in this world, in the ocean of worldly existence:

friendship with a Vaiṣṇava, which carries one across the sorrowful cycle of birth and death.

By living together with a friend, before my very eyes again

will come the Lord, the lotus-eyed one, bearing the conch, discus, and mace.

If I return, friend, King Indradyumna

he will reside right here to worship the Lord.

And he wishes to build a vast temple here, dear to the Lord. (70)

‘I will arrange a thousand services

for worshiping the Lord of the world’—such was the king’s great vow. (71)

I promised [this] before him; please be pleased and agree to it.” (72)

The Śabara said:

“Friend, there is well known here just such an ancient account. (73)

Indradyumna’s coming will happen just as you have told.

Only, the king will not see Mādhava there. (74)

Very soon the Lord, covered with golden sand,

will disappear; this was promised to Yama. (75)

Through the ripening of great good fortune, you have perceived Him directly;

when Indradyumna approaches, He will certainly conceal Himself. (76)

Yet this matter must not be told by you, friend, before the king.

Coming here and not seeing the Supreme Lord, (77)

that king, undertaking the vow of fasting unto death, will see the Holder of the Mace in a dream.

By His command, the fourfold wooden forms of the Lord (78)

he will worship with devotion, having [them] consecrated by the Self-manifest [Brahmā].

Hari’s presence here will endure as long as our lineages last. (79)

Through the Lord’s grace, no doubt should be entertained in this matter.

Therefore, friend, do not be sorrowful about this; very quickly indeed (80)

it will be accomplished before long. Friend, now sleep peacefully.

In the morning, after seeing the all-pervading God of sapphire again, (81)

bathing in the ocean, we shall look for a good site on its shore (82)

for the king’s dwelling, according to his desire, my friend.”

Having exchanged these and other holy stories with one another,

the two of them slept in an auspicious place on a bed spread with leaves. (83)

When night had dawned, the two, with the water of the king of sacred fords [the ocean],

performed their ritual ablution according to rule, bowed to Mādhava, (84)

and after deciding upon a place fit for the king to reside, they went back.

Then, having taken leave of his friend, to carry out the king’s instruction, (85)

mounting his chariot, that brahmin returned to the city of Avantī. (86)

Thus ends the eighth chapter in the dialogue with the sage Jaimini, in the Puruṣottamakṣetramāhātmya of the second [section], the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses. (8)