Skandapurana 2.9.4

Skanda said:

He, the best of those who know the Self, addressed in this way by Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Person,

spoke a word to that Acyuta, the greatest in all the worlds, the dwelling-place of the world's welfare.

Nārada said:

"O God, all that you have spoken has been heard by me, whose vast glory is concealed by the form of a seer; / I know in my heart, O Lord, that all of this is only the play of the Lord of All.

I know in my heart, O Lord, that this entire universe is merely your divine play, the Sovereign Lord of All.

By your darśana alone, O Infinite One, my desire is fulfilled, as sought in my heart;

even so, O Lord, I wish to see that primordial form of yours; great is my curiosity."

Śrī Nārāyaṇa said:

"That essential form of mine cannot be seen by charitable gifts, sacrifices, yogic practices, Vedic rites, or even by austerity.

It is seen, O Nārada, by the best of devotees who are single-minded, through unswerving devotion.

Your devotion to me is indeed unswerving, accompanied by knowledge, detachment, and adherence to your own duty.

Therefore, you shall obtain that darśana, which is difficult to attain even for the chiefs of the gods.

Being exceedingly pleased by your devotion, I now bid you to behold it:

go to the White Island; there this desire of yours will be accomplished, O best of brahmins."

Skanda said:

Having heard this speech, he, the son of Brahmā, worshiped that ancient seer,

soared into the sky equipped with excellent yoga, and then suddenly descended upon Meru.

The sage paused there for a moment after reaching a solitary peak on the mountain;

looking toward the north-west, he beheld an exceedingly wondrous island.

To the north of the Ocean of Milk lies that vast island famed by the name Śveta,

continually blazing forth all around with an extensive mass of intensely white light;

with numerous mangoes, asanas, aśokas, āmrātakas, nimba, kadamba, and nīpa trees,

with bilvas, madhūkas, divine trees, plakṣas, banyans, kiṃśukas, and sandal trees,

with sarjas, śālas, jackfruits, tamālas, sage-trees, ketakas, and campakas,

and with kundas, jātīs, and divine mallikās—trees bent under the weight of fruits and flowers;

with many groves of wish-fulfilling trees, and rows of golden plantains and betel-nut palms,

with numerous vast and splendid gardens, and rivers and lakes adorned with blossoming lotuses,

with excellent birds such as swans producing sweet sounds, and beautiful moving herds of deer.

where indeed all living beings, both stationary and moving, dwell liberated.

Looking around, he saw the foremost devotees of glorious Puruṣottama,

beyond the senses, freed from all sin, devoid of bodily discharges, and fragrant,

some two-armed and some four-armed, some white and some shining like fresh rainclouds,

with eyes like lotus petals, bodies of balanced proportions, handsome and divine limbs, extremely solid,

with flowing hair, ever youthful, endowed with all auspicious marks,

their hands and feet marked with lotus lines, free from the six waves [of mortal suffering], radiant beyond the sun,

dressed in white garments, absorbed in meditation, gentle, and of whom even Time is constantly afraid.

Sāvarṇi said:

Beyond the senses, free from distress, without bodily discharges, fragrant— / who are those men, how were such beings born, and what is their destination?

Śvetadvīpa is situated in the ocean of milk upon the surface of the earth; / how then has transcending the senses been spoken of by you even for its dwellers?

Those liberated ones of pure consciousness who abide in the imperishable abode of Brahman, / which consists of being, consciousness, and bliss—they may be so, but surely not others.

Sever this doubt of mine, for my curiosity is great; / you are indeed knowledgeable in all tales, and therefore I have taken refuge in you.

Skanda said:

By exclusive devotion alone to the Lord of Ramā in previous kalpas, / those who attained the state of Brahman and reached agelessness and immortality,

those beings called 'imperishable' in this abode of Śvetadvīpa / were seen by the divine seer, dwelling there to serve Vāsudeva.

When the time of dissolution arrives, they will once again dwell in the imperishable abode, / independent and devoid of fear from Time and Māyā.

Even here, men born of Māyā who are consequently perishable / indeed become such through good spiritual practices:

By non-violence, austerity, one's own duty, dispassion, / knowledge of Vāsudeva's majesty, steadfastness in the Self,

supreme devotion, constant association with great souls, / by desiring not even forms of liberation devoid of service to Hari,

by lacking desire for all supernatural perfections such as minuteness, / by mutual hearing and glorifying of Śrī Hari's births and deeds—

such men certainly arise, O best of sages.

Even when the creation of the world occurs, these are never born through the power of Time; / by their independence they do not perish at the dissolution like others.

In this regard I will tell you an ancient tale, O sage, / of how even a mortal dwelling here attained such a state.

This extensive story, O brahmin, was heard by me in the presence of my father; / that very story, known as the essence of tales, is to be spoken to you today.

Thus ends the fourth chapter, entitled "The Description of the Liberated of Śvetadvīpa" in the glorious Vāsudeva-māhātmya of the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.